Chapter Text
Another night shift, it’s a boring old routine for the weekends, but it pulls in enough cash.
Lenore tossed the fishing net back into the sea and sighed, she should probably get to it, stalling her night job wasn’t going to pay the bills. Lenore, clad in a hoodie with her family's brand logo on it and some overly baggy pants (It was cold out, sue her), was ready for another night of horrors. Well, they didn’t get to her much anymore, you get used to sea monsters and how to avoid aggravating them after a while. She much prefers this over being put back on sleep cure as her mother suggested, but the damn that nightly fog got on her nerves, and almost killed her more times than she cared to admit.
After all, what kind of fisher wouldn’t be annoyed by the random rocks that seemed to appear out of nowhere at night… not to mention the mutations the fish seemed to develop. Those creepy twins that buy fish from her enjoy them like that though, so it was easy to get used to how deranged the fish looked.
She took out her fishing rod and went to her favorite spot for those deformed fish. Merry and Mourn had insisted she brought more mutated catches so that’s what she’ll do goddamn it, they give her double the cash when she does. There was only one problem however—
“Handsome fisherman! How are you tonight, did you miss me?”, its voice rang through the silent fog, a sweet but strangely disoriented one. It came from the rocks that were a good distance away from her as usual. Its voice was almost hypnotic really, even from such a distance, any normal man would have jumped overboard by now she suspects.
Lenore pointedly ignored the voice, as she was instructed to by Duke and Pluto, both of them supposedly lost a friend to a mermaid once, though she didn’t believe them until she happened to encounter one. Could you blame her? The people in the area were a bit strange, though she has nothing against those two in particular. Duke and Pluto were lovely people to get to know after she found their late friend Berenice’s pearl necklace on an island that was previously abandoned. (For good reason, monsters lived in its waters) Finding the necklace that day was very bittersweet, Pluto talked about her frequently and even showed Lenore pictures of the girl after all, her disappearance and assumed death had to have been devastating.
They continuously warned Lenore about talking to “sea women”, it kept them chasing after you or something along those lines if you entertained their attempts at conversation. Well, she assumed that’s what called to her in the distance anyway, she could never quite see what was actually calling to her among the rocks, stupid fog.
Not that it mattered much, that is, no human sits on rocks in the middle of the night and shouts anything other than pleas for help. She was about to start putting earbuds in to drown out that thing's voice but she quickly remembered leaving said earbuds at home this time, a very stupid mistake on her part.
Lenore still held strong however, consistently reeling in the mutated fish she needed. Every time she happened to struggle all Lenore would hear was “ooo~”s and “Need help over there~?” from her most likely not human audience. Ignoring that thing was becoming increasingly more difficult, but the fish were uniformly biting so she had that going for her. She chose to ignore how the fish seemed to get consistently more grotesque the more she did so however, how did those twins get around to actually eating these things? She didn’t even want to know what’s in the water that’s making them this way.
As she fished, every so often the voice would call out to her, though the calls sounded slightly frustrated, most likely since they were only met with silence. Something in her gut made her feel bad, perhaps it was just social pressure that was making her want to respond to it, but she knew better than to mess with the creatures in the area.
It was just so desperate however that she couldn’t help but send guilty glances in the direction of the voice. Did it perhaps only want to talk? Was it lonely? Lenore had a need to please others, but it wasn’t human so she didn’t owe it anything. It was probably just like most creatures in the area.
Lenore was hauling one of her last (and largest) catches onto the boat when the voice spoke again.
“Please, fisherman, won’t you spare a moment and look my way?” The voice was a bit closer now, the tone more insistent and tinged with a hint of desperation, she could hear the sound of something dipping into the water in the distance. Lenore froze for a moment, it had never moved before.
“I know you hear me fisherman, you’ve forgotten those annoying little earbuds of yours.”, the voice sent a shiver down her spine with how low it was, it was far closer than before and certainly no longer on those rocks.
Lenore looked behind her and on the sides of the boat, and found nothing suspicious beneath the water, somehow that only worsened her nerves. The fact that this thing could hide itself so well in the water without making a single ripple was horrifying. Lenore decided that this was a better time than ever to leave, and quickly started up her boat again. To her relief, unlike horror movies her boat didn’t suddenly stop functioning.
“You’re really such a frustrating man…”, Lenore looked back at where the voice came from, somehow finding humor in what was supposed to be a heavily scary situation.
She was quickly departing the area, but still spared a moment to call out to it as she left, "I'm a woman, liefje . Have a lovely night.” However, she did not receive a response to that, just dead silence.
It was oh so chatty earlier…perhaps it wasn’t into women?
The last couple of days had been a bit strange, though they always were when the night fog went on throughout the day as well. Though the weirdness she was used to happened at sea, not when she got back to port.
