#he literally lands and goes right to the fancy palace where the ball is being held

[softquietsteadylove]

Gil surprised her with a matching look? She has a white nice dress and he shows up in a white suit? Would be a cool partner look =)

"Madame?"

Thena offered a tight smile as she picked up a glass of champagne off of a passing tray. "Merci."

She hadn't really wanted to come all the way here for this function, but it was insisted upon not only by her French diamond contact, but the entirety of his diamond house family. It was to seal their business, as well as act as a gesture of good will for future deals.

Karun told her she had to go, and Kingo doubled down, even telling her that she should 'lead him on a little more' for the sake of business. She attempted to ignore that.

She was an engaged woman.

She had told Gil she had to attend a meeting in France. But she knew that he was no fan of the monsieur with whom she had conducted business. In all fairness, she supposed she wouldn't be thrilled if he had to conduct business with the Little Heiress again. But she was here for tonight and then she could return home.

"Madame Glasse?"

She smiled as her business associate sat down adjacent to her. At least if she was seated or holding something, he didn't feel the need to kiss her hand. "It's a lovely soiree."

"You seem very," the gentleman looked around the sparkling ballroom, "isolated."

Thena inhaled, looking down at her don perignon. "Forgive me, monsieur, I have never been the life of the party."

"Ah," he offered a smile, adjusting the gold button of his beautiful blue suit. "You accepted my offer, but I think perhaps your heart is not here with us."

Her heart was in a penthouse apartment with a certain Tyrant King, who had probably fallen asleep on the couch in front of the Food Network. She should have just asked him to come with her, risk that he would start a fight be damned.

"Madame, would you grant me the privilege of speaking my mind with you?"

She gave him the faintest expression of surprise before nodding. Perhaps he wasn't as much of a dumb blonde - the irony of which did not escape her - as she had suspected.

"I admit I am quite taken with you," he expressed openly, leaning on the arm of his chair that was closer to her. He did have that sad, puppy-love expression on, too. "Positively enchante, truly."

Thena merely waited for him to go on.

"But as much as you did not tell me," his eyes drifted down, and to her hands, safely folded over her crossed legs. "You do not withhold your heart from me out of modesty, non?"

Thena adjusted her lace around her arms and in the crooks of her elbows. She didn't bother taking her ring off for the night. "Would that affect our business if I told you that you're right?"

He chuckled, although she could already see his disappointment. "But of course not. I am a gentleman, Madame Glasse, and I will honour our business just as you have. And I do have some brain under these looks."

Thena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew it was in good humour, but few men were allowed to get away with cocky humour like that with her. One man in particular.

"I realise I am pursuing a woman who has already made her match," he sighed, leaning back again. His eyes flicked down, "it's a beautiful ring, cheri. They are small, but I can tell the quality of them is impeccable."

Thena smiled. The little diamonds in her ring, creating joints where the bands could meet in their weave, were indeed perfect in every way. "But of course; I am the diamond queen, after all."

"Indeed," her associate agreed, also plucking a glass of champagne for himself. He gave her a smile, "I am grateful that you came. But if you wish to leave, I will not hold it against you."

Oh, how she ached to be at home, in the arms of her Tyrant. But even with a private plane, the journey home was no quick hop across the pond.

"She should stay for a dance, at least."

"Gil!"

"Hey Princess," he greeted gently, despite her insistence that he not call her that in public. He bent over the arm of the chair, capturing her hand smoothly and pulling it up to his lips. "Miss me?"

He was like a knight in shining armour, and while she had never seen him in a white suit before, she didn't dislike it on him. She raised a brow, "new?"

"Like it?" he grinned as he pulled her to her feet, leading her closer to the dance floor. "I had my tailor whip it up just to surprise you."

Thena shook her head at him, her feet moving automatically as he led her until they could sway together, his hands holding hers and at her back. "When did you get here?"

"Not long ago, actually," he made a more sheepish face. "I got on a place a few hours after yours, after I picked up this number."

