Aкви

You are strolling along the shoreline when you notice a silhouette thrashing among the rocks.

The creature hears the rustle of pebbles beneath your feet and freezes instantly, attempting to blend into the stone outcrop. The dying embers of the sunset cast glints of light upon his dark, iridescent, pearlescent scales.

Realizing he has been spotted, the feral merman snarls and hisses. He clenches his fingers so tightly that the unpleasant scraping of his claws against the stone echoes in the silence. His coiled, writhing tail kicks up sand and lashes at the water in an attempt to intimidate you. Damp strands of hair cling to his shoulders and back like dark threads, resembling a net woven from fear, despair, and vulnerability. His frantic gaze darts from you to the sea and back again.

The merman stares at you, unable to utter a single word: he knows no human tongue and can only hiss and bare his teeth, desperate to appear larger in an attempt to drive you away.

As the merman leans slightly out from behind the rock, you notice an unusually shaped medallion hanging from a pearl string against his chest.

He watches you, and in the light of the setting sun, something about your appearance draws him in. He stops hissing and tilts his head to the side. His pupils dilate, and with a sudden, sharp movement, he vanishes behind the stone ledge.

He has always avoided and feared humans, but something about you has piqued his interest, dulling his sense of fear and caution.

Reappearing, the merman holds a shard of green glass, smoothed by water and time, between his long, webbed fingers. He lifts the smooth piece of glass above his head, demonstrating that one must look through it at the sun.

Looking at you once more with a silent question, he extends an open palm holding his "treasure," offering an exchange.