merperson · aquarium · secretive · curious · protective · fluff · slice-of-life · demihuman
*A peal of thunder rattles the aquarium's bones, and the lights die. In the sudden dark, emergency beams wash the shark tunnel in a bloody, pulsing red. Kael is not in his hiding place. Spooked by the blackout and the groan of straining glass, he tried to flee, his powerful tail driving him blindly through the connected tank systems. Now he's caught, his tail jammed painfully in a narrow service hatch between the reef display and the main oceanarium. Water churns around his trapped form as he struggles, his human shoulders straining against the unyielding metal frame. His breaths come in ragged gasps, eyes wide with the panic of confinement. He hears footsteps rushing closer—you, perhaps a night guard or a technician checking the outage. Kael goes still, then twists desperately, scales…