She smiled, running her hand over the lapel. "Did you want to match me so badly?"

"Well," he smiled as well, his eyes soft and reflecting the chandelier above them. "Can't let my wife show up to a fancy ball unaccompanied, can I?"

She refused to let him know how much she liked it when he called her his wife. "I did, though, didn't I?"

"Okay, so I was a little late," he huffed, rolling his eyes in good nature. He spun her around before pulling her closer, "I wasn't invited."

Thena stole a glance to the edge of the room, where her associate was excusing himself from the room entirely. "Last I checked, he was not in your good graces."

Gil shrugged, and her hand moved with the bounce of his massive shoulder as he did. "Just don't laugh at his jokes, Ice. Then we've got no problem."

She did not believe that. But perhaps she was too intoxicated by the warmth of him and the champagne she'd had. He pulled her nearly flush with him and she resisted the urge to lay her head on his chest.

"Sorry I'm late, baby," he whispered, sneaking a kiss to her temple while they were able to go unobserved. Or at least, unremarked upon, as far as this branch of society was concerned. They weren't exactly law abiding citizens, but this territory of Thena's was more about business than about brutality.

"You're forgiven," she sighed as she let him numb her overstimulated senses, "this time."

"This time?" he chuckled, and his chest bounced against hers from it.

"Just this time," she purred, running her hands over the front of his fine, white suit. "And this?"

Gil didn't even glance down as she tapped at the royal blue pocket square that screamed against the colour of the rest of his outfit. "Maybe a little bit of a challenge to French-y."

"So territorial," she murmured. She had to be careful not to sound like she enjoyed his territorial side; it would only encourage him.

Gilgamesh pulled her hand up his chest until he could kiss her fingertips, tapping against her ring as he did. "I think I have a right to be territorial about my own wife."

"We are not married."

"Yet," he nearly cut her off to insert. He smiled at her, still swaying them loosely to the beat of the band, "not yet. Anytime, any place, Ice."

"Hm," she sighed, the exhaustion of the business and the travel and the whole of the last few weeks weighing on her. She leaned against him heavier and he allowed it, holding her as much as she liked. "Not tonight."

"Fine," he chuckled, kissing her cheek this time. He stayed close, his nose dangerously near 'nuzzling' territory. "Wanna go home?"

"You just got here," she nearly groaned at the thought.

"Okay, so we get a room, spend a little time here before we go back?" he suggested. "We can take a long weekend in Paris, what do you think?"

She did not care what they did, so long as she didn't have to let go of him.

[ai-katsuu]

Wonderland Ball (2/4)

Chapters: 1  2  3  4

previous chapter   next chapter

featuring several characters from other fairy tales!!

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The door opened to a maid with a curious face on, “Is everything alright..oh! Miss Audrey, Where did everyone go? I heard something and everything started shaking.” 

“Isabella,” she said, “Um...yeah. Everyone just left.” 

“Pardon?” she asked, still confused. 

Audrey shook her hand, “Nevermind that, we’re spending Christmas Eve without them. So what should we do?” 

Deciding not to press on the matter Isabella asked, “This is your first Christmas here in Golden Goose is it not? Last year you all traveled.” 

Audrey nodded, “What do you guys usually do around here?” 

Isabella smiled “There’s a lovely festival organized by the townspeople! Food as a far as the eye can see, music, children getting presents, colorful lights and trees to decorate...oh my lady, you really must see it, it’s wonderful!”

Audrey thought for a bit before nodding, “That sounds amazing, Isabella. How about a change of location?”

Meanwhile on the far end of the Island the group had resurfaced to a large room. As the purple smoke cleared the group were in their original positions, just in a different setting. 

“Were we just transported here?” Merlin looked around. “Is everyone alright?” 

“Yeah,” Goldie said, fingers on her temples, “Just a little hazy..” 

