A wall of glass before her, Cerulean at the water with longing and pity. Longing for the feel of the cold water rippling down her spine, and pity for the animals inside, knowing it was a far cry from the waves of a real ocean.

She understood though, why they were in their. Most of the sea live in this aquarium were rescues, animals that fated to die had they not had human intervention. Granted, some may have fared well enough by adulthood to go back to the wild, but they lived good lives, even if it was in a kingdom of glass. They were well fed and cared for, with a decent amount a space, and safe from the less upstanding sort of humanity that would uncaringly feed them trash or kill them for convenience.

As the tiger shark swam past a second time, Cerulean turned away, walking down the dark, blue lit tunnel to leave. There was only one other visitor this late to closing, a man, leaning one should against the glass and closely watching the underbelly of a sand shark swimming up by the surface. He glanced down as she walked by, his features soft and eyes dark and impossible wide. She nodded politely as she passed, but a hand around her wrist stopped her before she was out of reach. Hesitant but not hostile yet, she paused and looked back at him.

“May I help you?” She asked, in her clear, concise voice. He didn’t speak, just raised his chin and flared his nostrils, taking a deep breath. If she had hair on her neck, it would have raised.

His hand was still around her wrist. His palm felt smooth but think like polished leather, and his nails were ever so slightly digging into her pale, nearly translucent skin. Glancing down, she blinked. A long black claw curled from his middle finger, the tip just barely pressing aging the prominent blue vein in her wrist. She could see her own pulse beginning to pick up.

Looking back to his face, she saw curiosity and uncertainty in his wide, sad eyes, and his heavy brows furrowed as he gazed at her. A strand of thick, short hair fell forward, brown black and with a bright shine. Something about this man was odd. He wasn’t necessarily familiar, but he reminded her strongly of…something. Something she had seen in the water.

Abruptly holding very still, Cerulean held her breath and looked hard at the man, just as he was staring at her. Before she could speak, he beat her to it.

“What are you?” Unmoving in both face and body, Cerulean didn’t react to the question outwardly. Inside, her stomach twisted. She gotten peculiar glances before, but nothing like this. But clearly this man was similar to her, normal people didn’t have inch and half long claws protruding from their fingers, so she raised her chin and stepped forward, looking him directly in the eye.

“Mermaid. What are you?” Without any hesitation, he replied, dropping her hand,

“Selkie.”

Frowning, Cerulean leaned away a little, wary.

“Seal” Human and seal cross, both things that killed things like her.

He nodded, the blue lights dancing on his cheeks and throat. He sniffed the air, narrowing his big puppy eyes that made sense now.

“Fish.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement.

“Yes, fish,” she replied, but she grinned an unkind smile that was more about baring her pointed teeth. “The kind that bites.” He raised an eyebrow.

“I heard maids were deadly, that they dragged sailors to their death with their lovely voices and beauty.” Cerulean cocked her head to the side, her hair falling to form a yellow curtain tinted blue.

“Find me beautiful do you seal?” She asked her most sweet and lilting tone. She wasn’t yet certain if she needed to kill him of if she wanted to drag him to her boat and ride him. He grinned, a show of far more impressive teeth then hers.

“Yes.” He answered honestly. Decided harm wasn’t necessary, yet, she tipped her head toward the exit and started to walk, her body half turned towards him.

“This place is ready to close, and I have a boat on the dock. Care to join me?” She asked it with a more genuine smile, holding her hand out in invitation. He took, claws still out and his own smile lining his eyes.

“Yes, yes I do.”