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[anon_jigen]

THE DRESSING UP MEME

Rules:

♢ Post a top level with the character name and canon

♢ Reply to others, with your character dressing them up for whatever reason. Scenarios are available if you can't think up one yourself.

♢ ???

♢ Profit

Scenarios:

1 ♢ Bet - Congrats, you've lost a bet, and that means letting the other person dress you up. Fingers crossed that they're merciful.

2 ♢ Kink - That's right. Whether uniform, costume, or very liberal ideas of what constitutes an outfit and not 'public indecency', you've convinced this poor sod into letting you play dress up with them.

3 ♢ Incognito - This time, it's all work. Really. That's your excuse, and you're sticking to it.

4 ♢ Halloween - Whether you're actually trick or treating or you're just attending some sort of costume party, you're the one in charge of costumes tonight.

5 ♢ Wild Card - Do you need a reason to dress up?

Need an idea for some clothes?: Here, have at you.

Comments

[monopolybanker]

( Someone with a tad more shame with Azul would acknowledge how redundant it is for a sea-themed restaurant to engage in a rabbit-themed holiday, given sea animals eat eggs on a fairly regular basis, but, tragically, Azul hasn’t the slightest bit of shame. If the public will spend on bunnies and their silly little eggs, then the public is getting their bunnies and eggs. Toss in some themed menu items, some buy-two-get-one-ten-percent-off deals, and servers done up in costume, and he had himself a recipe for easy profit.

While most students were satisfied with putting on some bunny ears and calling that a celebration, this fell short of acceptable for Mostro Lounge servers, and it’s this dedication to mass appeal that made the Lounge so popular on this particular day. The traditional Lounge standard is black gloves with a sleeveless button-up blouse (the bow is a given) and high-waist slacks, naturally finished with black bunny ears and tail (which is, incidentally, quite easy to modify from the dorm uniform, should they need spares). Wedges and heels recommended, so basically mandatory, unless your names are Jade and Floyd, in which case, please, it is absolutely not recommended at all because you’re already so disgustingly tall. Still, Azul won’t stop them if they want to battle with the terror of heels— Azul doesn’t dress up for this event, so it’s not his problem.

Or, at least... it wasn’t. )

... Please explain to me again why the owner of an establishment should be out there serving meals?

( That’s not his actual question, and he knows Jade knows it; he’s not so proud that he thinks he’s above keeping his precious venue running when it needs the help. They’re unfortunately understaffed due to their recent anemone shortage, which is one thing, but the problem is that anyone on the floor serving has got to be in costume— so if Azul leaves the VIP room and takes the floor, he needs to get changed.

Worst of all, he’d debuted a variation to their costumes this year, thanks to the generous donation of a drama student in need of Azul’s help. Same idea: the ears and tail with a sleeveless button-up bow blouse, and a high waist cut, but this time with shorts and black tights, to keep it classy, not trashy (that’s what Azul had said, but, being frank, the shorts are pretty short). These variations proved equally popular, if not more so, than their initial standard, and so Azul had been quite proud of them... until it turned out those were the only versions they had spares of. He would have had half a mind to tell one of the slacks-wearing servers to strip, if there’d been anyone else close to his size. )

[mementomoray]

[Really, truly, there was nothing to be ashamed of. Where there were odd human traditions, there was profit - and Azul and his Mostro Lounge were always chasing profit. In fact, it was almost amusing, in its own twisted way, to see the lounge transformed for these occasional events, pandering to whims and customs of the land-dwellers, who were always so, so eager to throw their money at overpriced limited edition items and experiences.

Experiences - because this year the recommended costume for servers was a little bit... different. A little more risque. A little more tempting, for those weak fools who were feeling the strain of living and learning in an all boys school.

Ah. Perhaps that was why they were rather short-staffed. Certain individuals who could usually be called upon to fill in for an hour or two were, instead, on the reservation list, and Azul himself was having to step forward and lend a hand.

And, well, if Jade and Floyd didn't exert quite as much pressure on some would-be anemones, then they had a certain level of plausible deniability - seeing Azul get involved in the festivities would be their own little treat, since they couldn't partake in the lounge's other offerings.]

Because Floyd has elected to bartend, today, Azul.

[And, really, it was so much easier to let Floyd's whims dictate the role he played in the lounge - especially on busy days. It made the operations run much more smoothly, and if his twin decided he preferred a different role in the middle of his shift, either Azul or Jade himself could flex and fill the space he left behind. It was normal for them. Comfortable. Easy.

