READY TO STAND.

eric couldn't stop smiling the second he saw her. it wasn't even subtle at this point. watching ariel move through all of this. he let her pull him toward the dance floor without a single complaint, laughing as he nearly stumbled after her. "are you kidding? this is insane," he said, glancing around at the crowds. "like, actually insane. you pulled all of this together?"

he looked back at her then, expression softening with something unmistakably proud. "ariel, everyone's definitely having fun. i don't think i've seen this many people genuinely excited about something in... a long, long time." he squeezed her hand lightly. "people aren't just showing up because it's something to do. they love this. they love what you made." and maybe she didn't fully realize it yet, but eric did. ariel had a way of creating things that made people feel alive.

ariel took a moment to look around as eric did, at the space and the vendors and the crowds. it wasn't until then that she really was able to see how much bigger this event had become than she intended. what was meant to be a silly little opening for her silly little shop turned into a celebration of local talent in two distinct pieces of the tristate area. it took eric looking at her like she hung the moon to realize that, wow, maybe she did create something special. in a moment where she should have swayed, she pulled him into a hug.

"i just love you," she said softly. "thank you for being in my corner."

there were so many moments where ariel doubted herself, doubted her decision to be landbound, doubted all of it. but it was moments like this one, with her best friend beaming at her and her community dancing in circles she painted with her bare hands, that reminded her that this was where she belonged. here was where she was appreciated.

Kate had been at The Grotto for exactly eleven minutes. Which was enough time to conclude three things:

One: Ariel’s antique shop operated on rules that did not apply to normal retail.

Two: every object in here looked like it either granted wishes or ruined lives.

And three: Ariel absolutely enabled her.

Kate wandered between crowded shelves with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, pausing every few feet to pick something up and immediately invent a backstory for it. She held up a tiny silver opera binocular, “This belonged to a woman in 1912 who attended exactly one performance and spent the entire time gossiping instead.”

She set it down and then picked up an ornate letter opener. “This was used for dramatic correspondence only.” Set that down too. Eventually, she found herself near the counter where a collection of tiny brass trinkets sat arranged with suspicious intention.

Kate picked one up. Turned it over. Pressed something and a tiny compartment popped open. She gasped then immediately looked around for Ariel. “Ariel.” She held it up, her expression was completely serious. “…Why do I feel like every object in here has side quests?”

She walked over and leaned against the counter. Her brown eyes drifted around the store again. Warm lights. Too many beautiful things. A place that felt exactly like Ariel somehow.

Kate smiled faintly. Then looked back at her friend. “You know what’s funny?” She turned the little object over in her hands. “I always think I’m gonna come in here for like ten minutes.”

“And then somehow I lose an hour and leave knowing the life story of a Victorian hairbrush.” She tilted her head as another smile drew over her lips. “You’ve ruined normal stores for me.”

Then she set the trinket down and pointed across the room. “Also.” Her tone turned serious. “You have to tell me the weirdest thing someone has ever tried to buy."

"…And if the answer is me, I’m leaving.”

it was not often that someone came into the grotto with the same level of passion for treasures as ariel had, but she always had a blast following certain customers around, either allowing them to create scenarios for things or rattle off what she knew of each item. some of the things in this shop had found home here for years, more background decor at this point that product, but as more people began visiting the shop, more eyes gave these items a fresh glance. she just sold a set of glassware she had for four years!

kate had been one such person for ariel right away. she watched as the girl's face lit up upon entering the store her first time and that light hadn't dimmed for any visit since. it felt easy, the friendship that was starting to bloom as a result. sometimes ariel wasn't sure if kate was coming to see the inventory or if she was just coming to visit.

"everything has a story, doesn't it?" ariel asked with a grin. that was the true beauty of antiques, realizing that age may highlight the stories of these items, but everything had one, no matter how short, long, intricate, or baseline. "i love that you can come in and lose time here - that's why i'm thinking of expanding with a coffee cart! give people reason to shop and hang out."

she laughed at her friend's last question, a shake of her head making due when she couldn't immediately yell that no, no one had thought to bought her. "i had a very long conversation once with a lady who couldn't understand that the hutch that holds all our antique china could not be sold, due to it being the vessel for our china..." she waved the sentiment off with her hand. "oh well. people love the hutch, but i'll never sell it." then she gasped, remembering.

