terrariums | open; 2024

Who knows how he might like it, unless he has the chance to see for himself? Maybe he would enjoy burying himself in the sand to lurk and lie in wait, hiding amidst the kelp and coral. Maybe he would find the darkness and quiet calming, or maybe just unnerving. Would he grow even more animated and energetic to fill that space, or settle down under the touch of that stillness? Even nighttime in the savannah is still so active, after all.....

Either way, he's at least quite comfortable with Octavinelle's sea. Rook follows obediently close at Jade's heels, ears pricked for the sound of footsteps just in case. They're not likely to get disturbed at this hour, from the sound of it..... but would Azul be mad that an outsider was in his territory so late, even if he is with Jade? Even if he was interested in exploring, that could always wait until tomorrow. "Of course. I won't leave your side."

"Wonderful."

The halls are quiet despite how young the night is, even with the utter darkness surrounding them through the heavy and water-tight windows framing the dormitory's lounge area painting a much later image. Maybe that's why the students there seem to go to their own rooms once it gets dark? It isn't like the dorm's lighting is made for all that much illumination.

Floyd doesn't seem to be in either, but Jade just sets his bag carefully in the chair of his desk. He'll need to sort those things out later, but for now he reaches under his bed for a wooden box. Carefully plucking out a smooth, clear bottle. "I suppose Floyd is still out playing. That is a shame... I am sure you would have enjoyed seeing him."

What a disorienting place. No wonder everyone retreats to their rooms so early; how are they meant to tell what time it is, when it's so dark even at this hour? Even Savanaclaw, making so much use of natural light, doesn't feel as though it's hours later than it should be like this--and it's never so quiet. Not even in the dorms section. Wouldn't anyone but a nocturnal merman like Jade and his friends get tired awfully early, if they didn't turn on all the lights in their room and maybe listen to some music?

Even Rook can't fight back a yawn as he follows, the weariness of the day starting to creep in with everything so still. Is that the transformation potion? It just looks like water, without being able to taste or smell it..... Weird. "It would have been nice. But there's always tomorrow, right?"

"True. I doubt that either of you would enjoy too much time apart." Because they're so close after all. With Rook fluttering in and out of their room despite Octavinelle's stricter rules on outsiders, their playtime, and generally Floyd seeking Rook out when he wants to ditch class in favor of rougher and games of tag or chase.

He straightens back up after grabbing a small tote of personal shower belongings. He might as well clean himself up afterwards, right? Door closed and he heads down the hall.

"Are you tired? We can put this off for another time..."

"Good thing we won't have to, eh?" Because he doesn't plan to leave either of them alone for any length of time, of course. Not for a long, long time to come! That's what friends are for, right? At least, until he might be useful for other things Jade might enjoy.....

Yet again, he's a little grateful (for once) that he has to tail to betray him as they step back out into the hall. It might be a little offputting to be this openly excited, hmmm? How can he not be, though, when this feels so special? "No, no, it's fine! I just don't think I've ever come to Octavinelle so late before."

"It is rather different, isn't it? I had thought the savannah would be darker but the star and moonlight is surprisingly illuminating." He has no issue with traversing through the dark as it is, but it was practically pleasant to walk through the dry grass back to the mirror under such calm light. It's different than when the light stops reaching into the depths of the ocean, leading to nothing more than the faint occasional wisp of bioluminescence from a sea creature.

One that Rook might be getting to see rather closely soon as they continue on their path. "No light reaches the ocean floor. It is why so many deep-sea creatures produce their own... and why so many others are attracted to that light."

"Isn't it nice? It never gets really dark unless it's cloudy." Even if he's diurnal, it's hard not to appreciate the savannah at nighttime. Dark and cool without being overbearingly cold and impossible to see, pleasantly still but still buzzing with life just beneath the surface, all around you if you know where to look. The perfect comfortable temperature and level of white noise to settle in and get some sleep.

Would he fall into an even deeper sleep than usual, in a place like Octavinelle? Or would he be restless and uneasy, listening for noise that isn't there, curled up in a ball to ward off a chill? Would those tiny flickers of bioluminescence be comforting and familiar, or unnerving in such profound darkness? Rook's eyes widen in growing fascination as he considers the information. Attracted to that light is right..... "Oh..... you mean you do, too?"

"We do. We get our glow from our mother." It's a sweet saying, he thinks. Something Floyd and him heard so often as they grew up while their father held their faces. Doting on them with adoring admiration of the spawn he created with the mate he loves so completely. Although they are also drawn to the faint glows when they're underwater--just intimately aware of the possibilities of what they could find themselves face-to-face with.

