Page 26 of The Noble's Merman

“Myself,” clicked the mermaid. Her long wavy blonde hair floated around her shoulders and over her bare chest. “Were you interested in a purchase?”

“Oh, um, no thank you,” he tried to say as politely as he could. “I rather need to save the coin, but your work is spectacular.”

“Save the coin?” Mahs chimed in from their stall a couple cubits away. “I gave you quite a lot with your last haul!”

“Ah, well, you see…”

“If you’re low on coin, can you not just find another ship to sink? You as a siren have that advantage.”

“A siren?” the blonde mermaid said with a smile. “Oh, yes, I can sense your magic. Welcome.”

Mo could just sink another ship if he wanted to, couldn’t he? Though he hadn’t since he first met Kent. It wasn’t like he hadn’t felt the pull of the Song; he had twice since then. But still, it was strange. Unlike before, he didn’t want to give in. He wanted to be able to control it, to decide for himself when or whether he should use it.

Which meant, if he could hang onto the coin he already had, he wouldn’t need to use the Song for some time. He could control it.

But he also didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of other merfolk, when they seemed to expect a different sort of response.

“All right, how about…” He eyed a smaller piece laying on the table—a flat flower about the size of his palm. “This one? What sort of flower is it? I’ve never seen one like this before.”

“It’s a land flower called the white lily,” said the mermaid.

“A land flower?” That piqued his curiosity.

“I was gifted one by a human. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Such a plant doesn’t survive underwater, unfortunately, so I wanted to recreate it, to the best of my ability.”

“A human?” Mo blinked. This was odd—a mermaid casually mentioning how she met a human? “Wow, I mean, I agree, this is beautiful! How much?”

“Ten silver coins is all I ask.”

He could work with that. With a smile, he said, “I’ll take it.” They made the exchange, Mo putting his new artwork in his carry-bag. “What is your name, by the way? I’m Mo.”

“My name is Pazi,” she said, smiling. “I figured, since you are a siren, you take interest in human things, yes?”

Mo nodded. “It’s how I make a living, selling human items to none other than Mahs over here.” He motioned toward them.

“It’s a job, and there are buyers and sellers. I do what works,” said Mahs.

“And I told you, that’s lovely!” chirped Pazi. “Humans truly are fascinating, don’t you think?”

Mahs blew a frustrated line of bubbles in front of their face. “Then you would do well conversing with a siren like Mo.”

Now this was pleasantly unexpected—a mermaid who didn’t speak ill of humans. Perhaps this could be his opportunity to learn more… “So Pazi, if I may ask, what was the human like who gifted you the flower?” he asked.

Her cheeks reddened, and she excitedly waved her hand, blue forearm fin flapping. “Oh, he was wonderful. He was a sailor and invited me on his ship. I stayed on there with him when I could, and we had many a lovely time together.”

“You actually went on board a ship?” Mo was stunned. Of the few times he’d talked with sailors, he always remained in the water.

“Yes!” Pazi chuckled. “And so much more. If I’m to be honest, pardon me, lying with him was the best pleasure I’d ever taken.”

“Really!” Mo and Mahs exclaimed in unison.

“Absolutely.” She trilled an enormous laugh. “I don’t know either of you mer’s preferences, but take it from me—human men are something else.”

Now it was Mo’s turn for his cheeks to flush, his heart racing at the thought of doing that with a human man. Kent. He’d obviously had his mind wander in that direction before, especially when seeing him nude for a swim. But with how their friendship had been escalating, the kiss, and every wonderful feeling that came with it, the fantasy becoming a reality seemed like a true possibility.

“You really just swam up to a ship and they let you on board without killing you?” clicked Mahs. “Not only that, but the human fucked you? I can’t believe it!”

“Yes, it’s true.” Pazi laughed. “I thought I was being stealthy, hidden from anyone’s view. But no, the humans found me. And unlike what you may think, they were not hostile. No, they were delighted! Captain Clarke in particular took an interest in me and… well.” She batted her eyelashes.

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