"I don't even know how I came into reality. If I knew, I'd tell you but honestly I don't know," Arria narrowed his eyes at her, "You don't think I haven't searched for others like me? If I had found them, do you think I'd be anywhere near the surface?"
Maria scoffed, “And what about your little friend? Did he know about anyone else like you?” She slipped out her phone, fingers dancing across the screen quickly.
Meanwhile…
Elecia watched him for a few moments that felt like eternity. Then she finally opened her mouth, “So what can I do?”
Arria snorted, “Of course not. If I don’t then he definitely doesn’t.” He sighed and muttered some inaudible insults towards Maria under his breath.
“He found you, what makes you think he didn’t find anyone else?” She sneered, but was already walking out the door as she added absentmindedly, “Someone will be coming to examine you probably tomorrow or the next day.”
Meanwhile…
Somehow, Elecia managed to get crutches, and was currently in the process of sneaking him out of the hospital. “This is stupid,” She muttered, leaving him in the elevator as she went to distract the attendants in the lobby. Once she had them talking about a picture hanging on the wall opposite to the doors, he made his way out as quickly as he could. Elecia was next to him a couple moments later, taking him to the car before anyone noticed he was gone. “So where are we going again?”
“It’s… a cave. Not too far from your house.” Carter could only pray he’d be able to find an extra potion in there, or even better would be finding one of Arria’s friends…
Arria’s eyed widened slightly and he felt a heaviness started to wiegh on him, “E-Examine? What do you mean?” He swallowed a lump in his throat. Oh gosh…
Meanwhile…
“Where would they be? It’s not like they could have gone far.” Herla crossed his arms over his chest, eyes flicking between his two friends.
“I don’t know. Maybe they went on land or something.” Mulir shrugged a shoulder, “Where were they staying again?”
“Some cave,” Gallion waved a hand, “Let’s head over there, we might find them.”
Maria laughed through her nose (if that makes any sense, I have no idea how else to describe it), amusement in her eyes, “Of course. If you’re the only merman in existence, as you so claim to be, us humans want to know what makes you tick. And how we can make more merpeople.”
Meanwhile…
Carter felt like it took too long for them to get back home, but thank gosh they got there soon. The only problem was Carter had to walk part of the way, since the car couldn’t drive up to the entrance. He limped his way back -with Elecia’s help, of course- to the cave. “So… would you care to explain why you were living in a cave?”
Carter sighed, having a slightly difficult time to get in with the crutches, “It’s hard to explain.”
Arria willed his heart to slow, to calm down and no show any morsel of fear that he felt, “Fine. Do your worst.”
Meanwhile.
The three mermenmade the quick distance between their home and the cave, worry etched into their features. They popped their heads up into the water.
“Carter? Where’s Arria what happened to your foot?!” Herla looked at him with wide eyes.
“Good,” Maria merely stated before closing the door behind her and locking Arria in the room. Alone.
Meanwhile…
Carter nearly fell over in surprise at the voice, but relief washed over him when he saw Arria’s friends. “Oh my gosh I’m so glad to see you,” He said, limping in as fast as he could, “We went out for our date, and on the way out of the movies we were kidnapped and then sold in an auction, and then Arria changed in front of them and almost died, and we were trying to swim away but they got a boat and when I was diving down the motor caught my foot and then the guy c-cut it off to discipline Arria and then he made this deal thing and- and-“ Carter didn’t know he started crying until he fell to his knees in the sand beside the water, his eyes alone begging Gallion, Herla, and Mulir for some kind of answer.
Elecia watched from the cave entrance in shock, barely able to form words.
Arria swallowed, eyes staying on the door in silence. The faint drip, drip, drip was starting to plague him and he let out a small yell of annoyance and curled up in on himself, hands over his ears.
Meanwhile.
Mulir swam closer to Carter, “Breath, Carter, breath.” He told him gently.
“So, let me get this straight,” Herla said slowly, “You were kidnapped, sold in a… an auction, Arria nearly died and then he made… no. No he…”
Gallion tensed, “Last time he did that was…”
“Yeah, and it didn’t end well,” Herla muttered, “He said he wouldn’t unless it was a real problem so…”
The three mermen exchanged glances, a silent conversation between them.
“Do you know where he is now?”
“I- I don’t…” Carter replied dejectedly, hopelessness sinking into his eyes. “All I know is that the lady was named Maria…” How am I supposed to find him, I need to get to him…
“The nurse told me where they picked him up,” Elecia added from the corner of the cave, reminding Carter of her presence. “And here I thought you too we eloping…” She muttered, then approached the side on the water and looking at the mermen with disbelief in her eyes.
