Tanked

This is stupid

Synris and Azalyss got along well, a fact I found to be reassuring. Again, Synris was kind to me and now our child and he never stopped trying to do everything he could to make up for what he did to me before Azalyss. Besides, I was happy to see Azalyss have someone to play with as he got bigger.

He was growing fast, and I just couldn't keep up. It was embarrassing, I wasn't able to play with my babe for very long before I needed a break. Synris was sure that it was because the pregnancy had weakened me and I hadn't recovered properly or I wasn't meant to recover, at least that was what he always told me when I expressed my feelings of shame. But regardless, his efforts did little to make me feel better and I still felt guilty when I couldn't play for very long.

Neither of them gave me time to mope though. Azalyss was highly intelligent and quick. He'd stop even in the middle of a game of tag with Synris the very moment he noticed I wasn't smiling. Synris would catch him then and they'd both sit with me and tease each other or me until I laughed. One day something similar happened.

The humans had just left but I didn't want to leave the sand. Azalyss came down to me first.

"Momma, get up. Let's play, come on!" He pressed his head to my back, wanting me to at least shift.

"Play with your father, he can at least keep up," I mumbled.

"I want to play with you," Azalyss insisted stubbornly.

"Fine, let's play hide and seek," I opted.

"Then you be the hider, momma," he sat beside me.

"No no, I'll be the seeker."

"No because then you won't move, and I'll be hiding for hours for no reason. Momma you got to get up, laying around like this is bad for you," He puffed. He knew that trick too well apparently.

I sighed and sat up. "Get me a brush."

Azalyss smiled and went to find his hairbrush, the strange one the human had gifted me. Playing actual games didn't last long so most times now I would just brush hair and sing or talk with him. Synris came and settled beside me as Azalyss came back and gave me his brush.

But instead of sitting so I could do his hair he threw himself into my arms and hugged me. Synris copied him and wrapped his arms around us both.

I smiled a bit and shrugged Synris off.

"Your turn is next, let me do his hair," I poked his chest with the brush before he just took it from me.

"No, I think we should do your hair," Synris smiled at Azalyss.

"Oh! Yeah!! Momma, please? I want to brush momma's hair," Azalyss looked up at me with pleading eyes.

I sighed, "Fine......" I mumbled my answer. There was no point in trying to argue either of them, I was as good as done for if they both teamed up.

Both started laughing as Azalyss moved to snuggle behind me with Synris. Naturally, I worried. These two were clearly plotting.

"What are you two planning on doing?" I started to turn to look at them but Synris stopped me.

"Ayrice, you said we could do your hair, now sit still," he was chuckling.

Uneasily I did as he said and let Azalyss brush out my hair. They were up to something. I just knew it.

Since being here I hadn't been able to cut it. Synris, who had always had long hair, had really long hair now. His was so long now it passed the tip of his tail fin. Mine was down to my dorsal fin... or what had used to be my dorsal fin.