RIDLEY of the BLACK SEA

Status: open to all  Location: beach

Her skin has been feeling like it’s too tight for days now.  A strange burning, a deep desire to get back to the water.  Even if it was dangerous.  Silver’s been standing with their feet in the waves for a good five minutes now, arms across their chest, hand spinning bracelet and it’s wearing clasp.  She’d probably need to get it fixed somewhere soon so it wasn’t lost.  But the tattoo shop was still training her and her so called ‘bad’ customer service.  As if sirens were supposed to respect humans.  Like they weren’t the ones responsible for everything along with the mermaids.   Feet dig into compact wet sand, water up to her ankles.  It soothes the ache a bit, but not enough.  She spins the bracelet again, rattles it to see if it would last in the water.  To it’s credit, it’s not the clasp that breaks but one of the tiny rings connecting the clasp to the bracelet.  Silver hisses, quickly snatching it from the ground before it was washed away.  Damn it.  Did Port Vale even have a jewelry shop?  They hadn’t seen one except for that antique store.   To worsen her mood, she’d been so focused on the bracelet she hadn’t heard someone coming.  Sand muffled the noise, air not carrying the sound as well as water did.  The siren jumps and glares at the offending party.  At least the person is looking at her so she doesn’t have to throw something to get their attention as her voice shuts down.  There’s no scarf this time to hide the marks over her throat.  It forces her to write in the sand ‘do you know some place I can get this fixed?’ while holding the even more broken bracelet.  Whatever decoration it had years ago had been dug out by salt water.  She really needed to get a phone to make communicating easier.

    xx

      Seeing Silver from across the beach was probably the first good thing to happen to Ridley all day - she’d been working extra shifts at the salon to try and save up money for a place again, and had been feeling a bit boring lately, with the sleep-work-eat-sleep routine she’d been using. So- it was her day off, and Ridley was decked out and bundled up against the chilly winter winds and prowling the beach. How she missed the water... 

    “We can just, like, steal you a new one,” Ridley giggled after reading the message in the sand. Both sirens had been in Port Vale for months now, and their reunion had been a happy one. She quite liked the responsibility of filling space with sound; some would say the siren was chatty, but Ridley preferred charming. “The thrift store just got a bunch of super cute stuff. I saw it yesterday when I was walking by- what’s that, anyway?” She reached for the bracelet, curious and hoping to get a closer look at it. Another word often used for Ridley - nosy. 

-

It didn’t seem Ridley had a particular favourite, but that was alright - the question had been posed as a means of distraction from the symptoms Ridley was currently experiencing, and it seemed to have done just that. “We have similar taste, then - I’ll make sure to show you some of my collection when we arrive.” Gemma tended to wear more subdued colours in Port Vale - the situation necessitated blending in after all, and even if camouflage was not quite so literal on land as it was in hostile waters, she still tended not to wear anything she felt would stand out too terribly much. In her own sea though, adorning herself meant bright colours and bold patterns. She didn’t wear emeralds all that often since they tended to clash with her true form’s coloration, but rubies and bright colours featured prominently. She mentally catalogued the items she had, thinking of which ones Ridley might like to see - she was distracted however, when the siren asked whether she would keep anything from Port Vale. 

“I hadn’t planned to,” she admitted. It wasn’t a question she had considered at length. When she’d first come to land, she’d assumed anything she acquired in her human form would be either inferior to anything she had in the Coral Sea, or would not retain its functionality when carried beneath the waves. That still held true more or less, but there were some photographs and written pieces of information she had acquired that could prove useful. Perhaps she would send those to her people who spent more of their time on land? That wasn’t a piece of strategy that was necessary to share with Ridley, though. “Was there anything you intended to keep?” It seemed the sort of question Ridley had probably asked her because she had her own thoughts on the subject.

Thankfully, they made it to the Coral Sea without further incident. They were met by two of the sirens stationed to the sea’s edge, and after a check on the guards’ part to ensure there were no weapons or other dangerous substances on Ridley’s person the two made their way on in. “How are you feeling?” Gemma asked as they made their way over to a rest area that had been set up just past the border where food and space to recuperate from their journey awaited them both.

   xx

     Gemma was correct in assuming that Ridley had put plenty of thought towards material belongings, and their unlikelihood of surviving submersion. She knew she would have to give up most, if not all, of the stuff she obtained on land... and the thought upset her. “Um, no,” Ridley shook her head lightly, lying in reply to the question. It was better to keep her attachment to the things she’d stolen quiet, for now. There was always the option of a storage unit, which she’d recently learned about, but that only brought more questions up... “Hey, Gemma? So, I was, uh- I was wondering. Do you think when this is over you’ll, like, send more of your sirens to land?” Her conversation with Lena was still heavy on her mind - and Ridley had been coming up with ideas of her own to suggest to Nereida, when given the chance. 

