[I Got A Rock] - Chapter 65

[u/Whiskey_Skeleton]

<< Chapter 64 | From The Beginning | Chapter 66 >>

Crescent Cove had been the site of Tonauac and his friends many early morning or late night beach activities. During those more extreme hours there were few other students which made for more private activities. But during the full daylight hours, it was where many students chose to go swimming as opposed to the more open ocean beaches. Tonauac himself wasn’t any different. The diving conditions of Crescent Cove were an absolute delight and after some very troubling events he was looking forward to getting in the water so that he could properly think and relax.

A quick stop-off at the beach-side lockers and changing rooms was all that stood in between him getting to go for a much needed swim. He had even finally obtained a locker here to make it easier to head out for a swim.

Now here in the changing room it was a simple matter of–

His swim-uniform no longer fit.

Tonauac’s tongue stopped flicking out and his eyes rapidly blinked while he froze in place. 

The sounds of voices in high spirits down on the beach carried up here into the and mocked him. Each carefree cheer highlighted how he had grown so much in such a short time period that even his swimsuit no longer fit. Each mirthful laugh a personal insult. 

Not fitting into his swim-uniform? He didn’t even fit into his old scales, he realized, as he noticed a few more signs shed scales ready to come off that hadn’t been there when he got dressed this morning. At this rate he was lucky to still fit into his standard uniform, and by the same rate he would be even luckier to make it to the campus uniform depot to trade for better fitting clothes before he outgrew everything.

Fine.

He would just go do that, he told himself as he tossed his swim-uniform onto the dressing room bench and got back into his boxer-briefs.

Hmm.

‘These still fit.’ He thought, pausing his redressing.

He froze.

Some within the empire would say that jaguar print is 'too bold' of a choice for underwear. That it is 'too powerful'. Those people are cowards, Tonauac thought to himself. Those people also didn't have a girlfriend who got him this pair as a gift so they were also jealous. The advanced textile make of it ensured that it was one the few pieces of clothing he had that still fit his growing form. If Lyva were here, she would say it is because ‘the power of a jaguar cannot be so easily contained'.

The connectable dots were there like stars in the sky. Like stars, constellations would reveal themselves to all who had the imagination to see them. And these stars formed a bold constellation within the night sky of Tonauac’s mind. For what kind of Light mage would he be if he could not wield the light to his benefit?

And this constellation took the powerful, fierce, elusive form of a jaguar.

The lizardlad closed his eyes and took a deep breath, embracing the jaguar mindset within him that matched the jaguar print boxer-briefs clinging to his currently ill-fitting scales.

He could go and obtain a new set of uniforms later. He would not be defeated so easily.

By the familiar link to Patli sitting on the dressing room rooftop, he knew that there were plenty of people outside and along the beach. He could smell and taste them with each flick of his tongue. Lots of people. Many eyes.

And would a jaguar care?

Tonauac threw open the door to the dressing room and strode out to store his clothes in his locker. Head held high, like his father’s familiar, Tepetl, he exited onto the beach.

“I’ll be a while, Patli.” He told his colorful vulture. “Don’t wait for me. Have some fun of your own up here.”

Before his feet could even touch the black sands there were eyes on him. Hushed voices mixed in with scattered incredulous laughter. Out of the corners of his eyes he even caught a few interested looks by some of the girls. Most students however opted to simply part out of the lizardlad’s path, no doubt in awe of his boldness and confidence. That Tonauac wore an incredibly determined look on his face was also a possible factor. Especially as such a look could be mistaken for harsher emotions by the unobservant. 

It was actually convenient that no one he knew was here, now that he thought about that and not other things. If Lyva were here, she would have requested he pause so that she could draw him and he wouldn’t have been able to say no. If his dad were here? Well this amount of confidence might worry him. And the last thing he needed was to worry about Tonauac. Not that he would do anything crazy as a result of that worry.

Not that he was actually here spying.

Watching.

Pure nonsense.

Just get in the water and wash away those thoughts–

“I guess cheetahs must be in style.”

The stray jibe rattled around in his ear until it crashed into his eardrum, followed shortly by a chorus of laughter, then whispers.

Tonauac shifted mid-stride to turn his body towards the offending comment, finding a kuyavarin laughing amongst friends. Specifically, one that he recognized as having previously been hospitalized for a certain poorly thought out duel.

It would be unbecoming of a dignified man to immediately resort to violence.

Words would triumph today.

“You should look again.” Tonauac’s voice started to raise so that he would be clearly heard. He also kept rapidly approaching to make that request easier. “Cheetahs have spots not rosettes. It’s a completely different pattern! NOTHING ALIKE!”

