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Lee Jeno is a dead man. At least, he’s about to be.
The steel toe of an old boot connects with one of the bars right in front of Jeno’s face. “Fuckin’ waste of effort,” the man slurs, spitting on the rotting wood as he flicks a few morsels of stale bread into the cell. “Dunno why we bother.”
It doesn’t matter. It’s not like Jeno is going to touch a single thing these sorry excuses for men shove his way. It’s partly out of principle and partly because he can’t fathom the diseases he’s already coming into contact with just by being in their vicinity. The lurching of the boat doesn’t help his queasy stomach either.
The vile pirate lands another wobbly kick at Jeno’s cell before seemingly growing bored. He stumbles over his own feet as he hobbles towards the hatch to the upper decks, and Jeno has to bite back a laugh that will only get him into more trouble.
When he’s finally left alone, he lets his shoulders slump, expression pinching at the wave of pain that washes over him.
Jeno refuses to show weakness in front of his captors, but it’s getting more and more difficult with every night that passes. His shaggy hair has grown greasy and matted, sticking unpleasantly to his forehead, but he barely has the energy to brush it back. The sight of his bony fingers curled around the bars frightens him. How has he gotten so thin?
The sound of crashing waves outside his dungeon cell suddenly dims. Jeno winces, placing his hands over his muffled ears as a sharp dizziness rips through his head. The muscles in his back spasm violently. He has just enough strength to draw his legs into his chest and slump against the filthy back wall before he can faint yet again.
There’s only one tiny porthole set into the damp wood wall, about as far away from his cell as possible. This part of the ship is entirely submerged, so the window doesn’t show much beyond the deep blue of shifting sea water. Still, Jeno is grateful to have any movement in sight to help lull him into a numb state.
He hasn’t slept in days, far too on edge in the hostile environment. It’s important to stay vigilant, to be able to spot any holes in the pirate crew’s inner workings. Even after all this time, Jeno hasn’t given up on the hope of rescue.
Letting his head roll back and forth on the wall behind him, rocked by the motion of the sea, Jeno stews in his thoughts.
As unpleasant as being held hostage is and as admittedly bleak as his fate looks, Jeno can’t bring himself to regret a thing. He knew the risks he was taking when he joined his ragtag crew of wannabe ocean vigilantes, and he accepted those dangers wholeheartedly.
Of course none of them expect their targets to take it well when they slash their nets and set free the tortured sea creatures imprisoned in the bowels of their foul ships. The conditions that merfolk, selkies, and other intelligent life are forced into have always revolted Jeno, that hatred only growing the more he immersed himself in the world of the open sea and the black market that festers beneath its depths.
Whether the pirates trap the creatures for profit, resources, trading, or simply for their own sick amusement, Jeno doesn’t care一he wants the disgusting men gone. Preferably painfully.
Their raids can go wrong at any time. It was merely bad luck that Jeno got snapped up by a sneaky underwater trap after freeing the rest of the ship’s haul. This must be a crew of poachers that they’ve hit before, since the pirates have clearly wisened up to their tactics.
Needless to say, they haven’t gone easy on him.
Jeno’s mouth twists into a frown. He scuffs his foot against the ground, lip curling in disgust at the scummy puddle of water collecting between the floorboards. Sure, he knew he ran the risk of capture at any moment and he’s relieved he at least managed to free the other creatures with his sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it.
The poachers have only kept him around this long in hopes of torturing information about his crew and their methods out of him, but they must be realizing that they aren’t and never will be getting anywhere.
Jeno isn’t snitching, and that marks him a dead man.
It probably won’t be long now. He almost welcomes the freedom at this point.
Eventually, the rocking of the ship soothes the edges of Jeno’s frayed mind. Even with the agony shooting through his bruised and battered limbs, exhaustion makes it easy for him to surrender to the sleep lurking on the tips of his eyelashes.
That is, until he hears a voice.
Sweet notes float through the thin walls and slip easily into Jeno’s restless dreams. The song is gentle, smooth, yet somehow rings out far above the roar of the creaking ship and frothing waves.
It’s all Jeno can hear. It’s all he wants to hear, limbs growing pleasantly heavy and calm. The haunting voice continues, flowing easily between impossibly high notes that shine clear as day and thicker, lower octaves that fill Jeno’s ears with honey.
Sticky sweet. Jeno can almost taste it on the back of his tongue.
