#joyium

A thrifted necklace could say so much despite being so little. | Rielle Corallia | gender neutral

Prince Rielle is someone that you wouldn't mind being stranded on a lone island with. Prince Rielle is someone that you would call when you're bored and want to go out. In fact, Prince Rielle is someone that you want to be around. Prince Rielle is someone you like- even if you just met him 2 days ago- and now, you've known him for 3.

Just like placing two magnets close together, you and the young prince have clicked immediately. For the past 2 days, you found yourself at night grinning stupidly at your phone as it buzzes with a notification. If your day was a painting, you find that the young prince was a complementary stroke of vibrant color that adds depth to the painting.

In fact, life at the moment is akin to a landscape painting made by an artisan during the Romantic Period. A beautiful Sunday morning: the sky was a refreshing light sky blue, and there was a gentle, cold breeze that kissed the skin delicately. The trees- embedded and scattered around the concrete architecture of the Isle of Sage- it cuts through the grey and beige with their different hues of green.

In the heart of the inter-school competition was a bazaar: a mishmash of tents and stalls selling a galore of clothes, foods, and other trinkets; certainly something that both you and the young prince can waste time on leisurely.

It was a spur-of-the-moment idea from you, seeing the innate curiosity that the young prince held. It was the type of curiosity that you may find a kid may possess- yet it wasn't immature, you found yourself fond of it rather than annoyed. A curiosity that was infectious- and you were the lucky one to be caught with it.

"Ohh, bub loook!" The young prince dragged you towards a makeshift stall, arms linked.

Sonderwall thrifts- the cardboard sign in front of the stall says. Inside were racks that hung various shirts, dresses, pants, skirts, and the like. But what Rielle was more drawn to was at the back of the stall. There, a wall that houses a multitude of necklaces that were as unique as the next ones, untrimmed rope on the accessory shows the unique fact that it was hand-made. Dangling on the necklace was an opaque orb, almost pearl-like, that pulsated a different color.

With arms still interlinked, the young Prince guided you to the wall of necklaces. "We have these back home, too!" Rielle pointed out, one arm reaching out and prodding the necklace while the other was still interlinked snuggly with yours.

"Mhm, same here," You said. leaning forward to look at the necklace in detail. "On a school trip to the beach to do some community clean-up, my friend bought me one, but instead of this, it was of a shark tooth."

To that, Rielle stilled for a bit, "Reallyy?"

Realizing what you just said, to a merman no less, you giggled nervously, "Ohh, no, no, no, it was fake," you explained, to which he relaxed a bit. Though you wondered what he would be like if teased, "...I think," you added with a smile.

The young prince puffed his cheeks and let go of your interlinked arms. "You're scary," he remarked lightly, not a hint of seriousness in his voice.

You laughed as the two of you parted ways and went on to look around the thrift store. He gravitated towards the accessories, and you were on the shirts and pants.

To your benefit, the stall was great, it was reasonably priced for the good quality stuff; a good mix of graphic tees, formal wear, and funky pants with all the studs, rips, and embroidery that could satisfy anybody's aesthetics.

Though you landed your interests on a particularly cute one- well, it was ugly, kitschy. A rainbow vomit of an island and a flounder fish springing up from the ocean to the sky with two dolphins on the sides of the fish.

Tacking it off the rack, you admired it up close.

Curious, the young prince walked towards you, and from behind you, he spoke, "Ohh! Uhm, cute," almost not convinced himself that it was as cute as he said it was.

Rolling your eyes, you chuckled, "C'mon, I think it's pretty."

"Sure, bub, " He replied sarcastically, moving to go towards the checkout, and you followed behind.

As you were looking around your bag to look for your wallet, you felt a hand take the t-shirt you were holding. Looking up to see that the bubbly prince had it in his. "Bub, you can go and wait outside, I'll pay for these!" He explained.

"Oh no no that's fine, Rielle, I have some money," You answered, almost offended- you were in need, yes, but not rock bottom. It was also awkward for you, considering the dynamics between you and the prince; you didn't want people to assume that the dynamics between the two of you were that you were leeching off his money or status. Damn, rich people.

"I swear! It's part of my culture, to uhm" he tries to explain again, yet he seems to falter, hesitant and almost embarrassed to explain further. "Culture where we have to treat, uhm, a friend at least once!"

Stunned but still amused, you looked at him for a second, mouth slightly ajar with the corners turned upward, almost a smile. Deciding that having the people behind you wait and see your banter with the prince was not worth it, you followed what the Prince had said and went outside and let him pay for your shirt and his items.

Though you weren't entirely content with letting him pay for your shirt, you eyed around the area until you found exactly what you were looking for.

Something weird, cool, something he’d like.

“Ahhh this is really for me bub?” Rielle exclaimed, eyes akin to saucers— wonder taking space. In his hand was a cup of ice cream.

Well, ice cream if it was drowsed in some liquid having it be in flames without melting the actual ice cream. “Yup! Now we’re even, kinda” You explained, scratching the back of your neck awkwardly, no cup in your hands.

Turns out wacky ice cream was a little pricey.

He made a little excited noise as he took a bite, a short burst of fire shot out of the prince’s mouth catching the tips of a passerby’s hair on fire, catching you and the young mer-prince off-guard.