“This interior looks like the Wonderland Palace.” Gretel said looking around 

“So the cat really did bring us all here.” Arthur said. 

“All our stuff seems to be here too.” Kio walked around. 

“Wait, where’s Audrey?” Jack looked around. The group indeed saw that all of them were here except for her. 

“Do you think she got left behind?” Gwen looked left and right. 

“That Cat was very particular in singling her out when he was greeting all of us.” Pino thought, “Do you think he left her behind on purpose?” 

Jack frowned at that response, to which Pino raised both his hands “I’m just saying that’s a possibility.” 

“The doors are locked too.” Briar shook the handles. 

“You must first change to your proper attire!” 

“Eep!”

Briar jumped back as soon as she saw a little white mouse appear from the keyhole. “Hurry! Quickly! Hastily! The ball is soon! Please change to your highness’ formal attire!” As soon as the mouse had left, thirteen closet doors had opened with their old gowns and uniforms that represented their Kingdom. They always had to wear those whenever there was an audience or social obligations. 

“Uh oh..” Peter frowned at his uniform. 

It took a bit but they were all able to fit in their outfits. The triplets had matching blue, yellow, and brown uniforms, as did Hans and Gretel with their green, yellow, and brown colors. Merlin’s donned blue as well as a red sash. Snow had blue, yellow, and red. Jack had blue, purple and brown. Arthur had red and orange, Goldie had blue white and yellow, and Peter’s was green and brown. Briar Rose’s dress was interesting as it often changed between pink and blue, depending on how you looked at it. 

“Wow, you look like Mama.” Hans looked at Gretel. She looked at him for a bit before looking at herself in the mirror, twirling occasionally, 

“Thanks, you look nothing like Papa.” 

Hans playfully rolled his eyes as she laughed. On the other end of the room stood Goldie helping Peter with his cuffs. “I don’t understand, what’s not to like? I love my dress, always have.” she said.

“Makes me feel stiff,” Peter told her. 

Jack usually looked for any excuse to bring out his uniform, but he wasn’t feeling it very much around this time. And the others could tell once they started making their way to the ballroom and he didn’t gawk at the jewels and roses they had on display.

An uptight looking man donned with a white suit stood beside them as a pair of twins held their hands on the knobs of the double doors. “Ah, finally! You know just because you’re the Island’s greatest heroes, that does not mean you get to be late! Time is of the essence!” the man scolded them. He took out a pocket watch and wiped his forehead, “You just barely made it..” he muttered.

“Get ready,” he quickly made his way to the door as one of the twins opened it for him. The F7 heard his loud voice through the doors.

“Here ye, here ye!” 

“Told him his voice was too loud.” one of the twins holding the door handles said.

“Honestly, never listens.” The other responded. 

The man's voice continued, “Announcing the arrival of Fairy Tale Island’s greatest and bravest heroes. Who suddenly disappeared but have now resurfaced. The princes who heroically protect this land from danger with their strength, prestigious backgrounds, and talents. The princes’ we have all been awaiting, The Fearless Seven!”

“Let’s go, boys.” Merlin told them.

The twins had opened the door on cue, and as if they were used to this, the F7 had walked in the ballroom with an overwhelming amount of presence. Their perfect formation and aura as a group lived up to their reputation. And the fact that they have been gone for years only made their entrance bigger, as this was their first formal reappearance.

“Prince Arthur, Prince Hansel, Prince Kio, Prince Noki, Prince Pino, Prince Jack, and their leader, Prince Merlin!”

 Familiar faces to them were around the room, faces they had only seen occasionally but knew each other from previous balls. Faces that were now in awe, some princes and princesses looking at them with lovestruck gazes, some that were much too happy with their reappearance, and others who couldn’t believe they were in the same room as them. 

And although they knew better now, they would be lying if they said they didn’t miss this just a little bit. 

Once they had reached the altar, they knelt on one knee, put their right hand on their chests, and bowed their heads in perfect synchronization to the woman sitting on the throne. 

