2379/A Conch Down Memory Lane

A Conch Down Memory Lane
Date of Scene:	03 March 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Laura looks for the conch with the memory of her first meeting with Hotaru, back when they were very young kids. Finding it makes her relive the event with crystal clarity, fond memories that squeeze her heart with happiness.
Cast of Characters:	Laura La Mer, Hotaru Tomoe

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Laura La Mer has posed:
After yesterday's talk with the Mermaid Queen and bringing her friends back to Tokyo, Laura had gone right back to Grand Ocean to find this supposed chamber of memories. It took her a while, but she did it, swimming through one of the kingdom's most remote hallways and finding herself in a huge room with conches and shells of all kind affixed to the walls.

A good long while after that, the mermaid had found what she had been looking for, the conch with her memories of the original meeting with Hotaru. As soon as her finger brushed against it, memories started flowing into her mind...

"Ahhhhh...." a young mermaid, no more than six years old exclaims in wonder, bursting out of the sea and gazing at a beach in the distance, tinged by the orange light of the setting sun. "So pretty!"

"So this is the human world...", she smiles impishly. "The Queen said we should never go to the human world, but it doesn't look bad at all." Maybe Laura can tell her what she has been missing out on later, and then they can visit together!

The kid mermaid swims closer and closer to the beach, and drags herself through the sandy ground, relishing in these new sensations, laying towards the burning sky. "This feels amazing. It's so bright and sparkly on land." It was getting darker, but even so, weird and charming lights dotted the land.

"What are those?" she turns on her belly and drags herself closer, peering wide-eyed at the bright yellow dots. "Uhh, where are you going?", she flails slightly at the scattering lights.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Firefly festivals had always been Hotaru's favorites. Why? Well... it was kiiiind of in her name. But, on top of that, it was what they represented. Hope. Rebirth. The souls of the departed ascending, to be reborn again... A beautiful, mesmerizing light.

In this case, however, they symbolized an inquisitive little girl who had wandered off from her mother. Her father had been busy with work and wouldn't be joining them until near the end of the festival, but that didn't bother her. Once his work was done he'd have so much more time for both of them. For now? She'd run off from her bother and was walking along the beach, as quiet as could be...

When her eyes fell on... something... crawling along the beach? Wait, it was another kid...

... A kid who was being eaten by a fish?!

Wait, no... it wasn't... a fish-eated kid... it was a mermaid! No way...

Slowly, she made her way towards the other girl as she was focusing on the fireflies.

As more of them scattered up and flew about... Laura would suddenly feel a hand on her tail. A soft, squishy hand lightly pushing on it. "Wow..." the little girl whispered. "You're a real mermaid, aren't you?" she asked. "Are you here to see the fireflies too?"

Laura La Mer has posed:
Worriedly peering at the fleeing dots, the sounds of someone else being near elude Laura's focus, and only when the pudgy hand presses on her tail, does she realise.

She has been seen. By a human.

The Queen will scold her so much!

The lights were so pretty, but she shouldn't have been so distracted, this is terrible! The small mermaid closes her eyes, and her tail flops against Hotaru's hand, a series of small jumps bringing Laura away from the other kid, in the direction of the city.

"Please don't do bad things to me!", the pinkette squeals, cautiously opening one eye to look at Hotaru. That kid knows! She is never going to let her go.

Focus, Laura. You have to be brave right now. Maybe she will not find you interesting, or something will distract her, and then it's a rush to the water, if she can be faster!

"N-no, I am not here to s-see the f-fireflies", she stammers nervously. "I don't even know what those are, so there! And this is... Yes, this is a costume! And it's all a trick of the light. I am not even here! Yes, it's all just your imaginayshun", she speaks without taking a breath.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe let out a soft, excited giggle when the tail flopped on her hand. Making cute little squishing sounds before the mermaid darted away. And then she looked up and... Her eyes practically glowed, reflecting the illuminating light of the fireflies that circled around.

"... Why would I do bad things to you? You're not a bad person, are you?" she asked, before cocking her head to the side. "I've never actually met a real mermaid before." Though, she hadn't met a fake mermaid, either.

