How to Catch a Fish (ManxMan)

Original Chapter Twenty: Cool as a Sea Cucumber

~Chapter Twenty: Cool as a Sea Cucumber~

A great way to start the day is to wake up in the arms of my soul mate after a dreamless sleep. The day only improved when it was discovered at breakfast that Leander would not be around for the next few days, as he would be going on a trip to the Indian Ocean to check on the Mer there. It is only right, after all, that he would make a personal visit to check on some old friends, and I am definitely not complaining. Conversation at the table had never been so loud, or so much fun.

And ever since my fearful confession to Nero and his many, many assurances a few days ago, I have been in rather high-spirits. It helps that I no longer feel like a prisoner or a guest here, but rather, one of the castle's more permanent occupants. My mood was made even better by the fact that I managed to talk down my guard count so that it went from five to two. However, I know that he only agreed to it because he trusts my ability to follow orders, not me specifically.

Nero says that I still get depressed – even if I do not always know it – and continue to cling to him when it is bad enough, but he makes it easier for me by never going too far and letting me hangout in his office, even if he is meeting someone. The best part, though, is that he never fails to hug me when I ask. Just to make sure he does not grow tired of my request, I rarely ask, but it still feels nice.

Sadly, though, all good things must come to an end eventually. And by eventually, I mean just as we are heading to lunch.

"Nero-shinmet," someone calls, and we both turn around to look at the servant rapidly approaching, "the dolphin trappers have been located and Felix-shinmet wishes to speak with you in the king's conference room."

Inhaling sharply, Nero releases a silent curse before turning to me. "Can I trust you to go to the kitchen by yourself?" He asks. Even though he is technically looking up at me, the mistrustful look he has on his face makes it feel more like the other way around.

However, I have no intention of being left out of the loop and do my best to ignore his expression. Instead, I plaster on a mischievous smirk and say, "You really shouldn't. The smart thing to do would be to bring me with you."

While he looks completely unimpressed by my not-so-subtle manipulation, Nero does not argue, nor does he suggest calling someone to escort me. "Thank you," he says after a moment, addressing the servant. Said servant immediately bows before walking off, leaving us to go to the room ourselves.

Where we end up is not Felix's office, but the king's meeting room. Since Felix is technically king until his father returns, it is not a surprise that he would make use of this bigger room to fit more people instead of his smaller office. The stand-in king does not look surprised to see that I will be joining them and merely gestures for us to sit at the large table with seven other Mer, all of whom are in uniform. Their ranks range from captain to general.

"Now we can get started," Felix says, before gesturing towards a Mer with the rank of major. "Tell them what you told me."

The major stands up and goes to stand in front of a large map on the wall adjacent to Nero and me. "At o'eight-hundred hours, a scout located one of the kill sites known as Taiji cove in Japan. I suspect we had not found it before due to our lack of patrols in the area.

"This, here, is where they trap the dolphins," the major states, pointing towards a red pin on the map, which is just off the coast of a long island. "They appear to be preparing for another hunt, though we do not know when it will take place. It could be today, or it could be in a week."

Beside me, Nero tenses up, though his expression remains neutral. If I was not already used to his small tells, I would not have known how eager he is. "What is the plan of action?" Nero asks his brother when the major sits back down.