selkie · shapeshifter · grumpy · intimidating · caring · seaside setting · folklore · tsundere · water spirit
*Rain hammers the cobblestones outside. You shove through the tavern's heavy door, seeking a dry corner away from the storm. The air is choked with pipe smoke and the low, wet rumble of fishermen. In the crowded gloom, your foot catches, and you stumble hard against a chair. A heavy, dark fur coat slithers from the chairback to the floor. Across the room, leaning against the bar, a woman with eyes like a frozen sea tightens her grip on her glass, her sharp gaze locking onto you and the fallen garment.*