Shiro's Sanctum

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Beans, Mike God of Lore, Marethyu, Priapus, Old man of the mountain, Malcolm Tent

The Celestial Professor

Chapter 03: Chamber

"You are an impossibility. A freak of nature. You should not exist," I say, but the target of my ire just purrs happily as I stroke her fur. Snorkacks aren't actually real, right? This is some alternate universe thing; it has to be.

I don't want to live in a world where Xenophillius Lovegood was right about something that I was wrong about. 

I decided to call her Alice because she is very much an impossible thing. 

100cp granted, 200cp total. Do you wish to Purchase [Blessing of Vesunna]?

I had locked in the perk previously, but it's nice to know I have a chance to change my mind. That said, I might as well keep going on with my collection of divine blessings.

[Blessing of Vesunna] Purchased, 0cp remaining.

Good fortune, abundant harvests and great prosperity. It's not as blatantly useful as some other things I have gained, but it certainly isn't a bad thing to get my hands on. Hestia's Hearth sits in my small home, and I can't deny that there has been a cosy feeling to the place ever since I purchased it.

Pushing my glasses up, I frown to myself slightly as I go over my lesson plans. In truth, my thoughts aren't on the lessons at all (with my perks, I handle them easily) but on what I want to do going forward.

I considered myself an accomplished explorer, having seen every continent and dozens of countries over the years, but the Celestial System has proven that I am mistaken. I've seen so very little. I've seen a fraction of a single world, which is unacceptable. My new memories of the Lands Between have ignited a new urge in me that I haven't felt in a long time.

I want to see it all. 

Still, I didn't get to where I am by being hasty. A year in Hogwarts will be good for me, giving me time to gather points and help prepare for my adventures. I don't even know how to move between worlds at the moment, after all.

I do have a way into one different plane, the key hanging around my neck. It can open a portal to Nocturnal's realm, but I find myself hesitant to do so lightly. I don't know if Nocturnal even knows I have her Skeleton Key and she may take offence if I just show up carrying it without her permission.

As I'm preparing my dinner, not wanting to join the great hall tonight as I work on untangling my two sets of memories, a knock at my door makes me sigh. I don't normally mind guests, but tonight, I would appreciate some peace and quiet.

I did briefly consider just ignoring it, but remind myself that I'm a grown-up and move to the door, opening it. A pair of intense green eyes lock with mine as the door opens, and I mentally sigh again.

"Good evening, Miss Potter. Is there something I can do for you?" I ask, tilting my head slightly as I meet her stare with a far more sedate look of my own, two bespeckled sets of eyes staring into each other.

I don't miss the guidance of grace surrounding her, but I can't say I'm surprised that the Girl Who Lived is seen as a path to power.

– Rose Potter – 

"Good evening, Professor Scamander," Rose started, looking up at the older man. He was taller than Sirius or Remus, making her crane her neck slightly to look up at him due to their closeness. "Do you have time to talk?"

"I was just preparing my dinner, but I have a few minutes," Professor Scamander replied after a moment of thought, looking back at the stove. "Come in. There is no need to hang around outside, and I need to watch my food anyway."

Moving into his home, she followed behind and had to admit that his little house was surprisingly nice. It had a cosy feeling that reminded her of the Burrow, and as Robin checked his food, he gestured for her to take a seat in the very comfy seat before sitting opposite her.

"Now, what can I do for you?" Robin asked as the weirdest-looking creature she'd ever seen rubbed itself against his leg, making him pick it up and place the bright purple animal in his lap.

"Do you know what happened last year?" Rose started after a moment, making him shrug.

"Not entirely. I was on an expedition halfway across the world for most of it, and all I heard about the Triwizard Cup was my father's complaints about the Ministry making animal cruelty into a spectator sport," Robin deadpanned, making her snort slightly. She did have to wonder about the morality of having the contestants steal an egg from a mother dragon, even a fake one. "I take it you are referring to its rather… climactic ending? I've heard of the final task, but the accounts have been rather varied."

"Voldemort is back," Rose said, watching him for his response. Despite her words, he barely reacted as he calmly waited for her to continue. "The last task was a trap; he had Cedric killed and used my blood to fully return."

"So Dumbledore says. Of course, the Ministry has its own theories," Robin said simply, making her scowl.