“Queen Alice, it is an honor to be here. You have my gratitude for extending the invitation to us.” Merlin said with his head down.

Her Majesty warmly smiled, “Nonsense, it is my honor to have you here at my party. I’m glad Cheshire convinced you all to be here, I wasn’t sure if he’d be successful!” she lightly laughed. To her right was the gentleman Chesire Cat who only grinned at her, and to her left was the person who everyone knew to be the Mad Hatter, who rolled his eyes at the man. “Please, raise your heads.” Alice told them. 

They did as she said and stood up from her throne. “Everyone! Please join me in giving a warm round of applause to our Island’s greatest heroes. The Fearless Seven!” 

After the formalities were over, the F7 had made their way back to their friends. “Wow, some introduction they gave you guys.” Gretel rolled her eyes. 

“Oh don’t be jealous, Gret.” Hans handed her a drink.

“I’m not jealous.” she frowned at him.

“She is, she looks at me the same way whenever I finish repairing something faster than her.” Pino laughed.

“Gretel? I’ve missed you!” a woman with the longest braid they had seen walked up to them. 

“Rapunzel? Wow, it’s been so long.” Gretel greeted her former neighbor. 

“Aw Hans look at you!” Rapunzel cooed at the ginger haired boy who sheepishly rubbed the back of his hair, “You’re so big now! I remember when me and your sister used to dress you up in my old clothes when you were a baby. We used to put all sorts of accessories on him,” she then suddenly remembered, “We called him Princess Hannah!” 

Gretel gasped and grinned at her brother, “Oh my god, Princess Hannah. I forgot about that!” Hans’ smile had only morphed in disapproval when he heard the name. Briar Rose listened in to the conversation, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

“Wait is this why I get scared when I smell freshly made leather bracelets? And why I hate the sounds of corsets? Gretel that caused me trauma.” he told her.

She scoffed, “Yeah, you're the one who has PTSD between the both of us.” to which Hans frowned at, “Kidding, kidding,” she told him, “So are you here with anyone Raps?” 

“Yeah, my cousins are here. The Snow Queen and her sister.” she gestured to the other side of the room.

“Look at all the royalty here,” Jack said in awe, “I almost forgot what it feels like.” 

Arthur took a sip of the champagne, “Ten o’clock. Snow Queen is approaching you.” 

“Hm?” 

Jack looked towards the woman with the white gown who curtsied in front of him, “Prince Jack, a pleasure to see you.” 

Jack returned the gesture by kissing her hand, “Your Majesty, I am honored by your presence.” 

She smiled and averted her gaze slightly, “Forgive me for being so blunt, but I want to ask, have you met a man that goes by Jack Frost?”

Jack humored her by rolling his eyes, “I want to tell you I haven’t, Your Majesty. Unfortunately the opposite is true.” 

The Snow Queen let out a giggle as her eyes began to quite literally sparkle with tiny snowflakes, “Do you see him often? What is he like? Oh! Does he do that thing where he balances on his staff then pretends to fall, only to surprise you from behind?” 

“I would be mortified if he ever did that to me. Do you know him?” he asked her.

“A little,” she bashfully tucked her long white hair behind her ear. It was a sight for Jack and Arthur as they had always expected the Snow Queen to be serious and formal. “He comes by my castle sometimes, and oh, we have the loveliest conversations but they’re always cut so short.” 

“If I may be so bold, Your Majesty, I’d say you fancy the lad.” Arthur smiled. 

“Fancy? Me?” At Arthur’s suggestion she laughed and accidentally froze his drink with her hands, “Oh, sorry. But I don’t know what you're talking about, Prince Arthur. What a silly imagination you have. Excuse me.” she bowed smiling. But not soon before she mumbled to Jack, “Please mention me next time? Thank you, Your Highness.” and she ran off to her sister.

“I wanted to tell her ‘run away’.” Jack sipped his drink. 

“Arthur!” Merlin called out from behind, “You remember these buffoons don’t you?”