They usually weren't costumed.

For his own part, Jade had elected to "set a good example" and go with the new variant. Complete with sky high heels, if only because of how adamant Azul had been that he and Floyd didn't need to wear them because of their height already. The upsides to doing so - the potential to see Azul's cute pouting face, and, simply, how much better they looked with the overall outfit - outweighed the downsides - pain, difficulty walking - so strongly that it really was a simple decision to make. The heels, combined with the almost too-short shorts make his already long legs look even longer, and he'd already caught several customers staring. Hm. Maybe he'd have to make use of this another time. Even if he did have to duck for door frames and bend lower than usual to assist Azul in getting the details of his own costume just right.]

And you wouldn't want me to get overwhelmed out there on such an important day, right?

[monopolybanker]

( Ahh... If only he knew who to blame for this situation. Granted, knowing who or what to blame wasn't going to change how Jade hung over him, feeling as tall as he is long in the sea. Azul knows with a certainty Jade isn't letting him get out of this, the same way Jade found a way to walk in those wretched heels for no better reason than (Azul presumes) to mess with him. If the trouble with Floyd is that he's far too fickle, Jade's is that he has an excessive amount of conviction. (God, don't even get Azul started on the whole ordeal of mushrooms.)

Honestly, he should have been suspicious the second Jade put on a costume at all, especially the more revealing one. He'd ignored it to handle management, mostly only taking note of the fact that Jade had become an especially popular server, but he knew Jade could handle himself. And, in fact: )

You say that as if I didn't have full faith in your abilities. You're as capable as at least fifty anemones, are you not?

( But even making it clear he's onto Jade doesn't mean much, given Jade is giving his look the final touch ups it needs for him to go out on the floor. Meanwhile, Azul, a little pitifully, just takes Jade's corrections, and keeps tugging down on his shorts to try and make them somehow longer. He knew they were short, but he didn't know they felt even shorter than that— Had he been gaining weight? Is that why they sat a little higher on his thighs?

His eyes drift to Jade's own shorts, before quickly they dart away, a bit of an embarrassed, disgruntled look on his face. He wouldn't call himself a prude, but he really does think even Vil would be jealous of how long and shapely Jade's legs look in those. He still refuses to admit these costumes were a bad idea (listen, sex sells), but that doesn't mean he's exactly equipped to see Jade in it so... closely.

He looks away, so he doesn't have to look down (not too far down, at this height) at Jade's legs or look up (way up) at Jade's face. )

Regardless, if I must go out, ( he says, as if he weren't nearly good to go already, ) I insist I check the back again to see if we have any flats. Wearing loafers is sure to disturb our image, but unheeled shoes should be both acceptable and efficient for service.

( Sat neatly in their open box nearby is a pair of simple heels, much less ostentatious than Jade's but no less the enemy. Azul knows he can't walk in those. He knows Jade knows he can't walk in those. He's going to bust both his kneecaps and break every bone in his weird crunchy human legs and he's sure all Jade's gonna do is laugh. So it's completely understandable that he must make a fair attempt at pleading his case, if only because his life basically depends on it. No, he's not being dramatic, so please take him seriously!! )

[mementomoray]

[Azul has only himself to blame for this situation, because ultimately, the crux of the matter is... the decision on these more risque costumes is what prompted even some of their non-anemone part-timers to not volunteer today.

And, yes, he's absolutely correct in that Jade both selected the new costume and figured out how to walk in these heels for the sole reason of messing with him. It was a game, and a fun one at that, to see just how quickly Azul would avert his eyes or make a point to talk about something dry and uninteresting. Surely, no one else would notice, but Jade's own predatory nature was enticed by it.

Now, if only all this extra length could allow him to bind his prey. Unfortunately, human bodies were terribly inflexible, so Azul is safe.

For now.]

Your confidence is reassuring, Azul - [As if he needed reassuring...] - but we have the work of at least sixty anemones to do.

[Truth be told - they both know Jade is more than capable of handling the lounge, and what employees they did scrape together, alone. Even on a day like this. But they both also know that service would be better, and customers would leave happier, with as many helping hands (and costumed bodies...) on the floor as possible.

So, enter Azul.

