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Sanada shuddered at the thought of someone serving one of these creatures at a dinner. It was disgusting, even if it was just the tail.
He silently watched the mermaid. Surely his kind was similar to a dolphin or whale, only having to come up for air every once in a while, due to having a large lung capacity? He wasn’t sure; he hadn’t read much about mermaid anatomy.
It seemed like it had been close to one hour since they were here on the beach, and the mermaid still did not show any signs of waking up. He was still breathing so there was no doubt it was still alive. Had being out of the water for too long caused more damage than it seemed? Or was there something else wrong with it? Was he sick? And if so, how could one tell?
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It was possible he was sick, and h had no idea how to tell if he was or not. He tapped his chin in thought. What would happen if he just…left him here while he went to go get something or someone? If he was gone when he got back, Sanada could convince himself he’d woken up and swam back into the ocean while he was gone.
The idea on itself was good, although there was still a possibility someone might pass by in his absence and spot the mermaid - it also did not help that its scales and hair were snow white - but a risk had to be taken. Worst case scenario, if someone did see the mermaid and decided to take it to town, chances were it would return back to Sanada; he was the kingdom's ruler after all, it was only natural that he should be offered the chance to immortality first, unless the discoverer was someone greedy who would keep the mermaid to themselves.
There were many possible outcomes, but taking them all into consideration right now only tired the mind, so for now it was best to just pull the mermaid near some rocks for some shade and proceed with the plan.
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Sanada didn’t have any particular personal attachment to the mermaid, although he did care about its rarity, and the fact it was a helpless, appearing half-human creature. He used the sail he’d used already to drag the creature over to those rocks and to the shade. Hopefully it gave at least some cover to mostly conceal him from any passerby.
The mermaid did not snap out of his sleep as it was being pulled aside and hidden near some rocks so that the intensifying sun would not burn his delicate looking underbelly, if mermaids could even get a sunburn - was he even supposed to be laying on his back in the first place?
Once the creature was hidden away, Sanada was free to go but he had to hurry a little bit if he still wanted to finish what he was intending to do before anyone else stumbled upon the fishy stranger
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Sanada let out an exasperated sigh as he dropped the end of the sail. He placed his hands on his lips, glancing back to the path where he could go back to town. Who, or what even was he even going to get? A doctor? An apothecary? Either way, he began his trek back to town, planning on being back as soon as he had something to help this poor creature.
One of the problems with mermaids was the confusion of what kind of doctor they needed. It was generally stupid to call a doctor for a fish but the patient was 55% human, right? Ok, maybe a rough 80% if the creature was capable of human like intelligence, emphasis on "if".
Left alone, slightly submerged under the gentle waves near the shore, sheltered by the rocks, the mermaid was safe from the preying beaks of the hungry birds who were still circling the area in an attempt to find a way to reclaim their potential meal. Fortunately, none was brazen enough to try and get to him while he was in the water, not if they wanted to be swept away by the waves all the time.
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Sanada considered who to go to while he walked, eventually teaching town. At last, he decided to go to the doctor’s, who it seemed like he would have the most luck finding answers. Perhaps the issue this mermaid had was a more human issue. It was the best shot he had.
It was already questionable if showing the mermaid to someone else was a good idea - after all, people talk so it would only be a matter of time until the whole town knew of the beached Ningyo. But this is what a kind heart pushes people to do; the least what could be done was telling the man to keep his mouth.
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The other option was to just ask for medical advice. If the doctor questioned him too heavily, then he might have to show him the Ningyo. But as ruler, he hoped no one would question him, especially for something as strange as this relying on secrecy.
It was a pretty tricky situation either way, given that other than several bruises and cuts on the creature's skin caused by the prolonged exposure to the sun and the hungry gulls, there weren't any other obvious injuries that could help easily deduce what had to be done. What if the problem was caused by drying up? How could they fix that? Either way, it was possible to ask for multiple solutions, just to be sure he had a backup plan if one failed - if he was sneaky enough he could even throw in a question related to the marine nature of the patient and make it look like it was about a simple pet fish.
Soon enough, the doctor's house was in sight; entering, the old man was fortunately home. Seeing the young man walk in, he quickly put away the box he was holding and turned to greet the newcomer.
"Sire." he spoke as he bowed. "How may this elder be of assistance?"
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Sanada returned an appropriate greeting, bearing a cordial smile. “I’m seeking medical counsel, not for myself, but for someone who may have been washed up on the shore?” He lifted a brow in question, hoping it didn’t raise too much of an alarm. He didn’t know why it wouldn’t, but it was worth a shot, at least.
The man raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued by the odd phrasing, but decided not to question the matter any further.
"Someone who 'may' have washed up on the beach? Sire, there's a big difference in being washed ashore and not." he smiled lightly, as he turned around to pick up the box he was carrying it and putting it in the shelf where it belonged, before turning around once again.
"What kind of problem is my lord dealing with? Is the person you speak of injured or something?"