There recently had been a woman who wandered on the docks who seemed to have come from nowhere, feeding some of the stray cats pieces of fish. Lenore didn’t mind this of course, the woman was simply feeding cats but she was convinced now that the cats were just an excuse to be on the docks.
The woman, whom Lenore hadn’t properly introduced herself to yet, looked at her strangely when she would get back with the fish she had caught. The way the woman waved at her every time Lenore could make out her features in the dense fog came out more as her demanding attention rather than saying hello.
Lenore of course still waved back however, and she always smiled as if her day was made.
But really, who was Lenore to complain at the end of the day? If anything she should be celebrating, from what Lenore could tell the mystery girl was absolutely gorgeous. Lenore swore she would have been in heaven if a girl that pretty gave her the attention back home.
Although it was a bit different while she was out in Nevermore, most of the citizens were beyond creepy, sometimes the old men in the area made her want to take her chances with the local sea life.
Speaking of which, Lenore was returning after having caught a supposedly “special” jellyfish in her net, she had been looking for it for weeks by now and her buyers promised a large sum of money. She swore those twins were making drugs with these things or something with the amount of sea life they demand each week.
Lenore quickly pulled into the dock and got out of the boat, she was just trying to tie her boat to the dock before she was scared shitless by a hand touching her shoulder. It was freezing even through her clothes.
She of course quickly turned around and was met by piercing pink eyes. It was, to Lenore’s relief, just the beautiful woman from before, but it still startled her.
Lenore glanced around awkwardly for a moment before letting out a fake cough, no one was around, as far as she could see past the thick fog that is. “Ahem, hello there, can I help you?”
The woman's eyes bore into Lenore's, almost as if searching for something, it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Until she seemed to realize that her behavior was strange and snapped out of it. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry for startling you," the woman said softly, her voice rather gentle and carried an accent.
She desperately looked around, eyes landing on the jellyfish, and quickly started up the conversation again. “I just couldn't help but notice your beautiful catch of the day is all. You’re quite talented to find something like that.”
Lenore was taken aback by the sudden intrusion and the woman's intense gaze, but she quickly composed herself and offered a polite smile. “Thank you,” she replied, gesturing towards the jellyfish in her net. “It was a stroke of luck, really. My buyers have been desperate to get their hands on it.”
The woman chuckled softly, a playful glint in her eyes as she leaned in closer to inspect the jellyfish.
“Oh, I bet they have, this particular type is quite stubborn and hardly comes up from the sea floor at all.” Lenore raised an eyebrow at the woman's comment, squinting.
“You seem to know a lot about this jellyfish. Are you a marine biologist? I heard there are a few in the area.”
“Oh hardly, I'm just used to the sea life in the area. One does pick up a few things during their travels, you of all people should understand.”
Lenore felt a flicker of unease at the woman's response, but she brushed it off as fog-induced paranoia. She was just a bit tense. Lenore flinched a bit when the other woman seemed to jump as if having a shocking revelation.
“My goodness, where are my manners? I’m Annabel Lee, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” she introduced herself with a slight bow, she had a blush on her face for a split second before waving it off.
“I'm Lenore,” she replied, grasping Annabel's hand in a firm shake that seemed to catch Annabel off guard. Annabel's eyes widened slightly for a moment, but a smile quickly replaced her surprise.
“Lenore! A lovely name for a lovely woman. It's not often there are new faces around here, especially not ones as pretty as yours,” Annabel remarked casually.
Before Lenore could respond to such flattery, however, she could hear Pluto’s voice cut through the thick fog. Oh, that man was going to be the death of her, he was always terribly worried about her and waited for her outside Merry & Mourn's residence each time she went out in the fog. It was part of the reason she hardly told anyone about her weekend plans, the last thing she needed was to worry the poor thing in the middle of the night as well.
“Lenore!”, Pluto's voice echoed across the dock, filled with concern and impatience. Lenore sighed softly, knowing she would have to face him sooner or later. She gave Annabel a quick apologetic smile before excusing herself, she had to let him know she was okay before he suffered from a heart attack.
As Lenore approached Pluto, his expression softened from worry to relief. “There you are! I've been waiting for ages, Lenore,” he scolded gently, his eyes scanning her for any signs of danger or distress.
“Pluto I was 20 minutes late at most. You’re going to worry yourself into a coma at this rate.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him, mon minou it’s terrible for your complexion!”, Lenore looked past Pluto to see where the voice was coming from. It was of course Duke, the man followed Pluto around often so it was no surprise.
Pluto narrowed his eyes at Duke, clearly unamused by his comment, or more accurately the nickname. “I'll worry as much as I want Lenore, you act as if I can help it.” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Awh, comme c'est mignon.”
Lenore simply rolled her eyes at the both of them before turning her attention back to Annabel as the two men started to bicker behind her. Annabel seemed to be standing there and waiting, staring at a particularly interesting crack on the pier.
