merry fishmas

[darkov]

WHO: andy, archie, cass, marty, rex
WHERE: heropa aquarium
WHEN: mid-jan
WHAT: family field trip with fish
WARNINGS: andy's mouth



An immortal, a god, an ex-eco-terrorist, and two child soldiers walk into an aquarium and make a day out of it.

I don't know what the hell else you want me to put here; y'all know what aquariums look like, y'all can google some fish to ogle at, I'm not your mom. Go bond with each other while petting sturgeons or something GOSH.

Comments

[darkov]

a.
[LOOK AT ALL THESE CHICKENS GOLDFISHES. aquariums usually have a smaller display of these sorts to ease into the wild and weird world of sea life, right? it's a good starting point for someone who, up until now, has only seen little Rex the fish and a few lobsters at the grocery store.

his little fish is nothing like these: some have big, bulbous eyes like inflated grocery bags. it's creepy, but kind of cute? others are just like...massive reproductions of the fish he knows is still lazily swimming around its little bowl back at the house.

when a familiar reflection comes into focus, he glimpses over at his shoulder, pointing.]

These -- are these the same as the one back at the house? Or do they just have the same color?



b.
[Martin eventually plops down on a bench in one of the larger rooms where the tanks go up and cover the ceiling, fingers curling on the edge of the seat while he looks about, trying to follow all the color and movement while getting distracted by other color and movements elsewhere. it's unnerving in some primal way, seeing alien-looking things swimming about in weird configurations of color, shape, appendage, and teeth, and he's faintly reminded of the horrible introduction he had to Archie's shark-friend upon first arriving. so many teeth, and none of them wound up tearing him to shreds somehow. there's thick glass separating him from any fate with the residents here, but it still feels weird.

a not-Archie shark swims overhead, casting a shadow that's enough to get Martin to swing his head around and look, eyes saucer big.]


c.
Oh--

[i decided there's otters at this facility, solely so Martin can be here surprised when he notices one following him and stopping when he does, tilting itself when he tilts his head.

after a beat, he moves a little in the direction he came from and the otter follows, swimming down close to the ledge Martin puts his hands on. then it's a very gradual bit of tag with his hand moving this way and that, his mouth twitching with a nervous smile. it's like those videos of people with their cats and lasers...]

b

[h2no]

[archie'd been watching a big octopus in a tank in the room before the big tunnel, watching it with about as much awe as martin's watching the shark. it's not the first one he's seen-- he's even seen a few in the wild diving with sharpedo and... ah, blastoise and gyarados. their similarities to octillery are fascinating, though he got an odd look when he asked if they start off as those archerfish he'd seen earlier.

it's-- easy to forget the universal differences, sometimes.

once he'd found and read the panel with the octopus life cycle on it, he joins martin in the tunnel, sitting next to him.]

Big guy, ain't he? [he asks with a laugh, referring to the shark martin's watching.]

[darkov]

[Martin's eyes flicker to Archie just for the second it takes to recognize his shape before he's locked on the shark again as it goes along its lazy way, all big and unafraid as it is.]

Yes... [he frowns, quiet for a beat.] I, I don't get why...the littler ones don't run away.

...Swim. I mean.

[h2no]

Hmm... I think it's because the sharks here are opportunistic predators. They prefer to go for something that's already hurt than expend the effort to hunt properly. They're lazy, [he says with a small laugh, and he's sure sharpedo in its ball was unhappy to hear that.] When they're kept well fed in an artificial environment like this, then they don't need to hunt.

[he points at a little school of fish that part as one of the sharks drifts through it lazily.]

They don't wanna end up in its mouth, but I guess they just get used to the fact that it probably won't eat them. This is nothing like the wild, after all. Kinda like how people have dogs and cats that live together fine.

[he... thinks. he's pulling a lot of it out his ass and guessing based on what he knows of the ocean life here already.]

A

[ct_7567]

[ Between the big, nasty looking aquatic animals bobbing about elsewhere and those wall-to-wall theatres showing what look like eldritch horrors of the deep, Rex will take these useless little things Martin's looking at right now. It's not that he's scared - he's certainly killed bigger - but it seems somewhat off-putting to keep such dangerous creatures as glorified pets for all to see. He doesn't quite get it.

