Pirate Scene - Ocean Tides

Brycen had just escaped to a little town to shake his tail. It's also where Nelia was chatting. Jua heard them show up. They're on the outskirts of the port.

Jua flipped her tail as she swam away from the ship she'd just spotted. Normally she enjoyed a chat with the crew, but she had recognized the officer on deck and knew she had a vendetta against merfolk. Better not to court misfortune. The sounds of voices struck her sensitive ears through the sounds of the surf. One high for a man, piercing through. The other was deep and quiet, entwining in the sounds of the surf.

Upon investigating, she spotted her friend Nelia with an unknown male human. On squinting, she spotted curly black hair and upturned eyes she thought seemed familiar. And his voice matched, but she couldn't quite place him. A pirate she'd chatted with a time or two, perhaps? She jumped through the swells to them, always interested in a smidge of gossip.

Nelia greeted her happily, waving her over and passing a flagon of wine to her. She took a swig heartily. After pleasantries and introductions were made, the human was Brycen, which seemed faintly familiar to her.

"How did you spend the storm a week ago?" Jua asked Nelia. Nelia offered an extended description of how they found a human villager who was willing to host them through the storm in their stone home. Jua shared how she dove down deep into the sea to ride it out. Brycen spoke of the observations and calculations he made and how it was safe for him to ride it out at extended length.

Nelia yawned while he was speaking, big and loud, their eyes droopping closed and shifting to the side.

Brycen caught it and chuckled. "Apologies. I can't imagine the intricacies of sailing are of much import to merfolk such as you. But what you didn't notice, I see, is that I was able to sneak the rest of the bottle whilst you two were enraptured." Both chuckled, Nelia looked as if they were trying to cover it.

They chatted for the remainder of the evening, passing around another bottle or two, and sharing about their lives. Brycen, a flush on his cheeks, wrapped his arms around both the merfolk. "I'm so glad we met," he slurred. "This. This is what life's all about. Good friends, good chat, no duties or obligations."

Both merfolk shied away from his embrace. Jua whispered "humans can't hold their wine, can they?" in Nelia's ear, who tittered in response. They leapt away, flourishing their tails, and splashing the inebriated man, who laughed loudly and waved broadly.