【R76】Tide wave

"Then why does the Shimada family have it, but we don't?"

Morrison had just passed the anglerfish tunnel, and before the tip of his ear fin turned into the entrance leading to the octopus wizard's lair, he heard the girl's menacing voice.

"No reason." Reaper seemed emotionally stable.The mermaid can even imagine the other party sitting on the conch shell, reading the magic book with a blank expression.Oh, of course there is no expression, who can understand the sinister bone mask of death.

Morrison wagged his tail, just turned to the hall, and found that the Grim Reaper was indeed sitting there in the same posture for thousands of years, as he thought, with all kinds of utensils on the table, and the black shadow was relentlessly clinging to the Grim Reaper the ankle.But the little octopus is too small, and she holds it there, like a little purple ornament hanging on the stone pillars in the underwater plaza - Reinhardt always dresses up there beautifully when the coming-of-age ceremony is held every year .Looking back now, the Grim Reaper is like a cleaner after the ceremony, mercilessly pressing the girl's head with his other wrists, trying to push her off him.The little girl's hairstyle is messy, and her small face is slightly swollen because of being squeezed by the sucker. The sum of her tiny tentacles is not as thick as the wrist of Death.

"Can't it just be one tree?" She was pulling the big octopus tenaciously, and Morrison was almost moved by her spirit of not being afraid of villains.

Death dipped a golden stone into a black bowl: "No. And where can I get this stuff?"

"You can find brother Hanzang, he has a lot of them!"

"No way, it's too far away."

"No! Shimada's house is about the same distance as Hana's house!"

"But I have no reason to go out for your boring wish, and even if your wish is fulfilled, I won't get any benefits."

"Can I give you a tentacle? Anyway, they will grow." Soi Ying murmured softly, "Don't you always like to get some parts from others."

"Your tentacles?" Reaper couldn't help laughing, "Why do I want something that can't even fill the gap between my teeth? If you really want to realize your wish, show some sincerity, such as those hidden in the cupboard but three rows from the left. Count the little pink scales inside the second shell."

"You moved my thing!!" The girls screamed in the same voice, making the ear fins ache, Morrison thought.

The Grim Reaper finally put down his magic book and items, and poked Sombra's face with his tentacles without grace: "As an octopus, your ability to bury treasure is so bad that it worries me."

"Don't try to change the topic!" The little guy angrily pulled away the sharp point of the death tentacles, "You don't have to go out! Aren't you good at magic? Then change into one!"

"There is no medium."

"I don't believe it! You are a cheapskate!!!"

"Whatever you say, nothing means nothing." Reaper once again focused on his experiment.

Morrison wouldn't be surprised if Sombra bit Death's ankle the next moment, but the little girl didn't do that.She just hung there pitifully, motionless quietly, then rubbed her eyes with her small hands, let go of Death, slipped into her own shell, and finally closed the door fiercely.

"Do you guys quarrel every day?" Morrison glanced at the little octopus's tightly closed door.The conversation just now was enough to empathize with a father who was also worrying about his cubs, and he couldn't help but think of Hana—girls can always get what they want by throwing tantrums and pretending to be pitiful, and it's been tried and tested.

But the Grim Reaper doesn't seem like a guy who would be fooled by this kind of acting, and acted like a baby and bumped into a wall in front of him: "Don't talk nonsense, we are fine." The Grim Reaper still didn't look up, as if that magic book was so interesting. His gaze was firmly attracted, "What's the matter?"

"I'll give you a soul ball."

"Interesting." Reaper finally put down the slate in his hand, "If I remember correctly, there are still a lot left over from the previous delivery. You should be more clear than me in calculating the contract items."

"Indeed." Morrison took out the three-day supply from his rucksack, "These soul balls are for something else."

"You really opened my eyes today." Death's tentacles wrapped around the book that was still in his hand before, and stuffed it into the bookshelf without looking at it.The octopus stared at the mermaid with red eyes, "Tell me, if there is something you want to achieve, I'm all ears."

