Chapter Text
“Uhh, dad?” comes the call, unsure and shaky, tethering between confusion and fear. Cyno abandons the ropes he was inspecting instantly. One of his men steps up to continue the work, and Cyno leaves with a grateful nod. He finds Collei probing at the fishing net the crew pulled up onto the deck. Seems normal enough.
“What is it, Collei?”
”So,” she gestures at the net frettingly, “We were fishing…"
A corner of his mouth twitches up. Really, when will she learn? ”I see. What’s the catch?”
”That’s the thing, we-“ she pauses, then swats at him with a groan. She’s been spending too much time with Amber; she’s gaining her mannerisms. Still, despite the grumbling, a smile grows on her face. He’ll take it.
After a moment, Collei continues, eyes never leaving the net, ”We caught something.”
“I sure hope so.”
Another ’daaaad’ sounds out and a helpless look is thrown at Dehya, his gunner. Dehya’s disposition is as relaxed as ever. But there’s a concerned crinkle in her brow, and her hand rests by her cutlass.
“It’s not fish. I’ve never seen anything like that before, but…” she shrugs. She hasn’t been on the sea nearly as long as the rest of them, save maybe Collei, “It’s quiet right now, but it was tossing earlier.”
Cyno doubts it’s anything that could seriously hurt them — not with the people he has — but better safe than sorry.
“Stay back,” he orders, trying his hair back. He untangles the net with Candace's help. He doesn't want to cut through good material and she's the nimblest of the bunch. At least since Aether left.
The creature is a rare one, alright. Even Cyno has only seen its kind twice before. For all intents and purposes, it looks like a cat. Except there's a fin crest where its ears should be, protruding like a crown. It has fur alright, but its tail is long and strong like a mermaid's. There's another pair of fins halfway along its length. Majority of the creature's body is brown, save for its golden underbelly and the rhinophores on its face. The crests on its head and along its spine both fade from a deep crimson to pearly white at the top. The splatterings of scales on its legs shine with similar colors. Cyno also knows there's webbing between its toes; he's seen it up close when one of its brethren left a gash on his collarbone. Fierce creatures, though usually happy to be left alone. What is this one doing here? And a youngling at that?
The moment the net lifts, the creature stirs, stretching like a housecat. Powerful claws dig into the deck even as it yawns. Collei’s expression does that silly twitch when she wants to coo but must keep quiet. It’s adorable, and moreover, Cyno is proud she resists. He kneels, holding his hand out. The suanni creeps closer, sniffing at his fingers.
“It’s okay,” he tells Collei, “Slow and steady”
She nods resolutely, crouching at his side. Dehya remains standing a step behind them. The moment Collei moves, the suanni barrels against her legs with a wet leap. It doesn’t waste any time nuzzling into her touch. Good taste.
Cyno leaves them under Dehya’s watchful eye and leans over the railing. He finds himself staring at three pairs of eyes just barely peeking out of the water. Three heads, one full of messy — as much as soaked hair can be — brown curls, two ashen: one not unlike his own and the other held back with goggles. Cyno can’t see the rest of their bodies but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened.
“We have visitors,” he says over his shoulder. A few men shift closer to him, abandoning their duties. They’ve all seen mermaids before, and what they’re capable of. Collei was maybe ten the last time there was any conflict, but better safe than sorry. Vast majority of mermaids ignore sailors, and quite a few are friendly — but it only takes one violent pod to sink a ship and Cyno did just fish out a familiar of theirs. They have every reason to be aggressive.
“Collei,” he calls out, “Be careful, but try to pick it up. Don’t hurt it.”
She does so, ever so gentle, and the suanni melts into the cradle of her arms. Clearly it’s used to being handled, Cyno sighs with relief. It’s much too easy to hurt a human from that position.
As she comes up, he nods his head toward the creature, “This catch yours?”
The dark one nods eagerly, while the googled one splashes the water with a call of “Man Chai!”
The suanni mewls in response, pawing at the air, though it doesn’t move otherwise. Adorable little thing.
“That’s its name then?” Cyno asks as the mers swim up to the ship. Now that he sees more of them, they look quite young. No older than Collei certainly.
