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Post by yooom on May 31, 2019 10:33:37 GMT -6
Evangelion followed a little behind her older sister. The two princesses had spent the better part of an hour preparing themselves for court. Evangelion was now dressed in a long, flowing green dress, that shone, slightly translucent, with an elegant golden necklace with the pentagonal crest of her family resting against her throat. Her purple hair had been gracefully braided, partially because it was the most formal look the young princess could come up with, partially because it was the most time consuming one. Still, however much they had dragged their fins, eventually they ended up outside the Throne Room, still not completely emotionally prepared for the fight that Gwen was in for.
As the vast metallic gates slowly swung open, Evangelion gazed down the length of the high, vaulted halls of the Throne Room of Kaimahina, seat of the Merqueen, her mother. The ornately carved pillars, the deep shimmering colors along the walls, the towering statues, they all radiated an arcane, ancient majesty to them. It all normally awed Evangelion, but, today, it all only unnerved the youngest member of the royal family. Rather than the wise faces of her ancestors, staring reassuringly down at her, the old carved faces seemed to glower at her insubordination. They weren’t going to be the only family members that would be frowning at her today, though, for, seated on the throne, with a truly fearsome scowl across his face, was Finn himself. At the sight of the throne itself, Eva felt a pang of sadness. Her mother, it seemed, would not be joining them for today’s proceedings. It was a real blow to the princesses, the queen’s wisdom and tenderness would have gone a long way towards tempering Finn’s rage. The oldest of her siblings tried to act like their mother and father, but Eva could always sense that her brother was uneasy with the position he had adopted since their mother had gotten ill. Though he sat atop the ancient throne, he didn’t seem completely comfortable in it. Or maybe his dour expression had more to do with last night’s events.
The two siblings made their way up the hall, and stopped, a few feet from the throne itself. Eva gave her glowering brother a nervous smile, as he dismissed his two guards. Well, at least he had the dignity to not chew Gwen out in front of an audience.
Evangelion stared at Finn. Even as he sat there, she could sense the rage simmering, just under the surface. He was upset that they’d kept him waiting, which, now thought Evangelion was actually here looking at him, might not have been the best idea. Certainly, Gwen looked much more composed, but Finn seemed to have gotten about that much more upset. She glared at him as he finally made eye contact with her, and stood a little straighter, bobbing slightly in the still water, not moving from Gwen’s side.
“Good!” she shot back. “Please, don’t say it again, it doesn’t matter how many times you shout it, I’m not leaving!” At the sound of her other brother stirring from somewhere above her, Evangelion whirled around, and spotted the dark finned Obs peeking out from below one of the ancient statues. “Obs!” She called out, angrily. “If you’re not here to help, you shouldn’t be here!” she hissed, angrily. “What were you going to do, just spy on us all day?” She gave him another glower, before turning back to Finn.
She paused for a moment, before softening her tone. “This matter is too important for the two of you to discuss it alone. We…” she paused, once more, her gaze going behind her oldest brother, to the walls just beyond the throne itself, where she knew the monarch’s quarters lay. “We should bring this to mother.” Mother was sick, of course Evangelion knew that, but, surely, if something this important needed to be discussed, she could still be called upon to help keep her son from flying too wildly off the handle.
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Post by Cydonia921 on Jun 2, 2019 10:39:59 GMT -6
Imposing. That was the only word that crossed Guinevere’s mind as she swam into the royal throne room. The shell-like architecture, which rose high up above them, did little to provide a sense of comfort to her uneasy mind. She had remembered several times when she would swim up there, only to be told to come down to the ground level by Finn. The way that the light shone through the little nooks and crannies she found to allow a cooler current to come in was mesmerizing.
Today, however, it was anything but. The mere thought of being up there right now had been downright horrifying, coupled with the hot water she had already gotten herself into for associating with a human for that brief moment. Even if they were underwater, her mouth felt like all the moisture was sucked out, like something was siphoning away all the salty water surrounding them. Even during her best attire, which had consisted of a crimson dress that flowed like the thin membrane of her tail, she felt naked in front of Finn and the two guards, whose eyes burned into her very soul.