"i have something for you, by the way. let me go get it!"

casimir smiled at that, slow and knowing, like he appreciated someone who understood the cost of things beneath the shine. “smart choice,” he said lightly, lowering the bottle a fraction. “most people down here hear the words happily ever after and stop asking questions...”

his gaze held hers easily when she looked him over, unbothered by the scrutiny... if anything, entertained by it.

then her question drew a softer grin from him, warmer this time. “casimir,” he answered smoothly. “though most people shorten it to cas once they decide if they like me.” a beat passed before he tipped his head slightly toward her. “and you, ariel, is it? seem like you’re still deciding how to feel about me..”

he was right, of course, about how easy it was to convince an innocent bystander that what you saw was what you would receive. morality was a spectrum around these parts, and someone grayer than she would easily omit information to trick someone into handing over their cash. ariel would not admit to this man that she had learned such a lesson the hard way. "i suppose you will have to find an easier target," she said lightheartedly instead. "someone sadder, maybe."

the thing about this event now, that ariel would now have to get used to, was this air of local celebrity. no one expected the event to turn out as big as it did, but since it did - well - far more people recognized her today than they did yesterday. she smiled cordially in recognition when her name crossed his lips before proper introduction could be made. there was a chance she would have to get used to that.

"well, you're far too charming to be a regular vendor and we've already established i'm wary of your potions. so, do tell, mister casimir-" her pause then was pointed despite the smile on her face - friendship was earned even from the kindest of sorts. "how were you hoping to come across just now?"

making sure he had a good enough space to enjoy the music without being shoved in like a school of fish, milo waited with anticipation for the next act to begin.

he was mid-drink when he notices it was, in fact, him being spoken to and after an awkward rushed swallow, milo shakes his head with a laugh. “oh, i really don’t think that’s a good idea for you. i’m all limb, i’ve been told. and my grandfather never got me dance lessons, i don’t think he ever considered it an important skill.” he shrugs nonchalantly before catching himself and straightening his back. “sorry — he was wrong, probably, about that. i’m sure dancing is great if you’re good at it? i’m more of a … swayer, i think.”

"oh, i don't have much experience either," she admitted, giggling now at the realization. it was quite bold of her demand a dance of a stranger when she had only traded in her tail for legs in adulthood. but learning of the artform so late in life allowed her to approach it with this idea that no movement needed to be deemed good or bad - you just had to move! "i bet if you give me five minutes of your time, i can make you feel better about it."

bold as a claim as it was, ariel was pretty certain she could do it.

right on cue, the next band started tuning their instruments and getting ready to start their set. ariel beamed at her new friend. "you hear that?" she asked, spinning around as if the sound came directly from the sky. "they're getting ready for us!"

her reverie was interrupted by someone speaking beside her, but rumi realized she actually didn’t mind all that much to make conversation. “hi! so not interrupting at all,” she answered, and set her phone down with a smile. “uh, i got — it’s called the eternal flameless cookie? cherry and chocolate and a little cinnamon. and a strawberry cupcake. i couldn’t decide. i’ve never actually been here before, and to be honest, it was kind of…” aaaand she was rambling. ahem. “…overwhelming. what did you get?”

ariel hadn't known what to expect when she walked in here, and she was comforted to know someone else had similar decision paralysis when navigating the menu. "oh, those sound delicious. i'm not sure what this is called, but it's a yellow cupcake with apple pie filling and maple frosting. and--" the mermaid giggled, also a rambler. "i'm getting a sample box packaged up to taste test for my re-opening event. oh! sorry." she grabbed a flyer from her stack of folders and passed it over. "shameless self promo time. you should come!"

"i'm ariel, by the way. it's nice to meet you." she grinned. "thank you for letting me bombard your alone time."

violet walked with her hands deep in her pockets, jogging away from the stall to make the most of her little break. she walked like this, exploring the market, until about ten minutes in when she realised, she could just go invisible.

exploring unseen, she let herself look at things for longer than what was usually deemed appropriate. she watched locals peel away from the shadows, and though their faces looked weathered and pale from lack of the bright sunlight found in elias, in their eyes was curiosity. she watched a child stare at the heart-shaped pizzas sold by pizza planet, until the vendor decided to give him one for free. she saw a man try out a drink from the lucky cat stall, his eyes widening from either the brain freeze or the sweetness. this was the real magic of elias: the people.

and wasn't the underland once part of elias? or somehow part of it all anyway?

there were still parts that made her wary. peering down a dark alleyway, being bumped against in her headless form — a fear jolted inside of her. it seemed like she would see the face of krampus himself the longer she looked down that alley, and she was only able to unstick her feet from the ground when someone bumped into her again. this time, they'd said 'sorry!'.

