broken crown

nereida malik | 94 | siren captain siren of the black sea. I'll never wear your broken crown I can take the road and I can fuck it all away But in this twilight, our choices seal our fate.

[nereidamalik]

BASICS:

skeleton: copper

character name: nereida malik

age & birthdate: 94 & november 28

gender & pronouns: cisgender woman & she/her

birthplace: the black sea

length of time in port vale: six months

occupation: port vale library employee

fc: anya chalotra

THE OCEAN

Since she was young, Nereida was told she was born from pollution and wreckage and that her sharp teeth and fins meant she was destined to be ruthless and destructive. Sirens were seen as a plague on the seas while Mermaids were revered as the protectors–beautiful and ethereal. She didn’t know whether she believed in the stories of the Sirens’ birth, but even if they were true, she didn’t understand why that meant they had to bow down while the Mermaids ruled the seas. Why shouldn’t they have their own territory? Why weren’t they fit to rule? The unfairness of it all created a deep seated rage so powerful in Nereida, and she wasn’t afraid to voice those feelings to her fellow sirens in her pod. Sirens were faster and stronger than Mermaids, and if the Mermaids wouldn’t share their territories, then the Sirens should take them by force.

Nereida barely had time to revel in her status as Captain before it was taken away from her. She was the obvious choice, considering she was the one to band her pod together to fight, but she was also too bitter, too reckless, and too angry, and it was her downfall. In her effort to fight against the ones who stereotyped her, she became exactly what they predicted–a plague on the ocean. Her carelessness caused the majority of her pod to die, and still she wouldn’t stop, even when there was practically nothing left to fight for. She was so blinded by her desire to conquer that she couldn’t see what was right in front of her anymore–that she was alone without anyone to support her reign. After her kingdom collapsed, Nereida was forced from her throne screaming, unwilling to let go of everything she built, despite the fact she was ruling over ruins.

ON LAND

After she was exiled from her kingdom, Nereida had nowhere to go but on land. As the former Captain of the Black Sea, she felt humiliated being reduced to a nobody living with the humans, while she licked her wounds. Those first few months in Port Vale, she was aimless, too prideful to accept help and too unwilling to trust anyone to make connections, but then she met an author. When they first showed Nereida a book, she hated it, because she couldn’t read it. She felt ridiculous squinting at the unfamiliar scribbles and trying to understand their meaning. The author didn’t give up on her though, and eventually she could read a sentence, then a page, until she could finally read an entire short book.

Once she understood them, Nereida found peace in books. She could lose herself in the stories of other people instead of ruminating over her own failures. Books didn’t insult or judge her like people, so she used them as an escape. When there was an opening at the Port Vale Library, Nereida didn’t hesitate to apply for the position. She figured if she couldn’t find her purpose in this world then she might as well busy herself with something she actually enjoyed. Nereida’s life is quieter than it used to be, and although that raging fire inside her hasn’t died yet, it’s more of a simmer now. The seas failed her, but maybe she can find her place on land.

Personality

Once righteous and angry, Nereida is more subdued after losing her kingdom. In her exile, she’s quiet and reserved, but her temper still flares if someone knows how to push her buttons. She loathes feeling stupid, which happens often living on land. Books weren’t the only thing unfamiliar to her, and when she encounters something she doesn’t understand, her first instinct is to turn her nose up to it and claim she’s above it. Nereida used to have a purpose, she thrived on being important, and now that she’s nothing but failed Captain living on land, her life feels meaningless. It causes her to be impatient and short with others, and sometimes, she seems like a brick wall, impossible to break through.

CONNECTIONS

BRASS: they’ve always ruled their sea so elegantly, and you’ve admired her for as long as you can remember. you have no idea she was a key figure in dismantling your position as captain, so you still smile as she passes, even in port vale. as far as friendships go, you have so few; and you think that she is one of your closest, because you trust her… and she knows this.

SEAGLASS: books aren’t a thing in assyria - instead, stories are told through song and sculpture. they showed you the first written work, and you didn’t have the heart to explain to them that you don’t know how to read, so instead, you sneered at it all. they didn’t give up, though, and you found the courage to ask to be taught how to appreciate the wonder of books & novels. they were happy to oblige.

BRONZE: when life was a party, you thought they were just a beautiful neighbor… but in port vale, you take closer notice. while pretty and adorned with nice things, there is more than meets the eye to this siren. you lost your sea due to your excessive bad behavior, and now you pay the price, and she seems to care more than the other sirens about your loss. what is her angle, and why should you trust her anyway?

[nereidamalik]

renzieanand​:

®

Renzie gave a little laugh-snort, and eyed Nereida.  “Yeah, it’s a weird town alright.”  Because it was populated with sea people who lived in secret, except not that secret, and made the town experience all sorts of strange phenomenon.  He wasn’t even supposed to believe in magic, it wasn’t…associated with good things.  So far Renzie and Steph had just agreed that it wasn’t ‘magic’, it was science they simply didn’t understand.  People’s fishtails splitting into legs, seals peeling off their skins to reveal humans, horse-fish fully transfiguring into humans…just unexplained science.

