Though the underside of the island had been deemed harmless to Merfolk, Hadama still occasionally patrolled its perimeter himself, looking for signs of humans that might have gotten themselves in trouble on the shores of the hungry isle.
And when he came across one of the strange, ashy flowers with its attendant shadows he used his startide trident to destroy it, his expression stoic and a touch grim. He might not be able to calm the choppy seas that battered the coast, but he could at least remove the unsettling new blossoms that had cropped up with the advent of the spring tides.
And it was good practice with his trident, which he had made less use of in recent seasons as his command over his water magic had increased.
He let loose a blast of star-filled sea water at another patch of the Void Blossoms, using his burgeoning control over the air to waft the corrupted scent away from himself.
Andromeda
Void Blossom (infected variant - Torchline): Originally a breathtaking flower along the coastal regions of Torchline, the Void Blossom now exudes an aura of impending doom. Its petals, once radiant with fiery hues, have turned ashen, and a sickly sweet scent wafts from its corrupted bloom. The Void Blossom attracts not only insects but also the shadows of void-infused creatures, making it a perilous sight for those who venture too close
In the crystal-clear waters near the secluded island, Andy reveled in the joy of oversized waves. Her fun-loving nature sparkled as she darted through the undulating currents, heart bursting with the thrill of each crest. Honest in her pursuit of pleasure, Andy's lazy elegance was only disturbed as she crested a wave and caught a familiar shimmer of silver-streadked hair. She swirled around the waves, a scarlet streak against the azure backdrop, embracing the simple pleasure of the moment. But Hadama looked up to something, and that piqued the noble's interest.
"How long have those been a thing?" Andromeda asked, frowning at the scent that wafted towards her despite Hadama's attempt to send it all away.
The King was not having fun, necessarily. It was work, but there was a certain satisfaction in removing the decay-scented blooms from Torchline's shores. And the target practice was not without merit... or personal satisfaction when his blasts of starlit water struck true.
Andromeda's voice was a pleasant diversion from the floral extermination attempt, however. He'd been at the task for some time, and it was with quiet relief that he turned towards his favorite noblemer and inclined his head in greeting. "Andromeda." Her wrinkled nose was more than enough indication of what she meant and a faint crease appeared between the King's brows as he followed her gaze. "Mm. Recent. This is the first season I have seen them. But there are reports of strange flowers from around Caido." The crease deepened. "Along with strange weather in other regions. And Safrin's absence. It is... concerning." He looked back to the lovely betta with a tilt to his head. "Have you come across anything strange?"
Andromeda crossed her arms across her bare chest and let her eyes flick towards where the strange flower had been. Her tail spread around her as she waved it back and forth gently but with strong movements to keep her head above the water. She lifted a brow and turned back to Hadama, forehead wrinkling to mirror his concern.
”Other than Kaiden? No.” Andy scoffed, rolling her eyes at the mention of the mershark’s name. ”You know, they almost got me killed over stealing some stupid dried meat from a landwalker.” She scoffed again, her eyes widening with the dramatics of the situation.
His lips didn't quite twitch, but some of the shadows seemed to lift from his eyes, at least momentarily, at her clear opinion of Kaiden. He had not missed the friction between his two subjects, though he had found that each had their good points. But he was not so blind as to deny that they each had... unique quirks to their personalities as well. And it just so happened that those quirks were not particularly compatible.
"Indeed? I am glad you survived," he said, managing to keep his expression solemn and his tone mild through a great exertion of willpower. "I have not seen them since the day after LongNight." He rather missed the prickly mershark, though he would not admit it to Andromeda.
Instead he tilted his head at her thoughtfully, eyes flicking briefly to the destroyed flower and then back to her again. "What happened?"
"Well, I was just swimming and minding my own business. I ran into them and then a landwalker started throwing things towards us in the water. Some archaic weapon." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I finally asked them why that was happening and they told me the stole food. Can you believe that? Stole food when the merfolk are not suffering! There is plenty enough food for all of us in the palace and the city." The noble scoffed and tossed her crimson hair, her face showing all of the shock and rage and disbelief she felt at what had transpired between her and the mershark.
"I mean, honestly, I'm still so frustrated at them I could -- I could just -- UGH" Andy growled, and then thrust a burst of air towards her king, a true sign of her distraught towards the situation and no indication of her thoughts on the king. However he would take it, she truly didn't know.
The King's brow creased upon hearing that a human had attacked merfolk, and with a weapon no less. The crease deepened upon hearing just why the air-breather had been so incensed, and Hadama gave a sharp nod of agreement to Andromeda's points. None of his people should have needed to steal, which meant that Kaiden was choosing to do so. And in so doing, had endangered a member of the Tidebreaker's court.
Of course, there were two other sides of the story yet to hear, but now he knew that they were worth looking into.
