Chapter 18: Chapter 15: Water is Wet…or is it?

Lucillia

 

Blub blub blub. There's so much water here, and it won't even dissolve you. No constant sizzling, no weird marks if you stick your hand in it after a while, nothing. 

It's also really clear. I can see allll the fishies swimming around me. There's a bunch of blue ones, some orange ones, ooh there's a long, green one, and there's also a bunch of see-through ones that move weirdly. 

Aaand I haven't even gotten to the bottom of it. Down here, there's a bunch of flower-looking thingies, tons of crabbies and shrimpies, and a whole lotta kelp. 

Hmm, I've been trying to find those really big and tasty shrimps that Big Sis' fed me back then, but I haven't found any. All the ones that I can see are super tiny. Oh, but I did see a green shrimpy that punched the heck out of a crabby. It even took its claw off!

There haven't been many highlights aside from those, so I've just been swimming around for a while. 

Well, I don't actually know how to swim, so I kinda had to teach myself how to move around in the water. Big Sis' and them mentioned something about flapping your arms and legs a certain way, but I couldn't figure that out.

Instead, I found out that I could just flap my tiny wings and tail to move around, though I feel like my tail does most of the work. I mostly just spin it like those spinny things I saw in those big metal boats from my old world. It actually works really well! And then I can just use my wings to turn left or right. 

Fufufu~, genius, isn't it?

I don't need to breathe either, so I can just go wherever I want!

There's just, uh, one slight problem...I'm lost. Yeah, so Mira might have brought me out here and told me to wait somewhere while she did something, buuut I kinda got bored and followed some shiny fishies around, sooooo...yeah.

Look, it's not my fault everywhere in the ocean looks the same, okay?!!

The water looks like water and fishies look like fishies!! Seriously, how do fish people like Mira get around the place?

Haah, oh whale (heh). Guess I should just wait here until Mama #3 comes back. Not like I have anything better to do.

...

Nah, that sounds boring as heck. Maybe I can try to find her instead? You know what, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all!

I should probably start by asking the locals if they've seen here. 

Excuse me, Mr./Ms. Fishie? Have you seen a pretty lady with really pretty scales swim around here?

 

"*Blub blub blub*" [Lucillia]

"*Blub blub*" [Fishie]

 

Ah, the fishie swam away. I guess they didn't see her. Oh, how about the turtle up there?

 

"*Blub blub*" [Lucillia]

"?" [Turtle]

"*Blub, blub blub, blub blub blub*" [Lucillia]

"...*Pat pat*" [Turtle]

 

Eh, why is it patting its shell? You wanna give me a ride?

 

"*Nod*" [Turtle]

 

Okay then. Don't mind if I do~

 

.....

 

Wooohooooo, now we're sailing! You'd never believe it, but Mr. Turtle can swim really fast! 

Hm? Mister? I think that's what he is. I tried calling him by different pronouns, but he snapped at me until I said 'Mister', soooo yeah.

Anywho, we, and by 'we' I mean he, have been zooming through the water for a couple minutes now. The ride's been pretty comfy though. Mr. Turtle is pretty big, maybe like 2m long, so I can just lay down on his back. His shell is also kinda soft and leathery, which is pretty nice. 

The only thing that bothers me is the amount of barnacles on his back, but I guess he likes them because he snapped at me when I tried to take them off. Oh well.

Along the way to wherever we're going, Mr. Turtle's made some snack runs, namely jellies. You wouldn't believe it from their appearance, but the jellies are actually really crunchy! You just, uh, have to get through their stingers first, though Mr. Turtle took them head-on like nothing. 

We also stopped by some kelp forests to munch on them. I didn't really like eating them raw, so I grabbed a bunch for later. Good thing Mira gave me a basket. Mmm, that grilled kelp from last night was just too addicting.

Well, so was literally everything else, but that's not the point! 

The point is that food is delicious, snacks are essential to life, and I'm hungry. 

Hmm, I wonder if I can eat one of these fishies like that big pointy one that Big Sis likes. But then I have to get rid of all the scales and stuff. Hmm...

*Pat pat*

UWA?! Turtle pats feel weird. 

