~portum Arcanum

OOT this intrigues me a little.
Name: Tristan
Age: 18
Human/Merman: Human
Occupation: Con artist
Backstory: Lived with a alcoholic father, who would beat his mother. After a few years Tristan had enough and he fought back. The father and son fought each other and later down the year the father gave up and left the house. The mother stayed with Tristan. Tristan often lied or used people to his advantage, it was the only way to get through life. His mother died a few years later and now he lives on his own, gaining cash through information and lies. Cold empty lies.

 

OOT: I iz a shark x3

Name: Lilly
Age: 14
Species: Tiger Shark
Occupation: Diver
Passive Ability, Enhanced Awareness and low light vision due to biology.
No supernatural abilities aside from existing
Appearance: Has a few diagonal stripes in her hair when it gets long. http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=315272
(Pic is safe, site is NSFW)

Originally from the small cluster of underwater colonies known as The Deep, Lilly came to the surface as a way to escape the pressure from her family. Despite her need for distance, she retained her natural love for the ocean and quickly took up diving with human gear. She quickly became familiar with murder as her secret became exposed and her instructor didn't come across as trustworthy enough. Having only recently come to the surface, her barbaric act which would have been less of an issue back home suddenly landed her in the cross hairs of the local police. Going from transaction records they knew she had requested a private lesson. Fleeing the state she stuck to the coast and took more diving lessons, however she took steps to ensure her secret was safe. Once she became an accomplished diver in her human form, she took to a life of exploration and traveling. Underwater caves, old ship wrecks, mercenary work, repo work, she did whatever she needed to do. After several unsuccessful models, she found a manufacturer that could make a dry suit that fit and felt like a wet suit. With a steady supply of these suits that fully encapsulated her body she was able to dive without worry of transforming. She has a voracious appetite and will eat, or attempt to eat, anything when she's hungry.

 

OOT: It took a little while, but I have found my inner Merman!

Name: Azel
Age: 19
Human or mermaid/man: Merman
Occupation: Karate instructor
If mermaid or man type: Hydra
Special ability as merperson: Sound manipulation -- he can use sound waves in a variety of ways to either help him run away from a fight or give him an edge if he is forced to fight. For example, he can use it to create noises or even human voices as a distraction or he can create a piercing high-pitched noise to disorient his opponents. In desperate times, he can even created a powerful sonic boom that blows away anything in its path.
Back story: A young merman who was raised as a warrior, Azel chose to leave that life behind and live among humans. Although he misses his home at times, he lives freely and without regret disguised as a normal human. After living among humans for some times, he fully immersed himself in their rich and varied culture; in particular, he found the sport of professional wrestling to be very entertaining. He wishes to become a professional wrestler himself, but because of the danger of his identity being exposed, he has more or less given up on this dream and settled into what he considers the next best thing: teaching karate. As Hydras are warriors by nature, this line of work suits him and he is a highly regarded teacher despite his age.

OOT: Yep, he's a hydra merman. A mythological creature mixed with another mythological creature. Whatcha gonna do about it?

 

Name: Actaeon
Age: He's forgotten, but somewhere around 20 to 21
Merman/Human: Human
Occupation: Runaway

Having left his home for good, he lives on the coastline of a great forest, so wide and dense that no search would ever find him - in fact, he chose this forest for that exact reason. Considered a fugitive by the law, a monster by his family and dead by the world at large, he ekes out a bare-necessities style of survival through hunting, knowing which mushrooms are good to eat and fishing. A stream provides his water, the sea his bathtub. Sometimes, when he really needs it, he steals from a large golfing resort not fifteen miles from his location - though this often takes him a day or so to make complete journeys.

He lay on the rocks, doing what he was fond of doing. He'd been doing it for years at this stage - dreaming while awake.
"And I'd install a big soft mattress, big enough to drown in, right over there so I could just curl up under the stars and relax. Granted, I can do that now, but rocks are not exactly as comfortable." One eye flickered lazily open. A rabbit was twitching his nose at him a few feet away, seemingly wondering if he had anything resembling food. He flicked some berries at it and turned over as the rabbit munched on its prize.
"Winter's on the way," he said out loud again. He talked to himself a hell of a lot. Being so alone meant of course that one's diction tended to erode without some kind of exercise for them. That, and he was pretty sure if he didn't hear a human voice of some sort, he'd go completely mad. "I'm going to have to thieve a blanket or something. Can't keep using the sands, they go cold in autumn."
He heard the rabbit scatter, and in a second he too was gone, darting through the trees behind the rock formation he'd been using to nap. He heard voices, muffled ones.
Female ones. The words "skinny dipping" entered his consciousness and he started sneaking forwards to get a peek...