"Magic that can communicate with humans." Morrison added later, "Just one night is enough."

The god of death nodded: "Since I brought it, then I will accept it." He approached the mermaid.

Morrison suddenly remembered the previous kiss.He felt that it was necessary for him to ask the god of death for the magic crystal bead, so that he could swallow it beforehand, so as to save him the embarrassing kissing session.But when the words came to his lips, he couldn't help but recall the touch, the kiss of death.

The words of request were withdrawn into the conch like a hermit crab.The mermaid closed his eyes as if appointed, he was quite confident in his insight, and he also understood that the god of death seemed not willing to let him see the real face under the bone mask, he cursed himself in his heart, for the sake of obedience and a little bit can almost be ignored No expectations.

The current of the sea hit him from all directions, and Morrison could feel the tentacles of the octopus moving towards him.The suction cups went around the fish's tail, some sticking to the back and shoulders, and the Grim Reaper still extended an ankle to cover the mermaid's eyes, which once again confirmed Morrison's point.

Death was laughing hoarsely, and there was a thin smell in the sea water. The wonderful smell flowed into the mermaid's body along the gill opening, coagulated his blood, dragged his tail, and turned him into a mermaid. The weak body, the tail and arms of the mermaid began to droop, and the whole body fell crookedly into the large net woven by the tentacles.

An octopus and his neurotoxin-laden ink sac.

Morrison's intake was very small, and such a slight level of feedback would dissipate after a while, but he didn't understand the purpose of Death's actions.

"Did you know? Angela said it before. 'Mr. Reaper, I just need magic that lasts for one day.'" Reaper held the tips of the blue ear fins in his mouth, and the tremors between his lips and tongue projected all the way to the mermaid, making Morrison There was an illusion of being plundered by natural enemies, "As a result, she wanted more and more, and finally disappeared forever."

"I do not know……"

"Don't be so sure, Jake. I've seen too many dudes talk their own way."

The ear fin was bitten by the god of death, and the pain spread along the cartilage, sticking to the skin radially.

The mermaid said in pain: "What are you doing?"

The octopus didn't answer Morrison's question directly, and he released more black ink to soak Morrison in it. "A little preparation."

Morrison's chest was tight, and his strength was draining away from him little by little. Until this moment, he realized that the god of death had increased the amount of neurotoxin. "I'm a little uncomfortable." The eyeballs pressed by the octopus' wrists rolled around restlessly, but it didn't help.

"Jack, look. I have to teach you a lesson." The sucker rolled up to the chest, licking the nipples and muscles densely.The itching made Morrison's dizzy head ring loudly. He slightly raised his hand, and a tentacle wrapped around his wrist again, suppressing his small movements. "Know that I, not you, determine the reward for each wish."

"If you don't want the soul ball size, you can tell me. There is no need to do so." Morrison spoke slowly, the toxin made the parts of the body sluggish, and he felt an indescribable fear, something he had deliberately ignored for a long time. It was clearly photographed on the face: What I was facing was the most dangerous hunter in the deep sea. "I am uncomfortable."

What answered him was a peeling pain in the waist, not obvious, but not too weak to be ignored, and then the tentacles on the eyes disappeared - Morrison squinted his eyes, and the long-term pressure on the eyeballs formed a circle around the periphery of the field of vision Blurred fog—the culprit is using his sharp claws to pick off the things on the suction cup piece by piece.

Blue, round, fan-shaped scales.

Morrison glanced at his waist. There was no bleeding from the wound where the scales had been peeled off, leaving only a circle of neat, faintly white skin and soft flesh underneath. "This is?" Damn neurotoxin, Morrison felt his head stuck.

"The price of a wish." The octopus' voice sounded affectionate.

"The price of a wish." The mermaid muttered, "Some scales are really cheap."

