seaglass

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From the moment Ari set eyes on the fighting duo, her entire attention had been focused on watching their tussle. So much so that she hadn’t even realized that someone else had taken a seat beside her. Which was why when she heard her name, she was surprised. Not many people knew her generally, but in this town that was even more limited. However as she turned to look at the stranger who seemed to know her, she realized he was no stranger at all. It took her all of two seconds to place his face before she realized why he was looking at her with confusion and surprise. After all, he had been one of the first people she met in Port Vale and one of the first people she told that she was likely not sticking around. And then when she decided not to leave, well if she was being honest, it hadn’t occurred to her to reach back out. It had been one date after all. But she could see how in this moment, that explanation would hardly seem believable. “Isaac, what a pleasant surprise,” she responded, as though there was nothing off about this situation. As though they were just old friends running into each other again after a long time. 

To say he was shocked, it was something. This was probably the equivalent of facing a ghost from the past. Even if that past was barely a couple of months ago when they had crossed paths and had decided to go out on one date. The man simply looked back at her -mostly in disbelief that was she was indeed still in town- as he tried to comprehend this was happening rather than just some little time lost inside his head. “You’re still here” he said -blurted out really- as he kept on looking at her, plainly stating the fact right in front of him. “I thought you were leaving Port Vale. At least that’s what you had told me that one time,” said Isaac, not letting the emotions settle in after a while. 

☆.。.:*・°☆🖌

Taking the seat next to him, Emilia smiled, taking solace in his reaction to her presence. He didn’t seem upset or bothered by her momentary distance and was more than happy to jump right back in to hanging out like nothing happened. How was he so cool? she thought to herself, knowing that back in the day she never would have ever expected to be able to just sit down for a cup of coffee and talk about her problems with a person who wrote some of her favorite books.

“Well if that was the plan I guess a long story wouldn’t get in the way of that.” she chuckled, her laugh fading into a bit of a sigh as she considered where to start. “I don’t know if you had the pleasure of spotting an older gentleman around here every now and then. Grey hair, probably wore a suit looking like he was going for a business meeting to buy himself a private island. If you didn’t then you’re lucky cause that was actually my dad. Showing up unannounced trying to convince me to go home.” she explained, rolling her eyes and looking unimpressed with the situation she had been put in for the past few months. “So that’s why I didn’t really come around here much. He was staying at the inn so I was sure he would bother me if I came here as often as I do.”

She waved it off though, willing to give more information if he asked, but much more curious in what he was working on. The offer to look over his notes made her beam with excitement, she couldn’t help but get a little bit of that fangirl feeling of getting the opportunity to sneak a peek at his plans for his book. “I certainly can’t say no to an offer like that. Here, let me see. What kind of ideas do you have so far?”

Isaac leaned back against the chair as he thought and wondered about a man that fitted her description. “I think I saw someone like that one day,” he said as he looked back in his memories, during a coffee run. Catching the man who seemed overly dressed for any day in the town instantly popping out. “Oh, ugh. So that’s why you in hiding mode. I mean, not gonna lie. I would too if my parents did that.” They did it, just whenever Isaac traveled back home for the holidays. Never chasing him.

“But you’re okay now, right?” he asked as he watched her. Parent’s expectations were suffocating enough, but having to literally run away from them was something else. “I mean I can assume you’ve been on the edge lately. I would be.”

The man pushed his notes towards her, opened and ready to be looked at. He could use the extra input after all. “Just a lot of stories I’ve managed to learn about. I want to see if I can connect them, or research more about them. So I can start to define the characters, the obstacles, and all that.”

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Gemma wasn’t a writer by any stretch of the imagination and she had certainly never had a ‘red bull’, but there was something relatable about the way Isaac described his difficulties with creating. She had been in similar positions a few times herself, though those deadlines had always had something to do with coming up with solutions her people were facing. Compared to that, the stakes of a deadline for some writing seemed inconsequential. It was very strange, the way humans would put their wellbeing on the line like that for something like a writing deadline, but that was an opinion she knew better than to express. “I can see why you landed on a subject like that, using a town with so many mermaid myths as inspiration.” She took another sip of her coffee, expression perfectly calm as her mind raced. Did he actually believe in the topics his book covered? It seemed like mermaids were often written about by humans who didn’t actually believe in them, but in a town like this… well, she couldn’t help but wonder. A part of her was also annoyed that the story was focused on mermaids rather than sirens - humans seemed so enamored with mermaids - but she paid this no mind. Logically, it made far more sense to be happy that his story didn’t seem to be hitting too close to her own people. “It’s good to hear you’re putting your own spin on it though - the world can always use some more originality. I am curious though - what kind of war? One between the sailors and mermaids?” Those were the two parties he had mentioned, so it felt like a reasonable conclusion to draw.