Annabel's eyes flicked up to meet Lenore's as she approached, a faint smile playing on her lips. “I hope I didn't intrude, I’d hate to interrupt.” Lenore shook her head, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand.
“Not at all Annabel. It was nice to meet you.”, Lenore noticed Annabel was about to speak again before quickly looking over to Lenore’s side. Pluto's presence loomed beside Lenore like a protective shadow, his gaze shifting between the two women with suspicion clear on his face. Annabel's eyes lingered on him for a moment before drifting back to Lenore.
“Pluto for the love of—”
“I should be going now. Perhaps we'll meet again soon?” Annabel cut her off, her tone hopeful as if there was an unspoken desire behind her words. Lenore, though caught off guard, felt a strange tug in her chest at the thought of not seeing Annabel again.
“I would like that,” she replied, watching as Annabel nodded before inching past them all, disappearing into the fog.
Once she was out of sight, Lenore pinched her brow, muttering under her breath, “Waarom heb ik in hemelsnaam besloten om hierheen te verhuizen.. ”
“I don’t like her”, Pluto said so flatly that it earned a shocked laugh out of Lenore.
“She was just a stranger, Pluto. There's no need to be so protective,” Her voice gentle yet firm, though amusement still tugged at the corners of her lips.
“Non , he has a point, she’s clearly British, you can’t trust people like that.”
Pluto practically hissed a response back at Duke “What is that supposed to mean Duke? I’m British.”
“Exactly my point, mon minou. Can't trust people like you either.”, Lenore simply shook her head as she started to package up the jellyfish she needed to sell that day. Merry and Mourn would start to get antsy if she didn’t get it to them today.
“So, we’re meeting up at that rusty old bar with Morella right?”, Lenore cut through the little argument the two were having as she picked up the container with her catch in it.
Pluto nodded, his earlier tension dissipating as he focused on their plans for the evening. “Yes, that's the plan. Are you sure you want to go, Lenore? You seemed a bit distracted earlier, you’re not the best drunk to take care of when you’re on edge.”
Lenore smiled reassuringly at him, appreciating his concern but determined to push aside any lingering thoughts of that Annabel Lee for the day. Lenore chuckled, playfully nudging Pluto's arm.
“Come now, I’m not a baby, I can handle a few drinks. You worry too much.” Pluto sighed, but a small smile crept onto his face as he sought fit to practically cling to her side.
Lenore glanced over at Duke, who was pretending to inspect a nearby seagull, clearly not wanting to be left out of the plans. “Of course, you're coming too, Duke. Wouldn't be the same without you,” she added with a grin.
Duke feigned surprise before flashing a wide grin in return. “Well, if you insist, ma chère Lenore. I wouldn't want Morella to miss out on my charming company.”
Lenore chuckled, leading the way to where the bar was located with the two men following close behind her. It was a simple task really, she just had to drop her catch off at the twins’ house and they immediately made their way to the bar after. Luckily for her Merry was at the door immediately so she didn’t have to worry about the catch being stolen.
The bar they attended regularly was called “Misfits”, it was run down and possibly about to collapse under itself but everyone in the damn town knew that no other bar had better drinks. Lenore always got drunk beyond belief there, and by the looks of it, that night was going to be no different.
Pluto stared down drowsily at his now empty glass of hard cider, his third one that is, no one at their table was really a lightweight. He seemed to be quite content just listening in as his other three friends cackled around him, the alcohol making them much louder than they originally were coming into the bar.
“—Twins from hell I tell you! They’re lucky they pay me well or I’d have thrown that pretty little jellyfish back into the fuckin’ sea by now”, Lenore's exaggerated gestures added to the theatricality of her complaints, drawing laughter from Pluto and Morella, whose faces were as flushed as hers by now.
Duke rolled his eyes at the mention of the twins, resting his head in his hand, “Ugh, ces démons , why they police anything fun! They recently got the community to shut off the west side of the beach this morning, something about giant crabs again”, He downed his newest shot before continuing on.
“I swear if they shut one more thing down, I’m hiring a hitman.”
Lenore burst into another fit of laughter, she almost fell right off her chair if it weren’t for Duke’s quick reflexes. Morella perked up a bit, a slightly worried expression on her face at Lenore’s — No, everyone’s — current state. They might have gone overboard, and that’s saying a lot considering everyone at the table acted like they were alcoholics with no self-control the moment they stepped into a bar on a normal day.
Morella glanced around the dimly lit bar, her gaze landing on Lenore who was now engaged in a heated (But playful) debate with Duke about the best way to handle the twins. Not that it was getting anywhere since both had found fit to start arguing in their respective home languages, not one bit of understanding was going on. Standing up from her seat, she cleared her throat loudly,
“Alright, I think it’s time we call it a night,” she said firmly, her voice cutting through the noisy chatter in the bar.
