Where after a nightmare, Geno attempts for a 2nd time search for his necklace, only to end up finding… something different.

Geno's POV:

I dive and the water surrounds me. I feel my tail forming. I'm frantically searching for something. I feel like this. But what? I'm only moving and listening. I can't see, everything is black. My mouth moves, I'm saying something but I can't hear my own voice. Is it even me in the dream? I can't control what I'm doing.

I let myself swim, waiting to see what will happen next since I can't see for now. I feel I'm saying a word again. Like I call someone. I swim faster and then I feel… I wrap my arms around something. For a moment nothing. And then, I press my mouth firmly against something, blowing air and-… wait.

I finally can see. What is he doing here?! Did I just-?! Oh GOD! This is a nightmare! That snarky bastard?! He looks straight at me at first surprised but then… he smiles. Rather tenderly??? His right hand moves, holds my left and intertwines our fingers together. His free hand approaches my face and rests it on my cheek, stroking it gently.

He doesn't wear gloves. The sensation of his bony thin fingers touching me feels cold, colder than the water surrounding us. Then he holds my other hand too and intertwines his fingers with mine. The time seems to freeze and we stay right how we are, feeling like eternity.

I am sure now, it's me in the dream. I just can't control what I do. I'll have to go with it and tolerate it. But somehow that whole situation, even if I don't want to, feels… magical.

But not for long. Suddenly both the Captain's eyesockets go empty, his smile drops. He doesn't look directly at me rather… somewhere behind me. And then I hear a loud crazy scream. I finally turn. A creature covered in blood is nailing eyes on me as it swims towards us at high speed.

I feel both his hands on my cheeks. I turn my head, only to feel his teeth pressing against mine. It feels like he takes air and I let him! What the f*ck is this nightmare?! No, calm down, it will be over soon. Then…

Why do I feel concerned? Why do I feel something clenching my chest?

I feel I'm saying something. But again I can't hear what. He smiles in a melancholic way as his hands are placed on my shoulders.

Only to push me down with force. Only for a fleeing moment I see the creature grabbing him and swimming fast ahead with him.

"REAPEEER!!!"

"Signomi erota moo…"

This is the last thing I short of hear before all icon is wiped away and I wake up.

No one's POV:
-

Geno sat on his bed opening his eyesocket wide. No scream came out of his mouth, he seemed to struggle take air. On his attempt he fell off his bed on the floor prone. Finally he started inhaling and exhaling rapidly. He placed one hand on his chest, his soul was beating extremely fast.

"What was… this F*CKED up nightmare?! Why… why was I so scared of it?! WHY?!" Slowly Geno stood up, supporting himself on the bed. He reached for his glass on the drawer next to the bed and swallowed the water it had in it. That calmed him down more. He started breathing slower.

In the end he took one deep slow breath and exhaled also slowly. He looked around the room. He could barely see. He listened closely. Only the crickets outside were heard. He approached Alter's bed. The priest wasn't laying there. Where was he?

"Perhaps he tries to eavesdrop again." Geno murmured and was about to exit the room and confirm that thought.

I'm still here…

He froze and looked behind him. Who said that? He looked around the room.

Search again. Just like yesterday.

Geno flinched hearing again that same voice. He walked slowly towards where he believed the source was, near Alter's bed. He stayed motionless and waited.

Under the bed

He looked underneath. Alter's bag was there. Immediately he got flashbacks of what happened yesterday when he tried to find his necklace and for a moment hesitated.

You can't leave without the necklace

Geno clenched his fists feeling the battle inside him raging more and more. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore. He needed that necklace. God, he couldn't ignore it. And so he snatched the bag and brought it in front of him as he sat on his knees. He stayed motionless staring at the bag, seeming to hesitate again. But eventually he opened it.

He started searching, taking out all stuff slowly. He saw on the surface first, 2 shirts and 2 trousers. He didn't stop there. His hand dived deeper in the bag. His hand felt and pulled out as it seemed in the dark, a little black book. He looked at it from all sides but didn't open it and left it on the bed. He had to keep searching.

