Joril Mermaid AU

Joril Mermaid AU Part 2

A month passed and Jordan didn't find anything. He searched high and low for what he saw but to no avail. He even considered going into the dangerous waters to search even though it's illegal. No one believed him anymore. Gil however would follow him around, expertly hiding.

I've learned so much about this human. I've timed him and he can only stay underwater for around 2 minutes. I only know this because I get bored. I also see he has a fascination with seahorses and the schools of kangaroo fish. Finally, after a long time I get enough courage to get closer. He seems kind to all aquatic animals. Once I'm closer I start to notice he becomes irritable easily. He doesn't like getting his hair wet and he likes to eat at the food stops along the shore. I've always wanted to try land dweller food, it smells so good compared to the raw fish and herbivore based meals we have all the time at home. I AM part land dweller so I feel I should be allowed to enjoy land dweller culture. I've taken close note on how he acts though and how he reacts to other land dwellers. It's weird to me how land dwellers don't have strong ties with the other animals around them.

"Gil I'm worried.. you've been staying out longer and longer. What are you even doing when you go see the dolphins?" My mom asks.
"I made... friends." I shrug, trying to avoid her questions.
My mom gasps, "have you met a nice mermaid?" She smiles. My grandma bursts out laughing, her soft voice bouncing off the walls of the cave.
"Not a chance! You know your son June, act like it." She points accusingly. My mom looks at me and her shoulders sag.
"Apologies Gilby.. have you met a nice merman?" She asks. I can see the struggle in her eyes. I understand that she is trying to remember I'm not like other mermen. It's not a bad thing.. it's just different. I smile, putting my hand on my neck.
"Not exactly. I have been... observing someone."
"Oh dear god, please don't tell me it is that land dweller." My mom puts her hand on her face, stress making her posture tense.
I look away nervously, "no! Not at all!"
"You're lying aren't you? Your bulb glows when you lie to me." She points, getting closer to me. "I don't want you going near that land dweller, Gillard." She says my full name harshly. I know she's dead serious when she says my full name.
I raise my hands in surrender, "ok! I promise!" I smile convincingly, my pointed teeth forming a jagged line.
"You better Gilby." She crosses her arms. I understand that she is only doing it to protect me. I value that quality greatly because it shows me that she loves me. I want her to love me because I never felt that love from my father. Never.

Later that night when I was laying in my seaweed hammock, staring at the sky, my grandma swims in.
"Hi granny." I smile. She smiles back at me and she sits down in the rocking chair next to me. I remember her reading to me late at night when I was little. She smiles back and we sit in silence.
"I fell in love with a land dweller once." She tells me, looking down. I shift, looking at her, my eyes wide with amazement. She nods her head when she sees my bewilderment. "His name was Jonas." Her face beams when she says his name. "I met him when I was your age. I was such a naïve 19 year old. He was part of the land dwellers navy and he was so very kind.." Her pleasant smile fades back into a small frown. "But one day he said he had to go. He explained he'd be going across seas to go to war. He promised me he'd come back." She pauses, looking down again. "He never came back." Her voice is drenched in sadness. It feels like my heart has been stung by a jelly fish. I get out of bed and hug her. She chuckles dryly, "it's ok Gilby." I love when she says my nickname because it has an irreplaceable feel to it.
I internalize what she said for a few minutes and she finally continues. "He was with me for 3 years. Those 3 years were the best of my entire life." She reaches over and holds my hands. "What I'm trying to say is.. your mother's opinion is for your best interest, but your mother has never been interested in a land dweller." She whispers to me before kissing my forehead and leaving.