New fish in town

Thank you, Pi. He accepted the name without blinking. The naming rituals of humans were new to him as well, and who was he to judge?

A proud bird, Hadama noted with his usual subtle amusement, as he peeled the banana and took a bite, savoring it. He didn't respond to her question at first, giving the fruit the attention it deserved as much as taking a moment to consider her wheeling and dealing.

Some things weren't so different whether on land or undersea, after all.

That would depend on what you want, he thought slowly. I have told you the things that I desire and value. And I have told you of one of the entrances to the Fingers in exchange for the food. What else it that you seek? And is it something a merfolk could give?

Ruffling her feathers, Pihu croaked at Hadama. P, not Pi. Do I seem particularly sweet to ye? She puffed herself up to her full sized and stepped back and forth from one talon to the other. Leaning forward, she snapped her beak at him a few times as well.

However, she stilled when he responded to her inquiry about what else he could offer her. Settling down, she started cleaning her feathers one by one. So, there are other entrances to Rae's Fingers that ye know about? Perhaps safer ones? She used the motion of moving her cleaning efforts from one wing to another to hopefully catch his reaction to those particular questions.

Otherwise, ye mentioned magic. What can yer kind do? Happy to trade information for information.

Hadama watched the dancing bird's antics with bemusement. Are peas not also sweet? Peas or pies, there was much of drylander customs he didn't understand. He tilted his head to the side and lowered his eyes politely in a shallow nod. I meant no offense.

He relaxed further when she regained her aplomb, and gave a more emphatic nod to the question of Rae's Fingers. Indeed. Several. Though none safer for an airbreather. If there were fully dry entrances to the tunnels, the mermanta had no experience of them.

He didn't fidget within the water, only moving the bare minimum to keep himself from floating away in the gentle current. Otherwise the merman floated still and patient, green eyes watching the raven with a calm curiosity, or sometimes shifting to catch sight of a colorful shirt or skirt from people passing at the far ends of the little alley. The next question brought silence as he returned his attention fully to his new guide, appraising her thoughtfully. I have answered a question for you. I think it is your turn to answer one for me. He considered all of the many that he had before picking one carefully. What do you know of the lands beyond Torchline?

Sure and pies can be savory, Pihu shot back. As she did, she stepped towards the canal. But that's not what most folks think of when they think of pies, now is it?

Settling back down, she resumed her preening. If she was disappointed in the merman's answer, well, she tried not to let it bleed through the bond. As Hadama asked a question of his own, she paused and looked directly at him. Why'd anyone ever want to go anywhere other than Torchline?! she responded to him.

Croaking, she eyed both ends of the alley before giving him a real answer. Well, I've never been, but ye've got Halo, nasty frozen place, then there's the Greatwood and the Hollowed Ground but I dunno much about those, and Stormbreak of course. Bigwigs live there, far too haughty to come associate with us rabble. Ancient followers of the old gods and snobs to boot. Puffing out her chest (literally) she strutted back and forth. Oh and then there's the Wilds.

Scratching at the ground, she pecked at a few crumbs she uncovered. Ye were talking about merperson magics earlier. What can ye do? She continued to nibble as she waited for more information.

I have never had one, Hadama admitted, tone becoming curious. Crusts tended not to survive encounters with saltwater very well, and baking was an uncommon hobby beneath the waves. What do most people think of pies?

He tilted his head at her, patiently waiting for her to answer the question, and he wasn't disappointed. He nodded thoughtfully at the mention of the Greatwood, though the other places were little more than names of legend to him.

She returned to the question of magic and he finished his banana, carefully folding up the peel and tucking it into a pouch on his harness. My people control the water, he said solemnly, returning his gaze to her. And the wind. He paused and then added after some additional thought. And some sing.

Hadama returned to P's previous answer for his next question. Are not most drylanders followers of the old gods? Why would this make the Stormbreak humans snobs?

Pihu's beak parted when Hadama revealed that he'd never had a pie. No pies? Shaking her body, she looked in the direction of one of her favorite food vendors. They're incredible. Everybody loves 'em.

Although she'd been braced for follow-up questions, he didn't have any apparently. At least, not yet. Instead, he'd moved on to answering hers. She croaked a few different notes at him before falling silent. I can sing too, but that don't make it magic. There more to it? Eying him, she picked up a pebble in her talon and turned it back and forth a few times.

Most folks just try to keep their head down. They follow the old gods, sure, but they've got lives too. People from Stormbreak, the gods are all they talk about, and anyone who might have a different way of worshipping gets shot down. They waltz in here and think they run everything. She puffed up her feathers and stretched up to her full height.

Perhaps that can be our next meal together, Hadama offered, green eyes gleaming. I will even bring something to trade for it, if you will be the go-between. A fair trade, in other words.

The raven's impromptu concert almost brought a smile to the stoic merman's lips, and he inclined his head in lieu of applause. Indeed you can. And... yes. A small magic. To encourage drylanders into the shallows. His mental tone was almost uncertain about the last part. It wasn't a very effective magic, and one he'd never seen in action, given how close the singer had to be for it to work.

At that point the mer in question was generally using other, entirely natural charms to coax humans into the water.

Hadama listened to the information on Stormbreak, nodding slow acknowledgment. It sounds as though you have had personal experience with them, he thought slowly. What about this 'Hollowed Earth' place?