“What do you mean, Morella? We’re just getting started!”, Lenore protested through what can only be described as boyish giggles, Morella almost folded right then and there but she had to make sure these idiots got out of the bar.
“No, Lenore. You’ve had enough for tonight. We need to get you home before you do something reckless.”, Morella quickly got to pushing a whiny Lenore out of the bar and towards her home. Without Lenore there she was sure the guys would follow out soon after and she was correct! Pluto had to drag his taller companion out of the bar, sure, but they quickly got out of there and waved goodbye as the two of them left for their newly shared home. (Thank the gods, Duke’s old roommate was a psychopath from a bible belt who now lived with that snob on the other side of town and his pet rats.)
The cool night air hit Lenore's face as Morella led her stumbling friend down the dark, empty streets toward her house. Lenore couldn't help but let out bursts of laughter every few steps, finding everything from the way a cat crossed their path to the flickering street lights absolutely hilarious.
“Morella darling, you're far too serious tonight. Don’t you like hanging out with me?”, Lenore slurred her words, leaning on Morella for support, though their height difference made it a bit awkward.
“Lenore, you know I love you, but you're a handful when you're like this,” Morella chuckled in response, trying to keep Lenore walking in a somewhat straight line.
“Morella, I am a delight! You should be grateful for my charming company,” Lenore continued as they walked down the dimly lit street to Lenore’s beach house. It wasn’t much really, small and there were cracks in the walls, but it got the job done and it wasn’t too far away from the docks.
Morella gave her one final push towards her house before running back into town before it got too dark out, she called out to her as she left, “Now get to bed! You’ll have a hangover to treat tomorrow and need the rest.”
Lenore waved Morella off with a giggle, struggling slightly to find her keys in her pocket as she approached the door. Finally managing to unlock it, she stumbled inside, kicking off her shoes haphazardly as she made her way to her couch and flopped down onto it, not bothering to climb up the stairs to get to her bedroom. She never did when she was drunk.
From the living room, where she was currently, one could see a full view of the beach, she had a sliding glass door after all, she could walk right out if she wanted. Lenore stared lazily out the glass door. Taking note of how the waves crashed against the sand as she slowly fell asleep.
That only lasted about an hour or two as she was suddenly jolted awake, the moon still hanging high above the sky. She wasn’t quite sure why she woke up, but she was as panicked as she was on a bad night at sea. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out why however, not until she looked out the door and saw a figure standing there. The shriek Lenore let out could have woken up half the town but she quickly calmed herself upon turning on the living room light and realizing who was there.
Annabel Lee, drats .
Lenore had to gather herself for a second before making her way to the open door. Had Annabel not just given her the biggest fright she’s had on land she would have taken a moment to appreciate how cute the woman looked practically pressed against the glass, staring in. She half thought it would be a crime to not let her in with how pleading she looked at her through the panel, especially since it had started to rain, her poor curls weighed down by water.
Lenore opened the door with a sigh, suppressing a laugh when Annabel almost fell face first when she did so.
“Miss Annabel Lee. When I said I would like to meet again I was not expecting a nightly visit.”, Lenore gave her a confused look when Annabel seemed to blush, she couldn’t possibly be embarrassed when she was the one who stood by the door like that—
“I apologize, I just need shelter for now and you were the only person I could think of, I’m currently being chased down by crabs.”
“Crabs… crabs are chasing you right now?”
“Yes. They’ve already infiltrated my home, pet. I'm afraid of what else they’re capable of.”, Annabel seemed to turn her head towards the sand with a distraught expression on her face. Lo and behold there was an army of fucking crabs skittering across the sand in Annabel’s direction. Luckily Lenore’s house was elevated slightly so she didn’t have much to worry about but it was still a sight to behold. It was so shocking in fact Lenore didn’t even register the pet name Annabel had just given her.
“Jesus Annabel, what did you do?”
“I have no idea…”, Annabel glanced off to the side, discreetly scraping some remains of a crab off the bottom of her shoe, “Regardless, can I please come in?” Annabel smiled and gently tucked one of her curls behind her ear as she asked.
Lenore's face reddened for a moment, quickly letting Annabel inside with a nod. She gave a quick side eye to the crabs before closing the door. The wildlife in the area got more deranged by the day, she was quite sure of it now.
Lenore rolled her eyes at the thought before turning around and watching as Annabel started squeezing the water out of her hair. She wondered how Annabel’s curls managed to stay put even after being drenched in water. Her heart softened at the sight of Annabel's current state, she must be freezing by now right? Annabel had to be out there for a while to be that drenched in water unless she happened to take a swim on her way there.
“Come on, let's get you out of those wet clothes,” Lenore yawned as she led Annabel to the bathroom. Lenore handed Annabel a towel, ushering her to dry off in the bathroom while she found some spare clothes she kept for guests. It wasn’t unusual for her to cater to friends of hers who needed a change of clothes from the rain.