"You... don't even know what they... oh! Oh oh oh!" And then she darted over and... Stopped, before getting too close. And then just dropped down to her knees. And kind of... using her arms. Bounce/crawled closer, before saying in an excited, hushed tone. "Do you want to see them?" she asked, before pointing towards the lights. "They're fireflies. Mama says they're the spirits of warriors who protected our world, keeping an eye on us before they go on to be reborn. So you should never never never NEVER ever squish one... but... holding one is okay." She then held out her hand.

... Nothing happened.

"... I guess I've been moving around too much, but it would have been really cool if one just landed on my hand there..." Hotaru mumbled, puffing her cheeks up a little in frustration.

"... Do you need a hand getting back in the water? Like... does it hurt to be on land? What is the costume for? Are you going to put on a play? I'm Hotaru, what's your name? Are you--"

... And then a firefly landed on her head and she went entirely still, eyes wide. "Psst... don't... make... any sudden... movements..." she whispered.

Laura La Mer has posed:
The human isn't falling for it! What does she do!? She is gazing at her, even now. Think, think. Keep calm, and find a way out. What does Grandpa Squid always says?

A memory plays in Laura hand, and a white giant squid pats the mermaid's head with one tentacle. "If trouble you pick, when the ink is thick, slip quick." Ok, let's do that.

...

She can't make ink!

Let's talk for now. She can buy time. "N-no, I am not a bad person, but humans are scary", she looks at the other girl with both eyes open.

"If you see us, bad things happen. That's what the Queen always says." She still remembers her grave tone when she told Laura that, and though she had not elaborated, that had always stayed with her.

Laura flinches slightly when Hotaru approaches her, and she is tempted to get away some more, her tailfin flopping a bit in fear. But then, she stops, and instead points to the dots. Those are the fireflies? The pretty lights?

The pinkette's watches wide-eyed the dancing dots' movements while Hotaru tells her tale, and she starts to forget her worries in the pleasant atmosphere. "That's so pretty...", and she slowly extends her open palm towards one.

And it gets away. "Ah", she briefly looks dismayed before Hotaru's warning reaches her. "Why, what is it going to do if I move? Will it burn me? I really am not a bad person", she anxiously stays still.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
"You... you think I'm scary?" Hotaru Tomoe asked. "But... but I'm not scary. I'm nice! Or... well, I try to be. Is it because I might bite? I won't bite you, promise. And I don't have claws or anything. And... ummmm... if you'd like, I could cover my eyes? Then nothing bad will happen? Or will something bad only happen once I've seen you, not while I'm seeing you? Is it too late for that?" she asked in a soft, hushed tone...

Very, very, verrrrry slowly she reached up and cupped her hands together, catching the firefly on her head in hand! She then pushed the hand forward and opened them in front of her...

The firefly flying off.

"Fireflies are good," Hotaru said softly. "If you don't move too quickly, they won't be spooked. During these times they fly all over and you can see whole clouds of them," she whispered. "But you need to be careful, or you'll scare them off."

"... Do you want to see more of the festival?" Hotaru asked. "... Is that allowed or will we get cursed?"

Laura La Mer has posed:
There was very little that could be called scary about Hotaru from Laura's perspective. Mostly the fact that she was unknown, a stranger, and part of that nebulous group called humans. And a lot of that had gone away, even if she hadn't settled completely. Plus, she was trying not to appear intimidated.

"No, not really, you don't seem very scary. But that's what a bad guy would say, that they are nice. Do you really promise you don't want to do bad things, cross your heart?", Laura stares at the other girl.

She just stares agape at the small light in Hotaru's hands, that little gem of light, nestled perfectly in between her hand. "How did you do that? What magic was it?" She grabbed the light of the warrior directly. She must clearly be accomplished.

But she is already explaining to her. And Laura just looks on in disbelief. She is really parting with her secret so easily. She really must be as nice as she says. "Are you sure you wanted to tell me so easily? Isn't it your super special secret?"

Laura looks scared again when Hotaru mentions going to the festival. "But that is full of humans, no? What if something happens to me? The Queen always says humans must not see us."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
"Ohhhh, being a bad guy could be cool. I've read the overlords list, so I know exactly what villainous things to do. And I've worked on my laugh. Though... I'd only want to be a villain in pretend, because someone might get hurt otherwise."

