Private Shelter From the Storm

[Ishani Dinn]

"I don't mind at all," the mermaid replied cheerfully. "Let's see... I can still feel my legs, but I have to move them differently. It takes some getting used to. As for the gills—" She lifted her hair with one hand, gently running a finger over the slits. "Yeah, but it doesn't hurt. And it closes up when I take it off."

"Show him the tail thing," Ishani hissed.

"What tail thing?" The mermaid's brow furrowed, before she realized what Ishani was asking for. "Oh! Right."

She lifted her tail fin, manipulating it as easily as if it were just another limb. "It's connected to my nervous system."

Leaning back, she continued to swish her tail in various ways, demonstrating its flexibility and range of motion. "You can touch it if you want," she said.

At least she didn't sound so openly flirtatious anymore, Ishani noted. "The tail feels like a fish's scales," she told Alicio, in case he wasn't willing to get that close to the mermaid. "The rest of it feels like skin, but much smoother and sort of clammy."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio watched on with interest as the Finfolk explained her various anatomical changes, with the same kind of intensity he held when engaged in conversation. Perhaps even more intensity, as he was still fighting the urge to run for the hills in embarrassment.

The nobleman's eyes traced the tail, watching as it dexterously flipped back and forth. But when she asked him if we wanted to touch it, he cracked a bit of a smile, shielding his mouth with his hand, and nodding to Ishani in gratitude for the information.

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll keep my hands to myself today." The darkly-dressed count refolded his hands behind his back. "But that is incredible."

Then, he turned his attention back to his new drinking and stabbing buddy, raising an eyebrow good-naturedly. "How is it you know so much about the Finfolk? Do you meet them often?"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

The mermaid feigned disappointment. "Suit yourself. I'd love to stay a while, but I've got places to be. If you need me for anything else, just ask for Godiva."

With a quick darting motion and a loud splash, she was gone. The spray hit Ishani, who blinked the droplets out of her eyes and licked saltwater from her lips.

"I have a Skin of my own at home," she replied to Alicio. "Which isn't as skimpy as Miss Godiva's, but I wasn't in the mood to wear it around you, so you dodged that bullet. Anyway, having a Skin doesn't make you Finfolk—but I have some friends who are. The rest of my knowledge is just from, uh, pop culture osmosis. The Finfolk get a lot of books written and holos made about them, though those are usually very romanticized. Still, you get the gist."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Thank you for your time," Alicio said, taking a quick step back from the water's edge, and raising a hand in farewell. With that, Godiva was gone with a splash of water, sprinkling the area Alicio had just been standing.

If only he could act on his visions of the future when it actually mattered.

Alicio returned to Ishani's side, feeling his blush finally subside. Once she revealed she had a suit of her own, he tried to imagine Ishani with a fish tail. "So, the Finfolk are a fetishized minority. It must not be easy for them. I see why they made their own society."

His thoughts returned to Godiva, peering over the ocean absently.

"Well, she was less mythical than I would have thought of a mermaid. But... no less charming." He cracked a grin.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

The word fetishized made Ishani raise an eyebrow. She’d never heard them described that way, but now that she thought about it… “The media certainly fetishizes them. The average person on Chaldea, not so much. They’re seen more as… sad, I guess. The Skins are addictive as a drug. It tears apart families—most Finfolk are men and women who abandoned their spouses and children to follow the ‘Call of the Sea’ as they say.”

As she spoke, she found herself watching Alicio. She’d noticed his good looks when they first met, but something about the warm lighting of the sunset, or maybe his slightly tipsy grin, or possibly because she’d been around him long enough to get to know him a little—it had made her realize. Alicio Organa was beautiful.

And now Ishani was in trouble, because Arcturus was gone on one of his long protracted absences from the galaxy, and she got lonely without him sometimes.

Well, they say that those who have never been tempted to go astray can’t prove their loyalty, she thought dismally. Damn. Hopefully Alicio wouldn’t notice any change in her, chalking up the slight flush in her cheeks to the heat of the sun. Or at least, he didn’t feel the same pull.

