σn тнє ѕєνєnтн уєαr {O/F!}

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[ZeroToHeroInNoTime]

ɦσмє is вєɦιη∂, the world ąɦєą∂
And there are мąηү ρąτɦєş to τrєą∂
τɦяσuԍɦ şɦą∂σω to є∂ԍє of night
uητιℓ the şτąяş are ąℓℓ ąℓιԍɦτ

‖ ஐ ‖▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬


'If the man you claim to love can protect that charm for one year, then you can remain human permanently. If not, then to the sea you must return'

The sea witches words echoed through Linnea's mind as she broke through the surface of the water, drawing her first breath of air and clearing the excess water from her lungs. To human eyes, it might seem odd to watch a girl come from the sea out of nowhere, let alone one that was naked other than a locket and wobbling on her legs like she rarely ever used them. But lucky for her, the cover of night meant that humans were fast asleep and there were no eyes to see her or her sisters emerging from the waves.

She stumbled a little as her legs attempted to get used to carrying her weight. In the water, her tail had been strong and sure, and while her new legs were shapely and nicely toned, she wasn't quite sure how to use them. The water cradled most of her weight in the water, she felt unnaturally heavy out of it. And legs were not nearly as flexible; in fact they were just plain awkward. But being human meant having legs so she was determined to master standing and walking and using legs. She had done it before, last time she was at land, but she so rarely went to shore that she had to relearn the skill each time.

She finally got a steady stance in the sand and cast her hazel gaze around her new surroundings. The beach was empty of nearly anything, but farther up where sand turned to grass and life, there was a dark hut that had laundry strung up about it. Perfect, she needed clothing. Humans didn't go around naked. Brushing long, dark strands off her forehead, she braced her nerves and snuck up to the house with as much grace as she could manage.

The inside was dark, its occupants fast asleep. The laundry waved in the slight ocean breeze. Linnea was reluctant to steel anything, but she couldn't just go around naked. She had gotten lucky at this house; judging from the sun dresses flapping about there had to be a woman living here. After a nervous glance at the house to reassure herself, she took a calming breath and crept toward the laundry. There was a small basket sitting by the line and after a quick raid she discovered the things human woman used to strap down their breasts. She struggled with the odd contraption for a minute before she was sure she had it somewhat right. She must have had the same size as the woman; it wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought it would be.

Other than the breast contraption, there was also a pile of small triangle shaped clothes. She held a pink pair up, examining them curiously. There were three holes in the thing, one large and two smaller. What on earth was this for? A hat? No, why would you put holes in it? Where else who she have limbs that were so close together. She glanced downward towards her hips. Oh, maybe... She clumsily slid them on over her legs, nearly loosing her balance several times. It was the oddest sensation, wearing something below her hips. She wasn't sure she liked it, but if she was right then this was what she was supposed to wear. She hadn't bothered with these weird things before, but if all worked out correctly then she would have to get used to them.

With all her intimates covered, she took a look at the real clothing. This she was at least somewhat familiar with. She wasn't sure she was ready to attempt the pants; she had struggled enough with the triangle thing. Best to stick with a dress; she could just pull that over her head. Another reassuring glance toward the house and she selected the closest one, something plain and blue. She wiggled the dress on over head and knotted the sash at the waist.

Satisfied with her first proper attempt at dressing, she sat down on a rock to give her legs a rest. Now what? She watched for a moment as her other sisters dressed and debated what to do. She fingered the silver locket around her neck, the talisman that she was to give to her love. Forget how to give it to him, how was she to find him? Sure, the village was small but there was enough people that finding him would be difficult. She sighed, feeling the immense weight of what she was trying to do. She had to be going crazy, what was she thinking?! She was probably going to have to talk people, humans, to find this boy? And then what? He might not even like her, he might take her talisman and throw it right back into the ocean. Ok, that was being dramatic; she doubted that he would do that but there was still the possibility.

She was sorely tempted to crawl right back into the ocean.

But she loved him, that much she was certain, and she would get nowhere just hiding away from the creatures that she was now the same as. She pulled several steadying, calming breaths. She would really rather not face the village without the reassuring presence of her sisters nearby. But at the same time, she would rather go see the man alone. So she crept away, going out alone on land for the first time.

The center of town was a few minutes walkaway, but she wasn't sure she was ready for it yet. Besides, it was late and people probably weren't out and about. Now would be a good time to explore a bit. She had seen some short cliffs near the shore last time and she wanted to see the view from them. Following her vague memory, she found them and climbed till she was at the very edge. "Wow." she murmered, staring out over the vast ocean. It looked so different from above. Very carefully, she lowered herself and sat down on the edge, letting her legs swing out over the edge. She felt the breeze stir her still damp locks as she gazed out over the ocean during the peaceful night, softly singing a song from her childhood underneath her breath.


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мιşτ and şɦą∂σω, ςℓσu∂ and şɦą∂є
ąℓℓ shall ƒą∂є, ąℓℓ shall ƒą∂є

[lI Misconception lI]

‖ ☼ ‖▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬


The water felt just as cool and crisp as it usually did. It felt good. It felt like home. But this time a tail was propelling her through the water. It was two very thin and pasty limbs that she couldn't figure out how to use in the water. The red head surfaced from the blue ocean waters, coughing her little lungs out until the last bit of water got out and the first little breath of air entered. This was such an odd feeling. She glanced onto the simple silver bracelet on her little wrist. This is what made her legs appear. This is what was going to make it so she could be with him. Him...but where was she to find him? The darkness that overcast the sky assured her that he was asleep somewhere. She smiled about the memories they had had. Exploring up and down all around as she stumbled over everything trying to figure everything out. She just let out a little sigh as she shook her head and swam to the shore.

