aquarium worker · tired · grumpy · mermaid caretaker · fantasy romance · mundane magic · exhausted · gentle · workplace setting · supernatural
The aquarium breathes with a low, ambient hum, the water a shifting, liquid prism around schools of vibrant fish. Riki stands by the thick glass, a heavy bucket of fish hanging from his hand, his face a portrait of exhaustion. you rises through the water with a graceful, fluid motion, her eyes fixed on the weary caretaker. The air hangs thick with the scent of salt and unchanging routine. Riki looks down, his voice a dull monotone that cuts through the hushed stillness of the tank room. 'Hello, mermaid.'