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“I know this is odd, but I’m speaking hypothetically,” he replied quickly. “The person would be washed up on shore, unconscious and dehydrated- ironically. And injured, having been pecked by seagulls. What would you do for them?” He watched the man curiously as he moved about the room. “Even if I gave them water, they wouldn’t wake up.”
The man listened silently, muttering a low "mhm" every now and then.
"Dehydration and unconsciousness, mhmmm" he hummed, flipping through some pages on the counter. "If they still did not show signs of waking up even after receiving water, i would check for a possible head trauma - thats usually the main cause for loss of consciouness. I would also seek to treat the injuries caused by sea birds; you never know what kind of infection or complication migh develop due to exposed flesh and salt water."
Now that he mentioned it, there was a possibility for the mermaid to have been slammed against the cliff wall and hit its head - he just hadnt checked
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Sanada glanced to the side, considering this. Yes, it was very possible- on both of those possible injuries. “Alright. That makes sense. If both of these possibilities are true, how would you advise to treat them?”
"For head trauma, a check up must be done in order to ensure it's not too great. Usually it doesnt require much care, but if there's bleeding or uneven breathing, then a doctor is absolutely necessary. As for the seagull injuries, they may be treated like normal injuries. Is there anyone else with the patient at the moment?"
If Sanada answered truthfully then he'd arouse suspicion - what doctor wouldn't be concerned if they learned a potential patient had been left unattended.
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Sanada took in a breath, pausing for a moment, no more than a second or so, to think about his response. “Like I said, it’s only a hypothetical,” he began, “So…sure, yes, someone would be with patient.” He bobbed his head a few times and clasped his hands behind his back.
The doctor looked at him for several moments before biting his lips and shrugging slightly.
"Alright then, i suppose… I forgot it was hypothetical. Is there anything else i can do for my lord?" he asked, with his hands held together.
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Sanada thought for a moment, glancing off to the side. His eyes darted around the room in search for anything that might help the merperson on the shore. But of course he couldn’t ask the doctor for anything physical, or else it would be clear it wasn’t a hypothetical. “No, that is all. Thank you.” He dipped his head politely.
The doctor returned the polite gesture and returned to his business; even if he could not ask for any kind of medicine it wasn't too bad, as the man had specified head traumas rarely required any medication, unless certain symptoms existed - the mermaid didn't seem to be bleeding at all nor was its breathing irregular the last time he'd checked. All was left to do was to go back to the beach and see if the creature was still there
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Sanada thanked the doctor once more before turning out of the doorway and back onto the street. He walked a little quicker this time, finding that he worried about the mermaid, and even hoped nothing had happened to it while he was away. He quickened his pace into a half-jog, half-walk, until he reached the shore again and scanned the area where he remembered he had left the creature.
The fact that gulls no longer circled the area where he'd left the mermaid was already a sign things were not as he'd left them. Approaching the rocks where the creature was last seen, footsteps different than his were left in the sand, all around said rocks - the ningyo was gone as well.
So the mermaid's bright white skin had attracted attention in the end and someone had seen it, taking it away. But who was it? Who took the mermaid? The only clue that was left behind, was the trail of footsteps and a long wide trail, a sign that whoever had taken the mermaid had carried it away on the sail Sanada had placed it on. The problem was, how much had it been since the other person had passed by? If they had already made it back on the cliffs, it was very possible for the Ningyo to be in danger, if not dead already
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Sanada blinked widely, and he scanned the rest of the shore just in case this wasn’t where he remembered setting down the mermaid. He ran his hand down his face, breathing a curse as he looked at the footprints trailing away. He supposed the best thing to do at this point was follow the tracks, so that’s what he did.
The tracks in fhe sand led across the beach and towards the common path to the city; for a while it was very easy to follow but as soon as it made it up the hill, the trail vanished, as there waa no more sand. The tracks in the grass gave a vague idea of where they were headed but they were not as clear.
The trail was lost in the city, due to paved roads and things of the sort, so it was impossible to find the mermaid now. Disappointment was starting to set in as the young man was forced to realize he may never find the creature and that he should probably go home. But the gods did not forsake him.
Arriving home, news came of a silvery ningyo found on the beach and its discoverer wished to gift it to the ruler. How the wheel turns
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Sanada travelled home with a despondent look on his face, not entirely sure why the ningyo‘s disappearance affected him so greatly. When he returned home, however, and heard about the discovery, he blinked his eyes widely. “Is it conscious?” Upon later reflection, he would realize that it must have been quite the question to respond with, but his first thoughts were of wishing for the creature’s well-being.
The man looked slightly perplexed by the question, but replied anyway.
"Uum, no… But it's still alive, i think. The person who found it didn't want to kill it until my lord decided what to do with it."
Thank the gods for such honest people. The man who brought the news rushed off to bring Sanada's decision to the person who brought the mermaid to the city and soon enough a local fisherman walked in the yard, carrying the still unconscious creature, this time with some help from the man from earlier. They put down the ningyo and greeted Sanada.
The creature was still breathing normally only its scales were once again losing their shine due to it being out of the water.
(Kinarymo, can I join?)
(uuh, idk :0 honestly its a OxO soooo ;; srry. i rlly dunno what role i could giv u ;;)