     “Where have you been?” The words came out shrill, half way there to a shriek, and Ridley pawed the shoulder of a familiar back, his back to her, at the bar. Her efforts of obtaining his attention now spent, she crossed her arms tight over her chest, and stood expectantly with a sour expression on her face. “Is that, like, your thing, or whatever? You freak me out, and then practically promise we were friends-” Ridley was easily mis-remembering their last conversation, but she barreled forward regardless, sounding as if she had suffered a great wrong by his own hands. “And then- then you disappeared. Like, what the fuck, dude?” 

~

“That means you’re looking for something like a sticky bun,” Adrian chuckled. Then his eyebrows rose as her words. He eyed her for a long moment, trying to determine whether or not her comment came from bad decisions or true need. Something about her made him think of the ocean.  She wasn’t a selkie, but maybe one of the others?  Not his ‘assignment’ …  Compassion warred with responsibility before the compassion won out. “Tell you what,” he smiled. “We’ll call the first two free.  You come back for more, that’s on you, but these two are on the house.”

   xx

     “Sticky bun?” Ridley echoed. She may still be figuring out a lot of human sensations, but she was well aware that being sticky wasn’t a pleasant one. It usually included quite a mess... but if it were to be a sugary mess, well, maybe it become more bearable. She waited patiently as he seemed to ponder her complaints, a sweet smile on her face, until her wish was granted, and Ridley clasped her hands. “Aww, really? Wow, you are seriously the sweetest person I have ever met. Thank you! Two sticky buns please then, good kind sir!” She added, with a small giggle. 

Ari was hyper focused on the argument that was going on between the two rather irate men, one much older than the other. There were two traits of hers that seemed to always get her into trouble. One, she was far too nosy for her own good and two, she could not be discreet to save her life. So as Ari watched them, she narrated the sequence, along with what she wanted to see. “Tell him he’s an idiot,” she muttered quietly, silently cheering when that was what the older stranger said to the younger one. “You don’t know anything old man,” she mouthed along with him, nodding at the language she had used plenty of times herself. Ah, teenage angst and overconfidence. The elder pulled his fist back and Ari’s eyes widened. Was he going to clock him? Instead his arm looped around the younger boy’s shoulder. “Let’s go, young stud,” she chuckled at the description. “Before your mother kicks you and this old man out.” What an odd turn of events, Ari thought, looking for any stranger who shared her wonder and confusion. “Did you just see that?” 

   xx

    Most days, Ridley spent her life pretty much oblivious to that around her; she would see this manifest in her clumsy nature, always hip-checking tables or chairs in the path, and totally spacing out and not witnessing anything that happens ahead of her gaze. Today, the same was happening, as she sipped down on an iced coffee, and folded her napkin into smaller and smaller shapes, perched at the café table. At some point, the narration coming quietly- playfully- from the spot nearest her caught Ridley’s attention back down to Earth; and she looked over with a smirk tugging at her lips. “Sort of, I was kinda zoned out,” Ridley admitted with a small laugh, scooting her seat closer and encouraged by the thought of socialization. “That was really good though - do you know them or something?” 

Status: Open to All Location: Baked by the Deep Bakery

Adrian wiped his hands as he came out to the front of the bakery.  Someone had called in sick, so he would take over the customer service for the morning.  That didn’t bother him.  Sure, he preferred to be doing the hands-on work to create the food, but he also enjoyed meeting the customers and getting to interact with people.  So many people seemed to enjoy coming in for fresh and homemade – probably so they didn’t have to do it for themselves. He didn’t mind doing the work; it felt good to help people by providing food.

“Good morning,” he greeted, his smile warming as the person walked up to the counter. “What can I get you today?”

    xx

      With her appetite finally returned, Ridley was hoping to discover something sickeningly sweet, filling, and inexpensive. She had realized very fast that being human also meant being at a perpetual loss of enough money; for anything, apparently. Her best bet was to sweet-talk the baker or whoever sold her said sticky, sweet treats into a low price, or grab ‘n go and not get caught... though, the latter was not the most ideal decision. Still with her mind not made up, Ridley pushed through the doors of the bakery, and was immediately met with a helpful- and seemingly friendly - person right off the bat. Well, that would cross robbery off of the list, and Ridley frowned instead of smile at the greeting. 

   “I want something sweet,” She answered vaguely, eyes straying from him to the little menu, but the frown in place still. “Why is it so expensive?” 

-

Isla nodded in confirmation as she looked Ridley up and down. She definitely didn’t look sick, so that was reassuring. She knew the sirens recovered from the illness, but she still couldn’t help but worry she might be the outlier, especially with her gemstone. Hopefully it was temporary, she didn’t want to think about what would happen if it wasn’t. 