Aaliyah slowly crawled out of the water, her legs shaking underneath all the weight of her new human body. She felt the sand between her toes and simply wiggled them, and then it dawned on her. She really was human! She jumped up and down letting out a happy squeal as she ran around the sand giving everything a new try, until all failed, and the little red head tripped and fell face first onto the sea shore. Spitting out a little bit of sand that had gotten in her mouth she shook her head trying with her hand to scrape the rest off her tongue. "ICK. UGH. This stuff is gross..I hope humans don't eat this." she muttered to herself as she shakily stood back up.

As ocean blue eyes scanned over the town, she looked at her naked body. Oh right. She was completely nude. Now..what was she supposed to do about that. Oh right, find some clothes. She watched as her sister Linnea got clothes from a line and she soon searched around for the same thing. Soon enough as she walked into the town, she discovered a building with large clear panels. There where..white humans with no heads that stood completely still, wearing clothing. What was wrong with these humans and why did they stand so still with no head? Where they dead? They had to be. But why would humans prop them up in a display for clothing? What a cruel punishment. But peering further in the building that glowed under a soft light, she saw lots and lots of clothes. Jackpot!

She reached for the knob on the door and it didn't turn to let her in. Locked. But picking locks was nothing knew to Aaliyah. They had doors in the sea kingdom too! Reaching behind her ear she pulled out the tools she had just for this occasion, carved from shells. Inserting them into the lock contraption and wiggling them around a little, she heard a click and she was in. Opening up the store she walked in. So many clothes for her to choose from! She ran around through the multiple amount of clothing until she had found some of the things Linnea had put on first.

First, she found the things that where supposed to cover her breasts. She found a sign above them, saying they where called...bras? There where multiple to choose from, and grabbed a random one. Seeing all the straps and metal hooks..why where there three rows? She put the thing back and stuck her tongue out. "Way too complicated.." she muttered to herself. Looking around she saw more with simple ties. She saw another sign, but why where these ones called...bikini tops? Humans where way too complicated. She picked a plain mint green one and tied it on as she saw it on one of the dead humans that stood on the display. She also saw things that was on the cruel trophy's hips..and found one in similar colour to her top and slid it on, the first two times obviously putting her legs through the wrong hole.

She pulled weird little paper things off her new undergarments and threw them on the floor of the building before wobbling over to some simple dresses. She had used one of these before so she could easily figure it out. She found a nice simple white dress that hung a little above her knees and was nice and flowey pulling off the tags off this too. It had said it was a..baby doll dress. Whatever that meant. Feeling satisfied she started heading out until she saw her reflection on a mirror. It was so weird to see herself without a tail, but her damp red hair hung in nice waves as it dried. She smiled at her reflection as she headed out shutting and locking the door back as it had been. She looked around the Danish town before realizing she couldn't find her sisters anywhere.

Aaliyah started wondering around the town, finding the paths she and him had wandered. If she followed them would she mind him? She doubted it. She put her hand over the bracelet as her wide blue eyes stared off in that direction. Maybe she could ask people in the morning? That seemed like a good idea. She wandered off until she saw a cliff, where Linnea was dangling her legs and staring off. She started climbing up, slipping many times scraping up her knees until she made it up. Wandering over she plopped next to her sister and stared off with her before she looked over. "It is so strange seeing the water from above, isn't it?" she asked, just knowing their home was deep below those dark waters.

Aaliyah laid back on the patches of grass that littered the cliff as her legs dangled just as her sister's did. Staring up at the sky and looking at the twinkling lights that littered it. She just stared for a little before deciding to speak up again. "This human life is going to be so weird to adjust to.. but I'm sure it'll be worth it when we find them right?" she questioned. Aaliyah would never admit it, but she always wanted the reassurance of her three older sisters. She looked up to them, but she always hid that behind a sarcastic mask. But she sure hoped all this would be worth betraying their mother and father..she knew they where worried sick.



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[QaHom]

Rune snuggled in his sleeping bag, he’d been trying to get to sleep for hours but it just wasn’t coming. He’d been in this tiny town for a year interviewing villagers, scouting the shore, researching the lore and when the day finally came he got shut out. No fisherman wanted an unexperienced man with a camera on their hunt. It was very frustrating to have to watch from land. Then there was that girl…

He’d been brooding only ten feet from where he now laid, his eyes stuck in a pair of binoculars watching the boats when he heard a voice. She was gorgeous, and asking what he was doing. Well so much for that. His only hope for starting a conversation with this woman was that she wasn’t one of the few people in the area that didn’t believe the legends. He explained and she didn’t laugh, it was exciting. Rune actually put down his gear. They had a wonderful day together and he pretty much forgot the disappointment of being left behind. The two said goodnight and the next morning she was nowhere to be seen. Strike two.

Shifting again Rune wiggled his arms out and dug around for his recorder. Hitting the button he laid back down.

