creativerealmtriad

[creativerealmtriad]

11/61

            Please marry me! She screams inside as she offers Blair the feather. It's not a simple feather, it's far more than that.

            The feather itself was one of her blood feathers, and plucking it is as painful as it is risky to ones health. And decorating the swan feather is priceless diamonds and warm gemstones that will never fail to draw the eye. The entire process of making it was risky and expensive but considering the fact that those like her only ever love once...

            Blair is more than worth it.

            Even if she doesn't understand the importance of this gift. Even if she doesn't wish to marry Linnea in the way that she wants. She still wants to make this decision and take this risk.

            She wants to wrap her swan's neck around her arm and trust that Blair won't snap it.

[creativerealmtriad]

10/61

            Blair stares at the loaf of banana bread, harshly scrutinizing it.

            "Listen," She threatens the loaf. "I want to make a good first impression on Linnea."

            "Or is it a second impression?" "God, I hope my first impression is good." "I mean, it should be. I did get her number out of it..."             "Point is, I have a lot riding on this." "So please, for the love of God, be a good tasting loaf of banana bread."

[creativerealmtriad]

9/61

            "What just happened?!" Linnea hisses to herself as she marches herself towards her workplace. She carefully ignores the voice in the back of her head cursing her out for leaving.

            Having such an instant connection with someone is rare for her. Beyond rare. She's the type who sticks to herself and is left unbothered by her coworkers- not the type who spends nearly half an hour chatting with a total stranger.

            Although, she's not really a stranger... Blair. Her name is Blair.

            She was caught off guard by the woman when she slipped her way into the adjacent chair. Her short russet hair playfully mussed drew her attention towards those eyes with a brown so deep that she nearly got lost in their depths and forgot to breath.

            And even more shocking was that she had been drawn into a conversation where she completely lost track of time. It was like the entire world fell away and then she saw her watch and the spell was broken just as easily.

            And then she left Blair her phone number!

            She gave a complete stranger her number and waltzed away. She even winked! Was she flirting with Blair? Just how brazen can she get?!

            A part of her desperately hopes that Blair will just laugh the whole encounter off. Another more selfish part of her just as desperately hopes that Blair will call her and the two of them can lose themselves into an hours long conversation.  

[creativerealmtriad]

8/61

            A cloud of dismay grows a bit darker with each space she finds occupied until -finally- an empty seat. The table itself isn't empty, the other chair at the table occupied by a sharply dressed blond.

            Blair mentally braces herself and then makes her approach.

            Although she's sitting down Blair can recognize that the other woman is far taller than her. She's slender and delicate in the way she imagines those ballerina dancers would probably kill for. A situation like this is something she would normally stay away from, simply on account of being unable to handle small talk and would find any long silence far too awkward. But she's also sitting at a table with the only free chair, so...

            "Is this seat taken?"

            The woman has shocking grey eyes. Like clouds above the churning sea. Storm grey but if you look long enough you can make out the shifting shades of blues and a flicker of deep green hidden in the depths.

            Realizing she's been staring a touch too long she darts her eyes to the drink and treat beginning to cool in her hands.

[creativerealmtriad]

7/61

            Linnea huffs at the antics of her coworkers but her attention is stolen by an alert on her phone.

            After a moment of staring at the message she finally realizes what it is. Blair just sent her a picture of the ocean. The sky is mostly clear, with only a few white clouds scattered about, and the ocean seems to shine like a sapphire. The coastline visible in the picture has no sign of any people, trash or otherwise, and she wonders where Blair is to have such a perfect spot by the beach.

            It's probably a secret and hard-to-get-to place. Maybe they can go there together.

            The gentle smile that twists her lips sends her coworkers into yet another frenzy

[creativerealmtriad]

6/61

            "Swans are so pretty." Blair sighs as she looks at one of her leftover cream puffs from her date. Her phone is once more tucked away into the waterproof bag.

            "Yeah, I mean they look graceful and stuff." Her sister yawns from beside her on the rock. "But their little feet are paddling like crazy."

            "So... calm and collected outside but freaking out and panicking on the inside?" Blair concludes, for some reason the image of Linnea comes to mind. Always calm and confident when they talk to each other. How funny it would be if the two of them were equally freaking out about their dates! Of course she can't imagine the other ever getting flustered.

