Private Finished Little Fish in a Big House

The car ride had been pretty quiet, only the occasional bit of small talk here and there as Jack drove away from the academy towards home once more. Sushi was quiet and polite and very much an angelic child which left the cat fae more and more curious. He wasn't sure what to really expect out of Sushi, but he imagined that his son (which was still something he was exciting and he looked forward to saying) would open up in time and his personality would shine through. But this was new for both of them so he wasn't going to try and push for it.

The ever familiar gate around his property came into a view, a stark white wooden gate standing alongside a rather long fencing made of deep red brick. He tapped the small clicker on his dashboard and the gate doors slid apart to allow Jack and Sushi access to the road that would lead into their home. The driveway was white stone, arranged in a neat pattern of near perfection and little blemish, as if barely used. "Welcome to your new home, Sushi." Jack said with a smile, eventually coming to a full stop in front of a large two story building.

The house, similar to the gate, was an ornate white with red brick to present a lovely color contrast. Various rose bushes lined in front, a display of whites and reds and pinks adding a little more vibrancy against the deep red of the brick. The front doors were large as well, two sprawling wooden doors with stained glass windows that stood eleven feet high and opened wide. He looked to the small merboy with a grin, giving a slightly embarrassed scratch to the back of his head. "I don't know if it was exactly what you're expecting but I hope you'll like it. Plenty of rooms for fun things to do and we can always add more things if there's something you want."

@Mint

Jack laughed, reaching over to unbuckle his own seat belt. "Yes, Sushi, you can definitely unlock the car snapper. Seat belt. The driving harness." He opened the door, hopping out of the car with ease and shutting the door quickly. A small breath of nervousness escaped him before he moved to the other side of the car to help the merboy out if he needed it.

"You're definitely not wrong. I like to think it's a very pretty home, but it's been very empty. I used to live here all by myself!" He laughed again, then turned his head toward one side where a few bundles of fur were moving up toward the pair. The cats let out a few mewls of curiosity, tails swishing to and fro as they approached. "Well, mostly by myself. These cats are outdoor strays who wander around the property. You can pet them but you don't need to bring them inside. Follow me and I'll show you the whole house."

"Including your room, of course!" The cat fae grinned as he slowly walked toward the door, waiting for Sushi to follow before unlocking the door with a key. The large wooden doors sprawled open with a slow creak, revealing a beautiful foyer of white and gold, with two staircases rounding up to go to the second floor. The white tiling on the floor looked particularly pristine, complete with beautiful intricate designs of gold carved in. The walls were of a sleek wooden design, painted a soft off-white to compliment the flooring. A chandelier hung above their heads, giving the room a nice warm glow to complete the visual effect.

"Where would you like to go first, Sushi? The kitchen? The pool? Your room? We can do it all!"

"It was a little lonely, but that's okay."

Jack grinned, motioning Sushi to continue following him through the house. The hallway walls also maintained that pristine off-white color the main hall had carried. Eventually, he stopped in front of a solid metal door and pulled the handle to reveal...

A rather tiny room.

The inside was mostly sleek metal with a grated drain in the middle. Notably, there was a metal container of sorts that looked properly sealed as well as a clear container with a round base inside resting in the corner.

"Welcome to the entrance to your room, Sushi. This is the airlock that lets you change appropriately before you either enter or exit the actual tank. We can put regular clothes down here in the lockers so you can be properly dressed before heading out. Your helmet goes in the box and it will charge!"

He guided Sushi to the other metal door and tapped it twice. "This door leads into the actual underwater part of your room. It won't open until the first door is closed and you activate the airlock to fill this room with water. Right now, the only thing in there is your bed but we'll go shopping and buy whatever else you want to make it more comfortable."

He gave Sushi a big smile, looking down at the merboy. He couldn't imagine how the young boy was feeling. This had to be a lot. "Of course, I still need to show you the other half of your room upstairs. But once you've seen everything in the house, I can show you how to work the airlock so you can see the inside properly. Is that okay?"

Jack grinned, motioning Sushi to follow him. The two would return to the main foyer before Jack guided Sushi up one of the staircases and back in the same direction where they had come from previously. He stopped in front of a plain wooden door and looked down at the merboy. "So, this is the other part of your room. You'll see what I mean when we go inside." He pushed the door open and ushered Sushi inside.

The room inside was decently sized, the walls painted with a beautiful mural of the ocean to fit thematically with the merboy's aesthetic (in Jack's opinion). One corner was out of place, however, as a section of the room seemed to be made of similar metal as the room below had been. Beyond that corner, the rest of the room contained a large couch, a love seat, a nice coffee table, a large cabinet, and finally...

A professional looking drafting table with an adjustable chair.

"So, this is also technically your room. When you have friends come over, you can hang out in here too! I don't have any sort of water breathing apparatuses for guests yet so swimming with them in your tank wouldn't really work if they couldn't breathe underwater like you do. But, that metal area in the corner is another airlock just like the one downstairs. There's a tunnel of sorts you can swim up and down so you don't have to around the stairs every time you want to come up."

He sat down on the chair in front of the drafting table, motioning to it with a large grin. "Miss Callie told me that you were very artistic so I wanted to make sure you could as much of it! The cabinet over here is full of crayons, markers, colored pencils, even paints! Anything and everything you could need for crafts. If you need more, we can always get more, too!" He leaned in slightly to give Sushi his full attention. "How do you like your room?"

Jack felt his eyes water as Sushi thanked him and hugged him. Sushi gave him a hug! He was so surprised but reached over to pat the young merboy on the back ever so gently. "You're welcome, Sushi. You're my son now; of course I'm going to support your interests. But let's keep going with the tour and once we're done, you can come back here until dinner tonight."

He stood up, guiding Sushi out of the room and pointing to a large pair of doors down the hall. "That room is mine, Sushi. If you need anything, you can always come knock on my door. I tend to wander around since I don't really sleep anymore, but you can often find me there."

The two would continue on their tour, viewing the kitchen, library, a large parlor/sitting room, and finally, the pool room. The pool resided within an enclosed glass room, allowing an open view of the property. Jack ushered Sushi inside, waving his hand dramatically over the very large swimming area. "This is the swimming pool, entirely safe for you to use. I had it converted to a safer alternative after our meeting back at the school." He smiled. "You're free to swim in here as much as you want, Sushi. If you need towels or anything, we can store them in the linen closet nearby. But with that... the tour is more or less complete! There is the garage and the other apartment, but I'm sure those aren't really interesting to you."