“Shut it, Merlin. I’ll throw you off the balcony again.” Edmund laughed as he gently pushed the wizard. 

“Arthur! You’ve gained weight!” Peter punched his chest, “Oof, nevermind.” 

Arthur laughed and pulled him in for hugs, “Oh I’ve missed you jackasses too.”  

“Hello, Prince Arthur,” two ladies stood beside Merlin. 

Susan smiled, “You and Merlin are still getting along well, I’m glad.” 

“We caught up with Gwen earlier, I’m so happy for you two!” Lucy beamed.

“Ah, meeting the two fairest ladies in all of Narnia, and now their brave and heroic sisters Susan and Lucy. Seeing all four of you brings tears to my eyes.” Arthur dramatically said, followed up by an angry Peter and Edmund trying to bring him down. 

“Well look at that. I’m not surprised to see Arthur being beaten up by a bunch of princes at a ball.” Goldie noted. 

Peter Pan laughed, “I’ll say, it wouldn’t be a shock if he got kicked out early by destroying Queen Alice’s tea set.” 

The triplets let out a loud laughter and spilled their drinks on the carpeted floor. 

“Boys, I am quite disappointed.”

The familiar voice that reached the triplets' ears immediately made them stand up straight as they quickly removed their hats. 

“Honestly, making a scene like that. Your father was right to send me here.” a man in a black coat and blue top hat held his head high as he examined the boys one by one. “Good posture, clear skin...oh your hair is a mess, Kio.” he rubbed Kio’s blind hair with his hands. “Mind your manners, boys.” 

“Yes, Jiminy...” they let out a dragged response to which Jiminy eyed them and they said a clearer response, “Yes, Jiminy, sir.”

“Good, I suppose these are your beloveds, Noki and Kio.” he looked at the pair, “Princess Goldilocks and Peter Pan.” 

“Oh thank god you got my name right.” Peter sighed in relief.

“I hope my boys have been treating you well. I did not raise them to act otherwise. Thank you for blessing them with your affections” 

Noki and Kio flushed a bright red when they heard that, “C’mon, Jiminy. Stop that, nobody says that anymore!” Noki frowned at him. 

“Afraid I’m embarrassing you in front of your girlfriend, Noki?” he raised his eyebrows and proceeded to whisper to Goldie, “When he was younger he had problems wetting the bed at night. Use that information however you please.” to which she let out a laugh. 

“Oh I will definitely use that as ammunition.” she told him. 

“Have you met Gretel, Jiminy?” Pino asked. 

“Oh, red hair, glasses? I met her earlier along with Princess Snow White. Lovely woman, polite manners, well done.” Jiminy responded, “If I’m not mistaken that's her and Princess Rapunzel chasing Prince Hansel, am I right?” 

Pino raised eyebrows before putting his hat back on, “Should probably see what that's about…” and ran off.   

[honeylikewords]

Merman AU HCs

1. David: A quiet merman, even by his own kind’s standards. Some believe that his vocal chords were damaged. The truth is that he can speak – can even sing a bit – but he just doesn’t really want to. (There’s a legend that he accidentally caused a ship to sink with his singing and he’s felt horrible for it ever since.) He met his human after his giant form got caught in a fishing net and she set him free after noticing how scared he was and that he posed no threat in spite of how big and imposing he initially seemed to be. Out of his immense sense of compassion and care, he sneaks up to her boat whenever she comes back to gift her with plants or stones you can only recover from the deep. In turn, she offers to teach him about some of what mankind has to offer. He is curious about land animals and is delighted to learn about them when the human girl offers to teach him. He wishes he could take the NatGeo issues down with him but can’t risk ruining the pictures so he makes sketches and hides them (can’t have the others growing suspicious on how he knows wtf a bobcat looks like). He wants to see a zoo if he ever gets to go on land – but he’ll only see one if it’s with the girl.

