canon is The Thirteenth Year

[syreni]

You know, I appreciate your taking interest in me, but if you're going to bring me to the surface, I'd at least like to see my family? Sam? Jess? You know, instead of this... whatever here is.

You know I just realized how much I missed out on. Learning to drive. Seeing rated R movies. And there's a black president now? I could've voted for him!

Comments

[syreni]

Well tell me, what was it like for you? How did you grow up?

[onejoyfultear]

In the sea. With my sisters.

[syreni]

Did you like... go to school, or something? [There some joke in there about fish and schools, but Cody's missing it.]

[onejoyfultear]

I do not know what that is. [All jokes will be lost on her, sadly.]

[syreni]

You know, school. A place where you go to learn stuff.

[onejoyfultear]

I didn't go any particular place to learn. I learned from my sisters and from life.

[syreni]

So you didn't learn, like, math and stuff?

[onejoyfultear]

I do not know what it is.

[syreni]

You know, adding, subtracting ...counting things? Numbers.

[onejoyfultear]

Numbers. We know of those.

[For feeding and hunting. For knowing when a sister is missing. For knowing how many sailors to a ship.]

[syreni]

Cool. Yeah, I guess I've never needed algebra down under.

[onejoyfultear]

...

You said family before. You consider humans your kin? Your friends?

[syreni]

Well, yeah. I mean, I've got my birth mom and her family, but the Griffins raised me. They're my mom and dad too.

[onejoyfultear]

They were not cruel to you?

[syreni]

God, no, why would they be cruel?

[onejoyfultear]

Because that is what humans are. They hunt us and steal our tears. They leave us to die in the sun.

...I know of only one exception.

[syreni]

They-- no, no human I know would ever do that. My friend's dad tried to catch my birth mom just to prove that mermaids exist, but...

Why would they want our tears?

[onejoyfultear]

They seek eternal life from the fountain.

[syreni]

What fountain?

[onejoyfultear]

The Fountain of Youth.

[syreni]

...That's a real thing?

[onejoyfultear]

It is.

[syreni]

And... it's made of mermaid tears? [Sorry, he's not getting it.]

[onejoyfultear]

No. There is a ritual. A mermaid's tear is needed or the magic will not work.

[syreni]

Well that's weird. So people just go around trying to make mermaids cry so they can be young forever?