[Closed] @eidxiety🧜‍♀️🔬

[winterbolt]

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[eidxiety]

[Ain immediately swims into the dome because he's never seen a bubble maintain its shape for this long! :OOOOO says his expression as he patpats against the glass, then realises that it's glass and looks baffled by this fact because how did the humans do this? What magic is this?

And then he licks it. He licks the glass. It tastes like glass.

He does not understand, but that's okay. Not everything is meant to be understood. And there's a human there, one he thinks he's seen before, and Ain waves to the human while he speaks in humanspeak that can't be heard through the glass. Ain clicks back at him to say hello before swimming deeper into the tank to investigate. He has a cave, and that's good, but where are things to play with? Digging yields shells, but there are no bones buried under the sediment from meals that the pod would have and hide the bones for to make jewellery or to play with. There are no pearls, and the stones are all very standard, and there are no corals or kelps.

Oh, but this human might give him something! Ain swims back to the front of the tank and taps on the glass and then makes vague writing motions.

Pen. He wants your pen.]

[dyn4m0]

[Add is still writing notes as Ain explores his new enclosure, completely aware that he lacks a lot of the usual enrichment items he's probably used to. What he isn't expecting is for Ain to mime at him what he wants- something other Sirens have been observed doing in the past- and immediately just that much alone delights Add to see.]

Oh hoooh. You're a clever one, aren't you?

[Well. Clever, yes, but Add will learn eventually how dumb he can be at the same time. You win some you lose some...for now, he's furiously writing down notes, shaking his head a little as Ain indicated he wants his pen.]

Sorry, but you can't have this. [Not just for the fact he's using it. You'd try to eat it, break the pen, get ink in your mouth and the tank...bad for Sirens.] But I do have some things you can have, if you're good for your exam.

[And since he knows Ain can't understand (or hear) him, he'll tuck his clipboard under his arm momentarily as he walks over to his desk, using his boot to pull a box out from under it. With one hand, he rummages around until he pulls out two objects that he brings over to the tank, holding them up for Ain to see. One is a rubber kong toy, while the other is a cluster of colorful plastic weighted rings.]

Which one do you like?

[eidxiety]

[Ain drifts in front of the glass, looking at Add curiously. Are those for him? The current carries him slightly upwards, and he adheres himself to the glass with his four tentacles to keep himself from floating off while he perceives.

To be clear, he adheres himself upside-down so he's looking at Add upside-down now. What was this about smart?

He knows that when humans hold up two items like this, they mean that he has to choose one. He's fallen for this trick before, and he won't fall for it again. To that end, he meets Add's eyes, looks at the toys being offered, and slaps both hands against the glass right where Add's are held up.

He will have both. Thank you :) ]

[dyn4m0]

Oh? Both?

[Smart...well. Smarter than the way he's currently clinging to the glass. Why are you doing that...the blood's going to rush to your head, dummy.

Before he gets underway with his exam, he's curious. He wants to see how far Ain will push this...so he shakes his head no, then holds up one finger.]

You can only pick one. Which one?

[eidxiety]

[Ain flips himself rightside-up and continues to stare at Add. "One", huh... he looks at his hands, the webbing between them making it more difficult — but not impossible — to perfectly flex each digit independently like humans can. He wiggles them once, then looks back at Add, who's telling him "no" right now. Ain doesn't know the human word for "yes", and crosses his arms briefly, looking indignant while he floats there.

He sticks his tongue out at Add and goes "bleh!" and then holds up two fingers as best he can due to the webbing. It's flexible, but his ring and pinky finger sort of hover at an awkward bend due to being attached as they are.]

[dyn4m0]

Stubborn.

[Alright, so he wants both...and he's not taking no for an answer. Here Add thought Ain would be obedient out of nerves, maybe because he doesn't know him well or what to expect out of him...very interesting.

He pauses a moment to write some more notes before he looks to Ain again.]

Let's try one more thing.

[He moves to a shelving unit against the wall, pulling a drawer open until he finds some of the high value treats he's stored in here. It takes him a moment, but he figures the experiment will be worth it.

When he returns, he holds the toys up again, this time with the Kong stuffed with peanut butter. Again, he holds up one finger.]

Which one?

[eidxiety]

[He's not scared of humans until they a) yell b) put him next to a machine with too many lights c) stab him d) are loud for other reasons e) construction sounds or g) printer noise. Basically Ain does not like certain sounds because he doesn't know what they are or what animal they come from, and he fears this animal (the printer).