2. Eddie: A tattooed, dark-haired Ariel essentially. Seriously, he just is so enamored with the idea of the human world that when he comes into close contact with a human for the first time, he actually pleads for her to come back. (But they have to do so in secrecy.) He asks about human traditions and conventions, loving to note the differences between ours and his. It eventually comes to a point where he realizes just how unique every human is … and decides that his human girl is the most interesting thing about the human world. Soon, his questions drift to courting conventions. She’s a bit flustered, but explains anyway because she assumes its just his usual curiosity. “So, we have these things called kisses –” “I know what a kiss is; we DO have them down here.” “Oh.” “… But I’ve heard about coitus, so what’s that?” “NOW WE WILL TALK ABOUT CREAM PUFFS AND HOW THEY ARE A WELL-LOVED DELICACY IN HUMAN SOCIETY, YUP YUP.” If he ever gets a day on land, he wants to see everything human that he possibly can. Including his human girl.

3. Monty: Monty is probably the least mermanly one on the list in the traditional sense, being ready to attack at a moment’s notice rather than swim away. He’s just very territorial like that. Rumor has it he was raised by sharks but we’ll never know. He didn’t mean to save the human girl while she was drowning. But he didn’t feel like other humans searching his waters trying to look for her, so he plops her on shore and tries to literally hightail it before she regains consciousness. It doesn’t work. She keeps coming back to the shore where he left her, hoping he’ll reappear. He doesn’t understand why he eventually does but the moment he does, he finds himself not being as eager about leaving as he thought he would. His favorite thing to learn about the human world is all the variations of tattoos there are. Tattoos in the merman world are pretty limited to swirls and tribal-like to indicate region, so hearing about stars and daggers and even skulls sounds neat! He wants to get a tattoo if he ever gets a day on land. He’ll even let the girl pick what he gets, so long as it’s cool.

4. Joe: Joe is a solitary merman, but he helps a drowning girl out of the kindness of his two hearts. He doesn’t know what makes him stay to make sure that she wakes up. Really, by merman law and his own personal desire to be alone, he should’ve just plopped her there on the wet sand and swam away. But he doesn’t do any of that: He stays, long enough to feel a perplexing form of relief bubble within him the moment she coughs up whatever water was still inside her and attempts to sit up. He’s even less sure what drives him to return to the same spot in the hopes of seeing her there again. The only thing he does know is that he likes listening to her talk. She doesn’t have the enchanting vocals that mermaids and mermen do, but there’s still just something about her voice that entrances him … After some time, he still doesn’t understand what compels him to do the things that he does to be around her more. The only thing he does know? That he doesn’t want to be alone anymore. At least, not by himself. But alone with her, in the great, big, noisy world? He wouldn’t mind that.

5. Shane: Shane is one of those mermen who goes out of his way to cause trouble. On his own people, on humans, whatever. He especially enjoys singing to coax women out to him in the hopes of seducing them. But one night, he takes it too far. He didn’t mean to make the ship go off course or crash into the rocks. He didn’t mean to cause so much destruction. As often indifferent to humans as he is, he still has two hearts. They both demand that he save the one last person whom the lifeboats hadn’t yet noticed was not recovered: A human girl, whose dress had gotten snagged on a broken, sinking mast. He hides in the water nearby the part of shore that he’d left her on, making sure that her kind found her. Afterwards, he can’t help but stick around the area whenever possible to assure that she was okay. It’s the guilt inside of him. Eventually one day, she does catch sight of him and instantly assumes (and correctly) that he was the one who cause the ship to break so close to shore and that he needs to pay for the havoc he caused. It takes all of his pleading for her forgiveness and even then she’s not entirely giving of it. But after somehow launching into a conversation about how his kind is so destructive, and him accusing hers of being just the same, they begin trying to defend their kind and their activities. Which then turns into giving each other fun facts. Which then develops into many rendezvous to that one little part of the shore, hidden by the rocks…