“No,” Isla laughed with a shake of her head. She didn’t know what to expect from Ridley, having never met her before, but she was pleased by how cheerful she seemed. Maybe it was just her relying on stereotypes, but sirens didn’t typically seem like the friendly, cheerful type. She was friends with Gabi, but she would describe her as more kind, but firm. “It’s just when an illness is spreading throughout our kind in a small town, people talk. I heard about Allegra as well, but I haven’t met her yet.”

She joined Ridley on the bench and pushed her wavy hair from her face as it started to stick to her damp forehead. She was used to warmer weather, but this was stifling hot–to the point where she found it difficult to breathe. She didn’t know how people lasted longer than a few minutes in here, but if it would help her feel better then she would try her best to be tough. “Maybe,” she sighed impatiently. “Humans have strange ideas about what’s relaxing though. Have you ever tried meditating? It’s so boring. I’d much rather do just about anything else.” 

   xx

      If she were a captain, she may have been sizing Isla up, mentally making judgements on the threat level at hand; for the future, she would try to determine if the rumors that swirled were true (which they rarely were, when it came to the mermaids and the sirens gossip of them). However.... Ridley was not a captain, so instead she stood there with only one wish in mind- I hope she likes me even though I’m a siren. “Yeah... I heard a mermaid princess was sick, too. I figured that she would be around here somewhere,” Ridley nodded, understanding what Isla meant about all the talk. Her own siren group chat was active frequently, and Ridley smirked at the thought of the princesses having one of their own. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall in that- 

   “Meditating is a scam, I just know it,” Ridley’s eyes rolled, in full agreement with Isla’s assessment of the human activity. It felt refreshingly freeing to be sitting alone in privacy with another like her; to just talk about things without all the hiding and lying. Ridley wasn’t opposed to lying for personal gain, but weeks of it was proving to be exhausting. “I think a lot of human activities just involve a bunch of wasting time. Excuses to not do anything is called ‘self-care’,” She repeated, wisely, her statements confidently fact as they left her lips. It was what TikTok had taught her. “And self-care is good, but... boring.” 

    At least it was hard to be too bored when you were worrying about melting into a sweat pile. Ridley loosened her towel around her, hoping to cool off a bit more. “I haven’t really met a lot of princesses yet,” She spoke up again, curiously, eyeing Isla with fascination. 

          Tiny. Aylin had cultivated her fake story with Scylla but now that she was using it, there were tons of gaps in it. She didn’t know how she was going to fill them or learn to fill them. She supposed she’d have to do more research. But that was a problem for the future when she had a chance to look up the information on one of those fancy human machines. “Yeah, so many mermaids.” It was a problem or maybe it wasn’t. That’s why she was here anyways. To gather information on things here in town. “Oh, well you sound like a good friend to have then.” 

          There was obviously more going on in Port Vale than she had been told and it made her angry with Scylla. Not enough to cause problems with the woman, but enough that she was going to have to be more cautious than ever. 

          It would be good to have a friend. Especially someone she knew was into some of the more shady stuff that she needed to get done here in town. She didn’t want to get caught doing something she shouldn’t because that wouldn’t be beneficial. Plus who would she call to help get her out of trouble. Aylin did not want that to be Vera. 

          At the sudden exclamation, she nodded pulling out her cellular device. “Oh, sure! That sounds like a lot of fun.” She put her number in the phone and handed it back over. “I’ll see you around for sure.” 

.

Stella wasn’t entirely sure how good her sense of smell was. She had never been anyone else but herself. “I’m not sure how good my sense of smell is. Fine, I think? The sea smells stronger the closer you are to it. And I can smell rain a little bit, I think. But that might be me picking up on all of the signs that it’s coming. So… I don’t really know.” It could be that everyone could do this, or maybe just a Stella thing. She relied a lot more on what the sky was telling her, but she hadn’t quite figured it out on land yet when it wasn’t nighttime.

“Uh…” Stella hadn’t really been going anywhere. She was more doing anywhere, which didn’t really make a lot of sense. This conversation was just really confusing overall. Completely misunderstanding the question and not putting it all together, Stella replied, “I like fish. Sometimes they can get a little too skittish, but they’re good enough company- in a tank. I like seeing them at, you know, offices. Why…?” She didn’t remember what kind of offices had fish, but there had to be some kind of human work center that had those.

   xx

    “Yeah, me too,” Ridley nodded, hopefully confirming for them both that this was normal enough to boast of having the ability to do. Surely sailors would eventually come to know the scent of the sea and sky, and all the way they combine? Port Vale had shown Ridley that it was not only those with scales and fins who have a heart for the ocean, and fell in love with it’s vastness; and yet, Ridley couldn’t reconcile their life with what they took from them. “You probably have good smelling technique just like me. That’s pretty cool.”

