Brian
It was yet another night for the Half Sunken Inn, and it was always at night that the inns seemed to get a little more rowdy. Drinks were flowing, slurred speech was yelled between friends and random people that didn't like one another, and music weaved its way in the air from somewhere that was out of sight. Or at least, out of sight for a particular mermaid. Naidi had never been to the inn before. She knew it was a popular spot to hang out with others, but with her much more isolated life, she didn't know what it was like going out with friends to drink. She had also never been drinking before. 

Today, she was going to change that!

Seeing as she lived quite a bit away from the inn, Naidi had ridden Strider, her hippocampus and left him nearby with snacks. She wasn't cruel enough to leave him by his lonesome for an hour or two. Though, she doubted that she was going to be in there that long. As a result of riding her underwater companion, she was naturally drenched in water, but she was at least covered, and she surely wasn't going to be the only merfolk in there that looked a little out of water. Plus, if they hosted merfolk, it was bound to be slightly wet at all times. Wringing out her hair of as much water as she could, she waved goodbye to Strider before heading in properly, choosing to drink in the un-sunken part of the ship.

_ _
The smell of alcohol was what had gotten to her first, a surprisingly poignant scent that smacked her in the nose. Her head reeled back in surprise, followed by a blink of her eyes as she quickly glanced around. Inns seemed to be those places where everyone was in tight knit groups, and so it felt strange being the only person by themself. Regardless, she continued on to the front of the bar, looking curiously at everything in front of her.

The bartender seemed rather intrigued at the young mermaid's appearance, after all, someone who looked like her didn't seem like the type to frequent an inn. Regardless, he was happy to serve someone who would help to pay his wages.

"Uhm..." Naidi began.* "I'll just take a random drink. And bread." *A short and sweet order. Though, why bread?*

As she waited for her random drink, there was another short glance around. All of the groups that were drinking here had taken all of the booths and semi closed off seating, so the only spots left were the barstools at the bar. Naidi took a few cursory glances around to make sure that no one was perhaps waiting to use these stools before sitting herself right in the middle. Way to make herself stand out.
Shannon
Within all of the buildings in the world, Aspeth could think of no place she loved being in than a random inn late at night. Workers and adventurers would always pile in to drink themselves into a stupor, and she would always be there to collect the coin that they were so kind to split with. She would always show at the end of the work week, where people were most excited to spend what coin they could on entertainment, the workers were always the easiest targets, yet never held enough coin on their own. That was where the adventurers came in. She would always aim for the ones that looked exhausted. Of course, Aspeth was no worker of the fine establishment, but instead a regular who had quite the deal with the owner.

Aspeth moved between the members of the crowd with a sense of grace that only a sober mind would have, yet the half empty tankard in her hand would have one believing quite the opposite. As she moved, she seemed to bump into a few individuals, exclaiming a friendly greeting as her hands sunk into their pockets and pouches for the treasures that lay within. Aspeth was a shockingly beautiful individual, her hair seemed to flow even without a breeze, bright blue eyes almost seemed to shine within the candle light, and the smile on her face seemed so genuine, one would struggle not to let their guard down around her. Yet the cutlass hanging from her hip, and the two flintlocks across her chest certainly gave her an air of danger.
.

Yet those she spoke with, almost seemed to ignore the weaponry. How odd.

Laughter escaped the woman as she pushed away from a man, landing herself at the bar. Her hand slapped down as she pushed a few coins towards the bartender, watching as he swiped the coins away before she leaned against the bar to find her next target. Whilst she might have believed pickpocketing was a bit beneath her, she could not deny the hidden trove of gold that was within a few of these individuals pouches. 

Soon enough, her eyes wandered over to a rather young man who seemed to be with the crew of a merchant ship. She could tell he was either the son of a sailor, or maybe just a new recruit who was down on his luck. But she needed to wait until he was a few drinks in, which meant she would need to stall at the bar.

She couldn't deny the hint of excitement that entered her eyes at the thought. The bar was always where the most miserable and interesting individuals hid away. From the common mourning widow, to the rare raging wizard. The bar always had something she was looking for, and she certainly didn't have to look long.

A blue tinted girl sat within the middle of the bar? Oh, she simply *Had* To see where this would go. Leaving the tankard on the bar, Aspeth allowed the easy smile to appear on her face. If one had a keen eye, they might notice the hint of smoke escaping out of the corner of her smile, and the half full tankard suddenly becoming empty as the bartender placed it below. 

With a small thud from the wood, Aspeth was leaning against the bar, taking a moment to look the blue girl up and down before speaking. "Ya know, ya look mighty familiar to me. You been stuck in the tropics before?"

She certainly had quite an upbeat tone.
Brian
The bread appeared first in front of her. Hastily thrown into a small basket where a few small rolls of bread, not fresh, but certainly far from stale. An acceptable state, Naidi had thought, considering it was the end of the day, and they certainly weren't going to start making bread in the middle of the night. Though, now she was wondering if she should have ordered some better food. Regardless, Naidi reached into her own gold pouch to put her coins on the bar for the tender to take. He gave an appreciative smile to the mermaid, who gave a simple smile back in return. She wasn't aware that she had paid a little more than she had to.

To tide her over until the bartender was done tending to other patrons to make her mystery drink, Naidi slowly snacked on her bread while glancing around. It was fascinating being able to see so many different types of people all gathered in one place. Perhaps not the best of places to gather, and definitely not the best types of people, but it certainly showed a part of life that Naidi was certainly more naive to. But naive she would be no longer. After all, she was an adult, she could go wherever she pleased! Though, maybe revisiting an inn isn't high up on her list of priorities. 

While it was indeed an oddly comfortable place to be in, with the low lighting and the music playing just loud enough in the background, she could tell she didn't quite fit in. But that was fine, she wouldn't worry herself too much with the other people around her. She was just here to give drinking a try for the first time.

_ _
In the middle of chewing through another bread roll, Naidi caught a figure in the corner of her eye that seemed to be facing her. With how caught up she was in her small people watching session, it would have been easy to sneak up on her. Hence, the surprised tone of voice she replied with.

"Oh- me?" She asked, eyebrows raising slightly. "Well, I suppose so, yeah. Very easy getting lost around those parts. Why, you seen any strange mermaids about?" Curiosity began to replace the surprise in her voice.

