[Closed] @eidxiety🧜‍♀️🔬

[winterbolt]

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[dyn4m0]

[Yeah but he doesn't know it, therefore: Bluhen.]

Add.

[He repeats a couple times to help Ain along, before he reaches out to give him a voluntary headpat, for once. He figures he's earned it.]

Good boy. I have some more notes to write and then I have to go. But you'll do a lot of interesting things for me to study tomorrow, won't you?

[He will not, he'll be flat and sad.]

[eidxiety]

Aaddh.

[Getting there! He'll keep practicing for now, he thinks. But then Add says "good boy" again and there it is, there's the second half of the word (it's two words) that he forgot earlier. Ain blows some bubbles on the surface of the water as he nuzzles into Add's hand.]

Guude boyhh.

[He's a good boy!! Look how good he is! Nuzzle nuzzle nuzzle.]

[dyn4m0]

[This Siren is learning fast. Though part of him does wonder if he actually understands the meaning of the words, or if he's just parroting the sound...hm. This will require more research, definitely.

He'll give Ain a few more pets before he gets up and puts the grate back, returning to his desk so he can finish up his work for the day and clock out, same as yesterday. It's Thursday, so he comes in tomorrow and then it's the weekend...

Now, Ain won't be alone because there is someone at the facility every day of the week. It just won't be Add that checks on him Saturday and Sunday, but a different employee. They'll come in, feed him, give him enrichment, and then leave for the day. No Add though...]

[eidxiety]

[When Add comes in on Monday, he's going to get a notice that the Siren in his care is suddenly either sick or highly depressed, and that they really can't tell which one.

See, Ain is used to Add. That's his human who comes by and gives him things and teaches him words every day. When Add is gone, Ain rapidly becomes depressed and buries himself in the sand and won't get back up. He's lethargic when the other scientists come in to feed him. He doesn't want to play, he sort of just blows bubbles at them and swims back into his cave after eating. Some of the scientists try talking to him, and all he says is "Addhh" over and over again, very sadly, like he's asking where he is.

Ain, of course, doesn't understand when they say that Add is "home for the weekend".

He also points at the fish and says puh-leese multiple times and they think he's saying police, so yeah that's also something Add is gonna have a report to read in the morning. The notes really are:
- Seems depressed, continues to ask for Add
- Seems lethargic, but unsure if sick or depressed
- Says "police" often

Of course, the moment Add comes back in on Monday, Ain is back to being cheerful — perhaps almost too cheerful, considering how he spent his weekend facedown in the sand — racing from one end of the tank to the other as he follows Add around the office. ...You know, as much as he can, anyway.

He chirps out "Addhh, Addhh!!" every so often, then sings the notes of various cellphones he heard over the weekend, and the classical music Add played for him the prior week.]

[dyn4m0]

[You know, Add wasn't expecting to come in on Monday to Ain having created Problems for him...he's not in trouble exactly, but his superiors do have questions for him. Like, what did you teach this Siren, it's barely been a week??

So he has a meeting first thing when he walks in about that, trying to explain to them he just taught Ain a few words (kindof, badly), and he'd been studying his behaviors over the week. He didn't think that a couple days was anywhere near enough time for Ain to become that despondent when he left...there's nothing special about him, it's not like he'd been acting this way about the absence of scientists who fed the pod, right? Maybe it was different because he was isolated now...Sirens are highly social creatures after all, and having that routine disrupted probably upset him.

The excited chirping causes Add to sigh as Ain follows him around his tan, eventually prompting him to make his way over with his clipboard and tap the glass lightly with his pen.]

You caused trouble for me this weekend, you know. I wasn't leaving forever, but I guess you can't understand that. I'm not sure if there's a way to make you understand. It's not like I can live here.

[He shakes his head, and after that he'll go to quickly check the footage before he gets Ain's breakfast- some steaks today- and yep he sure is acting sickly and despondent...no wonder they thought he fell suddenly ill.]

[eidxiety]

[Add really should go back and review the last week of footage, because Ain gets flat and sad every time he's left alone. He might get used to it eventually, but social creatures struggle in isolation, and Ain hasn't been alone in his life until he was taken here and plopped into this tank. He's struggling severely, so it makes sense that he's therefore hard-attached himself to the one person who makes him feel less alone.