He’s so preoccupied with the lovely song that he almost misses how the usual hoarse shouting and slurred insults of the crude pirates have completely faded away. An eerie silence skitters under the deafeningly beautiful voice.
If Jeno hadn’t picked up on the ominous feeling beforehand, he definitely notices when the ship makes a hard right.
The vessel groans her protests, a final warning to the foolish crew as she nearly capsizes in their haste. For the first time, Jeno finds solace in the metal bars caging him in, clinging to them as the unsteady ship thrashes in the bloodthirsty waves of the churning sea.
It doesn’t take long after the abrupt change in route for it to fully dawn on Jeno what’s happening here.
The wordless melody hasn’t relented for a second, but it’s easy for Jeno to push to the back of his awareness as panic grips his beaten body. The water visible from the submerged porthole is murky and violent, pitching the ship from side to side.
From this vantage point, it’s not hard to discern the dark shapes of jagged underwater rocks laying sweetly in their path.
“Fuck!” Jeno gasps, shaking at the bars. “No, no, I’ve got to get out of here!”
He cringes as a tell-tale splash shatters the night. Rattling his cell harder to no avail, his breathing only grows more frantic as more men silently plunge themselves into the depths of the ocean.
A horrible grinding sound bursts through the vessel. The excruciatingly high pitched scraping ricochets through Jeno’s head, almost drowning out the siren’s song.
One of Jeno’s hands grasps weakly at the delicate locket looped around his neck. He forces a trembling smile onto his face, pressing his lips to the charm before he bows his head and closes his eyes.
“Sorry, mom.”
His time is up. The ship has run aground.
He’s thrown to the side as the flimsy vessel buckles on herself. Gritting his teeth at the hot pain flaring through his injured shoulder, Jeno attempts to right himself and make a plan.
He can only imagine the gaping gash torn into the side of the ship. Judging on the volume of water already seeping into the prison chambers, it must be severe.
His breath rattles in his chest as he claws himself up to standing. The grimy sea water has risen to his ankles, pouring in at a rapid rate.
Jeno does not like his odds.
“Hey!” he hollers, driving his foot against the lock of his cell. “Forgetting something? Or are you bastards too goddamn horny to remember your poor hostage down here?!”
For as cheap as the pirates are and as poorly maintained as the rest of the ship seems to be, their prison cells are dishearteningly sturdy.
“This is really where your budget went?” Jeno grumbles to himself, still kicking with the last scraps of his scattered strength. “So fucking unfair. Maybe I wanted to be drowned all happy and brainless to the sound of pretty music too, ever think of that? Inconsiderate assholes didn’t even think to let me out and invite me to the party.”
Foamy sea water soaks Jeno to the waist now. Wheezing shallowly, he winds up one last time and slams himself against the bars.
They don’t budge.
“Damn,” Jeno pants, head lolling forward until his forehead is pressed to the bars. “I’m gonna lose my bet with Donghyuck. I really thought he’d die first.”
At least the singing is nice. Jeno hums along vaguely. Perhaps if he wasn’t restrained, he’d be joining the men throwing themselves over the railing.
The ship tilts dangerously, succumbing to her wounds. Jeno hums louder. Won’t be long now.
A body floats lazily past the porthole. His limbs are paralyzed and his eyes glassy, but the faint trail of bubbles still spurting from his unhinged jaw makes Jeno’s stomach turn.
Jeno doesn’t have the energy for last words or prayers. It’s too late to reminisce on his life, what he would do differently, what he treasured most. He has no space for fears of what’s to come or what judgement he may soon face.
Everything is just blissfully numb as he sways to the haunting melody.
Somehow, even after all his years out at sea, Jeno never expected his death would be by drowning.
Jeno spits in disgust as the salty sea water floods into his mouth. The rushing of the upset ocean sends another wave rolling into his face just as he takes a breath, making him splutter and gasp for air.
The low ceilings mean that Jeno doesn’t have far to float before he’s pressed up against the boards, desperately savoring this last pocket of air before the whole room officially goes under.
Sucking in one last breath, Jeno’s head tips back as he’s swallowed up by the sea.
Any further struggling will only waste the precious little oxygen cramped up in his body. It’s over.
Jeno has developed a rather large capacity to hold his breath since the majority of his missions involve diving deep underwater to sneakily cut nets, but the clock is ticking down fast. He can already feel his lungs burning, body impossibly weakened from the crew’s cruel treatment.
