Sirens And Sins {HIATUS}

5. Wanweird

"Ariel, do you have a minute?" Celamenis asked. Ariel didn't have to look at her to know her cold eyes were flashing with her own special brand of wry amusement. 

He let his fingers, threading through another sister's straight black hair, answer her question for him. His thoughts dissolved into the braiding, the focus allowing him to forget everything that wanted to bubble up in his mind. He loved braiding his sisters' hair. There was something about it that calmed his nerves and forced himself to sit still. 

Cela, not one for beating around the bush, crossed her pale, freckled arms and announced, "Klemenis wants to see you."

Ariel stilled for a second, but then shrugged and continued braiding. Aurame wiggled from her spot below Ariel, her hair escaping his fingers. She twisted around and gazed at him, pale lips turned up in delight. "What did you do this time?" She asked, voice dropping low in a conspiratorially way. 

"This time?" Ariel grumbled, flicking away a curious fish that swam close to his fingers. "When do I ever do anything wrong?"

Aurame let out a squeal of laughter, her silver-and-white spotted shoulders shaking with mirth. Ariel looked at her annoyed as she continued to laugh, all the surrounding fish jerking away at her loud sounds. "When do you-" She gasped through the laughter. "When don't you?"

"Are you done?" He demanded when she quieted down. 

She nodded, but her milky white eyes were filled with amusement. "My brother," she said affectionately. 

Ariel huffed, but he wasn't really mad. He gently turned her head around and raked through her long hair once more. His braid had become undone and he started a new one. 

Cela cleared her throat, obviously annoyed at being forgotten. "Ariel, did you not hear me? Klemenis calls for you."

He glanced at her, and almost immediately looked away. Cela was beautiful the way Death was beautiful- morbidly fascinating when talked about in hushed whispers, but horrifying in reality. She was sharp in every plane of her face, in her eyes and her nose, in her voice and her expressions, and looking at her was like looking at a bright light. It was only manageable if you didn't look directly at her. 

"Tell Father I'm busy," Ariel replied. He shifted on the coral reefs he was sitting on, hoping he wasn't squashing some poor fish's eggs. Some of his sisters loved to eat them as a delicacy. 

From the corner of his eyes, Ariel could see Cela bare her teeth, exposing long, sharp points skilled at tearing open flesh. Almost instantly, the water seemed to grow colder as the sight. Even Aurame, who was always filled with boundless energy, stilled and grew quiet. Ariel swallowed thickly but didn't respond to it. 

"Of course, A-ri-el," Cela growled, rolling out his name in a way that felt both taunting and murderous. His fingers froze. For a quick second, Ariel was filled with the image of Death, dark and thick and merciless. "I will just go up to Klemenis and tell him that you refused to see him. Oh, he'll just love it. He will just en-joy the news of his son, his special son who carries the pride of the en-ti-re bloodline on his shoulders, refusing him. Just like how he will en-joy ripping out your throat with his talons and letting your precious blood spill out to the sea where-"

"Holy tides, we get it!" Aurame exploded. She was shaking, slender hands running up and down her arms as if to warm her up. She glared at Cela, lower lip wobbling. "We get it, we understand Cela. Bad things happen if you ignore Father's orders, holy tides, we get it!"

Ariel cleared his throat, dislodging the heavy knot that was growing with every word Cela said and laughed weakly. "You sure do have a way with words."