Even when both Evangelion and Finnigan had called out Obs from his hiding spot, she didn’t dare make a sound. Seeing her younger brother duck himself out of the hiding spot, that admittedly she hadn’t been aware of, it made her disgusted to see him spying on them. In due time, perhaps he would make for a proper prince of the noble family. Take the position of spymaster. He always seemed to find himself in places where he shouldn’t, with knowledge that he keeps locked away in that peculiar head of his.
But now was not the time to ponder upon such trifle matters.
Stiffening herself, Guinevere had been about to speak until her sister mentioned their mother. For a moment, she was taken aback. Why involve her in this? Their mother hadn’t been in the best of health as of late, and surely this kind of argument, trial, or whatever this was going to devolve into, wasn’t the best to display in front of her. Glancing over at Evangelion just barely over her shoulder, she turned her attention to Finnigan, and swam forward, closer towards her brother.
“Brother, surely we can discuss this openly with, at the very least, Evangelion here. I don’t wish to disturb our mother, if we can help it.” She shot Obscuritas a grimace. “But as for him, I think it would be best for our dear beloved Obs to stay out of this. He has already caused enough of a ruckus as it is, and if he wishes to spy on us, then who is to say that he can be trusted?”
Sucking in a deep breath, Guinevere realized that perhaps she was getting too close, and quietly moved back. She didn’t want to make a scene. She couldn’t make a scene. That would be the end of her if she so much as stepped too much out of line. Now was not a time for emotions. Being level headed is the way to go.
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Post by Mini on Oct 23, 2019 19:16:54 GMT -6
((This Multi-Post brought to you by Cydonia, Yum, and Mini. All characters and their bits have been (more or less) written in part by their owners))
Before the Crown Prince even had a chance to react to the accusations and demands of his sisters, his younger brother shot across the throne room like an angry, ravenous shark. Obsidian glowered at Evangelion first.
“Who says I’m not here to help?! You don’t know what I’m thinking, so don’t assume to think that either one of you do. You certainly weren’t invited either, Evangelion, yet here you anyway. And you!” he roared, spinning around to glare at his older sister.
“I’m not deaf, you idiot! Who are you to call the squid ink black, huh? You think I’m spying on you for some sort of sinister, wicked reason? What, do you think I’m a spy for some distant kingdom, like Merkarvia or Tubaro?” he spat. “I’m not the one who broke at least a dozen rules--wait, I’m sorry, did I say rules? I think I meant laws! Yes! LAWS, big sis!” he growled.
“Laws…” Guinevere leered back at Obsidian as she said that, her nose tilted up as she did so. “Well then, humor me. What did you want to spy on me for? Is it to tell-” Biting her tongue, the older princess crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you should just turn around and get to sleep.”
“That’s right!” Evangelion said, whirling on Obs. “This has nothing to do with you!” She was here to support her older sister and, if she wanted Obs out, Obs had to go. It didn’t hurt that Eva generally never liked being in the same room as her weird older brother.
Obsidian’s nostrils and gills flared as his big sister rolled her eyes at her. “Are you kidding me right now? Rolling your eyes? Is that the kind of stuff they teach you in your princess classes? Super professional looking, Gwenny,” he snorted. “I got plenty of sleep last night, thank you very much. I wasn’t the one promenading around the entire kingdom being dragged home by my big brother way past curfew, was I?”
“Uh huh. Sure.” Guinevere had to reel herself back in, trying her best not to boil over. Her tail swished back and forth as she propelled herself forward, doing her best to bite her tongue and keep from lashing out at the whole lot of them. This was between her and Finnigan. No one else, no one should be involved.
Once she has closed towards the throne, her eyes leering at Finn, Guinevere brushed a hand through her hair. “Honestly, did Obs have to be here? Because that little brat has no right being in this room, right here. Right now.” She has raised her voice, making it apparent to her younger brother that she was increasingly displeased with how this morning was turning out.
For a moment, it looked as if Finn was about to say something, but whatever it was was cut short by Obsidian’s outburst. He swam straight down, flipped himself around, then sprang up directly between Guinevere and Finnigan. “Ohhh, tell me you did not just call me a ‘little brat’ to my face,” he hissed, a dark anger boiling up in his eyes. “Really, sister, I thought you outgrew just petty name-calling when you left the nursery! And y’know what? None of us would be here right now if you hadn’t snuck off to the surface last night,” he said, a knowing look gleaming in his eyes.