    Assuming the other girl was joking, Ridley giggled along with her assessment of her interest in fish. She’d been a little disturbed the first time she’d seen a fish tank, personally... but after some soul-searching, had someone come to terms with it. “They’re good company, and also good to eat,” She clarified with another laugh, teasing as she spoke. Ridley, like Stella, was none the wiser that two conversations were taking place between the pair. “Martha on the little pier by the tackle shack always sells grilled salmon around this time. We could see if we could sweet-talk her into giving us a portion to share?” 

-

As Ronan listened to her explanation, his brows furrowed further. A sickness? Caused by the water? “No, I hadn’t heard anything of that.” It wasn’t like he was one to go after these kinds of news, but he was pretty sure he hadn’t ever heard anything like that before. It was something new and different, and usually these made him excited for new discoveries after centuries of life. However, something that could potentially keep them away from the sea? It certainly gave him conflicted feelings on the matter.

“Not that I can remember” he said about having ever been sick. “Have I never been sick before?” And, truly, he couldn’t remember it at all. Any reserves about being kept from the water fell to the wayside in front of that realization. “How is it? Being sick? I don’t think I ever have, now that we’re talking about it and there haven’t been a lot of things I haven’t tried before.” It never sounded necessarily good or fun, but now he was curious.

“Wow, the best with The Internet? Impressive” Ronan laughed, taking her phone to save his contact info in it. “I admit I’m not the best at it. I just can’t see the appeal in all of those human virtual medias and stuff.”

He laughed again when the siren asked about his darkest secrets. “Nothing like that, sorry. I’m an open book. I’ll tell you anything, as long as you tell me something about you in return” he said, opening his arms wide. “I just think dares and challenges are more fun,” he explained simply. “But, sure. Convince me otherwise. I’ll choose truth.” Since she said she was feeling fine, he didn’t mention that subject again. He wasn’t one to worry too much about anything and games were more fun.

   xx

    “Well, lucky you,” Ridley pouted with a miserable sniffle, her arms tight across her body as she braved the weather with as much dramatic effect as possible. At his totally privileged realization that he’d never been sick, a privilege she, too, had boasted of until recently, her eyes rolled in annoyance but her lips stayed quirked in an amused smile. It was impossible to ever truly be annoyed by him, even if he was oblivious to his fortune. “Um, okay, well, it totally sucks, obviously. You have this scratchy feeling in your lungs, like swallowing super sandy water, and your tummy feels like it does when you first try to walk on land, and- oh, the headaches, it’s awful, Ronan,” She was only scratching the surface, but her tone grew more and more pathetic until she was all but pouting at him, lip extended and all. 

      Maybe she was milking it,  a little bit. Why? Well, Ridley wasn’t sure yet, but it was always nice to have the pity ready to pull, if need be - though she suspected it wouldn’t work too well on Ronan. 

   Either way, a thought came to mind to distract her from the illness she was making a fuss over. “Wait- wait, wait, so you don’t play video games and stuff? Wow, like, I totally thought you’d be a gamer dude, or whatever,” She chuckled, but she understood. As much as she thought some video games seemed fun, even Ridley doubted if she could ever figure out how they worked well enough to sit and enjoy playing them. “What sort of human are you?” Ridley asked, curiously, in a whisper- she’d learned that humans had subgroups, and that somehow, as the Assyrian’s came to land, they tended to mold their disguise after certain types of humans they saw.

   Who did Ronan want to be? It was hard to imagine him as anything but Ronan, even without his true form to boast about. Ridley smirked. 

-

It came as a relief that Ridley was doing well enough to continue on. Who knew how much longer it would take out in the open ocean like this for the siren’s condition to worsen enough to make travel impossible? Not to mention the risk of Gemma getting sick herself - no, they needed to get moving. “Agreed, we can take it at a slower pace,” she acquiesced. She really wanted to get to the Coral Sea as soon as possible, but there was no rushing someone who was ill. “Of course,” she agreed, thinking for a moment before settling on a topic of discussion. She would be happy to discuss her own sea, of course - but who knew who or what might be listening in out here? Best to stick to benign aspects or otherwise to subjects entirely unrelated to Assyria.

“You have an interest in jewelry, yes? There are some pieces I would be happy to show you when we arrive.” On the rare occasions when she did have free time, one of her favourite pastimes was exploring human shipwrecks for lost artefacts. “Do you have a favourite gemstone?”

   xx

    Ridley knew that different territories valued different things; in her experience with the Black Sea, it was all offense, all of the time; she was one of the few sirens who spent much time exploring shipwrecks and tumbled over treasure, and in doing so, she’d built quite a little stash of treasure for herself over the years. The idea of seeing what the Coral Sea could have hauled back, and set aside to admire... it was enough to revive some pep into the swish of her tail, and Ridley nodded with glee. “I do! Yeah!” She was quick to confirm. “I like rubies, and emeralds, anything with a really bright color, probably,” She began to list, unsure what could be truly classified as her favorite. What sort of treasure did Gemma have, lurking under the surface? What Coral Sea beauty would Riley to experience? Her pace quickened further, and Gemma had been successful in distracting Ridley from the ache in her bones as she swam. 