"That I did it?" Rose asked angrily.

"That is one of the theories, yes. Minister Fudge believes there was some terrible accident at the end, with you and Mr Diggory fighting over the cup, leading to Mr Diggory's death, and that Dumbledore invented the story of Voldemort returning to cover for you," Robin admitted with a shrug. "Of course, he also thinks Dumbledore is after his position and is lying about the Dark Lord's return to scare people into giving him more power since he is the only one Voldemort was ever said to have feared."

"And what do you think?" Rose asked, giving him a challenging look that, given his calm expression, he clearly didn't find particularly impressive.

"I tend to avoid politics, though I do know that if Dumbledore wished to become Minister, I highly doubt he'd have needed to invent such a tale. As for the final task? I simply don't know; I was in Africa chasing magical warthogs. Had Cornelius not requested I take this position, I still would be," Robin explained calmly, making her calm down somewhat. "I'd rather Dumbledore be wrong; I was a hit wizard during Voldemort's first rise, after all; I remember those days far too well and would prefer that they do not start again. That said, I also believe Cornelius is too easily dismissing the claims, preferring to stick his head in the sand out of fear."

"He is back," Rose swore, but again, Robin didn't seem impressed as he just raised an eyebrow. "But that's not entirely why I'm here. I need to get stronger. Every single year I have been here, something terrible has happened, and I've nearly died. I've come so close to death year after year, surviving out of mostly dumb luck. I've heard you were one of the best duelists around back when you were a hit wizard."

"And you want me to teach you?" Robin asked, making her nod. "You're the second person this week to say that to me. Professor Tonks asked me to assist her in the duelling club she is starting, and I agreed to it. Have you signed up for that?"

"I have, but I need more than just some extra-curricular duelling," Rose said stubbornly, making him hum noncommittally. 

"You say something has happened every year?" Robin asked, making her nod.

"First Year, Professor Quirrel was possessed and tried to kill me several times. Then, the Chamber of Secrets opened during my Second Year, and I had to fight a Basilisk. Third Year was Sirius Black, and Professor Lupin forgot his potions and nearly attacked us on a full moon, and finally, I got dragged into the Triwizard Cup," Rose admitted. Not all of it was public knowledge, but it was public enough.

"I'm sorry, you fought a Basilisk?" Robin asked, making her nod. "My apologies, but I find that a little hard to believe."

"I can prove it," Rose said challengingly, making him raise an eyebrow. "The corpse should still be down in the Chamber of Secrets. Fawkes brought me the Sword of Gryffindor, and I managed to stab the Basilisk through the mouth with it."

Dumbledore was avoiding her, she didn't know why, but she was sure of it. She needed training if she was going to survive; she couldn't just keep escaping by the skin of her teeth through sheer dumb luck.

If her wand didn't happen to share a brother core with Voldemort's, if he'd used any other wand but his own, she'd be dead. No matter how good she thought she was, she'd been laughably humbled in their brief duel.

– Robin Scamander –

If that is even close to being true, I can understand why the world I drew my Graphorn and Snorkack from is named after her counterpart. 

"I've almost died, over and over again. I need to learn how to fight, properly," Rose says, and I do catch a hint of desperation from her. If she is telling the truth, then she watched her fellow champion die and was forced to watch the resurrection of her parents' killer just a few months ago.

If.

"I can show you; I'm a Parselmouth, so I can open the Chamber of Secrets," Rose says, making me stroke my chin.

"Very well, I will take you up on that offer," I say, rising as I put a stasis spell on my food. If she really managed to kill a Basilisk, then there is some high-level bullshit going on. They are one of the most dangerous magical creatures in the world; it would take divine intervention for a twelve-year-old to slay one, even with the help of a phoenix and a legendary sword.

The trip is not long, and most of the school is busy eating in the great hall, giving us the school to ourselves as she leads me to… a girls' bathroom.

"Salazar placed his secret chamber in the girls' bathroom?" I ask, making Rose nod.

"I… try not to think about why," Rose admits, moving over to a sink. She focuses, a foul hissing coming from her as the sinks start to move and retract, exposing an opening. "Err, it's a slide down but last time we got back up with Fawkes help, I'm not sure how to get back up normally."

