Inane Verbiage

XV

We arrive at the capital around mid-morning the next day, Aqua looking just like the Mer version of New York, only with Mers weaving in, out and around every floor of every shell, sans-glass skyscraper at sight, making the entire sunlight-swathed city seem sort of an aquarium. A glamorous, high-class, beautiful one, but an aquarium all the same (which is terribly mean, but oh well).

Sans-glass, because according to Az glass is used 'to keep burglars out from our houses', and apparently the law enforcement in Aqua is 'so effective' that the crime rate is 'practically zero' so 'there's no need to waste resources and time to make and install glass windows on every building'. Huh. The governments back on Gaia could learn a thing or two about that.

 "Where's the palace?" Eros asks the blue-haired merman now as we swim through the security gates of the city (and easily pass them, thank goodness - although I suspect that it may partly have been because of the fact that all six guards were female. Which is an entirely unfeminist thing to think, and I should have more faith in people of my gender, but the only possibility is that all the guards are just lax in general - and I doubt that's any better), having released Horse and Pegasus back to their mates (and I swear I saw Eros looking a little weepy) earlier by the border. 

Az replies by pointing wordlessly to the giant sign by the side of the road, an exasperated look on his face.

 'This way to the Mer palace'.

 "…oh."

 I'm about to ask how long it'll take to reach there, only we turn the corner, and nearly faint.

 I don't know what I had been expecting to see when we finally catch side of the palace all this while, but I can safely say that a ridiculously long queue of Mers that stretches all the way to the shining golden gates in the distance was not anywhere on my list. 

And judging by the looks on Eros's and Az's faces, it wasn't anywhere on theirs either.

 Why, I can't say - after all, it should make sense, since everyone wanting (or needing) to go on land has to do it via the King - somehow I'd always presumed that it would be as quick and efficient as everything else in the Mer kingdom has seemed to be, I suppose.

 Judging by the way the queue doesn't seem to be moving (at all)… evidently not.

 "Is there any way you could manage to dump us in front of the queue?" I ask Eros, eyeing the line in trepidation. "Some magic mojo or anything of that sort?"

 The god screws up his face in concentration in reply. "I'll try."

 And he snaps his fingers, and the three of us find ourselves at the head of the queue, being waved through the tall golden gates and into the meticulously-groomed kelp garden (without fountains, unfortunately - after all, you can't exactly squirt out water into water) by the green-tailed guard by the entrance.

With satisfied grins the three of us saunter into the painstakingly-polished shell hall - only to be greeted by another queue.

 It's hard to suppress a groan, while Eros lets out a long string of expletives. Az is far more practical than either of us, already asking around for details.

 "They're queuing up to register their names and get a number for their audience with His Majesty," he pants out as he rushes back here, looking distraught. "Average waiting time is around five hours - is there any way you can get around that, Eros?" 

The ash-blonde shakes his head, much to our dismay. "This area has a warding spell not unlike the one on the Golden Mary - only the spellcaster can do magic in here, so I can't do anything about it, I'm afraid."