“Well, I didn’t see any mermaids today. I was really hopeful, but if this tradition has been going on for as long as they say I guess it’s not a surprise. If I knew the one day people would be out to kill me I’d be scarce too. If you think about it the top fishing day would be the best chance. If they are stealing fish that would be the day they might surface. I’ll stick around through fishing season. If nothing happens I’ll move on.”

Hitting the button he sighed and tried closing his eyes. This time it actually worked. He had a tarp laid out under his sleeping bag in an attempt to keep the sand away. Usually he hung it above him for shelter but he hadn’t seen a cloud in days and figured he’d be alright for a night or two. It worked for the most part; unfortunately Rune was a restless sleeper. Rolling over and twisting and shifting he moved across the tarp till only his feet were still on it.

Rune jolted with a sneeze, with his face in the sand he coughed and struggled out of his sleeping bag. After a frantic moment of spitting and wiping his face he got the sand out and off of his face.

“Guess it’s time to wake up.”

[p r e s s p l a y--x]

XXXXXXXXXX( ☆ )xxxSIMONJAMESDIAZ!

XXXxXXXXXXxx____________________________________________

Disappointing. If Simon were to describe his life in one word it would've been disappointing. The disappointment began shortly after college, but if Simon thought hard, he could recount the events in his high school career to be just as dissatisfying. Money could only be so entertaining, but once it had been spent on practically everything unpractical or practical, he would become bored quickly. With the amount of wealth he had, Simon was able to dabble in almost every kind of drug, (not that he ever really became addicted to anything so damaging), attend any big partying, clubbing event held in the 90210. Eventually, Simon grew tired of the lifestyle, but he never realized this until his parents told him to become a human being and grow up.

He could easily pinpoint all his blame unto his overly doting and perhaps pushover parents. Of course, blaming someone else for the root of all your problems and all the evils in the world would only prove to be useless and draining, but Simon did it anyway. Some tiny little piece inside of him whispered that what his parents did was right, but at the moment, sitting inside of his falling apart shack made with just enough room for a dwarf, made him push those rational thoughts away only to attribute all feelings of resentment and blame against his parents. After all, they chose to be ignorant to all his activities and forms of entertainment all these years and stood as bystanders, only shaking their heads but still pouring out the funds. His parents had to pay his way through the esteemed university and pay, yet even more money just to all him to pass each of his classes. No skills or lessons were learned except for that Simon possessed no abilities to do things for himself or on his own without money or his parents. With that epiphany in mind, he made his mind to do something completely wild and independent all on his own. A backpacking trip across Europe. But with the lack of finances, and having retained no skills, he only made it to a small village in Denmark. The only job that they offered him, (since he was so utterly useless in almost everything) was to become a fisherman. Simon undoubtedly was a horrible fisherman and so with the very little fish he caught each day, he was able to purchase his rundown shack. It didn't even have a bedroom! Just a small stove, fridge, bathroom, a table, two chairs and a modest bed. After living in a elaborate, unnecessarily luxurious mansion for all his life, this was quite the change.

He sat alone in the dark, listening to his dripping, leaky faucets and felt a disappointment far beyond what he had ever felt before. It was more than the fact that he was living in a shxthole, and more than the fact that he didn't have money to wipe his a** with anymore, it was that he had met a girl more incredible and more beautiful than anyone he had ever encountered, and she simply disappeared. Everything in Simon's life up until this moment, had been handed to him on a silver, no gold, platter and anything he wanted, he got. Women, clothes, cars, etc, if he wanted it, he got it. No questions, his life in California was simple. This yearning, this almost need to see her again was searing through his body like a dull, suffocating pain. He had never been held back from getting something he wanted before. There was something certainly different about besides her beauty. He had never really connected with a girl before, usually they were just drawn by his looks and his car and how he oozed money, but he could see through their fake lashes, fake nails, and fake breasts. There was something very genuine about her and he felt this immediate strange, almost mythical connection with her. Why had it taken him to get cut off from his parents, and a trip halfway across the world to meet this girl?

Simon let out an exasperated, heavy sigh and moved onto his bed. His bed creaked loudly under his weight. His mind was racing with low murmurs of thoughts swinging back and forth from this seemingly fictitious girl and the idea of moving back home once he gathered enough money from his hopeless fishing occupation. Has his isolation from the rest of the village, for not believing in their nonsensical stories about mermaids drove him crazy? Did he just dream this girl up to fill some lonely, desolate hole in his chest? It was true he wasn't quite like himself anymore since living here, but did that drive him to madness? Perhaps the overwhelming scent of fish was causing him to lose pieces of his sanity. Either way, tonight, the concept of moving back home to safe California was becoming increasingly irresistible. Simon could go into city in the morning, give his parents a call, and they'd probably leap at the offer to bring him back to the states. He'd even go back to school. After all, he was becoming convinced the girl was just a dream at this point, but in the back of his mind he couldn't help shake off the fact that she felt so real.