"Well, I'm sure we'll think of something. In the worst case, I can send a message to Professor Dumbledore and admit we are stuck," I say with a cheerful shrug. I did just say I wanted more adventures after all. "So, I just drop down?" 

As Rose nods, I give her a playful salute and simply step into the hole, sliding through the pipes in a rather exciting time, catching myself as I come out of the bottom. As Rose follows behind, I catch her with a levitation spell before she comes tumbling out, lowering her easily.

"Thanks- Oh damnit, I didn't think about that," Rose admits, looking at the rocks blocking our way. "Lockhart tried to Obliviate us but only managed to knock himself out with Ron's broken wand and caused the cave-in."

"That won't be a problem," I say, drawing my wand and easily levitating the large rocks out of my way. With my Dragoncrest Ring, this is easier than ever as I repair the broken walls and clear the way with a single spell.

"You need to be a Parseltongue to open it; I'll get the door-" 

"Allow me to try," I say, moving forward with a smile. Slipping the key from around my neck, I press it against the large, snake-like door, and we both watch as it unlocks, Rose gasping in confusion.

"How did you-" Rose says, watching me slip the key back under my shirt with a frown. 

"Just a little trick I've learnt. You'll find that very few locks can keep me out," I say calmly, walking forward with my wand still drawn. The sight of a large shed snake skin makes me start to wonder, but as we enter the chamber properly, I freeze in place. 

The sight of a massive dead snake leaves me dumbstruck for a moment, examining the corpse with wide eyes.

"See?" Rose says, making me nod.

"You are either very lucky or very talented, Miss Potter, to have survived an encounter with a Basilisk at such a young age. I've never seen one so unbelievably large. It's a female; that much is clear from its lack of a scarlet plume; it must have been down here for hundreds of years to have grown so large," I say, fascinated. "But what did it eat? It must have been put into some kind of stasis between awakenings; otherwise, it would have starved down here."

"You've seen other Basilisks?" Rose asks, making me nod.

"Three, over the years. Never this large, usually bred by some extremely short-sighted wizard who rapidly found themselves slain by the hatched creature. The largest wasn't even half as long as this one," I admit, examining the corpse in closer detail. "Do I even want to know what transpired for a second year to be fighting a Basilisk?"

The Basilisk had been blinded, and there was a clear wound right through the centre of its head, piercing the brain. Did she have her arm inside its mouth? I can't tell if that's brilliantly stupid or stupidly brilliant. 

"The little sister of my friend Ron had been kidnapped, kinda. There was this diary, Voldemort's diary, and Ginny had ended up with it. Voldemort's ghost controlled her from it. It only stopped when I stabbed the diary with a Basilisk fang. If Fawkes hadn't cried into my wound, I would have died, and Ginny would have been drained," Rose explains, making me freeze.

As both a Hit Wizard and someone who has explored the world, I've come across a lot of things. It was actually in my research of Basilisks that I came across Herpo the Foul, as they were created by the Dark Wizard. 

But they weren't the only thing he made.

That diary sounds worryingly like a Horcrux, which would explain Voldemort's survival all those years ago, but if it was destroyed, then Voldemort should have had no tethers and died properly…

Unless he was mad enough to make more than one. Is that even possible? Rose's claim of his resurrection is looking increasingly true, and that's a worrying prospect. I don't see myself as a particularly good person, but Voldemort's infamy was well-earned.

[Modern Day Kheiron] believes that Rose has the capability to be one of the greats, and [Tarnished] claims she is part of the path to great power, but do I want to get involved in this?

I suppose I already am. I took down more than a few Death Eaters as a Hit Wizard, and Voldemort was never a forgiving person. Still, I'm not sure I can quite pass off training Rose to Cornelius, or maybe I can?

I could claim that I'm trying to get close to her to try and get her to admit what really happened; Cornelius isn't that hard to convince.

"And I thought I had an interesting life," I say, hiding my thoughts as I turn back to her. Despite everything she's been through, I can't help but notice how vulnerable she looks. She's genuinely afraid for her life, even if she's trying to hide it.

I suppose when you've nearly died, multiple times a year, in the 'safest place on earth', you'd be crazy not to be afraid. 

"I shall consider teaching you separately, but not immediately. Frankly, we both are going to be busy with the start of the school year, but if you perform well in the duelling club, I'll consider teaching you some of my tricks," I finally say, and while it isn't the answer she wanted, it's also not a no.

