𝕻𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖚𝖒

About | Intro | More info | Wanted connections | Tags

.

“No, no, I only moved here a few months ago. But I grew up in a small town just like it.” She smiled, thinking of her hometown. She of course had had the option to move back there when she’d graduated, but Karina had wanted to experience more of the world, even if in small snippets. “I went to college in a big city, but it was too busy for me. I’m a small town girl through and through. What about you, did you grow up here?” The redhead glanced into the two offices Lena mentioned, a small sound of interest coming from her. She found this all fascinating, the work they did here, and she loved that people were doing their best to understand and help the marine life that lived on their coasts. “What kinds of things do you do?” Maybe Karina would understand the other woman’s answer, maybe she wouldn’t, but she was keen to learn as much as she could. Another door was held open, and Karina and Henry stepped through, hearing the sounds of the animals. “What animals do you have here at the moment?” 

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

“Definitely not.” Lena laughed softly and realized it might have seemed a little cold on her part. “I mean, small towns are great... I just grew up in Australia. Sydney, actually. So, I love big cities and I’m not really used to the small-town pace. It’s nice though, everyone is friendly and so eager to help.” She shoved her hands in her lab coat to keep from blabbering, she was somewhat embarrassed for shutting down the idea of having grown up in Port Vale. It wasn’t all that bad. Clearly, the town’s charm drew in people without the need for constant tourists. Even though she couldn’t understand it Lena found it charming. “I do a lot of sample testing.” Lena summarized. “Water samples, Animal samples from the wild and here in the rehabilitation unit...” She didn’t want to bore the other with details. “But my line of work in general primarily focuses on phytoplankton ecology and microbiology. If you’re bored one of these days, I can bring you to the lab and talk your ear off about it.” She grinned. “We have all kinds of animals here. Turtles, Dolphins, Various fish species, but right now we’re focusing on Seals. Do you want to see them? I didn’t originally include that wing in my tour because I don’t spend too much time there. I only come in every so often with the animal trainers to collect samples.”

-

“I’ve heard rumors - somethin’ to do with the pendant of the princess of the North Atlantic. Can’t say for sure though,” Mike admitted. He’d heard slightly more detail on the how, but he didn’t want to go around spreading details like that unless he was absolutely sure. It wasn’t like sirens came from gemstones anyway, so the shaky details he had weren’t a matter of life and death for Lena or any of the other sirens as far as he could figure. “I dunno why they’re here, but they don’t seem to be hostile or anythin’ like that. I think we should be giving ‘em the benefit of the doubt. No need to treat ‘em like a threat, right? Just ‘cause someone’s new and different doesn’t mean they’re bad.” This was more or less the same point he’d tried to drive home with Gaya when he’d talked to her about the selkies, and it had gone well enough. He figured if it had gone well with her, maybe it would with Lena too - the sirens had plenty of experience being the new and different folks in Assyria. Even if Lena herself hadn’t been there with the first of the sirens, he figured she could probably relate to the concept.

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

Lena nodded; her brows furrowed in deep thought. She would have to talk about these details with Gemma. Or maybe the siren captain had already known? Lena didn’t know for sure. “Well, whatever they’re here for, I’m going to try to find out the reason. I think it’s strange that they were created during this time. The darkness in the waters and the sickness? It just seems very odd to me.” Then again, Lena was very cautious about trusting anyone that wasn’t a siren. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where the selkies fit in the mess of the past events. Sure, the gift to the Coral Sea seemed to heal the illness but how did they know it didn’t originate from them in the first place? “I’m not really a conspiracy theorist.” She reassured him. “I just like to know exactly what’s going on before I end up looking foolish for trusting.” 

   xx

     “Really?” Ridley giggled, trying to stay as light and playful as Lena, but she couldn’t deny how much her interest piqued at that comment. Could it be - could she really not be alone in this? The rest of the sirens seemed so eager to get back to Assyria, with no intention of ever looking back. If she were honest with herself, Ridley was sad about the future; she knew it wouldn’t be easy to return to return to land, not without scolding. It was nice to talk to someone else who saw what she saw in the humans, in their lifestyle… “I hope things change,” She blurted out, feeling safe enough to do so. “I don’t want to be stuck in Assyria forever. Don’t, um, like, don’t… repeat that or anything, it’s just… I feel so alone, sometimes, like, I’m the only one who likes any of this…” She shrugged, waving off her heavy confession. Maybe Lena hated having to play human and would laugh at her, but Ridley just felt in her heart that wasn’t the case. Blinking in surprise when Lena mentioned Nereida - how did she know that it was her captain holding her back? - Ridley felt even better about her admission. Her heart skipped a beat, and maybe it was hope, but Ridley decided to blame the heat - “Goddess, I don’t even know, like I guess fifteen minutes is ideal, but it’s been, like, what? Three minutes? I will literally die in here. How is this ever considered a healthy activity?” The siren groaned, rubbing sweat from her brow with a grossed out expression. 