They all nod, smiling and joking among each other. Cyno relaxes, his own lips ticking up. They’re just kids. Probably exploring without supervision, as he used to do, heh. He signals the crew, letting them return to their tasks.
“Should I…toss it?” Collei asks, sounding unsure.
“It is! And yeah, go ahead! He’ll be fine!”
Reassured, Collei tosses the suanni into the air. Cyno expects him to splash harshly; he doesn’t. He twirls gracefully right before breaching the surface and slips under it with barely a ripple. Cyno watches him nuzzle into the boy’s stomach, a soft smile on his face. He’s never had a pet growing up; now that Collei’s around, he considers it an essential part of every childhood…not that he’s found anything suitable for their lifestyle yet.
“I’ve never seen you around before!” the boy with googles calls out, arms full of wiggly suanni.
Before Cyno has a chance to answer, another figure appears. This one’s an adult, and an unhappy one at that. Their father?
The man spares the ship a single glare of suspicion before rounding onto the boys. His face is stern and full of disappointment.
Even so, he’s beautiful.
“I’ve told you not to go to the surface without me,” he scolds, hands fretting over them as he checks for wounds. At the first glance, he looks angry. But Cyno recognizes the crease of his brow, the twist of his mouth. He’s seen it many times before. He sees it in the mirror every day.
“Sorry, Master,” the boys reply in perfect unison, heads bowed.
“It’s my fault, I let Man Chai out of my sight,” one of them adds.
Once more the man glances at the ship. He seizes Cyno up and, seemingly finding no threat, sighs, “If anything, it’s Man Chai’s for being too curious. Be more careful, the lot of you… We’ll talk about this at home.”
With affirmations coming from the kids, Cyno deems it a good moment to interject. “If it helps any, they didn’t give me their names,” he offers. Whatever punishment awaits them, if there’s a chance it’ll be lessened with proof of their self-preservation, Cyno wants to help.
The look the man sends him is somehow both amused and withering. Patronizing, even. “You’re not a fae who’d steal those, and you can’t dive more than forty meters before your air runs out. Even if you had a use for them, you couldn’t follow us. No, it doesn’t help.”
Cyno senses, more than sees, Collei stifling chuckles at his side. Gives it a thought. Nods. “Fair point. Let me offer those then, should you find use for them. I’m Cyno, the captain of Mahamatra. This is my daughter, Collei,“ she waves, “and behind me is my crew, who are absolutely working and not eavesdropping at all.”
Rustle of movement. A few abandoned curses sound out, and a hearty laughter rings. Cyno shakes his head good-naturedly, more than used to it all.
“I’m Tighnari, previously of the Sapientia Oromasdis Shoal. These are my charges: Razor,” he gestures to the quiet one, “Gaming,” the brown-haired kid, “and Bennett.” Cyno nods to each of them in greeting, with a not-so-secret wink to the last one.
“And I guess you’ve already met Man Chai, our resident rascal,” Tighnari continues. His ear-fins catch the light as he moves. They look like fox ears, and Cyno gets the urge to tease him about it. But they’ve just met; there will be time once he knows if Tighnari is comfortable with that.
Tighnari didn’t know what he expected when the captain invited him aboard, but it wasn’t the nostalgia he feels upon seeing the swing. Well, the lift, really. There’s only one person that makes those, as far as he knows. Only one mermaid passionate enough to live in a port. To be a shipwright, of all things.
“Kaveh did a good job on this one,” he says once he’s hauled up. The swing is sturdy, and the rail easily prevents him from slipping.
Several people light up, including Collei. Tighnari nods at her with fondness. She reminds him of his boys. They’re waiting patiently in the water right now, inspecting the swing from below. Their curiosity is never-ending. Tighnari adores that in them; takes care to nurture it. It’s a good quality to have. He just hopes it doesn’t get them into trouble one day. It’s harder to keep them safe now that the pod is no more. Tighnari is worried, though he’s not about to let that stifle their growth.
