[Closed] @eidxiety🧜‍♀️🔬

[winterbolt]

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[eidxiety]

[He literally said he loved you and called you his mate earlier, why are you dumb. When he gets the larger tank it's over for you he's jumping your bones.

Of course, now that Ain is creaturing, he's getting some attention. Some of the photographers here for their standard NatGeo reporting catch wind of Ain trying to prank people, and very cautiously approach with a nod to Add. They try to ask him questions, but he doesn't understand.

He points to a camera and says:]

Aa??

[He's still behind the couch, by the way. If he ducks down far enough to where they can't see his mouth, he'll start making Samsung text message notifications.]

[dyn4m0]

[Listen okay romance makes him flighty and the thought of commitment gives him indigestion, of course he’s dumb.]

That’s a camera. Look, don’t touch.

[He signs to Ain as he talks to continue selling the idea that he’s still teaching Ain words. Out of all that he just said, he’d know “don’t touch” for sure.

Then, to the reporters:]

Turn your flash off if you’re taking pictures.

[eidxiety]

Don't touch.

[He nods, like, yes he knows these words. Don't touch. Do not eat the camera. This is a different camera from the eyes, though. This one isn't in the wall and is quite bulky... he doesn't really get it, but he supposes the eyes must look like this when they're not in the wall.

The photographers do turn their flashes off for what it's worth. Ain, meanwhile, sips his water while one of them takes pictures of him half-hiding. The other person is asking Add questions, like, how many words does he know? Is he shy? Does he like pulling pranks? Does he know a lot of songs? What does he eat?

Ain isn't used to humans who don't smell like lab, so he crawls around the back of the couch and sniffs the one taking photos, taking a tentative seat on the couch after a moment. They don't smell mean. They kind of just smell like they ate lunch.

He points to himself.]

Smart baby.

[Let it be known that he's not introducing himself by the name Add gave him ever, he is Smart Baby because someone called him that once and he will ride that high for the rest of his life.

He points to Add.]

Add.

[dyn4m0]

[Catch Add scoffing again as he’s given an impromptu interview in the lobby.]

He loves to remind people of that. This is “Bluhen” by name, but he’s been given all sorts of nicknames by the staff. He knows over thirty phrases by this point and understands them through sign language when speaking through glass isn’t possible. There’s still a lot he doesn’t know, but we’re working on expanding his knowledge of simple phrases.

His normal diet includes clams, fish, shrimp, and some seaweeds, but we supplement his diet with beef and chicken for enrichment since he’s not hunting on his own.

[They've thought about giving live prey, but haven’t done so yet for fear of the Sirens getting hurt that way.]

[eidxiety]

[Congratulations you're gonna be on the news, and not for the reasons you initially thought! We love conservation! We support not murdering the Sirens! Look how pretty and healthy he is, is he pettable?

(Ain will move one of their hands onto his head at the question like yes, he is pettable. He is a good boy give him pets. This is not lending much to the "this is a sentient creature" argument, he's kind of like a parrot to them right now, but still.)

It is at this point that the parrot connection really does hit, though, and someone pulls out their phone to play R2D2 noises. Ain mimicks these perfectly, sounding uncannily robotic despite the fact he's a very organic creature. More questions get asked (conservation status, how social is he, are there more Sirens here, what's the goal here with the program, etc etc), but Ain is up on his feet big steppying toward one of the camera people. He takes her hand and starts leading her on to the cafeteria...

Add better be following after because a) Ain is being filmed and b) this bitch is showing this woman where the cafeteria is solely to point to one of the bananas in the cold case.]

Have?

[He's manipulating a snack out of you, RUN (the crew thinks this is so cute of him, look it's a doggy begging for food aww).]

[dyn4m0]

[Pettable yes, though Add isn't going to go around telling people to pet the Sirens. Most of them are meant to be released back into the wild after all, but uh...at the rate Ain is going, he is going to end up being a species ambassador. They don't have one of those yet, so maybe he'll end up being a good contender once he goes viral.

That said, Add is definitely going to follow after when Ain suddenly steals one of the camera people because ??? what are you doing-

He lingers for a moment in the doorway as he watches what Ain does, and...he rolls his eyes when he realizes Ain is still looking for food.]

You do not have to bother these people to be fed, you know.

[Add grouses as he walks up behind them, nods to the person working the counter, and has them hand him the banana so he can pass it over to Ain.]

[eidxiety]

[Ah, but you see... this is what's gonna get him into virality, is nicely leading a lady to the cafeteria to beg for food with his big eyes. Look how sweet and cute he is. He wants a banana! He has his banana! He is peeling it so smartly and eating it while not realising he's being filmed like :D?

He eats his banana and puts the peel in the trash, then trundles on. The NatGeo people are thrilled. Sirens can eat fruit. This is hilarious. Add gets asked several more questions (is he an adult? what is their life expectancy assuming no ecological issues? how long is he when he's in the water?) and more photos get taken before they head off to go look at the rest of the facility, like, the non-sentient animals.

As soon as they're gone, in the hallway, Ain clicks and chirps and everyone goes "he is speaking :)" without knowing that he's actually speaking.]