"It's too cheap, so you have to pay part of it. Now go to Shimada's house and ask the two sea dragons for a coral tree, the pink one is fine. From the harvest festival to now, I'm almost annoyed by the shadows." Octopus Dragging Morrison to the side with the tentacle again, his hand clamped the merman's cheek to force the other person to open his mouth, and then a ball fell into Morrison's mouth. "It's very simple, isn't it? With an errand and a few pleasantries, we can all get what we want. Jack, I've already said that this is the fairest wishing place in the entire sea."

※※※

There was a small boat floating alone on the sea not far from the shoal, and the pale yellow light on the bow seemed to burst into a star covered by tulle.

The moon lures the tide, dragging the water across the gentle sands of the headland.Going out to sea when the tide was high was pretty unwise, but that wasn't much of a concern for Reyes.The man took off the ship's light and put it by his side, and then lowered the anchor's rope. Through the blue-black sea, he looked vaguely at the heavy iron hook hanging on the sunken reef hole.He chose a medium-sized boat, with several layers of thick and soft blankets spread around the frame and bottom, and a layer of tarpaulin was tightly wrapped on top of the blankets, making the boat a comfortable nest floating on the sea.

Reyes pulled up his collar. Instead of wearing a military jacket, he put on a solid-color jacket that was more convenient for movement. The night wind was not strong, but the chill brought by the sea still made people feel a little breathless.He bent his feet and leaned against the tarpaulin pad, his eyes firmly glued to the smooth surface of the ocean.The anticipation of waiting swelled his heart, quietly looking forward to the beautiful creatures hidden under the abyss of the dark deep sea, riding the moon and tides to float up to the present world.He was very sure that the mermaid would come to him.

A silver light appeared under the sea level, curved like a half-sinking moon on a mountain falling into the water.As he got closer, the color began to change, probably due to the refraction of the sea water. As the limbs sank, the silver color gradually moved closer to steel blue.

Morrison is a very vigilant veteran. The scars on his body and the long time record his dealings with humans, or the traps they left in the sea.The mermaid didn't approach the hull rashly. Even though Reyes had stretched out half of his body and waved at him, the other party just swam around the boat, as if he didn't intend to take a step closer.

"Hi, Jack, it's me!" Such an opening line is stupid and regrettable, but Reyes couldn't think of a more suitable word, he whispered that it was not good, and the stupid greeting basically ruined a good night , It also eclipsed the well-dressed self a lot.Fortunately, the mermaid doesn't seem to care.Morrison's white head disappeared into the sea again, and the next moment, the salty and wet wind rushed to Reyes' face, the boat rocked from side to side, a wet hand with transparent webbed between the fingers clenched Then, ride on the edge of the boat.

"It's too high." The mermaid's muffled voice came from below, "I can't see you."

Reyes smiled: "If you don't mind, can I pull you into the boat?" The man took off the suede glove and threw it into the cabin mercilessly. He covered the mermaid's back with his fingertips. Touched the cicada-like web between the opponent's fingers.The mermaid let go of the side of the boat and held Reyes' palm instead. He seemed to be complaining: "You chose this kind of boat on purpose."

"Indeed. I've always wanted to try out what it's like to go fishing." The human generously admitted that he pulled the mermaid into the cabin with all his strength, and obviously meant something.Reyes leaned on the side of the boat, laughing and pouring several buckets of sea water on the mermaid with an iron bucket. Morrison's washed scales shone like stars at night.

"This joke is really bad." The mermaid leaned against the cushion, and the soft touch on his back reminded him of sea anemones and soft algae. Although there was no sea to support his spine, and gravity made his body extremely heavy, but this Not a bad feeling. "And don't get complacent too early, you should know that these small boards can't trap me." After speaking, the mermaid narrowed her eyes threateningly.The half-curled tail raised and lowered, causing the ship to shake for a while.

"Of course, of course." Reyes sat down in the water-filled cabin, facing the mermaid.He rummaged through the bag beside him: "This is an apple... Let me think about it, do you usually catch jellyfish as a snack? This is similar to a snack. How about one?"

