Aquata Cove Ch. 87

"Belinda. You waiting for something?"

"Harold just entered in there to change the baby."

"Ah I see..." Merrick pauses idly, "You uh... You think it was fair in that court? Being put in jail for 50 years... I honestly have no distinction with severity of crime and punishment here."

"And that is just the guaranteed punishment, so I'm told."

"Come again?"

"The judge sentenced 50 years of prison as decided. If they go deeper into the evidence, they might just be punished further."

"Honestly, I'd be content if I could just strike them down myself." Merrick said darkly. "Four against one? They didn't even give Adam a chance... But I could take them down all at once."

"I would have bled them dry a long time ago, if I knew where to find them." Belinda hissed lowly.

"I'm flattered you want to get involved, but you know how abominable drinking blood is, Belinda." He said with disgust.

"Once you have reached MY point, what more do I have to lose?"

"Ulgh." Merrick groaned. Directly drinking blood is beyond vile and sinful in the eyes of merfolk. "Look, I'm just happy that other judge didn't turn up."

"Yes. Unfortunate for him." Belinda said nonchalantly.

"If he came in today, he probably would've disregarded every single thing Erin said and ruin everything just like last time."

"Completely. It is a very good thing he did not feel up to the task."

"Yeah..." Merrick glances at her, talking slowly. "He was sick for several weeks, doctors say he can barely walk without throwing up..."

"I can only imagine such a sight." Belinda said, not taking her eyes off her nails. Merrick crosses his arms, glancing at her up and down.

"... Alright, you know something, what do you know?"

Belinda puts her hand into her purse, and digs through it for a few seconds, before taking out a rough-looking spiral shell, and tosses it to Merrick. He catches it, turning it around. It's a really old-looking shell, the spikes all around the spiral filed down to nubs. He blinks curiously, furrowing his brow as he looks into the hole. He hesitantly brings it to his face, up to his nose. He sniffs it several times, before lowering it, still examining the shell.

"... Stone Anemone?" He asked.

"Crushed and pulped." Belinda answers, finally stopping with her nails, and looking to him, "Syrinx told me of their location, and even brought some to me."

"Belinda, do you realize how poisonous this is?!" Merrick hushed, "Did you even use gloves when touching it??"

"I can touch a lot of things. Not a single mark." She said casually.

Merrick stares at her with wide-eyes. "You didn't..."

"The juice and meat of a Stone Anemone is deadly to you and I, but to humans, it seems it turns their health into misery. After the first trial, I followed that man into his home, and I put the Stone Anemone trace in every piece of food in his home." She shrugged.

"Belinda, you," Merrick looked around, and then came close to her, "You could have killed him. If you're an American citizen, you would've been found guilty, and-"

"I could already see it is not fatal to humans. I felt that man needed SOME sort of punishment, seeing as how he does not understand it himself."

"Belinda..."

"I am many things, Merrick," She told him, "A wife. A blood thief. A mother. A killer, even. A survivor, by any means. But Adam is my friend. One does not simply toy with my friend's justice, and then lives to sleep peacefully."

"Does..." Merrick sighed, "Does Harold know about this?"

"Of course not. He need not concern about it." Just then, the door to the men's room opens, and in walks Harold, holding baby Theodore in one arm, with his other hand on the toddler's back.

"Here we are, all clean." He reported.

"Alright... I'll see you later." Merrick said.

"Yes... Oh, wait, Merrick, I forgot!" Belinda says as she stops him.

"Hm?" He turns to see her rummage through her sequin bag.

"Before you go, I was wondering." She then withdraws her hand from the purse, "Did you drop this when you went into the sea?"

"Hhh?!" Merrick gasps as his eyes beam at Belinda's hand, holding a small, maroon velvet pouch.

"I was hunting for urchins, and this had your aura attached on it." Merrick trembles from his entire body as a jolt of emotions spike inside him, his fingers twitching as he reaches for it, "I kept trying to find you on land, but you were not- Ah!" She eeps as Merrick's hands become like lightning, swiping the pouch in just a blink.

"Whoa, Merrick." Harold looked at him strangely. Merrick pants as he fumbles the pouch, voicing his breaths as he feels them inside. "You ok, buddy?"

"What is it, Merrick??" Belinda asked.

Merrick pushes his fingers through the pouch's pinched opening, pulls it open, and looked inside. His insides scintillate as he sees a black sheen, a shiny glint, and even a tiny sparkle.

"They're still here." Merrick manages to say, "Both, they're still here..." He pulls the shiny gold ropes apart to close the pouch, and closing his fingers around it tightly. He wipes his eyes again, before looking at Belinda. "Thank you, Belinda, thank you."