He pulls the door to the showers open, holding it with a foot as he pulls a prepared paper from the small tote in his hand. With that placed clearly front and center he motions for Rook to head inside first. "I should have asked first, but I imagine witnessing my actual transformation may be uncomfortable for you... Some find the way our bodies shift during the process unsettling."

"Beauté! What a sweet sentiment!" How adorable is that? She must be so proud of them! Or is it perhaps meant in a more literal sense? Is Jade's father another species altogether? Such endless possibilities..... It's hard not to let his imagination and curiosity alike run wild.

Rook steps in as bidden, stepping aside to lean against the wall and make room for Jade to work as he needs to. (Sorry, Octavinelle, it might come away smudged when he leaves. Letting himself dry in the evening sun doesn't exactly discourage the dust from settling on him on their walk back to the mirror.) Seeing their bodies shift, hmmm..... He wonders how similar it is to watching Jack's transformation? Surely it can't be that much worse. "Not to worry! I'm quite used to it. Monsieur Fier-à-bras has shown me many times before."

Jade slides inside behind him, finger clicking the lock for an added bit of security.

"How interesting. I wonder how the two compare?" His tote is set down as he sets to work removing his shoes so he can set them aside as well. He may be a merman, but he's not the biggest fan of wet socks. "It is a shame you aren't able to see Azul like this. In my opinion, he is even more impressive in his real form."

And more delicious, but that's just personal preference. Fingers start working over the buttons of his shirt to slowly reveal the even, smooth skin beneath.

"I guess we'll find out! What is Roi d'Effort like in his real form?" It's hard not to be curious. After all, Azul is already impressive, isn't he? Tall, strong, handsome, talented--but certainly built considerably more differently than Jade and Floyd, as well. He's heard Leona's nicknames for Azul, so he has some idea, but..... Well, it's not often you see depictions of octopus merfolk, really. Are they or eel merfolk rarer?

It doesn't matter, either way. He'll keep the conversation going for the sake of their comfort, but it doesn't distract from how interested he is, watching Jade disrobe. How is it even fair that one man can be so effortlessly beautiful?

"He is stunning." His shirt slips from his shoulders, revealing a strong back and arms as he folds it. "While Floyd and I are considerably larger in our true forms, we are nothing compared to Azul. His tentacles are long, elegant and strong enough to hold and crush. If we weren't careful when we were younger, he could easily force us to stay still."

He chuckles like it's a fond memory... because it is. How Azul has grown from that octopus that used to hide in a pot from anyone and everyone. Scared of reaching out and being known. Sure, it is a different sort of feeling these days, but back then he was just so... cute. It makes Jade appreciate the man Azul is becoming all the more. The shirt is set aside as he starts on his belt, pulling it effortlessly free from its loops. "I told you before that octopus is one of our favorite meals... Floyd and I joke often about how satisfying just one of Azul's tentacles would be compared to the little creatures we find hiding."

"He sounds stunning." And Rook means that--but he wonders if it's possible for Azul to be more stunning than the body that Jade reveals now, inch by inch, long and strong and so enticingly toned. He probably shouldn't be staring, in all honesty--but can he really be blamed, if it's so difficult to tear his eyes away from the beauty that stands before him?

Ah, he wants to reach out and touch him. They're so close, it would be easy. But that's not conducive to seeing what he really wants to see, now is it? "Even at your real size? He must be enormous."

"He is quite the sight to behold." The final stretch of his clothing comes even enough, fully lacking any of the normal shame or discomfort that other humans might have at being so exposed. Some of the human-born members of Octavinelle often struggled with a mermaid's comfort with their own nudity. Even if human bodies have more appendages that Jade knows are considered improper to have out in the open, they're in a place where they are expected to be naked.

What would be the easiest way to do this... perhaps sitting down? He'd end up on the ground anyway.

He kneels, hands coming to rest on his bare lap as he looks up at the blond. "Are you ready?"

"Ready if you are!" Rook beams, refocusing on Jade as he kneels with with rapt attention. Thinking about what sort of magnificent shape Azul might have can wait, when he's so close to seeing the true beauty of the man right before him. It's hard not to absolutely burst with curiosity--does the change hurt? How does it feel, if it's not painful? What happens to all the different parts that appear and disappear? How much magic does a transformation like that consume? Does it always happen in the same way every time?

Releasing his human form is easier than turning into one, he thinks. While it's less effort to simply drink a potion, it's different to allow himself to simply be. His eyes fall closed as the changes begin. The skin of his legs fusing together in thick webs, ankles pulled taut as they extend and change in color. A flood of teal and speckled blue-black spots tracing up his calves and thighs.

Sharp spines break from his back and even someone so collected and Jade can't stop the faint grimace that brushes across his features. His fingertips darken as his blunt, human nails grow more sinister. Strong and pointed with a shape more akin to beast than man.

