#twisted wonderland writing
About: Starting off day 1 of valentwst with an Azul drabble! It’s your summer holidays, where he may or may not have tricked you into needing his assistance.
CW: Reader is implied to have an interesting unique-magic (not specified), and is quite frustrated with the merman in question.
“Azul Ashengrotto.” You said the name slowly. “What are you playing at?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Azul replied, eyes on the cauldron before him as his tentacles added and measured ingredients. Something off the shelf, another from the cupboard… What was the last one again?
Swimming closer, you swiped one of the bottles floating in the water before he could reach for it. His eyes flicked up to meet yours with a raised brow; you resisted the urge to topple his cauldron right there and then.
“You’re not expecting me to live the rest of my life with a tail, are you?” You demanded.
At the memory of your contract, Azul smiled. “As far as I recall, I’ve held up my end of the deal. You only have yourself– well, your friend, to blame. Your wish was to visit the Coral Sea for the weekend, was it not?”
“Yes. The weekend.” Your patience wore thin. “I admit it was an oversight on their part for trusting you,” His lips twitched amusedly, sharpening your gaze into a glare. “But what do you even hope to gain from this?”
“You don’t have to look at me so suspiciously.” Azul all but shrugged. He fished out a blank contract from the drawers, turning it around to confirm that it was indeed empty. “Forgive me for being so roundabout, but I thought you wouldn’t have come in-person if it were not for such a complication.”
When your friend said they could help you find a potion to turn your legs into a tail, you hadn’t thought they were foolish enough to go to Azul for it. After your first mishap with their dorm (a mishap on your part, but a convenient occurrence for them,) you’d done your best to avoid Octavinelle during your studies at the college. It wasn’t simply out of principle, either - Azul seemed to have taken an interest in your unique-magic, which was something you absolutely refused to use as a trading chip.
“…A contract to resolve an oversight?”
“An honest oversight, I assure you~”
If it wasn’t for the clear disadvantage you had, you might’ve tried to leave and find another solution. You sighed, crossing your arms. “Azul, I’d like a potion that returns my legs. A permanent one to reverse the effects of your last product.” Watching him scribble down the terms, you continued. “You aren’t after madol, are you?”
“Of course not. I only have a simple request.” He gave you a charming smile as he cast It’s a Deal, turning the dark ink into tantalizing gold. “I’m well-aware that you don’t plan to part with your unique-magic, thus I’ll simply settle for a demonstration of sorts.” He unraveled another roll of parchment, one that detailed a map of the Coral Sea. “Now… Shall we play a little game?”
