19 Part 19

To Conch Marine

The ball would be held in five days prior to this invitation. You only will be required to come as yourself and will be guided to a uniform stationary to change into royalty appropriate attire. Be sure to bring this invitation with you the day of the ball. You will be in the company of the princess, Lady Aurora Felsios, as a personal guest.

The royal family appreciates your coming and welcome you to Belsoré.

Signed

Aurora Felsios

Conch had become unnerved for a while since he read the invitation. In five days he will have to go to the ball as he is, while Coral is given the opportunity to at least invite his new "friend". He wouldn't really be alone since the princess had basically asked him to the ball. He didn't really feel all that up to going but he knew it would be rude and disgracefully detestful to turn down royalty. He really didn't have a choice.

Three days had passed since he finally finished the move. He and Coral Were officially land dwellers living on the beach side of a small island. Coral had already gone off to invite his Date, Megan, to the ball, leaving Conch by himself in the hillside home. He needs to go to the dock with the salmon he caught with the fishers. It will be his first day as a vender in the market. He freshens up, grabs the fish and heads out.

He meets the other fishers and they walk to the market place. The fishers were amazed at how he cold keep the fish cold for so long without much to cool it with. Once at the market one of the fishers, the fishman, Taro Carper, bulked up and asked what was on the others mind.

Taro-

Hey, Conch. What exactly were you and your brother before coming here? I'm mean, you can swim like I can, but your not a fishman, seaman, and obviously not merfolk. And I know for a fact you're not human. I can smell salt a mile off of you like you where living in the trenches in the dark. So spill. Your two are casaellians, aren't you?

Conch stood silent at the question. Casaellians are octopi or squid merfolk so they're often placed in the podulus category of the sea and thus made the lower life. The name refers to a race of warrior merfolk mostly comprised of females.

Conch-

Huh. You know, I really can't tell you.

Taro-

What? Is it like some big secret for you two?

Conch-

No. I mean I really don't know. Coral and I aren't really related in any way. He found me by "the bottomless" when we were small and I have no real memory of why. I'm sure he is one though.

Taro-

... I never met any kind of podulus before and only heard nasty rumors of them. Like they're carnivorous and eat whatever. Literally whatever. And some even say there are still sea witches and such still hanging around. And they have bad tempers, are extremely hostile and show no remorse for anything. The water kingdom has been spouting that kind of thing like crazy and it irritated me. So now that I think about it, I wanted to ask that. And something else too. Now that I know what you two really are, well your friend anyway, how did you get past the barrier unnoticed?

Conch-

What would you do if I told you I was one indefinitely. If I said I am carnivorous and eat anything I can to servive. If I said i was even one of those mystic types. What would you do? Turn me in? Make us leave? Or would you rather we died? All of us, even though you know nothing of us? What exactly would you do?

The stall they all stood at was like sitting in a graveyard. The silence was so heavy no one wanted to move an inch. Coral suddenly came running and shouting, breaking the silence.

Coral-

Conch!!! Conch! Guess what!?

Conch-

Would you relax. Good god. You more obnoxious than last night.

Coral-

She said yes!! Shes going with me to the ball!! I got a date!! I fell so exited right now. I can't stop bouncing. I wanna run like a mad man right now!

Conch grabs Coral's shoulders to stop him from moving.

Conch-

Chill out or I'll I'm putting you in the cool with the rest of the dead fish. You know I can stand that kind of hyperactive mentality. I get you're giddy but please calm down. Well, at least enough to here what they have to say about us.

Coral-

What they have to...? What? What going on?

Conch-

They know we're pods. So I want you to hear what they have to say about us first. Then tell them why we are really here.

Taro was still a little shaken by what Conch said earlier before Coral arrived. When he saw the innocence on his face, he built up the courage to ask again.

Taro-

So it's true then? All those rumors about pods being one of the deadliest sea creatures in the ocean? And you're pods, right? Worst ones being the Casaellians, too? You're one? Are you as bad as they say you are?

Coral's face slowly faded from cheer to fear the longer he thought about how to answer the question. His fear soon turned to horror. He look to Conch for answers, but to no avail. Conch was just as guilty anyway. This only put him in panic as a memory crossed his mind. He couldn't speak.

Conch-

We all have our reasons. I don't know all the details but when I first met Coral he look as though he could have died in my arms at any moment. His arms broken and most of his tentacles were missing with half his hair pulled from the scalp and...

Coral-

SHUT UP!!! shut up Conch, please.

Coral was on the verge of tears as his tan skin turned as white at a fish's underbelly.

Conch-

... Well you get the idea. I'm going to take him home. I'll explain when I get back.

The fishers only look to eachother as Conch and Coral vanish in the croud. Moments later Conch returns with a bruise on his cheek and collar bone, but just as calm as ever. It was really unsettling. Without them saying anything, Conch tells his story to them. How he and Coral met, where the stayed, how they lived their lives up until they got to the island, and even about his powers and how he can control it.

Conch-

Now that I've said all of that, what will you do?

The fishers don't know how to respond. It was so sudden, what could they say? Immediately, the oldest fisher, Tommy, spoke up.

Tommy-

How about we get these damn fish out the stall first and worry about details later. I got mouths to feed, too, you know. And put some ice on that face. We need that for the sails.

The awkward, painful silence died finally and everyone went to work. All the fish had sold out Before the day even came close to an end. Tommy was right when he said they needed Conch's face. Once they packed up Taro spoke up again.

Taro-

Hey, Conch.

Conch-

Hm?

Taro-

... I'm sorry. I said something I shouldn't have to Coral. He looked really hurt by something. I guess everyone has their traumas and such but I didn't think it was gonna be that bad for him. If its okay with you... I'm being really bold here... I want to see you guy in your natural forms. Not now! But when he's more comfortable. You see I didn't really mention this but were I come from, casaellians are said to be the prettiest of all the creature in the sea second to the eastern merfolk. So that was supposed to be my main point.

Conch-

You know, you talk a lot.

Taro-

Well sorry for being curious.

Conch-

Heh. If you can come over later or probably after the ball when Coral feels better. I'm not sure how he'll react since you started all this, but I wouldn't mind showing you my real skin later. I'm going home now. See you.

They head to their homes. Conch finds Coral sitting in a chair by the window looking out to the horizon.

Coral-

I don't want to go back. Not with much being left unseen. Not with how much I've already come to love this place. You said no one would find out. How? How did they know?

Conch-

We're not going back. Its not necessary. I did take in account of a fishman's sense of smell. He knew every type of sea dweller but pods. Or more specifically, casaellias. What we are. So it was bound to happen. But they won't hold it against us. In fact the fishman, Taro, wanted to meet our kind one day. And not on a hostile note.

Coral-

Really? Mr. Mood killer wants to know we eat his kind and other like him to survive the wild?

Conch-

Yup. He also wanted to see what we really look like with out the spell.

Coral-

Is he serious?!

Conch-

He's never seen one of us before. So he only heard rumors. And got scared for a second when he didn't recognize us as anything else.

Coral-

I guess that makes sense.

Coral finally brightened up to his usual cheery self and head to bed after telling Conch good night.