Oneshots [IdentityV]

Carving the Sea [Grace x Galatea]

Halberd of Silence Grace x Galatea

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At first she thought it was a hallucination. It was a possibility since she had spent the whole night concentrating on her work and had not closed her eyes at all. However, it happened a second time, and so the doubt that lay dormant in her disappeared entirely. There were no mistakes this time, and she had just realized it while she was fully awake.

She had seen a mermaid.

It was still early at this point as it was dawn, Galatea had opened the window to enjoy the sea breeze as she tapped on the stone with her gravel. She turned her wheelchair slightly toward the table under the outside frame to change tools when her eyes were drawn to something outside.

Her lips parted in surprise. There was a bridge in front of her house leading to the sea and a large, imposing rock beside it. She saw a tall figure sitting on it and frowned, who would come to bathe here at this time of the morning? The water must have been very cold for a human being and he would freeze in a few minutes.

Nevertheless, after squinting a little more, the young woman gasped. The person on the rock was not human. She could easily tell because so because the figure had moved what looked like a fish tail. Without another moment's thought, she stormed out of her house on the beach and rolled her chair to the end of the pier.

Unfortunately, the mysterious creature was already gone, leaving only a vague vision in the blonde's memory.

But Galatea was not about to forget what she had just seen, far from it. When she returned to her home, the young woman began to carve frantically, trying to recreate the scene she had witnessed. Throughout the day, the sounds of hammering could be heard and dust gathered around her wheelchair.

However, she didn't care, she had finally finished her masterpiece. 

The details of the waves crashing against the rock were finely carved and the stone was exactly the same shape as the one outside, she sometimes went on the deck to look at the sea so she remembered what it looked like. Then the mysterious mermaid... She had done her best to carve her from behind, her braid falling over her shoulder...

But one detail was missing.

She had not seen her face and without that, her creation could not really be called a masterpiece. She wished she could see the sea creature again, but when could she? After living here for about twenty years, this was the first time she had seen such a thing and there was no guarantee that she would return.

And yet, nothing could describe the shock on her face when she woke up the next morning. The mermaid was back. Once again, she went outside as quickly as possible, grabbing her woolen jacket to cover herself from the cold morning. This time, when she reached the rock, she was still there.

Her appearance was even more magnificent and mesmerizing than she thought. The scales on her arms and the edges of her cheeks glistened in the sun and those on her tail reflected a rainbow of colors. Her hair was pearly white and adorned with a gold tiara and she wore other accessories that made her look even more radiant.

The most important detail should not be forgotten, the mermaid looked her straight in the eyes with a strange tenderness and a bright smile was drawn on her lips. Galatea's cheeks flushed and she opened her mouth several times, amazed, before closing it again. Was this real? It wasn't a dream, was it? 

"H-Hello...?" she stammered.

The mermaid tilted her head to the side and parted her lips, a strange high-pitched sound, a bit like a bird chirping, coming from her vocal cords. The blonde raised an eyebrow before putting on a bewildered expression. It was probably because of the racial difference, but the aquatic creature didn't seem to be able to speak the same language as her.

It wasn't really a problem, things could be worse and she was already relieved that the mermaid wasn't hostile, but she wondered how she could communicate with her. Suddenly she had an idea and quickly went back inside under the curious eye of the mermaid. Fortunately, the siren had not left when she returned.

"It's you."

She then showed her the sculpture she had made the day before and the mermaid gently took it in her hands with an awed expression. She looked at it for a few moments, occasionally moving it between her palmed hands to observe it from another angle. Finally, she returned the item to the young woman and clapped her hands, letting out another bubbly sound, which Galatea took as a compliment.

"T-Thank you... It's not done yet though, I wanted to see your face again to finish it..."

The mermaid seemed lost in thought for a few seconds and then suddenly jumped into the water. The blonde screamed in surprise, backing up her wheelchair just in time to avoid getting water on her, it would be dangerous for her wheels to get wet. The next moment, the fish woman came back to the surface but this time at the level of the pier.

She crossed her arms on the wood of the bridge and smiled at Galatea. Her face was now much closer than before and this gave her a perfect view of every detailed feature of her face. The blonde hesitated briefly before moving closer again to face the mermaid.

"You... want me to finish sculpting?"

The mermaid nodded sharply and the young woman could feel her chest warming up at this gesture. She took her tool and hammer out of her pocket after that and began to tap the stone, the mermaid's attention directed at her. Hours passed after that, it was dawn when she had arrived and now it was dusk.

She was finally done.

She sighed with satisfaction and fatigue and took one last look at her work to make sure everything was perfect before showing it to the mermaid. The latter took the item in her hands once more before putting it down and diving into the water. Galatea raised her eyebrows, where had she gone? Did she not like what she made?

Anxiety and doubt seized her before her train of thought was stopped by the siren that emerged once again from the sea bed. Only this time the shadow of the mermaid appeared above her and the next moment, she felt something soft and wet against her lips. That lasted only one instant and the siren withdrew immediately afterwards by regaining the water of the sea.

Galatea blushed furiously at this gesture, her hand came to cover her mouth because of the shock and her eyes were widened. The mermaid looked at her from the ocean with an amused smile. After a moment, the young woman calmed down a bit and could converse with her new friend again, the cheek on her cheeks and her ears still showing.

"Um... T-Thanks, I guess... You can keep the sculpture if you would like..."

The fish woman mused, letting high-pitched sounds escape her lips, and she took hold of the sculpture again. She then brought her fingertips to her lips before moving her hand as if to send a kiss to the blonde whose face became even more flushed. Then she disappeared again into the depths of the ocean, leaving Galatea alone on the deck.

The young woman could feel her heart pounding under her chest and she knew that this strange feeling inside her would not disappear any time soon. With some luck, the mermaid would visit her again so that she could carve her...