“He did. Though it’s been a while since I’ve seen him,” Cyno muses, leaning on the railing. Tighnari is momentarily distracted by how handsome he is. His fingers are long, littered with little nicks, and the white of his rolled up sleeves contrasts with his dark skin in the best way. His chest is clearly visible between the shirt’s lapels, drawing Tighnari’s eyes to the scar across his collarbone. And oh, his hair. It looks so soft. Tighnari can barely resist reaching out.
He shakes his head, forcing himself back into focus. Kaveh’s involvement was enough to grant Cyno the initial trust, but he shouldn’t get too distracted. “I’ve last seen him a few years ago as well. He doesn’t leave the port much… Ormos, was it?”
A nod, “And we don’t dock there much. Shellm.”
Tighnari blinks, “Did you just…mash shell and shame together?”
Cyno tilts his head, ponytail spilling over his shoulder, “Yes. Did you like it?”
Behind him, Collei crosses her arms in an X with a desperate expression. Further away, a tall woman hides her face in her hands. Tighnari regards them a little helplessly, “It’s..fine?”
“I’ll keep trying then,” Cyno nods resolutely.
‘Try what?’ Tighnari mouths at Collei.
‘Jokes,’ she replies.
Ah.
“I’ll look forward to it,” Tighnari says with a small smile. What an intriguing person.
It’s quiet for a moment after that, until Collei sends Tighnari an awkward smile and shuffles away. Only then does Cyno clear his throat, meeting his gaze with a pensive expression. “You’ve mentioned a former pod…did something happen? Should we be on guard?”
Ah, no wonder he wanted to talk face to face.
“Too much to talk about,” Tighnari sighs. “But no, I don’t think you are in any danger. The pod was attacked and all the survivors scattered. Me and the boys— I don’t know how familiar you are with shoal organization?”
“Not much. I like to learn, though.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, “A man after my own heart. I appreciate that,” he pauses long enough to watch Cyno dip his head with a smile, then continues, “Mermaids are migratory; constantly moving. Every pod has several rangers that patrol around it, fast swimmers who can spot upcoming danger and alert the main community.”
Cyno nods sagely, “Current rangers.”
“…”
“…no?”
“…Anyway, after I adopted the kids, they started joining me on patrols. When the attack came, we were in the opposite direction… Getting away was easy, but there wasn’t much point in returning. We’ve been on a lookout for a new pod ever since.”
“I see. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. Why are you here? We’ve been around this area for a while, and we haven’t seen many ships.“
Cyno’s expression tightens. He throws a glance over his shoulder. Following his gaze, Tighnari sees two women keeping Collei company, hands laced together even as the taller one gestures. They nod at him before returning to their talk.
“We’re on the way to Bayda Harbor. My daughter…she’s ill. Has been since long before I met her. We’re managing, and right now her condition is stable, but…”
“You don’t know how long that will last,” Tighnari finishes. He can understand the struggle. If it was one of his…
“We’re trying to find a doctor that’s familiar with her condition, but so far we’ve had little luck,” Cyno sighs, pinching his nose with frustration.
“It must be something unconventional then,” Tighnari muses with sympathy. “I have a degree of medical knowledge that humans may not be privy to. And — I apologize if I sound callous — I admit I’m curious. Would you mind sharing more?
“I’ve found that curiosity is an essential component of concern,” Cyno huffs. “And it’s already more than several doctors granted us. What’s the harm?”
For the next hour, Tighnari listens to a detailed description of Collei’s symptoms, growing simultaneously more concerned and impressed. Concerned, because nobody deserves such pain, especially not at Collei’s age. Impressed, because he knows many parents who wouldn’t be half as involved, no matter what was going on. Cyno is a good father, and Tighnari can’t help being drawn to him.
“That sounds…vaguely familiar,” he admits eventually. “I might’ve learned about it during my studies. Or at least something from a similar root. Let me see what I can find. May I have the chart of your course?”
Cyno’s expression is so shocked it makes him want to laugh, “You— You really want to help?”
Tighnari tilts his head, “I can’t leave a child to suffer if I can help it, captain.”
Something in Cyno’s posture just melts at the words, “Let me get that for you.”