His hand reached the bottom and started palpating. After a few seconds his hand felt something smooth, with sharp angles and many surfaces, but without chain. Curiosity took over him and took it out either way. He froze in awe as the object he was holding shone on his face with a soft pinkish red light.

It was a beautiful gem, dark pink, which at some sides had lilac tones. From wherever Geno was turning it, it's colors were alternately glowing. It looked like a teardrop, but it was cut in a way that made it rather look more like… Geno got so distracted by that gem, with difficulty he managed come back to his senses.

He let it down carefully and his hand dived again in the bag. He palpated the bottom and soon felt-… Geno's iris disappeared. He slowly pulled out more the thing he felt grabbing, not all of it. No, he wasn't mistaken when he felt he had grab chain. And when he saw it glowing golden…

He didn't know at that moment what emotion had the best of him. Anger? Fear? Confusion? All of them?

"Geno?"

He flinched, his head twitched and looked up. Standing to the opening with crossed arms, Alter was staring down at him with a very unreadable expression only him knew how to give.

Geno's POV:
-

"What are you doing with my stuff?" Alter asks calmly. Despite I'm cursing myself for getting caught -again- I think that he owes some explanation. I look again at the chain I'm holding and glaring I take out the whole thing without staring at it twice.

"What is this Alter?" I ask holding back the urge to scream and wake everyone up.

"A necklace." He replies without betraying the slightest agitation. Which irritates me even more.

"And what is it doing in your bag?" I ask, my voice getting a little bit louder. His eyesockets suddenly turn to daggers. He stares at me with more seriousness.

"I should be asking what does something that belongs to me is in your hands." He has the audacity say to my face that it's his property?! But then he sighs. "I think ya need to take a better look at what you're holding…" He says then. I turn and look at the necklace.

Enough for my anger to vanish and soon realise what big mistake I did. This is not the round necklace I got from the first moment. It's golden, yes. But the pendant doesn't remind anything of what I got in the first place. This pendant is a winged symbol, like the one I've seen on Alter's cassock.

My hand instantly leave it and it falls on the floor. I go back and lower my head. Not again, WHY?! Now, this is where Alter's gonna stop trusting me near his stuff! Again he's gonna get the wrong idea! I hear his steps approaching me slowly but I don't have the courage look up to him.

But looking with the edge of my eyesocket I see he doesn't pay attention to me. He only kneels, gets the necklace and cram it in his bag again. He then takes the little gem. He stares at it for a few seconds but then he stares at me for a fleeing moment and exhales from his nose rather frustrated.

"… What are these jewels? How did you get them?" I ask hesitantly. Despite how we are right now, it really is curious. How come these 2 valuable jewels are in Alter's bag? I thought he doesn't keep valuable stuff for himself. He turns to my direction still kneeled. His look is sharp and I shiver.

"The necklace is from Vincent. The gem, I found it by luck. But surely they're π ø π ə of your business." He says the word none with such changed voice I barely understand it but either way I jump surprised. Holy f*ck, his voice sounded like a deep snarl of a wild animal or something! Despite his expression seems still calm.

"Al? Are you mad now?" I ask. He turns to look at me, he's smiling!

"No son…" He says.

"Phe-"

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He says that and as he looks at me his eyesockets are pitch black empty, his teeth clenched. I start shaking. I have never seen him be so angry with me. Well, he had flipped to others a little bit badly, but never to me until tonight. His face approaches close to mine.

"Holyyy-…"

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I feel loosing my sh*t even more and shake harder. He kinda sounds like Error when he was stressed, but right now it's way worse! My mouth can't even open to form a sentence, I'm only paralysed in fear as I stare at him. Why is he so mad?! He can't be so mad only because I searched his bag, why?!

"Yes Sir…" I eventually manage to say, slowly nodding.

"… ¥ ə § § i r w h æ t?" Alter asks then crossing his arms. He's still mad, though he sounds a little calmer. But I'm not any less scared for this.

"Yes Sir I won't touch your stuff ever again!" I say feeling my spirit any second now ready to leave this realm. Alter looks down to me silent with the same exact expression and suddenly his hand approaches to my head. I shut my eyesocket, unable to react.