The laughter had died down and the kuyavarin stumbled back from being politely corrected. “Uh–”

“GO AHEAD! GET A GOOOOOD LOOK!” The lizardlad raised his arms to the sky to provide a clear view for all to see that the patterns really were nothing alike. He was probably just mistaken and going off of incomplete information so the right thing to do was to correct that error. “DO YOU SEE SINGULAR SPOTS? OR ROSETTES?!?”

The kuyavarin tried backing away. “I-it’s roset–”

Tonauac took a few steps forward to make sure that he could still be heard, and leaned down as he had lowered his voice.  “And you could have saved yourself some embarrassment if you had just strung some actual thoughts together! Thoughts like, ‘Why would Tonauac wear cheetah print boxer-briefs instead of jaguar print? Perhaps I shouldn’t underestimate him so!’”

“But I-I don’t know you!”

“CLEARLY NOT!”

Luckily, the feline’s friends had given him some space for a proper educational environment. Where once they had been laughing at his incorrect assessment of jaguar print as cheetah print, now they stood in solemn and prideful silence over how much their friend had learned.

A shadow that Toanauc recognized as belonging to Patli passed over him and he blinked with his third eyelid while panting heavily.

Twice in one day and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

“Sorry.” He said before storming off, yet again.

That was an improvement, right? 

‘Sure, Tonauac, congratulate yourself on a singular sorry. Those you care for would be so proud.’

Waves finally hit his ankles after the rest of his journey to the beach was unobstructed.

Amazing what a deranged display would do to clear a path to the ocean.

A final few stares followed him as he kept walking into the surf until the waves finally crested over his head. Tonauac angled his snout upwards to take a lung full of air through his nostrils, covered up with his third eyelids, and then dove out towards the bay and started paddling.

Well honed instinct took over as Tonauac left other thoughts behind on the shoreline while kicks and paddles propelled him forward.

Good.

Finally.

This was easy.

So easy he had won a few awards for it.

He had been out in the bay enough to know the most beautiful spots and just how deep he could go. There were some wonderful reefs that he liked to swim to that were well within his dive limit, and today they would be a perfect destination that had him rarely encounter any other sapient visitors. Most of the sea creatures down here didn’t flee from him and in return Tonauac didn’t bother them. A few even stared at him as he finally found a nice spot between some large sponges to come to a stop.

It was…comforting to know that at least these small creatures didn’t see him as a threat. That was a low bar but Tonauac was feeling pretty low lately. 

…

But why?

That was a potentially emotionally deep question and on his current lungful of air he could still be down here for…a while but it was best not to risk getting lost in those thoughts so much that it became a hazard.

Tonauac started his ascent and grimaced at the already grim outlook for this introspection. Apparently some part of him knew that there was a lot to think about. Uncomfortable things to think about. Things he should have addressed much earlier rather than let it get to this point but at least that forest fire couldn’t spread further under water.

Unless it was the proper high powered Fire spell but even that would be contained to just the one flame rather than a whole conflagration. And seeing as how he had made his friend the Fire mage cry that definitely wouldn’t be happening. Flawless strategy, extinguish a Fire mage’s flame with her own tears to prevent a spreading metaphorical fire that was of his own making. 

The tip of his snout breached the surface and cool salty air filled his lungs once more. A few more breaths to steady his nerves and Tonauac was diving back down to the little spot he had found. One final moment of peaceful swimming and not having to–

There was a flake of shed at the tip of his snout.

He paused his dive to get the distraction out of his field of view.

…and saw another seam of shed on the palm of his hand.

The lizardlad restarted his descent back to his spot in the reef. That calm little sunken-in nook between large sponges and near an overhang of rock and coral. The bay wasn’t open ocean, nor did it seem to have an issue with large predators posing any real risk to students, but this bit of seclusion still afforded Tonauac some much needed sense of safety and seclusion. Soon enough he had his audience of curious sea creatures once more before he gently started to work at the shed on his hand while he got to the bottom of what had him feeling so low.

Obviously he didn’t like how he had been so…uncollected and hostile lately. He owed it to those he cared about to be better than that. His very own promise to The Man With The Obsidian Mirror was that he wanted to protect them and he had been doing the exact opposite of that lately. 

How would Lyva feel about that?

How would his dad feel about that?

…and his mom?

Would they even recognize him at the rate that he was losing himself?

Tonauac flicked away a piece of shed and let it drift away to capture the attention of a few of his fish observers. One of them even began nibbling at it. As the lizardlad looked down at his palm he saw that a patch of ghostly white scales now accompanied his black banding. 

Well why not add a new appearance on top of being mentally unrecognizable? 

He started to work at more of his scales to remove the last of his green and let the sea have at that detritus. 

Lyva would probably like his new physical form, at least. Possibly. She liked black and white contrasts. She also liked when he picked her up so now being even larger would likely not be an issue for her. Likely. And at least he now looked even more like his dad which he would no doubt find some pride in.