Jade had been straightening his collar, adjusting bows and buttons when he caught two very distinct details he could use to pick on Azul. The cute, embarrassed, disgruntled look on his face - notably, brought on by looking at him - was something he needed to see more of, but that tug down on his shorts...

Well, if he picks on that one, first, then the embarrassed look would only surely get better. So he does, gently swatting Azul's hands away from tugging them down - really, he couldn't keep doing that on the floor, and the sooner he got used to where they sat now, the sooner he could get used to where they'd surely settle when he began walking (a little higher, in his experience). The fact he'd pulled a costume where the shorts themselves ran a little shorter than some others in a similar size was... purely incidental. Really.

Still, with Azul's hands swatted away, he takes it upon himself to adjust and roll the hem so they sit just right with a professional detachment that would give Azul no reason to accuse him of being untoward.

If he accused him anyway, though, then well... Perhaps he'd show him untoward. Perhaps he'd merely tease.]

Oya, Azul, I believe the dress code for the day is either wedges or heels, is it not?

[No escape. And just to cut off any further argument...-]

You should have also noticed by now, that the heels are quite slimming, as well.

[He knows Azul will struggle walking in them. He knows he'll be slow, and a little wobbly, and not nearly as efficient as they probably need out there, right now, but even so, this little interlude alone was amusing, if only because seeing Azul get so dramatic over something so small was nostalgic. Cute. Delicious.]

[monopolybanker]

( Ugh. More than anything else, whether it be Jade or the situation or their impatient customers, Azul knows he’s trapped himself. Trapped by his own, stubborn dedication to quality, and the illusion of customer satisfaction that makes all great brands successful. And that’s what this is really all about— success; becoming an industry giant so powerful that every stupid mer looks upon him with envy, tries to suck up to him until they’re the ones crying before him.

So, no, he’s not been hoisted by his own petard; this is simply necessary for onward progress, the triumph of his dream. He finds this sounds much more agreeable when he puts it this way in his head, and makes it much easier for him to not think about how the necessary step toward achieving his goals in this situation is wearing a skimpy bunny suit and heels he’s sure he’ll look like a fool walking in.

Unfortunately, Jade is ever so kind enough to bring him back to earth. )

That’s high enough, Jade. I know our body types may differ, but yours don’t look nearly so high— And if you want to delight in my inability to bend over in these without sparking scandal, then...

( Untoward? Maybe. He knows the twins don’t exactly care for any boundaries when it comes to having their fun, so he wouldn’t put it past Jade to sneak in some subtle teasing of this nature.

But before he can really finish his complaint, Jade’s final remark takes him of guard. )

... Slimming?

( There’s the obvious reason Jade would make this remark, but, listen, this is Jade. He probably means something else by it, too. Is he saying his thighs are rotund? Hello? Hello?? Quite immediately, he looks down to pinch at his thighs, trying to calculate his body mass index in his head based on the percentage of fat between his fingers— then lets go, because he doesn’t want to damage these tights, but, )

I’m very certain I’ve been sticking to my diet, I shouldn’t necessarily need...

[mementomoray]

[Azul's ambitions were cute. Great, vast dreams from a little chubby octopus in his little octopus pot. The single minded determination with which he chased those dreams, too, was amusing. Very... human, it seemed. The initial wobbling aside, Azul had stepped into the human world and slotted in neatly, where Jade and Floyd were still - and always would be - outsiders to it.

He was funny to watch. And if he failed, if his aspirations all came crashing down, they'd be there to catch him and...

Well.

They didn't know if they'd wipe away his tears, defend him fiercely until he could claw his way back up again, for a third time, or if that would be the last point before they gave in to baser, predatory instinct and tore him limb from limb.

(Probably the former, yet the latter was always, always in the back of their minds.)

But wearing - or not wearing - a skimpy bunny suit and heels would not make or break Azul's dreams, so Jade had resolved to make his own fun for the time being.]

The tights should prevent scandal, Azul, and if you keep tugging on your shorts, you'll stretch them out.

[And if they're stretched out, they'll look unprofessional and will draw attention to his thighs which Jade may have just implied looked especially tasty squishy today on purpose. Maybe.

...Definitely.]

It isn't necessarily a need, but...

[But he's going to imply it is anyway. Just because Azul's distressed and slightly worried face is cute.]

Now, if you'll sit on your desk, I'll assist you.

