Auratail Mermay 2022

Eldritch groggily pushes his face up from the wet squishy surface he found himself in. He yawns loudly, his jaw snapping and cracking as he loosens his cramping tensions. He feels around and realizes with quiet surprise he is most definitely not underwater and, with a quick sniff of the air, he is also not even remotely near the ocean either.  

He scratches his head with long nails as he attempts to recollect the happenings that brought him to this place so far from his home and why on Umbralucia he would do something like this to himself. Heavens know nothing could have done this to him without the smell of blood and viscera being overpowering right now.  

He pulls himself up out of the muck as it was doing nothing for his memory and he loathed to be sitting in the mud as he was. He was many things but not a silt sifting bottom feeder that was and always will be a hard and firm fact.  

Now up and out of the muck, he tried to clean the mud off him, at least as much as he can given his situation. 

Once he is cleared to his liking, he relaxes for a moment to try once more to collect his thoughts and clear his memory to figure out where he even was. Though try as he might, the past night and the moments leading up to it were practically missing.  

He growls in frustration. What would possess him to come to this disgusting place and seemingly without his… he pauses this thought trying to discover a new word to describe the woman that was Not His Partner and was not here. He snorts as feelings well up inside him.  

Disgusting.  

She was… something and is not here therefore she should not matter to this situation in the least.

He stretches. Apparently he was getting much too old to be sleeping face down in the mud for gods know how long. His back pops and he lets out a groan of mild discomfort. He decides then that it doesn't matter how he got where he was. All that mattered was that he got home. He was in a body of water so all he needed to was follow it down to the shore. Simple as that. 

He begins to push himself back into the muck when he hears slight splashing behind him. He turns to try and figure out what it is, probably just an animal but he may as well try and grab it. He would need the energy for his trip.  

"F-father?"  

He freezes. The other creature freezes.  

"It is you, isn't it Father?" The splashing gets closer. "What are you doing here? You hate the swamp. Are you ok?"  

Eldritch is unable to say anything as his memory starts to clear. He had eaten some particularly inebriated flotsam that had turned him terribly silly. He had gone on and on to That Woman about his past and then… and then he got it into his head to visit the Boy. This always happened when he imbibed like that. A million curses on whomever it was that invented that swill.  

"Father, you do know who I am don't you? I know it's been many years since our last visit but…"  

Eldritch growls, "yes Hexley I'm aware of you and yes I'm fine. Thank you for your concern and I apologize for stopping by without an invitation. I had actually just decided to head home and not bother you." He pushes off the rock fully and back into the muck.  

He hears Hexley sigh. "Father, here let me help you. I'm actually glad you came. I've been trying to,"  

Eldritch waves him off. "No no, this was very rude of me. I should have sent a message to warn you. I don't wish to impose, so I'll head back and we can try and plan a visit better." He feels arms go up around his waist and he freezes.  

Hexley pulls him up and out of the mud. "Father, please be quiet for once. Please let me help you for once. I will not accept no for an answer on this. I am happy to see you for once in both of our lives. So just accept that and my help." His voice stern but caring makes Eldritch a little limp.

Eldritch coughs, "ah, I see. Well I suppose if it truly isn't an inconvenience, I don't mind visiting for a little while." 

  Hexley smiles a bit to himself, he's finally won against his father. He wished Shiro, his wife, was here with a camera. "Good I'm glad. As I was trying to say before, I'm glad you're here. I can introduce you to my wife and our child. You came at a great time. You'll get to meet your granddaughter."  

Eldritch goes fully limp in his son's arms. His mind swirling with this news. A wife? Child?? His son??? 

He vows to himself, once he is home again, that he ks never drinking or eating another drop.