The snack that smiles back

kaiden

There is no shame in survival
Only strength

Kaiden's stomach rumbled and the mer scowled as the fish they'd been pursuing startled at the sound. It hadn't been that loud, had it? Tail thrashing, the mershark scanned their surroundings in search of a different entree. A gold flicker caught their eye, and Kaiden turned to spot a school of goldfish. Despite the ugly color, the mer had found that goldfish were surprisingly tasty.

Decision made, Kaiden darted behind a collection of coral and began to slowly stalk one of the fish. Just as the mer moved to surge forward and claim their prize, a shadow overhead scared the fish into scattering. Looking up with a furious expression, Kaiden saw the bottom of a boat. It looked oddly familiar and the mer swam up to the surface.

Peeking just up enough out of the water so that it was level with their nose, the mershark realized that it was the pirate ship that they'd traded with not too long ago. Maybe they could trade for their lunch!

Rising up so that the water was at their collarbone, Kaiden cleared their throat, waving a hand as one of the crew came close to the edge. "Hey, you! Up there on the ship!"

coding by kaons

Silver dollar, golden flame
Dirty water, poison rain
Perfect murder, take your aim

With her more frequent absences from The Marauder, Thal made the executive decision to teach her first mate, Spook, how to lead the crew. It gave her one more reason not to talk and the perfect opportunity to see his leadership in action. If he could pass her tests, she'd feel more comfortable letting them run a few raids without her; however, she wasn't about to trust this novice first mate with her baby on the choppy seas. No. He'd start where many baby sailors did: the Spillwave Sea. Its gentle waves and perfect weather made it the optimal place to focus on the more basic of skills, like shouting commands and making decisions. 

Spook had spent most of his life in the shadows, observing every little detail in order to survive and following commands. But that didn't mean he always knew what to do with that information. So as he noticed the shout from a familiar face off the starboard deck, his pale eyes turned to Thal, full of uncertain questioning.

He still had a lot to learn about leadership.

Jumping down from her perch above the ship's wheel, she made her way to the railing to put a face to the voice. She recognized the merfolk, smirking as she gave him a flippant wave of her hand. "Hm. Looking for another trade?" Thal leaned forward to glance at the water around him as she said, "I don'th thee any treathure." The distance and gentle sea breeze were enough to ease her discomfort about the lisp, hoping it might disguise it to their ears. If not, she was more than happy to fry her first fish of the day, even if she had to boil the entire ocean to do so.

I don't belong to anyone,
but everybody knows my name

Thalassa

kaiden

There is no shame in survival
Only strength

Kaiden froze mid-nod. "What happened to your voice? Did you swallow a bee?" The mer put a hand to their chin, eyes squinting, "I heard that you leg-people occasionally do that." But for the life of them, the mer couldn't imagine why. Why would anyone want to put something sharp and inedible in their mouth. To each their own, they supposed.

Refocusing, Kaiden shook their head. "No treasure. But seafood for red meat. There's a colony of oysters nearby. I can get you some. There might even be pearls." They pointed at the captain before pointing at themselves, "And you give me more red meat. Deal?" It was completely unfair that legged fools could have their choice of meats while Kaiden was restricted.

coding by kaons

Silver dollar, golden flame
Dirty water, poison rain
Perfect murder, take your aim

Her eyes narrowed at the callout of her lisp and she had half a mind to boil him alive, the fire curling in her veins. But Hadama probably still wouldn't appreciate it, and she was curious enough to hear them out. So, with a thin-lipped smile that suggested he drop the topic, Thal said, "Thomething like that." Luckily, her crew didn't seem to be paying attention to her, following the first mate around the deck to tease his progress thus far. 

Once the offer was presented, she had to keep from letting a very rude response flow past her lips. No treasure? What was the point then? 

Placing her hand against the bridge of her nose, Thal let out a long sigh. "Theafood doethn't make me money. Maybe if there'th pearlth, but I'm not a fisher." She shook her head, the disappointment across her face more frustration than sympathy. "Anything elthe to offer?" Her blue eyes looked to the merfolk, waiting to see if he might have another form of payment for the red meat that had been planned for her dinner once again. And with her current frustrations, she wasn't extremely interested in giving it up this time.

I don't belong to anyone,
but everybody knows my name

Thalassa

The salty wind whips past, carrying distant cries that might be seabirds—or something less familiar. A heavy sense of foreboding weighs on you. Through the haze, you glimpse a shimmering outline skimming across the water’s surface, drawn to your presence. When it fades, you’re left with an unsettling hush.

---

This does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention.

kaiden

There is no shame in survival
Only strength

Kaiden easily dropped the topic of the lips to focus on far more important matters. Their tail thrashed with annoyance at the pirate's response. Food for food was an equal trade! The mer opened their mouth to respond sharply but their eyes widened at the sudden presence. Whipping around, Kaiden eyed empty water, confused and caught off guard. They turned and looked up at the Ancient, puffing out their chest and tilting their chin up, "I don't think the ocean liked your response. Care to reconsider?"

