Chapter Text
The sun hit Ink’s face as she stared across the horizon, waiting for the wave she wanted. She glared back at the glare of the bright, shining star, ignoring the dark shadows below that freaked her out.
“Well, here we are folks, less than two minutes until the competition’s over. Will our very own queen of the waves-“ Ink rolled her eyes- “find a suitable wave?” The announcer’s voice came across the ocean.
Ink narrowed her eyes, sighing and answering the call on her watch. Geno and Reaper popped up on the watch’s screen.
“Well, will she?” Geno grinned, like a goddamn nerd, a twinkle in her one visible eye.
Ink looked away from the screen, looking up to the wave. She smiled, mischievously. “You’ll have to find out with the rest of them, Geno.”
“Ah, that means you’ve found one?” Reaper retorted.
“Perhaps.” Ink smirked, hanging up and paddling out more on her surfboard.
Ink got picked up by a wave, quickly. She pushed herself up, grinning, and the wind blowing through her hair. She quickly stood up, getting hit by a small spray of salty ocean water.
“There she goes, folks!”
She turned into the wave.
She got hit with more water, enjoying the feeling.
“Woah, are you seeing this?”
Ink focused on the wave.
“Ink’s hair is… turning rainbow?”
Ink lost her focus. She looked at her bangs, getting sucked into the vortex in the middle of the wave.
They were rainbow.
“Woah- I gotta get a look at that crazy hair!”
Oh god, oh fuck.
Ink had a decision to make. To finish the competition and be faced by people asking her what the hell happened to her hair, or wipe out.
Ink dove off the board.
“What a wipe-out!”
Ink’s board floated to the surface. Ink did not. She stayed down for a few moments longer, considering what just happened. She pulled a few strands of her hair forward.
It was rainbow. Or, at least some of it.
“Ink, you need to come with me.”
Ink looked up. What was that voice- such a sweet, kind of sultry one- and where was it coming from?
Ink stared into a (very beautiful) lady’s eyes. They were face-to-face.
Ink gasped, then covered her mouth. The lady (a cecaelia? Was that the term for an octopus mermaid?) rolled her brilliant, dark purple eyes.
“You can breathe underwater, princess. Come with me, Ink.” She offered a hand. “Your people need you.”
Ink panicked. She swam to the surface, gasping for air and grabbing her board. Geno and Reaper swam up to her.
“Yo, Ink, are you okay?” Geno tilted her head.
“Yeah, you were down there for like, a long time?”
Ink took a few breaths. “I... think I need to talk to someone.”