"Oh," Amanda replied. "I didn't know you guys ate...surface food." She winced at her own words, realizing how dumb it sounded. She decided not to say anything about surface dwellers eating fish. Maybe eating a fish to them was like eating a dog to someone else, disgusting and offensive. She didn't want to ask.
Thankfully, the merman gave her an easy change to the conversation. She turned back towards the decorative shield. "Salvage," she told him. With the shield largely uncovered, she knelt in the sand next to it and hauled it out. It was as wide as her shoulders, and underneath the grime there was some kind of etching, possibly a coat of arms. She gave the grime a bit of a telekinetic wipe, but it only smeared the surface more. She'd need some actual soap and polish to get the shine back.
"I'm a scavenger. A trader. I sell things in the city." She turned the shield this way and that, checking its condition. Other than the grime, it didn't seem to have any damage. "I can fetch a good price for something like this. Once it's been cleaned up."
The sun was still beating down on her from overhead. She decided cooling off in the ocean wouldn't be a bad idea. She waded into the waters, then crouched down until the water was up to her chest. She used her telekinesis to swirl the water around across the shield. It wasn't as effective as it would be if she actually had some water magic, but at the very least the churning of the water was taking some of the grime off.
Thankfully, the merman gave her an easy change to the conversation. She turned back towards the decorative shield. "Salvage," she told him. With the shield largely uncovered, she knelt in the sand next to it and hauled it out. It was as wide as her shoulders, and underneath the grime there was some kind of etching, possibly a coat of arms. She gave the grime a bit of a telekinetic wipe, but it only smeared the surface more. She'd need some actual soap and polish to get the shine back.
"I'm a scavenger. A trader. I sell things in the city." She turned the shield this way and that, checking its condition. Other than the grime, it didn't seem to have any damage. "I can fetch a good price for something like this. Once it's been cleaned up."
The sun was still beating down on her from overhead. She decided cooling off in the ocean wouldn't be a bad idea. She waded into the waters, then crouched down until the water was up to her chest. She used her telekinesis to swirl the water around across the shield. It wasn't as effective as it would be if she actually had some water magic, but at the very least the churning of the water was taking some of the grime off.
