Chapter Text
The air around her home island is so frigid, Dapple is forced to swim up the river.
Not that that's very effective.
In the deepest places, it's still mostly water, but there are many places where the current is lanced through with deadly ice shards, and she has to climb out, navigate through the chilled air, and then find a way back into the water to get to the village.
When spring comes again the salmon will hatch in the sheltered headwaters, freshwater crabs and other native species will dig their way out of the muck, and the reefs around the island will bloom with young fish. The mers will set up nets to catch bigger fish, the nymphs will tend their gardens, and the whole place will come to life with birdsong.
For now, it's ice and waist high snow.
But, to Dapple's surprise, she can see smoke rising from her chimney.
Just as she's reaching for the handle, the front door opens.
Dapple smiles. "Mamma."
Kalli smiles at her eldest, wrapping her daughter in a blanket that's clearly been warmed by the fire and a hug. "Let's get you fed, love."
Dapple comes inside to the smell of baked bread and the sound of two sisters chattering. Maybe it's not a the full welcome of an entire family she'd hoped for, but it's far more than she expected.
*
"Hey, Quartz...they're looking for some to do an opening bout."
Quartz hardly blinks. Of course they are. Always. "You know who's watching?"
The battered nymph shrugs. "Them from the witch's court."
One of the other scrappers, staring through the gate into the fighting cage whistles. "Hoy, it's the witch's brother...he's got someone with him..."
Quartz has enough self control not to take a sharp breath, but he goes to look.
Even with the distance, the empress and her brother are so large they're clearly recognizable.
The mermaid in Stunner's wake, though...
Quartz can make out very few details, but they quicken in his blood.
A nocturnal.
From the way you're moving, you're clearly wearing spelled cuffs. Scrappers learn very quickly to recognize that movement; like a mer is being dragged along by the wrists while their tail tries to keep them upright.
There's nothing else he can make out from this distance.
Quartz hesitates.
He could ignore that nymph.
If he decides she was mistaken, or lying, he can retreat back into the depths of the stadium and pretend his sister is...well, not here. Not bound in this damned city. You could be someone else, some unfortunate nocturnal from some other island.
But...he has to know.
"Yeah...I could use the exercise," says Quartz, hoping dreadfully that he sounds numb.
He wants desperately for today to end with him feeling numb again. For you to be some stranger.
*
There's no seat for you in the royal box, so you're dragged into Stunner's lap.
Frustrated, you flex your shoulders to ease the remnants of strain. You also subtly shift your tail, pushing his hand ever so slightly so it's not resting on your stomach.
Just enough for him not to notice.
Unfortunate, though, that you're still sat between both his claspers.
You ignore the hooting and hollaring of the soldiers in the crowd, you ignore sly looks and crass comments from Tigress's mates.
You can't ignore the entrance of the Empress herself.
She doesn't glance in your direction at all, and you're grateful for that.
Because...well, her attention feels like death.
A small nymph announces that the opening entertainment is ready. Two fighters emerge into the cage. You're not interested at all, looking for some way to get out of here and back to your cell, somewhere you can be alone, but...
You catch a flash of a sandy tail, like the ocean floor, and your eyes follow the familiar sight up the length of a newly skinny body to a face you know well.
You meet familiar black eyes set in a face that most people never notice is much like yours.
Of course they never notice.
He's not a nocturnal; he doesn't have the gigantic night eyes you do.
You suck water, but bite your tongue.
He's alive...
He's alive.
*
Quartz can feel his stomach drop and soar at the same time.
It's you.
You're alive!
You're caught...
You're healthy!
You're in the arms of that gigantic merman.
Sickening, really.
He meets your gigantic eyes and wants so to give you some encouragement, to go to you and tell you everything will be alright, to smile...
He doesn't know if he still remembers how to smile.
And he feels every hope close in on him.
The spelled iron that makes up the cage around him, the only way out back through a gate. Through that gate, he can go into the scrapper's prison or...well, there's no way for him to use the other gate, which could theoretically let him out, back into the normal world.
He can see Tigress Blue's court surrounding you.
He can see the crowd of rowdy fools eager for a show.
He can feel how achy his movements have become in the months with little food.
He can already feel the impending bruises and lacerations that will take too long to heal.
He can feel the straining scab from a cookie cutter on the back of his tail.
"Ready, Quartz?" asks his opponent in a dead voice.
Quartz sucks water. "...Yeah...let's get this over with."