[And, look, he'll even offer his hand to help Azul settle himself in. It's really the least he can do for needling at his insecurities... right? Right.]

[monopolybanker]

( Even though Azul knows Jade's M.O. so well, he knows what makes him so sly is that he weaves his jabs in things that aren't lies, and they dwell in that uneasy place between not quite false but otherwise unconfirmed, a place Azul struggles to navigate (even when he knows better!) when it comes to his insecurities, in part because he doesn't like to acknowledge that he's insecure.

He does trust Jade, is the problem. He'd say he wouldn't trust either twin further than he can throw them, but the fundamental truth is there isn't anyone else to see him so vulnerable, no matter how much they like to abuse that privilege. He knows this is all just some game to them, but they're the only ones who've stuck around long enough to keep playing it with him, even if sometimes they like to play against him. Oh, how foolish it is to be so sentimental. )

... Very well.

( Mildly frustrated, he turns to push himself up onto the desk, and... does try to stop fiddling with his shorts at Jade's behest, because, again, he invokes a thing that Azul can't exactly deny (not wanting to look unprofessional... not wanting people to look more at his thighs than they already will, and see that he's not as slim as he looks in slacks...), and all Azul can do is grit his teeth in a sort of childish frustration. )

I don't want to hear a word out of you when I get these on.

( He knows he's going to be embarrassing until he gets a hang of them, and he doesn't want to hear it. He isn't even really sure when that "until" will be. Jade seemed to have gotten used to them well enough, so maybe this will be a little less difficult than flying? But given the look on Jade's face, he isn't exactly optimistic; Jade's probably looking forward to seeing how he'll trip over himself.

Well. Frustratingly, he has no good way to one-up that expectation, so he busies his thoughts as he watches Jade get his heels on, trying to imagine himself walking pristine and perfect in those heels. Yes... If he can just imagine hard enough, he'll be able to actualize it... The same way he first got himself into the air on his broom...! If only he had another month to focus on just imagining, he'd very certain he could actualize those images into a perfect, heeled stride. )

[mementomoray]

[Perhaps it is something like sentiment that keeps the twins on something like a leash around Azul. It's one they could snap at any moment, certainly, but at the same time... they don't. Because this is their Azul, and they're the only ones allowed to see him at his weakest, the only ones allowed to peer deep into his octopus pot, the only ones allowed to clear away the inky blackness and see the boy behind the shields he's put up.

No one else.

To ensure that, though, they had to ensure they were the only ones allowed to pick and needle at him, the only ones to tear him down and, conversely, the only ones to build him back up again when he stumbled. It wasn't a particularly nice arrangement, no, but it was theirs.

And so Azul settles on the desk. And so Jade kneels in front of him as he had for Vil, reaching out for the first of the shoes to slip onto Azul's foot, ensuring the strap is set just right around his ankle and buckled tightly - perhaps a shade too tightly at the moment, but better that than having it be too loose, than depriving Azul of whatever little support it can give.]

Hm. And here I'd thought you might want a compliment.

[He knows what Azul meant, knew he didn't want any teasing for his wobbling, but he can still hold the idea that he just might have given him some encouragement over his head. Because while it was rarely given, the possibility could still have been there.

The second shoe is slipped on as easily as the first, Jade stands, brushes any dirt and dust that clung to his tights from the floor, and again offers Azul a hand. He's not so unmerciful as to leave him to his own devices the first time he tries to stand.

After all, he couldn't watch Azul on the floor if he fell and broke something in the first minute.]

It's easier than flying.

[Some... odd reassurance, but reassurance all the same, considering how much difficulty the three of them had on brooms.]

[monopolybanker]

( Azul looks on as Jade straps these soon-to-be-torture devices to his feet, but he doesn't inspect his work in any particular sense; as likely as it was for the twins to tie his metaphorical shoelaces together, it was a fact of life he was so awfully used to that to be paranoid against it seemed both pointless and excessive. He simply sighs, resigned to his fate of wearing this but not yet resigned to his failure.

Still, the fact of the matter remains that things are better with them there, tortuous antics and all, and have been better since they swam up into his life on some whim. There is something different in the tone of the way they tease him, and rarely do his aggravations with the two of them cross into something unbearably legitimate. It's a strange, frustrating relationship, but it's what lets him rest easy at the end of the day, and he doesn't think he'd like having business partners who were too obedient, anyway. He's too accustomed to fond affection of their needling chaos now to live without it. )

I should hope any compliments would be that I look suitable in this. ( He doesn't want to say "good," or that it "fits him," because that implies a load of things he doesn't want to talk about. ) Your popularity's surprised me, given how needlessly unusual you've made your size.