His eyelids begin to drift shut, muscles slackening. Gaze resting vacantly on the porthole opposite him, he allows his hazy eyes to unfocus. It would be so nice to just give up now and surrender to the pretty notes filtering into his submerged ears.
Jeno is so out of it that he nearly misses the flash of an eye from beyond the porthole.
But he definitely notices when the unnaturally vibrant irises cross his line of sight again, closer this time.
Someone’s watching him. The water-pruned flesh on the back of his neck prickles.
If Jeno’s eyes weren’t so fuzzy from the cloudy sea water, he might have been able to catch the bright turquoise tail thrashing curiously behind the intruder.
After a few beats, a dopey smile rises to Jeno’s face. He finds no reason to beg for help from the mysterious stranger, having already accepted his impending watery demise, but he can almost feel his mother’s phantom glare boring into the back of his head.
Weakly, he wriggles his fingers in an attempt at a wave hello. Or goodbye.
It’s rude not to greet a guest.
The newcomer tilts its head in amusement, beautiful blonde hair fanning out in the water around him.
A pretty smile peels its lips back, exposing rows of razor sharp teeth. It taps on the window once, twice, before the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood echoes dully through the water.
Jeno’s faint grin stays frozen on his face even as his consciousness drifts further from his grasp. When he blinks his bleary eyes back open, he’s met with a face just inches from his own, separated only by the bars of his cell.
Behind the strange creature, a massive hole tears the side of the ship wide open.
“Hi,” Jeno mumbles, figuring the remaining breath in his lungs isn’t going to do him any good anyways. And then, he squeaks out, “Pretty.” because, well. It’s true, and Jeno isn’t really in any position to care about his waterlogged brain-to-mouth filter.
Luckily, the creature still seems more intrigued than offended.
Even with his brain half-melted, Jeno can really see how pretty the stranger is, up this close. Its eyes are wide, full of wonder and thrill even as they glitter dangerously in the murky water.
The creature’s gaze darts to the metal bars, disdain tinging its expression. With a small huff, it effortlessly wrenches the bars apart.
If he had any breath left, Jeno might gasp at the easy display of strength. His mind is muddled enough, though, so he can only continue to smile aimlessly as the stranger swims closer.
The elegantly frilled edges of its tail brush against Jeno’s leg, making him shiver. His half-lidded eyes almost cross when the creature places two sharp-clawed fingers to his forehead, gently dragging them down the slope of his nose to rest on his lips.
The creature’s mouth doesn’t move, but Jeno understands the sentiment nonetheless.
Worry not.
The scraping burn in his lungs eases, though he can still feel the life draining away from him. Gently, the hand slides down to Jeno’s wrist. The hold is loose, like Jeno is fragile and might fall apart at the slightest sudden move, but it’s comforting.
Jeno can barely feel the swish of the sea water starting to move around him as he surrenders to the darkness at the edges of his vision.
⚓️
Jeno doesn’t expect to wake.
He definitely doesn’t expect to wake with a pair of lips pressed to his own.
Jeno jolts upright with long-delayed panic gripping his chest. He coughs violently, body wracking and convulsing as his lungs remember they aren’t supposed to have sea water in them.
When he’s finished throwing up the water still in his system, he gasps for air, wiping vaguely at his mouth.
“What...what happ一” Jeno’s jaw snaps shut as quickly as it had opened when he processes the sight meeting his eyes.
Nonchalantly sprawled out in front of him, lower half still submerged in the shallow water of the tide, basks a merman.
Or rather, judging on what Jeno had heard last night, a siren.
The siren is gorgeous, jaw sharp but cheeks rosy and gentle looking. Not a blonde hair is out of place on their head from where it curls down into their eyes. A band woven from seaweed runs across their forehead, and colorful little markings adorn their cheeks and arms. Jeno can even spot glimmering scales dotted high on their cheekbones and up by their temples.
Their ears are pointed at the tips and frilly like fins, with some sea-smoothed gems pressed into them. More seaborn jewelry in the form of beaded necklaces and bracelets decorate their slender body.
Water laps up against the beach. There’s a sharp drop-off right beyond the waterline, creating a deep pool for the siren to rest their tail. The vibrant turquoise scales catch the sunlight, shifting to a deep magenta when they move from side to side.