Now having had the time to actually look at the person who had struck up a conversation with her, there was certainly a lot to take in. The weaponry on her person, the kind smile on her face, the casual way she brought up conversation like they've known each other before, when Naidi knew for a fact they hadn't. Perhaps this inn visit wouldn't be as plain as grabbing a drink and heading out.
Shannon
A huff of amusement escaped at the first question, her grin seemed to stay even as she spoke. "Who else? Ain't many others round the bar. But aye, seen a few mermaids, was locked in a cell with one a while back. A fearful girl, but she held her own well enough." Aspeth let the possibilities of why she was in a cell linger in the air before she moved on.

"But don't see too many of youse above the water, though..." She pondered for a moment, recalling a few memories before continuing. "Spose the inn is famous enough for it." It made sense the more she thought about it, the city was well known for being both above and underwater, so it made sense that one of the few establishments that combined both aspects would have members from each side meeting in the middle.

Waving her hand as if to dispel the thoughts, Aspeth leaned forward, resting on her arms. "So, what's yer story? Ya some sad sop looking to forget a bad day?" At first glance, Aspeth didn't believe the woman to be a worker of some sorts, at least not a worker at the docks. Though a sailor was definitely a possibility. She knew that some captains specifically sought out merfolk for their abilities within the water. She had firsthand experience with having to work in the water without a merfolk to assist, it certainly wasn't fun.
.

"Maybe just someone looking for work?" Aspeth knew that plenty of less than savoury dealings were done within the shadows of this inn. Admittedly it was a fairly popular place, which meant that it was constantly full of noise and drunk individuals.

What place would be better to exchange a bit of bloody coin? 

Though, it would likely be poorly of her if she was going to ask a thousand questions and not allow the woman to get a few of her own in. Clearing her throat, she gestured for the bartender to approach, and soon enough she had a small bottle in front of her. It was a simple amber bottle, and Aspeth was quick to bring it up to her lips, savouring the beverage. It was truly a tragedy that these were so unpopular due to the minty aftertaste. She thought it was a fine complement to the texture, and actually enhanced the flavour of it. At least it meant the actual price of the drink was rather low. A good taste for a quarter of the good it should truly cost.

As she removed her hat to place it upon the counter, she took a moment to shake her hair free of itself as she got comfortable in her seat.
Brian
At the question of who else the pirate could have been referring to, Naidi glanced to her left and right, even though she knew that there was no one else sat at the bar with her. "...Okay, fair enough." She smiled.

Her hand reached down for another bread roll as the other individual continued talking, eyes focused and full of intrigue. After all, you don't casually bring up being locked up in a cell of all things when introducing yourself. Or maybe you do. It does very quickly highlight what type of person you could be talking to. Perhaps at that point, there should have been some alarm bells ringing in Naidi's head, but her curiosity overrode her caution.

"Well, you'll find more of us around here, the Isles are a nice place to live." She replied, taking another bite of her bread, then gently pushing the bowl between them, a silent invitation to share, should the pirate wish to.

There was a short laugh at being called a sad sop, but the question did make Naidi think. Was she here for anything other than to just try drinking? The question of looking for work did strike a particular thought. Now that she had left home, she would have to find some form of getting money for herself. Granted, she knew her father would be more than happy to provide for her, should she be desperate enough, but having her own means of work would be nice.

_ _
"Mmm, nothing as grandiose, or as miserable as that." Naidi began, a small laugh escaping her lips while watching the pirate tousle her hair. "I just simply wanted to try drinking for the first time. Kinda realised that I can do whatever I want, and this was the first thing I decided to go off and do." There was a brief pause. "Hmm, perhaps a little miserable then." She joked.

Naidi eyed the bottled beverage Aspeth had begun drinking from, curious to its contents. She was beginning to realise she was completely oblivious to all the types of alcohol that she could have just ordered, and was silently praying it wouldn't be all that bad. 

"But what about yourself? I've never properly had a chance to hang out with anyone that wasn't merfolk. Cons of living underwater, heh. We're so far removed from the rest of the world too, so what brings you around over here?"

Shortly after the pirate's drink had been put down, Naidi's drink was also placed in front of her. The only reason she knew it was there was because of the sound of the thud of the cup onto the bar, as she was still facing Aspeth. She didn't immediately turn to try it, simply as she wanted to converse a little more, but there was also a little nervousness in her system. Not enough to turn her way, but enough to want to delay the inevitable a little longer.
Shannon
"Bloody right about that. Isles are a gorgeous place to live. If ya can handle the rough seas." A snicker escaped her as she took one of the bread rolls. She gave a nod of appreciation as she bit into the object. It would have been fantastic with some butter, but she wasn't going to complain about free food.

Aspeth was rather surprised to hear it was the girl's first time drinking, she had the thought that nearly everyone in the Isles had their first sip of liquor at quite an early age. A small huff of amusement escaped her as Naidi spoke about her grand revelation of being able to do as she wishes. "We're all a little miserable, but that comes with freedom, don't it?"

Freedom was a grand thing for Aspeth, it let her get out of her home, escape from the city she had been born in, and start a life on the seas. She had been through quite a few jobs on various ships, and after the last one had been sunk, she finally believed it time to get together her own crew. Suffice to say, the prisoners she had been with were a decent start, but she was still waiting on getting a proper ship. She knew exactly the kind she wanted.
.

"Oh, little ol' me? Well, I've come here to meet all the darlings of the land, shake hands with the rich and maybe get out in the sun and brown my skin a little more." She didn't mention how she planned to rob half the rich in the city. "Least, that was the original plan, didn't come here on my own terms, so I'm simply making do with what I can. Been doing damn well with my cards, I think." Aspeth flashed a wink as she laughed once more.

Now, Aspeth wouldn't deny that the Isles were a beautiful place, but the areas she had been in at first had certainly given her a sour taste of the land. Ugly buildings and ugly people. It was such a shame that such a land was plagued by such an area. She supposed that all lands must have such a place, to throw the vermin they do not care for.

"But, back to yerself now. Just a little miserable, aye? Must say you've got some good luck on ya side then. Most people turning to the drink for the first time are always running scared from something, or just trying to drown out a couple thoughts." It was rather nice to see something actually wanting to try out such a beverage for once, and on their own terms. She knew plenty of sailors had been pressured into trying out a disgusting sour drink as their first.

"So, what did ya get then? Just a bit of ale?"
Brian
Freedom. Something Naidi had only really began to come to terms with the fact that she had that. It was a strange thing to have, to no longer be under the watch of someone, to not have to follow someone's advice to a T, to be in charge of her own course of action. But that came with its cons. Naidi certainly had the freedom to go out and drink if she wanted, but what of the consequences later? She was certain she wasn't going to be one to have to fall to the clutches of alcohol when in at her lows, but there was always a 'what if' to be considered. But Naidi wasn't one to think of the consequences in the moment, that would ruin the fun of trying things just to try them. 

