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

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.

Aqua lowers his hand when Su-jin poses the question, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He looks at Su-jin, then back up toward the sky. "I tell time using the sun." He just doesn't really call it anything. He doesn't have a specific word for a time of day like 'noon'. He just knows. "And shadows too. And some smells help. And watching the plants and animals around me." Much like on the surface, the ocean's flora and fauna are more or less active at certain times of the day. It's not an exact science, of course, but it's enough to have a rough idea of when it is during the day. "I can kind of know what time it is by how tired I am, too."

"Mm," he hums in understanding. "Humans used to do that, too. They'd tell what time of day or even what part of the year it was based on the sun and moon and light and cold and plants and animals around them. But they invented clocks and made up new ways to divide time."

As they continue walking, Su-jin points up again, this time just quickly. "The time we see the sun is day and the time without it is night. Days and nights are divided into smaller segments called hours. Noon is one such hour. Does that make sense?"

Aqua points up again just as Su-jin does, just as quickly, though his eyes barely leave the other monster as he does it. They're just pointing up at the sky again, right? Su-jin holds every ounce of Aqua's attention as he goes through his explanation, which means that Aqua is trusting him to make sure he doesn't want into anything. Aqua starts to smile as Su-jin speaks more, his expression growing brighter as he goes on. "Oh, I know night and day!" The words as well as the concept, itself.

"Hours. Noon is an hour." Aqua nods as he says it, repeating those same words a few times over. Committing them to memory. "I think it makes sense. Can we learn more hours after we learn how to read?"

It's a good thing Su-jin heightened senses keep him very aware of movement around him. It allows him to keep either of them from walking into anyone or anything as they chat. Seeing Aqua lighting up at learning a few things is definitely pleasant. Not everyone takes joy in learning. Su-jin does, though.

"We certainly can. Reading and telling time are both skills that will make things easier for you." Things being interacting with humans. "Do you like to eat? If we're meeting at noon, we could have a small meal while we're learning. What kinds of things do you enjoy eating?"

Maybe once Aqua grows a little more accustomed to being on the surface, he can start to trust his own senses a little more. Right now, they're a little too overwhelmed by all of this new information they're taking in. It's a lot. So he'll gladly put his trust in Su-jin. He already seems worthy of at least that much trust.

"Oh, we can? Thank you!" Reading and being able to tell the time in the precise way that humans do would certainly make existence on land at least a little easier for him. It would eliminate a lot of confusion for him, it would eliminate a lot of questions that point to him not knowing things that maybe other humans would naturally know. And getting to learn something new is exciting. He likes to learn new things.

"I love to eat! Fish especially. I like a lot of different seafood, but fish are my favourite!"

Su-jin can't say he's surprised. Aqua smells deeply of the sea and the monster's presumed that's where the boy is from. Ergo, an unsurprising revelation that Aqua enjoys fish.

"How fortunate that we live in a place where fresh fish is bountiful, yes?"

Aqua's love for fish (or just seafood in general, really) is probably one of the least surprising things about him! The selkie nods his head excitedly and then looks in the direction of the ocean. His home. His safe space. He can easily still hear it from here, can hear the honks and barks of seals on the beach as they settle in to nap for a little while. It makes him smile. How fortunate indeed that they live so near to the ocean where the fish are plentiful.

Or in the ocean.

"Yes! It's really nice." Aqua tears his eyes away from his beloved ocean to look back up at his new friend. "What sorts of things do you like to eat?"

"Meat." Not wholly untrue. The fresher the better. "I'm not terribly picky," he then admits. He'll eat fish or human food. He can eat them, they just don't really do much to sustain him.

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adventicius - 2025-02-20 17:34 (UTC) - Expand

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lamia - 2025-02-23 23:11 (UTC) - Expand

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

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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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