Sea of No Cares [Open]

[Lucine]

The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing just softly enough to keep those wandering about outside cool, and not a cloud could be seen in the sky. Lucine lay with her upper half against the wood of the deck while her legs from the knee down dangled over the edge, feet submerged in the sea water. It was a particularly slow business day, not that she minded. The blonde was perfectly content to laze about in the sun by the water’s edge in the back of her little shop while she waited for a customer to wander in. Lucine’s shop was filled with old little knick knacks, bits and bobs aplenty from the various places she’d visited.

One side of the shop appeared completely oriental, from old Japanese tea sets to great wall scrolls written in calligraphy. Another corner had tiny statuettes that any Victorian lady would have taken great care dusting and fawning over whenever a guest should ask about it. Every item within the antique shop had a story, and Lucine was more than willing to tell each should her clients wish to listen. She had a habit of rambling, she did, and it sometimes got on people’s nerves. Lucine didn’t mean to be a chatterbox, but sometimes she just got wrapped up in the memory of how she got the object in the first place and just couldn’t stop herself.

A tiny fish came across one of Lucine’s toes and nibbled at it, trying to determine if eating it was really such a good idea. She felt the feather-light sensation and giggled. Sitting up, she gazed into the water with a smile on her face,

“That tickles, you know.”

The fish darted out of sight and Lucine giggled still. Small fish were so adorable, always spooking at any hint of possible danger. Not that she could blame them. If she were that small, she’d be terrified of everything as well. Lucine looked out over the water. A ship was coming in, one of the larger ones with all the giant crates on it. She wondered where it was coming from, and about th places the crew had seen on their sea-faring adventure. Sailing was supposedly much safer nowadays than it had been back when she was just a young guppy. Not as many pirates or swashbuckling outlaws to worry about hijacking your cargo apparently. At least the sailors’ wives wouldn’t be so worried than.

Lucine kicked her feet and watched the water splash and ripple against the normal current. The gently rolling sound it made as it splashed against the underside of the deck she sat upon was relaxing in the most potent way. The blonde was tempted to lie back down and nap the rest of the afternoon away. But that wouldn’t do should a customer come in looking for an antique, perhaps as a gift or just for a hobby. So Lucine instead leaned her shoulder against one of the rails, content to sit and wait for someone to wander in or for the day to reach its end. The weather was simply too nice to be cooped up inside, even if it as for business’ sake.

[Mié Sharaf]

The ocean brought back such lovely memories for Mié. She had basked by the Mediterranean, swam off the shores of small islands, lazed about as the sun beat down on ports and on ships. Over the years, however, the smell of the sea became less salty and pleasant and more acidic, full of garbage and pollution.

Sniffing and adjusting the brim of a rather large hat, Mié made her way to a curio shop she knew was on the beach. She rather doubted she would find anything there, but it never hurt to check. You'd be surprised with what you could find in these stores - gold bracelets that belonged to kings, letters that changed history, secrets. More often than not, however, you got kitschy and cheap rings that broke, plastic key rings, clothing that said "SOUTH ISLE" in gaudy lettering. It disgusted the sphinx. She remembered how it used to be.

A woman was sitting on the small walkway to the store. Mié peered down through her sunglasses, eyebrow raised. It was awfully tempting to push the young lady in. Resisting the urge, Mié scrunched up her face and tried to ignore the strong smell of seaweed and fish that wafted up from the blonde. She smelled like sailors in Alexandria had, the sailors in Venice, in Hamburg, in Hong Kong. They all were ingrained with the smell of the ocean - this woman more so - and Mié instinctively backed up a step. She was feeling hungry.

She cleared her throat, and in her smooth voice, said, "Do you run this shop?" Mié's accent danced around - it did not hinder her English, as she had been speaking it for a thousand years - but it did sound significantly foreign, even if you couldn't quite place it. "I was hoping to browse the wares."

Shopping was something that had changed dramatically - gone were the days of market fairs and haggling and bartering. Now, it was plastic cards and invisible credit and unhelpful sellers. Mié nearly always payed in cash.

[Lucine]

Lucine didn’t notice that someone had approached the shop until she heard someone clear her throat. Her feet ceased in their activities of splashing about in the water as the blonde leaned backwards to see who her customer was. It seemed a lovely young woman, foreign by the way she spoke, would like to wander the shop. Smiling, Lucine quickly stood to greet her,

“I do indeed run this shop. Welcome!”

Lucine remembered that she’d closed the door during her break and giggled to herself at her own forgetfulness. She skipped over and unlocked it before propping it open with a nearby rock that she’d picked up off the shore that morning. It was so much more interesting than a normal doorstop after all. Once that was done Lucine turned and stood with her arms spread out,

“Come on in. Sorry the door was closed. It’s been a slow day so I thought I would take a little breather outside. The water is so lovely this time of day after all, especially when the sun is shining like it is today.”

