captain

Mike had been minding his own business, taking a walk along the beach when he caught sight of someone in the distance. Making his way over to say hello, he was a little surprised when his approach caught her by surprise. “Sorry, sorry,” he apologized anyway, hands up in a placating gesture. “Ya doin’ alright?” Silver seemed distressed about something - he waited patiently as she wrote out what was on her mind. “Hmm… can’t say I do,” he admitted regretfully. Jewelry wasn’t really his area of expertise, and as far as he knew there wasn’t a shop in town that was solely dedicated to that kind of thing. “I could ask around for ya though, if ya want? I know some folks who might have a better idea of that kinda thing.”

®

Their eyes narrowed in suspicion - something Renzie was used to by now from the newcomer sea people, so he weathered it with his patient smile.  Renzie had no clue if the bracelet held any significance beyond it being their possession, but that still mattered.

“Follow!  Yeah, follow me.  I’ll get you a cup of tea too, might help with the - ah - sore throat.”  Renzie didn’t know if they had a sore throat or not, it was simply easier to play pretend for now.  Since finding out about sea people, he’d gotten over the urge to scream it out across the rooftops, or bring it up directly with people: I know you’re a sea person!!  Quickly added recently: You’re not gonna turn into sea foam! And I don’t want to hurt you so please don’t hurt me!!

That was too unwieldy a speech; not worth it.  Better to pretend he didn’t know.  The frustration of knowing but not being able to be honest, had significantly waned.

Renzie tromped back to the Inn, leading the other into the Café.  He put the bracelet down on a customer table and motioned to the chair.  “Have a seat, I’ll be back soon.”

Renzie meandered off, returning soon with a little kit, his glasses, and a couple cups of tea.  One he slid over to the other, as well as an iPad.

“There you go, so you can type. You know how to use an iPad?” Renzie got his glasses on. A random assortment of small tools spilled out of the kit.  “I use this for fixing glasses, jewelry, delicate work, y’know?  It’s amazing how many Inn guests need little things fixed.  Hey, here we go.”  

He pulled out a pair of tweezers in one hand, and a small pair of thin-nose pliers in the other.  “Trust me?”

-

By now, the only symptoms Isla still had from her illness was the occasional cough and bizarre dream. Considering she had worried she was going to die at her worst, it amazed her she could make a full recovery like this. Did all humans feel that way too or was it just her because she didn’t experience sickness in the ocean? Regardless, it wasn’t something she wanted to experience again, so she would have to be more careful and continue to stay out of the water.

Now that she could finally be on her feet again and go outside, Isla went on a lot of long walks between shifts at the Inn. It was still colder outside than she was used to, but she still appreciated feeling the sun on her skin. Port Vale was so much smaller and quieter than any place Isla had been to before, but she was beginning to appreciate that the more she met the people living here. It was nice to know so many people in town.

She was walking along the beach when she spotted someone she never saw before reaching for something in the sand. When they straightened up, Isla’s eyes widened slightly when she noticed the marks on their neck. Clearly injured at some point. They could be a human, but all signs pointed to yet another newcomer from the sea.

Isla was about to ask if they were okay when they started writing in the sand, helping her realize they couldn’t really speak at the moment. She nodded in understanding as she read along before frowning in thought. “I don’t think Port Vale has a jewelry shop,” she mused, “but I’m sure we could find someone who’ll know how to fix it. There’s a lot of helpful people here. While we’re at it, are you sure you don’t need bandage for your neck?”

｡･:*:･ﾟ⎈ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

A walk along the beach was just what she needed. It was nice and sunny out - not the warmest yet, but good enough for a walk where she didn’t have to worry about the cold wind or making sure her winter coat was zipped right up. She could just enjoy the salt in the air and the sounds of the waves.

Granted, her enjoyment was a bit hindered by recent events and she did keep a close eye on the horizon, on the beach and the water, but this was the shallow waters, it’s not like anyone could hide in the one inch water, jump out and attack her.

She noticed the woman dropping the bracelet from not too much of a distance and she moved automatically, trying to help and make sure the little jewlery didn’t get washed away by the next wave coming in, but the woman was faster, picked it up by the time she reached the person.

Steph was confused for a moment when the woman started writing in the sand and then realized what was happening, “Oh, there is a jewlery store that could help with that in the nearby town. And if it’s not too complicated, Mr. Thompson might be able to help too. And older man - he started working and making jewlery as a hobby after his retirement and he got quite good at it. During events he usually sells his own and– oh, wait, I am babbling on, is it better if I write this down?” she asked, motioning towards the sand herself, mimicing writing motion.

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Renzie had done some repairs on one of the ‘mermaid huts’ that him and Gabi had installed.  It was out of the way, a little difficult to access - by foot, anyway.  By tail, it would be easier, which was the intent.  New sea people, washing up onto shore, finding a small respite to recover and acclimatize before facing the human world.

It seemed like a good idea in theory; even if Renzie was getting a crash course on how these huts survived in the recent moody Port Vale weather.

Regardless he looked a little worse for the wear, waddling along the beach to head back to the Mermaid Inn in fishing waders and a mackintosh.  He probably looked like a very small longshoreman.  But a lone figure caught his eye, and Renzie, still not yet having learned to keep away from potentially hostile sea people, came closer.