Jeno doesn’t think sirens care much for the silly human rules of gender, and he isn’t going to try his luck in asking.
“You…? You kissed me?” Jeno stammers, brain rewinding to how he woke up. He brings two fingers to his lips in awe, then presses both hands to his still heaving chest. “Wait. You saved me. Why?”
The siren is looking at him curiously, one hand propped underneath their chin. When they speak, their words are slow, careful, and a little rounded at the edges from their accent. “Should I not have?”
Their voice is just as sweet and clear as the melody Jeno had heard. It sends a shiver down his spine. It’s probably a pretty obvious sign of danger, but Jeno finds he doesn’t care.
“No! I-I mean, thank you!” Jeno amends, hands shaking by his heart. He doesn’t know why the creature is making him feel so damn flustered, but his gentlemanly instincts kick in before he can think about it. He thrusts a hand out, puffing up his chest with fake bravado. “My name is Jeno. Lee Jeno. It’s nice to meet you, even if the circumstances are um, unfortunate.”
The siren merely stares at the offered hand, puzzled.
Ah. Jeno awkwardly withdraws his arm. Cultural differences, and all.
“Renjun,” the siren chimes with amusement sparkling in their eyes. The name rolls beautifully off their tongue, a little trill accompanying the sound. “Nice...to meet you.”
“Ren...jun,” Jeno attempts to mimic. It takes him a few tries to get it right with his clumsy human tongue, but the siren’s laughter sounds like bells, so it’s really not all that bad.
Jeno pulls his knees up to his chest, drawing mindlessly into the sand below. Renjun has their eyes closed, relaxing against the beach and soaking up the sun.
Jeno has no idea why the siren is still hanging around. Did they save Jeno just to eat him later? That can’t be right, Renjun seems so nice!
Hm. Jeno frowns. Maybe Jaemin is right一he always says Jeno is too trusting for his own good.
However, Jeno would rather get his head literally bitten off than admit Jaemin is right on anything, so he decides to pry just a little. He’ll ease into it, of course.
“Aren’t sirens supposed to drown men?”
Languidly, Renjun blinks their eyes open. Their pupils are slitted like cat’s eyes, but the unnerving nature is oddly calming to Jeno. He’s always loved cats, after all.
Renjun beckons him closer, and he immediately complies. Sure, Renjun could probably rip his body open in one move, but a pretty face is a pretty face, and Jeno is maybe a little bit starstruck.
They lift one clawed finger to Jeno’s forehead, gingerly brushing his salt crusted hair away before stroking in soothing motions. The action comes across as surprisingly affectionate, even though it’s completely foreign to Jeno.
“Only the bad ones,” Renjun tilts their head. “You don’t seem bad.”
Oh.
Jeno would be lying if that didn’t make him glow with pride. He allows a tiny smile to rise to his face, monitoring Renjun’s reaction carefully. “I try my best.”
Renjun’s hand is still prodding around his face, as if the siren is fascinated by his human features. At one point, they strain down to poke curiously at Jeno’s feet, making him giggle at the sensation. He wiggles his toes one by one, impossibly endeared by how Renjun’s mouth forms a little ‘o’ in surprise. They clap their hands in delight at the show, and Jeno feels like he’s on top of the world.
Renjun winces when they straighten back up. From this position, Jeno can just make out a flash of silver on Renjun’s back.
When their laughter peters out, Jeno slowly raises his hands where Renjun can see them. “C-Can I?” His voice wobbles as he motions to Renjun’s back.
It’s a wonder that Renjun’s sharp teeth don’t bite clean through their lip when they nibble on it. After a moment of hesitation, they bare their back to Jeno.
Their muscles are tense, as if afraid of showing vulnerability around him. Without thinking, Jeno starts humming a soft tune to soothe them, and their shoulders slowly relax.
There’s a swatch of barbed wire snarled in the tender flesh of Renjun’s side. The wound is shallow enough to not hinder Renjun’s swimming, but it still can’t be comfortable. It’s in a place that must have been difficult for Renjun to reach by themself.
Anger bubbles at the tips of Jeno’s fingers at the thought of someone doing this to the sweet siren. Renjun must be able to sense the shift in atmosphere, because they try to turn around in worry. Jeno puts his rage on the back-burner, not wanting to upset the sensitive creature further.
