Silent Arrival

((Continued from: https://aalc.rpg-board.net/t377p30-silent-departure#8907.. which is continued from https://aalc.rpg-board.net/t347-silent-ambiance and which also continued on to https://aalc.rpg-board.net/t447-silent-depression. Confusing much? X3))

Not quite having understood the prince was trying say, Deneli opted to get to the boardwalk before questioning it. He'd be able to talk okay then!

As she neared the board walk she turned in the water so she was swimming on her stomach. She did her best to keep the prince above the water, but it was it difficult in this position.

Upon arriving at the boardwalk, Deneli tried to place the prince gently on dry land. Then she grabbed the edge of the boardwalk, released her legs from her fin, and pulled herself up. She sat on her knees beside the prince and looked at him expectantly. She hadn't seen a boat! So what was he doing in the water?

The dilemma continued to gurgle incomprehensibly throughout the small voyage, only half concious. The water kept splashing into his face, which he hated - writhing and moaning every time it happened. And, before he was allowed to fall completely unconscious, he'd be occasionally submerged, shocking him right back into the waking world.

As he was placed on a surface, he seemed entirely unrecognisable. His fur, which was usually, thick, poofy, spreading right out, was now plastered tightly to his skin, giving him a rather odd, bony look. He dripped constantly, the water that seeped into his fur was weighing him down. And Luppa didn't have an extraordinary reputation for good balance.

Large round eyes focused on nothing. "Is... Entropy... baah...is this... goodbye? ....A prince?"

With shaky legs, he teetered, taking a step ... before falling forward, planting his face directly into the surface before. Muffled whines sounded from beneath.

Deneli tilted her head at the prince in a curious manner, not sure what it was he was talking about. Entropy? Is that a word? And why would it be goodbye? They'd only just met. Realization lit up her eyes at the word prince though, and she giggled at the private joke.

"You're the prince, Silly!" She made a small pout as he fell. Maybe she should... The pout didn't last long as she began laughing again at her idea. She was being so silly. She was going to do it anyway. Though she couldn't think of a good reason why that didn't have to do with her own hyperactivity gained as a result of sleep deprivation.

"Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun? Just you and me, and I could be, part of your world." The song wasn't exactly correct, since she was fighting back giggles as she sang. Her singing voice wasn't bad though, for a hyperactive child, anyway. Maybe a part of her was hoping the Prince would recognize the song and understand the joke.

((Lol, it's kind of obvious but here's the song she's singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwlXLv4J7NE X'D))

Still sopping wet, Luppa flopped over onto his back, wheezing. He was cold. So cold. He couldn't think about anything except for how cold it was, and how much he needed a fuzzy, warm hug right now. His eyes glanced down towards Deneli as she spoke.

"Prince? Am I... one of the royalty now? The worshipped? The adored? The wise wielder of worldly decisions?" He paused. "And a princess for accompanying?"

He listened to her song with wide blinking eyes. Given that he'd lived with an excitable little girl for a few years, there was simply no way that Luppa hadn't seen that film, even if he could not directly remember it. Soon, his dozy expression turned into an even dozier grin.

"Under the sea... Darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me..." his slurred singing soon turned into disorientated hums that barely clung to original tune. At least it was an attempt.

Deneli couldn't help but laugh at the way the Prince spoke. She didn't quite understand some of it, but she definitely found it funny. Her own smiled grew as the Prince's did, though it wasn't quite so dozy. And then he was singing! Of course he knew the little mermaid. Even she knew the little mermaid, and she never watched movies.

"Up on the shore they work all day. Out in the sun they slave away. While we devoting full time to floating unda the sea~." Deneli put a bit more passion into finished the line Luppa had started than she did in her earlier singing. She'd even mimicked Sebastian's accent. The fact that Luppa hadn't quite gotten the tune right did throw her off though. She giggled once more. "Sebastian's wrong though. Land is fun~"

Luppa's eyes widened as the lyrics continued. Of course! It all made sense! He was working all day, as slaves should. He was a servant! A servant to Lillegard! He broke out into a whine at this, waving his arms to Deneli as if he somehow believed that she knew what he was whining at.

"...Land is fun. Fun is servant to doing is service..." he mumbled, disorientated. He glanced to Deneli, as if in realisation. "But! Is knowing of a place far much fun also!" A twiggy finger pointed at the sky above them. "Air! Home of birds and abandoned balloons, the endless sky, the floating clouds... floating is.. quite delightful..." His dreamy smiled turned almost disappointed when he reached for his wing, remembering that he only had one.

He blinked to Deneli, as if realising she was still there. "...Sebastian is no prince?"

Deneli still had no idea what the Prince was trying to say. Servants? Slaves? She looked up, following the Prince's finger to the sky. His talk about birds and balloons brought a smile to her face. She would have liked to be able fly.

She looked back at Luppa, still smiling. "Can you fly with just one wing though?" She giggled again at Luppa's last statement. "Sebastian's not a prince, silly. Sebastian's the one who keeps an eye on Ariel for King Triton."

The young girl's inquiry was recieved as a command, and Luppa hastily nodded. Wing or no wing, he was still a servant, and he would do any command to the best of his ability. He turned around, starting to flap his one wing lamely. However, even if he did have another wing, the would be no flying - it was simply to waterlogged.

He paid no heed to this though. Taking a run-up away from the edge of the boardwalk, and leapt into the air... only to land back down barely a second later. He huffed to himself. Disappointedly, he returned back to Deneli, shaking his head. Another request failed! Not only had he displeased his master, but he displeased his saviour - they would be so disappointed!

