[Closed] @eidxiety🧜‍♀️🔬

[winterbolt]

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[eidxiety]

[Ain turns his head toward the glass when he hears the banging, looking tired and grumpy and rubbing his red eyes. He stares at Add...

...

He stares at Add.

Oh! It's Add!

Suddenly he springs out of the sand and plaps his hands against it, trying to touch Add but there's obviously glass in the way. That's fine, because once he's stared long enough to confirm it's him, he starts zooming rapidly around the tank and chirping, trilling, and generally singing happy songs until he runs out of energy and has to lay back down.

He's immediately back to normal following this, bringing his rainbow rings to the forefront of the tank and jingling them for Add to see.

The scientists in the office just kind of sigh like yeah, tracks...]

[dyn4m0]

[A sort of collective- if a bit exasperated- sigh of relief is breathed when Ain literally pops back to life when he realizes Add has returned. It's unlikely he'll be on a break this long again for a while so it...should be fine? But this has concerning implications for Ain's ability to be released back into the wild, much less returned back to his pod after Add's study concludes. For now, he sighs heavily and ushers everybody else out so he can do damage control, shrugging off his coat and hanging it up over the back of his chair. From there, he'll look back to the tank glass as Ain looks out at him, his brows furrowed with concern and annoyance.]

What did I say about not causing problems for me, hah? You're lucky my boss wasn't breaking my door down, you little shit.

[Hang on, he's coming to the top of the tank to check on you because you look BAD.]

[eidxiety]

[He's all pale and colourless, but he'll have his greens back in a few days, provided Add doesn't leave or explode outside of scheduled hours again. He's like a cat with separation anxiety.

Add goes up, and Ain swims to greet him, chirping, but then suddenly wheels around and darts into his cave. A short second later he swims out, then holds a tentacle up.

He has pearls :) from his clams :) see? See them? He has them!]

Add!!! Aaaaadd!! Here Add! Happy!!

[Words are being learned, you see.]

[dyn4m0]

Huh? Your language is improving…you’re enunciating.

[Add sits cross legged as Ain brings up the pearls, and in spite of himself, his expression softens a little as he holds his hand out to take one of them.]

So you were just being dramatic, right? You’re not sick?

[Come here Ain he needs to check your fins.]

[eidxiety]

[They've been working on it! You know, when Ain isn't crying because "no Add". He's gotten better! Sometimes the occasional erroneous syllable escapes into new words, but old words are easier, as are words that end in a vowel. Vowels are very easy, in fact.

A pearl gets plopped in Add's hand.]

Out?

[Do you want him to leave the tank and big steppies? He hasn't been able to big steppies in a while, they were under pretty explicit instructions to keep him in his tank.]

[dyn4m0]

Yeah yeah, come on out.

[He imagines Ain hasn't left the tank for a while, so some exercising his legs will do him some good. That, and it will be easier for Add to actually look him over without the barrier of glass or water between them.

In the meantime, he rolls the pearl around between his fingers before he pockets it, for now.]

I wanted to start teaching you some signs, but we might have to wait until you're recovered first...

[eidxiety]

[Ain climbs, flops, and grows his leggies. Downstairs they go, and Ain stops in the middle of the floor as always. The office smells different, now that Add has been gone for so long.

He follows after Add, clinging to his sleeve with a tentacle.]

Aa?

[What are we teaching? He kind of knows the word teaching, but he has a hard time saying it due to how long it is.]

[dyn4m0]

[Ough, he's following him around like a lost puppy...but at least this is making him use his legs, which is important. Add will walk him over to the corner of the room near his desk before stopping and turning to face him.]

Like this. "Please".

[As he says the word, he signs it, holding his hand flat against his chest and rubbing in a slow, counter-clockwise motion (to him). To Ain, it will be clockwise.]

[eidxiety]

[Yes he missed you, what the fuck. Look how motivated he is to be alive now that you're back! Look how he magically stopped crying!

Anyway, Ain doesn't seem to understand that he's supposed to make those motions with his hands.]

Please?

[At least his "please" no longer sounds like "police".]

[dyn4m0]

Here, do this.

[He'll take one of Ain's webbed hands, press it to his own chest, and copy that motion he just did to himself.]

"Please". That's sign language for "Please". You can use it while underwater so I can understand what you're saying even if you're inside your tank.

[eidxiety]

[...huh. Okay. Ain thinks he gets it. He copies that chest motion that Add did, and at the same time he does it, he says:]

Please?

[He's saying please, but he doesn't know what he's asking for.]

[dyn4m0]

Yes. Good boy.

[Add nods, then pets Ain on the head to reinforce the behavior. It would have worked better if he had been associating the signs with the words all along, but better late than never he supposes. He'll add this on to their training (because Add is also an overachiever and is fluent in sign language so he could communicate with the fishies, no he does not have a problem.]

Soon enough, I'll have you talking in full sentences. The look on those doctors' faces will be hilarious.

[eidxiety]

Good boy!

[The rest of those words are lost on him, but the bobbins on his tail are swaying as the Whole Tail tries to follow suit. Unfortunately those sacs are quite heavy, so he doesn't get too far with wagging it like a dog.

Anyway, Ain sits down on the floor in front of Add's chair and sort of... oozes into a flop with his arms over Add's lap. Happy. Trilling. :) ]

[dyn4m0]

[OUgrhgh-

Add isn't expecting Ain to just schlorp his way over and lay in his lap like that. He's a little damp, he's getting his pants wet...but this is something that Add is used to working with animals that are frequently Wet, so it's fine. He sighs, looking away as he strokes Ain's hair again.]