What time was it? Well, he certainly wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon, no matter how late (or early) it was. Simon pushed himself up off the bed with a heave and made the decision to do laundry in the middle of the night. True, Simon was lacking in life skills, and he was inept at almost all normal adult chores such as laundry, and cooking, but he was sort of getting the hang of laundry now. He washed his clothes in the sink with some soap and went out to hang his sopping wet clothes on the clothesline he had set up recently. Simon promptly began the tedious process of clipping his dripping his t shirts and shorts and then took a step back from his work. Would his parents be proud or disappointed about how he was living now? The thought emerged suddenly and he shook it out as soon as it came. The night air was much cooler and he heard the waves hitting the shore over and over, but the sound of the beach was comforting. It reminded him of his home, but he couldn't say that he missed much, except for the fact that he never had any responsibilities. He did miss that.

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[xx_p i n k cookie]

Azalea crawled out the water, clearing her lungs of the water. Unlike her sisters, she laid in the sand for a while taking in the fresh air and feeling the wind blow. She always loved when her hair blew in the wind. She couldn’t believe the lengths she went through to be with this guy. She just hoped his feelings for her hadn’t changed. She would hate to have to do all this for nothing. She looked at her turtle talisman that she wore around her neck. A sudden feeling of regret pass through her as she realized the steps they went through to come to the land. What if she fails, then it would all be for nothing. She closed her eyes for a minute, inhaling deeply before finally deciding to stand up. Her legs wobbled as she fell a couple times before finally mastering standing still. She watched as Aaliyah took off running and fell face first into the sand. She laughed as she shook her head. She started walking slowly, trying to see if she could remember how like she did last time. She never thought she would be this heavy. She didn’t understand how human did it. Carry all their weight on their legs. It seemed like torture.

Noticing all her sister slipping away to find clothes, she decided to follow Aaliyah. She always knew the best places to get stuff from too. Linnea had climbed into somebody’s yard to find her clothes. Azalea wanted more to choose from. She went in the building that full of clothes not too long after Aaliyah. She looked around the room, trying to decide what to wear. She walked over to a table that had briefs for ten on the sign. She went through the pile, trying to decide which color she liked more. She grabbed a men's button up shirt then moved toward the other side of the store. She went through five pair of jeans before finding one that fit her perfectly. Moving to the next item, she picked up the shoes with bunny faces on. She took a seat down the floor and started putting the object her feet.

She grunted out of frustration finally getting the shoes on her feet. She hopped up and started walking to see how they felt. The last time she wear some shoes, they hurt her feet, but these felt good. She almost left she forgot to put on something to hold her small breast. She searched through the bras for a little then chose to go with a bandeau that with the button up shirt she was wearing. She smiled feeling proud of herself that she foresee herself. If you asked her, she didn't do too bad. This was how humans dressed when she was here last night, she left the store with a smile on her face. She didn't know where her sisters disappeared to, but she knew where to look for him. She left him on the beach so that's the first place she would. She would find her sisters later.

She walked back to the beach, taking in the all the different nightly sites. Everybody was sound asleep whiles he walked around. He was probably sleeping too, but she wouldn't sleep until she found him. It hit her that she should figure out what she was going to tell him because he would want to know why she left him and all that stuff. She walked along the beach side, hopelessly looking for him. She didn't know what part of the beach he would be on, but she just hoped he was there. It never crossed her mind that he might not be there. She just wanted to stay positive about everything.

After a while of searching along the beach shore, she wanted to give up. Even though she probably didn't walk far, but she wasn't used to having legs and they were starting to hurt. She would swim, but then her clothes would get wet and he would end up finding out that she is, indeed, a mermaid. She definitely couldn't let that happen. She kicked the sand with her bunny shoes before looking out at the sea. Maybe she should just find her sisters and sleep with them for the night. She was getting sleepy. "Maybe...just want more look and then I'll go find them." She said to herself in particular. It wasn't like anybody was around to hear her anyways. She started back walking until she started to a figure kind of slumped over in the sand. She squinted her eyes to try to see better as she continued to walk, but then she stopped. What if it was somebody psycho fish killer? She heard about those humans. They were the ones that would try and take their friends above water and kill them. Those type of people frightened her. Sometimes mermaids' would get caught in the night if they wasn't careful. Or maybe it was one of those creatures that bark at you and try to bite you. She ran her fingers through her wavy hair and took a deep breathe. She was just going to have to shake off her fears.

She walked over to the deformed figure slowly. She did her best to try not make a sound because she wanted to get as close as possible just to make sure it was person. Realizing that it was a human that was laying oddly. She wasn't too sure he was dead or just sleeping. She grabbed a nearby object and poked him with it "Are you alive?" She asked softly, still poking him.

[MidnightxParade]

►►ANTONIO "TONY" ESPOSITO◄◄
♫...i've got the salt skin -- running to where she is...♫




Tony really didn’t want to be up so early. The sun was barely up but it’s rays were as strong as the middle of a hot summer day. Even trying to turn away from the window didn’t work. Just the feeling of its heat through the window was enough to disturb the young man from his sleep. Eventually, he let the sun win and crawled out of bed…nothing wrong with an early morning right? On a day off of school and work… Tony had immediately made himself some coffee and sat out on the small balcony to watch the rest of the sunrise. It was such a beautiful sight indeed, it was always such beautiful mornings in Denmark. It was like living in some kind of dreamlike state — until the townsfolk started going on and on about their crazy little mermaid myths.