“That’s the idea. Hoping that the stories around here served as the fuel for a new book,” said Isaac with a nod. It made perfect sense to go to a source that was filled with inspiration. And to stay there for the research. Finding a town like Port Vale was almost like striking gold in the sense of writing material. Yet, it seemed like it only got harder as time passed. “Myths are a great muse, and to have a town that’s practically keeping them alive is great too. It’s not something you find every day,” said the man with a soft shrug. “Currently I don’t know. I guess that depending on what I find when I research more about these stories, I’ll decide. But I suppose that a war between humans and sea creatures could be seen as somewhat cliché,” said Isaac as he scratched the back of his neck.

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“Dude, I have no life that doesn’t entail my businesses, so you can find me here at all hours.  I make special exceptions for hot famous authors who need the special time and coffee to get their creative juices flowing.  Just - here - “ Renzie gave him a business card.  Old-fashioned but still useful.  “Just text me if you need to linger, honestly I don’t mind.  I live here too, so it’s not like it’s far for me.”

Renzie chewed his lip.  “Speaking of, though, I suppose I’ve taken up enough of your time, huh?  Leave you to agonize over the perfect next sentence, heh.”

Isaac took the business card, giving it a quick look before placing it safely in the pocket of his shirt. He’d have to save Renzie’s number -knowing already that the man was bound to lose the card. “Hey, these are very useful still. I mean I promise not to overuse the extra time. But I am guaranteed to spend a whole day in here, at least.”

“Ugh, yeah. To writing I go,” said the man with a sigh. “Thanks for the excellent chai though.”

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“Jumping the shark,” Renzie nodded sagely, or mock-sagely anyway.  As if he knew what he was talking about, with respect to tv shows and media.  He used to be into shows when he was a kid, but…things changed.  Dreams died. The usual depressing ‘I got older’ stories for millenials rounding close to forty.

“Well if Starbeach in any small part offers you some inspiration with chai or pastries, you’re welcome here anytime.  When tourist season starts up again, we extend our hours too, especially in the summer.  And the outdoor seating - “  Renzie nodded to the tented-up area outside.  “A lot of artists in town say it’s very inspiring.  Dunno if it works the same for writers.”

“Welll, not everyone can do the whole ‘love at first sight’ thing,”  Renzie grinned, then tapped the counter.  “Check it out anyway.  For the spectacle if nothing else.  Trust me; in Port Vale, this seems like it’ll basically be the Oscars or…like…whatever big deal they got in the cities.”

“Thanks, I’ll certainly take you up on that offer. I definitely do some of my best work with a nice sandwich on the side,” said Isaac with a laugh. “But I’ll tell you, with this chai and extended hours, I might as well help you to close up the cafe. I mean if you don’t mind me working at some table through the whole evening, and constantly ordering espresso shots when I’m too close to a deadline,” he said with a soft shrug.

“And I’ll certainly be checking out the outdoor seating when the weather is more welcoming. Hopefully it’ll change soon. Maybe the cold isn’t helping me so much with the writing. I mean the wind is brutal here,” said before sipping more of his chai. “I’ll check it out, promise.”

          Amity-Grace loved a fresh cup of coffee in the morning. Or well… she liked tea, but tea and coffee were a similar morning ritual for a ton of people. She didn’t really want to deal with the crowds of people that were usually at the Star Beach Café in the morning, but she wanted to be able to get something good from the pastry selection that morning. Since moving to Port Vale, things had been awkward and good at the same time. Life seemed to be steady and normal with certain things, like her career and her life. But some things… well things from her past at least, those kept popping up and Amity-Grace didn’t know how she felt about that. She didn’t want to talk about it all with anyone, even her own girlfriend, but hopefully once things settled down in the ocean the different mer would just… go back home.

