Life in the city was very different from what Heather had grown used to in her life so far. There were so many different kinds of people in Ecuru, and it was a bit overwhelming. Merfolk and other water-dwelling creatures from freshwater and ocean systems bustled around, and even some magic-enhanced land-dwellers moved about the collection of shipwrecks-turned-civilization. Aside from land people, the most different kind of person Heather had ever seen was her saltwater father, and she had certainly never seen such a lively and crowded environment. She didn't even know where to begin, or how to fit herself into the busy city.
For now, she kept mostly to herself, exploring and trying to understand how things worked around here. The young mermaid was intrigued as much as intimidated, and deep down she knew that this was much more her style than the small pond village she was used to. So many new things, so many things to do and talk about, if she could only just squeeze herself into this life somehow, she knew she would be much more content.
And it was all thanks to that weird land-dweller, Rah-juh. Heather found her thoughts turning to him even when the sights and sounds of the city roared around her. She had been kind of, well, rude to him, even after he saved her, and he seemed to have actually cared about her well being. He said he would stick around, but Heather had told him to go. Had he listened? As the days passed, Heather grew more curious about the mysterious man whom had brought her here.
This curiosity is what led Heather to approach the surface of the lake again that evening, lurking in the shallower areas to see if anyone was around. There were a few fishermen along the shore, but none of them were familiar. Having learned her lesson, Heather steered clear of the strange men and moved to other parts of the lake to see what she could find.
And that's when she saw fish beaching themselves for no apparent reason. Before Heather's eyes, a couple of smaller fish swam right up to the shore and hopped onto the sand. Confused, the mermaid cautiously swam closer, trying to understand what could drive the fish to do something so stupid. Fish couldn't be suicidal, right? She was about to re-evaluate how she viewed the sentience of lesser creatures when she saw a dark figure holding a stick over the water near where the fish were traveling.
It was Rah-juh, of course. Of course it was him who could persuade fish to jump out of the water! Heather almost wasn't surprised. After all, she had seen this man kill someone and convince his victim to just let it happen. What was up with that? An alarm in the back of Heather's mind went off, telling her to just turn back and go back to trying to find a place in the city. There could be nothing good about a magical man so fluent with killing. Even if he had saved her. And was kind of handsome. But handsome doesn't mean anything if he's going to kill you! she chided herself.
Undecided, Heather continued to lurk in the shallows, hiding in some weeds and cattails as she observed Rah-juh with burning intrigue. What was up with this guy?
For now, she kept mostly to herself, exploring and trying to understand how things worked around here. The young mermaid was intrigued as much as intimidated, and deep down she knew that this was much more her style than the small pond village she was used to. So many new things, so many things to do and talk about, if she could only just squeeze herself into this life somehow, she knew she would be much more content.
And it was all thanks to that weird land-dweller, Rah-juh. Heather found her thoughts turning to him even when the sights and sounds of the city roared around her. She had been kind of, well, rude to him, even after he saved her, and he seemed to have actually cared about her well being. He said he would stick around, but Heather had told him to go. Had he listened? As the days passed, Heather grew more curious about the mysterious man whom had brought her here.
This curiosity is what led Heather to approach the surface of the lake again that evening, lurking in the shallower areas to see if anyone was around. There were a few fishermen along the shore, but none of them were familiar. Having learned her lesson, Heather steered clear of the strange men and moved to other parts of the lake to see what she could find.
And that's when she saw fish beaching themselves for no apparent reason. Before Heather's eyes, a couple of smaller fish swam right up to the shore and hopped onto the sand. Confused, the mermaid cautiously swam closer, trying to understand what could drive the fish to do something so stupid. Fish couldn't be suicidal, right? She was about to re-evaluate how she viewed the sentience of lesser creatures when she saw a dark figure holding a stick over the water near where the fish were traveling.
It was Rah-juh, of course. Of course it was him who could persuade fish to jump out of the water! Heather almost wasn't surprised. After all, she had seen this man kill someone and convince his victim to just let it happen. What was up with that? An alarm in the back of Heather's mind went off, telling her to just turn back and go back to trying to find a place in the city. There could be nothing good about a magical man so fluent with killing. Even if he had saved her. And was kind of handsome. But handsome doesn't mean anything if he's going to kill you! she chided herself.
Undecided, Heather continued to lurk in the shallows, hiding in some weeds and cattails as she observed Rah-juh with burning intrigue. What was up with this guy?
