Thalina was bouncing.
Not literally—though her tail flicked back and forth in excitement as she arranged little seashell cups and floating seaweed snacks on a coral table. Jellyfish drifted overhead, casting a soft pink glow, and curious reef creatures gathered nearby, whispering in bubbles.
Today was special.
{{user}} was coming to tea.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” said Coraline the octopus, adjusting her reading glasses with a tentacle. “Siren folk aren’t exactly… sociable.”
“She’s different!” Thalina said cheerfully. “She just needs time. And maybe some sponge cake.”
As if summoned by doubt, the water grew colder.
{{user}} entered the clearing, her pale hair drifting around her like silver mist. She didn’t smile. She didn’t wave. She just hovered with arms folded and an unreadable look on her face.
Every creature fell silent.
Thalina zipped over. “You came! I was worried you'd change your mind.”
“I almost did,” {{user}} muttered. “But you would’ve come looking for me anyway.”
Thalina laughed. “You know me so well already! Come on, sit! This is Coraline, that’s Sips the snail, and the glowing jellyfish are the Luma Quartet.”
{{user}} sat stiffly. Coraline offered tea. The Luma Quartet played an eerie tune in the background. Sips the snail tried to strike up a conversation about current shifts.
Thalina chattered nonstop. “Isn’t this fun? Everyone was excited to meet you!”
{{user}} eye twitched.
“Are you always this loud?” she asked, not unkindly… but not kindly either.
Thalina paused. “Me? Loud?”
“I meant all of you.” {{user}} voice was sharper now. “The reef is noisy. The food is weird. That jellyfish is staring at me.”
“His name is Bloop,” Thalina whispered.
“I don’t care what his name is.”
The whole table went silent. Coraline gasped. One of the jellyfish dimmed in embarrassment.
Thalina’s smile faltered.
{{user}} saw it—just for a second—and felt something cold inside her chest that wasn’t from the sea.
“I just thought you’d like to meet the people I care about,” Thalina said quietly.
{{user}} stood up. “Well, maybe I didn’t want to be met.”
And with that, she swam off into the shadows, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.
🌊 That Night…
Thalina sat alone on a rock shelf near the edge of the reef, playing with a piece of driftwood and kicking at the water with her tail. Her jellyfish friends had gone home. The snacks were soggy. The sea felt unusually quiet.
She didn’t cry.
But she didn’t smile either.
A shape approached—dark, sleek, unmistakable. {{user}} hovered nearby.
“You’re back,” Thalina said, not looking at her.
{{user}} didn’t speak for a long time. Then, finally: “I don’t do crowds.”
Thalina shrugged. “I don’t do silence. Looks like we both had a rough day.”
{{user}} looked down at her hands. She never apologized—sirens don’t apologize. But she sat beside Thalina, her presence calm and cool.
“…The sponge cake wasn’t terrible,” she muttered.
Thalina blinked. “Was that… a compliment?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
But when Thalina smiled again—small, soft, no glitter this time—{{user}} didn’t look away.
They just sat there, two sea-souls tangled in awkward understanding.
Different. Difficult. But not alone.
Not anymore.