unknownballad | ❝ I, in my corner, with my monstrous needs ❞

The centuries have taken Su-jin many places. Once upon a time it was easier to settle in one place for a long time. Now? He has to file paperwork, create new identities, figure out how to pass all of his (and Vena's) assets back to their new names. At least he's figured out ways to keep them settled in one place for a while.

This modern world is so obsessed with identity on paper. It's easy enough to fake if you know the tips and tricks Su-jin does. Another perk to going into law all those centuries ago.

Today, he's been working on he and Vena's next identities. Always best to work out the details before they're needed, after all. Because he finished whatever paperwork his task and his career demand of him, because he has no further appointments with clients, Su-jin decides to call it a day in the early afternoon. The weather's nice enough that he opts not to call his car service. It's a long, long walk home but for a creature with inhuman stamina, that's not an issue.

He stands quietly, checking messages on his phone as he waits for the crossing signal to change.

The oceans have taken Aqua to not as many places, but enough that it feels like there's always somewhere new to explore. And that's what he's doing here is exploring. He's taking in his new surroundings. At least he's trying to, but he's done all he can on this one side of the road and he's a little apprehensive about going to the other on his own. And standing at the edge of the street to wait for others to cross as well feels dangerous.

So when he sees someone waiting to cross, he also sees an opportunity. He trots over to stand next to Su-jin, hoping that he's not wrong and Su-jin is waiting to cross the street and isn't waiting for someone or just standing there while he looks at his phone thing before moving along this side of the road. The phone thing that Aqua cranes his neck to look at, even if he can't actually read what's on the screen. Which is probably good, since it's rude! Aqua softly gasps and covers his eyes once he remembers, only dropping his hand once he's facing from again.

"I'm sorry! I looked at your phone! I didn't mean to. Well, actually I did but I shouldn't have. I won't do it again, I promise."

Su-jin used to being in crowded places. But being what he is makes him keenly aware of the people and goings-on around him. He saw Aqua approach out of the corner of his eye, smelled something like salt water clinging to him as he drew closer. Too much salt water and not enough human things like soap, cologne, the weird plastic in clothes, processed foods, other humans...

Then the little sea creature has a tiny melt down it looks like. That causes Su-jin to turn and watch him, to make sure everything's okay. This is all about his phone? Su-jin relaxes and offers a very soft smile.

"It's okay. I'm not reading anything confidential," he adds if that will make Aqua feel better.

Aqua did have a tiny bit of a meltdown at the thought of being rude to a stranger (especially to a stranger he hopes he can continue to stay near so they can cross the road together) but he managed to calm down relatively quickly so that's good, right? Once he stopped with the potentially offending action and got out his apology, he started to calm down, breathe a little easier.

"...confedental? Like teeth?"

Okay, that's fair. Su-jin's spoken English for a long time, and a lot of other languages before that so there's definitely a pronounced accent to it. So, he repeats the word, sounding it out more slowly. "Con-fi-den-tial. As in, secret." He even turns his phone so Aqua can have a better look at the email. It's nothing related to his work. Just some things he needs to schedule: the accountant, a visit to a storage unit, a manicure... Not that Aqua car read any of it. Su-jin doesn't know that, though. "See? It's nothing secret. So it's not too rude that you looked."

"Con-fi-den-tial. As in, secret," Aqua repeats. Alas the misunderstanding has nothing to do with Su-jin's pronunciation and everything to do with the fact that Aqua simply doesn't know the word. In any language, with or without an accent. But how could Su-jin possibly know such a thing?

Aqua leans in when Su-jin turns the phone around, peering closely at the screen. For someone who promised to never look at Su-jin's phone again, he sure was quick to jump on the chance once it was presented to him. His eyes move back and forth over the screen as though he may actually be reading what's written there. He's not, of course. Human writing is still a hurdle he hasn't yet gotten over. He recognizes the shape of a few words but he has no idea what any of it means.