“...Or badass, depending on the context,” she continued. “Part of what led to the Finfolk being officially recognized was their contributions during the Civil War. They were guerrilla fighters.” She rubbed her eyes to avoid looking at him, feigning tiredness, and glanced down at her chrono. “We should probably head back. Don’t want, uh, people wondering where we are.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I see..." Alicio noted, staring out over the ocean again, imagining all of the people lost to this 'Call of the Sea'. "Sounds like a lonely life. But at least they can find others with the same pull to the ocean."

His thoughts returned to Sanctuary City. Though the context was drastically different, they had similar stories to the Finfolk, forced together by circumstance. "Perhaps it's not so lonely after all, then."

Alicio noticed Ishani rubbing tiredness out of her eyes, and frowned a bit. Had their excursion bored her? Or was she just sleepy? "O-of course," he said, pulling his attention away from the setting sun and to Ishani, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Shall we?" He offered his arm to take, as she had taken it before.

"Maybe we should consider constructing some underwater arrangements for the Finfolk in Calabiyau," Alicio wondered aloud to Ishani. "They might appreciate the gesture. And I'm sure refugees would love seeing mermaids about, if they stuck around."

He chuckled a bit under his breath. "There. Now we can call all this a business meeting."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Lonely, yeah.” Wait, no. What?

“Uh, I mean, the uh—with the Finfolk, it’s more… screwed up, I guess. Especially the kids who lose a parent to this… free-spirited bullshit. I feel bad for them.”

She felt a little self-conscious saying that, abruptly very much aware of how Chaldean she sounded. But it was the very reason why she hadn’t jumped off that cliff with the rest of them—she knew her children couldn’t follow her. It was the force that drew her back to land, pulled her out of the water every time she let the power of that artificial tail and gills drag her under.

“It would be like if you said ‘I know I should help these refugees, but you know what? Feth these people, I’m gonna go party instead.’” She imitated his voice to the best of her ability (which is to say, fairly far off the mark), then shrugged. “I mean, it’s just… I dunno. You’ve got people who glamorize it, and then the reality of it—but the truth is somewhere in the middle.”

He offered her his arm. She hesitated for a second before raising her arm to link it with his, not wanting to let on that something had changed. But the tremble in her hand worked against her.

“Maybe,” she echoed. “It would make for a nice gesture. A peace offering.”

"There. Now we can call all this a business meeting."

She snorted. “Right. Strictly business."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio covered his mouth, laughing as Ishani mimicked his voice. It was poor. Very poor. But he didn't dispute what she said.

Thinking of it from a familial point of view, it was like a substance addiction. Which was always more complex than they appeared on paper. "I think I'm beginning to understand," Alicio conceded, as he and Ishani began to walk along the beach once more. "Somewhere in the middle."

He was Alderaanian. Both the pursuit of being true to oneself, and the bonds of family, were important to him. In a situation where they were opposite forces, pulled apart by substance abuse, he wasn't quite sure how to unpack it.

"The more I'm in politics," Alicio mumbled, picking along the beach with a nearly-imperceptible tipsy slur to his words, "The more I realize that right answers don't exist. Sometimes, all it feels like is damage control."

The Count noticed Ishani's shaking hand then, and he focused on her, stormed eyes concerned. "Are you cold? The sea breeze is a bit chilly, now that the sun's going down..."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Yeah, that’s part of the reason why I hated being in politics,” Ishani said. “There were no right answers, only opinions. Everyone sits around and complains about their problems, but nobody seems to know what to do to fix them. You have people who aren’t willing to take chances, and people who take too many chances, and it’s all just a big headache.”

To think that once upon a time, she’d thought being a senator might be fun. Boy was she wrong.

“If you can get something done, I applaud you. Especially if you do it as tipsy as you are right now.”

He asked her if she was cold. She briefly considered saying yes to avoid explaining herself, but that would probably prompt him to offer her his jacket, or put an arm around her, or some other kind and well-meaning gesture that was just a little too intimate. So she shook her head, and tried to joke. “You’d shiver too if you could see yourself.”

… Well, that sounded borderline insulting. Quick, damage control.

