"So, is it going to rain like this for the whole vacation?" Sefina asked.
"It'll rain enough to keep things wet for us." Zeph answerd.
"Is it normally this hard to be on land like this?"
"It usually is. Merfolk aren't exactly meant to be out of the water forever. It's dad's idea to give Jade and Juniper a chance to connect to the land."
"Well, ever since I became a half-mermaid, I haven't spent this much time away from the water."
"At least, we can bring a bit of the islands with us listening to this music." Sefina said.
"Not going to lie, all mermen and mermaids tend to love music. It's part of what we are." Zeph replied.
"Maybe more so with Dylan." Cecelia added. "He's still playing the violin in the thunderstorm!"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52317716908_9834394149_h.jpg"I've told him so many times. Just beceaus merfolk can't die when struck by lighting, it doesn't mean we should want to get struck!"
Cecelia continued. "But he always says that Bringing the Lightning is fun. I swear I sometimes worry about our merboys back home. I hope they don't start taking risks like their father."
Sefina checked her phone. "It says the weather will clear by morning. So, I think we'll be good for now."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52317401371_cf0e0ae72e_b.jpgZeph decided to leave and check on his twin.
"At least we aren't living in a game where some higher power makes us take unnessacary risks." Sefina said.
"We don't need a higher power that makes us take dangerous risks. Dylan playing the Violin right now is proof of that." Cecelia replied. "Watcher knows what happens if we could actually die getting struck by lightning."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52317716603_a667977a6c_h.jpgSince Zeph was gone for a while, Cecelia figured that he started listening to Dylan play the Violin instead of getting him out of the thunderstorm. Cecelia left and ended up listening to her husband song too. As the night set in, Jade woke up from her hibernation and flew down the stairs as a bat.
"I'll never get used to all this magic." Sefina thought. "At least it keeps things interesting."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360692506_d6234aef52_b.jpgAs Sefina danced, Jade changed into her human form and drank some plasma from a plasma pack.
"So, I thought Vampires ate humans and merfolk?"
Between sips, Jade answered. "We make plasma from... fish and frogs too.... I've read that merfolk... only taste so good because they are like fish, in the magical sense."
"But you don't drink their plasma?" Sefina asked.
"Of course not, most of my family are merfolk. I don't drink eat family."
"Well that makes more sense than Zeph's excuse for not eating fish."
"Well, for a genius, he just hasn't figured out that bigger fish eat smaller fish in the ocean, but that's a Child of the Ocean for you."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931673_87a9d1328b_b.jpgEventually, Sefina also left to listen to Dylan's music outside. Jade started the night dancing to the Island Music.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931663_e00f912525_b.jpgFor Jade, being alone in the night wasn't too bad. She didn't consider herself to be a loner, but she enjoyed having some time to herself. As a bat, she flew to the Ranger's Station in the National Park. While there, she played a little guitar.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360693496_6444c60245_b.jpgShe noticed that her supply of plasma was getting low, so she decided to try fishing around the national park.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361007984_31538e7856_b.jpgWhen she felt her hook get caught, she went to rail in her catch.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360693456_ac3470ecc4_b.jpgBut, all she pulled out of the water was a chest with some herbs in it.
'This would be more interesting for Juniper.' Jade thought.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360692491_2f485c7c0d_b.jpgJade cast her line again and felt it hook something again.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359745642_46c96d7b2a_h.jpgThis time, she pulled a trout out of the water.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359745622_c5b49c6792_h.jpgIt didn't take much effort for Jade to turn it into filtered plasma.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361115790_90ef6bffb4_b.jpgJade returned home as the sun began to rise. Juniper woke with the sunrise while Jade was headed to bed. Juniper watched the Magic Realm's Morning News. Apparently, a ghost was campaigning to lead the Realm of Magic. Juniper didn't know if it was just a spectral projection or a politician from the Afterlife.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360693411_aa53e1c26e_b.jpgDeciding not to think about it, Juniper went for a walk around the woods. His human attire was getting a little uncomfortable, and since there weren't humans wandering around the woods, he changed into his merman attire. Juniper figured that he didn't need to hide what he was if there was no one to hide his mermadic identity from. His brothers, girlfriend, and father seemed to feel the same way. Sefina, being half human, continued to wear human attire, and Cecelia simply stuck with her Island attire.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931523_e0d5e18d2d_b.jpgJuniper checked maps as he walked up to a sign at the edge of the Lodging grounds. He wanted to find some more unidentified plants.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359745577_b8b8f465f8_b.jpgAs far as he could tell, there wasn't a lot of new varieties around the area, but most of the plants he was looking for grew in the summer. Juniper realized he had some plasma fruit on him, and remembered his sister. He walked back to the cabin to plant it. He didn't know why he didn't think of doing this sooner.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359744652_a9e2b26757_b.jpgHe knew that the magical plasma fruit took a while to grow, so he hoped that it would grow before Jade's Plasma Supply ran out.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360693376_f2a099ec45_b.jpgAfter nurturing the growth of his plants, he decided to try and figure out what some of the herbs he harvested were.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931408_b1ac1e9702_b.jpgHe pressed the leaves of the first plant between his fingers. The leaves made his fingers feel a slight itch, like something related to poison ivy.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361115640_4ee624c147_h.jpgBecause he was the Earth Elemental of Plants, he easily overcame the itch from the plant's leaves. He still wasn't closer to figuring out what it was.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360930483_5e49a8347d_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931363_d22b69a2dd_h.jpgNext, Juniper tasted one of the berries he picked. It could have been poisonus, but he wasn't worried about it fro the same reason the poison ivy like leaves didn't bother him. As he ate the strange berry, Zeph walked up.