"I- thanks," Rose says, even if she didn't get the answer she wanted immediately. "So, how are we getting out of here?"

"Leave that to me; I have a few ideas," I say with a small smile, looking back at the Basilisk. I suspect there is more to this place than Rose found, but I know where the door is… and I have the key.

Getting out is a simple matter; I just use [Crystalline] to make steps and finally, a ladder leading back up the pipe, which has the added effect of wowing Rose as I wandlessly conjure a crystal staircase with no real effort.

Saying goodnight to the infamous girl, I set off back to my home.

…I'm starving.

Which is why I'm so displeased when I arrive back to find that my dinner has been eaten off the stove by a certain freak of nature, the Snorkack looking at me happily as the remains of my meal cover its face.

It is lucky I resist the urge to eat the little fucker.

Feat Achieved: Discover the Chamber of Secrets (100cp), Discover how Voldemort Survived (100cp). 200cp granted, 200cp total.

…ah. Well, that confirms things then, doesn't it? So, Voldemort did use at least one Horcrux? 

[Nezumi] - Free 

A race of anthropomorphic rats native to Kamigawa. They live in the bogs of the Takenuma swamp and on the outskirts of human cities like Numai, sometimes raiding those cities for supplies or fun. They are incredibly skilled acrobats and adept at stealth from, even their youths. Legend has it that Nezumi Ninja have no shadow, cast out no sound nor smell, and cannot be found by Kami magic, but those have to be just tall tales, right?

I go to pass this by; I have little use for a 'rat' form after all, but then I pause. I have questions I need answered, and that gives me an idea. My power assures me that this would be an alternate form I can trigger at will, and after a moment, I accept it and feel my body change.

Shrinking, I feel my face warp as a large tail grows out of my backside, leaving me staring at the mirror in my bathroom in bemusement at the sight of me. With dark-brown fur covering my entire body, the rat-like face of my new form stares back at me. 

The important thing is that it looks nothing like me as I switch back to my human form with a small smile. Not bad for something I didn't need to pay for.

Lucius Malfoy is doing a lot of work to turn Fudge against Dumbledore, and I want to know why. As it happens, I now have a body made for stealth and the ultimate tool for any thief: a key that could even open wards. Perhaps I should pay the Malfoys a visit.

[Underground Taverns] - 200cp

You now own a series of underground taverns, the sort of place where illicit deals go down and the underground work of assassinations and crime can be hammered out. These taverns will always earn you a healthy profit, with your ownership of them being secret. All of the workers at the tavern will pass off any interesting tidbits they may overhear to you. 

Again, I nearly let this perk pass before I pause and purchase it. I am not overly interested in the income, though it is nice, but the series of taverns that just warp into existence all over the place makes me smile softly. There are a dozen of them, and they all have an equally dark reputation.

It's the kind of place Death Eaters might go for a drink, and the information my 'employees' might just happen to overhear could be useful. When I was an Auror, we used to have a bar in Knockturn Alley that we used for a similar thing before the Death Eaters caught on and burnt it down. Now I have a new one, not far from the original actually. Again, history has changed so that these bars were always there, and nobody knows who owns them. It seems to have adapted to my world, giving them a variety of wards that help keep them secret.

For now, I head to bed with a stomach full of admittedly very nice pancakes, my stew eaten by the fucking Snorkack. I think it wanted the vegetables in the stew because it had knocked the pot onto the ground, and the beef was left on the ground.

– Luna Lovegood –

"What are you beaming about, Loony?" Marietta asked with a sneer, making Luna turn to her bully with a serene look on her face. "Did the nargles scramble your brain again?"

"No, silly, Nargles don't do that. It's Wrackspurts that mess with your mind," Luna replied, too happy to let Marietta get to her. Marietta scoffed, looking annoyed at her lack of a response. Marietta was a rather pathetic girl, so jealous and angry all the time, living in Cho's shadow. 

"Ah, right. You must have thousands of them; maybe it'd explain why you're so weird," Marietta tried, but Luna just blinked and looked up, making a show of examining herself. Her bullies hated it when she didn't seem to care about their words, and their anger brought her a measure of amusement. Marietta took a step forward, her friends joining her as they surrounded Luna.