But the only thing I feel is his hand gently petting the top of my skull. I look at him hesitant and he's now suddenly completely calm, smiling, as if nothing happened! Then he stands up and stretches his hand for me to hold. Gulping silently, for I still am not sure how he feels at the moment, I accept his help and stand up too.

Then he closes eyesockets, claps his hands and places them on his left cheek as if he does gesture of sleep. But he does it in a graceful cheerful way, which again shows no relation with his outburst from a minute ago. He's also smiling wide.

"I'm glad to hear we understand each other! Please don't try steal stuff from me again. Let this be the 2nd and last time it happens." He says. I nod, he nods and then points to my bed go sleep. I obey silently and lay down with my back on him. There is no way I was mistaken! I know I heard the necklace calling me from his bag!

Then how come I didn't find it?! I try to sleep, avoiding bring back to my mind the terrifying look Alter gave me as he was telling me to not touch his stuff. Guess I won't be getting to the necklace soon.

Alter's POV:
-

Congratulations Alter, you scared him!

Speak softly and carry a big stick they say when words doesn't pass to someone stubborn. But you overdid it. I facepalm and look down. As much soulless as it might sound, sometimes I really don't care what negative impact I might leave on the other, anger, fear, annoyance. Whatever.

Sadly I don't do that only with rude people who manage touch even a little my peace and affect it, but I've end up confusing and surprising negatively close to me people and friends if I'm not careful. And I wouldn't care, only after a long time. However a few minutes ago, that was absolutely unnecessary!

I really didn't mean to scare Geno. I didn't mean to get angered like that. But since the day I got that symbol, it puts me in a real test handling my emotions…

*sigh*

I open the bag again and diving my hand in it I open the secret pocket. After making sure Geno's necklace is still there I close it and put down the bag normally. Another of Yalin's additions with his excellent technique in sewing and handling fabrics.

The report of tonight's eavesdrop? Tefra is now rather confused about us. She suspects us less and especially after what Atalanta told her, that she investigated us her way and she found nothing suspicious. She called her not just to have fun but simply to investigate us too. I should have understood that faster.

Hmmm… odd. But she should have found out by now who our goals are. I mean Atalanta has many spies who can tell her the slightest of things as a mermaid she is. I'm not sure what's going on, but even if she and the siblings haven't found out anything about us, me and Geno must hurry.

The more we stay here, the longer they will search clues about us. And if Atalanta hears from some animal- or if any mermaid guard for that matter, hears where we came from, I see the hangman's noose greeting us soon.

I shouldn't be filling my skull with such thoughts. I cross myself and clench my little wooden cross necklace. I have to keep hoping and believing… I kneel and press my elbows on the mattress of the bed I'm sleeping. I look outside the open window and intertwine my fingers still holding my cross.

Enough happened today and unlike the other days, now I feel more than ever I need a strong prayer. I lower head and close eyesockets.

"O Mary, my Mother, I kneel before you with heavy heart. The burden of my sins oppresses me. The knowledge of my weakness discourages me. I am beset by fear and temptation of every sort. Yet I am so attached to the things of this world that instead of longing for Heaven I am filled with dread at the thought of death.

 O Mother of Mercy, have pity on me in my distress. You are all-powerful with your Divine Son. He can refuse no request of your Immaculate Heart. Show yourself a true Mother to me by being my advocate before His throne. O Refuge of Sinners and Hope of Hopeless, to whom shall I turn if not you?

 Obtain for me, then, O Mother of Hope, the grace of true sorrow for my sins, the gift of perfect resignation to God’s Holy Will, and the courage to take up my cross and follow Jesus.

 But above all I pray, O dearest Mother, that through your most powerful intercession, my heart may be filled with Holy Hope, so that in life’s darkest hour I may never fail to trust in God my Saviour, but by walking in the way of His commandments I may merit to be united with Him, and with you in the eternal joys of Heaven. Amen.

2700 words. uuuh, honestly don't have anything to say here important? just stay determined, safe, adorable, cute. yeah. that's all. byeee *pat pat*