"I still should've asked first." Doing that to the wrong person could get him into trouble. But this wasn't the wrong person and for that, Su-jin earns himself a bright smile from the little selkie. "So what're you doing?" He will apologize profusely for being nosy and snooping at someone's phone, but it doesn't even occur to him that this is also being nosy and it's also a little rude. Especially since this nice man is still a stranger. Oh well. Better luck on that one next time.

"I'm on my way home." Su-jin doesn't mind answering Aqua's questions. He has a newness to him which makes Su-jin wonder if he's just a visitor on land (since he smells so much of the sea, it makes sense that he's some sort of sea creature).

"You can walk with me as far as you'd like." It's a very long walk and a sea creature might not wish to wander quite so far from the sea. Especially with a total stranger.

"If I may offer some advice: most people won't know you're peeking at their phones if you don't tell them that's what you're doing."

"Oh!" Mention of home makes Aqua glance in the direction of the ocean before looking back up at Su-jin. Just a visitor on land, indeed. Freshly in land, in fact. Not for the first time, of course, but he's not been terribly long out of the water so far today. How observant of Su-jin to pick up on that instead of merely deciding Aqua is a frequent beach goer. Full marks for Su-jin's keen senses.

Aqua opens his mouth and is about to ask if he can go with Su-jin (at least partway) when it's like Su-jin read his mind and offers it first. Instead, Aqua nods excitedly and claps his hands together. "Yes please! I'd like to go with you!" Easy enough to say when he has no idea how far from the ocean he'll be going.

"Oh. But I feel bad so I want to apologize for it." And yet it doesn't seem to stop him from doing it initially. "Can I tell you a secret?" He doesn't want for an answer, he just rocks up onto his toes and drops his voice down to a whisper. "I don't actually know what I was looking at on your screen. I usually don't know."

It's been a long time since Su-jin ever felt lost in the world. But he remembers how awful it felt. So, whenever he can, he likes to help others who might be in a similar situation. Like a creature fresh from the sea. And, well, Su-jin's learned that not everyone is kind or generous and someone who seems as friendly as Aqua could get hurt by that.

Su-jin turns to face Aqua, blinking at his confession. "You don't know how to read?"

Though he's slowly growing more accustomed to the surface, Aqua's not sure he'll ever truly get over the feeling of being lost in the world. There's just too much in this world that is completely foreign to him, and things keep changing. Keeping up is impossible when you've never been able to catch up in the first place. So he's glad for kind people like Su-jin who are willing to help and be patient with him. Not everyone has been. Though he's been lucky enough to not run into anyone who's been particularly unkind (is it because he's pretty? It's probably because he's pretty, right? That and people probably think there's something wrong with him), he's run into plenty who simply don't have time for him. Or aren't exactly receptive to his brand of friendliness. People want to be left alone. Aqua doesn't want to be left alone.

Aqua blinks back at Su-jin and then tips his head to one side. "No. Is that bad?" He has text to speech set up on his phone as well as a screen reader. It's been getting him through for the most part.

Is it bad? "Well, no it isn't bad. But it makes some things much harder. See how there are signs all around?" He points to the street signs, the signs of the various businesses around them, even the advert on the side of a bus that passes by. "All of those things and so many more are full of words."

He pauses, about to speak when the traffic slows and then the crossing signal flashes green, beeping to indicate they can cross. Out of habit, Su-jin still check the traffic before stepping into the crosswalk (fully expecting Aqua to do the same). "Do you want to learn?"

Things have been a little tougher for Aqua from time to time due in no small part to his inability to read human words. Many people simply assume that it's the English language that's the problem, not language in general. That leads to some people taking the time to help him out where reading is necessary. Most times, he just guesses with mixed results.

Aqua looks up at Su-jin, then over to where he's pointing, lifting his own arm to point in the same direction, at the same thing. "They're full of words," he repeats quietly, tracing one of the words in the air with his finger. He's familiar with the shape of it, as well as the shape of a few others on this particular sign, but he has no idea what it says. He's tried to learn a little by following along as his screen reader tells him what's on his phone, but it's difficult when there's no one there to make sure he's even following along correctly.