( Please, why are you wearing heels, take them off... Well, no, don't actually, because they're bringing in his favorite cash dollar, but why?

Looking down at Jade gave him a sense of it, because despite his horridly unattractive personality, Jade himself is not unattractive, he thinks, and he's cleanly... well put-together... trim... and the natural sex bomb he'd had woven into these outfits, um, it complimented Jade in ways he didn't expect, so he once again can't keep to looking too long before he has to glance away with half a schoolboy flush. Ultimately, the whole ensemble made Jade look slender in a way their uniforms somewhat masked, and he already was a lengthy individual already. Hmmm... Things to make note of for future costume promotions (that he'd take extra careful care not to have to take part in).

"Easier than flying"... God, he hopes so. He takes Jade's hand without thinking twice about it, gripping a little harder, pre-emptively, than he should. It is reassuring in some odd way, even if, as he glances back down, he seems more uncertain than ever. Okay, all right. It can't be that hard, just— )

—Ah—!

( Right on cue, his knees swing wildly as he buckles down onto the side of one foot, his weight tumbling right up against the great wall of Jade for support as he death grips Jade's hand, the look on his face clear like he thinks he just shattered his ankle (it's fine, just uncomfortable), his startled, ragged breathing a perfect compliment to his one remaining leg at half a squat and trembling violently as Azul leans all his leg's weight into the front of the shoe, completely avoiding the heel. )

T-This is... highly advanced for any mer-creature...! When did you learn how to do this...!?

( Easier than flying?? What, because it was closer to the floor?? Ugh... There was absolutely nothing that was going to stop him from learning how to walk in these heels so he doesn't make a fool of himself in front of an audience, but also, Jade was really walking in these? Ten meters off the ground? How?? )

rip Azul...............

[mementomoray]

[For Azul, things were better with them there, just like for them, things were better with Azul. They knew the nature of how he was teased before, they peppered their own teasing with similar barbs from time to time to keep him desensitized to outsiders, to keep him grounded, with his tentacles... no, sorry, to keep his feet planted solidly on the ground, so he wouldn't become lost in his own head again. They were the only ones allowed to see him at his worst. They would be the first ones to tear him to pieces - both literal and metaphorical - if he fell beyond redemption.

They were fond of him, in their own way, so they were protective of him. It wasn't any more complicated than that.]

Well, that will depend on how you carry yourself...

[He wasn't above telling Azul he looks good, that the outfit fits him, that it even suits him - because all of the above are true, because those kinds of compliments are the sort to get that deliciously flustered expression back on his face.

Because he's already flustered by his own choices, clearly, if how he can't seem to look directly at him for very long is any indication at all.

(He'll have to take full advantage of that in any future costumed endeavors, whether or not Azul partakes himself.)

"Easier than flying" isn't... a lie, at least not as far as Jade is concerned, so even he's a little surprised with how quickly Azul crumples. Sure, he expected him to wobble, maybe even to topple into him cutely, but this...?

It must be his tentacled sensibilities.]

Oya... It's okay, it's okay, I've got you...

[And, well, he does. His grip had tightened on Azul's hand immediately, and his other arm went around his waist almost as soon as he'd hit his chest, holding him tightly so any further loss of balance would be more likely to end up with Jade holding him than in him hurting himself.]

Try to remember how you found your balance the first time we had legs...

[...Ah. That's probably the problem. Sure, Jade might be standing higher than he usually did when he was on a broom right now, but... he'd taken to walking fairly easily, all told. It had still been a struggle, but a good posture (and not having to wrangle eight limbs reduced to two...) had been his saving grace, and this felt like a natural extension of that.]

Azul about to dedicate the next month to perfecting his heeled strut

[monopolybanker]

( Things had gone nearly the same, he recalls, when they first made it up on land; he thought much too hard about which nerve impulses that normally went to legs three four and two, for example, went to which tendons and which nerves in either his left or right foot, and his first steps had been a dismal flub. It seems perfectly reasonable, though! Where’s the fault in planning ahead? Yet, now, like before, he refuses to confess it’s his thoughts played a great part in what had led him awry.

