A fishy tail

Chap 1

Ever since he was small, Papyrus was fascinated by the ocean. Everything about it; the water, how currents worked, how the vegetation grew, how monsters and humans have explored more of Space than the damn ocean! But there were two things Papyrus was more fascinated than anything else-- the life, and the legends.

The diversity of the species in the ocean was amazing- everything from mammals to the well-known sharks, to the not so well known Fluorescent-colored sea squirts. And the Legends. Surreal creatures, maybe even monsters like up here, who'd adapted to life under the sea. Namely, mermaids. It was a fact that mermaids existed, though whether or not they still did was a mystery. They avoided the land-dwellers expertly-- the most evidence that someone had of their still-present existence was a brief footage of a large purple furred creature- the blurry figure's features remarkably resembled a rabbit monster, though adapted to sea-life. But that had been years ago.

Even as a baby bones, Papyrus knew what he wanted to do when he grew up. He wanted to work in an Aquarium, but not any kind. A Rehabilitation center, where he'd be able to directly help injured creatures to eventually release them back to their natural environment, or if they were too injured or disabled, to find a place where they'd be cared for- safe and healthy. And after studying for years, going to college, he landed himself a job in such a place. As if that alone was not good enough, his two (only) friends worked here too! Alphys had a similar passion for the oceanic life, one of the many things she'd rant about, only second to Anime. However, the lizard monster was more of a Doctor than a care-taker, a very important job! Undyne worked here as a Guard, mostly working night shifts, but sometimes scheduling messed things around.

Papyrus was very, very content with his job. The skeleton monster had been working here for exactly three years when the most exciting thing of his career, possibly even his life, occurred.

In their area, a mermaid had been rescued and brought in to their Facility.

From what Papyrus was told, it sounded bad. The poor thing had been captured in a fishing net- had thrashed and severely hurt themselves, though in Alphys's call she'd explained the wounds looked far too deep to just be from fishing nets. Papyrus had hurried over as soon as he heard the news, excited and hoping the poor monster hadn't been hurt too badly.

The drive there wasn't too long, a fact he was thankful for in this very instance. Papyrus doubled checked that his car was locked before rushing into the building, quickly following the 'Employees Only' signs to his destination. Their work place was a bit more.... closed. Not a lot of people were hired, but the ones who were were always ready to be on call in emergencies. Alphys and a co-worker, Felix, were the only other ones there right now. The small transportation tank was filled with cloudy red, the injured mermaid lying on the table

Papyrus was momentarily stunned.

To actually see a mermaid. And for this mermaid to be part skeleton monster of all things. A double rare, almost impossible odds, and yet here they were. Papyrus now understands why Alphys had insisted that he come, that he was absolutely necessary for this one, knowing full well he'd come to any sort of emergency anyway. The skeleton snapped out of his brief shock- hurrying over to the table side to assist.

The mermaid was a little thing- their upper body at least. Their tail was longer than their upper body, made of magic. The gray scales had a blue tint, beginning just underneath their rib-cage. It was easy to see the injuries. One of the mermaid's pectoral fins were missing- the magic torn open, raw and bleeding. A few of their ribs were cracked, and there were many other gashes, the smaller ones caused by the fishing net, but it seemed as if they'd been attacked by something before-hand, as Alphys had said.

Their sockets were closed, exhaustion burned bruises underneath. (They were cute, Papyrus noted.)

Papyrus helped the best he could, doing as told or instructing them on how to do something if they were unsure. While they worked, the isolation tank was being prepared for their newest guest. It was always well-kept, as they'd never be sure when something would need to be in there. The wounds were cleaned, and Alphys was almost done sewing when the mermaid jerked. Their sockets snapped open, eyelights tiny in fear--- a hiss escaped them and they thrashed underneath their hands. Their struggling would undo all the stitches!! Weren't they supposed to be drugged?!

They had to make a choice. Either keeping them out longer and risking them tearing out all of the stitches, further injuring themselves, or putting them in the isolation tank and attempting to fix whatever damage was caused later. The latter would cause less harm and stress--- the choice was clear. The three monsters struggled to carry the flailing monster up the stair-case and to the top, where they (unfortunately) none too gently released them into the water. The mermaid darted to the bottom, the water stained red briefly before it dispersed.

" I Think At Least Two Stitches Tore" Papyrus comments, the first to break the stunned silence.

" Yeah. That was rough" Felix sighed, wiping his paws off on his pants as he started his way back down the stairs. For a cat monster, and for someone working in this facility, he disliked handling anything 'fishy' quite a bit.

" W-we'll have to keep an eye on them. If it gets too much we'll have to, uh, take them out. I- they shouldn't of woken up? Does the anesthesia humans use not work on skeletons?" Alphys questions, looking up to Papyrus. Now that he had a chance, he could see how tired his friend was. She must of stayed up all night again, whether it be because of work, anxiety, or anime. Or maybe all three.

" No. It Doesn't Work" Papyrus informed. He felt his soul get heavy with concern and worry. They'd used the kind of drug they normally use on the animals here, but that kind doesn't work on skeletons. His species had too high magic-- it'd burn through it in minutes. That meant their newest guest felt it all- they must of been super out of it if they hadn't woken up right away.

" That's... oh-oh god. They-"

" Don't Blame Yourself, Alphys! You Couldn't Of Known" Papyrus reassures her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She opens her mouth to protest, but cuts herself off. With a heavy sigh, he sees her try to shake herself from that line of thinking.

" R-right. Okay. There's not much we can do tonight but keep an eye on t-them. In an hour the next shift starts, I'm going to s-stay until then. What about you?" Alphys asks.

" Of Course I'm Going To Stay!"

Alphys looks relieved. The two head down the stairs, walking around to the front of the tank to observe their guest. This tank, unlike the other tanks, is made to not to so invasive. There are several 'widows' into the container instead of an entire wall being see-through. It helps lower stress, most of the time anyway. The mermaid looks to be drifting into unconsciousness, eyelights hazy with exhaustion. Its a bit worrying, but perhaps some sleep will do them good?