But sure.  It was welcome baskets that were weird.

He smiled. “That’s the spirit.  Never turn down something free.”  Renzie was genuinely glad Nereida wanted the basket, and wasn’t hooked up on some sort of pride or fear.  It would be nice to do something fun and enjoyable for her, Renzie thought (because he considered making a basket ‘fun’).  He’d handle it personally since clearly the Welcome Wagon Committee had botched it.  

“Where do you want it delivered?  I can just have to sent to the library.  Or delivered to your home, for that nice personal touch.”

Putting his phone away, he returned to his work.  “What’re you reading these days?”

-

This conversation took a weirdly pleasant turn, and Nereida wasn’t sure what to do with that. She was expecting yet another fight with Renzie, maybe even hoping for one, but the man seemed to be genuinely concerned about her lack of gift basked and now wanted to make sure she got one. She wasn’t friendly or civil, but even she wasn’t so stubborn that she would rude to someone after being so polite. 

“The library is fine,” she said slowly, like she didn’t trust the state of this conversation. “I’m almost never home anyway, so it wouldn’t be very personal.” 

She was even more surprised when he asked her what she was reading. Last time he saw her reading, it was The Grinch, and she forced herself to read something more advanced since then. “Harry Potter,” she answered. “I’m still on the first one. These books are very long, and the language is a little hard to follow, so it’s taking me a while to finish, but I like it better than the other children’s books I’ve read.”

[nereidamalik]

steph-anand​:

｡･:*:･ﾟ⎈ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

The thing was, this was the kind of thing teenagers did. This was what Steph and other peers of hers did when they were teenagers. This was a small town and there wasn’t a lot of chances to let lose and have fun. It was a great town, but as a teenager, sometimes it could get boring. But being on the other side now, being on the receiving end of it all, it was just annoying.

“Gotta pay attention to this from now on,” she grumbled, rubbing her palm over her face. “And tell Vera and Aster this, too, make sure they don’t pull this on them another night when it’s the two of them closing up.” That would be just ridiculous, and Steph wasn’t sure if that time maybe one of the windows would actually get broken, too. Though she doubted Aster’s and Vera’s reaction would be to break out of the library. Granted, if Nereida wouldn’t have insisted, they would still be inside, so who was to say what was good or bad strategy.

Steph raised her hands and shook her head at Nereida’s request, “Not doing that again, I promise. Some people like it, some don’t, to each their own.” She easily hit on others, sure, but she wasn’t going to keep pushing if somebody didn’t wanna spend time with her like that. She was curious about Nereida’s statement, though, “Are you– not doing any of it at all, or just not casually? It’s totally okay either way, no pressure or anything, just– you know, curious.”

And when Nereida changed the subject, Steph let out a snort, “Yeah, no, me neither. Hopefully there is some kind of property insurance on it or something. But also it’s just a door and some hinges, it couldn’t cost that much, right?” She absolutely had no idea what something like this cost.

-

If Aster hadn’t done so much for her then Nereida might suggest they don’t tell the other so they could experience the same thing they just did, but she would have to behave to be fair. “The door will have to get fixed first,” Nereida shrugged. “No one can lock us in if there’s no door.” 

Nereida didn’t know how to answer Steph’s question without giving herself away. She wasn’t doing it at all, because she didn’t engage in romance as a captain, and now that she discovered there was a whole other element to that on land, she didn’t understand it. She avoided things she didn’t understand. From what she learned about sex, it seemed messy. Both literally and because it involved a lot of complicated feelings that she wasn’t interested in. 

“Not at all,” Nereida answered honestly, trying her best to keep her tone flat. “I generally don’t enjoy people’s company so why would I want to do anything romantic with them?” She looked up from the door and lifted her brow questioningly. 

“If it does cost a lot, we’ll make the teenagers pay for it,” Nereida decided. “They’re the reason I had to break it down in the first place. They need to learn their actions have consequences.”

[nereidamalik]

isidoredelgado​:

   xx

     If she had any suspicion of who he was, she hid it well. That was just as well; he didn’t recognize her either, and maybe never would have if her scent hadn’t tipped him off. Feisty, sharp-tongued; a siren. Isidore couldn’t help but smirk at the sheer predictability of it. “No, I do not read often,” Isidore shook his head politely, even though it hadn’t exactly been an offer on her part. A moment passed, and he gave a little short bark of a chuckle. “So you do not know who I am, well, that is good, at least.” 

    Prepared for her confused reaction, and still weighing his options in his mind (does he press her for information about Steph, does he just walk the other way and leave it alone, does he introduce himself?) Isidore took a drink of his coffee, to stall for a time. “My name is Isidore Delgado,” His eyes flickered across her face, scanning for any recognition. “Are you free during this hour before you begin work, or should I schedule a time?” 