This time, Ain backs away from the tank and looks at Add, considering strongly. But he still wants both, but now for different reasons. There's a food substance that looks like dirt in the chewy one, and he's familiar with both of these — since Ain has the tendency to cram things into his mouth, they gave him a lot of those kong toys (sometimes filled with the sweet dirt) so he wouldn't eat things he wasn't supposed to. But, he likes the colourful thing for playing with, and they don't look as fun to chew on, nor are they full of sweet dirt.

He points with a tentacle at the kong toy and makes an eating motion. He's seen humans come in with food in a small object and a stick with a round end early in the mornings, and though he doesn't have enough vocabulary to describe it, the food looked like a pale paste and the food-stick was used to eat it. Ain makes eating motions like he's eating yogurt at the kong toy, and then motions to the colourful rings, where he makes such gestures as tossing and catching to show Add that he wants that one to play with.

He is not choosing one. Give him both.]

[dyn4m0]

Mm. Not even peanut butter is enough to sway your opinion.

[He moves to put the toys on his desk for now, picking up his clipboard so he can write this down.]

Alright. I can be convinced to let you have both...but you have to be good for your exam.

[Hmm...how does he articulate this?

He goes over to the toys again, picks them up, and brings them over to what they call an examination tank, which is a shallow pool that Sirens are placed in to rest while they're being examined. If you're good and have your exam, he'll give you them both. But if you're bad- Add bares his teeth, then mimes biting his own finger- before shaking his head. Ain won't get either toy.]

[eidxiety]

[Excitement at communicating with the human turns into horror. Oh no... the Examination Tank™. But he hates the examination tank, that's where they do the "checkup" and that's a Bad Thing. Ain deflates immediately, fins flattening against his tail, tentacles drooping. He looks so sad, so betrayed, by the very thought of the checkup.

But he wants :( the toyes :(

Defeated, Ain sinks to the bottom of the tank and lays flat on his face. He is now experiencing Depression.]

[dyn4m0]

[And just like that, Ain's gone from stubborn to depressed...Add is of course writing this down too. He needs to document everything, and learn every tick and quirk about this Siren that he can.]

Huhuhu...are you going to be difficult for me, now? Just so you know, I won't tolerate any bad behavior.

[Ain of course can't hear or understand this, so it's more him speaking aloud than anything as he walks up the steps to the top of the tank, reaching for what literally looks like a big ol' net to just.

Gently Scoop Ain's lower half into it, lifting him up with a little difficulty so he can get him up onto the landing. Usually Sirens can just swim to the surface on command to be lifted, but sometimes if they're sick (or being flat), they need some help. From here, assuming Ain doesn't try to stop him, Add will scoop him bridal style into his arms and lug him over to the pool.]

[eidxiety]

[The scientist who invented the siren net: well i was at petco and they scooped the goldfish so like,

Anyway, yeah, Ain wants Toyes so bad (ones he doesn't have to share, mind you) that he simply continues to be flat as he's lifted. He offers no resistance, but doesn't exactly help either, simply letting the net prod him while the gills along his ribs do all the breathing for him. He is, y'know, face-in-sand currently throwing a fit.

It's easy to scoop him into a bridal carry, and he does nothing other than be a very dramatic dead weight in Add's arms until he's set down in the examination tank. He really wants the pen he can see in Add's pocket but hhhhh if he's bad he doesn't get the things to play with, and then he really will be flat on the bottom of the tank forever. He might even kick his tailfins about it.

He does sit up when placed down, trying to spin around to see what Add's doing. As much as he hates this part of his stay at the human den, he can't help but be curious. What doing?]

[dyn4m0]

[The tank itself is different compared to the tanks that actually hold Sirens. They're very shallow, just full of a few inches of water at most, and sloped inwards like a bath tub. The walls are grippy, made of silicone or something similar, so there's less chance of falling out if the Siren panics and tries to escape. The water will keep him hydrated, and hopefully the shape is comfy...his tail will be hanging over the edge a bit, but that's necessary for Add to actually give him said exam.

As he walks back to his desk, he grabs a rolling cart with a couple little drawers and some tools on a tray, sitting down in his office chair to roll over along with it. He'll grab a pair of latex gloves from a box on top of the tray so he can put them on both hands.]

You aren't getting any shots today, if that's what you're worried about. I'm just giving you a general physical...and I want to examine you a little more closely outside of the water. You just have to be still for me, okay?

[Hm. Actually...

Add leans over and picks up the Kong, holding it out for Ain to take.]

You can eat this while I work.