            "Seals are far superior." Isla smirks while flipping the hood of her pelt over her head. The eyeless seal skin fitting perfectly over her own eyes. "With us, what you see is what you get."

            "People say seals tend to be 'chonks of the sea' and we have a reputation of either being completely violent or just chubby goofballs rolling around on the sand." Blair deadpans as she watches her sister get up from the rock and make her way near the ocean.

            "Sounds about right." Isla laughs before jumping into the ocean, her body quickly disappearing before a seal bobs its head out of the water.

            "At least help me carry some of this stuff back!" Blair protests with a gesture to the cooler and waterproof bag. The barking laughter of a seal the only response before being left alone on the rocks.

            "Ugh," Blair groans into her hands. "I'm going to have to make two trips!"

[creativerealmtriad]

5/61

            "You what?"

            "It was raining and I had a rain jacket on -because of course I never go anywhere without it after last time- but she didn't and I figured 'hey, if I get wet with my pelt on I'll turn into a seal but if it gets wet and someone else is wearing it it's not like they'll transform'..."

            "So you put your pelt -your literal soul in physical form- over her just so she wouldn't get wet??" "Blair."

            "Listen, I know I don't brush my hair on a daily basis or wear makeup -but she does." "And she looks good in it, too."

            "I may not be into it but I appreciate the effort she puts into looking nice and I felt like her getting soaked would be an insult to however long it took for her to do herself up like that."

            "But still, giving her your pelt??"

            "It's not like she kept it or anything and it was only till we got to her house."

            "Besides you should've seen how freaked out she was when it rained out of nowhere." "If I didn't know any better I would've thought that she was a selkie, too!"

            "Could she, though?"

            "What, no!" "I've never seen her wearing fur or leather and you know that's practically a requirement for us because of our pelts."

[creativerealmtriad]

4/61

            "So uh, this is a bit awkward." Blair decides do start with, which probably isn't the best opening line she can come up with- but whatever.

            "What is it, dear?" Linnea asks, her lips turned up into that gentle smile that always does things to her heart.

            Oh God, how do you explain to your 'possibly' girlfriend that, by your culture's standards, you've actually been married for the past two weeks.

            "Well, are we uh... dating?" She asks, her voice embarrassingly higher pitched than usual. "Like, by your standards I mean."

            "My standards?"

            "Well I'm not exactly experienced in this sort of whole... dating thing."

            "Yes." Linnea answers after a moment of an incredibly awkward silence, her eyes trained on the long swan feather ornament Blair has been wearing in her hair for the past few weeks since she got it from her. "I'd say we're dating."

[creativerealmtriad]

3/61

            Oh my God. Linnea hisses to herself as she's caught between the sight of an adorable woman fawning over swan shaped cream puffs and the entire loaf of banana bread sitting in front of her. She baked me banana bread!

            She felt, for perhaps the second time in her entire life, inadequate.

            Here she is, trying to impress someone, and she buys some moderately pricy cream puffs. And what does this impossibly adorable woman do? Actually bakes her some banana bread!

            She has to physically bite her tongue to stop herself from making any hissing or grunting noises, she doesn't want to come off as weird or worse- desperate.

            Who is she kidding? She is desperate.

            Her parents always told her that they fall in love just like true swans. Fast, hard and for life. And that's most certainly the feeling she's getting now.

            She doesn't let this internal conflict show, though. No, she's pretty and calm and absolutely in no way freaking out-

            She feels her breath catch in her throat when she sees Blair place a childishly adorable kiss onto the 'head' of one of the swan cream puffs.

            ...How soon is too soon to propose to someone..?

[creativerealmtriad]

2/61

            "So I don't know if fish is a hit or miss-" "which is dumb because fish taste amazing as hell-" "So I guess I'll just bake her some banana bread."

         ��  "You can't go wrong with banana bread, right?"

            "I dunno, Blair." Isla absentmindedly hums from the other end, a faint tapping sound heard through the speaker. "Banana bread is serious relationship stuff not first date material." The tapping pauses for a moment before resuming. "Maybe just stick with chocolate chip cookies."

            "But I'm terrible at making chocolate chip cookies!" Blair loudly whines into the phone. "I always burn them."

            "That sounds like a 'you' problem."

            "Ugh, if she was a selkie, too I'd just hunt a big fish and toss it in her lap and be done with it!" "Simple and straightforward!" "Our ancestors had the right idea!"

            "Don't lie," "you'd bake the fish before giving it to her."             "I would..."