I need to get you to be more independent, somehow. You can't just be following me around like a baby duckling. You're an adult Siren, and it's not like you'll be kept away from the Pod forever. Just long enough for me to finish my study.

[eidxiety]

[Ain is rumbling in such a way that almost sounds like purring... he does not understand you, he's happy to be pat and cuddled. Look man, your adult Siren has separation anxiety, you're gonna have to accept this.]

Add here... [Purr, purr.] Happy...

[Rumbles.]

[dyn4m0]

[That...makes Add feel...weird. Flustered, in a way he definitely shouldn't. His face grows hot all the way to the tips of his ears as he strokes his fingers through Ain's damp hair in a way that would get him chided by his peers. It's not an easy thing to undo, he realizes...but he'll have to try. For Ain's own wellbeing...]

You're a nuisance. Leave it to me to pick out the one Siren in the pod who's...like this.

[Yet, here he is petting him and letting Ain purr on him because it's clearly making him happy. It's fine to indulge, if for just a moment.]

[eidxiety]

[Yeah you picked out the clingy gay one with emotional issues. Sorry.]

Noo...ssans.

[Why, of all words, did you pick up on that one. You don't even know what it means??

Anyway, Ain continues to trill and purr, and this is how Add's gonna have to do his work today it seems. If they stay like this long enough, Ain might just fall asleep on him.]

[dyn4m0]

[It's fine, so long as it's not too long. Ain can only be out of the water for so long before he starts to dry out, after all. Still, Add will allow it while he works on his notes and reviews the security footage...and fucking YIKES it really was bad while he was gone, wasn't it...why didn't someone call him-?

As if on cue, Add's phone abruptly starts ringing, prompting him to pick up.]

Yeah? ...this afternoon? Should be fine, it usually doesn't hit as hard as the forecast says anyway. ...yeah yeah, I know. I won't stay over time. I'll be home before the storm even gets here, it's fine.

[eidxiety]

[The phone ringing wakes Ain from his little nap, just long enough to hear the ringtone. He thinks this is more music from one of Add's strange machines, like the classical music, and listens very briefly to what he says with it lifted to his ear. Can he talk through the little box? Ain doesn't dare touch it because the machines scare him and he knows that many human things can't get wet just from witnessing humans in general keep their machines away from him (save for the x-ray machine, which they did dry him off for so he wasn't moist the whole time). But he's curious. Did it make the noise?

He looks up at Add and waits patiently until he hangs up, and then immediately sings the ringtone back to him like a cockatiel.]

[dyn4m0]

[Add hangs his phone up after that, and...Ain copies the ringtone, and he just groans.]

Well, that's going to be the next six months of my life.

[Sighing, the scientist rubs his temples before he gives Ain one last little pet, reaching down to touch his scales briefly.]

You're getting dry. I'll let you stay out for another hour while I finish up for the day, and then it's time for you to go back into the tank. Got it?

[Add he doesn't know thing.]

[eidxiety]

[He does not got it, he knows two things and "tank" is one of them. The other thing is that his skin is dry, yeah.]

Aa?

[No knowledge. He will continue to be flat here... he does feel like it's getting near the typical time Add goes home for the day, though. That's fine... he can survive the nights, but if Add doesn't come back in the morning tomorrow Ain's going to become evil.]

[dyn4m0]

[Oh don't worry Ain, you'll get MUCH better than that...Add taps at his laptop and continues to work for a while, until about a half hour passes and the loudest crack of thunder shakes the entire building, so violent that Add actually jumps with surprise. He could already hear it distantly raining, but now it's like. Rushing rain on the roof outside.]

Fuck.

[He hisses to himself as he gently slides Ain out of his lap so he can get up, walking across his office only to stop short when his phone be-beeps with a text. It's his supervisor...apparently the parking garage has flooded and anybody still at the office (which is like, a lot of people) aren't going to be able to get to their cars for a while. The safest thing is to just hunker down until the rain stops, so like...probably another hour? Not that Add is too mad about it, he's never been too mad about overtime, but it's already getting pretty late.]

[eidxiety]

[The crack of thunder being that loud makes Ain jump and yelp, but at least he's heard thunder before. He knows what it is, it's just never sounded so... metallic before. And suddenly there's a lot of noise from outside, too, that sounds like rain but way too violent.

Unsure what to think when Add pushes him off, Ain cowers under the desk and whines. Then there's another music note from the box, which he mimics the sound of as Add stands there looking frustrated.]

Aa?

[He can see where Add's brow is scrunched, so he taps between his eyebrows. Why mad??]

[dyn4m0]

[Frustrated though he is, he hates seeing Ain scared like that. He knows he doesn't understand, so he'll...try to explain.

He comes over, crouching in front of where Ain is hiding as he shakes his head.]

No, no mad. [He points to his own brows, then forces himself to relax.] Not at you. I'm caught up in a storm that's rained us out. I'm probably not going to make it back home tonight if my car's flooded.

[Here- he reaches under the desk and takes one of Ain's little webbed hands, carefully coaxing him out.]

Let's get you back in the tank so I can go check on it.

[eidxiety]

[Honestly, Ain is more scared of the storm than Add. Storms in the open ocean are horrifying, and though he's dealt with them before, it doesn't mean he likes hearing them. Especially not this loud and artificial-sounding through the metal and brick that makes up the building. It makes him think that the whirlpools are going to open up under the building and swallow everyone and then Add will drown because he's a human or Ain will get ripped apart or—

Anyway, he creeps out from under the desk and wiggles on over to his tank as usual, plopping into the water. In here, it's harder to hear the rain, so that's comforting at least.

Add must be going home, but won't the rain kill him? Can humans get wet?? Ain looks concerned, but doesn't say anything else, floating there while he watches Add leave.]