[eidxiety]

[ :O

Ain starts happy-chirping, half-chirps and half a song if Add is listening carefully enough to be able to tell, and takes the kong toy in his noodles to hold it while he painstakingly uses his too-long tongue to lick the peanut butter out exactly like a dog. You see, dogs and Sirens are actually the same animal—

Lick lick lick lick lick]

[dyn4m0]

[Good. That should distract him, at least for a while.

While Ain is busy licking the peanut butter, Add puts his clipboard nearby so he can take notes as he works. He'll start very basic to ease Ain into it, since he knows Ain still isn't familiar with him really at all. Meaning, he'll just check him over for injuries and abnormalities, same as they do with every Siren to make sure they're doing well. No damaged scales, no torn fins...with his hands gloved, he'll reach in and feel where the scales meet his skin, at his elbows, then around his neck and shoulders. He feels around his gills to make sure they're functioning as intended, then reaches down to let his fins pass over his palms and through his fingers. They're incredibly delicate, so he's careful, but everything seems to be in working order.]

You're very...dainty, for a male.

[eidxiety]

[Ain does not know words :)

He looks over at Add with his tongue deep in this toy, peanut butter on the corners of his lips. What is he saying? He needs to learn more humanspeak. He knows this part of the process is all about making sure he doesn't have injuries, or so it seems, so he's fine with this amount of poking. He'll even move his fin-wings out of the way if he must so Add can make sure those are good and that they work properly.

Lick, lick... he stops and licks his lips clean in one fluid motion, fluttering his frilly fins. Look how pretty he is! He is so pretty and healthy :) you should give him all the things he wants about it—]

[dyn4m0]

[He will! So long as you keep being good...

He will give Ain a full once-over, and once he's determined he's healthy, he'll move on to grabbing some tools from the cart. First is a thermometer to take his temperature, one of those ones you can just point at someone's forehead since the Sirens always try to eat the thermometers when placed in their mouths. Good, normal temperature...he'll put that aside and grab a stethoscope, hanging it around his neck so he can place either end in his ears.]

Let's see how your heart and lungs sound.

[Here it comes Ain, the cold metal thingy. Be strong.]

[eidxiety]

[Nooooo he HATES the cold metal thingy! He doesn't even know what it's for, all they do is push it against his chest, but it feels bad against his skin and he doesn't like how cold it is and he hates the texture of the cord it's on. Ain immediately makes a face and looks at Add, though he doesn't pull away because he's so Things Motivated and doesn't want to lose the rainbow rings. Be strong Ain. Be strong for rainbow toy.

He does make a sad squeak noise about it, though, earfins folding over his eyes while he pouts. In a very poor attempt at humanspeak, he squeaks out:]

Nooo...

[But it comes out a little wrong, "nouuuuuhh" is closer to the sound he makes. His social anxiety... he did say it wrong. He's done it terribly, now the humans will NEVER talk to him EVER again.]

[dyn4m0]

[............oh. That was.

Really...really cute? Uh?? But also...kindof impressive? He's never heard a Siren attempt to speak like that, at least not that clearly. Ain probably thinks he did a terrible job, but for someone who doesn't know the language NOR do they know how to even speak the words? It's really not that bad.

Add frowns a little and moves the stethoscope across Ain's chest, counting his heartbeats and listening to the rush of his lungs as well as the sound of the water being pulled through his gills on occasion.]

It's not hurting you, you're fine. Just be still and bear it for a minute...

[He'll listen for a few moments more, listening here, then there...before he'll pull away, satisfied.]

Good. [Taking a moment to write some quick notes here...] Reflexes now.

[He takes out his pen and holds it up, pointing to the tip. Then, he moves it this way, that way, up, down, expecting Ain's eyes to follow.]

[eidxiety]

[Ain is so sad and wet (literal) for the duration of the cold disk. He dislikes disks now. Actually, he thinks he's always disliked disks, because the only disk he's interacted with has been cold and miserable against his bare chest.

Anyway, Add brings out the pen and starts moving it around, and Ain's eyes fucking lock on to that shit like he's actively hunting it, white pupils dilating and fins flared out. There's a low growl in the back of his throat, not a hostile one, but a "hunting" one, like a cat that's seen a bird out the window. He is watching. He is waiting. The bobbins on his tail are swaying even though the pen cannot be hypnotized, and his tentacles are rising up...

Add you genuinely picked a horrible thing to do this reflex test with.]

[dyn4m0]

[He...may have made a mistake. But at the same time, getting to observe this kind of behavior is too fascinating for him to ignore. Add's expression shifts suddenly, going from casual intrigue to something a little more excited.

He holds the pen up slightly higher, wiggling it above Ain's head.]

Ohh? You want this?