"Well, if a little misery is the price I have to pay for freedom, then I can afford that." Naidi laughed.

She had finally turned to address her drink while listening to Aspeth, inspecting the liquid inside. It was a light golden colour, and the mermaid briefly leaned in to sniff it. It was a faint scent of sweet that immediately struck her as a little odd. The bartender, having made a somewhat fair judgement of Naidi, had tried to be considerate and provided her with a drink that might have been more palatable to someone who hadn't perhaps drank before. Unbeknownst to her, she had been poured a generous helping of honey mead. Having made an initial inspection, Naidi picked up the tankard, not drinking from it yet, so as to reply.

_ _ 
"Not on your own terms?" Naidi repeated, slight surprise in her tone. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it here even if you hadn't intended to. Honestly, it sounds like you're having more fun than me." A smile grew on her face at the wink. The pirate was certainly a fun conversation partner. 

Naidi seemed a little confused at why she would be lucky to have her first drink in the manner that she was. "Well, a girl's gotta have a little misery in her life, otherwise I probably wouldn't be here in the first place. Builds character and all." Naidi let out a small chuckle before looking back into her cup. "I... Have no clue what I asked for. It smells kinda sweet though? May as well give it a try though, huh." The mermaid briefly held up her tankard. "Bottoms up!"

Finally bringing the drink to her lips, the first thing that hit her was the sweetness. It wasn't severely so, just a moderate amount that would appease anyone with more of a sweet tooth than Naidi had. She had taken a good first gulp of the drink, briefly wrinkling up her nose at the sweet taste. There was a strange dryness to it too, but Naidi couldn't complain about that. "Hurhg-"
Shannon
Aspeth gave a nod at the little comment. Misery for freedom was a price that was worth paying every day. She'd rather be miserable from her own choices than stuck in a house miserable because of someone else. But for Aspeth, the ocean was where freedom truly was. Laws and rules were mostly disregarded out in the open ocean, and with no one to witness a thousand things, who could tell what would happen to the poor merchant vessel that decided to go unguarded? Well, Aspeth certainly knew what would happen, the people would be fine and sent on their way. Their cargo, however, would be taken into fairer hands.

"Not having fun here, are ya? Can help you change that if you're interested. Though, depends on what you actually find fun." Aspeth had quite a few ideas of getting into trouble that would create quite the excitable night. From starting a fight, to simply stealing a random ship's cargo without them realizing. Erasil above, getting into trouble with the local guard would be a grand time to have.

Unfortunately, she knew that not everyone found that fun.

Now, Aspeth got to enjoy the sight of someone tasting their first drink. From the description of the smell, seemed like she was getting it on easily. Which was good! She'd rather see someone actually have the chance to enjoy it than be given something that tasted like the bottom of one's boot. "Well, what do ya think? Like it?"
.

Aspeth had a grin on her face the entire time, it was particularly cheeky. A plan was forming inside her brain as she looked out into the crowd for a moment. Plenty of drunken oafs without a care for their coin in the moment, and a partner in crime was definitely useful when she needed to attract the attention of a few of the bastards.

Aspeth was definitely not above recruiting a stranger she had just met to perform a decent bit of crime, but she should *At least* Give the girl some information about herself, just in case the guard did manage to catch up to them.

"I am just realizing I never asked for your name. Should probably give you mine as well." Turning towards the mermaid properly, she flashed a grin as her eyes seemed to glow. There was no mistaking the bit of smoke that escaped her mouth as she gave a short bow, her hair seeming to wave in a non existent breeze. "I am Aspeth Sariel. She-Devil of the Seas. Pleasure to meet ya."
Brian
Naidi looked intrigued at Aspeth's offer for a fun time. She was more interested in what the pirate found to be fun, after all. Like most individuals, Naidi had a few, perhaps stereotypical ideas of what an individual involved with piracy would enjoy, but she was always happy to keep an open mind for others. It'd be rude to assume the worst, after all. 

"Honestly, just being able to swim around freely is great. Especially diving down deep into the ocean. All kinds of strange things down there, like myself." She laughed. "I don't do much stuff on land. Should maybe change that, huh?"

In between talking, Naidi went for another sip. The sweetness wasn't abhorrent, and it made the drink easier to stomach. The mermaid could imagine there were certainly worse drinks to have been had. "Hmm?" She quickly looked back to Aspeth. "Oh, well, it's quite nice to be fair. I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, but this drink isn't all that sweet. And kinda dry. How is a drink supposed to be dry?" Naidi giggled. "You can try some if you'd like." She continued, putting the tankard down and pushing it between them, then took a bread roll to snack on.

_ _
The alcohol was slowly making its way into her system. Naidi, because she had never drank before, was most certainly a lightweight. Nothing was happening just yet, but she could tell *Something* Would happen eventually. Or at least that was what she knew would happen from other accounts from friends who had drank before. 

Or maybe it had kicked in way sooner than she had realised. The smoke slowly pouring out of the pirate's mouth as she bowed immediately caught her off guard, eyes wide and eyebrows raised in curiosity and confusion at the sudden, slightly haunting, image of Aspeth. But haunting in a good way.

"I- W-Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too!" Naidi had decided to not address the smoke just yet. "Aspeth's a lovely name. I'm Naidi Wa'anar, fancy title pending." She laughed, but immediately after there was a small hum of thought. "Well, actually, someone called me an accursed mermaid one time, so that'll be my title!" 

Perhaps a little strange to embrace, but Naidi saw her curse as just another part of herself. Why not embrace it?
Shannon
"Oh, swimming, huh? Swimming is pretty grand. Never went deep diving myself, ain't exactly easy with all the merfolk and... Well, I ain't exactly got a pair of gills." She gestured to her neck, where there was obviously not a set of gills for her to breath with. She had heard over a thousand stories about the beauty of the deep sea, but perhaps it was one of those places that she was never meant to see in her lifetime.

"Ya should *Definitely* Change that. Plenty to do up here. Ever seen a travelling circus? Good bit of fun, and if you're lucky, there'll always be an accident to happen. Usually to one of the clown bastards, but it always provides a damn good laugh." She would always remember her first time within a circus. One of the clowns had fallen into a barrel and couldn't get out. Aspeth had almost passed out with laughter that day.

Though, she had no clue if a circus was ever even going to be in the Riable Isles, with how far out it was, it made sense that most circuses wouldn't want to be bothered with making the journey out to such a remote location, even if it was the city.