I want more of those long red meat strips.

[Bacon. He wants more bacon.]

[dyn4m0]

[Add answers each question as diligently as any scientist worth their salt would, though he's a little relieved when the people finally leave. He's never been good with these kinds of interviews...

Though Ain is speaking and nobody is supposed to know that, he does a good job giving Add hooks to "respond" to, as if he's just talking aloud. It's especially sold by the way he sighs as Ain chirps happily.]

If you keep eating like this, you're going to get fat. That especially is very high in fat.

[He points at the bacon sizzling on a griddle just behind the glass as the workers cook up a fresh batch.]

But...since it's a special occasion, you can have a few more pieces. But only if you'll eat some more fruit along with it.

[eidxiety]

[Wiggles his tail like? Is this a problem if he gets fat? Body fat is good for winters when he takes long naps though. (He does not realise that it being warm and controlled all the time means he effectively doesn't have to worry about hibernating when the waters are cold. Or, well, half-hibernating.) He thinks his tail would be very cute if it were a little bigger but ooookayyyy.

Anyway, more fruit? More fruit! This is going to make him worse Add, but he's nodding and chirping because yes he will eat more thank you—]

[dyn4m0]

[Add furiously digging his own grave-

To that end, he'll fix Ain another plate full of fresh fruits- this time some he's never tried, like oranges, strawberries, and blueberries- as well as another modest helping of bacon. He'll bring all of this plus another water bottle back to a table to sit.]

You're lucky everyone likes you so much. My boss said one meal, and here you are...

[eidxiety]

[The glint in Ain's eyes says "I can do whatever I want because I never get in trouble for it"... he's the most spoiled creature in this facility other than maybe the penguins who all just got kissed earlier.

His noodles wiggle as he picks up fistfuls of fruit and bravely shovels them all into his gob. Strawberries and blueberries are easy, although Ain figures out quickly that he's not supposed to eat the leaves because they sure don't taste great. It's gonna be hard to get a salad into him... but the oranges, they have peel on them, and he realises this as soon as he picks up a wedge and pauses as though the hamster wheel in his brain is working overtime. The orange wedge itself is too hard to extract from the peel without making a mess, so he opts to eat around it, not realising this is exactly what he's supposed to do.

He can't say he likes the seeds, though.

The good thing about having multiple limbs for gripping things is that he can hold all of his food at once and shovel it into his mouth as he pleases, which is to say... yeah he wolfs all this extra food down. Lunch is done. Lunch is, in fact, devoured.

Ain chirps as he figures out how to open his water this time, excited, and slurps away. He is soooo hydrated. So full of food. He looks thrilled by all the extras he's getting, sadly for Add's continued sanity.]

[dyn4m0]

[Oh hey what a coincidence, his boss happens to walk in the door JUST as Ain is finishing stuffing his gob!!

Add stiffens, having sat across his Siren with some coffee and not much else, but despite his anxiety his boss is fortunately normal and actually a very nice woman, so instead of being like "why is he eating more human food", she trusts Add's judgement and walks over to give Ain a little pat on the head.]

"Is he being good for you, Add? You've lucked out, my first solo study was with an overly territorial alpha who didn't want anything to do with me. Bluhen is just a little darling, isn't he?"

He's spoiled. You're all spoiling him.

[eidxiety]

[He starts chirping when he's pat.]

Good boy!!

[He's a good boy :) He has done nothing wrong ever, he's eating him food. He will not immediately become fat because he's so active, but soon his butt's gonna be real big. Just. Real humungous.

He's not territorial because he likes humans and is an Omega, though. He's definitely not gonna sire children one day.]

Spoiled. [points to himself like this is a compliment]

[dyn4m0]

He doesn't know what that means.

[Add sighs. Rather, he doesn't know "spoiled" is a bad thing to be, but whatever. His boss seems delighted by him either way, so that's probably a good thing? She chuckles and gives him another little pat.]

"Spoiled good boy! Yes you are."

[Pat pat.

She'll take her leave after that, with Add shucking his fingers back through his hair with another heavy exhale.]

Alright, we should head back to the tank room. Since yours is being redone, you'll be staying with the Pod tonight.

[eidxiety]

Aaa?

[With the pod? So he CAN go to the pod tank... why didn't you put him there when he was in heat...

Well, whatever. Ain chugs his water and hands the empty bottle to Add to throw into recycling for him, then big steppies his way down the hall. The pod tank iiiis somewhere down here, he's pretty sure. It's been a while since he was in it. But he hasn't even had dinner yet, so does that mean they intend to feed all the Sirens at once? Hm... he's never been good at the frenzy feeding the others do.]

[dyn4m0]

[Because Add is jealous and didn't want to ruin his research and blah blah blah-

Like, he COULD just stick Ain in an empty tank in another room, but that seems cruel even for him. He wouldn't be able to be with him unless he slept on the floor or something, so...putting him back with the Pod is the next best thing.