The three mermen looked to Elecia, then to each other, then to Carter, then back to each other in another silent conversation.
“Where?” Herla asked, “If we even know just a little bit we can go look for him.”
“It was [Insert location here cause I don’t feel like thinking]. And I heard the limo they left in drove south, so that means two things. One, obviously, that it’s south of [location]. Two, that it’s someone who’s rich. At least that narrows it down a little bit.” Elecia told them, watching at Carter’s leg for a moment before giving him a look. Something along the lines of he shouldn’t be doing this when he should be in the hospital.
He ignored her, biting his lip, “Do you know how to make the potions that Arria made? So I’m can get my fin, so we can go faster.” Because for all Carter knew, Arria was just being auctioned off again to some power hungry individuals.
Mulir nodded his head, “I haven’t made them for a while but I know how too,” He sighed, “It’ll take a while to swim out there, maybe a day or so, you know that, right Carter?” The last thing they wanted was for him to hurt himself before they found Arria. Yet it was a long way away and the quicker they got there the better but… Carter and his injury needed to be take care of.
“Yes, I know. But it’s the fastest way to get to him, I’ll just be dead weight if I try to go by land.” Carter said, clenched his fists and not even thinking about his own health and safety. “Besides, if Maria saw me with a fin… I’ll be able to distract her enough for you to get Arria.”
"You.." Herla sighed, "You don't know what Arria has told Maria. If he's said there's other merpeople or not. Best to go in as human then other." The other two nodded before Mulir swam off to go make the potions.
Carter was about to open his mouth in slight protest, but Elecia cut him off, “So, now that we got all that figured out… Am I allowed to ask how you all met each other now?” She raised her eyebrows pointedly at Carter before glancing at the Gallion and Herla.
Herla crossed his arms over his chest, “Carter met Arria first, he helped Carter when he was stung by a string ray,” He shrugged, “Arria showed Carter the city and he met us. Simple.”
“The city?” Elecia raised her eyebrows even further, and Carter huffed an annoyed breath.
“It’s just like humans, they have underwater cities, Elecia,” Carter explained, laying down on the sand becuase he wanted to save his energy, especially since he’d be walking without his foot.
(timeskip to when the potion is done?)
(Yup)
About half an hour or more later, Mulir came back with what resembled a beg made from seaweed. He was panting and held it up for everyone to see, “Potions to turn you all human and mermaid/man,"
"Did you get the…" Herla started but didn't even need to finish before Mulir nodded.
"Yeah, I did." He replied breathlessly.
Carter let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the bag with potions. “Alright, we need to hurry,” He said anxiously then glanced down at his leg. I need to get Arria out… now, before something worse happens to him.
“So what exactly are we doing?” Elecia asked with a small frown at Carter’s leg, biting her lip.
“We’re going to get Arria, what else?” Gallion raised an eyebrow at her while Mulir opened the bag and rummaged through it. A few seconds later, he pulled out two identical looking potions and handed one to Carter and held it out to Elecia.
“Wait, do you mean that I’m drinking that?” She raised her eyebrows, taking a step back.
Carter rolled his eyes, taking his own potion and tugging off his pants to leave him in just his boxers, “We have to hurry, and of course you’re drinking that. It’ll be the most efficient way to get there.” Elecia huffed a breath, following Carter’s example and peeling off her shorts with slight embarrassment and taking the potion. She gulped it up, and the next breath she was falling into the water with a small splash. She had a bright red tail and a stunned expression on her face. Carter gulped up his own potion a pinch of pain as his legs morphed. A sinking feeling settled in his chest when he saw his fin- half of it looking like it was ripped off. Carter sighed, it would have to do- he’d just work extra hard to keep up. He grabbed their pants, “Can we put these in the bag, so we aren’t running around naked when the potion wears off?”
Mulir nodded and grabbed both pairs of shorts, stuffing them into the bag quickly. Gallion and Herla didn’t say anything else as they diving down and out the cave, clearly anxious and wanting to get to their friend as quickly as possible.
“Come on, let’s get going.”
Carter started to swim, a little cautious at first. His tail didn’t propel as much as it used to when it was missing a chunk like that, but he just worked a little harder. Elecia was behind him, still a little stunned as she was getting the hand of swimming, but she was keeping up.
(Timeskip to when they get farther maybe?)
(Yeah)
The group swam for a good few hours without stopping, slowing down occasionally so Carter didn't injure himself further. After a while longer, the three mermen at the front had to stop to catch their breath.