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

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

    “A life with no mistakes is like a life with no lessons learned,” The hippocampi mused, a smirk still in place - he didn’t usually notice when he spoke in strange snippets of riddles and ancient wisdom, and he didn’t try to sound so precocious. It was easy to be introspective lately, have a wider view on things, and a lot of time had been devoted to considering mistakes made over the years. There had to be hope to glean, and though perhaps her mistake of painting with the wind against her was less of a crime than lying for a decade and a half; Isidore understood how dumb it felt to walk right into certain failure. 

   He was a living example, Isi felt. 

   A laugh departed his lips at her comment. Was he surprising? Isidore didn’t think he was, but hey, he was often wrong about his own concept of identity compared to what others saw. “A pirate ship?” Isidore echoed, uncharacteristically grinning at the thought of it. “It is a humble fishing boat, but perhaps I will name it after some great vessel, from the Viking days. I have not though that far ahead. Hopefully I am successful in fixing it, first.”

   “A gift to the Sea,” He commented, following her gaze to the water. Greedy thing, the Sea - it seemed to consume all, and toss out those who didn’t bend to it’s every whim. The relationship Isidore had it with it was complicated at best, and he wouldn’t annoy Lena with the details. “Do you want to help me work on the sanding for my boat? It is easy, much like painting, just stronger strokes. Go with the grain, in repetive motion, until smooth. You may have therapeutic.”

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

When Isidore spoke, Lena found herself staring back at the water. It was true - could a life without mistakes even be considered living at all? The hippocampus was much older than Lena and she wondered what mistakes he’d made over the years that brought him where he was now. She respected the knowledge and wisdom he offered; probably more than she’d care to reveal. The siren felt as though her life was a series of mistakes. Sometimes she blamed herself for the loss of her family pod. Sometimes she blamed the mermaids for her grief. Had it all been a mistake? Should she just have avoided the war and ran from it when it threatened her home? Her thoughts were interrupted by his laugh. “I have no doubt that you’ll be able to fix it. After all, boats were made to withstand the elements and even if they sink their corpses stand tall at the bottom of the ocean.” She gave a small shrug as if to reassure him that his project’s chances of failing were slim. 

“The waters always take things even if they were not meant to be gifts.” Lena said darkly. Her mind returning back to the loss that plagued her. “Of course, I’d love to help. Also, I don’t think I can go home so soon otherwise losing my painting will just bother me for the rest of the day.” She admitted, grateful for the offer of mindless work to keep her mind off things. 

-

“You can say I have a good nose for other outsiders” he said simply, taking a sip of his own drink. He could have kept the hippocampi’s way of figuring out sea folk for himself, but he was curious if some of the other species would be able to use the same method. By what she said – Australia – he imagined she must be one of the sirens of the Coral Sea. It was the closest pod to the country, if he wasn’t mistaken. But it could also be someone from Stella’s court. Probably following the princess, if that was the case.

“I’m just visiting family. My brothers are currently in town” he said casually. He didn’t know which was the case and, while no moves were made against Stella, he wouldn’t go playing the overprotective part. “I have been here since Halloween, give or take a few days” he had to think how long that had been. 3 or 4 months already? Not unheard of, but not the amount of time he usually spends in the little town. The influx of new merfolk and, now, seal people did make the stay interesting, though. “What about you?”

Then she got ready for their little game and he also abandoned the more casual demeanor. “Let’s do it, then” he said, mimicking her posture and getting ready himself. He held her hand in his and waited for the human referee to approach and count down for them to start. On the mark, he started putting force on his arm, against hers. They were evenly matched and there were close calls for both sides, but, in the end, his hand was the one touching the table.

