The bird squealed unhappily as it scurried away, scared by the human. These things just dont give up do they?
While the intention was good, just carrying water to the drying mermaid using just one's hands was not enough to provide it with the water it needed, at least not in a fast way - he needed a container of sorts. On the other side, the water did seem to do some good to the creature as its skin didn't look so paper dry anymore wherever the water touched it.
There was this kind of pond like structure nearby formed of rocks tightly stacked together, leaving room only for the water to seep in, but nothing else could enter or leave. If he was to put the mermaid there, it would be trapped completely and at the mercy of any passerby. Another option was provided by the torn sails of a ship lying several feet away from them - perhaps he could use that to wrap the mermaid up and carry it… Where? Home? And do what with it? Put it in the bath? He didn't even know if it was docile or even intelligent. What could he do with this thing?
Still, brushing away the stringy white hair, revealed the mermaid's face - it was human, in every detail, with soft cheeks, long white eyelashes and a gentle complexion - not very threatening looking.
Sanada looked at the creature’s face, examining its features. Home would be a long way to carry it, but that pool didn’t look like a good idea either. He looked over at the ship’s sail and went to grab it. He decided that taking this creature to the ocean, at least temporarily seemed like the best idea there was for now, at least so it didn’t dry off completely.
Several of the birds attempted to approach the body of the mermaid while the man was gone, but run off again once he returned with the piece of torn sail. The creature did not move while it was being pushed on the piece of material - once turned face up, the flat chest told it was most likely a male - and allowed the other to drag it closer to the water line, enough for the small waves to bring some water to it.
As the waves rhytmically came and went, the mermaid's breath seemed to pick up at a more normal pace, the rise and fall of its chest becoming more obvious now. Despite the low temperature of the water, the mermaid did not wake up, remaining submerged in its unconscious state. If it continued this way, it wasn't a good idea to leave it here; Sanada could carry it to deeper waters, but it would still be easy to see and it might beach again.
At least now he had the sail piece to help carry it around - if he did decide to take the mermaid home, the sail could be used to hide the fish tail, as to not raise suspicions. He could wait for night fall of he wanted to make sure he wasnt seen, but that required quite the waiting time.
Sanada didn’t like the idea of staying out all day in the sun. He looked down at him, sighing heavily. He wondered why he even cared, especially if it wasn’t human. But he looked human, and that was the difference. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could even think about eating one of these creatures, and the thought of it now made him sick. They were too humanoid.
Sanada inwardly decided to push him into the water a little bit more and wait for him to wait up. He sat down beside him, concluding that he would make his next decision at sunset.
Whoever had decided it was ok to eat this kind of creatures either had no shame whatsoever or they just referred to the tail as the edible part. After all, the stories never specified which part of the mermaid was served. Still, the idea was kinda guesome even so; fish tail or not, it was attached to a very much human looking torso.
Having beed pushed a little further into the water, the waves would sometimes wash over the mermaid, which did not seem to bother it, in fact it was doing just fine. So mermaids were marine mammals, given he was able to breathe air without suffocating to death, right? Interesting
Sanada shuddered at the thought of someone serving one of these creatures at a dinner. It was disgusting, even if it was just the tail.
He silently watched the mermaid. Surely his kind was similar to a dolphin or whale, only having to come up for air every once in a while, due to having a large lung capacity? He wasn’t sure; he hadn’t read much about mermaid anatomy.
It seemed like it had been close to one hour since they were here on the beach, and the mermaid still did not show any signs of waking up. He was still breathing so there was no doubt it was still alive. Had being out of the water for too long caused more damage than it seemed? Or was there something else wrong with it? Was he sick? And if so, how could one tell?
It was possible he was sick, and h had no idea how to tell if he was or not. He tapped his chin in thought. What would happen if he just…left him here while he went to go get something or someone? If he was gone when he got back, Sanada could convince himself he’d woken up and swam back into the ocean while he was gone.
The idea on itself was good, although there was still a possibility someone might pass by in his absence and spot the mermaid - it also did not help that its scales and hair were snow white - but a risk had to be taken. Worst case scenario, if someone did see the mermaid and decided to take it to town, chances were it would return back to Sanada; he was the kingdom's ruler after all, it was only natural that he should be offered the chance to immortality first, unless the discoverer was someone greedy who would keep the mermaid to themselves.
There were many possible outcomes, but taking them all into consideration right now only tired the mind, so for now it was best to just pull the mermaid near some rocks for some shade and proceed with the plan.
Sanada didn’t have any particular personal attachment to the mermaid, although he did care about its rarity, and the fact it was a helpless, appearing half-human creature. He used the sail he’d used already to drag the creature over to those rocks and to the shade. Hopefully it gave at least some cover to mostly conceal him from any passerby.
The mermaid did not snap out of his sleep as it was being pulled aside and hidden near some rocks so that the intensifying sun would not burn his delicate looking underbelly, if mermaids could even get a sunburn - was he even supposed to be laying on his back in the first place?