And while he didn't begrudge Andromeda her pique, that didn't mean he wanted to be on the receiving end of the tantrum. Nor was he expecting the impulsive blast of magic that she suddenly unleashed. His reaction was too slow to dodge the blast of air completely, and the mermanta grunted as it impacted his shoulder with bruising force.
It was the king's turn to react without thinking as he reached out with his water magic to try and freeze the ocean around the merbetta to keep her in place while he considered the situation.
"I'm sorry!" Andromeda gasped as her air magic blasted towards Hadama. Her mouth fell open in the shock of her own aggravated assault against the merking, but she didn't have much time for further apologies. The water froze and crackled around her and panic suddenly filled her from the top of her head to the tip of her flowing tail. A mangled sound that was half wail and half growl left her mouth as she squirmed, green eyes flashing and teeth gnashing as she sent another blast of air towards the king.
While she hadn't intended to start a fight with Hadama, she found herself in one. Her mind reeled and blood pounded in her ears. Was this some form of punishment for the way she had lashed out against Kaiden? They were the ones who had done wrong, in truth, and now Andromeda felt she was suffering for it twice.
"Andromeda, what--" Hadama began, easing the grip of his ice magic as soon as he realized that he was hurting his fellow Mer. Her growled wail was almost like a spell itself, one that melted the icy prison around her as the King pulled back his power.
His distraction was such that he barely had time to react as a second blast was launched towards him, but the mermanta was not one to be struck by the same trick twice. He pulled the water around him to the front of his body in an angled shield that froze just in time to deflect the airy attack. The ice was clear enough for the mermanta to watch the noblewoman who had become his opponent warily through it, and he held his defense intact this time as he considered her. "Are you hurt?" he rumbled cautiously.
The betta struggled in the ice and water mixture enough for some of the sharper points to cut in to her tail. She winced and flinched, sending another surging blast of air towards Hadama before he melted it all around her.
”I’m not not hurt.” She said, the uncontrollable and overwhelming emotions bubbling up within her and spilling over like the Moutain’s Roar. At a point past rationality, the noble’s eyes burned as the panic ebbed away with the melting ice. Green fire burned holes in the king and she grit her teeth together. She had started this, even if on accident, but the embarrassment, rage, fear, and disrespect made a destructive force that hammered against her rib cage and her heart and strangled every bit of calm thought — and she sent another blast of air towards the king.
Ah. Well. He, too, tended to overreact when in pain, especially unexpected pain, as his recent icy retaliation amply demonstrated. Hadama could understand why Andromeda, a pampered noble, might continue to lash out because of it, and he switched to a defensive focus while he tried to calm them both down.
Admirable, perhaps, but futile under the current circumstances.
"I can heal--" he started to offer, quietly contrite at his subject's words. He began to let down his shield, but before he had finished speaking another offensive air blast lashed towards him, catching him off guard and shattering the weakened ice. Several slivers were knocked backwards and cut red lines across his shoulders and one cheek. He flinched and narrowed his eyes, ducking beneath the water.
He swam swiftly towards her beneath the waves, attempting to pull her beneath the water and away from the air she used as her weapon. Enough.
Hadama was wise to go beneath the water, as Andy’s magic began to spiral around her in a nearly out of control tornado. Her face twisted into a growling grimace as white-hot tears started to sting her eyes. She could not handle the well of emotions in her, and the pain she felt from being cut by the ice only amplified it all.
So much smaller and, admittedly, weaker than her king, Andromeda slipped beneath the water at his first strong tug. She writhed out of his grip, though, the burning storm of emotions still bright and clear in her tempest green eyes. They did this. She declared over the bond, bringing the entirely blame and responsibility back on the mer shark that started her tantrum.
Hadama initially resisted Andromeda's attempts to escape his hold. His hands were firm and strong but he was clearly worried about hurting her further, and though he tried his best to keep her grappled without exerting his full strength, it wasn't possible when the mermaid was twisting and writhing so desperately. In the end his grip failed and she swam free and he braced for another attack--
But the only thing that lashed him were words, and the King slowly relaxed as he met her tearful, angry gaze with his own stoic one.
Whether he agreed or disagreed with her was not currently at issue, and he simply tilted his head in acknowledgment of her distress - and its cause. We are both injured, he said instead, a simple statement that cast no blame. His own wounds were minor enough, but blood in the water near Metacarpal Island was never a good idea. Will you accept Healing? He had Ray's wand still, a memorial of his friend that he carried everywhere. He withdrew it from the harness his wore to carry his weapons and tools and offered it's tip towards the betta.
Whatever emotional wounds she carried he could not fix, but the wand at least stopped the bleeding of the minor cuts so there would be no new scars from the day. Then the Tidebreaker was left with a new problem on his already overfull plate to consider.
Kaiden.
~Fin~
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