-

Nereida didn’t like how cryptic this man was being. With Victoria sniffing around, it seemed suspicious that he was asking Nereida questions and expecting her to know who he was. And why was it a good thing that she didn’t know? She wasn’t sure if he was meant to be a notable human or someone from the sea, but she didn’t recognize his face. That didn’t necessarily mean anything though. She was hardly recognizable between forms either.

When he finally introduced himself, Nereida finally understood. During her time in Port Vale, she mostly avoided the hippocampi, but she still knew they were there, and she knew their names from checking in with the sirens. “Ah, so one of them,” Nereida stated vaguely for the sake of the humans around them. She couldn’t figure out what Isidore could want from her, but she had a bad feeling about it. “Why don’t you tell me what it’s about first? None of you have bothered me yet, so I’m not sure why you want to speak with me now.”

[nereidamalik]

gabidrake​:

.

No, clearly that sea hadn’t been ready for that kind of change at all. Loyalty among sirens was a funny enough concept. “I wouldn’t have won by position even twenty years earlier than I did. Not with how I wanted my sea to be run. You did what you could in the time you were given.” It didn’t feel like a good idea to try to dig further into speculation and a thorough analysis of Nereida’s shortcomings, but Gabi did have to wonder if Nereida would have been better off as captain in wartime or directly afterward. She had always somewhat imagined Nereida acting on her own independently of her people’s will, but that had been a silly assumption. Gabi was glad not to have voiced that strictly. 

“My territory skirts this part of South America’s borders - right here.” She almost amended this with ‘I think.’ She ran her finger up along Colombia and Venezuela. After that, she wasn’t really sure what else was hers. The other side of the land was Aurelia’s, she was almost certain, but she couldn’t figure out which parts were Mellora’s and which were Isla’s. “Yes, you’re right. I could ask Isla. That wouldn’t be a terrible plan. I’m used to having a council to advise me. Being up here away from them is like losing one of my senses.” She ran her finger down the South American coastline- further down to where she was sure it belonged to Isla herself. There were quite a few more river openings here. ”I ask you questions and talk to you because even if I don’t necessarily agree with you, I think you’ll understand and be able to keep me from getting stuck in my own head. You don’t have to, of course, but you have an ego and informed opinions from a different perspective, and that’s valuable to me. Does that make sense?”

-

It was an oddly kind thing to say, even if it wasn’t intended to be. Nereida rarely heard anything positive about her reign anymore, it was usually either scorn or pity. She wasn’t sure what to do with defense on her behalf, but it was her instinct not to trust it. If Gabi was actually there, she probably wouldn’t think the same way. Her own followers were so quick to turn on her after all. Nereida nodded hesitantly, deciding against arguing but not willing to fully accept her words either. “Times are certainly different,” she commented flatly, “especially after the treaty.” Which Nereida broke, but she didn’t accept it to begin with. Why would she agree to peace when there was still such an unfair division between sirens and mermaids?

These were the consequences of her actions, like sitting in a human library and staring at maps, and she had to live with it until she could figure out a new plan. She studied where Gabi pointed on the map, trying to visualize the sea instead of the drawings on paper. The first time she saw the Black Sea on a map, she didn’t understand how that was supposed to represent her home. Nereida didn’t know the princess of the South Atlantic, and she wasn’t interested in fixing that, but she understood that they had to at least talk to the mermaids if they wanted to help save Assyria. “Land is strange, and this town is even stranger, but I suppose it’s convenient that we’re all in one spot. Even without your advisors, it should be easy to speak with the others to help visualize the territories better,” she said. 

Nereida was once again surprised when Gabi explained why she came to her for help. Just like she rarely heard good things about her reign, she also rarely heard her ego be considered her strength. She couldn’t help but sit up a little straighter with pride. At first, she wanted nothing to do with this mission to help Assyria, but she was starting to get her stride back and feel like a leader again--despite having no one to lead. “It makes sense,” she agreed, careful to keep her expression neutral. “I may not be a captain anymore, but I still know what I’m talking about.”

[nereidamalik]

steph-anand​:

｡･:*:･ﾟ⎈ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

Nereida just stared and stared at her for a short time and Steph wasn’t sure what she would do, if she would actually go for the door or would still try to break the window. It was strange, how the first thought was the window, even, considering breaking glass was harder in Steph’s mind than breaking down a door, but then again, she’s never tried either before.

Eventually Nereida just hissed a word of agreement, turned around and focused on the door. Despite Nereida thinking of herself as weak, Steph didn’t see much of that in the woman kicking the door down with two huge, very strong hits (she didn’t think about differences in strength, didn’t even consider it as a possibility in that moment, she just saw the incredibly strong kicks) and was amazed. And kind of scared. (And found it hot, too, but that was off the table.)