He takes a deep breath as his ribs start to pull, the skin breaking and falling open as if a knife was run between the very bones of his ribcage. The color spreads up his chest, fading out over his abdomen, chest and face as his skin takes on a glossy, thick sheen as his legs visibly contort as they grow in length. Unnecessary appendages pull into himself as if they were never there, but still disappearing right where they should be. Jade relaxes after a moment, aural fins that replaced his ears twitching as he adjusts to the difference in his very eyes. The dual-lids blink as he turns to look at the upperclassman with him. His tail curls up around himself, coiling easily around his own long body. "There..."

Rook watches the transformation in silent, undisguised awe. Surely there's no shortage of people who would find it horrifying, seeing flesh warp and tear, seeing a body twist so unnaturally. But him? It feels..... it feels like watching a butterfly burst from its coccoon, a miracle of life. Finally, to shed what restrains you, to leave behind what you are and become who you're truly meant to be.....

It's so similar to Jack's transformation, yet so fundamentally different as well. How could it not touch his heart? He could actually cry..... Instead, sun-kissed though it is, his face only manages to turn redder still. Rook reaches out to stroke Jade's cheek before he even realizes he's moving at all, eyes sparkling in admiration. "Magnifique..... You must be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

The touch brings a small sound of surprise, his gaze staying squarely on the flushed face in front of him. His own taking a darker, blue-green tone thanks to his cold blood as he realizes just how... different this has gone than he expected.

"...You think that I am beautiful?" How can he tear his eyes away from such vivid green ones when he says something like that? His body shifts, webbed hand coming to rest on his own chest. He can feel his heart lurch in anticipation even before he speaks again. "I... think I may be misunderstanding."

"How could I not? Everything about you is..... stunning." Including the lovely tint his face takes, closer to the main colors of his tail; Rook can't help but stroke Jade's cheek with his thumb. Just how had Jade thought this was going to go, exactly?

"Are you?" This is it. There's no way they can misunderstand each other now. Whether Jade is oblivious, or simply profoundly uninterested..... He finds out here and now. Rook closes the distance between them in a single step, sinking down to his knees and leaning in to capture Jade's lips.

His gills flare when their lips press together and for what feels like a long few moments Jade sits frozen. Until finally his webbed fingers move to run through thick, blond hair--so dry it feels like the grass they stomped through, but with a different warm quality to it--so it can rest on the back of the hunter's neck.

But he breaks the kiss quickly enough. It's better if he doesn't lean too far, too fast, isn't it? "...I was under the impression you were interested in Floyd."

It's a tense few moments, but once Jade moves..... Oh, the wait was worth it! All of it! Even when they part, Rook looks radiantly happy, not yet ready to pull back too far. Where in the world had Jade gotten the idea that he wanted Floyd? Wouldn't it have been more likely that Azul would have intrigued him?

"Of course I love Monsieur Spontané, but it's not the same. Even with my family so far away, he makes me feel like I really still have a brother right by my side, too."

That's a sweet sentiment... one he can't deny that he likes. He's seen the way the two of them play, but the line to Jade had been so blurred. No one leaps to play with Floyd the way that Rook does and such kindness towards himself felt alien and strange. It's only natural to want to make a good impression on someone's family, isn't it?

Then again, that applies to this situation as well.

Should he... apologize? Some things certainly feel a lot more obvious. Perhaps showing Rook this much of himself was accidentally far more forward than he realized? "I suppose we should talk, then."

"Oui, but don't let me delay you if you're not comfortable. Isn't it hard to breathe like this?" Should they turn on the shower for the sake of Jade's gills, if he wants to talk in his real form? Would the noise attract undue attention, or would it simply mask their conversation?

"I am more comfortable than you would think, but one of the showers may help." At least keeping the humidity up helps keep him moist. Staying like this for longer than a few days would be deadly, but for this late night rendezvous it should be plenty. Though he did bring supplies to shower, he can still already feel the way his body expels the dirt and grime from the day.

His clawed fingertips trace along his gills revealing a thick thread of slime when he withdraws them. "So long as my skin remains moist I can stay like this for a considerable amount of time without fear of suffocating. Other merfolk are not always so fortunate."

"Oh..... Incroyable! In that case, let's turn on a shower for you." He'd had no idea that eels could breathe through their slime alone! That's valuable information to take home and update their file with.....

But why is he even thinking about something like that, now that he's finally gotten a kiss? Rook tosses his hat onto the pile of Jade's clothes without a second thought, reaching for the taps. Are his own clothes coming off? Why would they, when he's planning on talking, not actually taking a shower? It's fine to just rinse a little of today's dirt and dust off while they chat, he'll probably dry off again by the time he gets back to his dorm room.

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