“Easy, easy,” Jeno says under his breath, gingerly peeling the wire away from Renjun’s injured skin. He’s had far too much experience freeing ensnared creatures. At least the extensive practice comes in handy when it comes to removing barbed netting as painlessly as possible.
In fact, maybe he has even saved Renjun once upon a time. He likes to think he would have remembered such a pretty face, though.
“There!” Jeno sits back, flinging the offending piece of wire far away. “Feel better?”
Renjun turns around with a smile that should be frightening. It looks too relieved and brilliantly bright to be scary, even with all their sharp teeth, so Jeno just smiles back.
Renjun grabs Jeno’s hand, yanking him close and pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. Jeno’s cheeks flame red at the sudden move. Is this another piece of siren culture he doesn’t understand?
“See?” Renjun dots another kiss to his nose before Jeno can blink. They sit back as if satisfied with their work. “You are not bad.”
They share shy smiles, enjoying the moment. Jeno’s stomach, unfortunately, breaks the comfortable silence with a loud rumble, reminding him of how weak and malnourished he is.
“Ah, sorry about that. Hostage situation, and all. They didn’t exactly serve gourmet meals.” Jeno waves it off, unsure if Renjun even knows what a gourmet meal is. Oh well. It’s not a big deal.
At least, he doesn’t think he said anything wrong, but a pensive frown twists up on Renjun’s face. Without another word, they turn and dive back into the water.
“Wait, Renjun!” Jeno cries, rocketing up onto wobbly legs. The exhaustion in his body sends him crashing right back down again, but he drags himself closer to the water’s edge regardless. Frantically, his eyes search the depths below, seized by panic of an intensity he didn’t anticipate.
He didn’t think he’d be so afraid to lose Renjun.
Suddenly, a few yards out, a beautiful tail emerges from the rippling surface. The tail smacks down against the water, sending up a spray of droplets that enchants Jeno.
With just a few more swishes of their tail, Renjun’s head pops back up. They’re grinning as they shake their hair away from their eyes. They have something cupped in their hands, but pause when they notice the distraught look on Jeno’s face.
“You...o-okay?” Renjun’s eyebrows furrow in concern, scanning Jeno’s body for injuries. When they find none, they turn their curious gaze on their surroundings, looking for a threat.
“You scared me!” Jeno blurts, “I thought I offended you! I-I thought you left!”
“Oh. No, not leaving.” Renjun’s wide eyes blink slowly. Without further ado, they open their hands and let a pile of round objects cascade to the sand.
Before Jeno’s brain kicks back into gear, they grab one of the objects, slam it against a nearby rock, and dig into it with their thumbs. After splitting the oyster open with ease, they offer it proudly to Jeno.
“Snack?” Renjun questions when Jeno merely stares blankly at the offering. Their face falls at the perceived rejection. “Hungry, yes?...No?”
Renjun’s gaze drops in embarrassment, pretty lips pressing into a pout. Their shoulders shrink, their whole demeanor growing small and timid like a kicked puppy. The sadness on Renjun’s face jolts Jeno from his stupor, and he snatches the oyster out of Renjun’s hand, tears the meat from it, and downs it in one gulp.
It’s salty and kind of gross in a slimy way, but it’s the most he’s had to eat in ages and God, when Renjun looks at him with those eyes there’s just no way he can say no.
Sailors always warn of a siren’s haunting song, but no one ever mentions the pleading eyes and soft pouts that are just as dangerous, if not more.
Jeno pushes the next cracked open oyster back to Renjun, who luckily takes it as an invitation instead of a rejection. They quietly enjoy their meal together. Jeno dips his toes into the frigid water. In return for letting them poke at him, Renjun lets him run his fingers over their tail.
“I wish we could stay like this,” Jeno admits. “I know we can’t, but this is just...nice. I don’t really know where to go from here.”
Renjun shuffles closer. They loop their arms around Jeno’s waist and rest their head on his shoulder. Fascinated, Jeno watches the gills on their neck flex.
“They’re close,” Renjun sighs, words lilting with a bittersweet tone. “Worry not, Jeno.”
Jeno loves the way Renjun says his name. Before he has time to pick apart Renjun’s carefully chosen words, he spots a shape on the horizon. Renjun can certainly feel his muscles go rigid underneath them, but Jeno doesn’t move out of their grasp.
“Is that一my ship?!” Jeno gasps.