“That– that was certainly effective. Huh.” She felt so dumb, not even sure what to say in that moment. “But hey, glad it felt good at least. Uhh– hold on, let me check something.” She walked over to the door and looked out– there was a chair that was pushed further ahead that was probably propped under the handle of the door and near the door there it was, the key to the library that fell out when the door was fell over, and was used to lock them in. “This was the culprit, just wish I knew how the little buggers got their hands on it.”

She looked over at Nereida, and after a moment asked, “Are you okay?”

-

Nereida was still panting from the exertion as Steph inspected the scene. She didn’t realize she could still be this strong in her faux human form until just now. It still wasn’t anything like her true self. She was a lot less sharp and capable of ripping apart her enemies. Even without her fangs or claws, she still seemed stronger than an ordinary human and that filled her chest with excitement. She wasn’t weak. 

She broke from her thoughts when Steph held up the key, leading her to roll her eyes. Stupid younger humans. “They must’ve stole it when we weren’t paying attention,” she muttered. Some of that anger she held for Steph seemed to leave with the door, though she didn’t plan to let her too close any time soon. She still didn’t understand why she did what she did, and she didn’t like, but she was too happy about the turn of events to let it fester. 

“Fine,” she said shortly as she looked away from Steph, studying the splintered broken door instead. “Just don’t do that again. I don’t...” She trailed off, not sure how much she wanted to admit to. This wasn’t a topic she was familiar with and wasn’t comfortable speaking about. She always hated things she didn’t understand, and physical affection was one of them. “I don’t do that,” she decided on as a vague statement as she nudged the door with her foot before quickly changing the subject. “I’m not paying for this.” 

[nereidamalik]

renzieanand​:

®

“Yeahhhh,”  Renzie drawled, his tone rueful, as Nereida started to pile on accusations on him and Steph. Accusations that, to him, were very obviously coming from someone trying to hide something.  From someone who had her life to protect (or so she believed), and would do anything to keep herself, well, alive.

But kissing wasn’t part of the usual charges laid, and Renzie would’ve done a spittake had he been drinking anything.  “She kissed you?  Oh my god…Steph..”  Renzie pressed his thumb and forefinger to his brow.  “I’m so sorry, Nereida.  She’s…”  Steph was in a weird place right now, but Renzie didn’t want to spill his cousin’s personal business to a stranger so he just shook his head.  “It’s - it’s not welcoming no.  You’re right. I’m sorry.”

But he squinted when she muttered about gift-baskets, and shook his head.  “Wait- you mean you didn’t get a welcome basket when you, um, got to Port Vale?  Dammit!”  Renzie pulled out his phone, tapping on it as he muttered to himself.  “ You’re asked to ‘leave’ the Welcome Wagon Committee for one year and everything goes to hell. “

“You were supposed to get something.  I’m serious, Port Vale has a committee for it.  When I was on the committee, I was on top of it, but.  I got ah…furloughed.”  For being too bossy, truth be told.  “Okay, I’ll get one sent to you.  Now at least we can give you customized things, huh?  What do you like?  Like um…food?  Soap? Oh - bookmarks?”

-

Renzie didn’t seem to have any sympathy for her, which she expected, until she mentioned Steph kissing her. At least he didn’t condone that. She wasn’t sure if that was a human trait or a flaw specific to Steph. She didn’t spend enough person time with them to find out. She couldn’t avoid working with them or helping them at the library, but those were brief, distant conversations. “Well, as long as you agree,” she said, lifting her chin haughtily. 

Nereida wasn’t serious about the gift basket, but Renzie definitely was. She didn’t realize Port Vale actually gave their newcomers gift baskets, and she felt a little slighted that she didn’t receive one. Maybe it was because of the quiet manner in which she arrived, or whatever Renzie claimed--being forced out of the Welcome Wagon Committee.

“This is a weird town,” she commented flatly. There was no other way to describe Port Vale. Nereida never gave gifts to sirens who migrated to the Black Sea. It wasn’t that she didn’t welcome them that all. She thought providing shelter was enough. She certainly didn’t have a Welcome Committee, especially one she’d kick people out of. 

“If it’s free, I’ll take whatever you have,” Nereida stated. She wouldn’t turn down an offer for free items. Her apartment was still as sparse as it was when she moved it, and she didn’t make enough money to save to improve it. “Make sure to include the bookmarks though. Those are so hard to keep track of.”

[nereidamalik]

gabidrake​:

.

Gabi scoffed. “I rest. Just because I don’t have you watching me sleep doesn’t mean it won’t happen.” Flipping through the pages, Gabi exhaled sharply. It felt sometimes like she had too much free time. She had been in Port Vale for months trying to find answers and build alliances, and all she had to show for it was a few conversations and a mediocre apartment. Being here was exhausting, and it felt like maybe if she wasn’t idly investigating a bunch of dead ends, she might have accomplished more. “It takes a while to travel on boats all the way into the bowels of…” What was that continent called again? “South America. I’m better off asking a subordinate to do this. Did you really try to do everything for yourself?” It was difficult to know what happened firsthand when she had stayed half a world away and minded her own business.