Lenore knocked on the door and flushed a deep red when Annabel opened the door with no hesitation, only in her undergarments mind you, and took the clothes from her. She gave Lenore a quick ‘thank you’ before shutting the door, leaving Lenore shocked and slipping into a bit of a panic but she gathered herself. (To the best of her ability while still having a flushed face)
“Y-You’re welcome to stay as long as you require, I’ll be sleeping on the couch if you need anything.” Lenore helf-yelled through the door before practically scampering back to the living room and turning off the light. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to fall back asleep while there was someone who was practically a stranger in her house and when there was a crab battalion outside of it, but she couldn’t care less right then and there.
Lenore managed to drift back off to sleep. Alas, she was yet again startled awake by an unknown force, this time there was no figure at the door, however there were arms wrapped around her waist - under her hoodie that is. Lenore groggily turned her head slightly and realized it was in fact Annabel again, her head was buried into Lenore’s neck, and was sleeping without a care in the world. Ah, she was going to die here, wasn’t she?
The thought of waking Annabel up and asking what on Earth she was doing crossed Lenore's mind but after a moment of thought, Lenore didn’t really care all that much. Who is she to dictate where a pretty lady is to sleep? Besides, Lenore could feel Annabel’s - chest - pressed up against her back and that alone made her not want to move. Lenore never said she was better than any man.
Lenore decided it was best to talk about it in the morning and tried to shuffle around to make herself feel less cramped and let out a sound akin to a squeak when she realized one of Annabel’s legs was comfortably slotted in between hers. She shuddered, cursing under her breath before making the great decision to just ignore it and go back to sleep for the third time that night.
Lenore woke up the next morning to a couple of things. The one that hit her the hardest was the hangover Morella had warned her about coupled with how tired she was from…interrupted sleep. Lenore dealt with the blaring headache for a bit longer though since she had a woman still hugging onto her. Lenore concluded that she wasn’t asleep however, she seemed to be in fact wide awake she just refused to move until Lenore said anything.
She shuffled a bit in Annabel’s grasp, now turned over so she could see that little minx’s face. Lenore sighed as she was met with very open eyes and a smile. Lenore wondered where this woman found the gall to do the things she did.
“Annabel.”
“Mm, good morning pet.”
“Good morning Annabel Lee,” Lenore replied, her voice a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “Care to explain why you’re clinging onto me for dear life?” she continued on, trying to manage a bit of a stretch.
"Well, Lenore, a lady's got to stay warm somehow, doesn't she? That bedroom upstairs was terribly cold and you’re quite the opposite. It would be silly for me to not cling on after having been in the rain”, Annabel started to finally free Lenore from her grip as she spoke, running a hand through her now dry and beautifully tousled curls.
Annabel started muttering to herself about how messy her hair was under her breath as Lenore was finally able to breathe…for about 10 seconds before Annabel quickly put her arms around Lenore once more.
Lenore chuckled softly at Annabel's antics, realizing that there was no use trying to pry herself away. “Well I’m happy to provide you with said warmth my liege” Lenore replied, her voice husky with sleep. “But maybe we should get up. I have a quota to meet since Mourn found it fit to demand more fish from me.”
Annabel pouted slightly, but let go regardless, finally allowing Lenore to get up properly. Lenore sighed as she finally got a proper stretch in, and was feeling good until she looked out her sliding door. It was raining, harder than last night, and the crabs kept hitting her door. She really didn’t want to call the exterminator as he was a piece of shit but he was also the only one in the area.
That’s for later however, she was unbelievably behind schedule and had to get on those seas, now. Lenore quickly made her way to her room and began changing into a new set of fishing clothes, Annabel following behind to get a peek as she did so. Annabel was no better than a man either it seemed.
“My goodness you’re in a hurry, can I come with you? I do believe I can be of help.”
“Hm-? Sure whatever, do you mind passing me my shirt?”, Lenore struggled with getting her shorts on while Annabel took a moment to appreciate the muscle on Lenore’s back before handing it to her. Lenore wasn’t a bodybuilder by any means but hauling fish on board along with all the hard labor the sea required her to do gave her a bit of muscle she hardly paid attention to.
Lenore quickly pulled on her shirt and turned to Annabel. “Let’s go then, but we have to be quick before the storm gets worse.”
The two made their way out into the rain (Having to dodge a few attacks from the crabs as they did so) and to the boat. Lenore, against Annabel’s protest, wore nothing out there while practically forcing Annabel to borrow her raincoat.
Annabel shot a stern look at Lenore as the now soaking-wet woman helped her into the boat.
“Lenore I really insist that you put a coat on! You look freezing.”
Lenore waved her off, she was really stubborn at times when it came to her own safety and Annabel was quickly learning this very fact. “I’ll survive, it’s just a few cod, we can catch some in the net if we work quickly and take advantage of the waves”
Annabel practically whipped her head around at the mention of reckless waters, and there they were, waves rocking the already dangerous sea. Lenore was actively going out there in a storm knowing full well there was a low chance of anyone else surviving such a thing.
