First sketch + a first-meeting chapter
For organization purposes I'll tag this duo as Cara and Jacob.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cara woke up to her alcove’s darkness, hearing bubbles and the seals outside. There was no land, no clouds, no sun — and much less the man she had seen on the shoreline.
Something in her spell backfired. The mermaid gave themselves days and miles of distance since they met, yet they were still bound.
When she slept, the shape of Jacob would press his throat against her and hum a sailor’s tune. Where merfolk notes were clear and loud, his’ you’d feel through skin, closed lips, and guttural sounds.
The elders gave an unexpected, hearty laugh as she conveyed the dream, “We’ll let you figure this one out, Cara.”
She didn't find the courage to describe the lullaby — A song about a good catch, fruits like gemstones, and flowers to garnish one’s hair.
"Here is a warning, though. A lead." Old Merv said, still playful, "You're sharing mind currents and the human knows. For once, you're on the receiving end. How does it feel?"
To that, the mermaid momentarily lost her voice.
She also kept the part where she’d curl up under the shade of the brow bone and lashes, lazily stroking the man's cheekbones until he’d doze off.
More days passed, and they could not slumber without hooking onto each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(as always, please nudge me if you find any glaring mistakes or misplaced words/idioms! I'm writing those as fast as I can, plus I'm doing some ambitious stuff like trying to use lots of maritime/fishing vocabulary... while trying not to sound too overdone, tiresome or corny.)
I'd also like to recommend @aaytaro-gt 's G/T Inktober! Today's theme is 'cuddle' ♥ Go check their post if you're curious, the prompts are lovely.
kianamaiart
gummygunk
origamiaround
