Private Finished Finding Our Way Home

Aisha stumbled into the house and fell over onto the couch the moment they got into the living room. She kicked off her shoes and sprawled out. "I've gotten more drunk than this!" She cheerfully chimed before faceplanting. "...but I guess there is something bothering me, and it's not the alcohol."

The mermaid forced herself to flip onto her side. "You ever think much about your dad?" Probably a somewhat painful opening line, but it had a point to it.

@Keen

The boisterous cheer died down. Her smile melted away. Those bright green eyes lost their sheen. The urge to cry came on, but whatever pride she had left forced them back. She was not permitted to cry; she was not permitted to emote. "You have good memories with him. He actually cared about you." Her nails clawed into the couch. "I bet if you dream about him, it's all nice and cute....."

"Whenever I dream about my family, it's a nightmare. Especially my parents."

Aisha flinched and cringed; her eyes shut tight. "This is an island full of orphans, yet there's so many people with a completely different meaning of family than me. Why couldn't I have that?" The tears were becoming harder to hold back.

@Keen

Despite the shift in focus, Sprinkles' words oddly comforted her a bit. She felt less lonely. The girl curled up and moved closer to him. At least she didn't seem ready to throw up or anything. "Really?" Her eyelids open up to show the teary green eyes behind them. She too bit her lip. "I feel so lonely here...it's so much better here, but it's so different. So much nicer it's...like....alien." Finally the tears broke out. Water rolled down her cheeks.

"In my world, it's killed or be killed. In my family, there is no room for compassion. Feelings are, like, illegal, let alone sympathy." Her head tilted downward. "Everyone has killed. Pretty early on too. I was the latest when it came to that."

"The truth is, for all that I like....preach, I think our society is impractical. It'll die out fast. Everyone will kill each other, and then there will be nothing left. I think we should be using our resources to conquer other seas instead. Beat out the opposition instead of making the opposition ourselves."

The mermaid glanced away. "But my parents are too selfish for that. They use this as their source of entertainment. And those who show reluctance....those that hesitate to partake in this violent show..." She groped around for the catboy's arm.

"...are tortured. Not even their children are safe."

@Keen

"But how do I make friends? I act the way I do, and I get called a bitch or some other like terrible word! This is how I'm supposed to be!"

The mermaid weeped in frustration. Her tears dripped onto her friend's arm occasionally as she clung onto it. Her hand began to rub it gently. "Then there's people like you who like....like I don't know. You're friends with me, but you're not as mean as me. You're not like my previous clique here. I saw this girl Roxy and I thought she was, like, entertaining and fit the norm. I started taking notes from her. Sleeping around like her. Ignoring certain laws."

She let go of the arm and curled up into a ball. "It was like a milder version of my home. But they've buzzed off and like now I see more of these people that like, are nice or people that attack those who aren't nice. Not even with weapons but words!" Her hands rubbed at her eyes. "I don't even know what being nice means! Why are you being this way to me?! Are you out to kill me?" Aisha shot Sprinkles a frenzied, desperate look. It was a sad day to witness someone breaking down because they couldn't believe someone would comfort them without an ulterior motive. Then again, it seemed less like a logical series of questions and more the results of a princess's mind shattering. Her protection gone and leaving her in a vulnerable, miserable state.

It'd be easier to accept a blade to the back than....whatever these feelings were. What were emotions and how would she reign them in? How to be strong like the current queen when she couldn't figure out how not to cry?

@Keen

Aisha reconsidered her accusation. Sprinkles couldn't lift her; he generally held no weapons. None of her items were ever missing when he cleaned her home. Her home was never set up with traps or threats of any kind since he started working here. How could he possibly kill her? Not in a one-vs-one fight, that's for sure. She relaxed from her hysterical state but continued crying.

"A-Am I really all those things?" She asked. She stared at him with big, green, tear-filled eyes. Practically pleading for it to be true. The compliments touched her. All those traits were ones her parents tried snuffing out, yet she felt a weird sense of happiness hearing she had them. Hearing that she wasn't just this endlessly cruel being with not a single good trait in her heart.

Her hands furiously rubbed at her face. "I need a hug....and tissues."

@Keen