Pihu pecked a few times at the ground. Not looking at Hadama, her feathers settled down into a relaxed position. Bold of ye to assume there will be a next time. But I'm always down to make a trade.

Croaking again, though just once this time, she hopped closer to the canal's edge. Or lure them into drowning? She bobbed her head back and forth. I've heard the stories of sirens. Guess I know where those myths came from now. Eying him, she rethought getting close to the water and edged backwards.

Nah nothing so fancy for the likes of me. Just what I've heard with my ear to the ground. She literally pressed the side of her head to the earth. And the Hollowed Ground? It's where the Voice was imprisoned and where her Ascended are now. That's about all I know.

Is there a reason there would not be a next time? he asked his guide curiously.

The water of the canal was far quieter than the surf of the shore or the currents of the deeper ocean, and Hadama held himself easily against its flow, his wings gently stirring the starlit waters as they spoke. He watched the raven's antics and body language with a quiet fascination, though his gaze turned darker at the accusation. I know of no one who has done such a thing in living memory, he said, mental tone deceptively mild.

A literal ear to the ground seemed like it wouldn't be able to hear much, but what did he know about raven otiology? He simple took in the information like a sponge absorbing nutrients. It is your turn to ask a question, he said slowly after some thought. But afterwards I would like to learn more about these Ascended. Some information had filtered beneath the waves, but it was third or fourth hand, at best, by the time it made the rounds of merfolk gossip.

Pihu cocked her head to one side. It's not like we planned this one. So I figured there would be a strong chance we'd go our separate ways once we got what we wanted from each other. Fluffing out her feathers, she stared at Hadama head on.

Croaking, she took another step backward. As she did, her gaze trailed down to the waters of the canal. 'I know of none in living memory' don't mean yer kind can't do it, she said with a mental and a physical squawk. Just means ye don't know anyone with that power personally!

Pecking at the ground, she took a long few moments before she responded to him again. What kinds of goods do merpeople treasure? Giving him a moment to respond, she went on to give what information she could about the Ascended. I dunno much. They're followers of the Voice that were trapped in a bubble for a longgggg time. Now they're out and about and some folks seem really worked up about it.

Hadama mirrored the head tilt reflexively so they could look at each other from the same angle, but at her words he thought for a moment before giving a slow, careful nod. As you wish.

He sighed as she squawked and retreated from him, and he gave a slow shake of his head. I mean I do not know that the power can do what you say. His tail tip stirred restlessly in the waters below, the unhappiness not leaving his eyes though his expression remained stoically neutral.

Metals; cloth and wood do not last long. Stoneware. Ceramics and pottery. Magical items." Things robust enough to survive the currents and water pressure and saltwater for more than a few weeks or months.

He ruminated on her answer before ducking below the water, rising again a moment later. "My people's magic has made you upset," he rumbled, a hint of regret in his voice. "This was not my intention, Pea. I will go, if you would like."

Pihu stilled for a moment at Hadama's response. Although she kept looking at him, she didn't move besides her breath and the wind ruffling her feathers. Finally she let out a long croak. I didn't say I wouldn't meet ye again, just that I hadn't expected it. Hesitating for a moment, she added, Yer more tolerable than most people I've met, she admitted.

Watching his reaction to her--not fear, she wasn't afraid of nuthin'--caution, she fluffed herself up again. Is it that big a step from luring people into the shallows to luring them into the deep end? She pecked at the ground again, coming up with a few random crumbs.

The goods he listed were simple enough to acquire. An' what sorts of things do ye produce? When he offered to leave, though, her wings flared out. What?! I mean, if I told ye I could bewitch ye, or an Attuned could, wouldn't ye need a bit to process it? No need to get all dramatic like. We're just chatting. If ye start singin', though, I'm outta 'ere.

Hadama didn't smile at P's words, but he inclined his head in gratitude at the compliment. I have enjoyed your company, he said simply and honestly. She was lively and interesting, mischievous and colorful in speech if not plumage. The mermanta was quietly pleased that he might see her again.

Although the unfortunate turn the conversation took towards mermaid magic made him worry that it wouldn't be any time soon. He frowned thoughtfully at her concern, but could only shrug one shoulder in uncertainty. I do not know if it is strong enough for that. Luring of sailors was usually done with other... assets, if only because of the distances involved.

But her concerns were valid and he nodded slowly. "I do not have that power. But I will not sing," he promised solemnly. He pushed his re-wetted hair back over his shoulders and considered her question thoughtfully now that he was allowed to stay. "We make tools, and weapons, and art, as the drylanders seem to. We work in shell, and bone, and coral. We weave cloth from seaweed, and decorate it with scales and pearls." He paused to consider his own next question.

"What are the animals like on land?"

Pihu bobbed her head forwards and backwards a few times as Hadama's response. Damned by faint praise. Still, she preened one of her wing feathers as she sent the thought through the bond.

I've found there's often truth to all those rumors, gossip, old wives' tales, and myths. Maybe it's not strong enough to compel someone entirely, but maybe it makes it easier to finish the job. Lifting one talon, she opened and closed it before scratching it against the ground. At the last of the trade goods the mermanta mentioned, the raven cocked her head to one side. Pearls? Ye have a steady supply of them?

Puffing herself up and flapping her wings, she croaked. We're magnificent, obviously. And mostly lacking in gills. We come in all varieties too, not just fish. Birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, ye name it, we've got it. Settling down, she paced back and forth to let him see all sides of her.