paradis | sha la la la la la my oh my

[ Those are a lot of things that he doesn't have to think about, really. Math? Well, he can count and estimate things fairly quickly. History? He knows the history of the Samegawa and his family line. Japanese? Clearly he speaks it. Geography...the general area, yes, anywhere the river goes and out to the ocean. But not beyond that. English? He's not even sure what that is. Science? Technically he is science, does that count?

He's a little intimidated, actually. Yu seems like someone who knows a lot...how much does he know about Yosuke's world, he wonders? But he doesn't ask. Not yet. ]

...It sounds like you're a pretty busy guy.

[ Yu only smiles. ]

I'm used to keeping my time occupied, that's all. By the way, I meant to ask. How is your fin?

Oh--

[ He blinks, looking down into the water. There's a pause, before he allows the rest of his body to float up. Turning onto one side, he shows where the hook had penetrated his fin and even pulls at the membrane. It's a little bit of a scab, but mostly healed over. ]

No problem. Almost good as new. Maybe I'll even get a cool scar out of it?

A valiant warrior, whose battle scars prove his mettle.... [ Yu recites the words as if recounting an old tale, his smile making his eyes crinkle. ] It'd suit you, I think.

[ Hearing it said like that feels a little self-serving, but it's exactly what he'd been going for. Yosuke can't help but grin and rolls onto his back. ]

That's the idea.

[ Is he rugged and cool now? ]

A few didn't believe me, but they still thought it was a good story.

[ Yu's smile is warm and indulgent, but he doesn't say anything for a moment. ]

I haven't told anyone. [ His voice is quiet and measured. ] I didn't think you needed the scrutiny.

[ There's actually some relief in that. Yosuke knows that if he'd actually given any indication that he stayed and chatted with a human, he would've been in much bigger trouble with the powers that be. (AKA parents.) Having other humans looking for him? Definitely would be a problem.

He's not sure if there's a joke hidden in there somewhere, but there's a whole lot of truth, too. Yosuke seems contemplative for a moment. ]

What'd you think they'd do?

Look for you.

[ He's honest, his smile having been replaced with a more serious look. ]

I figure there's probably a reason why you haven't really interacted with humans before. Whatever it is, I don't want to ruin that.

[ Well, that would be bad, wouldn't it? It's open-ended, but he probably doesn't need specifics. Yu is right, they're warned to stay away.

Yosuke straightens himself again and lowers his bottom half back into the water. ]

...Honestly, we don't talk about humans much. Just we're told to stay away and that you'll eat us if you can. I never really thought much about it before, but...I mean, you're the first human I've met and you let me go.

[ Truthfully, Yu thinks the outside world might do more than just look for Yosuke and his kind. But it would start with looking, and only escalate. Even if Yosuke were a terrible person, he wouldn't deserve that, and the other mermaids - wherever they are - wouldn't either. ]

Well, like I said, you're a person. [ His expression softens a touch. ] That's all that matters to me. I'm sure there are plenty who would feel the same way I do, but it's still a good idea to be cautious about the ones who might not.

[ Be cautious...so it sounds like there is a legitimate reason to worry, huh? He's not exactly surprised, nor would he really have believed Yu if Yu had said everyone would just be friendly and welcoming, but that doesn't mean it isn't a pleasant notion otherwise. ]

I don't think it'd be so bad if they were like you.

[ Yu ducks his head slightly, smiling, quietly abashed. ]

I don't know about that.

[ He looks up again, expression warm. ]

People are good and bad, and everything in between. I'm sure it's the same for you.

[ Yosuke huffs, but falls quiet for a minute. It's a thoughtful pause. ]

Something like that...

[ He turns, doing a lazy loop in the water by the dock. ]

What are you reading?

[ ... that's sort of an odd answer to give. Yu lets it slide for now. He's curious about Yosuke's world, very much so, but trying to avoid asking about it directly. If Yosuke decides to open up on his own, that will be enough. ]

It's called Home Gardening. [ Yu holds it up. ] I like to garden with my little cousin, Nanako. Reading has taught me a lot about it.

[ When Yu holds it up, Yosuke swims a little bit closer, once again reaching out to hold onto the edge of the dock. He'd been keen on keeping some distance between them when they first met, but he's quickly growing more comfortable with the proximity. Maybe too quickly. ]

Oh yeah?

[ He tilts his head to the side. ]

Can you show me?

