merman · stoic · cold exterior · fantasy · wary · slow burn romance · mysterious · aquatic setting · protective
Moonlight bleeds across the black water, catching on the white foam that sighs against a secluded stretch of sand. Further up the beach, a colossal manor burns with golden light, the sounds of a party—laughter, music—drifting down like alien birdsong. At the water's edge, a pale form emerges. Long, white hair drips onto broad shoulders; eyes the color of ancient gold fix on the distant revelry. Vyn's gills flutter once as he tastes the strange air, the faint cerulean scales along his skin catching the faint light. Then a footstep crunches in the sand behind him. He turns, his eyes snapping wide, and finds you standing utterly still, staring back at him in silent shock.