Add has his work cut out for him, truly.

Ain's just happy to see Add again! He thought he left forever or died! And so he sits in the dome and sings more songs for Add to hear, many happy little songs because he's sooooo! happy!! that Add is back from wherever he went.

(He does not understand that the humans don't live at this human den.)]

[dyn4m0]

[Mm. That's going to be a bit...problematic. Add is not in this to form a close bond with the Siren (lol lmao), he's here for the research. Ain is his subject to study, nothing more, and once he's done he'll go back to live with the Pod and that will be that. He'll probably get assigned to some field work with Sirens in wild populations once he's gotten a better understanding after this.

For now though, he's here...and at the very least, Ain isn't actually sick, which is a relief. Add carries the food tray up to the grate same as always and uses some tongs to fish out the raw meat, holding it out for Ain.]

What do you say?

[eidxiety]

[Ain sniffs the air. Hmm... Those don't smell like pleases... Is it that red, fatty meat? He likes that meat. He's had so many different meats since he came here!!]

Aaaddh!!! Aaddh!

[Hi Add!]

Guuude bohyh!

[Pats his head with his own tentacle. He's very cute give him the meat.]

[dyn4m0]

[It hasn't clicked yet...Add frowns, raising a brow.]

No no. Please.

[He wiggles the meat a little.]

Please, Add, can I have the meat? I'm a good boy.

[eidxiety]

[Squints. Those aren't pleases though! That's a different meat! He gathers water in his mouth and squirts it playfully at Add like a weak water fountain, not hitting him luckily. He looks frustrated almost, not understanding what Add wants. He's saying please, but he's not holding a please.

Ain raises a hand out of the water and points, shaking his head.]

Nnouu. Noou puh-leese.

[That's not a please!!! You said it right the first time, Add! No no please!!!

And then he opens his mouth, points at the food one more time, and points into his jaws. He still wants the food, but you're calling it the wrong thing!]

[dyn4m0]

...Huh? What, are you just deciding to be rude now?

[No-

Add frowns, watching as Ain points at the meat, confused, and points at his own mouth.

...It hits him just a moment later, and he feels. VERY stupid.]

Tch...no, fishbrain. It's not called "Please"....fuck.

[Aw man he done FUCKED UP his research. Now Ain thinks fish are "Please". Then again, it's Add's fault for expecting him to understand a complicated concept for a word as opposed to "this is what the thing is called".

He holds the steak out for Ain to take.]

"Steak".

[eidxiety]

[Yeah Add's gonna have to undo that one. Sorry, buddy.

Ain at least brightens up when Add tells him what it's actually called.]

Sut... [He hates! Consonants! Why are they so gross in his mouth!] Sut...ake. Ssutaake.

[He knows that's wrong. He knows he's bad at human speak. The humans will never love him now because he can't fucking talk.

Ain's earfins droop.]

Ssuhtake...

[dyn4m0]

[IT'S FINE HE'LL FIX IT...it's all part of the learning process, or something.

Ain seems to be struggling though. Steak is a difficult word for his tongue, so Add doesn't exactly blame him. Even if it's not 100% correct, he holds the steak close for Ain to take anyway.]

Not half bad.

[eidxiety]

[Lunges out of the water like a sea lion and snatches the steak—]

Ssutake!!!

[He understands! This is steak :) he just cannot say it for the life of him. Humanspeak is so difficult. It's really not fair.

He eats his steak by tearing into it like a feral dog, tossing his head side to side as he rips into it, blood in the water as he swims to the top of the tank again for more.]

Sustake!

[dyn4m0]

Hah. You're pretty fierce, aren't you?

[Ugh, he really wants to test his hunting instinct again. Maybe in a few weeks...for now, he'll throw one of the steaks up high to see if Ain jumps for it.]

You look all sweet and innocent, but you could rip somebody's throat out with those teeth.

[eidxiety]

[If Ain has room to fully jump and do a flip about it, then by God he is jumping and doing a flip about it. He will catch that steak in his teeth and flop back into the water and tear it to shreds.

Red meat always makes him fucking act up. He needs to rip and tear and be a nasty little predator creature—

He swims back over to Add with chunks clinging to his teeth. More steaks for your vicious killer?]