*Pat pat pat*

Okay, okay, stop it, staaahp, that tickles~

Whaddaya want? Oh, that's what. It appears the turtle-bus has reached its destination. 

So apparently, the fishies have an underwater city. Like, an actual city with buildings and lights and stuff. Oh, and fish people too, obviously. 

There's this big dome looking thing that covers the entire city, but I still see fish people swimming around inside, so clearly it's not for air. I do have to say, though, that the water inside it is waayyy clearer than the stuff that's outside. 

I mean, the outside water is already pretty clear, but the dome is just a completely different level. To be honest, I'm pretty sure even just air is 'dirtier' than that. 

Anyways, there's a big wall around the bottom of the dome and some big crystal thingies on top of the wall. We're going to one of the gates right now, which is a LOT bigger up close.

Hmm, it looks like there's a line, so it'll probably take a whi-oh what? We're going to a different line? Okay then. 

Man, fish people don't mess around. They've got big pointy things all around and loaded up in big cannons. 

 

"*Blub blub blub*" [Merfolk Guard]

"..." [Mr. Turtle]

"*Blub blub*" [Merfolk Guard]

 

Uhh, can someone translate? I can't understand bubbles, and all that I can hear is verrry garbled. 

 

"*Blub blub*" [Merfolk Guard]

 

Oh? What's this? The fish person just gave me a bent metally thingie with little shells at the ends. Hmm? I'm supposed to put this around my ears? That's what the fish person is trying to show me, I think. Alrighty then. 

 

"Can you hear me now, Miss Dragon?" [Merfolk Guard]

"Ah! I can hear again!" [Lucillia]

"Yes. Those shellphones help filter out most of the interference from all the waves and currents, but I'm sure you don't care about any of that. Long story short, keep those on and you'll be able to hear anyone talking when you're underwater." [Merfolk Guard]

"Cool." [Lucillia]

"Before we let you in, the city has a couple rules: no claiming territory without permission, no marking territory without permission, no fighting over territory without permission, and finally, no eating each other before authorities record the conflict. Understood?" [Merfolk Guard]

"Hai." [Lucillia]

"Good. Aside from that, stay close to your tour guide there and feel free to forward any questions to him." [Merfolk Guard]

"'Kay." [Lucillia]

"Alright then. Miss Dragon, Sir Scutos, head on in. I hope you're feeling hungry since we take pride in our dining industry here." [Merfolk Guard]

"FOOOODD!!" [Lucillia]

"..." [Sir Scutos]

"Oh, one more thing before you go." [Merfolk Guard]

"?" [Lucillia]

"Welcome to Nautilius and enjoy your stay." [Merfolk Guard]

 

.....

 

Woaaahh...so many fishiesss.

*PAT*

OW! I mean, people, fish people! Hmph, you need to work on your temper, Mr. Turtle. 

*SNAP*

GYAAH!! Okay okay, I'm sorry!

...

Haah, whatever. So, where are we eating first? That one? The one with the crab sign? Alrighty then.

Huh, these doors are pretty big. Now that I think about it, all the doors I've seen have been huge compared to the ones back home. I wonder why...eh, oh well, lucky for Mr. Turtle at least, since he's pretty big and all that. 

Here we go!

*RING!*

Ooh, a bell. Neat. Wait, does something feel off or is it just me?

*THUNK*

Uhh, Mr. Turtle?

*THUNK, THUNK, THUNK*

...OHHHH, I get it, this room is full of air not water!

 

"Yup, right on point, sweetie." [Merfolk Waitress]

"OH! You're one of those axolololols, but people-sized!" [Lucillia]

"Haha, 'axolotl', say it with me now, ax-o-lot-l." [Merfolk Waitress]

"Yeah that. Can I touch your tail?" [Lucillia]

"No." [Merfolk Waitress]

"Boooooo~" [Lucillia]

"No 'boos', missy. Now, go bring Scutos over here or else he'll be like that for a while." [Merfolk Waitress]

"'Kay. HUUUUUU-" [Lucillia]

"Huh, that's a dragon for ya, lifting over 500kg over her head like it's nothing." [Merfolk Waitress]

 

*THUNK!*

 

"Haah, haah, got it!" [Lucillia]

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"Great work. Now then, welcome to 'The Clawset'. Would you like the kid's menu or the regular one?" [Merfolk Waitress]

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-" [Lucillia]

"You can just look at both then." [Merfolk Waitress]

 

Hmm, steamed crab, grilled crab legs, spicy garlic crab, black pepper crab, crab cakes, crab rolls, so many choices. And that's only the adult menu and not even including the different types of crab either. 