Looking toward the beeping, Aqua drops his arm and checks for traffic like SU-jin did. Because Su-jin did it, actually. Before following him out onto the crosswalk, however, Aqua reaches for Su-jin's hand. Something comforting for the selkie who's still a little nervous about crossing the street. Except that Su-jin is still a stranger and maybe having someone he doesn't know grab his hand is not a nice, comforting thing for him. Maybe he doesn't like that. With that in mind, Aqua pivots and gently grabs the other man's sleeve instead. Only then does he follow Su-jin onto the crosswalk. A compromise. Some people may not think of it as much of one, but to Aqua, it's huge.

"Yes please. Will you teach me?"

If he minds Aqua taking hold of his sleeve, Su-jin makes no indication of it. Maybe Aqua'a more fresh from the sea than Su-jin thought. Well, he'll get a chance to inquire at some point. Not now, not when others can overhear and exposing each other might be a danger. He does make sure to adjust his stride to accommodate Aqua, though. When on the city streets, Su-jin typically walks quickly, moving from place to place with a sense of urgency. But with someone in tow? He'll go slower.

"I can help you learn," he says, the tone friendly. "Will you be able to meet me every day for lessons?"

This isn't exactly Aqua's first day on land, but he's been here little enough that he's still pretty quick to shy away from things that scare him. And if the thing that scares him is something he can't really figure out and something that seems dangerous, it's likely to continue scaring him and he's not likely to overcome it. And crossing the street just seems like one of those things all humans know how to do, so it feels like one of those things he can't ask about without having some sort of explanation, real or fake, for his gap in knowledge ready to go. An explanation that he simply can't come up with.

Aqua tightens his grip on Su-jin's sleeve a little and makes sure he sticks close to the other as they cross and looks only straight ahead or up at Su-jin, never at the waiting vehicles. He doesn't like them and doesn't want to acknowledge them, thank you.

"I can meet you every day!" Which, by his tone, sounds like he thinks it's an incredibly exciting concept. And it is! It's exciting to have something specific to do every day. It's exciting to think that he might one day know how to read human words! It's exciting that he'll get to see more of his new friend.

Feeling that grip on his sleeve, Su-jin pulls it free and takes the little selkie's hand instead. If that will help him feel more at ease, it's not something Su-jin's bothered by. Centuries ago, perhaps he wouldn't have done such a thing, but it's been some long time since casual touch has troubled him. Shaking hands is pretty common in the West and in his career. Holding a skittish creature's hand while the cross the street is hardly an issue.

"What may I call you?"

When Su-jin pulls his sleeve out of Aqua's grip, his expression starts to quickly shift to a mixture of disappointment and embarrassment. He's about to tuck his hand back in close to himself when the other man takes hold of it. He blinks up at Su-jin and and then smiles brightly and takes a few extra, quick steps to walk a little more alongside Su-jin. The hand in his is definitely bringing the little selkie a greater sense of comfort than they holding onto the man's sleeve did.

"Aqua! It's pretty, right?"

The street crossing isn't a long one and they're safely out of traffic and back on the sidewalk quickly. However, Su-jin doesn't immediately let go of Aqua's hand. No, he'll leave that up to Aqua. He doesn't have any reason yet to equate the needy gesture with the selkie's anxiety at crossing the street. Maybe it just makes him feel better, or stay with whomever he happens with walking by.

"Aqua is one of my favorite colors." By which he means to agree. It's very pretty, indeed. "My name is Su-jin," he adds with a soft, small smile. "Is there a good place I can meet you to help you learn to read?" Surely arranging to meet at the street corner again might be out of his way. If there's somewhere more convenient, it's no hardship for Su-jin to go there.

If Su-jin isn't going to try to take his hand back, then Aqua has no interest in giving it. Now that he has Su-jin's hand, he will not let go of it until the other makes it seem like he's done with the physical contact. They're across the street now so the horrors have ended (temporarily. There will be others crossings of course), he doesn't mind so much walking without Su-jin's hand, but he'd prefer to keep it. It's nice. And it guarantees he won't fall behind when he inevitably starts looking around at everything now that they're getting to areas he's never been to before.