Into the room they go (Add has to lead Ain the right way because he goes in the wrong direction once), and the moment they're there, the other Sirens in the pod tank notice Ain come in and immediately come close to the glass to Look at him. Ain? Ain Ain Ain-

Fortunately for Ain, he will be kept separated from the Pod while they feed. They'll get their fish and Ain will also get his fish at the same time, just fed by hand from Add instead of having the food dumped into the water.]

[eidxiety]

[Thank God, because when dinner rolls around he's visibly nervous around the others since he's used to being the small bullyable male. Not that they've actually done that, but little omegas like him tend to be pushable, and Ain is not as sturdy as the others. He's too flowy. His fins are too pretty. He will take being hand-fed, thank you very much.

Of course, the other Sirens know that this man is Mated to Ain, they can smell it, and they're gonna have so many questions after he eats. Notably, if Add is still in the room supervising, Ain is loudly telling them that he loves this human. And also "humans only have one dick and they can't lay eggs and they have these external parts that look a bit like two orbs and" it's a little too much detail. Whoops, someone forgot that Add can understand him still.]

[dyn4m0]

[Add is absolutely staying to supervise, at least for the first few minutes. He doesn't want to put Ain in the tank and just bail, lest these Sirens decide they really do want to bully him. He's spent a couple months being pampered solo after all, and he's not sure if that sort of thing is something they can sense.

What they CAN sense though...is something he wasn't even considering, and as Ain starts to go into a little too much detail, Add quickly makes his way over and puts his hands on the glass, hissing in an undertone.]

Oi! You don't need to tell them all that-!

[eidxiety]

[Ain looks back at Add like, completely clueless over here. What do you mean... why not...]

...oh, he's mad because I'm not supposed to tell you that, apparently. Did you know humans don't like being naked in front of each other and have no scales to protect them?

"Wow, no wonder they wear fabrics..."

Add says they get body shy and get made fun of sometimes for being naked.

"Humans are really mean to each other. They care that much?"

Uh-huh. But Add's very muscular, so I'm sure he wouldn't have problems. [Pauses. Looks back at Add.] Am I not supposed to tell them that either?

[dyn4m0]

[Add is blushing. What the fuck? He's not used to being bragged about like that, even if it's in a sort of innocent, roundabout way...

He ends up scoffing and turning away, mostly because he isn't sure how much more of this he can take before his head actually explodes.]

Tch. Do what you want. I have work to catch up on. I'll keep an eye on you via the cameras in here.

[This room, as it turns out, ALSO has eyes.]

[eidxiety]

Hehe, okay~. Bye bye, I love you!!

[Unfortunately, the second Add's gone, Ain is gonna talk about how cute and lovely he finds the man. Did you know Add is so smart and toured him around and gave him human food? Did you know human food is very strange? Did you know that Add is shy and will give Ain whatever he wants because he wuvs Ain—

This is going to go on for the rest of the night, at least until all the Sirens start playing. Ain may not be as fast as some of the others, but this tank is huge, and he can play and swim in laps as much as he wants to. He still doesn't know why he was isolated from everyone, he says, but he's having a wonderful time just zooming around regardless.]

[dyn4m0]

[The day wears on, and Add spends some time alone in the employee lounge to get some work done. He can't be in his office for a while, but fortunately people won't be in here unless they're having lunch, so he isn't too bothered. He writes down his notes from the day and logs anything in his report that Ain did that he wants to remember for later. He'll have to write an even bigger report on his findings later, one of those fancy peer-reviewed types...he just has to hope that after all of this, his writing is still up to snuff. This man is the king of dissertations, he WILL destroy you.

Because of how hard he's focused, the hours fly by, and soon enough he glances at the clock to see that it's nearly time to go home. He puts his things away and decides to stop by and check on Ain in the Pod before he clocks out for the day.]

Oi, you still alive in here?

[eidxiety]

[Ain is flat with the pod. He is being mud-bathed to get the human goo off of him since he ran around all day, and he's telling the others about the butterfly he saw. One of the females in the tank is very concerned about his fins "potentially being torn up" because "he's not eating enough" and "they're not very thick". That's just how Ain is shaped, though, and he definitely ate a lot today.

See how he'll interact with women when he's not in heat? Yeah.

Anyway, he'll be let up when Add comes by.]

I'm alive~. We were playing and now we're taking baths. Are you going back to your den? Will you ask your boss if I can go to your den??

[dyn4m0]

[Buddy...]

My boss is already gone home for the day. You've only just been allowed to leave your tank for extended periods, so get your hopes up.

[It won't happen every single day, either. It's meant to be a special enrichment thing, they don't need Ain to be thinking he can escape his enclosure for walkies whenever he wants.]

But yeah, I'm going home now. Are you gonna be okay in here tonight?

[He asks, as if Ain wasn't in the pod originally...]

[eidxiety]

Uh-huh. I'm just gonna sleep in a pile with everyone else. [This is how y'all discover that Ain likes to be squashed at the bottom of the pile.] But that's for after we're done bathing and stuff.

[He presses his face to the glass, then gives Add a smooch through it. Reminder: you mated with this thing.]

You can come play with me in the morning~. I want uni and bacon for breakfast.

[You're such a BRAT]