Though he honestly couldn’t complain beyond that. Sure, he was basically an outcast in this village, but he hadn’t been the most popular person at home either. He was an art geek. He loved to explore and seek new things. He wanted to find out as much as possible about things he didn’t know about. He really didn’t try to impress anyone…he had friends back in the states but honestly…he was sure he wasn’t missed too greatly. That did kind of bum him out sometimes but hey, it is what it is. He was getting an amazing education in the neighboring city. Those people were a LOT less crazy and he had people he could talk to there. But no one too close. It got pretty lonely sometimes…a lot of times.

The only time he could remember not feeling so lonely was being with her.

The beautiful red haired woman with a smile brighter than the very sun before him. She was so energetic and lively. Not much like the girls he knew — oh goodness no. She didn’t seem interested in being an accessory to some alpha male. She was curious and kinda funny. He remembered spending the day with her just going on adventures and checking out the city as if it were the first time they had both set foot in it. Speaking of feet, the girl did walk a bit weirdly…she spent a majority of the time tumbling over herself. Which was fine because Tony enjoyed catching her and having her hug onto his arms. It felt nice to be depended on…to be noticed...

“And then she just poofs away.” Tony said outloud to himself, his head tilting back a bit dramatically as he cupped the coffee cup gently with both hands. How nice would it have been to kept in contact? To maybe invite her over and maybe they could share some coffee together? Or go out and find some good coffee together? Be together. Just together. He had wondered where she could have went…but logic says she went back home and was probably very happy there. She was where she belonged and hell, she could have a boyfriend. No, she was probably married. His luck was crap like that.

After the coffee, Tony put on some shorts and a tee. It was such a beautiful morning, why not bike around town? Back home, Tony never usually biked for it was more dangerous than what it was worth. But here in Denmark, it’s a main method of transportation and less dangerous. He had run into some road hogs here but they weren't as dramatic as New York...

The brunet grabbed his backpack full of basic sketching tools and headed out of the apartment. Just in case he saw a beautiful view, he wouldn’t be kicking himself in the a** for not having any paper or pencils on him. He rode around the slowly waking city and it was as it usually was…nothing new. So why not take a different route? Tony sharply turned on a small trail that lead…somewhere. He hadn’t been around this area before…but the coolness around it indicated he was getting close to the ocean.

[Chowfaun]

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story so please say yes



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Darn these legs, why were they so slow,’ the pouted as she swam toward the surface, following the beams of moonlight. Kicking her new legs as fast as she could she finally breached the surface. The cool night air made her skin prickle. It had been a long time she had surfaced but todays was a start to her and her sisters’ new life in the human world. It was a miracle, a chance to find their true love and live happily ever after. But the warning from the sea witch still rang unmistakably in her mind. They would have to stay away from water and hope that their love would keep their talisman safe. If not, then it was back to the sea. Rina coughed and expelled the remaining sea water in her lungs and fresh ocean air filled her. The shoreline was in view, just a hundred feet out from where she was. A smile spread across her face and she head to the lights of the town.

The heady smell of the saltwater was intoxicating. Cautiously looking around, she saw that there were no human at the beach. Feeling safe, she ran onto the beach, her body nude since mermaids had no need for things humans called clothes. Rina loved the feeling of the fine sand between her toes and the slight tickle it caused. She walked alongside the shore occasionally picking up a small pebble and skipping it over the sea’s smooth surface. Since her last time spend on the human world she longed for more; the freedom and the new experiences. She skipped along, kicking up sand, leaving a trail of erratic footprints I her wake.

She eventually stumbled to a stall. “In-f-u-ma-on boo-th and lost and found?” she said oddly, trying to enunciate the words on the sign. The human spoke so many languages and they were all so different. In her spare time as a mermaid she would have tried to teach herself when her father wasn’t keeping a close eye on her. As the responsible one out of her sister, she would have normally avoided letting curiosity taking control but there was a box inside filled with clothes. She needed to blend in with the humans and walking around as she was was definitely not appropriate. Luckily the door at the back was unlocked. Tiptoeing into the stall, she reached in the box and began flipping through the items.

The idea of hiding under layers of fabric was a completely foreign to her. Each piece was so different and so confusing, which hole goes where and why were some so big and others so small? After spending what seemed like an hour trying on different clothes, she finally found an outfit. She put on an blue bikini top and bottom, it was a little big but the rope straps made it easy to stay on her body. Was this enough? She looked through the box and found more clothes, but this time it was much larger. Thinking back to the last time she was human, she remembered humans wore a larger shirt on top of undershirts. “Well I guess more wouldn’t hurt,” she said and slipped on the board shorts and a t-shirt. The shirt was huge and hung just above her knees and the shorts were baggy. “Finally done, I wonder what my sisters are up to,” she spoke to herself and head to the lights of the town.



OUTFIT

[lucilleballin]

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Logan hadn't paid much attention to fishing for the past few days. His mind constantly drifted back to the girl he had met all those days ago. They had had such a good time for the one day the girl was around. She was so different from the type of girl he always imagined himself with. This girl was quiet and reserved and responsible. Logan felt in a way like he was fooling the girl. Here in Denmark Logan, too, was quiet, reserved and responsible. Back home in Georgia, he was reckless and loud and wild. The Logan who met the girl here was not the real Logan, but this Logan had managed to find a girl who seemed to really like him. But, she must not have liked him all that much since she disappeared right after the two spent time together. It wasn't a big surprise, though. Logan wasn't really looking for a girl anyway. He had had every intention of moving back home to Georgia and settling down with a mother-approved country girl. Deep down, though, Logan really wanted to see the girl again.