 

Here's mine, I hope it should work


Name: Kiriton/ Raleigh

Age: 21

Human or mermaid/man: merman

Occupation: computer technician/mercenary

Ability: Ice manipulation, he can freeze water and manipulate it to form weapons, as well as create ice clones of himself

Backstory: His real name is Raleigh, but he goes by the name of Kiriton when he does his mercenary work. Originally a guard for the royal family, he defected because of the factions in royalty. He works for a client that pays him well, and he can often find information because of his work with computers. He is very skilled in martial arts, and he only attacks those who he is paid to attack, he does not believe in hurting innocent people

 

The light rain had just begun falling. The skies had been dark grey for most of the week with nothing to show for the dreariness. And now it finally began to loose its munitions on the unsuspecting world below. Cursing quietly to herself, Lilly pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and changed direction so that the wind was to her back. She twirled her umbrella irritably as she picked up the pace to the nearest motel. Everything was covered in the slick, glistening beauty of the ocean. Her heart yearned to play, however she had to hold it inside. One slip up and any witnesses would need to be dealt with. If it happened outside, could she even quiet them all? One would always slip away, the cars driving down the road were a testament to this. Killing an entire town without some serious artillery support maybe with a couple squads of infantry to mop up. Still, some would flee; and combing the ruins could take months.
Hastening her steps in time with the increase in the storm her eyes roved for anywhere dry and open. Finally she caught sight of the funny characters of Japan. She'd been on a dive with a German Japanese research crew. Her familiarity with the characters that made up their alphabet was only on sight, she could speak some of it, but there was no way she'd be able to read it. They were too alien to her, especially after the tribal markings from The Deep.
Pulling the door open, Lilly made her way quickly inside the front entrance. Plain white walls locked off this little corridor from either the rest of the studio or the suite next door. A chaotic clumping of shoes was piled right before the step that led onto the raised floor. Traditional. She thought mildly. Slipping her hiking boots off she set the carefully in the corner. Carefully she set her umbrella and bag down then took out the towel she kept with her at all times and carefully wiped her diving suit, umbrella and pack dry. The necessity for keeping her stuff dry was simply instinct at this point. Warm and dry meant survival.
Collecting her belongings, she stepped up and followed the short hallway to the main room. A few parents gave her curious or slightly disapproving looks as she rounded the corner. They quickly looked back towards the main part of the room. Following their collective gaze, Lilly watched the group going through what looked at first to be a bizarre kind of dancing. It took a few moments for her brain to recognize it as a martial arts class. She watched the students as they worked together in small groups, it looked chaotic but organized. Her concentration was constantly drawn to the leader of this odd collective. He was young, but he carried with him an air of authority and his voice seemed to come from every direction when he talked. He moved among the groups for a while before moving to the front of the room and calling out "Attention!" in Japanese. The students fell quickly into lines, the younger students in front with the older in back. The instructor stood silently surveying his sweaty class and spoke a few words to the fidgeting children. Then after honoring the flags he bowed them out and dismissed the class.
Lilly pressed herself into a corner as students and adults pressed past her towards the exit. A few stayed out on the practice space talking to the instructor, before they too slowly made their ways out of the dojo. She was amazed at how fast the large room cleared out, and how quiet it was. Quieting her breathing, she watched as the instructor tidied up a few things around the room. Standing in the corner, she was unsure how to approach the young man, afraid that he'd kick her out into the heavy rain that thundered on the roof two stories above.
Biting back a whimper that tried to escape her throat she stayed as still as possible in the hopes of avoiding detection. If he left by the back door, maybe he'd just turn off the lights and go? But that wasn't likely, unless one of the students who left had the keys to the entrance. Knowing it was inevitable that he'd find her anyway, she clung stubbornly to the shadows as much as possible. The silence had gone on too long. If she talked now, he'd wonder why she was there and why she'd been watching him for so long. Her heart began to beat a little faster. She should just go. Brave the rainstorm and pray she could make it to another sanctuary. The booming of thunder directly overhead caused her to jump and immediately dashed any hopes of going outside.
The young man seemed to have finished whatever he had been busying himself with, because he stood up straight. It was only a matter of time until he saw her. Swallowing nervously she did her best to control her pounding heart. This was going to be awkward...