-

“Mm,” Nereida hummed in acknowledgement. She remembered Gabi telling her that her apartment was about as bad as Nereida’s, so she wouldn’t be surprised if it was a lie. She didn’t sleep well in hers. It was always too hot or too cold, the plumbing made too much noise, and she was fairly sure she could hear something scratching at the walls--but maybe that was just her feeling suffocated in such a tiny living space. Nereida was pulled from her thoughts when Gabi asked about her time as a captain, and she immediately bristled with the need to defend her reign. It was still a deeply personal subject to her, one that she would never simply get over, and it was hard for her to talk casually about. Clenching her jaw, she forced down the urge to snap, so she could answer Gabi’s innocent question truthfully. 

“Well, I wasn’t alone,” she said slowly, as if she was testing the words on her tongue, “but I was always the do it myself type. It was why they elected me in the first place. I wanted things to change, so I promised to change them. I did change them.” She paused to swallow around the sudden lump in her throat, studying the map like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. “Apparently, they weren’t ready for that kind of change,” she finished dismissively before suddenly pointing to the ocean bordering South America. “Why don’t you ask someone from the South Atlantic? Considering how many mermaids are on land now, surely someone must be from there.” 

[nereidamalik]

artsyacosta​:

☆.。.:*・°☆🖌

Emilia understood that the belief in aliens wasn’t for everyone. Maybe if she wasn’t a little parts drunk and a little parts high she wouldn’t have been so offended by Nereida’s obvious response but it did make her pout in annoyance that Nereida couldn’t at least be fascinated by the belief in aliens existing. Just because she’s never in a good mood doesn’t mean she couldn’t have the joy in believing in aliens in her life. “They can be. You think we’re the only lifeforms in the universe? That’s improbable.”

As Nereida waved her hand around to gesture towards the decorations, Emilia’s eyes followed. The decorations were very pretty and it got her a little distracted as Nereida spoke. When she mentioned Ridley’s name though, it was more than enough to capture Emilia’s attention again. “You’re friends with Ridley? I didn’t know that!” She sounded excited about it, but really she was just extremely surprised. Emilia never would have guessed the two of them had anything in common. “Honestly, you’re right. Ridley really is so gorgeous isn’t she? I’m surprised she doesn’t have so many admirers. She’s the coolest, but I mean, you’re friends so you already know that.”

-

“No,” Nereida sighed reluctantly. It felt idiotic to play along, but she came to understand that most humans believed in things that had no proof of existence. It was actually less suspicious for her to pretend to believe in something. “Ghosts are obviously real,” she added, choosing something at random. There were ghosts in Harry Potter, so it seemed like her best bet. “Plenty of people have seen them.”

Nereida wasn’t ready for Emilia’s sheer enthusiasm over learning she knew Ridley or the revolting gushing that came afterwards. It was still strange for her to hear sirens be referred to anything other than hideous, but that was only because they looked like humans right now. They were tolerable, palatable, like this, and Ridley seemed to be extra desirable in her human form. Nereida couldn’t help but feel a little righteous, because she thought her siren was beautiful before, fangs and all, but she obviously kept those comments to herself. “If you say so,” Nereida replied slowly with a perplexed look. “I knew her before we moved to Port Vale. We’re both from...” She trailed off as she tried to recall the country Ridley had been claiming she was from, but she could barely remember the one she was in now. “The same place,” she settled on.

[nereidamalik]

renzieanand​:

®

There was no way Renzie had time to volunteer for the shift-work at the lighthouse in Moray’s (disturbing) absence, but of course Ren wanted to contribute where he could.  The shifts were broken up between the volunteers, and so Renzie let ol’ Vicky’s council know that the Starbeach Café would be pleased to provide morning coffee, pastries, and a hot lunch for the volunteers.  

But Renzie himself was personally tied to his businesses.  It was already March(?!) and April was gearing into tourist season; Renzie had to get prepared.  He didn’t mind though, he loved his work. The productivity, the constant delegation, the never-ending to-do list.  

Today, he had a bunch of boxes ready for the lunch service stacked on a couple co-opted tables in the café, as well as coffee carafes and platters of pastries for delivery to the lighthouse.  He was checking everything off - and perhaps standing a little closer to Nereida’s vicinity than either of them liked, but she was the one in his space, not the other way around.  So when she snapped at him, Renzie gave her an askance glare.

“Why would I want your attention?  You already got your coffee, Nereida.  Lids and additions are over there. I hope you have a good morning?  But don’t flatter yourself thinking I’m breathing down the likes of your neck.”

-

Renzie and Steph were an infuriating pair of siblings...or cousins--whatever they were. She didn’t understand human family dynamics well enough to know for certain. Steph didn’t understand boundaries and was too brave when it came to meddling with things she didn’t understand, while Renzie was entitled and smug, and on a quest to uncover the truth like Steph. He was a dangerous person to be around, even more now that he accused Ridley, someone from her sea, of being something other than human.