Let's see, the kid's menu has: crab croquettes, fried softshell crab, crab pasta, crab fried rice, and crab puffs. 

As for the types of crabbies, they have: rock crab, mud crab, muddy rock crab, rocky mud crab (wonder what the difference is), kelp crab, spider crab, abyssal crab, and ooh, the boulder crab thingie that I found yesterday.

Hmm, so many choices...but I'm so hungryyy...

 

"Well, since you're a dragon, I bet you could eat a lot, right?" [Merfolk Waitress]

"Mhm." [Lucillia]

"Why not get one of everything then? A little one like you needs to eat lots if you wanna grow big. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" [Merfolk Waitress]

"Mmm!" [Lucillia]

"Great! And don't worry about the money, either. I'll put it all on Scutos' tab." [Merfolk Waitress]

"*SNAP*" [Sir Scutos]

"Hey, don't give me that tone. I can't charge a kid when an adult brought her here, and you happen to be the one who did, alright? Business is business." [Merfolk Waitress]

"Hmph." [Sir Scutos]

"Wait, you can understand Mr. Turtle?" [Lucillia]

"Kinda. We sort of grew up together and we happen to be the same age, so I've picked up a thing or two over the years. Plus he has another trick." [Merfolk Waitress]

"Like spinning?" [Lucillia]

"Heh, it's funny you say that since we used to do that all the time when he was still small. Nowadays, hardly anyone can spin him around because, well you know." [Merfolk Waitress]

"Cool. I'm hungry." [Lucillia]

"Ah right, let me get your order in first." [Merfolk Waitress]

...

"Alright, your food should start coming out in 10 minutes or so, so hang in there little dragon lady. Come to think of it, we haven't said our names yet, have we?" [Merfolk Waitress]

"Nope." [Lucillia]

"My name's Alex. What's yours?" [Alex]

"Lucillia." [Lucillia]

"Cute. In case you don't already know, that turtle right there is Scutos. He's a little temperamental sometimes, but he usually means well." [Alex]

"*SNAP*" [Scutos]

"See? Would you believe me if I told you he has absolutely no snapping turtle blood in him?" [Alex]

"Nope." [Lucillia]

"..." [Scutos]

"Anyways, is there anything you want to talk about? I'm sure a curious dragon like you has lots of questions." [Alex]

"Mmm!" [Lucillia]

 

10 minutes later

 

FOOD'S HERE!!!

 

"Alright, I might have forgotten to ask you what kind of crab you wanted, so we made everything from giant mud crab since those were the only ones we had enough of." [Alex]

"*Om nom nom*" [Lucillia]

"I guess it didn't even matter." [Alex]

"Haah, unfortunately she will eat anything and everything so long as the taste is sufficient and nothing else. I have tried many times to educate her about nutrition and health, but her selective hearing is quite something at times." [Mira]

 

Oh right, Mira's here now. She came in during my conversation with the axolololol lady. We talked about lots of stuff, and then Mira came and we talked about more stuff. Well, after she scolded me about not waiting for her.

What kind of stuff? Oh you know, stuff like 'how do fish people normally live their lives?' or 'what's the difference between the water outside and inside the dome?' or even 'why is this room full of air and not water?', just random questions I had.

For the first one, fish people apparently just do their thing like other people: they eat, sleep, and poop. Some of them go hunting (or is it fishing?), others do farming, and the rest do, well, everything else you would need in a city. 

So yeah, basically they're just like regular people except underwater. And they look like fishies, but that's probably something that comes with the job. Some of them have pretty fishy appearances like Mr. Turtle, but some are closer to non-fish people like Mira who only have some scales, tails, and some other fishy bits.