It was at this point that a great uproar came from all three of the royal mersiblings floating in front of the royal throne. Fingers were pointed, eyes were rolled, gills twitched, and tail-scales bristled in anger.
"You dare to speak to me in that tone of--" "Talk to me like that one more time and you can just--" "Maybe you should start acting your age for once in your life instead of acting like a--" "If you didn't heave seaweed stuffed in your ears then maybe you could--" "--look at me with that nasty little smirk on your face and--" "--of course I have every right to be here, so you can just--" "--and another thing--" "--not even listening to a thing that--" "--blah blah blah, do you even hear yourself right now? Because you sound exactly like a seal about to--" "Oh, swim down and stick your head in a--" "You kiss Mother with that filthy mouth?!" "--and what WOULD Mother say if she only--" "WHAT did you just say?!" "Just stop--" "Get your finger away from my eye!" "YOU get YOUR finger out of MY face before I--" "Would you please just--" "Ow! That hurt!" "Get your tail out of my personal bubble, you--" "Stop flailing around like that!" "Don't tell me what to--" "--maybe we should all just--" "--take a piece of extra-prickly coral and shove it up your--" "--and YOU can take a starfish and--"
During this whole nasty affair, the Crown Prince's fingernails had slowly but surely been digging deeper and deeper into the armrests of the royal throne. Patience, he told himself repeatedly. That was the one thing his Mother was constantly trying to pound into his stubborn head. A great ruler is always patient, calm, and understanding. He must not let his anger rule over him, his teachers told him time and time again. As the eldest and most mature, he knew that he should handle this will all of the grace, calm, and serenity of the past great rulers of Kaimahina.
Should was the key word in that last sentence.
With the agility of a shark that had just caught a scent of freshly spilled blood and the strength of a saltwater crocodile's jaws crushing its victim's skull, Finnaginn slammed his fist down against the sapphire seat. The throne had been magically enhanced for just such an occasion, and it amplified the sound a hundredfold. The ear-shattering rumble reverberated throughout the entire throne room and caused the coral chandelier to rock dangerously back and forth, raining bits of crust down onto Obsidian, Guinevere, and Evangelion.
"That. Is. ENOUGH."
Finn's voice roared loud enough that his voice was more than likely heard down the hallways and into the antechamber. His nostrils were flared, his jaw was clenched, and there was dangerous look in his dark eyes. His muscles rippled with the force of his restrained breathing, and an angry vein was pulsing very noticeably from the side of his forehead. At the sound of his older brother's voice alone, never mind the tone, Obsidian let out a small shriek and instantly dove behind Evangelion, barely daring to even peek around her shoulder. Unfortunately, Finn was only getting started.
"What in the name of Poseidon Himself is WRONG with you three?! Has it escaped your guppy-sized brains's attention that the three of you are acting like absolute barbaric, uncivilized sea urchins?! Guinevere, you are how old?! Second in line for the throne, and yet look at the disgraceful and, quite honestly, disgusting way you're talking to your younger siblings. This kind of behavior ought to be beneath you and should have been left behind in the nursery years ago. You are NOT just some young girl who can do whatever she wants whenever she wants - you're the Crown Princess, for Triton's sake!" he screamed, glaring darkly at Gwen.
"AND YOU, Obsidian!" he barked, turning his attention to his brother. "It's no wonder your sisters accuse you of spying and being in cahoots with who-even-knows because that's all you EVER do! This behavior has GOT to stop before you destroy anybody and everybody's trust in you! Sulking about, hiding in shadows, and spying might have been cute when you were younger and it could be written off as good-humoured boyish fun, but you're too old to be acting like everything is just some big game! And you, Evangelion--" Here, he turned his attention upon his youngest sister.
"You have GOT to stop following Guinevere around like a hatchling! And you need to start learning to respect your elders! Of the four of us, you are still the only one who is actually young enough to be acting like this and blame it on youthful reckless abandon, yet here you are, trying to fight battles that aren't you because you're in some damned stupid hurry to grow up and show off just how old and wise and mature you are. I didn't call you here, yet you show up anyway because-- because-- grrah, I don't know, because you think just because you're the youngest I'll go soft on your and let you stay. For the record, I have yet to say WHY I even summoned Guinevere here in the first place. The lot of you are jumping to your own conclusions, as is the rest of the kingdom."