"... I won't do any bad things, cross my heart. And it's not magic, silly. IT's fireflies. They're nice. Mommy says I was named after them, because I always remind her there's light in the world," Hotaru said happily before getting to her feet and holding her hand out to the other girl. "Yeah. Secrets are for sharing, aren't they? If you keep a secret to yourself, then there's no fun. But if two people have a secret, then it's like being in a super secret club! And I have many powers. Like, I can hold my breath for... actually, that's likely not a cool power to a mermaid... Oh! So, what's your name?" she asked, grinning down at her.

"And it is... but if they don't see you, it's fine, right? The festival is all along the river that feeds into the ocean. Can you swim in the river? Ohhhh. Have you ever tried festival food?" she asked, grinning wide at her. She, at least, seemed excited.

Laura La Mer has posed:
The overlords what? "What does a villain laugh sound like? Can I hear it? she checks with Hotaru with a small curious smile. Promise or not, the other girl is really slipping past her defenses, and Laura isn't even realising it.

"Your mom seems nice. I don't have a mom, but the Queen is like a mom", Laura says a bit bashfully. "She is really cool and nice and everyone respects her and she always knows what to do!" the pinkette hops a bit closer to Hotaru in her excitement.

There is no hesitation in taking Hotaru's hand. Hotaru may be human, but she really isn't bad. She is really nice, and trusting her with a secret. "Thank you. Uhmm, I promise your secret is safe with me", she holds her hand tightly. "My name is Laura."

Her eyes shine when she hears of the experience being offered to her. And she might actually be safe!? "I want to see the festival and try the food, please Hotaru", she looks pleadingly. "I can swim in the river, I can avoid being seen."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
"Oh ho ho ho ho!" Hotaru said, trying to do a proper villainous laugh. "Daddy does an amazing one, whenever we play board games he'll use it." Even in those days, they were goods.

"And mama is the best! She's not a queen but she's really smart. And she's met vampires and werewolves and the rabbit in the moon and..." Her mother told a lot of stories, assuming Hotaru would grow out of them one day. And find the world wasn't as wondrous as she thought. If only she had one day learned.

"And yeah, I can! Come on, Laura! It'll be amazing!" She'd help get the mermaid back in the water, and once she was in... well... "Okay, so, like... if you swim alongside me while I'm walking, nobody will see you or they'll think you're just my friend who's swimming, right?" she asked, grinning wide. "And then when we go by the stalls, you can point at things you wanna try, okay? And we can try them! I have..." She ruffled in her pockets and... "I have.... a lot of yen." A little over a thousand, but to a kid, that was a fortune. "So we can try a whole bunch of things!" she said, eyes glimmering with delight, the fireflies dancing behind and illuminating her a little as she spoke. Like she was some kind of magical fairy for mermaids...

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura stares amazed and claps at Hotaru's villanous laugh. It was the only one she had ever heard, but that was high quality to her. Hotaru really was showing her so many things the Laura has never considered. "Did it take you a long time to make it that well? Did you try it with board games?"

She just couldn't believe that the first human she met had such an amazing family. She tries to imagine all the things Hotaru must have seen or known thanks to them, and Laura's admiration doubles, no triples. Hotaru knew so much, and had so many solutions.

Laura smiles brightly as she does a mixture of hopping and hanging onto Hotaru on the way back to the sea. She is definitely special, and even if the Queen scolds her, this is all soooooo worth it! "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Taru-chan! I want to try!", she looks cheerfully at the other girl.

Along the way, the young mermaid would hop up and down joyfully on the sea surface, and when she found an interesting seashell, she would wave at Hotaru and show it her. One especially caused her to call out in excitement. It was a spiral conch with beautiful alternating white and purple patterns.

When the sea turns into a river, Laura stays much closer to the river's edge and to her new friend, and occasionally sends playful splashes her way. There are a few seconds of hesitation, when the stalls start showing up, but a look at Hotaru renews her determination, and she swims forward all the same.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe rubbed her nose in true 'Yeah, I'm kind of awesome' manner, a big grin on her face before crossing her arms and standing tall. "It took me ages! And I learned on only the BEST board games. Like mouse trap."

Dun dun dun duuuuun.

"T-Taru-chan?" she asked, her eyes glimmering. "Ohhhhh. I like that! Yes! You can call me Taru-chan! And I'll call you... Aura-chan!" she said, gasping. "It's like you're a super power... with an aura..." she whispered.