Zeph took a deep breath as he watched his younger brother eat the unknown plant.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931343_84d7d49ba8_b.jpg"Why in the Universe did you just eat that?"
Juniper was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"What if it was posionous?"
"So." Juniper replied.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361115570_b4e39f3c16_b.jpg"So, you could have died?"
"I thought you were a genius." Juniper replied.
"I am."
"Did you forget what I am?"
"No... Maybe. You're a reef merman like us, right?"
"In this universe, I'm the Spirit of the Sun, Elemental of Plants..."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359745447_8997f9323f_b.jpg"Oh." Zeph replied. "I forgot."
"I'm immune to the negative effects from plants."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361115550_409c900d5b_b.jpg"So, what did it taste like?" Zeph asked.
"Sweet, maybe like elderberry." Juniper answerd.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361007734_41295b9f34_b.jpg"What's that buzzing all of a sudden?" Zeph muttered.
"Maybe, choosing to wear mermadic attire was a bad idea." Zeph thought as he wacked at the mosquitos.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361006904_39698a2b86_b.jpgAfter chatting with his brother, Juniper went for another hike. Despite being deep in the mountains, the signal was surprisingly good. He tried to learn a bit more about the herbs as he walked.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361007684_d2090c591f_b.jpgAs he picked the berries, he noticed that every herb in Granite Falls came in two very similar varieties. One herb would hurt a human that ate it. The other would help a human that ate it.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360693131_c1da17a336_b.jpgWhile he was out collecting herbs, he also found some frogs that his sister could use for plasma.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361007634_5143b1ca5b_b.jpgAll around Juniper, it was clear that his twin older brothers still had a great deal of power here. Streams with fish flowed through the mountains and the weather bent to Zeph's will. The cloud cover helped to keep him and his family from drying out. The more Juniper thought about it. The more he reralized that his family was going to great lengths for him. His father planned an entire week for them to be on land. Even his father, a Child of the Land and Sea couldn't find that comfortable. They did this for him and his twin sister.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359745312_a914e9b986_h.jpgJuniper wanted to find as many treasures as possbile while he was here! It might be a while before he returns to the land like this.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931133_747275bfb3_b.jpgBack at the lodging, Jade had a daymare and woke up. She went to the outdoor theater and chatted with her older brother.
"Did you hear about the fishing tournament between vampires?"
"No." Zeph answered.
"They were neck and neck!"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361115395_c023bfdcee_h.jpgZeph smiled and chuckled. "That's so cheesy."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360931053_bb5620b97c_b.jpg"So, how's your day been?" Jade asked.
Zeph decided to sit next to Jade. He didn't tell his sister, but his human feet were starting to hurt. It was getting hard to stay on land like this, in an unnatural human form.
"It's been good. I've done a lot sitting, listening to Dylan play his music. I saw Juniper eat a strange berry."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359745227_65c7d48f5b_b.jpg"Remember that time you caught a squid. It squirted ink on your shirt. It took forever for you to get it clean."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360692986_9130d08109_b.jpg"Is that why mermen don't wear shirts?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360692416_d3bb95a9c9_h.jpg"That's absolutely the reason." Zeph answered.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360930988_20c44394f0_b.jpg"Mermen prefer to not wear shirts because the are a pain to clean when they get dirty."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360930963_f8f1f283d7_h.jpgZeph looked away as he held his hand to his mouth.
'I'm a liar.' Zeph thought. 'Mermen don't wear shirts because the fabric would be a safety risk when we swim. It's normal to not wear a shirt because we don't wear one in our natural form.'