"Ah-" Belinda steps back as he comes close suddenly and hug her. She stands there awkwardly, seeing a very unfamiliar, and honestly rather uncomfortable emotion towards her.

"Oooook?" Harold said. Ever since he's known Merrick, he's always just tolerated Belinda at best.

~~~

Merrick walks along the hall, spotting Yuri entering the room of a sleeping Adam. He nears the entrance, and knocks on the frame, seeing her getting some small items ready.

"Oh, Merrick." She says as he walks in, "Didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah... Seems I'm forming a habit of that." He walks in, and notices a syringe and a bottle of fluid on the tray, "So Yuri... I need to apologize."

"For what?" She asked curiously.

"Jamal told me you were making my favorite meal for dinner, on the day I left..." He rubs his arm and glances to the side, "The only person I told I was leaving was your father, and no one else... I left everyone in the dark, and I just vanished."

"It's ok, Merrick-"

"No. No it's not." He shook his head, "I was fed up with how things were going, and instead of trying to help or make the best of it, I turned into a child, and I ran away from home. I have no excuse..."

Yuri smiled as she scoffed silently. She takes a few steps around the bed, and crossed her arms, "You realize Adam did the exact same thing years ago, right?"

"What?" Merrick looks up at her.

"When he was 16, or I think 17, he said he was getting bullied at school, so he tried to run away to Seattle. His parents found him and brought him back home. That's when he decided to move to Hawaii to live with his grandparents, finish high school, and," She shrugs, "Soon after, met you." Merrick takes this in, feeling slightly relieved.

"Difference is... Adam was only dealing with bullies, loneliness, and backward teachers. Merrick you were wrestling with your own sanity. You're always so harsh on yourself, saying that you should be better than what you do, when you've already dealt with more than any of us ever will." Yuri glances, and sees the glimmer of Merrick's ring on his finger.

"Point is," She comes to him, and grasps his shoulder, "Cut yourself some slack. You're not human, but you deserve to take what you need to get better."

"Ok..." Merrick nods. She lets go, and gets the syringe ready. Merrick's eyes watch as she extracts the medicine into the tool, seeing a very strange sheen refract the light in a crystalline way. He furrows his brow as he walks closer. Yuri wipes at a spot on Adam's arm, and injects the solution, "What's that you're putting in him?"

"Oh, um... It's a new medicine. It's called Thalassactin." She answered, "But don't tell anybody."

"How come? It's just medicine, right?"

"Yes, but..." She glances around, and went to Merrick, "It hasn't been legally approved yet, but it's supposed to help in mental progression."

"Yuri," Merrick smirks as he puts his hands on his hips, "Breaking rules? That's not like you, that sounds like something Jamal, Sasha, or Chloe would do."

"Well, had to try something." She said as she disposes of the used equipment, and peeling off her rubber gloves, "I'm heading out in a little while, did you want a ride?"

"Maybe, I want to visit Adam for awhile."

"Alright, that's fine." Yuri nodded, "Just text me when you're ready."

"Ok... Oh, and Yuri?"

"Yes?" She turns to look at him from the door.

"Text Jamal see if he wants to go to Red Lobster tonight; I'll buy."

"Heh heh heh, ok." She smiles before walking out. Merrick sighs softly before walking around his bed, taking a seat, before softly taking his hand.

"Good news, Adam..." Merrick said quietly, "Two of the men who hurt you have been put away... For at least 5 decades. Two down, two to go..."

He closes his eyes... Picturing himself in that parking lot... Adam there, going to that car, singing to himself when someone grabs him. Adam is forced onto the pavement, before he's yanked up. Just then, a fist flies over his shoulder, and bashes the masked intruder in the face. Merrick runs, and stands in front of Adam, his hands primed and ready. His hand grabs the neck of someone, and throws them down, swings his arm and pushes someone away, letting out an almost feral roar at the attackers.

"But I wasn't there." Merrick's voice cracked, "Was I? And then I ran away, and I left you behind." He sniffed and wipes his eyes. He sees Adam is fast asleep... The doctors say that's all he pretty much does... But one of them have said he's gained a little bit of color back.

"Adam... I promise... I won't let anyone touch you again..." He huffs deeply, "Someday... I'm going to find those other two men who took you away... And this time, I'm not going to give anyone a chance to judge them... I'll do to them what they did to you 10-fold..."

Merrick watches their hands. A smile forms on his face as Adam's fingers move, gently holding and squeezing his hand.

"I'm going to be here, Adam... I'm never leaving you behind again..."