As the drink was offered, Aspeth gave a grin as she reached out. "Offering a lady a drink? Well, I can only respond in kind." With her free hand, she pushed her own drink forward for the girl to try if she wished. Aspeth wasn't sure if she'd enjoy the strong minty taste, but it was certainly worth a shot. As she took a sip, she was quick to return to the conversation. "No clue how they make the drinks dry, but there's some that burn your lips but run smooth down your throat. Odd texture, that's for sure, but it's nice after a long day."

As she placed the drink down, she took a moment to enjoy the taste. A sweet ale was something to be treasured and enjoyed. It wasn't long before she slid the tankard back to the woman.

"Naidi Wa'anar, the Accursed Mermaid. You certainly have one interesting name." A soft laugh escaped her as the smoke slowly vanished. "Now, a title like that certainly comes with a story. So, out with it. I want to hear all about that." Those that were labelled accursed always had the most interesting stories to tell.

With how many people had cursed her name, Aspeth was sure that she would garner such a title in her elder years. In the years that she had been travelling, an accursed individual was always a joy to meet, they always managed to shock and awe with their mystical arts, or even their simple stories of how their life has been lived.
Brian
Naidi frowned a little bit at the fact that Aspeth hadn't had a chance to deep dive before. Perhaps when she got a better grasp of her magic with water, making an air bubble would be easier and she'd be able to sustain it long enough to get all the way down there. But then again, was it safe for anyone who wasn't accustomed to such a long dive? Her frown turned into a slight pout. "Mmm, well I shall change that! The diving part, not the no gills part-" She said with a small giggle.

Another thoughtful expression set itself on her face at the thought of a circus. She had always heard of them, but never had the fortune to go see one, even if there were any that happened underwater. In fact, there were a lot of things that seemed to happen above water that she had never really exposed herself to. And that was just within the Isles. Should she leave home, just what would she find out there? Would she ever leave home? 

"Well, unless you count clownfish as clowns, nope." Naidi gave a small snicker at her very poor joke.

The mermaid hadn't expected Aspeth to offer her drink in return. Quickly scoffing down the rest of her bread roll, she picked up the drink, peering down the bottle at the liquid. She couldn't tell its colour, but she could tell it would be far different from her drink. Naidi, not letting her slight apprehension get the better of her, picked up the bottle and took a swig. Her eyes squinted slightly at the mint, it was certainly an acquired taste. Did she dislike it? No. But did she like it? Also no. It was tolerable.

_ _
"Whoa- that is *Strong*." Naidi blinked a few times, the taste lingering in her mouth. Now she was somewhat glad she had her mystery drink. "And it seems you like mint, huh?" She gave a weak laugh at that.

With the drink returned to their respective owners, Naidi took another sip from her tankard. "Story?" She hummed, thinking about it. "Well, my dad's cursed, all the males in his family are cursed, I'm the only female with the curse so far." Naidi began with a very casual tone of voice. It didn't seem like anything special with her. "Dad was cool with it, mom, not so much. My shapeshifting ability is the cursed part of me, so instead of the pretty merfolk tails and all that you see, I look a good bit different. I've heard someone call me a monster once, which, ow." There was a short pouty frown on her face. "But I mean, if you've never seen someone like me before, what else are you gonna think?" She shrugged, taking another drink.

"Maybe if you ever get to swimming around here, I'll show ya?" Her smile started to return with the question. "But you have to promise, no judging."
Shannon
"Hah! Gonna change it yourself then? Well, I'll happily wait to see how that turns out." Being offered a chance to see the deep by a merfolk? Well, she just had to take the chance for what it was. She knew that plenty of them lived in the deep ocean, so it was truly her best shot. Maybe she could find a boat or something that was able to go underwater. Some sort of ancient mythical enchantment sort of thing that parents would tell their kids to put them to sleep.

"Clownfish?" Aspeth hummed in thought for a moment, before a massive grin appeared. "Get enough of them, a few squid, maybe a shark and you've basically got the fish equivalent of a circus!" She happily followed along with her own horrible joke.

Aspeth watched as Naidi took a sip from the bottle, laughing at the scrunched eyes and verbal reaction. "Aye, quite a strong one that one. I do like a good bit of mint in a drink, makes it go down a bit easier. Though, don't think many share that view." Most couldn't get over the overpowering taste and scent. "Might be best to wash it down with some bread and a bit of your own drink, otherwise the taste will stick to ya teeth for a hot minute. I doubt you'll want that."

.

The taste sticking to the teeth was also something people found unpleasant, but she didn't really care for it. In fact, she found it was actually rather useful to keep herself at a slow pace when drinking. 

As the story began to be told, Aspeth listened with rapt attention and her grin never once leaving her face. "All the males? I'm imagining that's alot of people." She had no clue if she was right, but might as well make the assumption. "So, what I'm getting from this, is that you're a special lass in your family." Aspeth always did love taking the positives from a situation. A hum escaped the pirate as she thought about just *What* The girl could look like. Her mind went through just about every possible option that she could imagine, but her true reaction would have to be revealed when she actually saw such a transformation. "Still, I'd have thrown that guy into the ocean, ain't no one calling me ugly." Not with her pride.

"Know what. Think I'll take you up on that. But don't you worry, I ain't gonna judge purely on looks." A complete lie, she judged on looks often. But she had been talking with this girl for a fair bit, couldn't be *That* Bad.
Brian
Her snicker grew into a proper laugh at the pirate adding onto her joke. A travelling misfit group of aquatic animals trying to entertain the merfolk of Riable Isles? As ridiculous as it sounded, Naidi would pay to see it. It'd either be a disaster or the most well coordinated group of animals in the world, and both sounded entertaining in their own ways.

"But hey, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to help you out." Naidi began. "If I better hang of my magic, it shouldn't take too much to focus on keeping an air bubble around your head." In the mermaid's mind, she was already set on trying to make this a reality. Being able to be the person who could introduce someone to the wonders of the Eternal Ocean would be such an honour to her.

Slowly chewing her way through the bread certainly helped dissipate the taste of mint in her mouth. With the time quickly passing them by, the alcohol was making its way into her system. Naidi was rather quickly approaching that point of tipsy delight that came with drinking. She was absolutely one of those individuals that had a single drink and was probably an emotional drunk, as Aspeth was unfortunately going to be a victim to.

_ _
 "Pshh, I sure don't feel special." The pout seemed to return to her face again, though it did seem a little more sad. "It's all well and good that my dad saw a good side to it too, but it still hurts when you're not properly accepted by everyone, yknow?" In her bout of upsetness, she reached for her tankard again, finishing the drink in a few more sips. The sweetness was beginning to grow on her, alongside the pleasant buzz in her head. 