Finn forced himself to take a deep breath. Before he said another word, he raised his left hand and pointed to the throne room door once again. "I'm going to say this one more time. Obsidian, Evangelion, get. Out. Otherwise I will have you both forcibly removed from this throne room and banished to your rooms for the rest of the day." He paused. His eyebrows lowered. A dark look stole into his eyes, which were as dark as a monster hurricane storming over the open ocean.
"Do I make myself clear??"
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Post by Cydonia921 on Nov 12, 2019 20:15:35 GMT -6
What else could she do?
Floating there in the throne room before Finn, his anger and voice causing even the gentle currents to completely cease, her heart was racing faster and faster inside of her breast. Brow furrowing more and more, there were extremely limited choices that were being presented before Finn slammed the door shut on every one of them.
She was not just someone who wanted to do what she pleased. That was something that completely countered what her dearest mother, may she get better, had taught her. To be a prim and proper princess, sometimes she had to think for herself instead of following her older brother around. Even if she was the second in line, if she simply bowed towards her brother and said, "There there, you're right," that would completely defeat the purpose of being the second in line.
Was it not her that wanted to make contact with humans in order to understand what exactly is happening? Why are their societies completely separated by an insurmountable wall, composed of her brother's iron curtain that he erected with sheer will? It made her head spin with how stubborn, stupid, ignorant he was. To remain in the status quo meant that, eventually, there will be a collision course one way or another. There was no way that that future would end well for either race.
No, he was wrong. Simple as that.
But was she brave enough to say all this to him?
Her fin, which was so soft and translucent, was now as still as stone. Guinevere sank to the floor, unsure of what to say or do. Finn had stunned her to her very core. Her anger, sorrow, confusion, and a myriad of emotions swirled around her, unsure of which one to come out first.
She would cry, but the sea would sweep it away.
"We mer have no need for tears."
Just like what father would have said.
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Post by yooom on Dec 30, 2019 20:16:13 GMT -6
The squabbles of the younger siblings were cut short from a booming bellow from the Crown Prince. Evangelion turned, practically jumping out of her scales in surprise, to find Finn still seated on the throne, his fingers white as they gripped the ancient seat of their ancestors as if he was about to tear it apart. It wasn’t exactly unprecedented, Finn’s temper was famous throughout the realm, but, gazing into his eyes blazing with fury, Eva couldn’t help but shiver at the sight of her raging older brother.
Fortunately for Eva, Finn’s fury was focused more on Gwen and Obs than the youngest princess. Still, her older brother’s words that were directed at her stung. She bit her lip, purple tail fluttering in a mixture of anger and hurt, gazing furiously up at Finn. A dozen retorts went shooting through her head as Finn railed against the three of them. She wasn’t just following her older sister around, she was trying to help her, to support against these very tirades that the both of them had known were bound to happen. She was the youngest, that much was true, but she was still a part of this family, and it upset the young mermaid to no end to be treated like a child, like she was too young to understand what was going on, to protect her sister from the elder mermaid’s wrath. Still, Evangelion knew better than to voice any of this. If Finn thought this was going soft on her, she did not want to find out how much worse he could get.
Gwen slumped in place, sinking towards the floor of the cavernous hall. Evangelion’s eyes went from her sister’s weeping form up to the throne itself, gazing into Finn’s eyes, trying to see if, in the wake of this reaction to his outburst, he would soften his tone. Slowly, determinedly, Eva drifted down to where Gwen rested towards the throne, and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “Be strong.” she murmured into the princess’ ear, in a hushed enough tone that Finn couldn’t have heard her. “We’ll talk about it after.” Rising up, to give another wordless look to Finn she turned, and, her hand balled up into fists, she floated back towards the entrance of the hall.
“Come on, Obs.” she called, a quiet urgency to her tone, trying to inform him through tone alone that she wasn’t about to fight him, but that the time had come for them both to exit the hall.