These little things? He can understand. ]

Variations on a theme, I think. [ He stares at one. It stares back. Rex is not winning this staring contest. Its eyes bulge. Its mouth gapes. ]

...It looks like the sort of thing people with too much money keep in their tanks as decoration.

[darkov]

[that observation makes Martin's face scrunch as he tries to reason it. after a beat, he glances up at Rex:]

...Why would someone want a decoration that you have to feed?

[ct_7567]

Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps their lives are dull enough that it's at least something interesting to look at.

[ Rex may not, in fact, have an entirely shining view of the wealthy. ]

It's certainly not a problem we have.

[queenofseers]

1.

Hey- hey, could you screw off?

[ You'd think when Cassandra's outfits make her so recognizable, she'd have stopped wearing them and changed to something more casual by now. But no, she even wears cloaks to the dang aquarium, and that means people keep approaching her with questions and comments and attempts at selfies. She's not even a big star- but she's Pantheon, and that makes people curious.

At the moment, she's snapping at someone who's particularly insistent. ]

Don't you think you could just look at some fucking fish? Look! They're everywhere! Take your pick!

[ She...probably needs help. ]

2.

[ Here's another thing Cassandra's decided to be mad about, because happiness is impossible: the gift shop. Everything is so expensive. And so small. ]

Shark themed rock candy does not have to cost this much. There's literally no reason.

[ A travesty. Next she's going to poke at the plushies. Truly she can find happiness in nothing here. ]

Do you want anything? [ Why are they even here, anyway? ]

1.

[darkov]

[well, if he'd had a thought that they'd lost Cass in here, the acoustics in this place sure helps debunk that.

Martin peers out from a nearby hall to catch glimpse of Cassandra and her plight. after a moment of hesitation, he slinks over, catching her by one of her flowy sleeves and mutely pointing over his shoulder toward the hall he'd come from, off where it's dark to show off all the deep-sea creatures.]

[queenofseers]

[ Cassandra stops yelling abruptly when he tugs her sleeve- she's primed to scream at someone for grabbing her, but when she realizes it's Martin she gives up, not wanting to make too much of a fool of herself in front of people with phones out.

...Until, of course, one of the people bothering her asks oh, who's this? She turns back to them, seething. ]

Hey- I told you to fuck off. Could you leave us alone already?

[ She punctuates it by taking Martin's arm and leading him off in the direction he pointed, though not happily. ]

[darkov]

[cringing, Martin has to hop a step to keep up with her blustering pace, squirming free once the pinch of her grip is a bit too much. it's not her fault; she's stressed! but still.]

Cassandra-- who are they? Is something bad happening? Do we need to leave?

1

[h2no]

[archie sees the problem, and he also sees an imminent explosion. he stops looking at the tank he'd been looking at (some strange little crab species, very cute. he loves them.) and casually saunters over to cass. he puts a hand on the insistent person's shoulder and just... wordlessly shoves them out the way while shooting them an irritated glare.]

Don't get close again, [he says flatly, then looks back to cass.] Y'wanna go to the next room, where there's no maniacs?

[queenofseers]

[ Cassandra makes an exasperated noise, not exactly approving of pushing people, but turns to Archie anyway, clearly upset- though not really at him, despite her forthcoming comment. ]

That's not going to help the impression people get from you, you know. [ Big former eco-terrorist guy...

But then she sighs and nods. ] Yeah, fine.

ANDY'S MOUTH

[killtime]

1. THE URCHIN
[ This bitch bout to be banned from the aquarium if she doesn't put that gd sea urchin down. Whoever's there with her is now the only thing standing between this poor helpless echinoderm and potentially being crushed in her fist. ]

I'll do it. I don't give a shit.

[ She doesn't. Look at that face. That is the face of a woman who is willing to have a trillion little spines shoved into her hand at any given moment. ]


2. YOU CAN'T DO THAT HERE
[ Somehow, Andy snuck a flask into the aquarium. Gods only know where she's been hiding it this whole time. But whatever liver-rotting liquid is in there is keeping her company while she stares off with a resident of the crocodile exhibit, squinting at the reptile between sips of booze. ]

1

[h2no]

Andy... [archie gently puts his hand on her shoulder. she must be going through something rough to be so openly cruel! he'll be gentle.

he grips her shoulder a little tighter, then leans in.]

