[Phoenix is probably the pride and joy of the institute. A merman who, when dry, can walk on land like any other man, but then develops a brilliant blue fishtail, the kind of blue that no one has quite been able to replicate with paint or pigment. They know he can talk because he told them his name when they first brought him in, but as he refused to answer questions about the whereabouts of others like him, the torture started and he stopped talking entirely.
Now Phoenix sits at the bottom of a tank that's clearly too small for him with water that is clearly not the quality he needs. The scales that haven't been torn off his tail for testing purposes are growing ashy and peeling, his face gray and ashen. Even as a merman, he looks human enough to see that he's utterly miserable, but the scientists don't seem to care as they continue to poke and prod him and try to get him to talk again.
The only person he seems to have a soft spot for is the new security guard, and the scientists theorize it's just because he's interested in new faces. His eyes brighten when the man comes into the room, his finned ears twitching when he speaks, but he doesn't talk. At least, he doesn't talk when anyone else is around.]
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Now Phoenix sits at the bottom of a tank that's clearly too small for him with water that is clearly not the quality he needs. The scales that haven't been torn off his tail for testing purposes are growing ashy and peeling, his face gray and ashen. Even as a merman, he looks human enough to see that he's utterly miserable, but the scientists don't seem to care as they continue to poke and prod him and try to get him to talk again.
The only person he seems to have a soft spot for is the new security guard, and the scientists theorize it's just because he's interested in new faces. His eyes brighten when the man comes into the room, his finned ears twitching when he speaks, but he doesn't talk. At least, he doesn't talk when anyone else is around.]