 

After a good, long day of training with my students, I send them back home with a confident smile and a thumbs-up. They did good today...as long as they keep up with their training, they'll become something great before too long. I'm not usually one to brag, but I definitely ended up with some great students this time around. Maybe even the best in town! That thought keeps a smile on my face as I clean up the dojo. But still...for some reason, I'm feeling a little on-edge, like someone is watching me.
*BOOM!*
It looks like I was on to something! Just as I hear the sound of thunder, I could swear that I heard a girl gasp for breath. It was faint, but my finely tuned senses haven't let me down yet, so I take a look around to see if someone's here.
"Hello? Is someone there? If you forgot your phone or something, you can just speak up, you know."
Thinking that one of the students might have accidentally left something behind, I call out. Just then, I catch a glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye. I take a few steps closer to get a better look. Hmm...a young girl with red eyes and brown hair done up in a ponytail. Yeah, she's definitely not one of my students. Wiping the confused look off of my face, I smile and wave at her.
"Hey, what brings you here? If you're here for the class, I hate to break it to you but we just got done...but you can sign up for the next one if you want to!"
I slowly take a few steps closer. She looks a little pale, and she's definitely nervous, like a kid who's about to get scolded. Man...I feel like I'll scare her off if I make any sudden movements, so I try my best not to.

OOT: Just a fair warning, I'm not sure when I'll be posting next. Things to do, people to see and all that.

 

"I uh... I uh..." Lilly didn't know what to say. The two of them stood there, staring at one another oddly. She began to shift uncomfortably. This isn't good. What do I say? I can't go outside, not when it's pouring like that. If the reports were right, it was supposed to go on all night. But how... how can I make him let me stay? If he forced her outside, or called the police, she couldn't hope to conceal her true nature. Worse yet, there was no way she could beat him in a fight. He was trained, she had a few hodgepodge techniques, an incredible bite, and surprise. The first attempt to swallow failed, her mouth too dry. The second attempt went better. Nervously she decided to simply ask for what she needed.
"I... I..." She faltered again. Screwing her eyes shut she burst it out in one breath, somewhere between talking and shouting.
"Pleaseletmestayheretonight! Ican'tstayoutside!" She swallowed again, somewhat surprised by her own voice. Standing there nervous and a bit embarrassed she wondered, Why am I so flustered right now? This isn't like me.

OOT: that's okay Papa. I'll pester you whenever I get the chance ;P

 

I've gotta admit, I'm pretty stunned at the girl's sudden outburst. It takes me a few seconds to snap out of a daze; once I do, I give her a warm smile.
"Yeah, I definitely get that. I never go outside when it's raining, either. And I mean never..."
My voice started trailing off towards the end of that thought. Of course, she can never know why I never go out in the rain. She probably just hates the rain, but for me it'd cause a whole lot of trouble if I did.
"But, you know...if you're looking for a place to crash, wouldn't it be common courtesy to at least introduce yourself first?"
I laugh and hold out my hand for a handshake.
"I'm Azel, and as you've probably noticed since you've been here for a while, I run this humble little dojo. Nice to meet you!"

 

"N-Nice to meet you." Lilly says bowing slightly. "You can call me Lilly."
Stepping out into the light of the main floor she stood there uncertainly, pack on one shoulder, umbrella in her opposite hand. She looked down briefly and realized the diving knife was still strapped to her right shin.
"I know I probably look a little weird, I'm a commercial diver and I kinda had to leave my job in a hurry. I didn't have much time to prepare for a cross country trip." She forced a laugh then, it was small and nervous.

 

I couldn't help raising an eyebrow at Lilly.
"You're traveling cross-country on your own? Well, how do I put this...? You look a little younger than I am and I'm barely old enough to be running this dojo."
I chuckle and rub my chin.
"Then again...I was pretty young when I left home, too. Sometimes you've just got to go your own way, forge your own path, carve your own future!"
I smile and give her a thumbs up.
"Those days were pretty rough for me so if I can make it any easier for you, I'd be happy to help. Any sane person would probably call the police or something, but you don't have to worry about that..."
I put on my best Randy Savage impersonation.
"...'Cause I'm a little insane in the membrane, dig it!"
There's no way she'll get the joke, but I'm still having fun with it. I clear my throat and get back down to business.
"Yeah, don't mind that. I guess the first thing we should take care of is your outfit."
I point to her diving suit.
"Just saying...it doesn't look all that comfortable and it's kinda dripping all over my floor. You, uh..."
Uh oh. I didn't think of that until now...I can feel a little sweat start to form.
"You ARE wearing street clothes under that suit, right?"