"Gods, I really should'a dragged that guy into the water with me!" There was a brief slam of her tankard back onto the bar. "Mmm, but then I suppose I'd *Actually* Be a monster then... But he still kinda deserved it." A small giggle escaped her lips at imagining the poor sod down in the water with her. He would not have had a good time.

Her brief bout of sadness was quickly lifted with Aspeth saying she wouldn't judge. That was all she ever wanted, for people not to judge her. "Oooo, I'll show ya on our way out. No point making you wait for forever and a half when we're always surrounded by water, haha!"
Shannon
"Oh? Ya got some magic of your own? I'd love to hear bout that now." Magic was *Always* A fun thing to learn about. Aspeth had taught herself her own magic, mostly by spying on various merchants and stealing a few spell books when they weren't looking, but the methods didn't matter when she was her own teacher.

With another sip of her drink, she thought about mentioning her own bit of magic to the girl. After a moment of pondering, she eventually gaave a shrug to herself and began to speak. "Ya know, I actually got some magic myself. Never went to one of those fancy wizard academies, but it's still damn impressive." 

Aspeth watched as the pout returned, her eyebrow perking upwards as she listened whilst the girl drank away her sorrows. "Oh, darling, trust me. I know exactly what it feels like to not be accepted. Might not be in a similar way to yourself, but my parents weren't so understanding about what I made of my life." She could already begin to hear the slurring within the girl's voice. She was quite keen to join her, and grasped onto her bottle. She quickly sculled the rest as she slammed the bottle down, coughing from the taste.
.

Quickly shaking her head to get the taste out of her throat as best she could, she laughed at the brief mention. "Who cares about being an actual monster? If people are gonna scream when they see you, give 'em a real reason to be scared!" She had no clue *Why* The man should have been dragged into the water, but she definitely agreed!

Pushing the bottle away, she brushed her tongue against the front of her teeth. That harsh mint taste was sticking to them, and there wasn't much that she could do about it. Still, it felt nice. The mint made her teeth feel oddly fresh, yet numb at the same time. She imagined how horrible it would be to eat some fruit in the moment.

It was good to see a hint of joy reappear in the girl's tone. "Know what? Sure! A fresh swim in some saltwater would do wonders for a cold night like this." The water was bound to be freezing cold, and likely pitch black. Who knows what would be hiding beneath the murky waves.

How exciting.
Brian
"Yeah, that's fair. I never went to any fancy school, but I learnt a good bit when I was a kid. Would you be at all surprised to hear that the magic I learnt was to control water?" Naidi chuckled. "Kinda comes naturally to merfolk, wouldn't ya know? But hey, *Not* Going to any sort of school for magic but still learning it yourself is way more than impressive! I'd like to hear about that." She was doing a good job of not slurring her words together too much, but it was certainly present in her voice.

Munching on the last of their bread rolls, Naidi continued. "Meh, parents don't seem to know much at all, do they? So much for being the adults in our lives." Naidi seemed a little less pouty now, but there was still a look of hurt on her face. "I'm glad I moved out, but as much as I would bicker with them, it's a strange new part of my life to come to terms with. I'm certainly happier though, don't get me wrong. I can imagine the look on my mom's face if she saw me drinking today!"

She was a little quiet, contemplating if she really should give people a reason to be scared of her. She didn't want people to judge her, to say that she was a monster... But if that was all they were going to accept her as, perhaps then it would be a little deserved. But Naidi hadn't been pushed to that brink yet, and she hoped she would never have to. 

Regardless, all of those trains of thoughts were all halted as Aspeth agreed. "Woo! You gonna get another drink before heading out?" Naidi finished off her bread roll. She would have considered another drink herself, but the bread was doing a good job of keeping her full and she had told herself only one drink tonight. She wasn't drunk enough to go against her word.
Shannon
"Then we're the same there!" Fancy schools were the most obvious scam. Why would one ever need to go learn from an ancient man when all the knowledge was easily found in the markets. Sure, there were definitely some spells that would never be found in a tome, but there was enough to be satisfied. "Not surprised about the water magic, but I know a bit of that as well! Pretty much just the basics, I tried learning it to make my ship go faster... Didn't really work out."

A huff of laughter escaped her at the words as she gave a nod. "Parents are old. They take all their damned advice from when they were kids." Sure, sometimes the advice was actually decent, but most of the time it was complete bullshit. "I ran away myself. Haven't seen 'em in years." She wasn't going to admit that she did miss them from time to time. She had an image to uphold damnit! "Hah! Well, drink up and maybe she'll see you dancing on the street!"

Aspeth stood up as Naidi finished off her breadroll. "Nah, can always come back. Need to pace myself or I'm going to wake up in the streets again." With how muddy her hair got last time, she was *Not* Allowing that.

"So, what's the plan for it? We gonna find a lil private spot on a beach or just jumping off the docks?" She assumed thaat Naidi would want this little transformation to be private, but with the alcohol in her mind, she just had to make sure. At least on the beach she could hide all her gear and valuables, make sure it wouldn't be nicked by some bastard passing by.
Brian
"Well hey, you'd need more wind in your sails to sail faster, not more water, silly." She was not at all sure if she was correct, but it made more sense than more water. "Not that I can help with that, all I know is splishy splash and zappy zap." The mermaid held up a hand as a small zap of electricity zapped between her fingertips, a childish grin on her face as she showed off her new magic to Aspeth. "Granted, I'm not good with zappy zap yet." She put her hands down shortly after, not wanting to accidentally shock anyone.

"Pffft- No one wants to see me dance, let alone my mother. I have two left feet *And* Two left fins." Naidi snorted in amusement at her own lack of dancing skill. "It sure is nice being away from their constant watch, can't wait to see what I'll be like years from now." Was she going to end up like Aspeth? Perhaps not, they were entirely different people, but who knows.

"Oh goodness, yeah no we're not having you doing any of that." She replied, talking with a little bit of food in her mouth but she was done herself, getting up from the bar. Naidi was already thinking of how she was going to show Aspeth her curse. She had put Strider, her hippocampus, a little walk away from the inn, in a little corner that was concealed from most people's view. "Well it would be pretty funny to just jump off into the water, but nahhh, we gotta go get my horse. ...Water horse, should clarify." She giggled. She was a fairly giggly drunk too.

