“Y’know, I really like how you look in that tank, but I’d like it if you were more… interactive,” Jules mused, staring into the dirty water where the mer lay, curled up in a ball in the corner. “Hmmm, whatever shall we do, Lucian?” The mer stayed where he was, staring through the glass.
“Well, lucky for us, I bought something off of the dark web-” Jules paused, waiting for the mer’s response, which didn’t come. “Oh, you don’t know what that is? Oh well. Anyways, this should help.” He rummaged around in a drawer for a moment, then slammed it shut noisily, which got a flinch from the mer. “Oops, probably left it somewhere.” He ducked out of the room, leaving the door wide open. The creature in the tank wouldn’t try to escape. The lid on the tank was flimsy and had cracks in it, but it was enough.
Lucian finally raised his head, stretching out his tail as far as it could in the small space. It was as close to comfortable as he had been for however long he had been there. He hadn’t said anything all day, too tired from the previous day to do anything but lean back against the unforgiving corner of the murky tank that was somehow always dirty. Lucian knew it wasn’t because of the algae that grew at the edges, though. The tank was dirty because of him. He knew his place. He shouldn’t have been so tired. Jules was only trying to help him, after all.
Based on the bits and pieces Lucian picked up of what Jules had said earlier, he assumed he didn’t want him gone. Lucian just needed to be… what? More interactive? He raised his head and sat up straighter, not entirely sure of the meaning of the word but willing to learn. He needed to learn to be better. And Jules would help. He always did things with good intentions. That was what he had told Lucian, anyways. Lucian believed him. He did. He needed to.
“Ah yes, here we go. Did you miss me?” Jules came back in the room, holding a cigarette in his teeth and a filled syringe in his hand. He set the syringe down on the table and rapped on the glass with a knuckle, making Lucian flinch. “Hey. You gonna respond, boy? I’m asking you a question. Didja miss me?”
Heart pounding in his chest, Lucian resisted the urge to curl in on himself. “Um- uh, yes. Yes, Jules. I missed you.” And just like that, Jules’s smile returned to his face. He left Lucian alone for a few blissful seconds while he turned around, grabbed the syringe, and presented it to Lucian with a flourish.
“This, was very expensive. But if it’s for you, my boy, it’s okay.” He waited, staring at Lucian, for him to respond.
“Thank, thank you, Jules. Thank you for buying it.” Lucian didn’t know if that was the right answer, but with the room spinning around him as much as it was he couldn’t think of a better one.
“You’re welcome, Lucian.” The mer blew out a breath. His answer had been satisfactory, but he would have to pay more attention to not slip up in the future. “It’s called transformative medicine. It’ll make you human, so we don’t have this stupid barrier in the way!” Jules knocked on the glass again, and Lucian pressed himself against the back of the tank. “Oh, come on, don’t look so scared. Won’t you be glad to finally have more room to move around?”
Lucian forced his head up and arms in front of him, the way Jules liked. “Yes... I would. Thank you, Jules,” came the automatic answer.
“Well? Aren’t you going to come out and- oh, whoops, I need to take the lid off, don’t I? It’s okay, my boy, I trust that you can be good enough without it.”
Lucian nodded in what he hoped was eagerly, sucking water through his gills and swimming up to the top of the tank, bumping his head on the hard plastic moments before it lifted off the top and fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Come on now. Don’t leave me waiting.” Jules grabbed hold of Lucian and hoisted him the rest of the way out, laying him on the dusty floor. “Oh right, sorry Lucian. First I gotta collect your scales. How do you think I pay for all this, huh? Did you think you could just get a reward without earning it?”
Leaning up against the other side of the tank, Lucian’s heart sank. He could do with the pain of a syringe, it was just a quick little poke. But the last time Jules had scraped the scales off his tail, he had passed out and his tail was still sore in some spots.
“Alright, ya ready?” Jules turned around flicking open a switchblade that Lucian didn’t remember ever seeing him pick up, and walked back around, hovering over the mer on the ground. “Remember, my boy, your scales are why I love you. They’re worth a lot, and they let me pay for this place! It may not look like it in this room, but once you explore the rest of the house you’ll see. It’s all because of you, Lucian!” Jules pushed Lucian up against the tank, holding his tail against the wall with one hand and adjusting his grip on the switchblade with the other.
Lucian couldn’t take his eyes off the blade that was steadily getting closer to the scales that had dulled considerably in his time spent in the tank. When the point finally touched his tail, the mer let a high pitched whine escape his throat, trying to instinctively get away. “Nhh-No, stop-”
“Really Lucian? I don’t even do this that often! Wow, you really can’t do anything right, huh? All I want is for you to be good for me. I thought that’s what you wanted too. Well, alright. If that’s what you really choose, I guess we’ll have to use the muzzle.” Jules’s face turned angry for the first time that day, which sent Lucian into a panic.
“No, no-ot the muzzle, I’ll be g-good, I won’t yell, I- I’ll be good, it’s what I want, I’m sorry, ‘m sorry Jules, I’ll be better, I can, I can get better, please!” Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall, but the sight did nothing to sway Jules.
“No, you’re still getting the muzzle. It’s for your own good. You’ll remember better next time.” Lucian’s rambling got louder and louder, until the words were incoherent and he was shuddering against the glass. He took a deep breath and screamed.
Jules dropped the piece of leather and covered his ears with his hands, stalking toward the mer. “Would you shut up, boy?” Lucian didn’t hear him over the sound of his own fear. “Shut up! What did I tell you about screaming!” Taking one hand off his ear, Jules slapped Lucian across the face, and the horrible screeching stuttered and stopped, leaving the mer exhausted and stunned. Before Lucian could react, Jules had secured the straps of the muzzle on him, cinching them too tight around his head and neck. Lucian could only stare up at him with wide, pleading eyes that did nothing to ease Jules’s anger.
“Christ, boy, why do you have to make things harder than they should? This is routine, you know that. I thought you knew better.” The switchblade came again, but this time there was nothing but white-hot intense pain.