He blinked woozily. "King? King Triton? Is he king for me too? Master? I must do his bidding! T-take..." He corrected himself. "...I must be... taken to him!"

Deneli only watched as the Prince tried to take flight. She wasn't sure he'd be successful with only one wing but if he seemed to think so... She felt bad as he returned though. She hadn't expected him to take her simple question as a request. Now that she thought about it though... It could have easily been heard as such. 'Can you fly with only one wing, though?' What was the difference between a question and a command then? English sentence structure.

Deneli giggled again at the Prince's odd request. "King Triton's only king of the sea, Silly." From what she'd just seen of Luppa, he clearly wasn't a sea creature. "He's not real anyway. The real king of the sea was my grandpa, but he's gone now." If Deneli was sad in the slightest about this fact, she certainly didn't show it, as she still seemed to be on the verge of giggles the whole time she was speaking.

Deneli shifted so she was sitting cross-legged and tilted her head at the Prince. "What's your name anyway? I'm Deneli~"

King of the sea? As if that would be enough to deter Luppa. Any master must be attended to, no matter the environment. It was his duty to serve, not to make excuses on why he couldn't do just that.

Although it was her later comment that made his eyes widen with shock. he reached both arms to hold her by the shoulders, a tone of urgency in his voice. "Never say that!" he screeched. "All is real... everything is real! The...the imagination is real! Humans insist on seeing with the eyes to believe it, but why can't we see with the mind?" His voice lowered to a hush. "Anything your mind can think of... could be anywhere in the world! They said mermaids aren't real either."

Blinking, he seemed to revert back to his original self, a dorky grin adorning his features like he hadn't just snapped. "Master Deneli, I am Luppa. I serve to Headmistress Everly and her marvellous academy!" He bowed down low, practically staring at the floor.

Deneli was unable to stop a sense of elation from passing through her at the Prince's words, and it showed on her face. It was true though! The world was a big place. Maybe there really was a King Triton out there somewhere. She laughed at the last bit about mermaids.

Luppa, it was a funny name, but she liked it. She was a little confused as to why he was bowing to her and why he'd called her 'master', but she was still too distracted by his earlier speech to really point it out. "Of course mers are real!" Without much warning, Deneli quickly reached her arms out to try and pull Luppa closer to her in a hug.

Luppa's eyes brightened with satisfaction as Denelia eventually came to agree with his verdict. Although he really couldn't see how she would not agree, seeing as she was a mermaid (according to what he'd seen in media anyway).

However, the intrusive arms that coiled around him caught him by surprise, and he squeaked in alarm, squirming his frail limbs lamely. With this assassination or a sign of friendship? It felt a little like the former, but Luppa had a reason to believe that it could've been the latter. He returned the hug as best as he could.

"Is... is there a master in the vincity? I must speak to a master, I must serve the people," he hissed urgently, giving her a serious look. Not serving just felt so... horrendously wrong.

Deneli was pleased that Luppa returned her hug, and promptly released him once more. He was nice~

But there he was again talking about masters. It made no sense to her. She thought for a moment, putting a single finger to her chin. She didn't know what kind of master Luppa was looking for. Someone to serve? Why? "How come you need a master, anyway?" And idea popped into her head and she voiced it before really thinking it through. "You should be your own master!"

Luppa let out a gasping breath as he was finally released, as if the mermaid had been strangling him. Of course, she wasn't, but he was merely being over-dramatic about it.

"My own--" His expression scrunched at the very idea, and he peered at her, long and hard as if his new-found companion had just gone completely insane. "My own... master..." He muttered to himself, repeating the idea like a new taste on his tongue. Then, without much warning, he completely cracked up, doubling over with loud hoots of laughter. "My own mastaahh!" he repeated like it were a joke, his eyes clenched shut as if the laughter were actually painful. Finally, he slowed, panting.

"Foool!" he hissed. "I cannot serve myself! I must serve... the higher beings! Greater than I! A master!" He blinked, before his voice became significantly less scathing. "Who else is to display the ropes that I follow? A life... lived without serving is such a sad, sad meaningless one. My happiness is only in the happiness of my masters. I insist - I must do my serving."

Deneli was happy that Luppa was laughing, though she didn't entirely understand why. Laughing meant happiness in her book though. And Luppa was nice. He deserved to be happy. His words did confuse though. She was, however, beginning to get used to it with the Prince.

Deneli put a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Well, who decides who's greater than you?" She giggled then shook her head. "You're the Prince after all." She shrugged. "But I guess if it's what makes you happy then it's okay. Just don't let anyone let you think they're better than you." She said this last bit with a wag of her finger. Her uncle was full of good advice, and she practically quoted him verbatim.

Luppa let out a stubborn groan, curling his lips back slightly. Deneli just wasn't understanding! He wanted to obey her commands so badly but he couldn't. It guilted him so. He shook his head furiously from side to side, little droplets of water flicking off.

"Prince? I cannot be prince! Not unless all are kings!" The look in his eye was almost maddening. "All are greater... I must seerve. I serve to live! And I live to serve! Masters, they show me the way, the paths, the rights and wrongs, the yes and no." He whined desperately. "I must be shown! I.. I am begging!"

Deneli put a thoughtful finger to her chin. After a moment, she decided that Luppa liked to serve people because he liked to make people happy. Luppa was a nice person~ This conclusion pleased her, and she giggled. Maybe she could help him find someone who needed his help. She was sure there was someone in the area. And then Luppa would be happy, and the other person would be happy. But the other person needed to be nice too! Deneli wouldn't be happy unless they were nice too.

She nodded her head happily. "Okay~ Let's go find somebody then!" Excited at the prospect of another adventure, Deneli giggled, then stood, preparing to begin.