Once the creature was hidden away, Sanada was free to go but he had to hurry a little bit if he still wanted to finish what he was intending to do before anyone else stumbled upon the fishy stranger
Sanada let out an exasperated sigh as he dropped the end of the sail. He placed his hands on his lips, glancing back to the path where he could go back to town. Who, or what even was he even going to get? A doctor? An apothecary? Either way, he began his trek back to town, planning on being back as soon as he had something to help this poor creature.
One of the problems with mermaids was the confusion of what kind of doctor they needed. It was generally stupid to call a doctor for a fish but the patient was 55% human, right? Ok, maybe a rough 80% if the creature was capable of human like intelligence, emphasis on "if".
Left alone, slightly submerged under the gentle waves near the shore, sheltered by the rocks, the mermaid was safe from the preying beaks of the hungry birds who were still circling the area in an attempt to find a way to reclaim their potential meal. Fortunately, none was brazen enough to try and get to him while he was in the water, not if they wanted to be swept away by the waves all the time.
Sanada considered who to go to while he walked, eventually teaching town. At last, he decided to go to the doctor’s, who it seemed like he would have the most luck finding answers. Perhaps the issue this mermaid had was a more human issue. It was the best shot he had.
It was already questionable if showing the mermaid to someone else was a good idea - after all, people talk so it would only be a matter of time until the whole town knew of the beached Ningyo. But this is what a kind heart pushes people to do; the least what could be done was telling the man to keep his mouth.
The other option was to just ask for medical advice. If the doctor questioned him too heavily, then he might have to show him the Ningyo. But as ruler, he hoped no one would question him, especially for something as strange as this relying on secrecy.
It was a pretty tricky situation either way, given that other than several bruises and cuts on the creature's skin caused by the prolonged exposure to the sun and the hungry gulls, there weren't any other obvious injuries that could help easily deduce what had to be done. What if the problem was caused by drying up? How could they fix that? Either way, it was possible to ask for multiple solutions, just to be sure he had a backup plan if one failed - if he was sneaky enough he could even throw in a question related to the marine nature of the patient and make it look like it was about a simple pet fish.
Soon enough, the doctor's house was in sight; entering, the old man was fortunately home. Seeing the young man walk in, he quickly put away the box he was holding and turned to greet the newcomer.
"Sire." he spoke as he bowed. "How may this elder be of assistance?"
Sanada returned an appropriate greeting, bearing a cordial smile. “I’m seeking medical counsel, not for myself, but for someone who may have been washed up on the shore?” He lifted a brow in question, hoping it didn’t raise too much of an alarm. He didn’t know why it wouldn’t, but it was worth a shot, at least.
The man raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued by the odd phrasing, but decided not to question the matter any further.
"Someone who 'may' have washed up on the beach? Sire, there's a big difference in being washed ashore and not." he smiled lightly, as he turned around to pick up the box he was carrying it and putting it in the shelf where it belonged, before turning around once again.
"What kind of problem is my lord dealing with? Is the person you speak of injured or something?"
“I know this is odd, but I’m speaking hypothetically,” he replied quickly. “The person would be washed up on shore, unconscious and dehydrated- ironically. And injured, having been pecked by seagulls. What would you do for them?” He watched the man curiously as he moved about the room. “Even if I gave them water, they wouldn’t wake up.”
The man listened silently, muttering a low "mhm" every now and then.
"Dehydration and unconsciousness, mhmmm" he hummed, flipping through some pages on the counter. "If they still did not show signs of waking up even after receiving water, i would check for a possible head trauma - thats usually the main cause for loss of consciouness. I would also seek to treat the injuries caused by sea birds; you never know what kind of infection or complication migh develop due to exposed flesh and salt water."
Now that he mentioned it, there was a possibility for the mermaid to have been slammed against the cliff wall and hit its head - he just hadnt checked
Sanada glanced to the side, considering this. Yes, it was very possible- on both of those possible injuries. “Alright. That makes sense. If both of these possibilities are true, how would you advise to treat them?”
"For head trauma, a check up must be done in order to ensure it's not too great. Usually it doesnt require much care, but if there's bleeding or uneven breathing, then a doctor is absolutely necessary. As for the seagull injuries, they may be treated like normal injuries. Is there anyone else with the patient at the moment?"
If Sanada answered truthfully then he'd arouse suspicion - what doctor wouldn't be concerned if they learned a potential patient had been left unattended.
Sanada took in a breath, pausing for a moment, no more than a second or so, to think about his response. “Like I said, it’s only a hypothetical,” he began, “So…sure, yes, someone would be with patient.” He bobbed his head a few times and clasped his hands behind his back.
The doctor looked at him for several moments before biting his lips and shrugging slightly.
"Alright then, i suppose… I forgot it was hypothetical. Is there anything else i can do for my lord?" he asked, with his hands held together.