As quickly as the both of you got caught off-guard, you two bursted out laughing– Prince Rielle having a little bit of smoke coming out of his mouth as he laughed. “What the” You exclaimed

“That was so cool!” The young prince exclaimed as he was still overcome by giggles, walking like he was tipsy, leaning onto you, grasping your wrist for balance, and you, well, you were just happy to be there.

Wacky ice cream is fun.

By the time the laughter stopped, you and the young prince had found a nice spot to sit on: a bench overlooking the shoreline of the island.

As the both of you sat down, resting the muscles in your abdomens that were cramped from all that laughing, you rest your head on the bench’s back as Rielle continued on eating his ice cream, though you noticed something. You quickly looked through your bag for a claw clip that resembled a lily that you had.

“Rielle, do you mind?” You asked, the claw clip now in hand, as you scooted closer to the young prince, gathering his hair in your hand.

He shook his head no, looking at what you’re doing with his ever curious eyes. Though his eyes shifted from curious to awe as he realized what you were doing— you were clipping his hair so it wouldn’t be dirtied by the ice cream he was eating.

“Thank you so much bub!” His eyes formed crescents as he smiled, leaning towards you as he rests his head on your shoulder.

“Having fun?” You asked as you just stare into the shoreline ahead of you.

“Mhm!”

And with that, you were content.

Reaching for something in your bag with a sort of subtlety to not give out the impression that you were trying to shoo the young prince from your shoulder, you pulled out a digital camera that the headmaster had given you few months back.

And as subtle as you were truing to get the camera, you snapped a picture of the young prince on your shoulder.

He looked pretty.

For a good minute, you and the young prince just sat down — paperbag with the thrifted items on the floor, his head on your shoulder, your head leaning on his head: both of you just scrolling on your phones, at times the silence would be broken when he shows you something cute or funny on his phone.

Then a notification popped up on yours.

-------

Magicam

Ace to Deckheads:

Yoh! Kalim just lost our bet

Free dinner at 6 :p

Deuce to Deckheads:

Be here at Scarabia by 6, or Grim will eat everything

Ace to Deckheads:

Or Deuce

-------

Chuckling, you hearted their messages making sure to not leave them on seen.

“Hey Rielle, I might have to go by 5 because I’m having dinner with some friends by 6” You informed the young prince, who lifted his head from your shoulder to look at you with a pout.

“Really bub?”

"Yeah, unfortunately," You chuckled at his pout. “You act like we don’t chat, like, a lot.”

To that, he just shrugs, “Well- It’s almost 5, bub, let me walk you to the bus stop.”

By the time you and the young prince arrived at the bus stop, both of your arms were interlinked again.

“Where should we go tomorrow?” He asked already planning on the next hang out.

“Hm, I don’t know— I’ll be a bit busy tomorrow because I have an essay to do but I’ll try, I’ll probably be free on the evening”

“Oh! I can just go to you then” He suggested

“I’m not sure how that’ll work—“ Before you could finish your sentence, the bus had already arrived, and based on experience, the conductor asked like a cat on hot bricks, so you made haste. “Well, let’s just chat later.”

He pouted slightly, giving me the paperbag that had the shirt that we have thrifted “Well, See ya bub! Chat me when you get home safely!”

As you were moving closer and closer to the bus, you heard Rielle try to catch up to you, “Bub! Your hair clip!”

Turning around, you replied, “You can keep it!”

And before the young Prince could ever oppose, the bus closed its doors and started off.

It was already evening, the following day— classes went by like a blur, and now you find yourself sitting on one of the Monstro Lounge’s tables, for once a customer and not a part timer. An essay, Iced coffee that was already 3/4 empty, a half-eaten pastry in front of you, and a bored mer-eel next to you.

“-And then turns out, the Ice cream had some magic in it, and he started breathing fire,” You recalled to Floyd, despite being focused on the essay you were currently drafting.

The eel chuckled “You should buy me some too, I wanna breathe fire too!”

“Yeah so Azul could kill me because you would’ve accidentally burnt the whole lounge down”

“Nuh uhh I wouldn’t! But that would be fun too, and I could blame ya for it!” Floyd defended.

Though the topic of fire-breathing ice cream was short-lived, he noticed the necklace that you were wearing.

You were elated when you got back to Ramshackle, and upon opening the paper back to wash the thrifted shirt, you realized there was an extra item in the bag— a necklace.

A pearl-like orb that pulsated between a pastel yellow and a pastel red, though during the night it briefly showed a dull blue. Tied intricately into the necklace made out of black twine. And for this evening, it showed a brighter yellow.

“Is it always yellow?” Floyd asks, squinting at the pearl.

“Nah, it switches between red, but last night it was blue,” You explained, still focused on your essay, missing the way Floyd was slowly but surely connecting the dots in his head.

“And this was given to you by that little prince, right?”

“Yup,” You missed the way that Floyd’s eyes just lit up, and a toothy smile emerged from his face.

“Oi Jade! Isn’t this the same necklace that the little fishie that liked you gave back home?”

Confused by what Floyd was getting at, you looked in the direction where Jade was, anticipating an answer, though Jade never really got around to answering as he was preoccupied with greeting a new guest.

Red hair had always been easy to make out in a sea of people.