There was just something about her that made him feel good. Logan was an outcast in the town. He didn't feed into the mermaid nonsense that captivated the other townsfolk during the year. The girl he had met and spent that one day with made him feel important. She made him feel like he wasn't so crazy for not believing in the mermaid stuff. She didn't even mention the mermaid stuff. She was the closest thing to normal he knew in the town, but he didn't really fraternize with many of the other occupants. There were probably a handful of others who weren't crazy, but she was the one who really made him feel like he wasn't a lonely, strange outcast. But she disappeared and he was a lonely, strange outcast in a foreign place.

The moon was shining high and bright through the window opposite his bed when Logan decided that sleep was just not going to be an option that night. Besides, he had to be down to the dock by four that morning to prepare the boat for the day's fishing excursion. The boat had to be out to sea by four-forty-five if they wanted any tiny chance of catching even twelve fish. Logan pulled himself out of his bed and busied himself showering, dressing and finding something to eat. There wasn't a lot in the pantry or refrigerator, because Logan had neglected to go to the grocery store for quite some time. He just didn't feel like leaving his small house very often. Since moving to Denmark, Logan had become more and more disenchanted. It wasn't easy being a fisherman in a town that severely lacked fish. Back home, Logan could catch a fish in a mud puddle. Here, he wasn't so lucky. As Logan stared at the mostly empty box of Honey Nut Cheerios and nothingness on the shelf of his pantry he really considered phoning his mother in the States. She always told him that she'd wire him money to fly home, but he didn't want his father to know that he wasn't as successful of a fisherman as his old man.

He could blame all of his misfortune on his father if he really wanted to, but deep down Logan knew that his bad luck had nothing to do with his family. He had a great family. Two younger sisters and an older one who loved him and idolized him. A mother who was more than happy to be blessed with such a manly son. A father who took him under his wing and let him do every activity he wanted, as long as it wasn't girly. But that was how it was to live with his family. They weren't incredibly open-minded, which was probably why Logan thought so little of the mermaid rumors, but they loved each other. Failure, however, was not an option. Logan sat at his small table in front of a bowl of dry Cheerios and considered calling his older sister. She'd know what to do. She'd give him all the advice he'd need to get him to keep on trying and become as great a commercial fisherman as their father.

But he didn't call her. Instead, he sat at his table, ignored his breakfast and thought about the girl. Her eyes had just hypnotized him from the moment they met on the sand. She was a little awkward on her feet, but he hadn't even noticed that. He was too busy staring at her beauty and too busy listening to every word she said. Her voice was so musical and demanded his attention. A smile crept across Logan's face. He'd give anything to get to see her just one more time. His face immediately fell back into his usual grimace when he realized that seeing her again was a shot in the dark.

The sun started to creep through the window of his small kitchen and Logan realized that it was time to head down to the docks. He slipped his feet into his boots and laced them up before heading out of his small house. He walked the few feet from his front door to the sand. It appeared there had been a drunken party the night before, considering the erratic footprints littering the sand. Logan ignored it, though. There wasn't a lot to do in the town so drunk people wandering around the shore was nothing new. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any of the partiers left on the beach. He didn't like to interact with people, especially drunk people. Unless he was drunk too. Logan shook his head. He was distracted and he had too many thoughts running through his head. He approached the dock and, realizing he was a bit too early, he sat on the edge letting his legs dangle over the side. He stared out over the still dark ocean. It was beautiful. This was why he fished. It wasn't for the profit, it was for the beautiful tranquility of the ocean. He closed his eyes and inhaled the salty air. When he opened his eyes he caught sight of two pairs of legs dangling over the edge of the cliffs on the far end of the beach. He wondered what the people up there were doing. Probably enjoying the dark ocean just as he was.







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[ZeroToHeroInNoTime]

ɦσмє is вєɦιη∂, the world ąɦєą∂
And there are мąηү ρąτɦєş to τrєą∂
τɦяσuԍɦ şɦą∂σω to є∂ԍє of night
uητιℓ the şτąяş are ąℓℓ ąℓιԍɦτ

‖ ஐ ‖▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬


The sound of clumsy footsteps had Linnea pausing in her singing to glance backwards. She was reassured to find that it was her baby sister, Aaliyah stumbling up to the top and plopping down beside her, swinging her new legs in much the same manner as her. For a long moment, the both of them gazed out over the ocean, mutually awed by the change in perspective. How odd, to think that minutes ago that they had called this vast expanse of water home. Looking at it now, with the first rays of morning glinting off the crests of the waves, it was hard to imagine that a whole kingdom, let alone one that she was princess to, lave beneath.

Aaliyah spoke up and Linnea glanced briefly at her before her gaze turned back to water. "Mhhmm." she hummed in agreement. "If we still had our tales, I would want to lay on the waves." she added as an afterthought. She could imagine it; laying lazily out on the soft crests, using only the barest flick of her tail to a keep her afloat, letting her copper-gold scales warm underneath the first rays of light.