Nereida knew she had to tread carefully around the Anand’s, and she already risked the truth with Steph after they got locked in the library together. If she was rational, she would walk away now and get Renzie’s attention off of her, but rationality was never her strong suit. She would still be a captain if it was. She always let her anger to get the best of her. She was too stubborn to stand down even when all the odds were stacked against her. Even knowing these things about herself didn’t stop her.

“I would like to know the same thing,” she replied as she leveled him with a calculating gaze. “You and Steph seem to make it a habit of inserting yourselves in everyone’s business. Your sister practically interrogated me about where I’m from and then tried to kiss me out of the blue. Is this how you two have always acted or do you merely reserve it for new people? Because I’ll tell you right now, it’s not welcoming.” 

Grabbing a straw, she jammed it a little too violently in the lid and took a long sip. “I recommend gift baskets instead,” she added. She hoped she was giving off the impression that she was merely a disgruntled newcomer and not a siren tired of humans trying to unearth her secret, but she was quickly losing her composure now that she knew Victoria was onto them.  

[nereidamalik]

luciennelively​:

It was still early yet, and she didn’t have any tours scheduled until noon, thank God. This left enough time in the morning for coffee at Starbeach, something she had not always been able to afford, but business was booming and she deserved a treat. Lucienne considered it illegal to get anything but iced coffee, regardless of the season. Clutching her iced mocha, she meandered out the door, gazing out at the sea just past the boardwalk. She had a tour at three today, which meant her son Isaiah would have to go wait at the Library again. Lucienne knew he didn’t mind doing so, but it still stressed her out to know that her fifth grader would be there somewhat unsupervised for an hour.

She didn’t notice the woman in front of her, too lost in her own thoughts to see how close she had come to bumping into her. As the other woman spoke, Lucienne’s face twisted into one of displeasure. She sidestepped the woman, turning to face her. “Bold of you to assume I care enough to hover around a stranger.” Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God I’m so sorry that was so rude, yikes.” Lucienne scrubbed her face with one hand and sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t really sleep last night and work was hell, and obviously that’s not an excuse but…” She trailed off. 

Taking a moment to look at the other woman, recognition dawned on her face. “Hey!” She exclaimed, “You work at the library don’t you?” Lucienne recalled seeing the woman sitting at the front desk when she would come by to pick up Isaiah. “You might know my son?” She quirked an eyebrow. “Quiet kid, afro, big glasses, always reading comic books?” Lucienne smiled. “He hangs out there like twice a week after school.” She paused, considering the woman in front of her. Lucienne was feeling particularly harried today, and slightly manic. Normally she wouldn’t be this upfront with strangers. “Weird question. Can I ask you a favor?”

-

Nereida always thought it was strange when humans apologized for being rude to her when she was rude first. Even if it only made her angrier, it was only fair for them to respond in a similar manner as her. If someone called her an insulting name, she wouldn’t just let it go and back down. This woman seemed very apologetic though, and Nereida furrowed her brows in confusion, simply blinking at her as she rattled off excuses for her snappy comment. Meanwhile, Nereida didn’t need an excuse for her attitude. That was just how she was. 

When she suddenly shouted with a realization, Nereida startled from the change of tone. Humans could be so loud sometimes. If she was even a human, it was so hard to tell these days. Considering she apparently had a son though, she thought that was a fair assumption. She didn’t pay much attention to children. They were all the same to her--hyperactive, germy, and generally disturbing. 

As she described her son further though, Nereida slowly connected the dots and remembered the small human and his big glasses who seemed to always have his head buried in his colorful books. Comic books apparently. “I guess so,” she mumbled, speaking up for the first time. She didn’t have much to say about him. He was just there. Luckily, he didn’t disturb her like most children, but she still didn’t trust him.

Wrinkling her nose, she gave the women a suspicious look. It was rare that anyone come to her with a favor, and it was even rarer for her to agree. That was far too accommodating for her. “That is a weird question,” she agreed. “It depends on the favor. Does it benefit me in any way?”

[nereidamalik]

walterperez​:

Walter barely knew what was going on in this town.  He’d only been here for a few weeks, after all.  And yet, Victoria sought him out to keep an eye on a few people.  Why?  Why were these people so suspicious that he needed to look in on them?  If it were something illegal, shouldn’t that be the police’s job?  Needless to say, he didn’t really want to do the dirty work for someone for free without a good reason.  And if he was excluded from that reason, then there was nothing keeping him to this verbal contract. As he was picking up his usual triple-shot espresso to head to his morning shift at the lighthouse, he saw a woman standing in front of him that looked like one of the folks he was supposed to be trailing.  Nereida Malik?  Walter was just deciding if it was actually her or someone else when she whipped around.  He gazed back at her, never backing down from a challenge.  “I apologize for standing so close,” he said.  “I was just trying to figure out if I’ve seen you before.  Now you’re standing in my personal bubble.”