But even so, what treasure could they offer? The mershark faintly recalled a sunken ship they'd passed by earlier. "If not, I can grab you a trunk from an old sunken ship down here. No clue what's in it though." What fool manages to sink their ship in such calm waters?

coding by kaons

Silver dollar, golden flame
Dirty water, poison rain
Perfect murder, take your aim

These strange feelings of being watched were starting to piss her off. She couldn't seem to go anywhere or do anything without the creeping sensation that ran down her spine, so it wasn't a major surprise to hear the calls of something not quite familiar, spotting the outline skimming the water before winking out of existence. At least she knew she wasn't crazy when the mershark commented on it, but that didn't make her any more inclined to agree to a trade for food. She shrugged her shoulders to dismiss any notions of reconsideration and to push away the unsettling pressure in her chest. 

The next offer helped her move past the fleeting figure, eyes sparkling with intrigue. "That would work." Even if it was a gamble, she'd easily take possible treasure over seafood any day of the week. Thal indicated to a pair of sailors to start gathering the meat, confident that the mershark would hold up his end of the deal.

I don't belong to anyone,
but everybody knows my name

Thalassa

kaiden

There is no shame in survival
Only strength

Kaiden's face scrunched up when their small boast didn't work. It seemed that they'd have to actually do some work to get their meal. What was so special about treasure, anyway? Shiny things were nice but they weren't as valuable as food. The Ancient pirate was weird, and her priorities were completely lopsided.

Giving a nod, the mershark vanished into the water, doubling back to the old wreck that they'd seen earlier. As they approached the sunken ship, Kaiden slowed down. The mer circled the structure to make sure that nothing was lying in wait. When the coast was clear, they swam inside.

Sure enough, the trunk was where they had left it. Kaiden paused as they moved to pick it up. The thing was bigger than they remembered. Grumbling, the mershark fought with the trunk, pulling it free from the aquatic flora and sludge that had built up around it. Once it was free, they took a deep breath and lifted it up with a grunt.

The trip back to the ship took far longer, the mer having to take breaks along the way. Popping their head up, Kaiden waved up at the ship, "I've got the damn thing." They were slightly out of breath, their arms aching under the weight of the trunk.

coding by kaons

Silver dollar, golden flame
Dirty water, poison rain
Perfect murder, take your aim

As the mershark dipped beneath the waves and her crew left to gather the steaks, Thal glanced around to make sure she was alone. Spotting no one else in the proximity, she took a moment to practice her cursed tongue twister. She mumbled softly under her breath, working hard to enunciate each word. "Fred fed Thed bread, and Thed fed Fred bread." The hard T's were giving her difficulty, but she still had a few more minutes, and at least there weren't any S's to trip her up. After some focus on the name 'Ted,' the captain was able to complete the phrase, "Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread." The T's were still slightly rounded, soft at the sides, but it didn't seem to matter, the curse shifting in her chest.

By the time the mershark and her crew had returned, Thal was grinning, her fangs on full display. They had obviously put a lot of effort into securing the chest, and she hoped that meant it might hold something valuable within. Her confident commands had the sailors secure the crate like before (flotation keeping the red meat from getting wet) then lower it to the water below. Meanwhile, a few others lowered a ladder and rope to secure the chest from the exhausted mershark. She watched the exchange from above with an approving nod of her head. "Good work. Your meat should be thafe in the crate."

I don't belong to anyone,
but everybody knows my name

Thalassa

kaiden

There is no shame in survival
Only strength

Kaiden watched as the crew hefted up their offering and lowered their dinner down in return. The mershark nodded, "Good." They swam over and retrieved the meat, securing it in their arms so that they could bring it elsewhere an indulge. Still, their curiosity was peaked.

"What's in there, by the way?" It had been an absolute hassle to retrieve so it better had been worth it. Regardless, the mer had their prize so it didn't matter too much. If the pirate was disappointed, that was on her. Kaiden had done their part in being transparent about not knowing what lay within the sunken crate. For all they knew, it was a bunch of rocks, not treasure.

coding by kaons

Silver dollar, golden flame
Dirty water, poison rain
Perfect murder, take your aim

Thal watched as the mershark gathered their own prize, waiting patiently for the crew to lift the chest onto the deck. When it thumped onto the wood, she noticed that it was sealed shut with barnacles and rust. It took a few minutes of aggressive hitting for the sailors to crack it open. She leaned forward with curiosity to see what may be within. 

Although technically 'rocks,' Thal was pleased with the contents of the chest. They weren't the dull gray rocks of the sea floor, but glittering gems of various sizes and colors scattered amongst tarnished metals. She grinned at her fortune, peeking over the railing at the mershark. "Just a few stones." They didn't need to know that it was better than that. 

Propping her head on her hand, she leaned against the railing. Her smile was sharp, eyes glittering. "It'sth been a pleasthure doing busthinessth with you again." If their encounters always ended with this much treasure, she'd be more than happy to see the mershark out at sea.

I don't belong to anyone,
but everybody knows my name

Thalassa

kaiden

There is no shame in survival
Only strength

The pirate seemed pleased, too pleased for mere rocks. But it didn't matter to Kaiden. They already had their own treasure. The meat smelled fresh, and they were eager to find a quiet corner away from prying eyes to indulge themselves. The mer nodded, "You too."

There was no need for further pleasantries, the trade complete. "See yah." With that, the mershark tightened their hold on their prize, ensuring that it was watertight with their magic before diving down to find a suitable place to dine. When they found a nice underwater cave, Kaiden reemerged from the water and placed the crate onto stone. Placing their hands down, the mershark heaved themselves up so that only their tail was in the water. Taking out a knife, they cracked open the crate and dug in.

-[FIN]

coding by kaons