Leading the way out of the inn, the mermaid turned to the pirate with curiosity in her eyes. "Though, I gotta ask, what do you think I'd look like?"
Shannon
"Well, I get that, but I what I was trying to do was just ride around on a giant wave." It had been an aamazing idea! A giant wave would have easily been able to carry the boat around the world, and it would have been a lot faster than just relying on the wind! Aspeth took a moment to watch the small display of power. "That's still damn impressive! All I know is splish splash, fwoosh and-" She just herself off as she leaned back, and a second Aspeth had appeared behind her! "Confusion." As she leaned back into her original position, the mirror image seemed to vanish behind her.

"Oh, come on now. Surely it can't be *That* Bad. I'll teach you a thing or two if I need to." Giggles escaped as she thought about it, Aspeth wasn't exactly a ballroom dancer now, all she really knew were a few decent jigs. "I'm sure you'll find a good place in the world away from them." She certainly had, and she wouldn't mind helping someone else find their spot.

Laughing as she followed the girl out of the inn, she shook her head. "A water horse? Sounds fun." She had absolutely no clue what it was, but she had a fairly good idea that it was in the water. She pondered for a moment, wondering if she should get one of the creatures for herself, it would certainly be useful for getting around when she didn't wish to use her ship. "You giggle alot." She laughed as she spoke, she couldn't help it.

As she was questioned, a hum escaped her. "Well, from what I'm thinking, I'm imagining... Something massive. Like, maybe round ten feet tall? Your arms are definitely going to turn to giant crab claws. Both your legs will turn into, I think individual tails, and you'll gain like six bony fins on your back. Your eyes are gonna turn into squid tentacles and... I dunno, you get a second mouth?" She certainly had quite the imagination for such a thing.
Brian
"Ohhhh! A big wave *Would* Be sick! Maybe if you got a buncha merfolk to try pushing your ship, it'd work, but you'd need a good few, heh." Naidi replied, trying to imagine what that would be like. She could see about five or six merfolk being enough for a trick like that, if they were well versed with their magic. She was about to talk again when the mirror image of Aspeth appeared, stunning her into awed silence. "Whoaaaa- that's so cool! Man, I want a second me!"

The mermaid giggled as well at the offer of impromtu dance lessons. Certainly not a priority for hers to get any dance skills, but it would be fun. Perhaps whenever they next meet one another. "Oh, I plan on making a good place for myself!" Naidi cheered, fists up in the air in her enthusiasm. 

Her enthusiasm went up a notch at Aspeth's interest in her hippocampus. "He is nice! His name's Strider, I've been riding him since I was way younger. Mom was the one who got me into riding lessons, so she did one thing great. He'd like to meet you!" 

A loud snort replied to Aspeth's guesses, followed by a hearty laugh. "Gods, if I looked like that, I think I'd deserve the title of monster. Now I feel like you're gonna be let down." Naidi laughed, running her fingers through her hair and looking out to the water. As much fun as she had on land, the ocean was always going to be home, and she would always enjoy it more down there. The walk wasn't too far, as she didn't want to take a long walk back to Strider if she had gotten herself truly hammered, and as a bonus, Aspeth didn't have to wander too far off with her. 

As they got closer to the little beach she had placed Strider in, the hippocampus' head popped out of the water, giving his rider a loud snort of a greeting, turning his head to the stranger beside her. "Hi Striderrrr!! We're gonna go home in a bit, don't worryyyy!" Naidi yelled back, then turned to Aspeth again. "No judging, right?" She repeated, squinting a little bit, but in a joking manner.
Shannon
"I would, but then I'd have to go find a bunch of merfolk who had nothing better to do than push a boat around." Most people would likely find it a degrading sort of job. She thought it would be incredible, being able to show off their magic as well as swim all day. What merfolk wouldn't love that? Aspeth laughed at the reaction to her mirror image. "A second me is certainly very useful!" Being able to confuse people when she was running, fighting, or even just gambling was a great skill to have.

"Great to hear it!" Finding one's place in the world was an odd thing to find. There were times where Aspeth still wondered if she was in the right place. Being a pirate wasn't exactly what most people had as a dream, yet here she found herself.

Aspeth was unable to hide the interest in her eyes as she heard the name. Most people named pets after something that related to them. So to receive the name of Strider? Aspeth could only imagine it was one fast creature. "Well, I'd like to meet him then? But guess we can thank your mom for the lessons then!"

"Aw, c'mon! You don't look like that?" A teasing pout was on her face, though it was soon washed away as she laughed. Who knew if she would be let down, though she was excited to find out. As the hippocampus stuck it's head out the water, the grin on her face widened. "Hello there, mister man!" She waved towards the beast, taking a moment to look over it. It had some beautiful scales. It waws the first time she had seen such a creature, so she was certainly going to take the time to memorize it's apperance, just in case.

As she was asked the question, Aspeth fell into a tense silence, taking the moment to stare into Naidi's eyes. She let the silence sit for a few seconds before snorting as she began to snicker. She wasn't able to keep that little joke up. "Aye aye, no judging at all." As her little fit of laughter escaped, she returned her gaze to Naidi with her usual grin.
Brian
"Yeah, fair." Naidi chuckled. She couldn't think of too many people that would be willing to give up that much of their day for something like that. But, if asked, she would probably do it for a day or two, it seemed like a silly but fun way to spend a few hours out at sea. "Maybe I should get myself a second me, I could get so much stuff done faster."

"Yeah! You can get up close to him if you want, he doesn't bite. But if he doesn't like you, he'll probably just snort some water at you at most, and it's hard for him to not like people." The mermaid laughed a little, recalling the last time he had tried something like that. Strider, at the greeting given to him, neighed in response. 

Now that they were at the beach, the water rushed forward to their feet before slowly retreating. Naidi hadn't noticed the water at her feet as she continued her squint off with Aspeth. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she wasn't going to lose! The snort from the pirate set her off into a laugh, and she was pretty sure she lost with a blink, but who cares? "Pfft, okay, good. You can pat Strider if you'd like, he's kinda wet but besides that, he's a good hippocampus." She offered, taking a few steps into the water backwards, so that she could still see Aspeth.
Althea
Before the mermaid had even fully submerged herself into the water, silver-y scales grew along her arms, starting from her fingertips and crawling up her skin, the light of the moon reflecting off of them. Naidi continued walking into the ocean, wading in until her feet could no longer feel the ocean's floor. Her shapeshifting skill began to take full effect, with her legs merging together into a tail, like many other mermaids. But, with her head and torso above water, Aspeth could see the full effect of the change. 