-

“You should,” Nereida retorted with a glare. Getting in a fight in the middle of a café wasn’t the way to stay under the radar, but her tolerance for humans was at an all time low these days. She wasn’t friendly, not even to her own kind, but lately she was practically vicious. It reminded her of the days leading up to her removal from her position, only without any blood. She was on a rampage, hungry with the need to destroy everything her path, and she didn’t realize how far she went until almost nothing was left. She knew she had to rein it in. A man was missing, and the first person they would accuse was the one threatening to kill anyone who got within feet of her. She forced herself to take a deep breath before taking a step back from the man. “It’s a small town. You’ve probably seen me before,” she replied, training her tone to sound more bored than angry. “I work at the library if that narrows it down. Did you actually need something from me or were you just being nosy?”

[nereidamalik]

steph-anand​:

｡･:*:･ﾟ⎈ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

Steph remained where she was, leaned in for one, two, three moments, letting Nereida get away from her, and then pushed herself off of the desk, but kept her distance from the other woman. She got the message loud and clear, Steph didn’t want her to think she’d force the issue further. “It’s really not that big of a deal, I mean– okay, yes, if you want to get away from me, that is understandable, but I am not doing that again, if that is what you’re worried about.”

She tilted her head as Nereida kept snapping at her, keeping mostly her cool but getting annoyed at her towards the end, “You’re not going to kill me and we both know that so can we at least take the death threats off of the table. Pain I get, and what is wrong with me is a pretty long list, I am not sure you’d want to listen to it all, but even with all of that, I know for a fact that you won’t kill me.”

She moved between Nereida and the windows as soon as she mentioned breaking them, though. “No, I told you, we can’t risk the weather coming through and ruining the books, you are not breaking the window.” She paused for a moment, her eyes locked on Nereida’s, almost daring the other to move towards the window so she could stop her, but then her eyes flickered over to the door for a second. “You really wanna break something? Break the door. It just leads out to the staircase, that is less damage than actually breaking the windows.” And she would probably help in that, too, considering how weird of a mood she was in.

-

Nereida hated that she was right. If she was in her real form and in the ocean then she wouldn’t hesitate to drown Steph right then and there, but that wasn’t her reality anymore. Land had very strict laws, and, unfortunately, they did not allow killing each other without punishment, so she couldn’t indulge unless she wanted to spend the rest of her life in prison. Unlike humans, whose sentences were sometimes longer than their lifespans, Nereida actually could spend 90 years behind bars.

She didn’t have a response for that so she just let out an inhumane growl and turned her attention to the door when Steph pointed it out. Stubbornly, she didn’t want to listen to her. She didn’t even know if she could break down a door like this, but she had to admit it would feel satisfying if she could. She felt caged locked in here, and she just wanted to break something. 

“Fine,” she hissed as she met Steph’s gaze with a glare before centering herself in front of the door. She couldn’t imagine doing any damage with her weak, human legs but she still tried her best to pour all her anger into kicking the door, causing it rattle precariously on the hinges. With a grunt, she gave another harsh kick, and this time the door collapsed with a loud crash. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she looked at Steph with a borderline manic grin. “That felt good,” she panted. 

[nereidamalik]

karina-hutchensen​:

.

Honestly, Karina had no idea the more-than-human people who where living in Port Vale. And even if someone tried to tell her, it’s doubtful that she would believe them. It would just be so beyond anything she had ever imagined, ever considered to be real. And yet, the redhead was standing next to someone who was dreaming about returning to a world that Karina didn’t even know existed. 

“I’ve heard the view on a nice day is incredible.” She hummed, head tilting. Not that today wasn’t special in itself, but the journalist had been hoping for a clearer day. “What brings you out?” She asked casually, hoping the other woman didn’t think she was prying for asking. But knowing why others visited the place would certainly help her with her story. 

-

When Nereida first arrived in Port Vale, she didn’t do much exploring. To her, it was a punishment, not a vacation. She wasn’t interested in getting to know the town, and kept to the places where she was required to go, like her apartment or the library. She branched out since then, but she still never took in the view from the lighthouse just because. It looked like today wasn’t a good day for it with the overcast.

“I was just going for a walk,” Nereida explained. It wasn’t a very exciting answer, but it was the truth. Going for a walk and contemplating the status of her old home, but that wasn’t something she would share with anyone, let alone a stranger. “It’s my day off, so I figured why not go outside for once?”

[nereidamalik]

gabidrake​:

.

Gabi nodded, puzzled by the defense over such books. Clearly, Nereida had been reading the ‘right’ books, but Gabi did not know if she wanted to get into that. “Understood.” That would push that topic aside. It was easy to get sidetracked, and this seemed like a bad idea when there were so many books that Gabi had never touched and likely never would. Clearly Nereida had found some ones that were decently useful or entertaining enough to be worth the time.