"Reyes, I know what apples are. Cargo ships will take them to sea, but they are all soaked." Morrison naturally picked up the apple and took a bite.The sharp fangs cut through the flesh, making a crisp swishing sound. "Also, we don't eat jellyfish."

"Well, you have more knowledge than I thought. But I can assure you that it's better than the ones floating in the sea. It's very fresh. It was picked from the tree yesterday."

"Indeed." Morrison licked the juice running down his wrist, "Sweet."

"Speaking of apples, they represent many things in human society. In mythology, they symbolize wisdom and youth; but in religion, they become the forbidden fruit of corruption. Even fairy tales choose this extended meaning. "

"fairy tale?"

"Yes. The story of the princess, the stepmother, and the poisoned apple."

"Tell me."

Reyes looked at Morrison in disbelief, but he didn't continue to ask why adult fish are interested in fairy tales: "Well, the name of the story is Snow White..."

Reyes was very good at telling stories, Morrison thought, far better than himself.The man's frustrating voice drifted into the mermaid's ears, and the words carried him across the vast harbor and dense jungle, outlining a magnificent castle and a charming woman.Her innocence and kindness, her unfortunate encounters, and her happy ending.

"A very interesting fairy tale." At the end, Morrison commented.

"That's not it." Reyes moved his body, the sea water soaked all his clothes, and the chill was constantly invading his flesh.He rubbed his hands together, trying to warm himself up.

This action caught the mermaid's attention: "What's wrong with you?" He wanted to get a closer look at the situation of the humans, but the big tail that filled half the cabin hindered his movement.

"It's a bit cold at night. Everything is normal." Reyes shook his hand at him, indicating that he was fine.Then the man raised his eyebrows: "I forgot to see." He conjured up a box out of nowhere, "I have something to give you." Reyes held the box and carefully stepped on the tail of the fish step by step. The gap with the boat approached Morrison, "Jack, don't move, don't raise your tail, that's it, otherwise the boat will capsize, yes, that's it."

Included in the box is an adjustable armband.Gold is its austere outline, woven into a mesh-like base prong setting, discreetly wrapping the black diamond in the middle.Reyes carefully clasped the armband on Morrison's left forearm: "The adjustment is here, so, then close it again." Morrison turned to look at the ornament on his arm, which he had never seen before. This kind of stone: it should be a kind of diamond, bright and hard, but under the thick stone tissue, there is a strange light flowing, as if there is some living thing in it.

"Reyes, I can't take this, it looks... too expensive."

The man held down the back of the mermaid's hand just as he was about to take off the armband, "No, I insist." He said, "You are worth taking him with you." language.Morrison put down his hand in a daze as if wanting to be bewitched.Seeing this, Reyes patted the other party's shoulder with satisfaction: "It's getting late. I have to go back. If the adjutant finds out that I'm not in the camp, I'll probably have another lecture. You can never imagine how annoying it is .” The man stared at the mermaid with dark brown eyes, “Then, on the night of the next full moon, will I still see you?”

Morrison woke up from a trance. He frowned, not understanding why the mysterious power of the moon and tides would also affect human beings, making them strange: "This is really familiar." He joked, "What's the reason?"

Reyes replied honestly: "You saved my life, and for that, no matter how many times I can repay you, it's all an excuse. I just want to be friends with you."

"Friend? With an alien creature?"

"That's right. Is that weird?"

"Compared to those hunters who want to capture the mermaid and sell it as goods, you are quite strange." Morrison propped up his body with his hands, and Reyes stood up at the right time, lifted the mermaid vigorously, and sent him back to the sea .

"Will you come again?" The man lay on the side of the boat, waiting for Morrison's answer.The mermaid raised his face, and the two long scars on his face were very obvious under the moonlight: "I don't know Reyes, maybe. Thank you for the gift, goodbye."

With a bang, bowl-shaped ripples were sunken under the sea surface, and soon, the surrounding tides filled them up.

White foam flew up the sides of the boat, and Reyes watched the shadows recede in the sea.

TBC