-

Isla titled her head in thought when the woman stressed that she also experienced a strange illness, and she was already coming to the conclusion that she was from the sea when she introduced herself. While she never met Ridley, she heard her name a few times since coming to Port Vale as one of the sirens who fell ill. She would wait until they were truly alone to confirm though. For now, she settled on dropping hints. “A really weird sickness? It sounds like we might’ve come down with the same thing,” she said slowly.

As far as she knew, the only difference between her symptoms and the sirens’ was the dark spots on her gemstone. She still didn’t know what that meant or why she experienced that when no one else had so far, but she wasn’t going to find out at the sauna. She was here to relax and soothe her symptoms. Isla frowned in confusion when Ridley explained the steam wasn’t good for her if she had a fever, and she was about to feel her own face, but the siren beat her to it, causing her to let out a surprised laugh. Her fellow mermaids would probably be shocked that she just let a siren touch her like that, but Ridley didn’t seem dangerous. So far, she seemed sweet.

“I did have one a few days ago, but I think it passed,” she explained as she tried to look up at Ridley’s hand on her face. “Let’s go then. Thank you for the offer,” she giggled before making her way to the sauna. Once the door shut behind her, she turned to Ridley with an expectant look. “You’re one of the sirens that got sick right? I’ve heard your name before. I came down with the same illness. I–oh my Goddess it’s hot in here,” she gasped when she finally realized just how warm and muggy the sauna is.

    xx

    Slowly, Ridley nodded - hoping she wasn’t jumping too quickly on her assumptions. This was the part she hated most about masquerading as a human; the tiptoe dance around other possible Assyrian’s in town. She would much prefer to come with a secret code word that was universally accepted between siren and mermaids that could all mean one thing - I’m totally just like you! and then they could forgo all this awkward what if crap. 

   Oh, well. Ridley felt 99.99% positive about her assessment, and that was a lot more sure than she normally was, so her smile appearance somewhat easier on her face with that resolved. Hopefully the rumors of Isla would hold true, and maybe she wouldn’t lose a friend as fast as she made one based on their differences. A siren could hope, right? 

   As soon as they were in the privacy of the sauna, Isla’s question came at Ridley, and her face immediately reddened. She decided to silently blame the steamy hot inside the room, but she was surprised as well to be so suddenly known. Of course my claim to fame would be one of the sick ones, she couldn’t help but think bitterly, as she thought of her next words. “Uh, yeah, I am... but I’m totally better now. And you’re the princess of the South Atlantic, right?” Ridley’s eyebrows rose, hoping to even the ground if they both knew the other. She snorted. “You heard about me? Is there a support group or something I wasn’t invited too?”

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

Internet and dogs. She understood… well, one of them. Dogs were cute and sniffly and friendly and so very soft, Gaya loved them (and to her understanding, most people walking on land did, so she really was just one with the humans on that front). But dogs were tangible, the internet was the furthest thing from it. And putting the two things together…

Gaya was sure it made sense. To whoever created it, and whoever used it. If it was an actual currency, there were enough people around who understood it that it had to make sense. Just because Gaya herself was kind of lost on the concept… and if she was being honest, currency based on dogs made more sense than currency based on paper bills. Paper was worth barely anything. It was worth more on land, sure, on land it didn’t get destroyed in a short time, but even on land paper was not too special and certainly not special enough to use it as money, and yet humans did, so really, dog coin made more sense.

“Ahh, yeah, of course, it makes sense. Dogs are exceptionally valuable, of course it makes sense. Dogs and the internet. Yes, yes, I see it now.” She absolutely did not see, but hopefully she could at least sell the bullshit enough to make it sound believable.

“Oh, I– well, I work for the City Council. Not in the council, but an assistant to them. Help them with whatever they need and–” she let out a small chuckle as she shook her head, her hair sticking to her face, soaking from sweat, “is it just written on me that I have a kid? Yeah, I have one, though she mostly needs directing now, she’s all grown up.” Stella really was all grown up and she had to remind herself that. Maybe she would start freaking out and stressing over her safety a little bit less than.

She just nodded, enthusiastic to the outside, slowly dying on the inside from the heat. They were supposed to be sweating in here and oh Goddess, it was happening. Not sure if she wanted to show herself in front of other people after this, though… “Yes, it’s very– very refreshing. It feels like I am getting reinvigorated by the second. How, umm– how long are we supposed to be in here exactly?”

   xx

    “Exactly,” Ridley confirmed with all the confidence in the world - though she, too, was so far from understanding it was a shock she even managed to pull off the false bravado with any success. She was fortunate that Gaya was not an Assyrian figure more interested in deciphering the world of the Net, detangling the Web as Ridley was so devoted too. There would have been little chance of Ridley’s minimal knowledge being enough to skate her on by, and so, she was pleased when the topic came to a close and she remained the supremacy of insight on the matter. 