6. Mike: Mike is also curious about humans, but nowhere near to the obsessive extent as Eddie. …So why the crap was HE the one that got captured!? He pondered this over and over and over as he sat grumpily and overwhelmed by nerves in the glass tank that was barely enough room for him to put his finds out in (for once he was glad he was a smaller merman). His nerves only worsen when his container is taken into a fancy-looking room. He doesn’t care if the human lady suddenly looking down into his tank is pretty, this is terrifying as all getout! But as the lady commands the other people in the room go, she kneels down and pleads in a hushed voice for him to calm down. He was meant to be a gift, she explains. Some suitor thought he could win her over by presenting an elusive merman. Now she just felt bad for Mike. But Mike explains that he can’t return home now, not after so many have bared witness to his existence. Now both are miserable … All the girl can do, really, is request the construction of a large tank for him, keeping him in the palace’s large pool until further notice. In order to make him feel a bit better, she stops by to tell him stories. It doesn’t mute the pain, but it does make being stuck on land a bit more bearable. Eventually, though, a part of him wants to know of the world beyond the pool and beyond his tank. Where does the human girl go when she’s not telling him stories? What does she do? What’s a ball? Can he go to one? He soon begins wondering if perhaps there is someone out there who can concoct a spell that will allow him to be more human, so that he might be able to exist better in this world. After all, if Mike the merman exists, then surely other magical things do as well…

7. BJ: BJ saw his first human when he was a wee thing. She was about his age in human years. Adorable. He never forgot her and since then has harbored a secret desire to see her again. Apparently Merman God heard his heart’s desire, and granted that wish years later when the girl, now grown up, tipped over in her rowboat. At first she just assumed that BJ was a man who swam way out to sea (after all, his athletic form suggested that he had that ability). But once he started making excuses as to why he didn’t want to hitch a ride back to land in her now turned-right-side-up boat, she felt something was literally fishy. It didn’t take long for her to figure it out. But once she does, BJ can’t help but want to show himself off. He does tricks, flips, anything he can to show off his physique. And she eats. It. UP. She boats out every chance she can get to see him and he just loves it. But he hates when she leaves. He wants to go onto land and see what things she can do there, where she’s in her own element. He doesn’t want some other human to take her away …

8. Frank: Similar to Joe, Frank likes his solitude. However, unlike Frank, he’s not as steadfast about it. He helps a human girl out of the goodness of his heart and has no problem with leaving before she wakes up. But he’s so confused when she keeps showing up, collecting shells, even at high tide. Was she trying to get killed!? He shouts at her to leave from behind a rock. She doesn’t. Instead, the little weirdo just asks him why HE won’t leave. …She had a point there. Besides, what did he care? He decides to stay until she leaves, just incase she got swept out to sea again. The next day, she comes back again to collect things from the sand. She knows he’s there, so she starts conversing with him, talking about her home and town and asking him for any of his own stories to keep her entertained. Frank doesn’t want to. He really doesn’t want to blow anything out of the water, no pun intended. But eventually, he finds himself commenting more and more on her stories before his own begin spilling out. He’s pretty sure she knows what he is. He doesn’t mind it. But the third week, he knows she harbors no ill will towards him for it. He begins positioning shells you can only collect in the deeper parts of the water where she can find them. Wouldn’t want her wandering too far in and getting swept back, now would we?

stARTS SCREAMING SO LOUDLY THAT THE RAFTERS OF MY HOUSE SHAKE

YOU ARE SO AMAZING AND EACH OF THESE IS SO LOVING CRAFTED AND RENDERED AND DETAILED AND I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE

ohhh my god i’m so overwhelmed i don’t even know where to start ohhhh my goodness gracious ohhh my lord

NOW I WANT TO KNOW MORE AND WRITE MORE ABOUT THIS AND OH MY GOSH

how many of them end up becoming human and how? do any of them stay mermen? do any of them manage to coax their beloved into joining them as merpeople? oh my goodness gracious