MARU
listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness
like a heartbeat that drives you mad
like a heartbeat that drives you mad
Few know of the existence of his kind, and fewer still have had the bravado - the ability - to venture beneath the abyssal depths to where his kingdom resides. For all its beauty and allure it has fewer guards than any landlocked kingdom may find necessary, for their waters have wrecked and wrenched the lives of too many sailors from their fragile flasks to have many foolhardy adventurers upon their doorstep. Despite this reality of seclusion and peace, Maru has been vigilant. The shell lies unused and unanswered, the voice on the other side erased from existence with the destruction of magma and smoke. He knows there will be another. Mouthbreathers are tenacious, dogged souls, unbroken by their own human violence and greed. Rae's creations have not stopped them yet, and he suspects never will.
When the time comes, he is ready. The guards relay the message of a newcomer, and Maru ascends with a calming hand, quieting all objections from his subjects as he moves in intentional singularity to welcome their guest. A show of force is not necessary here. Not now. If the man has come alone, subjected himself to the scrutiny of an entire race, then Maru shall meet him on equal ground.
By mannerism alone it is clear the octopus that hovers at the border of their kingdom has the heart of a man, and Maru is charmed to see such physical resemblance between the two of them. For a moment he considers the newcomer - Remi, as he'd been told - as his tentacles push him through the lurid waters. Welcome, Remi Taliesin. I am Maru Ngata, Luminary of the Merfolk. His voice is polite and serene, inky tendrils of hair afloat around his face and shoulders like a hellish halo. It contrasts against the tranquil, vaguely curious expression upon his handsome face. What is it that you seek? Information? Alliance? An entire world of uncertainty, a galaxy of choices, all laid in this young man's hands. Maru recalls keenly the initial weight of that responsibility, and does not envy Remi for the chaos he has inherited.
When the time comes, he is ready. The guards relay the message of a newcomer, and Maru ascends with a calming hand, quieting all objections from his subjects as he moves in intentional singularity to welcome their guest. A show of force is not necessary here. Not now. If the man has come alone, subjected himself to the scrutiny of an entire race, then Maru shall meet him on equal ground.
By mannerism alone it is clear the octopus that hovers at the border of their kingdom has the heart of a man, and Maru is charmed to see such physical resemblance between the two of them. For a moment he considers the newcomer - Remi, as he'd been told - as his tentacles push him through the lurid waters. Welcome, Remi Taliesin. I am Maru Ngata, Luminary of the Merfolk. His voice is polite and serene, inky tendrils of hair afloat around his face and shoulders like a hellish halo. It contrasts against the tranquil, vaguely curious expression upon his handsome face. What is it that you seek? Information? Alliance? An entire world of uncertainty, a galaxy of choices, all laid in this young man's hands. Maru recalls keenly the initial weight of that responsibility, and does not envy Remi for the chaos he has inherited.
in the stillness of remembering what you had
and what you lost
and what you lost
