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Being on the ship was awful, beyond even the fact that he was captured and being shipped off to stars and currents know where. No, apart from that was simply the fact that he was being kept in a tiny tank of water, which none of the ship’s crew bothered to clean or change, only topping it off if too much spilled or evaporated. That meant that he had been confined to a space too small to properly swim in, or even stretch out his tail, full of disgusting, still and stale water he couldn’t properly breathe in, which in turn forced him to breathe air instead, which smelled quite terrible - of rotting fish, unknown goods and sweaty human bodies. Goro mused that even if he was starving he’d rather not eat these humans, surely they must taste dreadful. There weren’t many topics to muse on though, so he chose to listen to the goings on of the ship he had been confined to.
It must have been night now, and they seemed to have anchored at some kind of port. Earlier in the day the noise level had increased greatly, and the rocking of the vessel subsided as it stopped its travel. There had been stomping and talking and screaming all evening, and then drunken singing later on, but now it was mostly quiet, save for the occasional snore somewhere behind a wall. Which is why Goro was all the more curious when his ears picked up the quietest squeaking of the ship boards on top, as if someone walked the deck trying to create as little noise as possible. The merman strained his ears, trying to pick up on anything else, but for long, torturous minutes everything went quiet. Then there was a scrabbling sound, gentle against the metal lock that kept the cabin where Goro was held closed, until it softly clicked open and a figure cloaked in black stepped in. And then froze, staring directly at Goro.
The only visible feature of the thief’s face were the eyes, the rest of the face covered with a cloth, but those eyes are locked onto the merman, wide, mesmerized. The thief steps slowly, softly, not a sound emerging from his movement save for a barely perceptible rustle of clothing, and moves closer and closer to the tank. A gloved hand reaches to touch the glass, those eyes still locked on the merman, awe and wonder clear in their gaze.
Goro waits patiently until the human is inches away from him, and then flashes a toothy grin, leaning over the edge of his tank.
“Hello.”
The human flinches, letting out a startled squeak, and stumbles back, immediately shooting a panicked glance at the door. Their attention then shifts back to the merman, as they cautiously step closer.
“Do you… understand me?” The voice was undeniably male, deep, but with a softness Goro hadn’t heard any of the ship’s crew possessing.
“Of course I do.” Goro can’t help rolling his eyes. Even if the humans’ speak sits oddly on his tongue, he knows it.
“Alright.” The young man nods, seemingly trying to make sense of the situation. “This is… you shouldn’t be here.” There is certainty in his voice, in his statement. Certainty, and compassion, which surprises the merman even more than the softness before.
“Yeah, no shit.” Goro takes pleasure in the surprise on the human’s face as he hears the merman swear. “You know, we could do each other a favor.” At the questioning glare he continues. “I could not alert the guards to your presence here if you help me get out.”
Goro wasn’t dumb, he knew a better chance would not present itself. And he needed to get out of here as fast as possible, he couldn’t risk the ship crew taking him onto dry land where he’d be even more helpless. Where he might get trapped forever.
The human sputters, flustered, but finds his footing again quickly.
“Of course I was going to help get you out of here! You don’t have to threaten me.” The young man shakes his head, exasperated. “But! You have to keep quiet, or we’ll both get caught. You will be fine without water for a few minutes, right?”
The merman’s grin grew even wider as he vaulted himself up by the arms.
“I’ll be fine. Now get me out of here.” He beckons the human over. “Careful about the fins.”
It takes some finagling, but eventually the human has Goro in his arms, secure enough that the merman does not fear being dropped. And with that begins their ascent from the bowels of the ship, step after careful step. The thief kept stopping in his tracks with every creak of the boat, listening for movement, for anyone who could discover them, but it was smooth sailing, all the way to the main deck. There, lit by a single oil lamp and the light of the moon, is one of the sailors, keeping guard.
“When he’ll turn away I’ll throw you overboard. Swim away as fast as you can.” The human’s voice is barely audible, more of a breath than a whisper.
Goro is about to nod, but upon second thought there is a discrepancy.
“What about you?”
“I’ll figure something out.”
The thief must be grinning under his mask, because his eyes are full of mischief, crinkled a little from his face shifting. It is easier to see in the moonlight than it was under the deck, in that murky, stale darkness. Goro wants to see the rest of his face, but there is no time as the thief hoists him up a little higher and sprints to the side of the ship. The guard spots them and starts after them, screaming, no doubt waking others. There’s no way his thief would be able to get away with this, so as the human pushes him overboard, the merman holds on tighter, pulling the young man along with him.
“Wha- waaaaait!”
But it is too late, they crash into the water below, sinking below the surface, and now it is Goro’s turn to pull the human along, away from the ship, away from the docks.The merman almost loses himself to the waves, the feeling of cool, clean water on his gills, the relief in his body at finally being able to stretch out and move, but gets pulled back by the human clawing at his arms, struggling to escape his grip. At that Goro slows down, stops, resurfaces.
The human rips the soaked mask off his face, gasping for air, coughing the salt water out. With the moon so bright Goro can finally see his face - young, probably younger than the merman himself, handsome, perhaps, but delicate at the same time, with a feline quality to it. Although now the human looks up at him blearily, still catching his breath.
“That was… a tad excessive. But I suppose it worked.” The human laughs, a breathless and raspy sound that unexpectedly warms Goro’s heart. “Now, any chance you could get me back to shore? Without drowning, if that’s an option.”
“Cheeky.” Goro shakes his head, chuckling, holding the human up on the surface. “I’ll see what I can do. But you don’t suppose I dish out help for free?”
“Oh? Is that so?” The thief grins, brushing wet hair off his face, leaning closer into the merman. “I’m afraid I don’t have much. Was up there in the first place ‘cause I overheard the captain bragging he had some pearl of the seven seas stashed away in his ship. Although I suppose I did succeed in stealing just that.” He laughs again, fuller, now, the sound rumbling in his chest.
Goro can’t help a condescending snort. Serves that man right, his bragging had earned Goro’s freedom.
“I have no use for your human money. But I would like to learn my savior’s name.”
“I don’t see why you can’t.” The human smirks. “You can call me Akira. And do you have a name as well?”
“Goro. Call me Goro.”
“Very well, Goro.” Akira smiles, warm, little lines forming under his eyes. “Would you, please, take me to shore?”
“I don’t see why not.”