[He moves it slowly, this way and that...]

Are you going to get it?

[Add you're GOING to get bitten-]

[eidxiety]

[Dude did they not teach you in your fancy fucking school to not tempt the beast?? Did they not teach you when you were in training to not mess with a Siren's hunting instinct?? Thank god two of Ain's tentacles are currently full of kong toy or this could go way worse, but.

The more Add goads him with it, the more his instincts take over. He must have the pen. He wants the pen. The pen is touy... toye... for Ain...

...

Thank god the inside of the exam tank is sloped, or Ain might've really thrown himself out of it with how hard he lunges after the pen, yoinking it from Add's fingers with his hands and narrowly managing to avoid scratching the man as he does, like he's purposely being careful to avoid harming anything around him. Except the tub, which can get fucked (the tub is fine he's just in it). He very well could've launched himself fully out of the tub and tackled Add to the floor over this, bitten him, tried to take it with his mouth... but no. Hands.

He has the pen now and he is looking down at it and clicking clicking clicking it. This is a good noise. A not scary noise. Click click click click click click]

[dyn4m0]

[Okay but, consider...Add is fucking insane. As it turns out, he values science and discovery above all else, even his own wellbeing. If Ain had bitten him, he would have just accepted it as a consequence of his actions. It's worth it to learn more about how Siren's behave.

To that end, he does flinch back with how quickly Ain snatches the pen from his hands, allowing him to grab it because like what ELSE do you do when a Siren is coming at you like that? He's allowed to have the pen for now while he's being supervised and Add can make sure he doesn't put it in his mouth, it's fine.]

Kekeke. I wonder what you would have done if your full attention was on me, just then?

[Thankfully he has another pen in a cup on his desk, which he'll roll over to and grab so he can take some more notes. While Ain curiously clicks the pen, Add flips to another page of his notes. Hmm...]

Almost done for now. I need to check one last thing...

[Ain is unaware, obviously, but...he's not just Add's study project. He's intended to be a key player in the upcoming breeding project, and while all of the pod has been cleared as far as being viable goes, he wants to check him out for himself. Now, knowing Sirens are sentient, he's not just going to go grabbing at him without warning. It's why he rests a hand on Ain's stomach first, his fingers edging towards the underside of his tail.

Are you going to let him check your slit Ain, this is for purely scientific purposes-]

[eidxiety]

[Ain is happy and clicking his pen and clicking at the pen, he has the pen he's going to write on himself with it—

Add reaches a little too low and Ain suddenly clamps his fin-wings up around himself and hisses, this time a threat hiss and not a hunting hiss, before he reaches for Add with his drawn-on hand and pushes his hand back. This is probably expected; Ain has never tolerated this part of the exam before, and very rarely do Sirens ever, like most animals. Of course, he looks sad about it after the fact, like he's realised he's not getting any toys now that he's pushed Add back.]

Nnn...nnouuu.

[No :( ]

[dyn4m0]

[Ah. Hm. Add doesn't goad Ain this time, and he ends up jerking his hand away because he is legitimately sure Ain would bite him if he continued. Or worse, who knows. He does need to continue his examination, but...again, Sirens aren't wild animals. At least, not wild in a sense that they can't understand. They may not understand everything about humans, but they're fiercely intelligent. They're smart, they know things, they just haven't found a way to cross the barrier between species yet.

Add sighs, considering. He wonders if this might have to wait for some other time, assuming he can ever properly take a look. To test, he hovers his hand over Ain without touching him, looking at him questioningly with a slight tilt of his head. He decides, if he says no, he won't push it.]

...?

[eidxiety]

[Ain looks very unsure about this. His slit is usually showing when he's just swimming around, why can't you look then? Putting your fingers there is for mates!! Add is not mates!! But Ain doesn't know how to explain this, like how he wouldn't stick his fingers in the human slit (lmao) without being mated to one. Maybe it's different for humans. Maybe humans just stick their fingers wherever. He doesn't understand, but he does know that Add is a Shaman.

He can't speak properly anyway. He'd say all of that if he could. As it is, he draws himself more inward, curling up into as much of a ball as the small tank space allows him to, which isn't very much to be fair. His tentacles all draw in toward his body too, the kong toy and pen clung onto, as his eyes dart between the colourful rings he can see off to the side and Add like he's trying to make a choice. Does he suffer and get a reward, or not suffer and get nothing? There's a battle going on behind those eyes of his, but in any case, it seems like he's more scared than anything.

He tries, very hard, to communicate.]

Nn... nooouu... ch... che... eck-uhhph.

[No checkup :( ]