“Oh you’ve got to be— Pet have some sense you’re about to die over some fish!”
Her words fell on deaf ears however as Lenore was already moving the boat into the storm, the rain seemed to drown out what Annabel said. She would have abandoned the ship with Lenore in tow if it didn’t mean she would have to reveal what she actually was.
Annabel stood on the side of the boat as they went, gripping the railing for dear life as it rocked. She was nervous, she’d admit it but not for her own safety, she kept a close watch on Lenore as she reared the net every 10 minutes, she had slipped at one point and Annabel had almost had a heart attack from that alone. After that Annabel stood lookout at the front of the boat, her hair whipping wildly in the wind. She seemed to be enjoying herself despite the harsh conditions.
“Annabel, maybe you should come back here with me,” Lenore called over the sound of the rain and waves. But Annabel just laughed and shook her head. “I’m fine dear. Just focus on getting those fish so I can at least try to prevent that cold you’re going to catch.”
Lenore could feel the rain soaking through her clothes, chilling her to the bone. She didn’t regret it however, Annabel was probably comfortable so her being cold will have to do. Lenore shivered, and checked up on the net, thank god that it was enough, one hour had never felt so long for her.
“Annabel, I’ve got enough in the net!”, that call couldn’t have possibly come sooner for Annabel, she let out a sigh of relief she had been holding for what felt like hours. Lenore made it to the helm, making sure Annabel was close behind her. They hadn’t gone too far from the docks but it was still going to be a bit difficult with how the wind picked up.
The boat rocked and looked like it was going to give in on itself by the moment, however, it seemed to be getting there, they were not too far from the docks before there was a sudden crash into the boat. Because of course, there was, god forbid Lenore had a semi-calm day. Lenore was so busy trying to get to shore that she hadn’t noticed a particularly sharp rock in the path. A rock that is currently causing her ship to capsize, her family could easily replace the boat for her but that wasn’t really the issue.
“Je maakt een grapje zeker— Get on the rock I can lift you up and you should be able to make it,” Annabel looked at her as if she was a damn fool and shouted at her as Lenore (rather effortlessly), started to pick her up and tried to hoist her onto the rock before getting a response.
“What on Earth are you doing?! Get up too would you? Surely you’re not going to stay on the boat!”
“Annabel I don’t have much of a choice, now grab hold of the roc—”
Annabel did not in fact hold onto the rock, like hell she was leaving this woman behind. Not that she could even have the time if she tried right then and there since a sudden wave found it fit to take both of them under the water along with the ship. Lenore was lucky Annabel was far from human or she would have surely drowned.
Annabel was quite sure the stress this human was bringing her was going to send her to an early grave.
Lenore woke up coughing up water from her lungs and trying her best to not choke as she steadied herself. It took a moment to adjust to where she was, and at first she was sure she had died due to how soft the surface she was on was, but it was just wet sand. When Lenore’s vision unblurred she realized that she was lying down on a beach…and that she was freezing . She tried to get up for a moment but winced in pain as her hip seemed to scream at her for daring to move. She held onto it and breathed deeply, she had almost forgotten about that; it hardly bothered her anymore and she even stopped having to use her cane.
“You’re a stubborn little thing, you know that?“
Lenore jerked in surprise and quickly looked to her side, where Annabel sat with her curls once again drenched. She seemed thoroughly upset with Lenore, rightfully so, she couldn’t meet Annabel’s gaze as she flushed from embarrassment.
“I’m sorry Annabel, you shouldn’t have been put in that situation—”
“It’s not about me, Lenore,” Annabel interrupted. “It’s about you risking your life for a few fish. You could have died out there, do you understand that?”
“I know, I know,” Lenore spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “I promise I won’t do something as stupid as going into a rainstorm to fish again,” she vowed. Annabel softened slightly, her expression showing a mix of concern and relief.
“You better not,” Annabel replied, she then gently touched Lenore’s forehead, frowning slightly before letting out a deep breath. "You have a fever, pet."
Lenore groaned softly, this was possibly one of the worst states she’s been in years. Annabel's worry only added to the guilt she already felt for putting them both in harm's way. With a pained expression, Lenore managed a weak smile, her voice hoarse as she tried to reassure Annabel and brush it off. Annabel was having none of it of course. She helped Lenore up and supported her as they slowly made their way back to her beach house, avoiding the sharp rocks and those damn crabs along the coastline.
By the time they reached Lenore's house, she was shivering uncontrollably, her face flushed with fever. If Annabel had it her way Lenore would be in bed immediately, but she needed to dry Lenore off first. With gentle but firm hands, she helped Lenore out of her wet clothes, wrapping her in a thick towel before leading her to the bedroom. Lenore protested weakly, her cheeks turning crimson at the fact that she was practically naked and receiving care that she didn’t deem necessary.