          There were a lot of different people out and about today and she liked talking to the tourists. Their beliefs in the town’s legends always made her smile, even if she knew they were true. The red haired mer was barely paying attention, one headphone in as they listened to Frank Sinatra this morning to get herself in the mood for the rest of their day. They didn’t even realize that they were after the same sugar packet as another person until it was almost too late. “Oh, no, you can take it. I don’t actually like sugar all that much. Not in my tea at least.” 

“Oh, okay. If that’s fine with you,” said Isaac as he took the packets to sweeten his coffee. It wasn’t necessarily vital for his drink either way, more than ready to give up the packet of sugar. “I’m sure they’ll bring more out, I mean I can wait.” That’s what he got for staying in his own little world when the man should have payed more attention around him. Especially when it affected other people. That was Isaac unfortunately. It was the one flaw he was well aware of.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t even paying attention about it. My head was somewhere else, with work and all.”

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“That’s true.” The ocean views with nothing but natural scenery was pretty special, though Karina wasn’t sure she was willing to get up at sunrise to see it for herself. “Well, I think those views are much more common around here.” The biggest city was a fair drive away. 

“I’m going to take your word for it.” She hummed happily, thinking that she might use that in her story. Just because she wasn’t keen on getting up for a sunrise didn’t mean that other’s wouldn’t be game to try the idea. “I’m hoping to draw more people out here, to help get people a bit more eager to help preserve this place.” 

“I mean I’ve seen it a couple of times after an all nighter working, my vision could be muddled by sleep. But still, pretty breathtaking,” said the man with a chuckle. “I think a lighthouse is a very touristy place, they’re not necessarily everywhere. Some have turned them into nice AirBnb’s. This a nice one too.”

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?” 

It wasn’t uncommon to see Isaac away in his thoughts, not even aware of his surroundings -or the people- when his thoughts were louder. It was usually about whatever idea wanting to transfer into paper that took over and the man was impossible to break out of. And that was exactly what was happening right now. Until he was directly spoken to by a stranger, which made Isaac turn to face them and sure, answer to whatever they were asking -try to as well since he wasn’t listening much- until he realized who was speaking to him. Isaac then turned completely in her direction. The man had not seen her since that one date they had months ago, only to part ways on the base that Ari wasn’t staying yet Isaac was. Yet here she was, and it sure was the same exact town they had met. “Ari?”

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

A tragedy or one with a happy ending. Normally a story was just a story, but suddenly Gaya couldn’t help but feel like she was being teased the fate of her own species and the fate Assyria as a whole. How would this story all end? With a tragedy (or hundreds) or did they have a happy ending in store for them all? “There is a more obvious lasting mark of a tragic ending, yes, but have you ever experienced a happy ending just at the right time when you needed that one win even if it was just in a story you are reading?” She gave a small shrug, not thinking about how part of her was hoping the Goddess suddenly heard her and took this as a plea. “I’m not the expert at all, I just enjoy the stories and it’s just one perspective, but I usually prefer the happy ending.”

“I’ve written a lot of those too. It’s a balance between the tension and drama, and the conclusion with everyone having their stories how they want them,” said the man, knowing even if everyone loved to read about drama and adventures that could end up wrong; everyone also loved to see the characters they connected with having a happy ending.

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“Did you give in to fanservice? Oooh that’s a bold move, dude.” Renzie said, as if he knew anything about the creative world.  Maybe not actively creative, but Renzie did like to stay involved in all the arts and culture in Port Vale.  As a patron, if nothing else.  Art needed to be admired, and Renzie volunteered for that task gladly. 

 “Hokay, so what you’re saying is that I should read the series before the TV show comes out, then I can be one of those fans who’s constantly tweeting about how the books were better.”  Renzie tapped the side of his nose.  “I gotcha.”

Nodding, Renzie looked pleased that Isaac might show up at the banquet.  “Everyone’s invited, a free-for-all, huh?  Who knows you might meet a special someone, if you’re looking for that,” he couldn’t help adding, with that typical small-town blend of pleasant invasiveness.

“Yeah. I didn’t want to end like the writers of How I Met Your Mother. With every fan resenting them for throwing all of the character development to the trash over staying with what they wanted,” said Isaac with a laugh. “And with a new book, it’s a fresh start, so I can do whatever I want too.”