 

"I practically live in these things. So I don't really feel 'em much anymore. If I need to I throw something on top of it, because they can be a little... revealing." She blushed a little at that.
Lilly froze in shock, only for a second though, then slowly stretched her body. She put one hand in the large pocket on the front of her sweat shirt and closed it into a fist. Her left ankle began to tingle slightly, then itch, then it went numb.
"I'm sorry to be rude," she said hastily interrupting Azel before he could say anything else, "I need to meditate, help me clear my head. Could you hold on for a second?"
Setting her pack and umbrella down she walked out onto the mats and sat down, cross-legged, in the middle of the room. Closing her eyes she took a few deep breaths, then shut her consciousness from the world. Scanning her body quickly she honed in on her left foot and isolated the numbing itch. It had just been a small drop of water, but already she couldn't feel her right leg. But since it had only been a small amount, miniscule, there was always the chance...
Picturing a pair of human legs she focused on them until they were perfect, then she took her upper half and attached the two in her mind. Her concentration boiled the world away until all there was, was a young girl wearing a custom diving suit with a hoodie sweatshirt over top of it. A tingling feeling came back into her lower limbs and then they were back to normal. Eyes closed and breathing steadily she bent over and rubbed the trace of moisture from her ankle with her sleeve.
Opening her eyes she looked down and saw two human feet, there were two odd bumps on the outer edge of them, the beginnings of her tail fin. But they receded quickly and her skin retook its usual color. Sighing she slowly stood up and went to her pack, took out the towel and dried herself carefully.
"I'm sorry about that. It's kind of a ritual I have, everyday at this time. I've done it so much that my body needs it now." Lilly said apologetically. I had my back to him. I hope he didn't see.
"Carve my own future huh? Well I guess that's what I'm doing. But I have to admit, your country is weird. It's unlike any place I have been before."

 

After a lengthy perusal of naked bathing women, Actaeon realized he should probably go forage. He had a very VERY small amount of money on him, enough for maybe a sandwich. Granted it wasn't his money...

After bathing himself and washing, dressed in a faded T-shirt and jeans, he slunk into the nearest town. Just a small place, but it allowed him to keep his ear to the ground.
He walked to the cheapest place he knew, keeping his eye on everyone. He saw a woman eating breakfast at a table.
"If I eat with her, I'll avoid suspicion," he said under his breath.
He walked up to her. "Is this seat taken?" he said as politely as he could.

 

Before I even have time to react, Lilly suddenly sits down on the floor with her back turned to me and starts meditating. It's...kinda odd, sure, but I don't want to interrupt her so I just stand there and watch. As I do, I'm a little awestruck seeing the girl in front of me who was so timid and nervous just a few minutes ago looking so...serene now. For whatever reason, she's definitely become an expert of meditation. My body stiffens up as I try not to make a single move, afraid that I might disturb this little moment she's having. After a few moments, she stands back up and starts talking again. When she mentions "my" country, I can't help but laugh.
"You might think it's weird now but trust me, it grows on you."
I snap my fingers as I realize something.
"Oh yeah, I never mentioned that. Thing is, I'm not actually a native of this country, either. But even though I wasn't born here, I definitely call this place 'home' now. Every once in a while I start to miss my old home, but...I made my choice and it's worked out just fine for me."
I smile, feeling a little nostalgic.
"How about you? You ever get homesick once in a while?"

 

"A little." Lilly admits. "But never enough to make me want to go back. The salty air and gentle rocking of the sea is my true home. Ever since I left, I've spent most of my time on a ship of some sort."
A sudden crack of thunder makes her jump. Then another low rumble fills the room.
"Uh... do you happen to have anything to eat?"

 

I try my best to stifle a laugh when she jumps at the sound of thunder. Then, when she admits to being hungry, I can't help but smile back at her. Aww...she's just too cute right now!
"Sure thing, I've got some leftover rice balls in the fridge."
I make my way to the kitchen, grab a plate of food out of the refrigerator and close the door. On my way back, I stop by one of my closets and pull out a nice, big towel. When I come back into the main hall, I set the food down on the table and toss the towel to Lilly.
"Even if you're used to the wetsuit, I figured you might still want to dry off at least. Help yourself to the rice balls whenever you're ready. I'm no chef, but they're not too bad if I do say so myself."

 

She was already dry, the only thing damp was her own towel and her sweatshirt. So she set the towel down beside her as she sat.
"I haven't found many people who can screw rice up." Lilly said with a grin. Taking one in her hand she inspected it before taking a bite out of it. The rice was cold but soft and grainy, as rice is. Then another taste filled her mouth. Chewing a bit she looked back at the rice ball and saw the dark purple color packed into the center. Swallowing she grinned.
"So you like to fill them with jam then?"
It only took a few minutes for her to clear the plate. Satisfied but still hungry she turned to conversation.
"So how long have you been running this place? It must be weird having students older than you are."