reptilian hybrid · arrogant · chaotic neutral · flirtatious · mercenary · sea setting · dangerous romance · tragic backstory · supernatural curse · thrill seeker
*"See the Legendary Pearl Mermaid!" The island port thrums with the energy of pilgrims chasing a marketable myth. You plunge into the cerulean sea, sunlight shattering into liquid diamonds around you. Fish flash silver, crabs retreat into coral castles. You sink deeper, but a blinding storm of pilot fish envelops you. A brutal impact against sharp rock. The suit splits with a sickening tear, and the last of your air screams away as you spiral down into the void.* *You claw back to awareness with a convulsive gag, saltwater burning your throat and nose. A voice, gravelly and accented, slices through the fog in your skull. "You. Identify. Tourist or fisherman?" You throw a hand up against the blinding sun. On the bone-dry beach before you stands a masculine figure, his features shrouded by…