   Working for the City Council sounded painfully important; and painfully boring, but Ridley was realizing it seemed all jobs were. However- “Oh, so you work with Victoria? Lucky ducky,” The siren gushed, envy written plainly in her tone. She thought the world of Victoria. Always looking for leadership and direction, Ridley had much far too much value in the opinion of the woman, and she viewed her almost as she would a mermaid royal. 

    Almost had she viewed Gaya, specifically. A powerful figure, one to impress, one to stand out. 

   A little laugh left Ridley at the question. “Don’t worry, it’s not, like, super obvious... just seemed like maybe you did. I have a sense for people,” Ridley lied, though she liked to believe she did, the few times she actually got a guess right, such as now. Perhaps she was improving on her people reading skills. It made her feel victorious, all the same, and she wondered more about this elusive princess, and her story- her place in Port Vale. How had she gotten so close to all the action in this town? Ridley wished she’d managed something like a City Centre assistant job. Damn. “Is she here with you, too? Your grown up kid?” 

   Was it suspicious to claim they were ready to leave? Gaya had asked, which meant it was really Ridley’s decision... and she did want to leave, so badly, the heat stifling her at this point, but; “Um, well, you can stay in for like half an hour usually, if you want.... but unless you don’t want too, we could get out now, if that’s what is best for you? I’m down for, um, totally down for whatever.” Even if it kills me. 

-

lumi had not really thought much about how ridley would react, but still she was surprised by the sheer amount of passion in her voice. she found herself eagerly nodding, showing more interest than before, but then it all made a lot more sense. no one in all the oceans would claim lumi was a great people reader, but even she knew what had happened when ridley talked about the humans as the others. if she had been in any doubt after that, the immediate pale tint her skin took was enough evidence. “don’t worry, you will not turn into seafoam,” lumi quickly said to make sure ridley would not fly into a panic. using we instead of they had been one of her biggest challenges too. “my issue with global warming melting the ice in the arctic is a very personal one — it affects my home and my people.” 

   xx

     what luck - ridley had made a mistake, but her fortune had saved her; at least if she were to make a mistake, it would be with someone who understood. relief washed over her, and brought a smile to her lips, despite the dire subject at hand. at least now the other would understand ridley’s own passion for the oceans. “oh,” she nodded, knowingly, putting emphasis into the word to convey she understood what lumi meant. she must be from the arctic regions; sirens lived in cold waters, too, so ridley wasn’t sure if this could be a mermaid, or a siren. perhaps, now, it didn’t matter. “so you’re trying to find ways to fix it then?” she asked, figuring that this was some sort of assyrian leader; a princess, or a higher ranking siren official, though probably less likely to be the latter. ridley surely would’ve heard of her by now. “any luck?” 

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Renzie wasn’t sure how to deal with hearing what her…captain, Ridley said?  That was rather military-esque, which was also a little more alarming that ‘princess’….anyway.  What her ‘captain’ said about humans.  It was vile and overwhelming, even if Steph and Renzie had touched upon that concern as well.  Renzie didn’t like thinking about the gory details of what would happen if sea people got in the hands of bad humans.

“Don’t bad sea people exist too?” he asked, carefully.  “Like bad to each other, even.  It’s the same way with humans.  We can’t all be good, but we’re not all bad either.  It’s more about power - who has it, and who uses it to make enemies.  I mean look at us - you and me, standing right here.  Between the two of us, right here - I’ve never killed anyone. Have you?”

Renzie felt a part of his mind protest - the part that no amount of therapy could shake free, but.  He wasn’t going to go into childhood regrets over deaths he couldn’t control, but felt convinced he somehow could’ve.

Again, the whole ‘not all humans’ floated into Renzie’s mind at Ridley’s question, and as a guy he felt embarrassed saying that.  “Because humans aren’t a monolith, Ridley. We don’t all think the exact same way or want the exact same things.  A lot of people want me dead, just because of my religion, and the colour of my skin. I mean, I don’t expect you to understand that.  Maybe it’s more useful to lump all humans as the same, so you sea folk can go about your own business.  I’m sure humans were the last concern you had when you were home.”

Nodding, Renzie hummed at Ridley’s manifesto.  He didn’t ask her for anything in return - not her allyship or her loyalty to him.  In Renzie’s mind, this exchange was entirely one-sided: he was in service to her.  She had the power.

