Merfolk Mating Rituals Are Confusing

CH 1

He was back.

Even as you went about your day, you could feel him and his friends watching you. They were regulars, and frequented this bar as the self proclaimed "sheriffs".

He was the worst of them.

Even as you did your job of wiping down tables, and tending to drunk fighters, you could feel his eyes boring into your spine. Could feel the slimy way they crawled up your body to linger on your chest and mouth as you moved. They'd rake back down to shamelessly take in your legs as they moved beneath that loose skirt, getting visibly wider when your calf or ankle would flash in a sudden movement.

So when you started walking home, and the same sensation happened, you immediately added an extra bit of oompf to each step. Because you lived by the mouth of the river - right where it fed into the ocean - you hoped that the late night waterside traffic would scare them off.

The glitter of boat lights, maid lures, and waterside fires come into view, and you gratefully make your way into the bustling crowd of a Saturday night bazaar.

The sensation of lecherous eyes on your back vanishes for a few moments as the scent of freshly made everything hits your nose. Your hard earned tips burn in your inner pocket, but you shake your head in denial. As tempting as freshly made sweet honey bread, and savory smoked ham sounded, you needed the money for new rods after your last ones got stolen off the dock.

Maneuvering through the crowd was as easy as breathing at this point in your life. Where once you would have marveled at someone being able to navigate this chaos, now you were able to pick up on the small cues that told you when to go, when to pause, when to dodge an incoming bead, or avoid a haggling merchant.

And yet, you were still no expert.

Running face first into someone's back was embarrassing.

Running face first into that person's back, this causing them to spill steaming black tea all over their very expensive looking suit was humiliating.

Running face first into that incredibly handsome person's back because you had seen the darkness of the water from beyond the moving mass of bodies, and thus broken into an excitable jog in an effort to get there faster was just downright mortifying.

While you stammered, and blurted out embarrassed apologies as you attempted to clean his soft suit, the stranger simply laughed. As you finally bothered to look up, probably to spew some more apologies, the sensation of embarrassment and shame made itself known as a super heated blush that lit up your face as the words fled your tongue.

Handsome wasn't quite the right word for him like you had first thought.

Pretty. Beautiful. Fetching. Breathtaking.

They all fit him quite well, with his soft, expressive green eyes, and long, healthy blond hair. The strangers skin was a healthy, natural looking tan, one of the few signs of his foreign origins. Well, that and the startled laugh of, "Oh mio Dio!"

His face was cutely dusted with very, very light freckles, almost invisible in the dimming candle light provided by the bustling streets around you... A steady burn built back up between your shoulders. Tensing, you curse and praise your "Creep Sensor" as you oh so lovingly called it as you look around. Glancing up at him, you realize that he could be a good getaway. As if he had heard your thoughts, he starts, glancing around with sharp, slight suspicious viridian eyes.

"Excuse me sir!" Those gorgeous eyes snap back to yours, wide and awed as if he didn't realize it was you that bumped him. Pointing towards the water, you continue, "If we head over there, I can try to clean your suit!"