She was, of course, overjoyed to see the shell. And eventually? She was walking amongst the stalls, buying occasional treats, and snacks, then rushing over to share them with her 'swimming' friend...

Eventually, by one of the bridges... she grinned and knelt down, putting a small, purple flower into her hair, before grinning down at her. "There! See? Now you have real flower power, Aura-chan!" she said, kneeling by the edge of the water... and also chewing on one of the pieces of takoyaki she'd gotten (she'd gotten Laura some too).

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura's mouth hangs open with her eyes wide open as Hotaru seals their friendship with her own nickname. She was a superpower? She really was a superpower? But like, whose? Superpowers just aren't a thing by themselves, no? "Can, can I be your superpower then?" she looks down bashfully.

Each treat Hotaru gives her is met with gleaming eyes, the smell endearing the weird food to Laura long before it reached her. The texture, the consistency, the taste... It was completely different from how they did things in Grand Ocean, but it was all so good! And Hotaru was getting these! For her!

"Thank you, Taru-chan, you are really kind", Laura comments between bites. This was all so much fun! She really needs to come back tomorrow. Oh, oh, and maybe she can sneak out some of Grand Ocean's own food. She really hopes Taru-chan will like it.

Eventually, the food spree slows down, and Laura has crossed her arms onto the bridge while she goes through the takoyaki. With small bites, because she was really starting to feel full.

"What flower is it?" she comments, her right hand leaving the bridge to carefully touch the flower. Then she looks down at her reflection in the water. "So pretty... Is this really my flower power?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe actually stopped for a moment when the mermaid asked if she could be HER superpower. And then nodded. "That'd be the coolest thing ever. I could have mermaid powers! I'd love for you to be my super power!" she said giddily.

It was the best thing ever for Hotaru. She didn't necessarily have a huge number of friends, as it were. Most people thought she was weird. But a mermaid was weird by default so COULDN'T think she was weird!

Of course, when asked about the flower... well... "The lotus," Hotaru said with a small grin. "It symbolizes... a lot of things, actually. Enlightenment but... I like its symbol of rebirth." It had, admittedly, cost the last of her yen to get it from one of the stall... but worth.

"Think of it like... rebirthing... and stuff. Into... a mermaid who doesn't have to be afraid of humans. Because, in the end, there's always one human you'll know who isn't scary. Even if she is a totally scary and amazing villain sometimes. Oh ho ho ho ho!" she said, before glancing away towards the sounds of gasps and awe...

The fireflies were gathering, swirling through the air as the crowds stopped to watch. Beautiful... So many lights...

Laura La Mer has posed:
She said yes, she said yes! Laura does a small flip in the hair and lands in the water again with a plop, droplets of water landing on the bridge from the result of the mermaid's happiness. She was Hotaru's superpower!

Hotaru's explanation is met with eager nods and she keeps looking at the flower's reflection with wonder permanently etched onto her face. Rebirth into a mermaid who is not afraid of humans... she can do it. "I promise, Taru-chan!"

She has a human friend now, she doesn't have to be afraid of anything, not even the Queen's scolding! She can just go there and be strong. For her friend!

Go there... Oh no, she has to go there! "Sorry, Taru-chan, I have to go back! The Queen must be looking for me! See you again, it's a promise!" She crosses her heart and then swims off between the light of the fireflies, looking back and waving at Hotaru for a long while, the noises of her tail breaking the water surface echoing back to Hotaru.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe glanced towards Laura when she started to leave... and then grinned, waving. "Bye, Aura-chan! We'll meet again, I know we will!" she called after her before waving goodbye.

After a few more moments, a voice asked from behind her. "Hotaru-chan? There you are, you worried me half to death," a woman said before walking forward and picking her up. "Where were you?"

"Mama?" Hotaru asked, looking up before grinning. "Mama! I met a mermaid! I met a mermaid today!" she said, the glee clear in her voice.

Her mother only chuckled and nodded. "Oh? Really now? Was she pretty?"

"The prettiest!"

"You know, today I met an oni," her mother said.

"Ohhhhh, was he cool?"

"Very cool," her mother said. She loved her daughter's active imagination and little games. One day she'd grow out of it and learn that magic and the like wasn't real...

But not today.