“Not bad, not bad” he laughed, joining the humans around joking and teasing him for losing. “Hey, bartender! A drink for the lady here!” he called, gesturing with his other arm, before starting to stretch the one he used on the match. “Congratulations on your victory…” he started, but extended the last syllable for a few beats. “I don’t think I got your name yet.”

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

A good nose for outsiders? Brothers? The pieces were slowly coming together but Lena didn’t let it distract her. So many questions were running through her head. Of course, she should have seen it sooner but didn’t know many other hippocampi - they were rare. “Oh so you came here to be with your brothers? I’ve been here for about a month. I’ve been staying busy, but it feels like time moves much slower in a small town. I’m not sure how you’ve been able to keep yourself from dying of boredom.” She laughed. In the month that she’d arrived in town, it didn’t take long for the siren to see everything the town had to offer. Lena had to agree with the other’s statement. The most interesting part of living in Port Vale was the inhabitants. She had never expected the town to be like this. Clearly, something about the town was special if it drew in the mermaids, sirens, selkies and hippocampi (the few that were remaining). The purpose of everyone’s presence was still a mystery to Lena but she tried not to think about her worries about an upcoming war and pushed the negative thoughts away from the forefront of her mind.

After winning the arm wrestle she couldn’t hide the grin that formed on her face. It had been a while since she felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins, it was refreshing to have participated in friendly competition. “Thank you ... You were a worthy opponent.” She mused. The night was not going how she expect but she enjoyed being in the company of someone who knew what she truly was. Lena felt happy because she didn’t have to pretend in that moment. After the bartender handed her the prize of a glass of beer, she turned back to her opponent. “I’m Lena.” The siren said finally. “What’s your name?” She asked and moved closer before adding. “I haven’t met many of your kind, so I’m surprised that you’re here.” She made sure no one else was listening in on their conversation. There was so much she wanted to ask this stranger. 

~

Maya wondered if the brusqueness of the other woman came from her natural personality, or just from the loss of her art.  She could certainly understand the need to duck any emotional display … and chose to give the painter the benefit of the doubt.  When she turned away from her supplies, Maya offered her a gentle smile, hoping the understanding would come through.

“Paint? No,” she shook her head.  “I have no gift at capturing light and pictures on canvas like that. Or with any of the visual arts – unless you count some crafting.” She spread her hands, her lips quirking into a rueful smile. “I create pictures with words – poetry and prose.  Most of the time it’s a wonderful feeling, but sometimes it can be difficult to picture this perfect image in my head and try to figure out how to put it into words so it paints itself in people’s minds.”

She reached up to push back her hair as the wind played with it. “And yes, very vulnerable,” she agreed. “I always pictured it as … opening a door into that secret part of your heart to let someone see within it, sharing instead of sacrificing.”  Tilting her head in consideration, she continued, “Though it could also be like sending a child out into the world, frantic and frightened and wondering if the child will be treated with kindness … or not.”

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

“Poetry?” Lena’s eyes widened. A hint of jealousy but mostly intrigue could be heard in her tone. She’d never been one to adequately express herself with words so meeting someone with the knack for it was interesting. “I’ve always wanted to write poetry, but it doesn’t come easy to me. Not as easy as painting at least.” She admitted, the siren wasn’t necessarily a professional painter, but she was better at it than when she was faced with a pen and paper. She’d originally gotten into painting because she wanted to remember all of the everywhere she was able to visit on land and committing it to memory didn’t seem sufficient. “Is poetry what you do for a living?” She asked curiously, wondering if she’d ever read the other’s work. Other than painting, Lena found herself often reading to pass the time. Books about science captured her attention often but occasionally she’d pick up a poetry book and allow herself to take a peek into someone else’s soul. 

Sending a child out into the world the words caused a slight pain in her chest. Lena never thought of it in that way, but it was true. For some reason it made her think of the family she lost and the way she was thrust into a world without them. Some of her best paintings were during a time where she kept experiencing new places and wished her family was there to see them as well. It was strange how the other spoke - humans typically weren’t ... she couldn’t think of the word to describe the other. Philosophical? Knowledgeable? “I agree. It’s the sacrifice of an artist.” She nodded. “I’m Lena. What’s your name?” 

.

“Nothing is so good that it’s perfect on both the inside and the outside. What seems to be perfect is going to have its flaws. We aren’t looking for them, exactly, but I can assure you that they exist. I don’t know enough about weather to tell you exactly what is a problem until I encounter it, though,” Gabi said, insisting on being contrary.