Renjun nods their head against the crook of Jeno’s neck. Absentmindedly, Jeno brings his hands to run through their blonde hair. It’s soft, even after years of living in the salty sea water.
“Renjun...did you? Did you find them for me?”
Jeno holds his breath. Renjun hesitates before nodding again. Their tail flicks anxiously in the water.
“Thank you. Thank you, truly. How can I ever repay you?” Jeno holds back tears as the sight of his ship grows closer. He’s equally emotional at the reunion awaiting him aboard and the inevitable goodbye he’s going to face.
“Keep going,” Renjun says softly. They gesture shyly to their tail, then to their back. “Keep helping, yes? Thank you.”
Jeno’s breath hitches. He really must have saved Renjun at some point in their travels.
“Of course. For you, anything.” Jeno promises. He can’t stop the tears from welling up in his eyes as Renjun’s fingertips skim his face again, tracing his features reverently. They wipe curiously at what seems to be sea water leaking from the human’s eyes.
“W-Will I see you again?” Jeno croaks. His voice wavers on the dangerous words, like he’s afraid of the answer he’ll receive if he sends them out into the world.
Renjun hums thoughtfully. They pull back just enough to remove one of the beaded necklaces from around their neck. At the end of the chain dangles a gorgeous iridescent shell.
Raising it to their lips, Renjun blows into the open end of the shell. A rich, low sound vibrates in the air around them. Pleased, Renjun stops and taps the object again for emphasis.
They grab Jeno’s hand and press the necklace into it, curling his fingers protectively over the shell. When Jeno’s gaze darts to their face, they’re looking up at him with fond eyes.
“You call, I’ll hear you.”
Eyes brimming with tears again, Jeno can only nod furiously and allow Renjun to place the necklace around his neck. The ship is looming ever closer, so Renjun takes his hand and begins leading him out as far as they can so his crew doesn’t have to sail too close to the dangerously rocky shore.
“Wait!” Jeno gasps, nearly dropping Renjun’s hand as he whirls to face them in the water. Renjun’s head cocks to the side, watching him intently. Jeno’s hands are trembling, but he’s still able to unclasp his locket and loop it around the siren’s pretty neck.
“I have something of yours, and now you have something of mine,” Jeno pants. “It一It doesn’t emit any magical noise if you blow on it, unfortunately, but there’s a picture of me and my mother inside, so. It might be nice to remember me by? Yeah. Um, you know where to find me anyways, if you want to see me. Big ship and all. I’ll...I’ll be there. Waiting.”
Renjun giggles brightly at Jeno’s rambling. No matter how embarrassed he is, it’s more than worth it to hear them laugh.
“Thank you,” they say delicately, “I love it.”
Jeno can almost make out the vague shapes of Mark and Donghyuck on the upper deck by now. Mark is steering the ship, as any good captain does. Donghyuck is probably slinging curse words and crude gestures Jeno’s way, as he does. Good God.
Jeno is just glad he hasn’t lost their bet yet.
Renjun’s grip on his hand slackens. Jeno doesn’t want to let go, not when Renjun looks so damn sad, but they both know they can’t avoid it any longer.
It’s time for goodbye.
A smaller boat dispatches from the side of the ship to go collect Jeno. Letting their linked hands drop, Jeno only makes it two more steps into the ocean before he turns around again.
“Wait!” He shouts again. Renjun just looks amused, lifting one brow.
Jeno throws himself forward and presses his lips to Renjun’s, savoring the taste of sea water and sunshine. There’s a faint yelling coming from the little boat rocketing towards them, but the sound is drowned out by Jeno’s blood rushing in his ears.
He pulls back after a moment, satisfied at the blue-green blush rising to Renjun’s cheeks. “Sorry. Forgot something,” he grins.
“Silly.” Renjun rolls their eyes affectionately. Biting their lip, they raise their shiny new locket with a meaningful look.
Jeno raises his own souvenir as well, understanding the reluctance to say a true goodbye. With a final nod, Renjun sinks below the surface.
Jeno stares after the siren for just a moment before trudging on towards the boat. He doesn’t get too far before a shimmering tail bursts forth from the surface, sending a wave of water rolling against the side of the boat.
Jeno grins as he watches the flamboyant display. He gives Renjun one last wave, curls his hand around the shell resting over his heart, and clambers into the boat with one hell of a story to share.