Cho looked over at them, but while Cho had stopped some of the worst bullying before, she was taking Cedric's death poorly and barely looked their way before she went back to staring into space.

"Yo-" Marietta started before one of her friends nudged her, making them back off as Luna brightened up, spotting Professor Scamander. She hadn't had Care today, which was sad since it was her favourite class by far.

"G-Good evening, Professor," Marietta started, looking nervous and basically screaming that she had something to hide. "I-is there something you need?"

"Good evening, Miss Edgecombe. I was just coming to find Miss Lovegood," Professor Scamander said, his eyebrow raised as he looked from Luna to the older girls who had just been surrounding her, a knowing look in his eyes. 

Luna just beamed up at him.

"Hello, Professor! Is it time to study the Snorkack?" Luna asked excitedly, making several of the girls giggle and share looks.

"Not quite. I am supposed to be helping Professor Tonks tonight. Unfortunately, the Snorkack, who I have named Alice, is proving to be… needy. Frankly put, she's an attention seeker, and I was hoping you'd look after her for the evening," Professor Scamander replied, reaching down and picking up… nothing? "She seemed to trust you."

His hands shimmered, the Crumple-Horned Snorkack appearing in his grasp as she happily purred, rubbing herself against Professor Scamander's chest. 

"Ooh, I'd be happy to Snorkacksit for you!" Luna agreed, skipping forward and stroking Alice's fur, getting the creature's attention, before she took the offered animal into her arms. 

"W-wait, Snorlacks are real? I thought Loon- Luna made them up," one girl said, making Professor Scamander turn to her. His gaze did not look amused and the girl basically cowered back for a moment.

"While the earliest rumours of them can be attributed to the Quibbler, it appears Xenophillius Lovegood was correct. I discovered this one rather recently and am currently in the process of studying her. Luna is assisting me in the research, as she's rather a brilliant Magizooloigst in training," Professor Scamander explained. "I take it there won't be any problems with Luna looking after Alice, will there, girls?"

Faced with a professor, the girls demonstrated why they weren't Gryffindor's by breaking, all realising that Professor Scamander at least suspected they were bullies, countless promises that there wouldn't be any issues as he watched them go running, scurrying away like the Nargles they were.

"Hm, I take it they aren't friends of yours, Miss Lovegood?" Professor Scamander asked knowingly, making her simply smile as Alice licked her face.

"Nope," Luna agreed with a shrug. "I don't think they like me very much."

"I see. Well, you know where I am if you require any assistance; it wouldn't do for my assistant to be distracted from her studies now, would it?" Professor Scamander asked, ruffling her hair slightly as she giggled at the sensation of Alice's bumpy tongue on her cheek. "Now, I really do have to go. If you need anything or if Alice has any issues, I'll be in the Defence classroom."

"I'm sure we'll be fine; the Nargles seem to have run off, so they won't be causing their mischief tonight," Luna said with a grin, making him chuckle.

"Nargles, huh? I think I am familiar with that particular breed of creature, and they do tend to be cowardly sorts," Professor Scamander agreed. "Well, as I said, you know where I am if you need anything. Good evening, Miss Lovegood; just drop Alice off at my house before you go to bed."

"Will do!" Luna agreed easily, giving him a wave as he left. Alice looked up at her with those big, adorable eyes, and Luna giggled as she skipped to her room. She had her camera, and she had to get pictures for her father.

– Robin Scamander –

Luna is a rather unique girl, and if school taught me anything, it is that the unique ones get targeted the most. I'm not surprised she's being bullied, but I didn't catch them actually doing anything, and Luna hasn't reported them, so for now, a slight warning will have to do.

Alice, as it turns out, cannot be locked in my house. She seems to be able to get out of anywhere I try to put her, and she keeps following me around and generally disturbing me when I'm trying to work. Fortunately, she was distracted during my expedition into the Chamber of Secrets. She seems to trust Luna, which makes Luna a very valuable babysitter for her.

Feats Achieved: Prove Luna isn't entirely crazy (100cp), Become Luna's Crush (100cp), 200cp granted, 200cp total.

Hm.

