Book 3 - The Merchant from the Depths: Chapter 35; Erasing the Past

The screen turns on as the chapter title plays "Chapter - 35; Erasing the Past".

Azul woke up rather suddenly as he shot up from lying down on the ground.

Floyd states "Oh, hey, you're awake."

Jade holds up four fingers as he asks Azul "Azul, how many fingers am I holding up?" Azul looks closely for a second before rather hesitantly answering "Er… Eight?" Jade puts his fingers down as he says "Still in shock, it seems. But your blot-induced rampage has subsided at least."

Leona holds his head annoyed as he tells Azul "That little tantrum you threw really put us through the wringer, y'know." Ruggie then tells Leona "Uh, Leona, I'm not sure you get to say that." as he too had overblotted.

Azul slowly stands up with a hand to his head as he asks "What did I…do?"

Jade informs him "You overused your magic and overblotted. You don't remember it?"

Floyd teases Azul by mimicking him as he said "You were sucking everybody's magic dry left and right, bawlin', "Give my your poweeerrr!" It was the cringiest thing I've ever seen. I'm still not over it."

Azul panics slightly as he says, rather quietly "Oh, no… Me, going berserk? I don't believe this…"

Ruggie then tries to reassure Azul as he tells him "Hey, I can't exactly blame a guy for gettin' bent outta shape when something you've been building up for years gets ruined. I mean, if someone broke the coin bank I've been saving my money in, I'd hold a grudge for life."

But Grim still scolds or perhaps instructs him, it's not exactly clear what this is "But all those shady business dealings have gotta stop. You oughta learn from this."

Jack is annoyed at Grim's attitude about Azul while having taken the deal in the first place, being an enabler in all of this as he crosses his arms and shouts at Grim "How about you guys learn not to coast through exams using someone else's notes?!"

Yuu tells Azul "No one else could have made those notes." while still thinking 'I'm still amazed Grim got an 85, actually.'

Azul is confused by the sudden compliment as he asks "...What?"

Ace shrugs as he admits "Y'know, it's true. One all-nighter reading that study guide you wrote was enough to bag me over a 90 on my exams." Deuce nods in agreement as he states "Yeah. It was seriously on point." Jack also lightly tips his head back and forth as he tells Azul "I heard from the headmage that you wrote that guide yourself, analyzing a whole century's worth of test question trends. I'm still not okay with your shady practices, but your work took serious guts. That much I'll admit."

Azul thinks for a second on all that was said before humming for a second.

But he puts his hands out as he tells them "Your clumsy attempts at consolation aren't helping me in the least."

Floyd then bends down a little to Azul's eye level as he teases "Awww, what's the matter? Are you gettin' teary-eyed, Azul?" Jade joins his brother in the teasing, although his seem a bit more insensitive "Dear me. You've gone back to that ink-spewing scrybaby again."

Azul shoves the tweels heads away as he shouts at them "Hey! You two signed an NDA covering that exact topic!"

Jade apologizes, although it doesn't seem to reach his eyes "Right you are. My mistake."

Jack then speaks up "Oh yeah, that reminds me…" he then reaches over to one of his pockets, a rolled up piece of paper. Before handing it to Azul telling him "Here's that photo of Prince Rielle you asked for. We got ahold of it. The sun hasn't set yet. I think that seals our victory."

Azul takes the picture and unrolls it, as everyone looks to see what it is, or just make sure it is in fact the right one.

Leona is confused as he asks "What's this? It's just some picture of a buncha mermen fingerlings huddled in front of a camera."

Ruggie asks "Is it some kinda group photo of an elementary school class?" He then lifts his head up to Azul as he asks him "What'd you want it for, anyway?"

But before an answer is given, Floyd grabs the photo as he laughs before shouting "That takes me back! This is a picture from our school field trip!"

He then holds the photo up as he points at two young merfolk telling everyone "Me'n Jade and right here. Aaand…" his voice trails off as he moves his finger to point at a different spot as he asks the others "See the kid sulking way off in the corner?"

Jade holds Azul back gently as Floyd throws his hand up and shouts "That's baby Azul!~"

This makes all of them shout "What?!"

Jade lets go of Azul as he runs up to Floyd screeching at him "AAAHHH!!! NO!" as he jumps trying to grab the photo from Floyd's hands.

He then shouts at the others "Don't look! Please don't look!" as his ears are red from his embarrassment.

Jade then puts a hand on Azul's shoulder as he tells him "Well well, Azul. You sure are spirited all of a sudden. Shouldn't you get a little more sleep? Considering how far things have already gone, it would be easier for you to let this one go."

But Ace motions for Floyd to give him the photo or at least show it again as he says "Let's see here."

Of which, Floyd rather happily holds the photo open for them all to see again.

Leona takes a closer look muttering "What's in the corner…?" Ruggie asks for confirmation "Are you talkin' about the octopus who's more rounded than any of the mer-kids, even holding the pic at an angle?"

Grim then shouts surprised "Whoa, Azul! I never knew you used to look like that!"

Yuu mentally fangirls over the cute baby Azul 'Aw. He's so cute and round!' but on the outside just sighs a chuckle-ly sigh and says with a rather soft and gentle smile "So that's what this was about…"

Azul hides his growing red face in his hands as he seems to break again.

Deuce then shouts "I… I get it. I totally get what you're feeling. Everybody's got a past they wish they could erase! I saw nothing! Neither did the rest of you, okay?! Never speak of this again!" Jack crosses his arms with a raised brow as he tells Deuce "Never pegged you as this, uh…passionate."

Azul groans as he brings his face out of his and looks up saying after a noise of suffering "I was going to expand the Mostro Lounge with a branch café and simultaneously erase the shame of my childhood… It was supposed to be the perfect plan! Two birds with one stone!"

Ruggie shrugs as he pats Azul's back telling him "Hey, you know what they say: a rabbit in hand is worth two in the bush."

But he's not listening as he further states how elaborate his entire scheme was and his complaints "I got my schoolmates' yearbooks and the negatives from the photographer… I succeeded in laying claim to every single old photo of me through a whole web of deals… But there just wasn't any legal way to dispose of that one last photo."

Yuu is rather impressed about how much he's done and planned, but Grim? Not so much as he shouts at Azul "That doesn't mean it's cool to make other people do your dirty work for you!"

Floyd tells Azul "I don't see the big deal, really. I like the old Azul." as he pulled Azul into an extremely loose hug, before saying with no remorse "He'd make a better meal than the one we've got now."

Azul pushes him away, not really seeming to care too much about the whole eating him comment.

Which leaves a very concerned Yuu, as it seems no one else who isn't a merfolk really heard what Floyd said.

Azul shouts at Floyd "That's not the point at all!"

Yuu walks up and puts a gentle hand on his shoulder as she tells him "You don't have to be that hung up on hiding it. You put in an incredible amount of work." as she looks him in the eye, with not a hint of dishonesty in them.

Azul sniffs and says "This is the worst. I could crawl into an octopus pot right now." as he once again hides his face in his hands.

The screen then fades to black as "To be continued" plays before it fully turns off.