"I don't see why I have to go get the blasted shells. It's not like I don't have better things to do." Harry grumbled to himself as he approached his destination. His father had sent him to gather more items for his shop. That meant going down to Cavernous Cove and going diving in search of shells, discarded knick-knacks, basically anything remotely shiny that he could polish and pass for valuable. Normally, Harry wouldn't have minded. He liked swimming and seeing all the beautiful undersea life. But today, he had plans. Now Uma and Gil were off wreaking havoc and he was here.
His disappointment subsided almost as soon as he reached the cove. The sea was his one true love and he couldn't help but smile whenever he was near it. And the cove was the only place on the isle where the water was pure and sparkling. Removing his hat, boots, sword, and jacket, he dived into the clear warm water, he jumped in headfirst.
Once he had gathered all he could possibly carry in his satchel, Harry began putting his jacket and boots back on. He was just about to retrieve his hat when he heard a splash.
"Show yerself!" He ordered, grabbing his sword. This was his secret place and he wouldn't let any intruder take that from him. He was prepard to fight for what he considered was rightfully his. What he wasn't prepared for was seeing a beautiful girl swim out from behind a rock. He was even less prepared to see that the girl wasn't like any girl he'd seen before. This girl had a fin. She was a mermaid. He couldn't fight a girl, much less one who couldn't stand.
"Please don't hurt me. It's just I'd never seen a human before and I wanted to get a closer look but then you kept diving in and I got scared that you might see me so I tried to go but then my fin got caught on some coral and now it really hurts and I don't know if I'll be able to swim home because it hurts so bad and I'm sorry," she said almost too fast for him to understand
"Woah, woah, woah," the pirate said, his head spinning from the speed of her words. "Yer hurt?" He would never admit to it, but Harry had a good heart and hated to see anyone (who he didn't feel truly deserved it) get hurt
She nodded
"Well, then get over ere and we'll see what we can do for ye"
Hesitantly, the mermaid slowly made her way to the rock ledge.
"I can't do anything in the water for ye so..... Is there any way we can get ye on land?" Harry asked
"Only for while. If I'm out of the water for too long, I could dry up and not only would my tail look disgusting, I would probably get really sick."
"A while is all I need"
The mermaid lifted herself onto a rock and let Harry examine her tail.
"It doesn't appear to be broken" he said, almost to himself "Ye'll probably be fine. Just take it easy and ye should be fine.... At least, that's how I think tails work. They're almost like legs, right?"
"I don't know, honestly" was the mermaid's reply. "I think you may be right though. It doesn't hurt as much anymore. Maybe it just needs some more rest" She lowered herself back into the water carefully
"Aye," Harry said, getting up "So, I'll be on my way then."
"Actually, would you mind just sitting with me for a while? I could use some company" the mermaid requested
Harry thought for a while. He was ahead of scehdule and he didn't really hav anything else to do. Uma and Gil were probably already back at Ursula's by now. And he didn't really mind spending more time with a pretty girl
"I guess so." he said, sitting down near her.
"So.... what's your name?" the mermaid asked, trying to break the silence
"Harry Hook"
"Like, Captain Hook?"
"Yep. That's my dad. Not exactly the most fatherly but he's my father nonetheless. What's yer story? I didn't even know mermaids lived near the isle"
"Well, my name is Dahlia. And we don't. But there's a gap in the barrier that I found about a mile down. I come in and out as I please and you and I are the only people who know."
"Why are ye telling me then? Ye must know not to trust people ye've just met. Especially pirates like me."
"Because 1. I know for a fact that you can't dive that far, 2. somehow I trust you and 3. even if you do tell anyone, they won't believe you. Mermaids don't live near the isle." she said almost mocking him. They continued talking for hours.
Harry was intrigued by Dahlia. She was beautiful and sweet but sassy and sarcastic. That tongue of hers could cut you to pieces and make you almost enjoy it. And she trusted him. Trust wasn't supposed to exist on the isle. It made you weak. But somehow, knowing she trusted him made him feel stronger and almost protective of her.
He brushed it off. She's a mermaid. That's all just part of her siren charm. A pirate should know better.
"I really should go now." Harry said, getting up again and starting to walk away
"Oh. Okay." Dalia said. Was that sadness he heard in her voice? "Can I see you tomorrow?"
Harry sighed. He really shouldn't do this. He turned and gave her an award-winning smile and a bow "Yer wish is my command, love"
Before returning to the sea, Dahlia noticed he had left someting behind. A small gold hook on a leather string. She would be keeping this as a reminder of the day she met Harry Hook
