Gabriel Reyes Appreciation Station

To his surprise, the humans don’t come looking for him. The seaside is surprisingly quiet, in fact. Jack blinks, lizard-like eyes sliding shut and open again as his pupils shrink to accommodate the glaring sunlight. It’s almost overwhelming, the way it reflects on the foamy surface of the water, causing the waves to shimmer like tiny jewels embedded in a noble’s dress. Jack laughs to himself, pearly teeth glimmering in the sunlight. He’s stolen many a shining jewel for his hoard, in both of his forms no less, one more wily than the other. He reminds himself that a hopeful forest spirit or two might go picking through his possessions while he’s away from his cave, and that he really should haul himself up and check on that as soon as he heals enough to fly again.

Though, as soon as the thought crosses his mind, he is distracted by the fact that he’s being watched. His pupils form cautious slits and his breath rattles as he lifts his head, peering out from the alcove at whatever could be observing him currently. He scans the horizon, the middle of the ocean, everything up until his gaze lights upon a portion of the shore obscured by something surprisingly… human.

Jack recoils, fear lacing his consciousness as he conjures up every horrid thing this person must be plotting as they lie in wait for him. Fire licks at his throat as he weighs his options: Either sneak away while the human is lounging on the shore, their torso obscured by the waves, or engage and possibly escape with some fresh meat. Or wind up dead, depending on how many weapons his adversary has brought with them. Nothing seems to be lying on the sand that could harm him, but humans have always been clever with where they stash their daggers.

Either way, he has to move, and he has to move now. He makes as little noise as possible (quite difficult considering his size) as he pulls his claws from the sand, wincing at the grains that blow towards the ocean.

Jack curses his luck as soon as he sees the humanoid form at the shoreline stir. Long, flowing hair billows in the breeze as arms stretch and fingers splay wide as if searching for something to grab. And to his ultimate surprise, the human pushes off from the shore, receding into the water. He’d always thought that humans feared the sea and the many deadly threats that resided in it. Perhaps this was a naïve little brat that thought it was funny to go poking around in places they really had no place to explore.

The form of the strange being makes ripples in the water wherever it surfaces, and Jack notes that they really shouldn’t be underwater for this long, lest they begin to drown. Perhaps this isn’t a human after all…

The creature surfaces again, hair pooling just below the surface of the water like a dark cloud contrasting against the azure blue. The sun is obscured slightly against the lines of a regal-looking face, cutting stark shadows that look quite… handsome, really.

Jack approaches despite himself, his footsteps no doubt alerting this creature to his presence. Sure enough, the body whips around in the water, and the Dragon catches sight of a bare chest, adorned with nothing but a few intricate patterns. He can see the facial features more clearly as well. High cheekbones lined with a few scales, and carefully-manicured facial hair framing a pair of full lips.

Jack realizes he’s staring. The creature doesn’t seem to mind, curiously gliding closer to him through the water before beaching itself, dragging itself into a sitting position and peering straight back at him. Only then does he realize that this isn’t a human at all. The long, elegant tail with black scales that gleam iridescent red in the sunlight tells him as much. He’d never seen a Siren up close, though he hasn’t really made trips to the seashore that often.

“Well?” The voice that greets Jack is musical, just as he’d expect. It has an undertone of boredom to it, as if all this curious being has been doing up until now is waiting for him to wake.

“Well...” he husks, his voice rusty from disuse. Too few dragons these days to hold a conversation with. And he never really liked sitting around in taverns listening to drunk men prattle on.

The Siren rolls his eyes. “Are you finished?” He gestures at his own body, letting Jack know that he’d been aware of his observations much longer than he’d let on.

Were the Dragon in his true, humanoid form, he would have felt the tips of his ears go red with shame. Instead, he only narrows his eyes and shifts his wings.

“You were watching me first,” he huffs, indignant.

“I wanted to see if you’d survive. Call it natural curiosity- we don’t usually have your kind around these parts, after all. Took you long enough, though. I almost dried out waiting for you.”

That’s a fair enough argument, he supposes. Jack wonders if it’s safe to let go of this particular form since his wounds seem to have closed. Though, he doesn’t want to leave himself defenseless in front of a Siren. He’s heard the townsfolk whisper stories of the dangerous, alluring mer just like this one here.

