I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

[sassybird]

Mermaid AU Meme



Rules:
- Put down your character name and series in the subject header. Put down any preferences (romantic or if you're a mermaid/human) in the comment.
- Reply to other people! RNG a choice from the prompts below, or just come up with whatever on your own.
- This is not a strictly romance meme. Feel free to have whatever shenanigans you like.


Merfolk and Merfolk

1.
Little Mermaid it
♢ One of you is a merperson with something you want. (Power? Help figuring out what this weird human doodad is? Becoming human?) The other is a powerful sea mage of some sort... And for the first of you, you better hope they're the good sort as you venture forth to their lair...

2.
Exploration
♢ C'mon. What's the worst that could happen when checking out this enormous sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean? You're merpeople! What's the worst that could happen? (Besides sharks. Or giant squid. Or maybe worse.)

3.
New tides
♢ Hey... That person isn't from around these parts, are they...? Maybe one of you is from deep seas, or a swamp-mer way out of your territory, or just from simply a different ocean. Hopefully neither of you are particularly territorial...

4.
Hey there, Ariel
♢ So. Looks like one of you actually took up on some sea witch's deal and is living in some human settlement. The other? Is trying to help you deal with that. Whether it means puzzling out human culture and items with you, pleading with you to come back home, or even offering you a dagger just in case you need to stab your crush (what? it's a legitimate strategy), you two need to cope.

5.
Wildcard.


Merfolk and Humans

1.
For Science!
♢ You're a scientist, here to study a fascinating new creature. Although the 'creature' in question might take offense to you saying that... So are you searching them out for the first time in the open ocean? Keeping them in some sort of containment? It's up to you.

2.
Stranded
♢ There was a shipwreck, and you're the sole survivor... Although you very nearly weren't. Whether you've just woken up or have been trying to puzzle things out on this deserted island, well... It seems you're not alone, although they're not exactly on the island with you.

3.
Siren Song
♢ Merpeople aren't always good signs... Sometimes they lure sailors out onto rocks, or extinguish their stamina and drown them in the ocean's tumultuous waters. Is this another encounter that will end in tragedy?

4.
Chance Encounter
♢ You're nothing extraordinary, just a regular person in a beach town, and one way or another... You find something that's very much not regular. Maybe you just walked into the cove at the right time, or found something- someone- trapped or injured that needed your help. So now what?

5.
Wildcard

Comments

[musicalmenace]

[A sickle’s edge of a smile, all teeth.]

Siren secrets.

[possedere]

Interesting.

[It was one hell of a bargain, one Mukuro didn't want to be seen as being too keen on. This siren was far craftier than he would have liked, but he knew her weakness. But just how truthful was she?

He crossed his legs, surveying M.M.'s expression, searching for any hint of duplicity.]

Why would you divulge those so easily?

[musicalmenace]

Aren’t humans the one race that thinks anything can be bought for enough riches?

[It’s certainly what she’s divulged after seeing enough sunken ships, laden with all sorts of goods from exotic spices that dissipated helplessly in the water to other humans bound in chains. From the few times she’s gone on land, it’s been even more obvious. Not a thing could be exchanged without payment being expected.]

[Say what you will about her own avarice, but it pales in comparison to that of a whole race’s.]

And trust me- I won’t say a word if I don’t get my end of the bargain.

[possedere]

It's hard to trust someone who would sell out the secrets of their own race so easily.

[Especially considering Mukuro would have nothing to fact check her against. He canted his head to the side, considering.]

How can I be sure you'll even tell the truth?

[musicalmenace]

So suspicious even after I took you across a whole sea!

[But no, he’s probably right to be a little distrustful. M.M. is just annoyed that she has to deal with it.]

How do humans make sure that their own kind are telling the truth?

[possedere]

If you were in my skin, wouldn't you be the same?

[It hadn't escaped Mukuro's notice they were cut of a similar cloth. The siren perhaps of a slightly inferior quality, but a similar nonetheless.

The question made Mukuro chuckle, since it wasn't the same comparison, not in the least. He knew humans, their strengths and their flaws, but he knew little of sirens.]

Kufufu torture.

[It may or may not be completely true.]

[musicalmenace]

[Wow, rude, say that to her face you pineapple bitch]

Tsk- and you’re worried about me being a liar.

[This is going to be tricky, but she expected that after the chase around he put her through just getting here. Her fingers click against fine metal.]

I don’t suppose humans do blood oaths, do they…?

[possedere]

[He ain't scared, they aren't at the sea anymore. This is his territory ho.