“Howdy,” he greeted, then watched curiously as they wrote - wrote in the sand.  That was pretty neat, but Renzie attempted in ASL first: ‘Hi! I can sign?’

If she knew ASL.  Or - as Renzie got closer he saw the violent scars slashing her throat.  His eyes widened in immediate sympathy, but he said nothing.  But his heart was racing.  This person was a sea person of some sort, they had to be.

Renzie held out his hand, palm up for the bracelet.  “May I take a look?  I have some repair tools at home… Oh - my name’s Renzie. I live right there -”  He pointed a few buildings down, towards the Starbeach Cafe and Mermaid Inn.

@silvertarnished​

Stella had meant to wander over to the Marine Research Center and see what was going on there. Unfortunately, per usual, she had gotten a little lost and ended up somewhere completely different in town. It wasn’t like it was a very big human settlement, but something about land made her sense of direction get all messed up. Or maybe it was just being somewhere new besides her ocean. Having this much freedom to roam around was still so new and exciting, and she found it easy to get distracted and end up in entirely the wrong place.

Without thinking about it too hard, Stella picked up a pinecone off the ground and idly examined its patterning. Her eyes widened. How interesting! She picked up another pinecone, and compared the two to see how they compared and differed. Of course she had seen pinecones before, but never had she actually analyzed them so closely. Glancing up, she hadn’t realized that someone else was nearby. Stella had absolutely no idea who this was or what they wanted, but she knew that it was important to be nice. “Oh, uhm. Did you want one of these? You can have this one, if you like.” Tentatively, Stella held out the one in her left hand. “I’m sure there are plenty to go around. Unless I’m not supposed to pick up any of these? I- I didn’t see any signs that said I wasn’t allowed but- I can put them back if I need to.”

—

Weldon saw them standing in the water, they were obviously a siren that he had not seen before. It wasn’t until he got close that he recognized them. It was Silver, the Captain of the Mediterranean Sea. He didn’t know any other siren that had the scarring that they had. This never stopped them though, they were not one to mess with. They had a reputation for being rather cold-blooded. Rumors circulated that they were hunting mermaids after the war had ended, and many were vying for their title as Captain.

Weldon watched as they scrawled their message in the sand and held out the bracelet. “Hmm, I’d try the Treasure Cove here in town. Its a little thrift shop just southwest of where we are now,” Weldon pointed his thumb southwest over his shoulder, “Do you need help, Silver? I can keep lookout if you want to take a quick dip.” Weldon could tell they were aching for the soft caress of the tide as it pulls them into the deep.

    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. 

Skeleton: Silver

character name: Silver Mare

age & birthdate: 66

gender & pronouns: afab nonbinary she/they

birthplace: mediterranean sea

length of time in port vale: 6 months

occupation: tattoo artist

fc: lizeth selene

 character history 

THE OCEAN

Silver was born to a small pod.  They were already struggling for survival when she came about.  The elders that were supposed to take care of the young had died due to humans overfishing and poisoning the waters.  Despite tradition saying that she was to stay with the pod till she matured, she was cast out at a young age.  The pod just couldn’t support another mouth and their ‘birth’ had been accidental. No one had been expecting another siren.

She blamed the humans for her misfortune.  The mermaids moreso with their established territory and not a care in the world.  Both of them needed to learn that sirens were not to be messed with.  Silver wandered for a while, slowly and quietly building a small army of vengeful sirens.  Those who weren’t satisfied with their life on the fringes, constantly fighting for survival.  They only returned home to claim the title of captain, taking a broken silver bracelet as her token of change.  

She is 60 when she leads an attack on the mermaids.  Their newfound pod is as brutal and vicious as the worst of sharks.  They turn the waters red with the initial win.  Silver never meant to start a war or to aid one.  She just wanted to make a stand, a point that they couldn’t be bossed around by the mermaids.  When things get bloody and difficult because her single battle didn’t win them everything promised, some of her pod leave.  When she loses other battles, others turn on her, blaming her for the deaths of their kin.  

Despite the failure, her title is kept much to some sirens dismay.  They all want the same thing as her and that helps keep her on top.  All the battles she fought were ruthless and violent with few survivors if any on both sides.  Some rumors say Silver is still in the ocean hunting down mermaids.  Her reputation helps her keep her title regardless of the fact that sirens start taking their frustration out on her.

Silver flees to land, lacerated in scars.  Half of her dorsal fin is now missing and damage to her vocal cords make it hurt to talk.  She still sings to get what she wants sometimes.  

ON LAND

Silver misses the ocean dearly.  She hates that she’s been forced to don human legs because now there are those of both species that would wish her dead.  Her pod remains loyal to her, but she can feel that loyalty wavering.  They still sneak off to the water whenever they can.  They dislike life on land.  Silver feels weak in Port Vale though even the humans watch her warily.  She’s trying to dissuade their curiosity and suspicion as much as they can while they try to come up with a plan to fix things.  

PERSONALITY 

Silver is far less proud and confident than she used to be.  She’s grown cleverer, but warier.  They no longer jump into things as they once did.  Jumping into things is what almost got them killed.  They blame themself for the war, for all the deaths and harm that’s come to all in the sea.  She’s desperate to prove herself worthy again.  She needs to fix things.  Silver is constantly on edge after some of her pod turned on her, after the mermaids fought back.  They half expect to be killed on land by a mermaid or human.