            "She's really classy, Lala..." "She works in that fancy office building and wears silk and makeup and even does her hair all pretty!"

            "And I'm just some fish seller who's got her hands in fish guts all day and smells like fish and flops around in the ocean on the weekends..."

            "But you like all the fish stuff and flopping around in the ocean?"

            "I really do..." "But I also really like her." "What if she thinks I'm weird or something?"

            "You are weird." "Just last week you dared yourself into shoving four mackerel into your mouth when you were in your seal form."

            "It was actually five but then I started choking..."

            "Just make the girl some banana bread." "If she's not into it then she's not into it, end of story."

            "And it wouldn't be too much?"

            "Depends on if you're going to add cinnamon and allspice into it."

            "And half a cup of smashed nuts and another half cup of chocolate chips."

            "Wow." "Just ask her to marry you while you're at it, dang."

            "Sometimes you make it really hard to tell if you're being sarcastic or not."

[creativerealmtriad]

1/61

            "Well, what's more romantic then a nice walk along the beach?" Blair suggests, pulling the tray out of the oven.

            "Oh yeah, sure, romantic." Her sister sarcastically scoffs at the other end of the phone. "You know what else is romantic? Turning into a seal, because that's what's going to happen at a beach."

            "Not true!" Blair is quick to protest, it's been over a year since the last time she accidentally transformed. "Besides don't people think seals are cute?"

            "They think seal pups are cute." Isla corrects her with a snort. "An adult seal, flopping around on the sand? Not so much."

            "Linnea would probably break it off the minute she sees me transform." Blair sighs.

            "You're not even dating."

            "We had a coffee date!"

            "That wasn't a date, that was your first meeting."             "It still counts..."

[creativerealmtriad]

MerMay 2022

I've never participated in Mer May before so I guess I'll give it a go- my way.

So for the next month I'll be posting snippets from a silly little thing I've got going about a Selkie (Blair) and a Swan Maiden (Linnea) awkwardly dating while trying not to let the other figure out that they're not actually human because they're worried the whole 'turning into an animal' thing is a deal-breaker.

Cue the shenanigans.

[creativerealmtriad]

-The reason why we don't deal with merchants-

            "The Cato's..." He murmured under his breath, a hint of near-wonder in his voice. "What I would give to work under them."

            "Why's that?" The other asks, a red eye opening and proving that he was not, in fact, napping. Or perhaps he was and he was just woken up. It's a bit hard to tell with him.

            "Well they're wealthy, for one." He started as a grin crept along his face. "They're also known for having a really useful sort of magic."

            "With their golden eyes they can see the financial outcomes of their actions so they know for sure which businesses they should make deals with and which to avoid!"

            "Better yet, if I worked for them they might figure my own magic could have its uses and they'd marry me into the family so their descendents can benefit." A deep sigh leaves his body. "If only, though..."

            "Don't give up so soon." His reluctant confidant smirked. "After all, you're technically working with a Cato."

            "Really? But-" He was interrupted when the other jerked his thumb toward the navigator looking out onto the horizon at the other end of the boat.

            "No. No way-" His dumbfounded stare looked between the two other crewmates several times before he paled and then blushed a deep red. "SERIOUSLY?!"

            "Yep."

            "This explains so much and yet absolutely nothing-" He groaned into his hands, voice a touch muffled. "His magic is focused around predictions! It's so obvious!" He looked up and gave the chuckling pirate a dark look. "The fact that his eyes are more red brown than golden brown threw me off."

            "Sure, sure."

            "You can never tell him we had this conversation." He warned, which probably would've been threatening if his face wasn't a garish red and the one he was threatening could probably kill him effortlessly.

            "What, didn't you say you wanted to marry into the Cato's?" The other jeered, clearly enjoying the situation all too much. "They are single-"

            "For a reason!" He exclaimed as he cut the other off. "Besides I wanted to marry into them to pass on my magic. I can't do that if we're both guys."

            "You probably could if you got creative enough-"

            "PLEASE STOP TALKING!!"

[creativerealmtriad]

"We don't deal with merchants."

            "What is it?" He asked as the Captain handed over his binoculars.

            "Another vessel." Came the gruff explanation, no trace of elaboration to be found.

            "Looks like a merchant ship." He noted, a glance to the noticeable height of the other vessel. "Gold banners- is that a Cato merchant ship?!"