violet became visible again, breathing heavily. walking alone had her disappear off the face of the earth last time. she was not about to make the same mistake again. and what could be less alone than a dancefloor?

not that violet was going to dance anytime soon. spotting ariel, she lifted her hands as if in surrender. caught by the boss. "oh nooooooo, i don't dance. can't, actually. i'm technically working," she teased. "and i was born with two left feet," she laughed. "but i can hold your stuff while you do the hustle or something." violet smiled, holding out her arms like a coat rack. "how are you! are you actually giving yourself a break? i promise i'm on my way back, by the way, i just wanted to check this corner out."

ariel was happy to see violet out here, her brain hardly registering that there was any possibility she should be at the grotto. she had hired two people for a reason and would only be worried if she had seen both of them out of place.

“working out here? are you sure?” she offered a knowing smile, a tone of humor. “that’s okay ... i should really be on the move anyway. care to lap?” a head nod to the corner in question led her feet in the same direction, hopeful for a buddy on her twenty fifth loop around.

the mermaid raised a hand and shook her head, finding the explanation unnecessary. "i hired two of you and instructed that one stay in the shop at all times. i trust you're doing that without reassurance." she punctuated the end of her sentiment with a grin. "i'm glad you're getting to see the rest of the market."

casimir didn’t miss much.... especially not the way she moved through the event like it belonged to her, like every lantern had been lit with intention and every laugh threaded back to her hands somehow. he’d clocked her long before she stopped at this stall, long before she turned that sharp little question on him. it drew something warmer into his smile, something less rehearsed and a touch more honest, though it still danced on the edge of performance. “hm,” he hummed, rolling the bottle lazily between his fingers, “call it a professional curiosity. you’ve got the kind of presence that makes people behave… or try to.” his gaze flicked over her, not invasive, just knowing. “and you don’t walk a floor this many times unless you’re making sure every piece is exactly where you want it. that takes instinct.”

he leaned in just slightly, conspiratorial without crowding her, charm settling in easy like he’d worn it a thousand times before. “as for the pitch,” he continued, lifting the bottle so it caught the glow of the lights, liquid inside swirling a shade too rich to be natural, “this one promises a happily ever after. very on brand, don’t you think?” his smile tilted, just enough to suggest there was more beneath the surface. “of course, definitions vary. some people hear ‘happily’ and think peace. others think excitement. i find it’s far more interesting when the outcome… adapts to the person holding it.” a beat, then softer, more pointed, “but i imagine you already knew that. you don’t strike me as someone who deals in anything predictable i've been in your store before."

ariel was not naive to the number of eyes lingering in the shadows down here in the underland. nary a move could be made without someone bearing witness, no matter what time it was - and it was not lost on her that she had not gone unnoticed by him. "oh, i didn't think the laps were that obvious." then again, she hadn't sat down one time.

it was one of those things that ended up being too good to be true, these potions whose only selling point was to elevate your emotions and then freeze them there. happily ever after never meant bad things stopped happening - that would interfere with the natural pecking order. instead, it was almost like these potions would cut your access to certain feelings, no matter what happened. ariel wasn't a fan of anything like that - it was like botox for the brain.

"it's quite costly, that level of peace," ariel said, allowing her eyes to lock on his with a knowing expression. she knew from experience how dark the underbelly of a bargain could be. "i think i'll stick with my tiny dose of zoloft, if you don't mind. "

ariel's gaze fell back to the bottle before trailing to the hand that held it, the arm, the torso, the face. her expression shifted to one of thought as her eyes met his again, curious now about his intention. still, she spoke with politeness. "thank you for visiting - i hope you enjoyed yourself. what's your name?"

eric had been watching her like she’d hung the moon and decided to throw a party under it. there was something almost ridiculous about it—ariel weaving through the gloam market like she belonged to every corner of it, like she hadn’t just built the whole damn thing into something alive. he leaned against a post near the edge of the crowd, arms crossed, a grin tugging at his mouth that he didn’t even bother hiding. proud didn’t really cover it. proud felt too small for how he was looking at her. “you’re insane, you know that?” he murmured under his breath, not unkindly, eyes tracking her as she twirled through the space like she was made of music already.

when she came back around, all energy and light, he pushed off the post like it had been inevitable from the start. “yeah? warning accepted,” he said easily, stepping closer so she couldn’t escape the conversation even if she tried. his expression softened as he looked at her. “because i’ve been watching you all night and i don’t think there’s a single person here having more fun than you.” then, without giving her time to overthink it, he reached for her hand and tugged her gently toward the dance floor. “c’mon, mermaid. show me what those human legs were made for.”

she was so grateful to see eric here, of all the people in the whole world - her forever best friend, whether he liked it or not. he had a way of grounding her somehow among the chaos, reminding her just by existing that everything around them was real. the night was full of magic, her adrenaline at an all time high, and seeing him there brought her back to earth that made her appreciate everything around them. "can you believe all this?" she asked, in awe. she sure couldn't, despite orchestrating it. an excited squeal left her lips as she practically leapt to him, grabbed his hand, and yanked him to a more open part of the makeshift dance floor.