“I don’t like it here, Lena. Australia sounds quite a lot better than this place. But things have been adequate enough,” she said with a little shrug. “The people here are too much sometimes. I think the worst part is that they expect you to smile at them when they smile at you. It just doesn’t make sense.” The people of Port Vale smiled way too much. She wasn’t quite sure if that was something that bothered Lena too, but it was a definite problem here. Maybe all humans were like that. “I understand what you mean, though. Apart from the smiles… it’s dangerous to have a conversation.”

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

“Ah I gotcha.” Lena mused. She didn’t push the subject further but instead nodded to herself, letting the other’s words echo in her mind for a moment. When she really thought about it, Gabi was right about flaws, nothing was truly perfect if one just took the time to inspect carefully. The mermaids thought they were perfect, but the deteriorating oceans proved that idea to be false and as much as the sirens thought they themselves were perfect there were probably a few flaws they’d rather not reflect on. “This place …” she started and paused for a moment. “Yeah, this place isn’t what I’m used to either. I think they smile a lot because of how small the town is. New faces probably stand out more compared to a big city and they want to welcome everyone.” The siren didn’t necessarily mind how friendly the townspeople were, but it was much harder to blend in when everyone constantly wanted to talk and help the newcomers. She was so used to being invisible in a crowd. It never occurred to her that some humans would want to help a stranger just out of the kindness of their hearts. On more than one occasion, the townspeople of Port Vale went out of their way to offer her help with housing and even finding a job. “I’ve never been in a place where so many people believed in mermaids either. Don’t you think that’s odd? I wasn’t expecting it to be like this.”

-

Mike still wasn’t sure if Lena would ultimately believe him or not - but she seemed to be considering what he had to say, and he figured that was about as good as he could hope for. He wasn’t expecting anyone to change their opinions of each other overnight, but a willingness on both sides to listen could lead to big changes in the long run. He listened intently as she went on to tell him her thoughts on the seafoam curse - including that an inkeeper had told her it was a myth. Renzie - he wondered what Lena had been getting up to that he’d felt the need to share that particular information with her. “I’ve never really believed in the whole seafoam curse thing, personally. The whole time I’ve been alive, I’ve never seen any proof of it being a thing.” It wasn’t something he talked about much, but that was mainly because he’d had the point so adamantly refuted whenever he’d brought it up in the past. Folks hadn’t been ready to hear it - but it sounded like maybe Lena was. “I - oh, hey - d’ya know whatcha want yet?” He’d caught sight of a waiter heading in their direction and leaned back, making a show of looking at the menu. When the waiter arrived he turned to chat with the guy, ordering a sandwich and fries. Once the waiter had taken both of their orders and headed off he leaned in again, hushed tones returning. “I don’t know all that much about ‘em - seems like they were created pretty recently though. I haven’t had a chance to get to know any all that well yet, but I hear Siobhan’s one of ‘em - the mayor’s fiancée.”

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

“It never crossed my mind that it wouldn’t be true.” Lena admitted. She’d never met anyone who was skeptical of the belief but then again, Mike wasn’t just anyone. Hippocampi had been around longer than sirens and she trusted their wisdom even if she didn’t fully trust Mike himself. The siren made a mental note to ask Isidore about this topic. She didn’t think Mike would be lying to her, but it was interesting that no one had ever challenged this idea before. Maybe Renzie was right. But how could he know something as crucial as this? Where would a human get information that most mermaids and sirens didn’t even know? Her train of thought was interrupted when the waiter stopped by their table. She put in her order and turned back to Mike again after the waiter left. Her eyes widened at the new information he had revealed. She’d only known that the selkies were present in Port Vale, but she didn’t know they were recently created. Created? How did that even happen? Who created them? And what was even more surprising to hear was that the mayor’s fiancée was one? The questions floated around in her head, and she didn’t know where to even start. It seemed as though there were more unanswered questions than before, and Lena felt more lost than she had been before their conversation. Of course, the selkies had to come from somewhere but she never thought about that. “They were created recently... Do you know how? What’s their purpose for coming here? Can they be trusted?”

G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?

Q   :   QUESTION. would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?