            "Looks it."

            "Wow, I've never seen them out on the open waters before!" He exclaimed as he kept the binoculars trained on the boat as it quickly drifted off out of sight.

            "You know, with a big boat like this you could make a fortune working for the Cato's." He turned his gaze back over to the Captain with an eager grin. "Or just about any merchants-"

            "We don't deal with merchants." The Captain dismissed, leaving the other without an explanation.

            "Wh- Hey!" He sputtered as the other left, leaving him to stare off and wonder at the other's actions.

            He huffed out a sigh and looked back out at sea, staring off in the direction where the boat had gone.

            "A bit of a missed opportunity if you ask me..." He muttered under his breath.

[creativerealmtriad]

The Truth in a Myth

            "They call it the 'Coral Reef of the Wastelands'." The Othereal went on to explain, its head tilted slightly while it regarded her.

            "Coral Reef?" She questioned, the term unfamiliar to her. "What's that?"

            "A coral reef is a large cluster of rock-like organisms that can be found underwater in the ocean." Shining blue eyes squinted slightly at her as it explained. "They are considered very beautiful, I've seen more than a few of them in my days."

            "In a far off land there is a well-known and well-adored coral reef which surrounds almost the entire continent." He continued to elaborate, his wings spreading out around him the same way a child does to exaggerate. "It's said to be the largest coral reef in all the world."

            "So why do they call that place the 'Coral Reed of the Wastelands'?"

            "Well it's supposed to be a beautifully colored cluster of gem-like structures." "A bit like a coral reef, if you will."

            "I'm surprised that you don't know more, considering that you've started your little quest in looking for it." There was a question in his voice, an elaboration he didn't quite voice. In her experience this was how elders try to see if the topic is too personal to breach or not.

            "My father had been there a long time ago, he kept a small crystal from it." She shrugged as she explained. "But everyone else said it was just a myth or it doesn't exist."             "But how can it not exist if he got an actual crystal from somewhere?" She huffed as she recalled the adults she had grown up around who were always so quick to dismiss it as a silly old tale. "They're not exactly common in the Wastelands because you'd need to buy them from elsewhere." Her hand brushed against the pouch that held the crystal hidden beneath worn layers of fabric. "And on top of that my family isn't wealthy."

[creativerealmtriad]

Curious Sight

            The creature was humanoid, however it was clearly not a human despite the vague similarities. For starters, humans don't fly.

            Covering its body were shining feathers reminiscent of dawn, which were noticeably longer around the crown of the head and the tail end of the creature. In place of arms it had large wings with a wingspan almost thrice that of the length of its body. The legs, clearly avian and bending backwards as only they do, were tucked underneath their body but even then the untrained eye could make out the long talons.

            "Half-Kind are a touch uncommon in these parts, aren't they?" His crewmate spoke up from the boat's railing.

            "No more uncommon than a crew like us in these parts." He counters. "Nothing likes getting this close to the 'Gap'."

            "Well, yeah." His crewmate snorts out a laugh. "It's a giant void in the middle of the ocean!" He turns and gives him a noticeable eyeroll as well as another laugh. "Who in their right minds wants to sail close to that?"

            He shrugs with a smirk before turning his attention back to the flying creature.

It was something of a strange sight to see a Half-Kind, a lone Half-Kind at that, in these parts. Something about the air found near the 'Gap' disturbs them and so they only brave this place if they're in a large enough group.

[creativerealmtriad]

Unexpected Comfort

            The man gently pries his fingers off of the blade's hilt, the chromatic liquid acting almost like an adhesive with how tight his grip was. The man's words are lost to him, his mind unable and unwilling to make sense of the noises. But the deep timbre of his voice was so unlike the higher pitches of the others or her hissing tones that he couldn't help but feel soothed by them.

            The blade is tucked away somewhere behind the man and he lets out a sob of relief with that color finally out of his sight. Carefully ignoring that his body is still stained by that same inhuman gore.

            His ice blue eyes are trained on his own with a measured gaze, so unlike the crimson eyes he's looked into his entire life. And while he feels the pinpricks of ice and his lungs become constricted the discomfort he feels in this moment is nothing compared to the life he's lived so far.

            A calloused finger traces along the curved point of ear before slowly, and carefully, pulling him into a gentle embrace.

            This man is not one for comforting and yet for him, for someone who has never known true comfort, this is everything he could ever need.