"It is!?" He's genuinely shocked and delighted by this particular bit of information. It's like confirmation that he had a great choice when he picked his name. And it feels a little bit like Su-jin is calling Aqua, himself, his favourite. He likes that. "Su-jin. Su-jin Su-jin. That's nice to say." A lovely name that Aqua will be sure to never forget. Su-jin has been very kind to him that deserves a place in the selkie's memory.

"Mmm I like the beach. Can we meet there?" Not exactly beating those 'sea creature' allegations.

"Mm," he hums with a nod. "It is." Aqua doesn't know it yet, but Su-jin loves colors. Color theory, design, they way it can be used to create and affect moods. He enjoys bright, rich colors and also deep, moody colors. Aqua (the color) is definitely bright and rich. "That name suits you very well," he adds. This young man also gives an impression of brightness with those smiles and richness in the depth of him.

"Do you have a favorite place on the beach?" The beach is pretty big and pretty vague. "I'll be happy to meet you there."

Ever since the first time Aqua came to the surface, ever since he first shed his pelt and walked around among the humans, Aqua has loved colours. As a seal, the range of colours that he can see if very limited. Shades of grey, some blues and greens, that's all. And then he became human the first time and he could see so many colours and each one of them was more incredible than the last and suddenly, he was in love. So learning that he shared a name with a beautiful colour was such an amazing surprise. It wasn't just another word for water. "I think so too." It's the perfect name for him.

"Do you know those big, flat rocks where the seals really like to nap? My favourite place is over by there."

Su-jin listens carefully, then nods with a quiet hum. "I know the place, yes." He's seen it from a distance, but never ventured too close. The seals probably didn't venture close to humans for a reason and, well, Su-jin's not quite human. Most animals tend to give him a wide berth. He figures they can sense the predator in him.

"Shall we meet there tomorrow? Around noon?"

The seals already see humans as predators and keep their distance. Especially on land where they aren't so mobile. So a human (or something that looks like one) carrying the underlying scent of blood and viscera no matter how much he tries to wash it off is worth staying far away from. That's the sort of thing that Aqua should be paying more attention to as well but there's no many unfamiliar smells here, especially as he gets away from the ocean more, that it's hard to discern what they are or where they're coming from. So he's going off of how someone acts and how he's being treated. The way a person looks and how they speak to him.

And this one seems nice so far.

Aqua blinks up at Su-jin curiosity, tilting his head to one side. "I thought we were meeting around the rocks." What and where is 'noon'? He's heard the word before but has zero context for it.

That Aqua can't register him as a bigger and badder predator than the average human is probably to Su-jin's benefit. He does so enjoy making friends with other creatures. There are some things he just can't even begin to bring up in conversations with even the most open-minded human. But he also can't reveal that he knows (strongly suspects) Aqua isn't human. Putting another creature in an awkward position like that isn't something he enjoys.

"Noon is a time," he explains as if it's not a strange thing to have to explain. "Mid-day. When the sun is directly overhead." He even uses his free hand to point straight up above them. "It's around the time a lot of people have their lunch meal."

It's to Aqua's benefit too, it seems. Had he been able to tell that Su-jin is a much bigger predator than a regular human, Aqua probably would've avoided him. He would've missed out on these interactions and would've missed out on the chance to learn how to read! He would've pre-judged someone who is being very kind to him based solely on scent. Not a terrible thing for an animal that is often prey, but not great for a human-shaped animal who wants to befriend those on land.

Aqua blinks up at Su-jin, then looks in the direction he's pointing before doing the same with his own free hand, pointing straight above them. "Oh. Noon is a mid-day time when the sun is straight overhead. Let's meet around noon time tomorrow!"

"Do you tell time differently?" A gentle inquiry without judgement. One that suggests maybe human people have different ways to reckon time, too. Maybe a subtle way to glean more information about what Aqua might actually be. He smells heavily of the sea and perhaps sea creature without access to human clocks and bells and even as much access to sunlight do reckon time differently.

❝ I, in my corner, with my monstrous needs ❞

At a crossing signal

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Surprise, Aqua! You're being prophetic.

he never knew it was so talented!!

Surprise!

what a fun surprise!

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