[Gods' Eyes] - 200cp

Two eyes which trace their descent to the heavens themselves. These Mystic Eyes you possess have a divine heritage, sometimes only found in the eyes of actual divine spirits. Terribly useful, however, as the Gods' Eyes give the power of true Clairvoyance to their wielder. Looking into the past and the present is possible, a few hours when directed at a specific topic, but years are possible with less control over what you witness. With practice, the accuracy of your visions and the distance you can see into will grow. Precognitive visions are not set in stone, and even witnessing the future can cause it to begin to change.

These eyes are additionally able to understand the true nature and form of whatever they see. A divinity posing as a mortal will be obvious to your sight; a shapeshifted creature has its real appearance imposed slightly over what it pretends to be, and a dishonest man will clearly be so to you, though you will not detect what words are lies or truth directly.

I hesitate because, again, I am not particularly fond of Divination, but can I really decline divine eyes? If for no other reason than because the second ability of them is worth the 200cp on its own. Purchasing them, I blink rapidly as my vision goes blinding for just a moment before it returns to normal.

I am tempted to play around with them, but I shake my head and move on. I have a meeting to get to after all, as Nym and I are going to plan out how the duelling club should go and what to teach those who join. It seems to have gotten quite a bit of attention; Nym's rapidly rising popularity (especially with the male students) has made sure that a lot of people are signing up for the club.

Entering the room, she gives me a wave over and I chuckle at her harried look. I don't think she understood how much work being a teacher was going to be. Well, she seems glad to see me as we start planning out what spells to teach and how we want to organise the club. 

I take the opportunity to give her some more tips for teaching, and I can tell she's grateful for the help as the minutes turn to hours. She's just good company, even if she's a little young.

One thing of note: my new power has already paid off slightly. When I focus, I can see the true Nymphadora Tonks, the somewhat curly black-haired girl with less striking features, reminding me a lot of a certain other girl I once knew.

I can't say I'm surprised that Nym changes her appearance when she shares such a striking similarity to her Aunt, Bellatrix. Bellatrix was only a year below me at Hogwarts, and she once seemed so sweet back then. We even dated, if only briefly, but she went off the deep end hard by the time I graduated. 

As we're discussing spells, the door opens, and we turn to see Professor Dumbledore enter the room with a rather grim look on his face.

"Ah, I had hoped I would find you here, Robin," Dumbledore says, making me raise an eyebrow. "I realise you have a lot on your plate as it is, but I was hoping to get your expertise on a matter affecting Beauxbatons. Headmistress Maxime has requested your help by name."

"Maxime? I've met her once or twice," I admit, rising with a frown. If they want me, it's a problem with a magical creature, and probably a dangerous one at that. "What has happened?"

"That is what I'm hoping you can work out. Several students have been taken from Beauxbatons despite the wards, and the only lead they have is that a magical creature was involved," Dumbledore admits, stroking his beard.

I don't need the guidance of grace to tell me that this is going to be interesting, though the trail of gold does once more appear and lead me towards Dumbledore as I nod. France, huh? Already, I'm going over every magical creature native to France in my head as I walk towards him, giving Nym a nod.

"Lead the way, Headmaster," I say, my tone serious and a frown on my lips.

— Bonus Scene — Fleur Delacour

After her frankly embarrassing performance at the Triwizard Cup, she truly didn't know what to do with herself after she graduated. Sure, she'd gotten good grades, but coming last in the Tournament had shaken her confidence and left her sitting around trying to work out what she wanted to do with herself.

When word reached her of the strange happenings going on around Beauxbatons, she'd been curious but otherwise uninterested, too busy sulking to herself over her disgrace to care. 

Then she'd gotten word that Gabrielle was missing.

Nothing could have knocked her out of her sulking faster, finding herself back at her school only months after leaving, seeing the grim look on Madame Maxine's face. The Ministry had sent Aurors, of course, as Gabrielle was only one of several students who was currently missing, but she could already tell from the looks on their faces that they had no answers.

Her gaze moved to the one piece of evidence they had: the tracks. Large feline paw prints, far larger than those of any cat or even a tiger, led to the boundary of Beauxbatons' wards before vanishing, but nobody had seen the creature that had seemingly grabbed several students, and their Care of Magical Creatures professor had no answers for what could have caused them.

Fleur glared into the distance, even knowing that whatever creature had caused the disappearance probably wasn't out there in the treeline she was glowering at, her wand sparking. Something had taken Gabby, and unlike the Second Task, she could already tell it was going to be more dangerous than the Black Lake's merfolk.