The bright white and blue of her eyes were replaced in their entirety with solid inky blank. The silver scales grew up along her torso, underneath the clothes she had worn that day (she was sure to keep her pants close to the ocean floor near her, you can't wear pants with a tail), reaching up to her chest and shoulders, as well as her face. Her hair had the biggest change, surprisingly enough. The voluptuous black curls and braids she took meticulous care of changed into the tendrils of a jellyfish, a dirty, brick red in colour, resting against her back. They looked more menacing in the water, truth be told. 

She looked nothing like the person Aspeth had been conversing with all day. The only way she would have known was from her voice.

"Hi?" She gave a wave with one of her manoeuvrable tendrils, another strange feature of her curse. Strider didn't seem to give a care in the world about the strange mermaid, having been used to her peculiar shapeshifting curse. If he was getting pats from Aspeth, he would be far more interested in that.
Shannon
"If ya can find out how to make a mirror image pick something up, ya best tell me right away." That had always been a detrimental issue with her mirror image. It was never able to pick anything up. She couldn't use it to sucker punch a bastard, to pickpocket someone, or even to just bring up some food onto her ship. Truly, it was a devastating drawback of having such a power.

"Glad to hear it!" Aspeth was quick to get up as close as she could to the creature, without falling into the water. She flashed the animal a friendly smile and gave it a small wave, before moving her hand up to give him a few pats. It was a strange feeling, especially when she had it in mind that the creature would still feel like a regular horse.

Though, as the water came up, Aspeth was quick to throw her boots off to get them onto the dry sand. She was *Not* Going to be spending another night draining them of water, and then having to dry them in the sun. It was way too much effort, and was simply easier to get rid of them. After making sure that her belongings were safely tucked away in pockets, she also tossed her coat over to lay next to her boots, just to be safe. Her white shirt likely wouldn't stand up to much more of the tides, but she could have cared less for that article of clothing, it wasnt' expensive and was rather easy to replace.

.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she began to witness the transformation. Her attention practically snapped back to Naidi as she watched her body shift. The scales were so strange to watch, growing atop the skin in an instant. Yet she couldn't deny there was a strange beauty to them as they reflected the moon's light. She watched as the tail was slowly formed, and moved through the water. Even after witnessing it, she'd struggle to describe it in a tale. Now she understood why so many sailor's stories were sparce with details. How can you describe something you only saw once?

The change in the eyes caught her gaze for sometime, there was something about the inky black pupils that simply stole her gaze and held it for a moment. Maybe it was the reflection of what was around, or the strange similarity to staring into the deep ocean. Whatever it was, Aspeth had no clue. She was quick to change her attention to the hair as it flopped behind the girl, such a strange violent colour.

Then, the mermaid spoke, and Aspeth was silent, simply staring for a minute or two before she uttered out a word. "Uh... Hi?"

She was quick to shake her head to get some sanity back in her. "Sorry, I just... Well, despite my best efforts, couldn't help but stare for a moment." She let out a nervous laugh, doing her best not to make the scenario as awkward as it seemed in her head. "I 'spose I can say that it certainly wasn't anywhere near what I imagined."
Althea
Strider noticed the pirate's attempts at keeping away from the water, and so with his front legs he clambered onto the shore a little more. Of course, with the other half of his body being a tail, he couldn't get further on land, but perhaps it would be more helpful for the human. Strider is a very considerate hippocampus. After all, if he was going to get pats out of it, all the more reason to make it easier.

Naidi's mind as she transformed was all over the place. She was intensely watching Aspeth's reaction, trying to see if there was any look of fear or disgust in her face. That was what she was expecting, for the promise to be broken. It would have hurt if she broke it, but that was what Naidi was bracing herself for. However, the expression that Aspeth carried on her face wasn't anything she could decipher in that moment. 

Their awkward moment of silence was cut off by Naidi's burst of giggles. She wasn't expecting there to be straight up silence, and the alcohol was still in her system, making everything seem a little funnier than it was.

"Heh, hi!" That cheerful ring to her voice was returning. "Well, I don't blame you for staring. I'd probably do it too." Naidi joked, splashing some water with her arms just to give her something to do. "It's not... Bad, is it?"
Shannon
For Aspeth, there wasn't a hint of fear or disgust in her eyes. There was, however, curiosity. As the Strider made it's way further onto shore, Aspeth continued the pats as her eyes took in each and every detail of the transformation. It felt like each time she looked back at something she had already seen, there waws something brand new about it. How strange.

"I mean... Ya'd terrify the shit out of a drunken sailor, but it isn't really *That* Bad. Much better than what I was imagining, that's for sure." She could easily imagine a sailor spotting such a thing in the water and making quite the tall tale from the single sighting. Aspeth's grin did come back to her face from the sound of laughter from Naidi. Seemed like things were still in good spirits.

"Your hair. Those are from those... Stinging bastards down low, right? Do they actually sting?" Now she was getting much more interested. She had plenty of questions to ask, and she wasn't going to hold back at all.

"And your eyes... Wow..." Inky mirrors were the best she could use to describe them. Oddly beautiful. If there was ever a gem found at the bottom of the ocean, that was how she imagined it would look like.
Althea
"That's what *I'm* Saying!" Naidi replied, glad to hear someone say it wasn't as weird as it seemed. Sure, it wasn't perfectly normal, but it was just who she was! "I guess it's just cause everyone thinks mermaids are all pretty, so when you see something that doesn't fit the mould, it's cleeeeearly something different. At least you're more open minded than others." But perhaps that was only because Aspeth had a chance to know her before seeing the shapeshift. 

At the mention of her hair, Naidi looked back, the tendrils making up her hair flowing a little in the breeze that passed them by. "Oh, yeah! You mean jellyfish, right?" Naidi asked, then lifted up all four of the manoeuvrable tendrils that also stung, should she actually touch Aspeth. "It's more dangerous if you're actually in the water with me, cause they'll just float in any direction and you can get zapped, or if you get too close and I zap you with one of these that I can move. I think it's cool though, I've got built in defences for anyone I don't like!" 

There was a short, bashful laugh at the comment of her eyes. Oftentimes, that was the thing that scared people about her the most. To not be able to see anything in her eyes, anything human that they could identify from them, most people probably wouldn't find that appealing. "Heh, certainly a better reaction than other people give when they see them." She laughed, swimming closer to the shore so she could sit on the sand next to Aspeth.

"...It's nice not being judged." Naidi commented, splashing the fins of her tail in the water. There was a big smile on her face as she talked.
Shannon
Aspeth was quite happy that Naidi seemed to agree with her. Seemed like she had chosen the right thing to say. "I think ya got it there. Every story I heard was praising mermaids about their beauty and with all the yabbos around, probably think you're something ready to drag them right into the murky depths." She could definitely see such a thing dragging her down. Though, that vision was a bit muddled now cause all she could imagine was the giggles coming from it.

