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Bruce had maybe, possibly, perhaps, just maybe found another stray that would be the most perfect addition to the pod. It wasn't his fault the guppy in front of him looked so sweet and he thought Cassandra needed a sister! He couldn't possibly be expected to leave this defenseless small fry out in the open water alone to be picked off by a predator could he? So what if his kids would surely give him grief and Alfred would look at him like he had kelp in his head?
He noted how the little mer child was curled protectively around herself, tucked into a deep crevice within the rock. He smiled, good, she had good self preservation instincts. Surely she was hungry though. Bruce swam closer and the girl shrunk in on herself even more. His gaze caught flashes of muted pink, more white than anything. Her tail looked very eel-like. Although he had never seen an eel mer before with that coloration and fin structure.
Bruce allowed himself to sink a little in the water and gave a reassuring smile to the scared guppy, “Hi, my name is Bruce. What's yours?”
The little mer shifted, though her eyes never left him, “Marinette.”
A beautiful name for a beautiful young girl Bruce hummed, “That's a very pretty name. Do you know where your pod is Marinette? A mer your age shouldn't be without their pod.”
Tiny Marinette's face crumpled, “There was a shark… they told me to stay here till they got me…”
Ah. That was, admittedly, less than ideal. Bruce spared a brief glance to his own tail. He was a shark mer, the markings matched that of a Great White. Hopefully the guppy didn't react too adversely to a shark mer.
Bruce had heard from other pods that there was a Bull shark in the territory, young and large. A perfect combo for an aggressive shark. It wasn't hard to guess where Marinette's parents went. He'd look into it personally later but for now, he wanted to get the little mer child back to a safe space with a pod protecting her. He swam a little closer.
“Marinette, how long have your parents been gone?” Bruce asked softly.
The guppy frowned, “They said they'd be right back…”
Bruce nodded, “I believe you. However, until they come back, it's dangerous for you to be out here alone. Would you be willing to come back with me to my pod? Then I'll go look for them myself, promise.”
Marinette broke Bruce's heart as she nodded sadly and all but shot into his waiting arms. A little too trusting at first glance but at least she was safe with him. Bruce held the little guppy to his chest and cooed. She was tiny. Slowly he began the swim back to his pod's cove. The curious child would peek out and around every so often, tail writhing in Bruce's arms. As they approached his home, he smiled down at the little fry.
“I will warn you, I have some very nosey guppies of my own. They'll probably want to play with you.” Bruce warned gently.
Marinette nodded so seriously that he almost chuckled. Still, nothing prepared the little one for the onslaught that was his eldest. Dick was right outside the cave so he spotted them first. The flying fish mer all but flew to them and was immediately all up in Marinette's face.
“Awww! She's so cute! What's your name? How old are you? Bruce, are we keeping her? Hey guys, we have a new sister!” Dick chatter in a matter of a few seconds.
Marinette defaulted to Bruce nearly immediately and he sighed, “Calm down. I'm going out to look for her parents in a bit. She's not your new sister.”
The ‘yet’ went unsaid. Dick gave Bruce a knowing look.
The others arrived not long after and Bruce was happy to see that they were fairly normal. They crowded and cooed at the little mer. Marinette shifted in his arms and hid her head in his chest, occasionally peaking out with wide eyes. Then Marinette, upon spotting his youngest, leapt out of his arms.
The rest laughed as she inspected a disgruntled Damian. Bruce watched with bemusement as the little mer curiously poked at Damian's tail. His youngest was a shark mer like himself, though a hybrid between their two subspecies. Technically a Great White on both sides, yet not entirely. It was confusing to put it mildly. Still, the guppy poked at the matching tail with great interest. Damian however didn't approve.
“What do you think you're doing?” He snapped.
Marinette zipped back over and hid behind Bruce, “I'm sorry… I just haven't seen a tail like yours before.”
Bruce gave Damian a scolding glare, “Damian, she was just curious.”
His youngest wilted a bit and floated to the back of the group, clearly embarrassed. If Marinette was to become a part of their pod, he'd have to learn that guppies were naturally curious. Besides, he'd like to see them get along in the long run. His daughter came to Marinette's side and offered up her tail for the little mer to play with. Tentatively she reached out and patted the tail, running her little hands over the stripes. Cass was a striped marlin mer, unbelievably fast and predatory. Bruce smiled as he swam over to the rest of the pod.
Dick grinned, “Not a new pod mate my tail!”
Bruce scoffed, “She isn't. Her parents hid her in some rock and coral while they drew attention of that bull shark away from their daughter.”
His children sobered up and Jason grimaced, “Outlook isn't good B, if they didn't return already…”
He nodded, “I know. I'm still going to look though. I've been there. I know.”
The lionfish mer shrugged but he knew that Jason understood just as well. Most of them did. Their pod was a ragtag group of misfits, those who had no pod to return to, and those who'd lost it all. Shark mers were notorious loners, yet he had not just a pod but a large one. In fact, most of them were loner species. Dick was really the only one that preferred large pods, the flying fish mer usually had massive groups. Lionfish mer like Jason didn't really like large pods and flame angelfish species like Tim didn't either. Cass was a solitary mer too. Yet they all were a pod regardless.
Bruce looked back to Marinette and saw that Cass and Stephanie, the purple beta mer who wasn't a part of their pod but also was at the same time, were feeding Marinette little fish they had caught earlier. Curiously, the guppy's tail was getting… brighter? The others had noticed too and watched with interest as Steph tickled the child making her laugh. Pink color saturated the tail and Bruce was beginning to think that Marinette wasn't an eel mer. In fact, he wasn't sure what she was.
That was okay though. They'd learn in time. If Marinette did end up with them, they'd love her regardless. Pink and all. Bruce was certain of it.