“Annabel, I really don't need all this fuss,” Lenore murmured.
“You're in no condition to argue with me, Lenore,” Annabel replied softly, practically wrapping her in blankets. “Just rest now, I'll make you some tea.”, she then went downstairs to attempt to make a pot of tea to help bring her temperature down. It was one of the only human items she knew how to make, along with scones for some reason.
As Lenore lay there, feeling utterly miserable, she couldn’t help but admit how much softer her bed felt with a lack of clothes on. She laid on her side, drifting in and out of consciousness, the warmth from the blankets and the faint smell of tea wafting through the room providing some comfort amidst her feverish state. Her not getting much sleep the night before didn’t help much either.
Annabel returned with a steaming cup of tea and a plate of scones; her features softened with concern as she placed them on the bedside table. Lenore half-wondered where Annabel had gotten the scones but quickly remembered she was friends with a brit and he probably left them there. Duke complains about the amount of scones Pluto keeps in stock often.
Annabel seemed to hesitate for a moment, trying to figure out why Lenore wasn’t sitting up to drink some tea. Thus, she did the completely reasonable thing and started to lift the blankets up to check for injuries that might be preventing her from doing so. Lenore immediately got goosebumps when she did so and tried to desperately cover herself back up with the blanket snatched from her.
“Annabel, what are you doing?” Lenore stuttered, her face turning a deep shade of red as she tried to grab the blanket back from Annabel's grasp. Annabel simply raised an eyebrow, unfazed by Lenore's attempts to cover up.
“I'm checking to see if you have any injuries that you're not telling me about. Now stop being difficult and let me make sure you're okay.”, Annabel replied matter-of-factly, “Besides, you have to sit up anyways to drink the tea before you pass out.”
Lenore huffed in frustration but relented, gingerly sitting up with Annabel's help. She allowed Annabel to inspect her for any injuries while she drank the tea (That seemed to have more sugar than tea at this point), trying her best to ignore the warmth spreading through her cheeks.
Lenore let her spare arm cover her chest as she sipped, noticing Annabel’s particular interest to her hip. She had been flinching when Annabel had touched it gently after all, so it made sense as to why she was eyeing it.
That didn’t stop Lenore from almost dropping the tea in her hand when Annabel grabbed the left side of it a little more roughly than expected. Lenore exclaimed in pain, causing her to spill some of the scalding tea on her fingers. She hissed in pain, quickly setting down the cup and shaking her hand to cool off the burn. She shot Annabel a reproachful look, but the concern in Annabel's eyes instantly softened her expression. Lenore knew that Annabel only meant well, even if her methods were a tad unorthodox.
As Annabel continued to examine her hip, Lenore couldn't help but wince at the tenderness of the area. There was a sharp pain shooting through her side with each movement, making her realize that their ordeal at sea had irritated that old injury of hers.
"Pet, why didn't you tell me about this injury of yours? I would have taken it into account sooner.”
“I apologize, it just hasn’t been a problem in years.”
She gently prodded the area around Lenore's hip, humans were so frustratingly frail. “Do you think you can still stand?”
“Yes, though I might have to find my cane in that abyss of a closet I have later.”, Lenore started to finish off the scones and tea she was given as Annabel started to find and give her cute bandages to small cuts she managed to find on Lenore’s body.
“All done, now you should get some rest, you look like you’re about to pass out any moment now.”
Lenore nodded weakly, letting out a slightly pained expression as she laid back down against her pillow (Which was fluffed by Annabel), shivering as Annabel put a damp towel on her forehead. Lenore gave a quick “thank you” to Annabel as she left the room, finally allowing the exhaustion and the weight of her current state to finally catch up with her.
Lenore sat in her living room awkwardly, a blanket hoisted over her shoulders as her three friends stared at her. Well two, Duke held his head in his hands to stop himself from laughing while Pluto looked traumatized.
“So—”, Morella started, trying to keep the blush off her face as she continued speaking. “What happened yesterday Lenore? Anything you would like to tell us?”
For context, Pluto and Duke had keys to her house.
Thankfully for Lenore, Annabel left before the two barged in that day but that didn’t save her from the embarrassment of Pluto trying to wake her up only to see her wearing nothing. Lenore didn’t even fully register the situation because Pluto’s embarrassed shriek wasn’t enough to wake Lenore out of her sleep, nothing new there, when Lenore was out she was almost impossible to wake up.
The guys had to call Morella to get Lenore out of bed since neither of them felt comfortable shaking her awake. Morella had scolded them for barging into Lenore’s room in the first place, and now they were here after Lenore had gotten dressed.
“I have a fever, there’s not much else to it.”, Lenore's voice was still weak, but she tried her best to play it off casually.