"I tend to ask all the big questions. When it comes to love I like to take control and know exactly what's going on. I don't like to sit and wait for someone or hold my thoughts in. I have a hard time expressing myself, but I still try to lead in a relationship."

U   :   UNREQUITED. has your muse had their heart broken?

"Yes, it was a long time ago, but it completely changed how I interact with people. I don't allow myself to get too close to someone because I'm scared of losing them. I don't think I can cope if I allow myself to be vulnerable to loss."

O   :   ODE. does your muse have a way with words?

®

If sea people were on a learning curve, it seemed Renzie was too.  Mainly: how the hell did one navigate the pretense.  Gabi mentioned that lying was part of bring friendly - case in point, his de facto job.  His job was to be hospitable and neutral milk hotel to all his guests.  Unless they did something inappropriate, Renzie would practice indiscretion and incuriousity, coupled with bland politeness.

Now, it was just a matter of blending that ‘innkeeper’ skill with…well.  Everyone.  Not just guests, not just his worklife, but his personal life too.  Which, given that it was Renzie Anand, his ‘personal life’ was next to nil and was basically his worklife.  Hell, here he was, giving one of his temporary guests a tour of the town, solely because she wanted to deflect from the fact that she was snooping around his private home.

It was a lot; but then, it was probably a lot for these sea people too.

He nodded along as Lena explained science to him - a subject he’d never been particularly adept in, other than the high school basics - and Renzie just smiled.  “Stella - she’s one of my front-desk clerks - you know what she said?  That magic is just science that hasn’t been figured out yet.  Or…something to that effect.  That’s cool, don’t you think?  That there could be ‘magic’ in the ocean, magic in Port Vale, but it’s actually just science we don’t know about yet.  That’s what you smartie-pants scientist-types are for.  To explain things to us rubes and luddites, hah.”  

Renzie wasn’t saying any of that with any snide obliqueness.  It was just his own cheerful, self-deprecating, conversational way of chatting.

As beloved as Port Vale was to Renzie, he did pick up on what Lena didn’t say - comparing Sydney to Port Vale.   “Well, at least you’ll be done your internship in a little while, and then you’ll get back to Sydney.  And that homesickness will make you appreciate your city in whole new ways, huh?  That’ll be fun, I’m sure.”

Sydney Institute of Marine Science.  Renzie would have to remember that.  And he did look duly impressed. “Have you like..made any cool discoveries?  Written any papers?  That’s what scientists to right, they like.  Find stuff and then publish about it.  And then Nat Geo simplifies it and sensationalizes it to get the public actually interested in, uh, phytoplankton.”

Fortunately, he didn’t notice Lena’s smile drop;  after accidentally making eye-contact for that one brief but so electric moment, Renzie was doing his best to avoid that happening again.  Sea-elephant in the room.  Manatee in the room.

“True, true true,” Renzie said amiably, at Lena’s careful answer.  It was interesting, at least, to see where sea people tried to balance themselves between truths and lies.  What each of them felt more comfortable with.  Skirting around the truth, or gaslighting completely, or getting hostile and slinging insults to deflect.

“Here we are! Ocean Farmhouse, the marketplace; and nearby is Sea of Plenty, the fishmongers.  What kinds of things do you like to eat, Lena?”

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

There could be magic in the ocean Lena almost laughed out loud at the thought. It seemed like humans often romanticized the unknown, the vastness of the ocean should scare them and yet they want to believe in mermaids and magic like in Disney movies. There was darkness, pain and loss in the depths of the waters. Lena wasn’t sure there was any magic left - it felt as though whatever magic had existed is now long gone. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt the magic of the sea. Ever since the war, things had changed drastically, and real life was constantly anchoring her back in the pain and memory of her loved ones. “I’m not sure I can agree with the idea of magic in the ocean.” She said simply. Magic wouldn’t have allowed such terrible darkness to swallow the oceans. It made her wonder, did all the magic run out and leave evil in its wake?

“Yes, I appreciate it back home more than ever these days.” Lena admitted. Truthfully, she didn’t know if she would be returning to Sydney when everything in Port Vale was done. It was what she hoped would happen, but everything was in the hands of her siren captain, and she didn’t have much input. Lena trusted Gemma though, she would put her where the sirens needed her most and if Port Vale was her last time being on land for a while, then Sydney would have an even more special place in her heart. “I feel like I took my life in Sydney for granted.” She laughed.