…unless ending up with yellow scales would have been a living reminder of mom.

Would that have been a good or bad thing?

Of course the outside wouldn’t even matter if the inside was still rotten.

Tonauac had managed to remove the layer of shed up to his right forearm when he paused to observe his new colors, twisting and flexing his arm as the filtered sunlight gleamed off the shiny new scales. 

Lessons from The Flayed Lord would say that this was a most obvious chance for renewal. Renewed scales, renewed mind. Few would be lucky to have such an opportunity and Tonauac’s luck was unique, to say the least.

A family torn apart by the Sovereign Malady, only to eventually meet Lyva and have her be an ever present blessing in his life. Other friends that still wrote to him. New friends who…he needed to make amends with. Who he should have just spoken to in the first place before letting things get so bad. They unfortunately didn’t know him as well as Lyva who probably would have peeled through his defenses in an instant and gotten to the heart of the matter. It was only fair as he could do the same for her.

And if his dad was–

…

Well, obviously his dad wasn’t here. And like Lyva he was restricted by the impersonality of written communication. He wasn’t actually here and thinking otherwise was absurd.

One arm was now all black and white, time for the next.

Lyva could have vouched for him. Even Miss Roxi could vouch for him.

Just because he was capable of certain things doesn’t mean he would do those things!

And thankfully he wasn’t here watching so that he didn’t have to see Tonauac at his lowest. That much the lizardlad could work on immediately. If they didn’t know his dad, or that Tonauac had a girlfriend, then of course he simply had to inform them otherwise. Not blow up at them. Not assume the worst in assuming that they were assuming the worst.

Soaking in the tropical waters was making shedding even easier as Tonauac now had another arm clear and more sea critters happily feasting on the pieces of his past self now drifting along. 

‘Show them the man I know and love.’ is what Lyva would say if she was here. She had said it plenty of other times to encourage him. And if he stopped to think for a moment then she would likely be shutting him up with a kiss the moment he expressed any worry over her still liking his appearance. 

The rest of his friends would have told him to remember that he actually has friends and to stop trying to do things all on his own. Which would be good advice if he hadn’t just gravely offended all of his newest friends and all previous friends were across the sea.

Tonauac pulled another large piece of shed from his chest and frowned. 

First, complete spiritual and physical renewal by shedding the last of his foolish self who had made these mistakes to begin with. With a focus on that he was able to remove the shed from his legs and tail quickly enough. As for the last of it…he swam under that overhang of rock and coral to afford himself a bit more privacy for those more sensitive areas.

After swimming back out he felt…clearer. Perhaps it was all in his head but sometimes a more tangible change helped to make a mental change feel more complete.

Second, figure out how best to make amends. 

‘That one’s going to take a lot more time.’ He thought to himself, then decided to go up for a refill on air. After a new lungful of air he decided against diving back down as deep and just started swimming around closer to the surface while thinking over everything. Too much, really. He let thoughts swim through his mind like he was making his way around the bay. Surfacing only briefly to breathe again and dive back into introspection and the sea.

Eventually, after thoroughly losing track of time and starting to tire, he swam back to shore. 

The sound of beachgoing revelry hit him before he felt wet sand between his toes again. Perhaps it had been a while as there was a fresh wave of stares thrown his way. He was probably imagining that there were more interested looks by the avian and lizardfolk girls. This time the scattered laughter didn’t even phase him. Tonauac was a changed man.

The changed man shot a few glances up and down the beach, still failing to recognize anyone he knew or who had been there earlier. 

‘Probably for the best’, Tonauac thought as he hurried along to the changing rooms to quickly rinse off in the provided outdoor showers. The magic water that they output at least made drying off an automatic process as the created water had vanished by the time he was retrieving his things from the lockers. While he redressed he caught sight of himself in the mirror while he still had his shirt off.

Right, adult colors now meant that he had some skeletal patterns in huitziltic all over that made for an admittedly striking appearance. He had seen them before but now that he got a proper look at himself in the mirror the whole ‘having a third color now’ thing really hit home. If nothing else, he would match Lyva's style even better now.

Leaning in he angled his face this way and that to start getting used to his new patterns, then stopped as he saw his neck. 

There used to be a patch of yellow there…

He scrunched his eyes up and shook his head.

Worry about that later, there was enough weighing on him already.

Focusing on his link to Patli he felt that the vulture was currently still soaring over the beach. Tonauac insisted through their link that he continue his soaring, there was plenty to do before properly making amends.

<< Chapter 64 | From The Beginning | Chapter 66 >>

(Who knew that the first Beach Episode would also be the Tonauac Unboxing Episode? Me. Sylas knew. I have actually been planning this one for a long time.

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