33rd of Saun, 694
The ship was empty as she had been told it would be but there was little in it that caught her eye. The stories of treasure had been a lie the Mer thought as her lips turned downwards in a sulk, human liars the whole lot of them. Though she’d give her legged cousins a lesson for their treachery. They should know better than to insult those who ran the waters the only sailed on. Though if she were honest with herself, which she always was, she had known it was going to be a lie. But she hadn’t been able to let their boasting slide, such vanity was unfitting of humans who thought they owned her peoples waters.
But it was a large ship, that much had been true. Her gaze roved around it to find the best entrance. It could make a good home, larger than her cave but clearly it had been there long enough to keep life around it. A colorful school of fish weaving away from a hungry Clay as her body slid forward gracefully, he arms cutting through to part them in annoyance. Already, seaweed, kelp, coral, and all manner of aquatic life caressed what had once been a legged ones sailing vessel.
“Clay! Stay here while I go inside.” Cirrina murmured sharply to the disc like creature gliding the currents like they were air. If it heard or cared there was no acknowledgement. And the Mers soul focus was on the ripped open porthole with signal minded tenacity that usually only accompanied the sight of food. But she had gorged herself when she’d first seen the ship, angrily snapping up whatever was closest and imaging the glassy eyes to be that of her lying, manipulating, soon to be dead sailors.
Such a wreck was the once glamorous ship, so full was her belly it was surprising she made it through the hole, even more so when there was bits of ship not yet destroyed or stolen. A slow, baring of teeth parted her lips at the sight, perhaps they would not be dead. Though there wasn’t much there was a few cracked trunks, chairs, and even what had been a bed once. But what caught her eye truly was the the creature in front of her that soften both the edges of her smile and her eyes.
“Well look at you, you gorgeous creature you.” There was no response but the Mer had not actually expected one, her own tentacle reached out as the octopus in front of her as it flared in warning. Cirrinas smile turned indulgent, her own body puffing in response, her hair flaring out darker in the dark of the ship, “Gorgeous though you are—“ The octopus surged away from her as she continued to crawl forward, ink billowing as a pale form speed away, “frightening you are not.”
Her lips quirked though she did another cursory once over, picking her rolling steps with more care. It wouldn’t do to get pecked by a fellow octopi hiding, the fish she hardly showed cared for as she shoved them away with lazy pushes of her tentacles. Though the trunks could be interesting it was the shattered debris that truly interested her. These did not look like works of time, these were sharp clean cuts. Someone else had been here, searched and either found what they wanted or left unhappy, the wreckage of smashed furniture could point in either direction.
With some disgust in her expression Cirrina pushed things around gently, peering through the still dispersing ink that greyed the water around her. Which was not such a bad thing as the glimmer caught her wandering eyes easily. The shine penetrating the darkness as her arm shot out for it eagerly. The moment her arm touched it, fingers were delicately curled greedily around it until she felt true blinding panic. The salty liquid around her slipped into her lungs with the sudden inhale, the legs beneath her did little but kick in surprise, utterly useless for the waters below. Her body so used to the cold felt as if it would pop, smashed within a box of icy pressure that threatened to blow out her new ears.
However, the scream that left her lips was short lived as the gem fell from her fingers in a frenzy, tentacles suddenly thrashed around her as the water settled and exited her body in sharp, quick gasps. Once more she was herself but that was not her concern, her concern was ensuring she hadn’t imagined that whole scenario so that she knew the ink from the other cephalopod hadn’t done something strange to her senses. Eyes narrowing into near slits of anger, Cirrina gently though this time with more intent prodded the small stone, her tentacle resting it.
Instantly the same transformation of her sense, though this time she had the good sense to hold her breath, glancing down on her now foreign body. That same panic ran through her in a shudder as her fingers—fingers!—lifted from the trinket. Slowly air slipped from her lips, bubbles that popped in a silently sigh, a true smile finally curving her lips before it abruptly was shattered but the wonder of how to move the gem around.
With narrowed eyes she slipped her arm cuff off then reached for the gem again with baited breath almost ready for the sudden change to take over but as the cloth curled around the gem there was no change. Triumphantly the Mer dropped it into her pouch, later she’d have to thank those sailors, maybe she’d even warn them of how close to Mer territory they were before they ended up in a small scale war. Maybe.
I definitely have to say I was reading it the whole time being 'oooh Merrrrr', and that will probably continue to happen! Looking forward to more!