"They're called jellyfish? Think so, I ain't sure what they be called." She gave a shrug as she tried her best to take a closer look. She didn't want to be flopping into the water now and getting stung. "Having a defense just in your hair must be *So* Useful. I've had plenty of times where I wished I had a little extra on me, just ready to go." Stinging hair was definitely something new in her life. It was a fun little thought. Maybe she could fancy an illusion from such a devious little thing. It would certainly freak plenty of people out.

She couldn't help but grin at the comment. "Well, guess I'm a bit better than most others." Laughter escaping as she watched the girl approach to take a seat next to her. She watched as light seemed to dance off of the scales, shining into the water around them.

It was nice to see a smile on the girl's face. "Glad I could give you the moment then." The words brought a grin to her own face. She took a moment to lean back, placing her hands on the sand and looking up to the sky. The tips of her hair was long enough to start getting soaked by the ocean's waves.
Althea
"Hmm... I hope there haven't been any stories about me floating around-" Naidi contemplated. She didn't imagine that the few people she spooked would have blabbed about it, but perhaps they did. Oh dear. The mermaid decided to cast that thought from her mind.

"Yep! Jellyfish is their name. They're quite majestic in the water though, they just float around and look rather peaceful. My hair does look a lot cooler in the water than it does just limp when in the air." She chuckled. Perhaps if she figured out how to bring Aspeth underwater with her, she could show her what jellyfish were like, and the proper majesty, or horror, of her shapeshift. For a moment, she pondered just how much of the ocean Aspeth, or people in general, were aware of. It made her realise that people wouldn't have had as close a relationship with the creatures in the sea, which is a little sad. Now she *Has* To figure out how to get the pirate down there with her!

Naidi let the peaceful silence wash them over as she looked up to the stars that were beginning to make themselves known in the night sky. The constant back and forth of the waves were a comforting white noise to her ears. Honestly, she could have sat like that for a good while, but she was aware that Strider was probably raring to go home, and that Aspeth probably should have been heading off. "Oh! Goodness, I've kept you here a while, huh? I'll probably have to get going soon, Strider needs some food and I imagine you'd want a comfortable place to sleep for the night that isn't the sand, heh. It's been really nice talking with you, Aspeth." Naidi gave a big smile to her friend beside her.
Shannon
"There probably are a few. But I doubt most will believe them." New tales were always taken with a grain of salt. After all, plenty had tried to use such tales to inspire hunters to seek out these sorts of creatures, only to find themselves in an ambush. She knew it personally.

"Jellyfish. They sound... Delicious?" What kind of person named a fish after a type of rich food? How strange. "I can imagine when it's flowing around it's much nicer looking." She joined in the laughter. Perhaps one day she'd be able to see such a sight. Maybe she'd be lucky enough to just see a jellyfish herself one day. Bah, thoughts for later on. She could travel the sea whenever she felt like it, and she was going to explore the surface until there wasn't a single drop left to explore. She'd find a way to get down there no matter what, be it with magic or something else. Besides, it seemed like she had a new companion that would be rather useful in exploring it with her.

"Ah, it's been that long already?" She did not have a pocketwatch, but instead looked up at the moon to try and get an idea of the time. Of course, she had no clue about the exact time. All she knew was that late, and the stars were beginning to appear. "Should probably get myself to a bed." She had to agree that sleeping on the sand again was not a comforting idea. "It was a bloody good time. Not had a decent conversation in a long while, so I appreciate it. You ever decide to go drinking again, make sure to invite me." She let out a laugh as she grinned at the mermaid, taking a moment to stand and stretch her arms. She made sure to give Strider one final pat.
Althea
"Hhhhh. Well, at least it won't get too far out there, I suppose." She smiled. It was nice being able to find positives out of the more gloomy situations. Though, now a part of her was curious as to how she was portrayed by others. A monster, yes, but what *About* Her made her a monster? Morbid curiosity is a fascinating thing.

Naidi let out a loud snort at the mention of jellyfish being delicious of all things, which let out into a small fit of giggles. "Oh... Delicious!" She repeated with a particularly strong laugh that made her double over for a moment as she visualised it. "Hahah! Gods no, they're anything but, but I can see why you'd think that. Hah!" The fit of giggles took a minute to die down. Now that was all she was going to be able to think of if she ever swam past a swarm of jellyfish. "You better not think of trying to eat me!"

While she didn't want to say goodbye just yet, Naidi was happy to be leaving someone on a good note for once. "Yeah, I've had fun too! I've really needed this, heh. And of course! You'll be first on my list for invites." They didn't need to talk about the fact that the list only had one person on it as of now. Strider snorted cheerfully at the last few pats, he has deemed this stranger as a new friend in his mind. Meanwhile, Naidi had shuffled over to let Strider off of his lead so that they could prepare to swim off soon.

"I look forward to seeing ya around the Isle some more, Aspeth." She finished off, though she had planned to say more, if Strider wasn't being impatient and already turned tail to begin swimming away. Naidi couldn't blame him, he had been hitched up for a while. "Oh gods- time to catch up to him- it's a very abrupt bye but bye!! It's been really fun!!" The mermaid gave a very rushed, but enthusiastic wave before diving down into the water, her fin kicking up out of the water, reflecting against the moonlight for one last time before it sank down with her.
Shannon
"Ah, don't pull my leg now! You cannot be telling me that a *Jelly*Fish isn't good food. After some of the horrid muck I've seen dredged up onto a fisher's boat, a jellyfish sound like it would be a delicacy." She wasn't going to go out of her way to find one to eat, especially not after hearing Naidi say they weren't even tasty. She'd trust someone's word about such a thing when they had likely lived in such an area. At the shout, a grin appeared on her face as she clacked her teeth together, mimicking a bite. "Ain't promising nothing now."

Aspeth grinned, she'd accept such an invite any day. It was always good to have a common drinking buddy, especially within the Isle. This had been quite a pleasant night, and with the trouble she planned to get up to in the morning, she had most certainly needed a nice calm night to prepare. Life was likely going to throw some unexpected things at her, so it was good to relax whilst she could.

The pirate couldn't help but laugh as Naidi was forced to rush to catch up to Strider. "Take care of yourself now!" She waved as she collected her items, and began to walk away from the beach. The moon was still high within the sky, but she needed to find a bed to crash into. She had completely forgotten about her original pickpocket target, but she had already taken a decent amount of wages for the night.

She'd be getting more the next day either way.
Amber
Yes yes! This was a great first rp for Naidi! Tysm!!