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Word Count: 1,427
Warnings: Mentions of starvation, sewer (ik not really a cw but it can be p gross.)
Created for the Tropetember Event - Gaia’s Lament.
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The rumble of the highway resonated over Vincent’s head as she walked through the dense tunnel holding her backpack close and keeping her head low to avoid looking directly at anyone she’d be unable to withhold from haunting her dreams. It was a miserable sight, people out in streets, finding shelter from the rain only under a trembling tunnel which no one knew for just how much longer it would still stand.
But that’s just how things were. There wasn’t anything she could do about it… not now, and likely, not ever. Chilly raindrops met her face as she stepped out of the tunnel and back into the dark, gritty street. Rain had been the one thing humanity had yet to fully strip the world off. One of the last remnants that the planet was ever alive at all. She continued down the dim alleyway, passing by the abandoned drain, yet another thing rendered useless by the collapsing city, unable to even dump into the deadly polluted ocean anymore. Now all it did was extend its stench up to greet Vince as she passed by, only this time a sound stopped her dead in her tracks. A voice, distant and quiet, vocalising a melody that tangled itself around Vincent’s mind, pulling her towards it.
Without even taking a moment to think she hurried down the wobbly stairs leading into the entrance of the sewer, carefully walking along the broken down sidewalk beside the murky water. The smell invaded her nose as she entered, her footsteps echoing across the vacant tunnel, accompanied only by the faint sloshing of water; the closest thing to running water the world knew. The voice was gone, leaving behind only the echo of it ever having existed at all and the eerie silence from its wake.
“Hello? Anyone here?” Vincent called out as she took a look around herself, trying to find the source of the sound. “I heard singing and I…”A sigh fell from her lips before she could finish. “I… I really walked into a goddamn sewer because I heard a voice, huh…” She leaned against the wall, feeling the moisture seep into her clothes from the cracks and she quickly backed off, scoffing out in disgust. “Awh, fuck…”
“Fuck…” a voice repeated, a dainty little sound despite the swear, much unlike her own echo. She looked around herself frantically, gripping the strap of her backpack tight as her brow furrowed.
“Did I just… imagine that too? The hell’s wrong with me…” As soon as the words left her lips she glanced down at the water, finding a pair of large red eyes within a black canvas peering up at her. A gasp tore from her lips as she quickly crouched down, getting closer to the person in the filthy water beneath her. “Hey there… Did you fall in there, buddy?” She let her backpack slip from her shoulder, setting it down on the ground before holding a hand out for the person in the water only for them to flinch away. “Oh, I won’t hurt you” she assured them, but her words didn’t seem to do much to plead her case.
Only the creature’s eyes were above water, their hair so covered in grime and filth that it was impossible to even tell its colour and with the darkness that surrounded them, even telling their skin tone was difficult. All Vincent was sure of was their eyes, vibrant and surreal; unlike any she’d ever seen before.
“You’ll get sick if you stay in there for long” she spoke softly, keeping her hands to herself. “If you come out, I’ll help you get home. How does that sound?”
The creature inched closer, their head fully rising from the water to reveal a very human looking figure, set off entirely by the absurdly large eyes that seemed to shift into smaller ones the longer they stared at Vince. But despite their decreased size, their colour remained the same.
“Home…” they said, their voice barely even audible. If it wasn’t for the overwhelming silence, she would’ve missed it for sure.
“Yes” she nodded. “Home”
Their expression didn’t change, simply repeating themself again only slightly more assertive with their tone. “Home.”
“Wait… you live here?” Vincent gasped out, unable to hold back the horrified tone in her voice. “But– but this is a sewer–”
The creature glanced down, their soaken hair clinging onto their skin as they raised a hand from the water, watching as the thick polluted water slipped through their webbed fingers. “Water…” they whispered, glancing up at Vincent, scanning her over time and again for a reaction.
Vincent looked at their hand, her mouth falling open at the sight of the unusual webbing. “Wait, wait, wait… you’re a… you’re a mermaid??” she raised a hand up to her mouth, staring widely at the figure as she took her time to process. “I thought… I- I thought all of you went extinct during Gaia’s Final Breath– how…” her voice faltered when she realised that the creature was extremely unlikely to reply, seeming every bit as confused as her, if not more. “...I suppose some of you must’ve survived…”
The look in her eyes shifted from surprise to guilt, her lips curling up into a restrained smile, a weak attempt at comfort. “God… you deserve better than this…” she sighed heavily, collapsing onto her knees on the ground. The siren extended their arms from the water reaching for Vincent’s arm, hesitantly taking it in their hands; their eyes never moving from her.
“Help”
Vincent blinked, tilting her head in confusion. “Help… help with what? Are you hurt?” She leaned forward, scanning the creature for injuries but they simply guided her hand down, reaching it into the water but being unable to pull her down any further. They blinked up at her, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before they let go, grabbing onto the slipper ledge and pulling themself up onto the sidewalk, landing with a splat on their side.
They turned to Vincent, finding her eyes trailing down their figure. Their skin clung onto their bones for dear life, some of it calloused, most of it bruised, specifically around their ribs where three slits were located, what Vincent assumed were gills. Their skin turned into a long shimmering tale the same ashened colour as their skin, covered in enough filth to strip it entirely of its beauty.
Vincent caught herself staring, quickly snapping herself out of it and scooting closer to inspect what was wrong. Her hand hovered over their tail but never touched it, her scanning over it for any sign of injury but only finding some scratches near the end.
While Vince inspected the injuries, the siren ever so slowly leaned towards her, making sure to move quiet enough for her not to notice them. They inched closer, mouth opened to reveal two sharp fangs, their eyes focused solely on her flesh.
“These cuts don’t seem too deep, you shou–” just as Vince turned around she met with the siren right behind her, their faces almost touching at her abrupt movement. She blinked down at them, caught in their hypnotic stare before her eyes found the exposed fangs and immediately her face softened. “You’re hungry huh…”
Quickly she pulled her backpack onto her lap, rummaging through it until pulling out a single energy bar, eyeing it for a moment before handing it to the stranger. “It’s not much but it’s something”
Their eyes watched her carefully as they reached a hesitant hand out for the package before taking it swiftly, struggling for a moment to unwrap it but quickly being able to stuff it into their mouth, not holding back.
Vincent watched them, a slight smile curling onto their lips as she relaxed onto the wall behind her, ignoring the chill of the water seeping into her clothes this time around. “Shit’s rough, huh…” she sighed, shaking her head at the thought. “You have a name? I’m Vincent” But the siren didn’t reply, far too focused on devouring the little bit of food she offered them.
It made her wonder just how long it had been since they'd eaten anything, much less anything fresh. It made her heart ache for the pain of a stranger she only met mere minutes ago. A stranger who had tried taking a bite out of her. But she knew it… the feeling of emptiness in her belly. Even now she could feel it. After all, that was her lunch she had spared them.