He couldn’t help the laugh, “Listen. If you have any sort of critique about them, I’m all ears. Who know, maybe what you’ll say will stick on the next one. I do like to keep my readers on their toes.” Renzie’s comment though had him softly shrug, remembering the encounter he had with one person that was a one time thing and then forever lost in time and space. “Honestly? I’m not exactly looking for something like that at the moment. But hey, if it happens, it happens.”

Ronan tooka quick look at this human and acquiesced. “Whatever floats your boat” he said. Theman really didn’t look like the type to put on a good challenge, not that muchof the humans around could anyway. The hippocampus had only asked because henoticed the movement nearby. “I was also going to stop for a bit. Care to joinfor a drink?” Ronan didn’t truly care either way, but it was always better todrink with some company.

He sat downnear the stranger without really waiting for an answer, taking the new drinkoffered from his last victory. “Name’s Ronan. You are?” he asked, taking a sipof his beer, and motioning for the human to seat down again. He didn’t noticethe group of sore losers he had beaten early approaching.

The man was something, for sure. It went without saying that he basically beat every big and strong dude that attempted the challenge against him and left them practically weeping. And now here he was, already taking a seat next to him before Isaac could even make any sound. “Uhm, sure. No problem,” said the man finally.

“You sound like you’re saying that from experience,” Gemma observed, taking another sip of her coffee. She was curious what sort of strange hours a job like ‘author’ might require. That might be an odd question to ask though, so she didn’t - better to just consult the internet later. “That is true - there are a _lot _of fans of those holiday beverages,” she agreed. Personally, she didn’t understand why flavors people hadn’t seemed to care about at all in the fall were suddenly so popular. Come to think of it, there had been a special flavor when she’d arrived in town as well - pumpkin spice. Would there be more limited time favors to follow in the spring or whenever peppermint and gingerbread were removed as options? Perhaps she would have to look into that later as well, just to make sure she wouldn’t be taken by surprise if any such menu changes did occur. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What kind of book is it?” She also wondered why he had come to an indoor location if ‘air’ was his goal, but figured that likely had something to do with the cold weather.

“Very much so,” said the man with a sigh. “It’s hard to create when the inspiration isn’t there or you’ve reached a wall. And with a deadline around your neck, sleep tends to get away from you. Nothing a little research and a redbull can’t fix.” Countless of nights had been spent with him in front of the laptop, an energy drink and instant noodles while trying to swim through the block that stopped him from finishing a draft before a deadline, and a good night of sleep. “They’re good, not gonna lie. But I wouldn’t wait two hours in a line for one cup of peppermint mocha or a pumpkin spice latte. I guess the Instagram snap is worth all that time,” said Isaac with a soft chuckle. “It’s a book about adventure. I want to write something inspired in this town and their stories. About mermaids, sailors, treasures. A war. A woman in the lead facing this struggle and succeeding. It’s been such a long while since I’ve seen a good book or a series with these themes that don’t end with the same cliché of a mermaid falling for the main sailor who saves from whatever.”

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“Well… can you start with one story that really makes you interested? Would it help to find a story that has more of a clear sort of character that you can mold?” Let me be that character, she wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t just say that. It sounded like Isaac had really learned a lot here. The stories were interesting, but she could see how they could be too much when they all didn’t quite fit together.

“There’s all sorts of stories floating about, which is exciting! Not all of them are written down, so which parts are real could really depend on what was misremembered or appealed to the storyteller the most. “What do you think brings all of the mermaids and sirens in these stories to the shores of Port Vale? Were they hiding or running from something? Don’t they have responsibilities to everyone else down in the deeps, or is there no society down there at all? Lots to think about.” She wasn’t sure what was happening in all the old stories, but Stella was certainly both hiding and running away from her responsibilities.

“I thought of that, but I wondered. Do I want to make the story about a pirate, a sailor, a mermaid, a siren? There are so many options. Yes, defining the main character, and the struggle they’ll face is important. But everyone’s got potential,” said Isaac with a soft shrug. Saying it was easier than doing it. “What I do know for certain, is that I want this character to be a woman. An empowered woman that despite facing obstacles, war, grief and so on, she gets through it. There’s not many adventure books with a woman as a lead and I want to create something like that.”

The idea had popped up in his head weeks ago. After much research, all of the books about adventures at sea had a man as a main character. Yet, so little -if none- had women. “Well. I think the one reason a group has to migrate to a stranger land is because of war or some form of unstable government that cannot guarantee safety. Sounds very familiar to what is going on in the world right now. I think that would be a plot,” said the man, immediately searching for his notes and a pen to scribble down everything they were talking about. “This is good stuff.”