"okay, but - everyone's having fun, right?" she didn't want to think too much about public reception, not when this might be the only moment they had together all night, but she couldn't help but she had to know if what people were saying was good. she couldn't help it! "did you see some of the lines?" ariel giggled then. "i think starlight had to cut off their sign up sheet already!"

casimir lingered just off to the side of the happily ever after potions stall, a glass vial twirling lazily between his fingers like he’d been doing it his whole life. the liquid inside shifted colors every few seconds soft gold to violet to something darker and his smile sharpened every time it changed. he watched the crowd more than the merchandise, eyes catching on anyone curious enough to get too close.

“you look like someone with good instincts,” he said smoothly, stepping into someone’s space just enough to be noticed. he held the vial out between them, tilting it so the light caught just right. “so tell me. what kind of position are you searching for” his grin widened, playful but edged.

as the night went on, ariel found herself looping the gloam market for what could have been the thirtieth time. adrenaline pulsed through her in a way that didn't allow her to sit, only to make her rounds. again and again until she made conversation with everyone who walked through the gate. for now, she found herself in front of happily ever after potions, intrigued by the sale sign out front.

"and what exactly is it about me that screams good instincts before i've spoken a word?" it was a challenge, but playful all the same. ariel had been spending enough time with humans (and humans adjacent) for long enough now to know when they were buttering her up. "i'm just looking for now, but i would love to hear the sales pitch you, very clearly, have prepared." she glanced to the bottle in his hand and smiled, unassuming.

ah! speak of the devil. was today his lucky day?

he made sure to keep his posture unimposing: hands behind his back, shoulders curled in slightly, but if one were to find the right angle, they would be able to see the glint in his eye, as if a hunt only known to him had started. how easy it was to slip into this mode, so easy that he wondered if he ever slipped out of it at all.

"hmmm, is that so?" he mused aloud. krit looked up and around at the buildings of old elias. his swivelling took his gaze past ariel's shoulder, behind her, at the bridge to the underland. his eyebrows rose, playing the part of confused wanderer, but didn't say anything about that shadowy place. "how i got here, i'll never know. i'd be grateful for a few directions if you're not too busy." he took his gaze up the road to the rest of elias.

"oh, no, no." time for a bit of honesty. "well. truth be told, i've always thought about it. but that's not where life is taking me right now. i'd just...like to see it."

normally ariel would have the patience of a patron saint, even in situations such as this one - where the conversation did not make a whole lot of sense. she wasn't one to assume nefariousness right away, but she was wary now as she looked past the stranger toward the direction he would eventually have to go, if he was telling the truth. the placement of the whole affair, the feeling in her gut - neither allowed her to believe this was completely innocent. though she didn't have the knowledge or the nerve to voice otherwise.

"well," she began gently. "there's a trolley that goes through the city. you'll have a hard time getting to new elias from here on foot. take it to the end of the line and follow signs for university way. it's hard to miss at that point." shuffling then, fighting a bit of restlessness, she shifted her tote bag from one shoulder to the other. "i'd guide you, but i have to run an errand before my event this afternoon. oh!" ariel held up a finger, a signal of wait, before digging into her bag and producing a flyer to hand off. "here! if you get bored after your ... adventure."

mavis practically lit up, like someone had just handed her the keys to a whole new life instead of a simple business card. “oh, i will have questions,” she laughed, a little breathless with it, like she was already ten steps ahead in her head. “probably too many, actually but i’ll try to pace myself.” her fingers curled around the card carefully, like it was something fragile, something important.

she glanced down at it, then immediately pulled out her phone, thumbs moving quick as she saved the contact. “there. now you’re officially in my phone, so you’re stuck with me.” her grin softened, something a little more sincere settling in. “i’ll text you so you have mine too. thank you, really.... i won’t let you regret it.” and with that, she slipped her phone back into her pocket, already buzzing with anticipation for her first day.