[ 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. ]
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?
You'll have to thank people smarter than me. This all happened a long time ago. For both of us, it seems.
[ Idly Yu lifts up the book and pads it with the hem of his shirt, gently drying the pages from Yosuke's wet fingerprints. ]
It seems we once used the same written language, but at some point, it diverged... we may have shared a history, at some point. [ Yu smiles more openly. ] I wonder what it was like.
[ Yosuke's tail swishes again with the thought--it's an unconscious motion. ]
To be honest, most I've heard about humans is from history. Fisherman and stuff, you know? Something changed...but I'm not sure what. I...didn't really pay much attention, heh.
You should study harder, [ he chides, though the spark of humor in his eye makes it clear he's not really being serious. ] You can learn some fascinating things about the world. [ A beat and, more musingly: ] Like that mermaids and humans once shared a common history.
[ Setting his book aside, Yu leans back on his hands, looking out over the water thoughtfully. ]
[ Yosuke groans at that, though the joke isn't lost on him, evident in his grin despite himself. ]
Yeah, yeah, tell me something I haven't heard before...
[ Here, have him dramatically resting his head on the edge of the deck, like this is some great burden. Knowledge. Bleh! Yu's question is a good one, though. It's enough to get Yosuke to look back up after a short pause. ]
I don't know. Everything, I guess? You guys don't look like the paintings we have, not anymore. And there're a lot more of you now than there were before, I know that much. And we used to be mostly out at sea, so...maybe it's just different for everyone.
Teasing? Teasing. That's what's happening, yes. And Yosuke is playing along. Yu finds his mouth has worked its way into a grin without his really thinking about it. ]
I could bring more of my books, [ he murmurs, testing, teasing some more.
Yosuke goes on, though, and Yu sits up again, tilting his head. ]
We looked different, huh? [ Over a thousand years ago... ] We wore different clothes, I bet. I'm sure the art style is pretty different, too...
[ A beat, and he finally can't contain himself: ] So, what do you use to write and paint?
[ Bring more books? Yosuke's not a big reader, but what he implies from the joking offer is that Yu is saying he'll come back. Specifically to talk to Yosuke. ]
I guess not, [ he murmurs, perhaps more thoughtful than the question warrants. ] The world is a different place, these days.
[ Not to mention full of Shadows. Yu pauses, as a thought occurs to him, and he looks at Yosuke a bit more sharply. Not angrily, but with more focus. ]
Yosuke, have you noticed the fogs that sometimes come over the town? Have they ever seemed strange to you?
[ The fog. Yosuke looks up and around them as if he's expecting the fog to come rolling in any second now, but for once it's clear. He nods despite not finding any. ]
It's always been foggy here in the spring and fall, but...I don't know. It's not how fog should be. It's just kind of there. It's not...wet. It's like fog without any water.
We've noticed it too. [ ... ] My uncle is a detective, so he's trying to investigate, but... I don't think the police are getting very far. [ He knows they aren't. ] What do you think it is?
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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. ]
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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. ]
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...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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You'll have to thank people smarter than me. This all happened a long time ago. For both of us, it seems.
[ Idly Yu lifts up the book and pads it with the hem of his shirt, gently drying the pages from Yosuke's wet fingerprints. ]
It seems we once used the same written language, but at some point, it diverged... we may have shared a history, at some point. [ Yu smiles more openly. ] I wonder what it was like.
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[ Yosuke's tail swishes again with the thought--it's an unconscious motion. ]
To be honest, most I've heard about humans is from history. Fisherman and stuff, you know? Something changed...but I'm not sure what. I...didn't really pay much attention, heh.
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[ Setting his book aside, Yu leans back on his hands, looking out over the water thoughtfully. ]
What do you think changed?
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Yeah, yeah, tell me something I haven't heard before...
[ Here, have him dramatically resting his head on the edge of the deck, like this is some great burden. Knowledge. Bleh! Yu's question is a good one, though. It's enough to get Yosuke to look back up after a short pause. ]
I don't know. Everything, I guess? You guys don't look like the paintings we have, not anymore. And there're a lot more of you now than there were before, I know that much. And we used to be mostly out at sea, so...maybe it's just different for everyone.
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Teasing? Teasing. That's what's happening, yes. And Yosuke is playing along. Yu finds his mouth has worked its way into a grin without his really thinking about it. ]
I could bring more of my books, [ he murmurs, testing, teasing some more.
Yosuke goes on, though, and Yu sits up again, tilting his head. ]
We looked different, huh? [ Over a thousand years ago... ] We wore different clothes, I bet. I'm sure the art style is pretty different, too...
[ A beat, and he finally can't contain himself: ] So, what do you use to write and paint?
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You should! --I mean, if that's cool.
[ Don't get too excited there, buddy. ]
Uh...ink. What do you use?
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Yu's brows lift beneath the fringe of his hair. ]
Ink, and paint. But... [ You're. In water. How... ]
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But what?
[ Besides, they don't actually write underwater, so that's kind of a cop-out. ]
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Yu pauses, tapping his fingers on the wood of the dock as he reassesses his approach to this whole idea. ]
Where do you keep your art? Up here, we have museums, and art galleries. Do you have the same thing?
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[ This isn't quite where he expected the conversation to go, but. ]
...There are some places, but I'm not sure what you'd call them. Temples...?
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Yeah. Temples is the right word. A place of worship... [ To himself, quietly: ] Do we have the same gods?
[ He seems to catch himself, and huffs, the sound apologetic. ] Sorry. I shouldn't be asking stuff like this.
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Doesn't everyone? Like...they made the world and everything.
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Most people do, [ he says, leaving out all the context that statement needs. ] It could depend on where they're from.
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...Like from different rivers? Whoever is closer?
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Far away from here, people believe different things than we do. Not just from different rivers, but across the ocean.
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...So they don't know?
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I guess not, [ he murmurs, perhaps more thoughtful than the question warrants. ] The world is a different place, these days.
[ Not to mention full of Shadows. Yu pauses, as a thought occurs to him, and he looks at Yosuke a bit more sharply. Not angrily, but with more focus. ]
Yosuke, have you noticed the fogs that sometimes come over the town? Have they ever seemed strange to you?
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It's always been foggy here in the spring and fall, but...I don't know. It's not how fog should be. It's just kind of there. It's not...wet. It's like fog without any water.
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We've noticed it too. [ ... ] My uncle is a detective, so he's trying to investigate, but... I don't think the police are getting very far. [ He knows they aren't. ] What do you think it is?
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[ They don't...really have mermaid detectives, but by lexicon alone, he can make a guess as to what his uncle's job is.
To Yu's question, he shrugs, his fingers tapping the edge of the dog. ]
I don't know. But we don't trust it. When it's that kind of fog, we don't really come out.
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So Yosuke and his kind don't know what it is, either... he's not sure what he thought he would get by asking. ]
Sorry, [ he says with a smile. ] I don't mean to worry you. It's just something that's been on all our minds, lately.
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Does it bother you?
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