“Pas beaucoup d'autre chose à cela ? Lenore, you have never gotten naked to help with a fever”, Duke finally looked up at her, still visibly stopping himself from laughing.
“I was just trying something new—”
Morella looked like she was still trying to find the words but Pluto finally blurted out, “Who bent you over the bed last night?” He got a smack on the back of the head from Morella but that didn’t stop Duke from being brave enough to branch off of that.
“Mon ami , this is a safe space, you can be honest.”, he paused before continuing on, giving a glance to Morella who was glaring at him, practically challenging him to say anything foolish, “Just make sure to tell us who it was.”
Lenore spoke grimly, “I did not- I was just out at sea, got wet—”
“I’m sure you did mon ami.”
Lenore contemplated throwing something at him but Morella pinched his arm so she didn’t have to. “—wet, and I kind of crashed but it ended up being okay for the most part since Annabel helped me home.”
Pluto looked traumatized all over again when Lenore spoke, whether he was more scared of the fact that she almost died or that she was with the woman he didn’t like she didn’t know. “Just to understand, you went out during that HORRID weather yesterday Lenore? You must have heard of the multiple shipwrecks by now.”
“Well, yes and my ship was one of them, I should get a new one as soon as I tell my father about the incident.”, Lenore shrugged as if she didn’t just explain how she almost died and Pluto’s head fell into his hands.
Duke cleared his throat before speaking again, “Well, you’re alright so that’s all that matters, but Annabel hm? That strange little British woman you talked about at the bar? Mon Dieu, I knew you found the girl pretty but I didn’t expect you to make a move so fast.”
Lenore snorted, “If anything she was the one making moves on me,”
“That makes it worse,“ Pluto interrupted the two, looking as if he was about to laugh but tried to remain serious. “Really, this woman shows up out of the blue and is already playing white night? Suspect.”
“Just wait until you hear about how she showed up at my doorstep in the middle of the night. Duke those crabs are a threat I’m afraid to say, the twins were right to shut the beach down with how they chased that girl to my doorstep.”
“So you’re telling me this woman found your house out of pure luck whilst being chased by crabs? Mon ami don’t tell me you drank so much that you’ve lost your mind, it couldn’t have been a mere coincidence, Pluto was right from the start. To think you let her deflower yo—”
“O mijn god , for the last time we did not have sex.”
Morella only sighed, “She seems like a lovely lady, stop bullying her you two. I met her a couple of days ago, she helped me feed those poor cats by the docking area.“, she crossed her arms in a huff and visibly felt better about what she said when she got a nod in agreement from Lenore.
“I assure you, Annabel is just a kind stranger who happened to be at the right place at the right time. Nothing more. My house is on the beach not in town, it’s the best place to go if you’re getting hunted down by crabs.”
Pluto and Duke rolled their eyes but Morella looked quite pleased, “But Lenore, you must admit it’s quite a romantic tale,” she chimed in, “A damsel in distress being saved by a mysterious woman at sea...”
“More like a damsel in stubbornness being pestered by a potential British serial killer who can swim very well, you’ve been spending too much time with Ada.” Lenore quipped with a half-hearted smile.
Pluto leaned forward, his expression serious. “Jokes aside, Lenore, are you sure this Annabel can be trusted? Showing up unannounced in the middle of the night and all...”
Lenore paused for a moment, thinking on it Annabel was as suspicious as one could get, “In general, not completely, but she saved my life so she’s earned it from me at least.”
Duke and Pluto exchanged a knowing glance at each other, before Duke spoke up, “If you say so Mon ami , but we’re keeping and eye on her, just try to distance yourself okay?”
“Of course, me and Annabel don’t talk often anyway.”
Annabel sighed wistfully while she applied her hair curlers. “Eulalie how on earth did you manage?”
Eulalie gave Annabel a bit of a puzzled look, adding another flower to Berenice’s hair before answering dreamily, “What do you mean?”
“Sorry love, how did you manage to get that one so quickly, mine is so…” Annabel made a motion with her hand, trying to find the proper words for her current obsession.
“Oh, Berenice? Well I just was myself I suppose, I also started distancing her from those friends of her’s a bit, they were always interjecting, sweethearts though, I wish I could have taken them down too.”
Annabel groaned, she had to worry about her friends as well?
“Are women always this hard to get? I’m one of the prettiest sirens alive and yet I can’t even lure this woman out of her home.”
Eulalie only giggled, giving Berenice a quick peck on the cheek, earning a dazed kiss from Berenice in response, “Don’t worry too much Annabel, you said she seemed to like you right?”
“Yes? For the most part.”
“Then you’ll get her eventually, this Lenore can’t fend off your advances for too long, no one can.” Eulalie gave a quick glance to all the skeletons of the fishermen in the trench below them, Annabel had never once failed to reel them in.
“You’re right, thanks love, I have no idea why I’m so worried.”