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360930938_385833d31f_h.jpg"Anyways, merfolk must be at the top of the food chain in the ocean!" Jade enthused. "Just like how some vampires eat humans."
"Actually, merfolk aren't at the top of the food chain in the ocean. There are bigger fish out there." Zeph replied.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361007399_348fecf50b_b.jpg"No way, with all your magical power, you still have to worry about getting eaten by a bigger fish."
"Yeah, the earliest merfolk that started mermadic culture, developed merfolk society around our need to survive in hostile waters."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359745077_b000968016_b.jpgCalum overheard his son and daughter talking and decided to join the conversation.
"Dad, Zeph told me the craziest thing. There are bigger fish that ate merfolk! Can you tell us more. You must be 100s of years old, older than any of us!"
"Well, as you know, mermen and mermaids will never die from old age. We don't even need to protect ourselves from the elements. Because we are of the sea, and the sea can boil around volcanoes and freeze near the polar Ice Caps, we are immune to changes in temperature too. We can call thunderstorms at will and can't die when struck by lightning. In many ways, merfolk can live forever and almost never die. We don't need to dress the way humans need to. We don't live exactly the same way humans do."
Calum took a breath. "The keyword is almost."
"Merfolk have eternal youth and will never grow old or ugly. Merfolk are characterized by humans as beautiful and handsome for a reason. But, we can die. Your grandmother, she died before any of you were born. The Sapphire Royal Family isn't without it's fair share of tragedy. But, yes, in ancient times, merfolk did need to struggle to survive in the sea. Everything from how we dress to living in family groups, that culture started from our need to survive. Now a days, we aren't at risk like before, but we still maintain the culture that was shaped by our environment."
"Dad that was a great explanation! I didn't even know most of that."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359744577_75ac74be69_b.jpg"So, you'll be around forever?" Jade asked.
"As long as I live, I'll always be here for my family." Calum answered. "And, I don't plan on being shark food anytime soon."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360692856_9253be3f3e_b.jpg"I have to ask though. Why did you go on land? I mean, I know a lot of mermen, mermaids, merboys, and mergirls. Most merfolk stay close to the water or in the water."
"I'm both a Child of the Islands and a Child of the Sea. I saw the seagulls fly over the water, and was drawn to the Islands of Sulani as much as the Sea called to me. As a young merman, I wanted to live close to the tides, in a place between the land and sea. I wanted to live among humans, but I never wanted to give up being what I am. I am proud to be a merman."
"What about that Little Mermaid Movie? You didn't happen to talk to any birds to figure out what human stuff was?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361115150_ddbaf65aef_b.jpg"Please, merfolk aren't completely ignorant of humans and human things. Spirits know that enough human junk ends up in the sea, and we can see them use things on the shores." Zeph said.
"Zephyr isn't wrong. Merfolk know enough about human culture to blend in when we need to. Some merfolk know more than others because they live closer to humans."
"My mind is blown!" Jade said.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361114680_d98530d7ba_b.jpg"With all the different worlds out there. I can only imagine how many different mermen and mermaids are out there."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360692776_a986604dab_b.jpg"Almost all merfolk live in the waters around Sulani. Only a few very small pods can be found anywhere else." Zeph said.
"Still, the idea that there are merfolk I haven't met yet is exciting!"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360930773_3f89080f43_b.jpg"It's possible that there are mermen and mermaids that have been around longer than humans." Calum added. "There's no telling where they are. But, most merfolk have lived long enough to know how to stay hidden. It's unlikely that they will go out of their way to show themselves. Like anyone, we just want to live our lives the way we want to."
"Imagine, an underwater world where there could be merfolk to meet and new places to see! I'd be excited to see that!" Jade enthused.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361007179_a6f6553227_b.jpg"As cool as that would be, even a vampire would need help visiting a world like that." Zeph said.
"I'd still want to see the world underwater!"
"Maybe one day." Calum said.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52360930748_d4777a6c9c_b.jpg"Just, whatever you do, don't ask Saphran about the latest issue of Dolphin World Magizine."
Zeph continued. "How any merman or mermaid can find his "art" interesting is beyond me?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359744887_286046fea6_b.jpg"He's also figured out how to use a phone and is posting underwater photography on simstagram under the name Azure Photography!"
Zeph breathed.
"Saphran will talk your block off about his success. I don't know how I ended up with a dolphin familiar like him. Saphren, Dylan's familiar is much more grounded."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361114955_59a33e137d_b.jpg"Well, we don't get to choose our familiars." Calum said.
"Do you think we can trade them out for another?" Zeph asked.
"You know that's not how it works."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359744872_317ebf435d_b.jpg