“Okay - well - I mean to be fair, I was extremely confused and my entire world-view shattered when I saw Siobhan shift into a seal, dude.  I’ve changed since then, and honestly I think I’m doing a pretty good job adjusting to everything so fast.  My head’s spinning - it’s a huge adjustment for me, okay? I don’t expect you to understand or care; I just want you to know that I’m trying to do what’s best for you.  All of you.  I’m gonna make mistakes though, because me and Steph don’t even know what the hell the sea people need or want.  But…”

Renzie nodded.  “Yeah.  Now you can tell us what you want, and we’ll try to do it, huh?”  He gave a tentative smile, spreading his hands a bit.  “That’s what Port Vale’s good at, Rids.  We treat our tourists right, we wanna make your experience pleasant and your stay comfortable.  That’s all we want.”

    xx

   Though Ridley knew Renzie was trying to make a point with the question... she took it quite seriously. Don’t bad sea people exist, too? Of course they did; the mermaids, obviously. They claim all he kingdoms and condemn the sirens, fight them and push them further into the murky water, took lives and.... Ridley frowned. If he were asking a mermaid that question, without hesitation, would they not say sirens? It wasn’t so simple. Everyone was a bad guy, in some version of the story. Even Renzie. For a moment, he’d been her villain. He would the worst of the humans, had the seafoam legend been more fact than fiction. Ridley would never understand those blurry lines between bad and good, evil and angelic. 

    He was right about power, though - it seemed in both Assyrian history and human history that those with the power got to be written as the good guys, regardless of the actual story that played out. Perhaps that was why mermaids were revered, even in this town; they were gifted power from the Goddess herself. Of course they would be viewed as the victors. 

   If the sirens had been successful in the war in their original goal, and had truly forced the mermaids all away from their realms... would they not be the victors in the story, and hold the power? Ridley blinked, overwhelmed by the sudden morality thrust into her vision, and decided to ignore the hypotheticals and focus on something she did know. 

   “I’ve never killed anyone,” She admitted, knowing this may be a bad time for honesty. Would Renzie grow comfortable, knowing his life was not at stake? Ridley used to feel shame for the fact her hands were without blood - she’d done nothing to defend the Black Sea, to protect her siren sisters, to stand up against the royal mermaid forces; and yet, now, standing here, she felt... validated. Surely Renzie would see her in a different light if she had, and Ridley realized that she didn’t want to be seen that way. Not by him, not by a human who just wouldn’t understand the impact of a war that spawned for centuries. Her eyebrows couldn’t help but wrinkle - she could understand Assyrian’s wanting Renzie dead, but other humans? “That seems like an, um, extreme reaction to something like color,” She observed, but wondered if it were really all that different from the divide between sirens and mermaids. 

    Truly, Renzie seemed to come from a good place. Ridley was sure her smarter, stronger siren captain friends would call his bluff, but.... she was convinced. “Gold star for you then,” the siren frowned, despite her secret agreement that he had managed to stay sane through all of this, which was, well, surely some sort of achievement. He’d confronted her right then, and even when he looked scared, Renzie had stayed. And was negotiating. Ridley almost thought he’d make a better captain than she would - do diplomatic, and eager to please. She looked back out to the seals, and sighed. This had been a lot for one day, and now that she had done her job in establishing Renzie’s loyalty, well... Ridley wasn’t sure what the next step was. “I will have to, um, discuss with the others,” She lied, knowing full well this conversation would go entirely unreported to the captains and other merfolk in town. Ridley wasn’t about to be branded a traitor; how would that help Nereida win her sea back? No, she had to do this discreetly. “Am I-” She hesitated, turning to him then, eyes seeking and less guarded. “Am I the first one you, like, figured out? I- I mean, is there others, that have... like, been caught? Or just, you know.... just me?”

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At first Lena couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she thought she was imagining what Ridley was saying. She didn’t expect other sirens to feel the same way she did about being on land, so it was surprising to hear someone admit it. “You’re not alone!” Lena blurted, not wanting the other to take back what she said. Of all the sirens in Port Vale she was glad to have found someone she could finally open up to about this subject. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Gemma with her feelings, she just knew her siren captain didn’t share the same feelings. It seemed like the others were miserable away from Assyria. Lena’s human life was all she’d known for over forty years so she couldn’t imagine leaving it all behind. “I know exactly what you mean. I’ve never been able to talk to anyone about this before.” She admitted. “I won’t tell anyone. Trust me, I can’t imagine they’d understand. There’s a reason why I’m scared for all this to be over because I don’t know what Gemma has planned for me. I don’t want to abandon everything I’ve become.” Lena bit her bottom lip and stared at the ground. It was unfortunate, at the end of the day their fates were in the hands of their siren captains, they couldn’t simply do whatever they wanted. “I don’t think clear skin is worth the unbearable heat.” The siren fanned herself once more and gestured to the door. “Let’s get some water. I think I’m done here.” 