“Discoveries?” She thought for a moment. In the forty years she had spent up and down the Australian coast, Lena had made several discoveries under different aliases but not under the name that Renzie currently knew her as, so she shook her head. “I’m more of a behind the scenes researcher. I’ve contributed to a few studies about the causes of coral bleaching and the importance of phytoplankton, but most of what I’ve done has stayed in the Marine science community to serve as resources for other scientists. You won’t see my name in National Geographic if that’s what you’re wondering.” She paused for a moment and added “I can’t be found on google.” Lena was partly joking but she meant it for the most part and wondered if Renzie would google her name or even go as far as to ask for her resume from the director of the marine research center. She wouldn’t put it past him.

“I love Italian food the most.” She shrugged. Food was one of her most favorite things about living on land. She discovered so many different kinds of foods when she first arrived in Sydney and “But I love all kinds of food ... dessert especially. But I also love to cook as much as I love to eat. How about you? Are you tired of seafood from eating it your whole life in Port Vale?”

-

“That does sound frustrating,” Mike sympathized. “But hey - at least you’re figurin’ out things it isn’t, right? That’s good for somethin’,” he assured her. He wasn’t much of a scientist, but being able to rule things out still sounded like a good thing. “Yeah? Okay cool, it’s - hang on.” he didn’t actually know his phone number, so he grabbed the device and fiddled with it for a moment to get the details, then passed them on to Lena. He listened intently as the siren went on to describe how one of her friends believed that the sirens and mermaids could work together. He couldn’t be certain who she was talking about - but considering who all was in town, it seemed likely that she was referring to her captain. That was good news - he’d have to make sure to let Gaya know that, as far as he could tell from what Lena had to say, Gemma was just as sincere in her efforts as Gaya was being on her end. For the time being though, he nodded sympathetically. “That’s fair,” he admitted. “There’s been a lot of loss on both sides - I know that ain’t exactly the best starting point for a working relationship.” Having been alive for the entirety of the war, Mike had lost a number of friends himself. More than some would probably care to count, but he remembered each and every one. “If it helps, I know some of the folks on uh - the other side of things - are pretty serious about makin’ the whole workin’ together thing work.” He wasn’t sure if she would believe him, but he figured that saying it was better than not saying it nonetheless. Asked what he could tell her about the town and the people in it, he paused, considering. “Hm, what kinda stuff do ya wanna know?” He wasn’t really sure what information he had that might be of use to her, but he was happy to share anything that wouldn’t endanger anyone or betray their trust. “Have ya heard about the selkies?” he asked quietly, leaning in slightly to avoid being overheard. “They’re these uh - seal people. I guess there might be some in town? One was spotted in late October.” This seemed like something she might know already, depending on if any of the sirens she was in communication with had heard about it. If she hadn’t though, it was probably the most important piece of information he could share without endangering or betraying anyone.

˚.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿

Lena nodded, she couldn’t say anything in that moment, but she appreciated his positivity and truly needed to hear something encouraging. She hadn’t expressed how she felt to the other sirens for fear of sounding weak and it was bothering her under her calm surface. For some reason she didn’t mind telling Mike because he didn’t really know her in the first place. He couldn’t judge her just from one conversation and she took comfort in that. The siren silently took his contact information and hoped she wouldn’t actually have to use it since she didn’t want the others to think she was betraying them just for speaking with Mike. “Oh?” She raised her eyebrows. Lena wasn’t expecting him to say that and didn’t know if he meant it. If the mermaids were as genuine as Gemma, then all her efforts weren’t in vain, and she was right to want to work with them. Suddenly, Lena felt bad for originally giving her siren captain a hard time about trusting the mermaids. It was hard to see past her own point of view for the better of the Coral Sea. She acted like a petulant child about the subject and didn’t want to believe that mermaids could be anything other than selfish or conceited. It must have also struck her in that moment how odd the situation seemed because Mike was incredibly nice, and he spent a lot more time with the mermaids than he did sirens. She leaned closer to whisper and not have anyone overhear. “Anything, I really don’t know. I’ve been trying to find out more about the creation of Port Vale because an innkeeper told me that sirens and mermaids turning into seafoam was a myth. If the lore of the town is true, then that seafoam belief must really be false.” She listened to him and nodded. “I heard about them, but I don’t know too much, and I don’t believe I’ve met one just yet. Have you?”