“I’m alive enough,” Jack grouses. All it gets him is a wide, many-toothed smile that really should be more grotesque than it is. In fact, the only thing that sets Jack on edge is the set of sharp, mean-looking nails filed into perfect points at the tips of the Siren’s fingers, tapping rhythmically against the sand.

The smile parts to reveal a forked tongue for a moment before being covered by those plush lips once more as the creature sighs. “I suppose I could fix you up… if only so you can stop disturbing the fish with your racket.”

Jack’s anxiety spikes. This is a trap, he knows it. Every part of him is screaming at him not to accept this suspicious gift. After all, it’s in his nature to repay favors.

The Siren laughs at him, enticing him even further. Curse his weak, mortal heart. He nods, and a rush of water assaults his claws before the ocean is still again. No sign of his new acquaintance. He knew it was a trick.

Even so, there’s no way he could possibly take flight again, not with the steep cliff looming over him. He’d be exhausted before he made it halfway up, let alone navigating his way back to his cave to lick his wounds in peace.

Before he can venture down that morbid path, however, the water parts around a familiar form once more. The Siren brushes a lock of wavy hair away, pushing a slab of rock into the sand. A dark green paste seems to be smeared across the surface, and the mer drags a hand through it before beckoning forward with his other one. Jack doesn’t move a muscle, distrust evident in the smoke that trails from his nostrils.

“It’s just a salve. Mostly seaweed. You believe too much of what you hear about seafolk.” Jack lowers his snout to sniff at the Siren’s offered hand, even daring to taste some of it. The mer shows visible distaste when he does. Definitely nothing he can detect as harmful, though he’s not sure he should immediately show trust based on what his senses tell him. Still, he can feel the sting of his wounds again and perhaps he has no choice anymore.

“Fine then,” he grumbles, shifting so his bloody flank is as close to the sea as he can get.

The Siren makes a noise of approval before suddenly clawing at Jack’s leg. He growls loudly, ready to release a spout of fire before noticing that the mer makes no attempt to hold on. He simply lifts his lithe body out of the sand, seating himself on the bulkiest part of the Dragon’s thigh.

The first swipe of salve is cool compared to the red-hot pain of the wounds from earlier- Jack thanks his ancestors that he ran across this deadly creature while he was in a good mood. He takes the time to examine his new acquaintance in more detail, from the intricate way the scales fade into skin once the tail reaches hip level to the slender, elegant fin elongating down the man’s spine. No wonder mer of this kind have many a tale spun about their beauty. Even the Siren’s eyes, a rich chocolate brown in the shadows, glint red when caught by the sun.

The gentle, surprisingly tender treatment is over as soon as it begins, however, and Jack finds himself rooted to the spot as his acquaintance slips back into the water, tossing the slab of rock into the depths as he goes.

“There. You can go now, and maybe I can live without footsteps that reach the bottom of the ocean for a while?” The man’s tone of voice is teasingly innocent. Hopeful. Jack squints and rises to his feet, spreading his wings so wide they blot out the sun.

“I owe you a favor,” he grumbles, stretching his neck. “Find me at the top of that mountain there if you want me to make good on it.” He gestures towards his cave with his snout.

The Siren cocks his head to the side, smiling that toothy smile again. He pushes off from the shore and recedes into the waves. “Just know, I’m not one to pass up on a debt,” he shouts before the ocean consumes him.

Jack groans. Perhaps the damn mer will never make it off the beach, what with a tail like that. He waits a suitable amount of time before pushing off the ground, causing a spray of sand to fly into the ocean. How’s that for disturbing the fish? He thinks amusedly, soaring up in the air before gliding back towards the place he calls home.

Luckily, nothing seems disturbed when he first pokes his head through the mouth of the cave. No stray forest spirits or wolves have made their way through his hoard, no single knight’s helmet out of place. Jack breathes a sigh of relief, collapsing from sheer exhaustion. Smoke billows from his nostrils as he yawns, his teeth catching the shine from many of his prized possessions. He sleeps, lost in thought.

Strangely enough, his dreams are haunted with a musical voice and long, flowing dark hair flecked with golden streaks. He wakes with a mysterious name he’s never heard before on the tip of his tongue, but it’s gone before he can form it out loud.