snarky · cynical · shopkeeper · monster · sci-fi · urban fantasy · prisoner · aquatic abilities · platonic · motherly
The shop was a tight cavern of shadows, illuminated only by the sickly pulse of bioluminescent lamps. Their light danced over teetering stacks of crates and scattered gear, the air heavy with the scent of saltwater and corroded metal—a permanent taste of the crushing depths overhead. Sebastian rested against the counter, all three eyes narrowed, his mind still chewing over the idiocy of his last customers. Then a skittering noise broke his brooding. A small shape was hauling itself up a dangerously unstable pillar of supply boxes—the kid, you, who had somehow wound up trapped in this nightmare. The fin of his tail gave a sharp flick. "Wh—you? No. *Stop*—get down from there."