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Post by Mini on Feb 19, 2020 11:04:24 GMT -6
Sink us all sideways, Obsidian thought to himself as Finn's words slapped each and every one of them hard across the gills. He wanted to speak up and defend himself, defend his actions, but try as he might the words just weren't coming. He shouldn't have had to have hidden himself and spy on a family meeting - was he not just as much a part of this as the others were? He wasn't the youngest, but it sure felt like it sometimes. Everyone loved his sisters - both of them - and praised their good looks, their graces, their actions, their brains, their manners, their fashion sense, literally everything about them constantly. Finn was always being flocked over, being the oldest and first in line for the throne, for everything he did as well. Finn was so much like their father, everyone always said, and the girls were so much like their mother. Where did that leave him? The outcast. The black clownfish of the family.
He was just as smart as any of his siblings. He had thoughts and opinions on lots of things, especially when it came to the long-standing ban on human contact. But did anyone ever ask what his thoughts and opinions were? Did anyone even care? He could feel it all bubbling up inside of him now - the angst, the malaise, the indignation - but now was not the time to act on it. With an angry sigh, he simply frowned at his younger sister's words and flipped himself head over fin to wordlessly swim towards the exit to the throne room. He almost pushed the door open just enough to slam shut in Eva's face, but thought better of it at the last possible moment and reached out to push it back open for her. This wasn't Eva's fault, after all. No need to take it out on her.
Once out in the hallway, Obsidian glanced at the guards. They were doing their best to not make direct eye contact with either one of them and instead look as boredly at attention as they possibly could. Only a dolt would think that they hadn't heard most, if not all, of what had just gone down inside the throne room. He twisted himself around and crossed his arms, giving Eva a long, hard look. "Hey. You and me, we should go to the Royal Study."
Back inside of the Throne Room, Finn didn't move until his younger two siblings had made their exit. He waited for the last of the echoes of the heavy doors closing to fade before he finally sank back into the throne and heaved out a long, frustrated sounding sigh. He rubbed his temples with his left hand, suddenly looking much older than he actually was.
"Poseidon's beard, Gwen, I wish you and Eva hadn't swam in here like you owned the place. This wasn't meant to be a bloody war council. All I wanted was to talk to you - just you - out of everyone else's earshot. I knew Obs might try and sneak in here, but I never expected all three of you to..." His voice trailed off as he glanced up and seemed to notice, for the first time, how truly down and devastated his sister looked. He took a moment to replay everything he had tried his best to calmly explain - oh, who was he kidding. He had lost his temper. He hadn't meant to, but... well, it happened. They had all been angry and ready for a fight, and Finn had certainly delivered. No sense in acting like it didn't happen.
Finnaginn slipped down off of the throne and swam down to the section of floor Guinevere had sunk down to. He allowed himself to drift just a few inches away from her. Hesitantly, he reached out and gently tried to lift her chin. His own eyes were cloudy and distant, like the ocean churning in a hurricane. "... I overdid it again, didn't I?" he asked, his voice scarcely louder than a whisper.
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Post by Cydonia921 on Mar 15, 2020 7:29:41 GMT -6
Watching Obsidian and Evangelion being led out, Guinevere couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. It wasn’t her fault that they accompanied the both of them. For Obs, it was in his, admittedly peculiar, nature to hide and observe. Perhaps one day, if he could control his tendencies, he could make for a good spymaster for the kingdom. As for Evangelion, she never asked her to accompany her into this situation. This was between her and Finnaginn, the man who stopped her at every turn.
This had been building up for quite some time. This frustration of trying to figure out what exactly they were. After all, the stories that they were told as kids, about their countless atrocities, couldn’t all be true, right? But no, instead of allowing her to engage in her independent thinking, he was content with the status quo, and using any means necessary to keep that a reality. There were so many things they could learn from those who rode upon the wooden turtles up above. So many things to catch up on.
Chin lifted up, Guinevere grimaced. “Yes, you overdid it by a long shot,” she replied back, lowering her voice to an almost growl through her gritted teeth. Swatting his hand back, her temper had reached a boiling point. “Now then… What is it that you want to tell me?” As much as she hated to admit it, they both shared that same hot temper: the only difference was that her mother had tempered it so she knew how to deal with it instead of blowing up like a wild animal. She sucked in a sharp breath, and released it.
“About last night, right?” Arching her brow towards her older brother, Guinevere brushed a hand through her hair, allowing it to flow over her chest. She didn’t want this to devolve into a shouting match like before; perhaps he would listen, just this once?
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