She shook the thought from her head. No she was human now. And more than wishing to lie out on the waves, she longed to see the human boy again. Other humans had made her nervous, but she had felt her apprehension disappear with his presence. He had made her feel comfortable enough to speak with him, spend time with him without wishing for her sister's presence. On the contrary, she had hoped her sisters, and every other person for that matter, would stay away so she could steal a few more moments alone with him by herself. And at the end of that fateful day, when she had had to return to her watery home, she had parted with him quite unwillingly. Days had gone by, days that she had wondered what he was doing, wished she could go see him. That yearning was what had driven her and her sisters to seek out the sea witch. And now she had a body with which to go see him again.

Linnea's hazel gaze shifted over to her younger sister as she leaned back and laid out on the grass, her fire hair curling around her on the ground. The girl spoke again and though she sounded normal enough, Linnea knew her sister well enough to know that she wasn't quite as brave as confident as she often came off. "Well, nothing is set in stone." she said, wishing she could assure the young girl. But even she wasn't sure if the man she loved would love her back. She had more confidence for the rest of her sisters; they were beautiful, vibrant and lovely. To not love them, the boys would be utter fools. But it would not be so easy to love someone like her, shy and dark. There was still that small possibility though and she couldn't stop the hope that lingered there. "But I'm sure we'll figure something out. Your human would be a fool not love you, Aaliyah." she said with a bit more confidence, her lips turning up in an indulgent smile born of sisterly love.

She hummed the tune of a familiar song, playing absently with the ends of her hair. With the sun beginning to rise, wouldn't that mean that humans were getting up? She should at least find her other sisters. They had all split up, each choosing different means to procure clothing. Linnea had chosen the closest and quickest means, but she could see by looking at Aaliyah that her sister had wandered naked longer so that she could get something new. Who knew how else Azalea and Rina had gotten theres, where they had wandered to. Though they could have gotten their clothes and started looking for their humans right away or gone exploring. "We should get going." she said softly, patting the other girls leg. She shakily got to her feet and helped her sisters up to hers (though there was a shaky moment where she thought her balance would abandon her and they would both topple off the edge into the ocean).

She wandered back down the hill and noticed now in the light that the was a wearing the in ground, a spot where the grass gave way and sand popped from underneath, almost like a river. A path? To where, the cliff? Humans were strange. But the path did make it somewhat easier to make her way down. She was so focused on paying attention to where she was placing her feet that she almost didn't notice the human. She looked up and yelped, stumbling backwards. Her balance did fail her then, her surprise causing her to fall back onto her butt. "Oww," she mumbled, before focusing on the thing she had just attempted to avoid. It was a human, but he sat on the oddest looking thing she had ever seen. It was a contraption made of long pieces of metal all bound together seemingly by magic and the whole thing sat on two round flat pieces of metal. She wondered how the boy managed to balance on the whole thing; it seemed too easy to just a lean a little to one side and fall right over. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you." she mumbled to him as she worked her way back to her feet.


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мιşτ and şɦą∂σω, ςℓσu∂ and şɦą∂є
ąℓℓ shall ƒą∂є, ąℓℓ shall ƒą∂є

[QaHom]

Having given up on going back to sleep Rune reached down into his sleeping bag. Down at the bottom was a light blanket and a change of clothes. Moving around constantly and for the majority of it sleeping outside for the past four years he had picked up a few tricks.

Keeping clothes in the bottom of his sleeping bag was one of them. What is worse that waking up snug and warm only to have to let all the heat out and face the cold morning to change into clothes that were just as cold? It made the day a lot easier to start if it was started warm. Just before he came to the village town someone had told him that it was a gross thing because the clothes were around your feet all night. Rune thought as long as you washed regularly it wasn’t a big deal.

The bottoms were always the hardest to get on, once you got in the rhythm of lifting and pulling it went by quickly but there was no getting around looking like a seizing snake. Once that was over Rune pulled off his shirt and sunk down to keep his skin covered as he searched for the shirt he’d shoved there. With it half over his head he paused, something was pushing into his back. A light voice accompanied it, alive? It was odd enough that he didn’t know how to react. Not yet moving he answered,

“Yes?”

Then he sat up fully and pulled his shirt down. What greeted him was just as odd. The bright cotton candy hair was instantly recognizable. No one else in the village had dyed hair; it was what had first caught his attention when they met. The uniqueness and the self-confidence it took to be the only one around with pink hair was attractive. He stared for an awkward moment before the reality hit him. Just as quick as she had disappeared she reappeared, and it was real.
Coming to his senses Rune quickly stood up and kicked his sleeping bag to the side. At the same time he ran his hands down his pants and shirt to try and get some of the wrinkles out, a side effect of sleeping with them.

“Azalea, where … Where did you go? Is everything ok? You like completely disappeared. I looked all over but no one knew you I didn't know where else to go. The other villages seemed like a stretch, and the city is a bit away.”

It all came out in a rush before he stopped himself.

“I mean … Hi, how are you?”

A nervous smile grew on his face as his eyes scanned her and their surroundings for a sign that he was still asleep.