Speaking of which, whenever Mira's in the water, her legs disappear while her tail gets way bigger, and yet her tail stays there when she's on land. Weird, isn't it?

Anyways, that was all they told me about my first question. 

For the second one, they just said that the dome purifies the water so that the inside water is clean and not salty since a bunch of fish people here normally live in freshwater but live here for some reason. No really, they just have their own reasons like they got chased out or they have relatives or something. Nothing too crazy.

And finally, for that last question, Mira basically, uh, engraved it onto my skull that Miss Alex and Mr. Turtle are apparently NOT fishies, but reptiles. That means they, in fact, don't breathe water and instead breathe air to survive. That explains why Mr. Turtle kept going up to the surface every now and then during our journey.

So basically, shops like this that are filled with air are mostly for people like them who live in the water but can only breathe air. Cool. Lots of things to learn.

Nom nom, these crabbies are something else man. The rice is good, the noodles are also good, everything's good! But you know what would make them even better? If they were in my belly!

*More nomming*

 

"Haah, for the last time dear, you should not be eating so messily. Your entire face is covered in grease now." [Mira]

"*Nom nom nom*" [Lucillia]

 

One (dragon-sized) meal later

 

"FWAA~, thanks for the meal~" [Lucillia]

"No, thank you little dragon. Since you cleaned your plates pretty well, I barely have to wash the dishes." [Alex]

"Question!" [Lucillia]

"Shoot." [Alex]

"Why is no one here?" [Lucillia]

"Oh, that? Most of our customers come in during the night. That and half the town only eats smaller fish." [Alex]

"Ooohh. Cool." [Lucillia]

"Is that your response to everything?" [Alex]

"Maybe." [Lucillia]

"Haah, how do you deal with this, Lady Mira?" [Alex]

"You get used to it." [Mira]

"Figures." [Alex]

"*Poke poke* Miraaaa~" [Lucillia]

"Yes, dear?" [Mira]

"Can we go home yet? I wanna read." [Lucillia]

"I believe you were forbidden to bring any books by Her Majesty, nor are you allowed to purchase any." [Mira]

"Fine. I wanna bother Big Sis'. Can I go bother them? I think they need bothering. We should go bother them. Let's bother them." [Lucillia]

"Yes yes, we will leave at once then. But this time, you will stay with me the whole way, understood?" [Mira]

"Hai." [Lucillia]

"Good. If you will excuse us, little Alex and little Scutos, we shall take our leave now." [Mira]

"Come back anytime. I could use the extra business." [Alex]

"Ah right, thank you little Scutos for guiding her here. Unfortunately, I was correct in assuming that she would wander around, so I am very glad you were willing to take the offer." [Mira]

"*Huff*" [Scutos]

 

Huh, I never thought a turtle could look so smug. Also I wasn't wandering, I was just bored and got distracted by the shinies. 

 

"Regardless of what you say, neither of them involved waiting as I told you to." [Mira]

"Bleh, waiting's boring!" [Lucillia]

"You cannot have excitement in life without a little boredom." [Mira]

 

*Insert door closing sound here*

 

"She's definitely changed a lot, hasn't she?" [Alex]

"...*nod*" [Scutos]

"Eh, I like this one better. Reminds me of when she raised us when we were kids. The gloomy and quiet Lady Mira just doesn't feel right once you actually know her." [Alex]

"Who're you talking about?" [???]

"Finally came out, Gus? Lady Mira was here a minute ago. You just missed her." [Alex]

"Damn it. This always happens to me..." [Gus]

"There there, I'm sure she'll be back sometime soon." [Alex]

 

.....

 

"Lucillia, dear?" [Mira]

"Hm?" [Lucillia]

"Would you like to explore the city some more before we head back? There is still plenty of time until dusk." [Mira]

"Hmmmm...I'm tired. Can we do it tomorrow?" [Lucillia]

"Of course, dear. Would you like me to carry you? You'll have to hold the baskets, though." [Mira]

"Ehehe~" [Lucillia]