Check-in! (Check fin?)

[thornsofmalkav]

Okay. Uh. Wow. I did not expect to be Investigating as a mermaid. Selkie. Finvestigating. You know.

I also did not expect to get all kinds of shiny mermaid knowledge dumped in my head the moment I ended up in the water, but that seems to have happened anyway. So if anyone wants to know anything about that shit, please do ask me. The most important thing is that the Thalassian Mermaid Queen, the Dread Empress or whatever, is as scary as fuck and our cover story should probably be that we ran away from her empire because we didn’t want to become cannibal berserkers. Which are a thing. Oh my god.

Anyway, it looks like we’re in the world with the Labyrinthine Shoals? Like, that’s evidently where we are. We’re in the Shoals. And I guess we’re mermaids? Some of us? Can anyone chime in to tell me if there’s anyone around who’s not a mermaid.

Actually, maybe we should make this a general check-in with, like, name and species. I’ll go first: this is Thorne and it looks like I’m a California sea lion selkie.

Comments

Later (private and protected x2)

[thornsofmalkav]

Oh shit. I just realized. That Masshuu asshole--he's from the Bando, right? I just remembered he was. This is the same world. Isn't it? And there's people from the Bando on the other boat.

We've got to disguise your ass.

[comebewe]

[For a moment, there's nothing but shocked silence]

You...you have to be wrong.

This can't be the Bando.

It can't. I can't be here!

[thornsofmalkav]

We're not in the Bando itself. We're in another part of the world. Actual Masshuu isn't here either or you'd be him.

We just have to make sure no one mistakes you for him. Like I said, you're gonna need a disguise. We can probably start with bleaching your hair, I think? So we can dye it if we need to or just leave it blond. We can fix it when the Jaunt is over.

[comebewe]

You said there were people from the Bando on the other boat! Even if we're not in the Bando, the Bando's still fucking here!

[And never mind all the practical plans about disguises, because Matthew's too busy panicking over here]

[thornsofmalkav]

Not here yet. We're three days from making land. That's enough time to disguise you! And Zed's with them doing that weird thing where you keep your mind when you Infiltrate, so he can vouch for you being not Masshuu!

We'll give you a fake name too. How do you feel about Angelo?

[comebewe]

Zed vouching for us is not reassuring!

And what's wrong with Matthew?! He wasn't called Matthew!

[thornsofmalkav]

It sort of sounds like Masshuu but okay, sure.

Actually, you know whose help we need for this? Bea's. She's a master of disguise. She, like, can consistently fool people who've known her for years.

[comebewe]

You...you don't think people will hear 'Matthew' and think 'Masshuu', will they?

[there's a heavy pause]

You mean...Beatrice?

[thornsofmalkav]

Yep. Like I said, she's good at this. Just give me a sec to artfully arrange some seaweed for your mutual comfort and I'll see about meeting up.

[comebewe]

We don't want help from her!

[They might have, begrudgingly, come to accept that her imprisonment of them was necessary. That didn't mean they liked it. That didn't mean that they wanted to be anywhere other than as far away from Beatrice as possible]

And what does 'artfully arranged' seaweed have to do with anything?

[he may have not quite realised exactly where this seaweed is going, yet]

[thornsofmalkav]

... okay, but. She's good at it. And she's already said she'd be willing to help. And with her expert advice we might not have to bleach your hair.

And it has to do with you not seeing the particularly naughty bits of my boobs, Matthew. I'm blending in too, remember. Real mermaids don't wear bikini tops.

[comebewe]

She can trap us.

[Something which, after recent events, is now an even more terrifying fate to suffer]

I...what?

[This was not a conversation Matthew expected to have today]

...Are you all swimming around naked down there?!

[thornsofmalkav]

Mermaids do it all the time, Matthew. It's not so bad once you get used to it. And honestly, it's not even the first time I've been skinny-dipping. Granted, it's been the better part of a decade since I did it with college friends, but.

[There's the mental equivalent of a shrug.]

Look, I've got the seaweed. I'll make sure the important parts are covered for you and when we get back to liminal I'll put a bikini top on.

Anyway, what if I make her swear on pain of being trapped in a logic error that she won't trap you?

[comebewe]

[he is suddenly even more glad to not be a fish right now. And he's also just skirt around the topic that is 'Thorne's boobs' entirely now]

We aren't going anywhere near her Room.

[thornsofmalkav]

Done. We'll use mine, provided I can change out of my selkie shape.

[comebewe]

If you can't, why can't you just stick a pool in your Room?

[thornsofmalkav]

... well, the one I was thinking was the one I still have in the workshop, not a created one... but I can definitely do a created one with a pool.

[comebewe]

Create a Room if you don't have legs, don't create one if you do.

[they give something like a mental shrug]