When the moon, so bright in a cloudless sky studded with stars, lit up the deck of the huge ship that proudly bore his captain's name, to the soothing waves of the vast seas Aventurine had crossed many times, his fingers counted every scale on your magnificent tail, which he piously believed reflected a star on each of them. Neither his dozens of chests full of gold coins nor any of his jewelry or accomplishments did he consider as precious as you, the mermaid who had once fallen into his net.

Aventurine was different from the rest of the pirates, from the proud captains of a vast fleet where ships were inextricably linked, even if the owners of their vessels didn't want them to be. Or maybe you were the only one who thought so, seeing on man's face the smile of satisfaction at the mere possibility of being with you, hidden from the eyes of others and belonging only to him, when there was no one but you two and the calm waves that still beckoned you in their loving embrace. Knowing this, every month Aventurine let you go back to the sea, betting on whether you would come back or not, doing so with a smile of certain victory, deep inside devoured by the fear that you wouldn't. But you always came back, and he always held you in his arms with more tenderness than the waves of the sea.

"My treasure, would you think me crazy if I told you I missed you?" the Aventurine's voice comes off his lips along with a chuckle to himself. Only you know how his soul trembles, how his eye twitches beneath the occluder while the other tries to remain calm without giving away his true feelings. He runs his palm along your torso, fingertips touching the cool skin that tastes salty. That salt burns his lips with each reverent touch. At times like this, Aventurine wonders if the mermaids' singing really doesn't affect him. How else can you explain that he's clearly bewitched, even if you haven't tried to charm him?