That question made Mukuro stand up, dusting himself off, as if already disinterested in the conversation.]

They do, but I have no interest in such things. Give me a secret in good faith and allow me to verify it, and we can discuss deals, siren.

[musicalmenace]

Uuuuuuuuugh, you go on and on about trust, but then you run away like a little fish at the first sign of it. Such intimacy issues, Mukuro-chan! You’ll never get a pretty human girl like that, let alone a lovely thing like me.

[Because obviously she’s more beautiful than any human girl. Duh.]

[Dramatically, she lets herself fall back and stretch out her arms with an arch of her back, sighing. It’s all just little bits to buy her time. The lure of more treasure is enough to have her consider this change of direction. No serious enough secret is worth giving away for free, even at the promise of a deal later… Especially with a human like this. What’s a small enough bit of chum to satisfy such a shark?]

[Finally, lolling her head to look back at him, she hums.]

Not all songs are lures.

[It’s a cheap secret, considering he must have heard her earlier, but it’s the only kind of secret that’s worth giving to him right now.]

[possedere]

Who said I was interested in humans or sirens?

[The jab about intimacy issues was the least of his worries, and it wasn't worth commenting on.

He paused in his steps to turn back to her, arching an eyebrow. It hardly warranted being a secret, but coming from someone like M.M., it tasted like victory. Still, he would push a bit further to see what else he could get before he had to negotiate for more.]

What other types of songs are there?

[musicalmenace]

What do you think?

[Oh, she’s not giving anything else so easily. Not for free, at any rate, judging by the lazy unfurl of her fingers in Mukuro’s direction. He’s smart. She knows he is. There’s no way he didn’t hear her song, or notice her change afterwards.]

[Hey, if he wants a free secret, then he gets the quality of a freebie.]

[possedere]

[So stingy. The question made him smirk, a cruel and unkind one.]

Transformations. Songs for your dead.

[His smirk widened, ever so slightly.]

For mating.

[musicalmenace]

[Instead of getting flustered or ashamed, M.M. only smirks at him and runs her claws down the curves of her body with an exaggerated arch of her spine added to the display.]

I bet you’d like to know for that last one.

If you’re nice, maybe I’ll tell you all the meanings.

[And by “nice”, she means “pay up you fuck”.]

[possedere]

[Mukuro followed the movement with an amused uptick of his mouth, before he let his eyes get drawn back to M.M.'s face, equally unashamed.]

I would. It's not every day one learns about supernatural creatures.

[The deal was a tempting one, and he doubted he would get much else out of her without any more treasures. And he didn't want to be responsible for a mouthy siren when he already had two followers to look after.]

I'll take you back to the sea. In a month, I'll return for more of your secrets.

[musicalmenace]

[So a later deal… M.M. pushes herself up against, stretching out a bit more sincerely this time. Laying on the floor isn’t exactly the most pleasant experience.]

I suppose that’s a fair enough agreement…

[So long as it’s not a trap, anyway. Still, she can find a way to work around that if that’s the case. She smiles at him, just a glimmer of teeth but mostly content.]

Although you’ll want your ship to be recognizable when you come calling, or else it’ll fall to the same fate as the last one you were on.

[possedere]

We can meet by the shore. I have no interest in running aground near a slew of other sirens.

[His smirk sharpened as well as his gaze.]

Won't they be displeased if you're selling out secrets?

[musicalmenace]

Aaaah, maybe, maybe not….

[It’s not like she has to tell them what she’s doing, and it’d be nice to have their voices behind hers in the event of worst comes to worst… She flips her hair.]

But fine. The same beach I had to drag your poor self to?

[possedere]

[He wasn't going to dignify that comment with more than a small twitch of his eye, otherwise his face perfectly pleasant.]

The very same. Should we head back now?

[musicalmenace]

Oh, I thought you were going to meet up with these followers of yours?

[She’d been kind of interested to see what kind of guppies followed a guy like this to start with, she won’t lie.]

Not that I want to wait around, mind you…

[possedere]

I can leave them a message. Escorting you back to the sea should be quick enough work.

[Honestly, he wasn't sure if he wanted M.M. to meet his other followers, considering how territorial they tended to be. Not to mention, the less this siren knew about him, the better.]

After you.

[He held the door open, making a sweeping gesture with his arm.]

[musicalmenace]

Hmph. If you want.

[She can indulge her curiosity for another time. With a sway of her hips, she walks past him and makes sure not to take her eye off the clever pirate. He seems like the type who might stab her in the back still, after all.]