The blonde stumbled over her left foot on her way to the register. Damned legs. Over fifty years and since she was able to change into a human and still she hadn’t mastered that art of walking. Setting the keys back in their drawer, Lucine leaned against the counter and smiled sweetly at the lady,

“Is there anything in particular you’re looking for, ma’am? Perhaps a gift or maybe just something to make the living room look a bit nicer? I’ve got all kinds of things here.”

Lucine always aimed to please, no matter who she was dealing with. She hated to see any customer leave empty handed, and she also would always blame herself even if it wasn’t her fault. She had artifacts from all over the world, after all. She’d wandered for quite some time before settling down in South Isle. That aside, Lucine looked at the woman expectantly. If there was something she was looking for, she would scour the shop high and low for it.

[Mié Sharaf]

Mouth twisted in an ugly grimace, Mié gave the blonde in front of her a disdainful look as she followed her inside. The sphinx was not a people-person. In fact, she could barely tolerate anyone, and the list of people she had honestly been kind to was very, very short. Seeing this bubble-headed ditz toddle around, smiling insipidly, made Mié want to crush her, to break her into tiny pieces and chew on her until her juices ran down her mouth. Ugh. That giggle. Mié didn't care that this lady liked the water, didn't care that she seemed to have a close relationship with gravity.

"I am not looking for anything in particular," Mié snapped, eyes narrowing into cold slits. "I have no need for gifts. And do not call me ma'am." Mié had lived too long, lost too much, fought too hard to be demoted to "ma'am". At least, that's how she viewed it. She wanted to rip the smile off the woman's face and grind it into the pavement. Mié took several deep breaths to calm herself down, and smiled a slow, crocodile smile. "Forgive me. My temper...can be short." Mié's smile did not quite reach her eyes. "I am only browsing."

With that, she turned on her heel and began looking at the shelves. Quite a lot of it held junk, cheap trash and trinkets that were of no value. Here and there, Mié could see artifacts, objects that contained more than just plastic and stone, but they were small and unimportant. Mié had seen her share of magical objects, and it took quite a lot to impress a woman who wore a powerful and rare talisman around her neck constantly. Mié paused, remembering the days when her arm would be covered in golden runes, spells picked out in jade bracelets and lapiz lazuli charms. When she ripped off heads and made ropes out of the entrails. Oh, how she felt an ache of nostalgia for that.

Running a finger over what looked to be a dusty and quite ordinary rock, she murmured in casual tones, "There is quite a lot here. I'd expect no less from a creature like yourself - I suppose all merfolk have a compulsive hording habit." She dug her fingernails in, and the rock split open easily, revealing a cluster of dull crystals. A geode. Mié deposited the two halves on the shelf, bored with it. "It explains so much, really. Your lot was always collecting refuse and parading around in it, like you were proud of the useless leftovers that made their way into the sea. A diadem of garbage," she mused, smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "How very...economical."

[Lucine]

It seemed her ramblings had gotten on the lady’s nerves. Lucine cast her eyes towards the floor, and her smile faded a bit. She really needed to learn to shut her mouth sometimes, but she was just so happy to have business. Most days were slow and she didn’t really get all that many customers. Maybe if she said less? The apology took her by surprise though. Smiling awkwardly, the mermaid shrugged,

“It’s fine. I can ramble a bit sometimes, and I know it can get annoying. I just can’t seem to keep the words in my head.”

As the dark haired lady was simply browsing, Lucine did her best to keep her mouth shut and tried not to fidget. If her help was unneeded she would simply sit and wait, and try not to stare. Staring was rude after all, or so she’d often been told as a young guppy. Nothing really seemed to catch the lady’s interest though. Lucine bit her lip and stared at the old wood that she leaned against was made of. There were certain things she kept in a box in the back if this woman was looking for something more…expensive. The only issue was that now she was a bit afraid to ask anything. Was it really worth asking the lady if she wished to see them at the risk of possibly getting her head bitten off?

Lucine didn’t reach an answer before the lady spoke again. Hoarding? What was that? The mermaid had never heard the word used before until now, but the tone in which it had been said made it sound like something bad. Wait a minute, she’d said merfolk. Panicking, Lucine stood up straight and glanced down at her feet. No, no scales to be seen. Then how did this lady know she was a mermaid? As the dark haired lady went one about mermaids collecting things, Lucine smiled sadly,

“Try telling that to my mother.”

Ah yes, her mother. She’d never approved of her infatuation with humans. Lucine’s mother had tried again and again to deter her daughter from walking up on the surface, from befriending humans, and certainly took offense to the collection of anything from the land walkers. None of this had phased Lucine and she’d continued to disobey her throughout the warnings. Shaking her head, Lucine leaned against the desk once again,

“Sorry, that just kinda…slipped out. Um…”

She fidgeted and shifted her eyes around the room,

“How did you know I was a mermaid?”