[dyn4m0]

[Yeah most normal people would be like "haha okay good boy that's enough for today" and dump the rest of the meat in and leave, but Add...is not normal.

He laughs, grinning widely as he throws another steak. There's just enough room for Ain to jump out, but not quite flip. Someday though...he will be able to do a flip about it.]

Kekeke. I wonder if you've killed a human before...there's no possible way we could know.

[eidxiety]

[Ain is a good boy he's never killed a human!! He thinks! But if any sailors drowned and died well that's meat and that's sustenance and that's for him.

He'll catch all steaks and eat them like a feral creature instead of a sentient being. He loves steaks. The fatty red meats are soooo good and he doesn't know what animal they're from, but they ain't from no fish! He can only get them here.

Here is good because meats.

After finishing all the steaks, he looks at Add with his big eyes, then pops out of the water and points to him.]

Aaddh!!

[dyn4m0]

Yeah, that's me.

[Add sets the bucket aside, and instead of going straight back to work, he decides to sit there by the edge for a moment, resting an elbow on his knee again with his chin propped up against the heel of his hand.]

One of these days, I'll be communicating with you. The other scientists won't know what to think. They'll probably nominate me for some kind of nobel prize. Huhuhu...

[eidxiety]

Hoo-hoo-hoo...

[He's mimicking you, Add. Watch out.

He swims closer, adhering himself to the wall with his tentacles while he puts his chin up on the landing. He's not touching Add, but he's looking at him. Watching. Perceiving.]

Aaaa.

[That's it, just aaaa. He wants to talk to Add more, but he doesn't know how, so he simply makes sounds about it. Maybe he's practicing. Maybe he's just aaaaa.]

[dyn4m0]

Haha...you still trying to talk?

[Add watches as Ain plops himself nearby, careful to let him stay where he is without touching too much. There's a sort of unspoken but also kindof spoken rule that they shouldn't get too close and comfortable with the Sirens. They are, after all, to be released back into the wild someday...and they can't do that if they all become attached. Ain...may already be a lost cause actually, but that isn't priority right now. Research and rehabilitation is, and maybe that means he just has to become an ambassador for his species. Who even knows.

Anyway, hm. Maybe he can teach him more words? He thinks for a moment, then spots a rock sitting on the platform next to him that got accidentally dragged to the surface. He picks it up and holds it out in his palm.]

"Rock".

[eidxiety]

[Why is humanspeak so full of words with too many hard sounds! What the fuck! Ain stares at the rock in dismay, wishing he could communicate how frustrating this language is to Add properly. Soft sounds! Soft clicks! Thank you!!!]

Rrrraw... khhhhch. Rrrrawch.

["Ch" is much easier than that hard K sound, apparently. That's why sustake happened. And his Rs he has the tendency to growl out, almost threateningly, but he hopes Add isn't scared of him anyway.]

Rrawwkuh.

[dyn4m0]

[Honestly Add thinks it's cool when Ain growls like a wild animal, so rip. There might be something wrong with him.]

That's it. Rrrrock.

[His own growling sounds...like a human person growling, so dumb. But he mimics it anyway.

Is there something nearby that's a less harsh word he can teach? Uhh.

Add looks around for a moment...then realizes he HAS something. He pulls it out of his pocket and holds it up.]

"Pen".

[eidxiety]

[!!! THE ART STICK]

Pennh!! Pennh!! [This word is EASY this is a word for little BABIES. Ain fluffs up all his fins and wiggles in a way that suggests he really wants it, like he does whenever he Really Wants Something.] Pennh!!! Penhh pen penhhn pehnn penh pen!!!

[Some attempts at the word comes out a bit breathy, but it's the clearest he's been other than "no" and "please (police)" so.]

[dyn4m0]

You like this, don't you?

[Ain likes things that he can draw with, he's noticed. Letting Ain draw on his bare skin with an ink pen isn't incredibly safe, so he won't be able to give it to him, but he wonders if there's something they can do...

Hmm. He has an idea, actually. He needs to leave for a bit for it though, prompting him to stand up and carefully replace the grate over the top of the tank.]

I need to check on something. Be a good boy for me until I get back.

[He knows Ain isn't going to understand why he's leaving suddenly, but it's for good reason. He just has to be patient for a half hour or so while he pulls a few strings. "It's for science", he'll say.]