But they had, and now he’s done worse than he might have if he’d relaxed his level of effort. Tch. It really is because he’s with Jade that he wanted to make a decent showing of his first try. He can tell Jade’s steps aren’t perfect, but Jade’s good enough wearing heels twice the height of Azul’s own that he can support Azul like this without so much as stumbling.

He reaches up to fix his glasses, then pushes himself from Jade’s chest until he’s a little more upright, fixing the orientation of his feet. Easy... Easy... )

... I calculated the distribution of my weight incorrectly, but I suppose you’re correct in that I should hold myself closer to how I stand usually...

( He had. put all his weight on the balls of his feet, having assumed the heel would provide full support for the back. Not so, apparently. As he pulls himself into a stand, he! thinks he’s making fairly decent progress, for not having had his weeks of desired preparation beforehand! His stand remains dreadfully wobbly, enough that his grip on Jade’s hand remains pointedly tight, and he doesn’t try to break from Jade’s brace at his waist.

He’s looking downward as he makes his attempt to stand completely straight, attention focused wholly on his own two feet. )

It’s a little more like this, correct?

( Though not swift of elegant, a part of him knows he prefers the ease of mobility he has in the water. The drifting scuttle of an octopus along the seafloor isn’t quick, nor is it elegant, and it’s something he really loathed to do with people around. The way his tentacles outstretched, pushing along the rock and sand, fixing his angle with a fifth or sixth tentacle so he could catch the current, and let it carry him the rest of the way made him feel... ugly, perhaps, but he felt also in tune with his environment, and not waging war against it like he feels he is with gravity on land. On land, where he has two awkward, bony feet.

But still, these thin little legs look graceful (even if he, perhaps, needed to better restrict his diet), and they’re the kind of legs people respect better than his chubby eight, so these are what he wants. This is what he wants— to use them perfectly, even in these weird little torture devices. )

Jade about to watch from the shadows like a pageant mom (also hi I return <3)

[mementomoray]

[At least if Azul is comparing his performance now to the first time they'd attempted to walk on land with their own two, strange, bony feet, he can rest assured in the knowledge that even then he'd done better than Floyd, who... had seemed content to flop around in the shallows and flail his two new legs around until he got used to them, rather than attempting to walk with any grace.

And yet, they'd all learned - and quickly - so even Jade has confidence that Azul will figure this out, too, with the same single-minded determination he applied to everything else.

In fact, he gives him five, maybe ten minutes before he has a decently confident stride without assistance, with only a little bit of a wobble that would serve to enhance his image.

He'll have to straighten Azul's costume again once he can manage himself, but no sense in saying as much now, when another unseemly topple will only ruffle him once more.]

Mmhm~

[For the heel to support Azul's weight, he would need to put weight on it in the first place. That... seemed like common sense, really, but then again, Azul did have the terrible habit of overthinking things until he was forced to dial it back a bit. In this case, that wake up came in the form of crashing unceremoniously into Jade's chest.

And he's lucky he keeps his arm around his waist, instead of letting go and leaving him to flounder and topple again, but...

Well. Maybe he's feeling a shade... possessive. Protective.]

Just so. Shall we try a step or two?

[No time for a response - Jade decides for him, taking a long step backwards, so that Azul will need to take a couple of his own to stay close, supported. He's a cruel teacher, to be sure, but... well. If Azul expected any different, he was foolish.

Because his confidence is endearing, in its own way. He knows it's paper-thin, a front for the masses, a fake-it-till-you-make-it charade until Azul feels ready to unsucker his tentacles from the idea and latch on to something more genuine. If he ever could.

He needs to learn quickly, too, because that slow, drifting scuttle might suit him better in all things - reaching a tentacle out, making sure he's secure, ready, before reaching out another - but it was a part of their past he knows Azul prefers to hide... so it's a part of their past uniquely theirs, and something Jade would defend fiercely until the day they decided to leave him, should that day ever come.

It had its own sort of elegance, anyway, much as Azul disagreed. It was certainly inhuman. Not very graceful. But it was... natural. As much instinct as deliberate act. A piece of the sea that Azul couldn't ignore, when he did so rarely take his true form. It was... home. In a way.

He could never understand why Azul kept his clumsy, bony legs in the water, lately. But that was Azul.

Their Azul.

And Azul gets what Azul wants, even if he has to slowly wobble towards the goal.]