[xx_p i n k cookie]

Azalea continued to poke the person until they spoke. She took a few steps back when the voice that answered her was male. She knew that voice a little too well. This couldn’t have been him, lying in the sand in some type of bag. She bit her lip and crossed her fingers as he started crawling out the bag. He looked up at her and she looked down at him, realizing it was him that claimed out the bag. Inside she was jumping with joy since she didn’t want to accidently fall. She didn’t know how to fully use her legs yet. Before she could get anything out, he immediately started asking all kinds of questions that she knew he was going ask, but didn’t think about the answers. She stared at him blankly for a minute before running up and hugging him. She could tell she tell she caught him off guard before the both ended up falling back onto the sand.

“I’m sorry for leaving, my family needed to go home and before I could tell you goodbye, I had to leave. But I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.” She said. She didn’t even know her legs could move as fast as they did when she realized it was Rune. She honestly couldn’t take her eyes off him, but she didn’t want to seem creepy so she glanced away climbing off of him. He must think she’s crazy to just run on him like that. What if things had changed between them? He could have another girl. “How’s everything been with you? Why are you sleeping out here?” She asked, looking at the little camp area he had set up. She thought it was weird, but she didn’t care. She’s just happy to see him in the place she left him. She wondered if her sisters found their men yet. She looked over at him before smiling.

Remembering the talisman, she took the talisman from around her neck. “I…I brought you something bad. I hope this help you forgive me leaving you like that. My favorite sea animal is a turtle.” She smiled as she held it for him to take it. She didn’t want to just put it on his neck, just in case he rejected her gift. She wouldn’t even know how to handle herself. She bit her bottom, wondering how she would find out if he was seeing somebody else. Maybe she could just ask, but she was nervous. She never really been nervous even when she knew she was about to get in trouble with her father, but now was difference. She looked down at the sand and sighed. She didn’t think all of this when she made this stupid deal. Looking at him, he seemed happy to see her. “I missed you.” She smiled as her face turned rosy red. She never admitted her feeling to a guy before.

[lI Misconception lI]

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Watching the waves with her sister was quite relaxing. Seeing the foam of the ocean roll up on the Denmark sands. Somehow she yearned to jump back in the waters. What was the king like without his daughters? He was probably freaking out. Swimming from waters to waters looking for them. Breaking into the sea witch's layer to see if she had her hands on them. But if he did that he would know their deal about coming to be with their humans, and that, that would be a very bad for the humans in their little village. It would be a big threat.

Listening to her sister talk about laying on the waves she nodded in agreement. Aaliyah would do the same thing if she wasn't wanting to go on adventure. Exploring caves and trenches..anywhere her blood red scales would take her. She was adventurous. She was wild. That was why that day with her human was the best she had ever had. They went and climbed just about every hill. She was so excited because it was the first time on the Denmark shores. So many places to go and see and to run around. She wanted to find him.. but she didn't know where to look.

As the sun raised in the sky, Linnea tapped her leg to suggest they go. She made a shaky stand on the hill as Linnea began to walk off."Hey Lin, I think I'm going to go find him." she said as they split off in different directions. Aaliyah took her wobbly legs down the hill slowly, not wanting to loose her balance at all. She definitely did not want another mouth full of sand. After getting to the bottom of the hill her new legs ached a bit and shook under the weight. She then decided to follow a path.

It was a little tiny trail that she was following away from the ocean. She didn't know where she was going but if she where to find Antonio, she was going to have to go to every little corner of this village. She almost wanted to give up hope. How could she explore the village? If she where to go one place, not find him there and move on..there was no way of telling he wouldn't go where she just checked. Aaliyah let out a small sigh, twirling a long piece of her fiery red locks around her finger.

As her little legs carried her further down the path, she ended up tripping over a tree root, scraping her knees on the rocks of the trail. Letting out a hiss of pain she crawled up next to a tree as she watched her now human blood slowly drip down her knees. This was a great place to start wasn't it? She leaned her head against the tree trunk. Hopefully..just hopefully, she would find him soon, but for right now, she needed to rest her aching legs. They where going to take a while to get used to.



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[QaHom]

It felt like Rune was in a time warp everything slowed down for what seemed like forever while she just stared at him. Then it jumped forward and before he could blink he was on the ground. His air came out in a rush that was somewhere between an oof and a laugh. Her explanation passed and Rune didn’t think twice about it, though if he had he might have asked about her family. Of course if he had stated on that line of questions he would have asked they had been visiting the town for the Hunt and if she’d ever seen a mermaid and have sounded just as crazy as the rest of this villages people. That is if he didn’t already. It seemed like it didn’t matter though because Azalea followed up with why was he out here?

“Well to be honest not so good. The Captain kicked me off the boat; guess he didn’t like the idea of a camera floating round his deck on such an important trip. Probably didn’t want evidence of what terrible person he is if he did manage to catch a mermaid. So since I couldn’t be out there I’ve been here seein what I see. Which isn’t much, haha.”

When she rolled off him Rune leaned up on his elbows and scanned the water before turning to her and smiling. When she held out the necklace his eyebrow raised. Taking it from her hand he looked over the little turtle and ran his finger along the outline before putting it on. Well trying to put it on. Though he did wear a necklace of his own from time to time it was large enough to put over his head. This one was short enough to need a clasp and he fumbled with it a few times behind his neck before flipping it and trying in the front. He finally gave up when his eyes crossed trying to look at his fingers.

“Someone needs to invent a better clasp for these things.”

Rune lifted his chin and smirked silently asking for some help with the necklace.