[ Are there pictures? Or is Yu going to read to him? ]

[ Another smile sneaks across Yu's face at Yosuke's curiosity. And his growing familiarity, coming so close like that.

Yu holds the book in his lap so that it faces outwards, and he leans over it slightly so he can look at its pages upside-down. ]

I can show you a few things. There are diagrams, and drawings.

[ He flips to a recent page, which shows a picture of a pile of seeds, and an illustrated diagram of how to plant and care for them. ]

I've been reading about growing melons, lately.

[ He is most definitely curious--he's finding he's interested in learning more about human things, or at least human things that seem to be worth Yu's attention. If Yu is watching the water at all, he might see Yosuke's tail wave back and forth slowly underneath the water's surface. ]

Growing melons?

[ He's got no idea what melons are. But--!

As he looks around the drawings and diagrams, there are things the recognizes. ]

...Oh, hey! You write kinda the same as we do.

[ Ah, that's cute. The way he's moving his tail like that... it's sort of puppyish. ... no, he shouldn't think like that--

... but it's still sort of cute. ]

"Kind of"?

[ A head tilt. ]

Well, we both speak Japanese, so it makes sense our written language would be similar. Actually, I'm surprised you have a written language. [ Given the water. What do they use as ink? As paper? ]

[ Yosuke nods, clearly pleased by this newfound similarity. ]

Yeah! I mean, you've got some characters I don't recognize, but I see ones I do.

[ Wait, what? Yosuke looks perplexed. ]

You are? Heh, I bet you we've been writing longer than you.

[ Yu's curiosity is growing ever more intense by the moment, but he doesn't say anything. Just looks thoughtful, his fingers tapping on the book. ]

Show me?

[ Quietly echoing Yosuke's on question back at him. ]

[ Unabashed, Yosuke pulls himself up a little bit, bringing his entire torso out of the water as he reaches forward. He points out the kanji in various sentences. ]

These ones--the style's kinda different, but they're recognizable.

[ A pause before her uns his finger along some of the unfamiliar hiragana. ]

Not sure what this is...I've never seen it before.

[ Yu tilts his head, looking down to follow Yosuke's fingers. The other boy is ... well, wet, and he's getting the pages damp. Not too much, though, given that he's had his hands out of the water for a space of time. He can always dry the pages, later. ]

Seen... soil? [ That's what he was pointing to in the hiragana; a piece of a sentence about soil. ] ... do you mean the characters? [ Said after a moment, slowly. It doesn't make sense that Yosuke wouldn't know what soil is, given that there's plenty of that on riverbeds; so the alternative is... ]

[ He's never worried about getting things wet before--wet is kind of how he does everything. Sorry about your book, Yu.

He's surprised by the translation, though. ]

Is that what it means?

[ How curious. ]

Yeah, we write it like...

[ He draws invisible lines along the wood of the dock, but Yu will probably recognize the strokes of a rather archaic rendition of "soil". If he's familiar at all with the Manyoshu, he might be able to place the usage of that specific reading type to be almost 1500 years old. ]

[ Given that Yu is That Kind of Fucking Nerd,

he is somewhat familiar with it.

It takes him a few moments of staring, and he has to ask Yosuke to repeat the motion, but after a moment, it hits him, and wins a visible and audible expression of surprise. ]

That's... wow. That has to be hundreds of years old.

[ He knows more specifically how old it is, but doesn't want to freak Yosuke out. This ... this really raises more questions than it answers, but Yu is suddenly alight in a way he wasn't quite before. His interest is now readily apparent. ]

Those characters you pointed out are called hiragana. They're one of two simplified alphabets that we use, aside from kanji. You must not have seen them. But you know kanji...

[ How? Why? Were Yosuke's ancestors taught, or did mermaids and humans once have a much closer relationship? What's the history here? This is fascinating in ways Yu can't quite help.

He's practically vibrating with the need to ask questions, but still refrains. It feels rude, and also invasive, but he so much wants to know more about Yosuke's world. ]

[ If Yu is surprised, Yosuke is even more. He blinks. ]

...Hundreds of years??

[ Well--wait, it...it makes sense, right? They've been writing since forever. The Watatsumi Mikoto learned it long ago and passed it down to their offspring--the same language that humans were taught, right? Or something like that. He vaguely remembers from his own studies, but Yosuke doesn't really commit much to memory if it doesn't interest him, and lessons never really did. ]

So...they gave you other characters to write with, or...you guys...made up your own alphabets?

[ He raises his brows. And then whistles. ]

That's...actually really impressive.

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