The anger toward the maps was disconcerting at best. “Nereida, just because someone else made something wrong doesn’t mean we can’t use it. I’d trust that at least the humans can manage to get more of the rivers correct because they border land. But I don’t make maps like this, and someone has taken the time to work on this. And that’s when I can’t go because I’m here in Port Vale and can’t take a half of a year off to learn to make maps, travel, hide in narrow rivers, mark the maps, govern from afar, and come up with a reason for being gone from Port Vale. I’ve… been on boats that didn’t move, but why would I bother to do more?”

-

Nereida hated to give the humans credit of any kind, even when it came to books. They weren’t the reason she was forced to live on the land, but they didn’t help make the experience more tolerable. She hated them almost as much as she hated mermaids, some days even more depending on the circumstances. She had to admit, they did create useful recourses, like maps. They would be a lot more accurate if they could swim properly though. 

Gabi took her response very literally, and seemed a little too stressed about a hypothetical scenario. Nereida remembered what it was like to be a captain, how much she carried on her shoulders, but she was more volatile than high-strung. “I was being sarcastic,” she clarified. “Do you ever rest? Have you considered taking a nap?” Nereida shrugged at her question before taking a seat next to her, figuring she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. “It’ll allow you to see the ocean in a safer way, since we’re not sure what will happen if we go in it right now. You can rent them here, I’m pretty sure.”

[nereidamalik]

pipercarmine​:

Piper almost always had a lot on her mind. Port Vale was a complicated place and with her past she was used to having to be extra cautious. Lately it had only been worse. It seemed like the world was conspiring to make everything more complicated. Things would hopefully die down though. Piper at least hoped they would.

Coffee had become one of Piper’s favorite things since coming on land. She made a habit of getting it everyday, the time of day varying based on her schedule. What she was not used to was some lady whipping around and accusing her of breathing down her neck, when Piper was just trying to get some coffee. “Whoa, easy there. I’m sorry if I got too close. I was just distracted trying to decide what I wanted today.” She held her hands up placating. Sheesh, this chick was tense. 

-

Nereida wouldn’t put it past herself to lash out at the innocent, and she had no plans to apologize for it. Maybe the woman really was simply ordering a coffee, but it wasn’t like she would admit to it if if she was stalking Nereida. She wouldn’t be the first. Silas seemed to determined to follow here wherever she went, and she still hadn’t figured out why. She didn’t want anyone else to join him.

“Fine,” she said shortly and rolled her eyes, taking a step back to put some space between them. “I didn’t realize it took so long to decide which coffee you want. The plain bitter kind, the bitter kind with flavoring, or the bitter kind with flavoring, a bunch of sugar, and whipped cream.”

[nereidamalik]

artsyacosta​:

☆.。.:*・°☆🖌

Emilia snorted at Nereida’s take, assuming it wasn’t the same take that scientists might have taken when discovering this star. “Maybe. I don’t know how it would be stopped though, I don’t know what’s powerful enough to take out a star…maybe the aliens can handle it. If their technology is more advanced than ours is anyway. You’re fun to talk about this stuff to, you have fun takes I don’t even consider.”

Nereida’s question wasn’t one that Emilia felt she could answer, but she was the one who brought it up so of course she should be the one with the explanation. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, I don’t know why people like what they like. You’ve met Renzie, so you know that scary and intimidating personality is not my thing. I’m just saying that people see someone like you with a strong and intimidating presence and like it. Maybe it’s the confidence, or like, they like that you don’t care what they think. I don’t know, I can’t explain what goes on in other people’s heads.” But she did make a good point, just because people thought it was attractive didn’t mean they could just go up to her and make that attraction known. She made it sound as though she acted like this to get people to not approach her.

“Hey, look, you’re so right. I’m not trying to say you should stand for anyone being a creep and harassing you cause they like the challenge. I’m just trying to refer to like, past relationships, people you actually liked, not random creeps with their unsolicited comments.” Emilia just couldn’t possibly imagine a softer side to Nereida and so anyone who she might have taken a liking to must have been someone who didn’t mind the abrasive energy.

-

“Aliens?” Nereida asked flatly. She heard about aliens since coming to land, but she thought they were on par with other mythical creatures like vampires or werewolves, but the way Emilia talked about them made it seem like she thought they were real. She shouldn’t be so doubtful as “mythical being,” but space was such a foreign concept to her that it was hard for her to imagine green humanoids with creepy eyes actually existing up there. “Those can’t be real,” she added.

Emilia and Nereida could agree on one thing, because she also didn’t know why anyone liked her. At least not on land. She had admirers at home, but she was much more inspiring and intimidating there than she was here. Angry, sure, but relatively harmless in this form. She didn’t know what about her that made Steph tempted to kiss her, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. That human had multiple issues she would never understand.

“I haven’t liked anyone in the past,” Nereida found herself admitting without meaning to. She blamed her vile pink alcohol. “At least not in this sense,” she waved to the Valentine’s decorations. “So, those people are probably wasting their time, but I guess they can’t really help it. My friend, Ridley, would be a much more logical choice.”