   xx

     There it was - the little tendril of a thrill that creeped up Ridley’s spine. She figured that sensation always came when you found out someone shared your secrets; like you weren’t crazy, just different, and it was okay to be that way. Her smile was genuine and she was already nodding; her and Lena were both oddities within the rank of sirens, and it felt so refreshing to finally have common ground with someone she had roots with- Assyrian roots. “Me either,” Ridley confessed, smile soft in the face of mutual understanding. It was different for her, though - her knowledge of the human world, and her strong taste for it, was relatively a recent discovery. Ridley couldn’t imagine living decades on land, only to have to face going back to the sea forever... it was hard enough with just the brief exposure. “But, I mean like, surely even when this all clears up, you’ll... be needed, like, up here, right?” Ridley asked. Lena had been working this angle since before the darkness; would Gemma really cancel her plan? Maybe so. Maybe Port Vale had been such a turn-off... Ridley hoped, for Lena’s sake, that wouldn’t be the case. Eagerly she stood, ready to rid herself of the sweat box and hydrate. “We should do this more often,” Ridley stated as they left, but was quick to clarify - “Not the dying of heat in the sauna thing, just like... you know,” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “The human enjoyment thing. I always feel, like, guilty or whatever trying to convince the others to do something painfully normal.” 

.

There was always the question of where the Black Sea sirens would go after everything was resolved. That was a problem for a future group of sirens to deal with, as it would get needlessly complicated to deal with now. Perhaps the answers would make themselves known at one point or another. Gabi did not doubt that Ridley, at least, would be welcomed into some sea or another. Perhaps hers. It wasn’t good to plan that kind of thing too far in advance. Nereida was not worth thinking about at the moment, as sad a figure the former captain had started to become.

Gabi ignored the genius comment. Calling one’s self a genius was a trap, even if the one questioning did not seem to intend it to be that way. “I trust that you know what you are doing. We can meet later and figure out how to make this internet advertisement work. I appreciate the knowledge that you have gathered immensely. Congratulations on your followers.” Was 100 a lot or a little? It sounded like a lot. It was difficult to conceptualize human quantities.

“Thank you.” Gabi entered the shop first, looking around and examining it for vulnerabilities. As she had never been to this place before (she hadn’t realized that it existed), she needed to examine for all vulnerabilities. When Ridley spoke, Gabi gave her a concerned look. “Are you sure that fish is a good idea? After what happened… a few months ago? To those people tht we know?” Gabi had stopped eating fish as much as she could manage since the news of the poor fish washing up had been made known. It was Gemma’s suggestion, and it had seemed better than anything that she could think of. Sure, she hadn’t stopped eating other kind of seafood, but tuna was definitely a fish. She couldn’t really tell if her meaning was being conveyed clearly, and she might need to text this, but hopefully speech was worth a shot.

   xx

    With the encouragement of a new project in the near future, Ridley’s excitement dispelled any leftover annoyance from her shift at work. It was easy to blow away the negativity in her mind, and even something like the promise of working together on Etsy was enough to brighten her spirits the rest of the way up and grace her expression with a smile, beaming out into the overcast, chilly weather. “Thank you! We can make this really fun. Being able to make money off of your hobbies is, like, one the coolest things humans have figured out-” Ridley hesitated, realizing that, once again, a system that she found admiration for had no use in Assyria. They didn’t deal with currency - everyone had their job, played their part, and everyone survived. To make money off of anything, hobby or not, was essentially human... and Ridley was always hyper-sensitive to the awareness that she had adapted far easily than she should have. “Not that... humans are cool, or anything,” She clarified, carefully, glancing at Gabi from the corner of her eye. 

   For a moment, Ridley stared at her blankly- obviously not getting it, as the wheels turned in her brain... fish? Bad? In what universe would eating fish be- “Ohh...” Ridley nodded, finally, realization dawning in her eyes. She’d not stopped eating fish at all; was that why she’d been sick? In her interest of the human world, she’d totally forgotten about all the sick fish. Ridley’s heart sank. Was that why she’d been sick? “I-” She stammered, shaking her head, obviously unsure of what to do now. The panic was growing in her eyes. “Gabi!” She finally sighed out, leaning in to whisper in a very not-so-stealthy manner- “I never stopped eating the fish.” Her eyes were worried as she pulled back. 

   But she felt better - the Coral Sea had healed her, right? “I mean, they serve salad, too... like, regular old salad, no fish... if you think that’s, like, better... or whatever. But, um, Gemma, we went to the- well, we took a trip, together, like to her hometown... and ever since I’ve felt... um, better. About fish. You know?” Ridley, too, was trying to carry out a secret conversation without giving up the secrets - and just like Gabi, she hoped her point would be conveyed too, expectantly staring at the captain.