If you break one spine on that Urchin's shell I will feed you to Sharpedo with no remorse.

[killtime]

[ Listen, Archie. This bitch right here is going through a perpetual midlife crisis, and this sea urchin would just be one more casualty in a long line of many. Zero shits are given. She's a godless killer and no lifeform is safe. She ain't moved or scared by nothin' —

But the hairs on the back of her neck raise when Archie squeezes her shoulder, as if some primal instinct senses the distinct aura of danger. ]

...

[ She squints. Doesn't drop the urchin but doesn't crush it in her fist either. ]

You could try. Probably wouldn't kill me.

1

[queenofseers]

Andy? What the fuck?

[ Cassandra hasn't given a shit about sea urchins before this moment. Now she's got to protect them, clearly. This will not stand.

She also just looks freaked the heck out. ]

I there even a reason for this? What did sea urchins ever do to you?

[killtime]

Pretty sure I've stepped on at least one.

[ She shrugs a little. Does she really need a reason? Maybe she's doing it to feel alive, man. ]

[ct_7567]

[ And there's Rex, shrugging incredulously at her from a distance. Will she do it? Probably. Does he give a shit? Not really, except for the disturbance it may cause. Why does she want to do it?

Because she's very, very strange. ]

[ct_7567]

[ Rex mainly came to the Aquarium because Martin wanted to go, and --

Well. That's why he does a great many things these days. You may find him standing underneath one of the large tanks that encompasses the whole room, ceiling inclued, and glowering up at the massive sharks swimming about. He's not sure why he came. He hates these things. You don't grow up on Kamino without rapidly learning that everything in the water wants to kill you and, on top of that, probably will. You also don't grow up on Kamino without watching some poor sod fall into the ocean, and that's that. Too many things in there that are too big, with too many teeth, the sort of thing that'll give a cadet nightmares.

He wrinkles his nose. ] I don't see why anyone would want to keep these things.

[ ...otherwise, you may find him being confronted by a very cheery employee. ]

They're very friendly! Would you like to pet a manta ray?

No thank you.

It's an experience of a lifetime!

No thank you.

[h2no]

[archie held himself back and did not pet the manta ray. he would love to shove someone out the way and dunk himself into the petting tank, but he must be strong and not a complete weirdo. it makes him miss the museum in slateport, even if it had been a major location in his villainy. makes him miss the beaches of hoenn, with all the water types.

he sees rex and saunters over, standing next to him with his arms folded.]

Good call. They are so slimy. Smaller than I expected, though. Back home we got Mantine, you can surf on 'em. It's a sport.

[ct_7567]

Somehow that doesn't surprise me.

[ The main thrust of everything he knows about Archie's world is that they have an animal for everything, they're frequently odd, and that they largely live at peace with the humans that reside there. ]

You not wanting to pet them yourself does, though. [ Archie likes fish. He can like anything. ]

FISH

[h2no]

[this isn't the first time archie's been to the aquarium, but it's certainly the first time he's been with friends. he takes pictures of all the ones he can that remind him of pokémon back home, though it's a little bittersweet. he has no-one to show them to anymore. his personal favourites (this time, at least. it changes every time.) are the penguins-- they look like mini empoleons... so cute! archie sticks around and goes back to watch the hourly penguin show twice. it's an indulgence he won't hold back from.

if anyone with him asks about the aquatic life, he'll happily tell them about the pokémon they resemble-- maybe even talking a bit too much? look, he's a water type expert. he can't help it!

later, when they're getting ready to leave, he'll be in the gift shop looking to get a few things for himself and other people. look at him and he'll point at a very ugly looking picture of a deep-sea anglerfish.] Look, they have a picture of you!

i do what i say

[darkov]

What...?

[Martin's not really keen on humor in general, so this attempt wooshes over his head right away as he squints at the nightmare blob.]

Um. That's not...

disintegrates

[h2no]

[wuh oh. he had thought martin would get that... archie backpedals quite impressively.]

I, uh... it's just-- y'know. A joke. Like-- y'point at something that obviously isn't reflective of someone and say its them. Abstract humour. Haha.