“Is there anyway you could find one on the ship?” He tilted his head to the side.
The Sailor and The Mermaid.
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She shrugged. "I'm pretty sure the crew members wouldn't let me borrow any of there's and Robert definitely wouldn't let me have any of his." She explained. "Just forget about it, alright?" She said, sadly.
Arria frowned and sighed, “Okay… sorry.”
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Chesh shook her head. "It's fine! Don't worry about it." She said putting on a smile.
He pouted, “You’re upset. I can tell, Chesh.”
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"No no no! I'm fine." She said putting up her hands and shaking them. "I-I'm fine! Really!"
Arria sighed and still didn’t look convinced but nodded, “Okay… whatever you say.”
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She sighed with relief. "Thanks!" She said.
Arria was quiet for a moment, tugging on the collar, “Do… do you know if any more mer people have been found?”
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Chesh watched him tug on the collar. She gave him a look of pity. "Not that I know of. There are always the legends but I'm not sure if those are true." She told him.
Arria frowned down at his tail, “What are the legends?”
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"Most of the legends about mermaids or mermen are about how they fall in love with a human. Others are about merfolk drowning sailors or tricking boats to go off course. Then there are the siren myths that-…Sorry I got off track." Chesh explained.
“It’s alright, I don’t mind. Sirens are real, nasty creatures,” He growled, “They do drown sailors but there’s nothing to do about it, they don’t follow our laws.”
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Chesh stared at Arria. "Sirens do exist?" She asked. She had been told that Sirens didn't exist when she started working on the ship.
He snorted, "If mermaids exist you can be sure that sirens do. You can't have one without the other… unfortunately."
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Chesh nodded. "What are sirens like?" She asked, slightly worried.
“They appear calm, kind…” He gritted his teeth, “But they’re not. They’re killers and foul in every way possible.”
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"So you hate Sirens?" She asked, hearing the anger in his voice. "And how often do they kill people?"
“Most merfolk hate them,” He shrugged, “They kill people often enough for them to become a major issue.”
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Chesh frowned at that. "Well that not the best thing to hear." She said pursing her lips.
Arria nodded, “They can sense merpeople, though and they stay away. They won’t come near the ship when I’m on… luckily.”
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She wasn't sure whether she was comforted by that or not. "Lucky for us. Not for you." She said looking at the collar on his neck.
He sighed and nodded, “Sadly, you’re right.”
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Chesh thought for a bit. "I-I could loosen the collar a bi-…no. I can't do that. Robert would throw me overboard." Chesh said, part of the conversation directed at Arria and the other to herself.
“It’s fine, Chesh,” Arria offered a sad smile, “I’m use to it.”
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"Use to it?" She asked, confusion and worry spreading across her face.
“Even though sirens are the worst, that doesn’t mean all merfolk are good, Chesh,” He sighed, “It’s a long story, one I won’t brother you with now.”
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"No! I want to hear it!" She said a little to loud. She clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry! Only if you want to. It doesn't matter if it's a long story. I have time to spare." She explained.
Arria nodded, looking up for a few moments, “Well… there’s this… prince, Yuri. My friends and I befriended him and for a while everything was fine. At the time, he was kind, friendly and we both developed feelings for each other,” He sighed, “And then be became possessive. Over protective and downright evil, only wanted me spend time with him. He manipulated me into thinking my friends hated me so I’d stay with him. I became his pet. His personal play thing for months and months. He kept a collar on me so everyone would know I was his and his alone.”
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She placed her hands over her mouth. "I-I'm sorry." She said. "I'm sorry." He had just gotten out of a mess to be sent right back into one.