☆.。.:*・°☆🖌

Emilia had known that while the cafe was a spot she frequented, with her fathers arrival in town the past few months, she had shown her face there less and less. Renzie was able to grab her things and she managed to slip in a couple times without being ambushed but now that her father was out of town she felt she could finally step foot in the cafe without being worried about potentially being harrassed by the parent she didn’t want to see in the first place.

Upon her arrival she immediately took notice of a friend that she may have shut out since her fathers arrival. It wasn’t on purpose, with one thing after another, her father, Tayden, and Isidore’s truth being revealed, it all was pushed to the front of her mind while getting to have a cup of tea with Isaac and just chat got swept away in all of it. So Emilia took this opportunity to sneak up behind him, reaching out for the sugar next to him at the same time to catch his attention.

“Hey there stranger. Go ahead, take it, I haven’t even ordered yet I just wanted an excuse to pop in. How are things? Sorry I haven’t really been around much lately, it’s kind of a long story.”

“Oh my god, hi,” said Isaac as he immediately shifted to face Emilia. He hadn’t seen her face around for a while but as the man he was to not ask that many questions to things that were not his business, he just figured she’d come around when she was ready. Or else if something was bad, she would have mentioned it over a cup of coffee.

“Well you know me. I write long stories and I listen to them as well. And I was planning to spend the evening here, so if by any chance you have the rest of the day free, I’m all ears,” said the man with a laugh. “You know me. Still struggling with this book. I got some notes with me if you want to take a look. Could use another POV of someone without writer’s block.”

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

“Oh, I didn’t mean– I apologize, I know for most Valentine’s Day is more about romantic love, but I meant more like love in all sense. Familial, platonic,” Gaya explained. “If I only celebrated romantic love, I wouldn’t really have had anything to celebrate this day for a while,” or at all, considering this was her very first Valentine’s Day, but he didn’t need to know about that, “and I am not really a fan of excluding other kinds of loves. I do agree on it bringing color and joy into town and it bringing a bit of fun into the people’s lives.” The blind date event was interesting too, and it gave Gaya the chance to meet somebody new. “Now, though, you mentioned inspiration. Anything about today’s event sparking any kind of interesting ideas so far?”

“Oh no, don’t apologize. I think this holiday gives great inspiration to show all kinds of love. And it certainly helps whenever trying to write about it,” said the man with a nod. So many times he’d taken inspiration of the great love stories, and the many causes behind love to write, and makes his own readers fall in love and believe in the characters and the stories. “I’d say perhaps in what type of story I’ll want to to write. A tragedy or one with a happy ending. Tragedies usually leave more of an emotional mark, but it’s still a debate.”

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“Dude, flattery literally gets your everywhere.  All credit to ammi, of course,” Renzie beamed.  

Renzie leaned against the counter to listen to the synopsis of Isaac’s book.  “Oh wait - so you wrote a whole-ass series?  That’s so cool, and honestly that’s a feat.  Usually people complain that the last book in a series is the worst, so.  Kudos to you, dude.”

Nodding, Renzie flipped a cloth from his shoulder, swabbing the counter.  “A-yup, you definitely came to the right town for all that. Mermaids, sirens.  Lost ships, pirates.  Now we got selkies too, haven’t you heard.”  Ren grinned.  “But fair warning: we’re very protective of our lore. In fact, you should come see for yourself, meet people and get acquainted, huh?  The Valentine’s Banquet’s coming up, you should go.  Might kick-start that inspiration for your creative genius.”

“Yeah. They’re like four books, in total. But yeah. I heard the fans loud and clear, and they wanted a happy ending. And honestly, even though I know some authors have their visions with the characters and the story, I’m not really one to sacrifice the connection built with the books over been original. That’s something I’m really having in consideration with the book adaptation,” said the man with a shrug. “I’m hoping they all of the books into movies or a tv show and they do it right.”

Not paying much attention to his comment, Isaac’s head only tilted a bit as he listened closely. “Meeting more people it’s what I’ve been doing lately. I think the best way to learn about a town is through the people and their stories. I heard about that, and I guess I’ll take a stroll around it. Nothing like the day of love to write about love.”