“I mean you’re, uh… That was a compliment.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio had lost some of his luster as Ishani spoke about her time as a senator. He had only recently visited the Alliance capital for the first time. On the surface, it looked picturesque. An enormous shining city, a hall full of democratically-elected individuals, arguing for how to make the worlds of the Alliance a better place. He'd felt electric for the first few hours.

But then he began to see the dark sides of it all. The undercity. The politics behind the politics. The money plays, the rigged elections, the kidnapping...

He almost missed Ishani's poor excuse for a compliment. But he heard it nonetheless.

On her first pass, Alicio gave her an odd look, upticking the side of his mouth in a confused smile. He didn't look that bad, did he? His confusion resolved into an amused smirk as Ishani explained herself further.

"That was easily one of the worst compliments I've gotten, maybe ever," he jabbed, holding down a laugh for her sake. "But I appreciate it."

The two of them made it to the speeder, and Alicio stepped into the passenger seat, poised as ever. "My ship is still in the hills, you can take me there. Then you can go warm up."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Though she was still embarrassed about her blundering remark, his dismayed look after her spiel about how much she hated politics made her feel guilty. She adopted a more serious tone, trying to soothe the damage.

“Well, let’s put it this way. I look at you, and see what I could’ve, or maybe should have been. Someone who wears themselves thin doing right by others, sacrificing their happiness and desires for a greater good.”

She had never professed to be a good person. At some point in her youth she had wanted to be a hero to her people, but those dreams had long since faded. By the time they reached the speeder and were sitting side by side within, she felt as though she had followed the pull of attraction to its root, uncovering the soil and finding it was really the lingering longing to be better and stronger than she was. Phew, who knew feelings could get so complicated?

Reaching across, she clasped his hand, her grip reassuring. “You’re a good man—and those are much harder to find, which makes you all the more precious and striking to behold.” Releasing his hand, she smirked. “I’m just astonishingly bad at putting my thoughts into words. No wonder I couldn’t do your job.”

She started the engine, and the vehicle began to lift up into the sky.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio squeezed Ishani's hand as she offered it, taking comfort in the physical touch. He tried to take comfort in her words, but his brow furrowed anyways.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ishani," Alicio commanded, turning his body to face her in his seat as the speeder glided through the air. "I told you already today, working on this city proves you still care for the greater good, too. And you went out of your way to help me with Persis today, and teach me about the Force, and show me an actual mermaid..."

His grey eyes sparkled with praise. "And you have your kids. You sacrificed your position for them. That sounds pretty good to me."

"I honestly wish I could be more like that. I don't know when, or how, to step away. You do. That's incredible."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ah, he had told her that today, hadn’t he? It hadn’t quite sunk in, though. Most people seemed to lament that the galaxy asked too much of them, and they couldn’t possibly do it all in one lifetime. She tended to wonder whether she could’ve done more, if she’d only pushed past her limits.

"Thanks," she murmured, a little distracted. The Chaldean skyways weren’t busy at all, but Ishani was a bit of a paranoid driver. “Well, all it took for me to drop everything was my boyfriend coming back from the Netherworld. Maybe if you find a nice girl or whatever, she’ll distract you enough that you’ll never have to worry about getting anything done ever again. Personally I wouldn’t recommend Miss Godiva as a candidate. Not because I have anything against her, I just imagine those robot arms of hers would be a little bit… weird. If you know what I’m sayin’.”

She managed to get Alicio back to his ship in one piece. “There.” She smiled as soon as the speeder touched the ground, then turned to Alicio. “Okay, get out now. Go. Shoo.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"But think of all the attachments..." Alicio said, releasing a buzzed laugh into the Chaldean air. He faced forward again, staring ahead as Ishani did. "In all honesty, I don't have time for all that. Courtship. Love." He said the word like it was a foreign concept, sinking into his chair just the slightest bit.

"But maybe some day. Maybe some day." His eyes were a touch sad, but he carried a smile anyways.

The speeder touched down, and his new friend shoo'd him. Actually shoo'd him. Alicio feigned offense, and stepped out of the speeder. The shuttle opened it's exit ramp, ready to ferry the count back to Alderaan. Back to his responsibilities.

"Alright, sheesh," Alicio mumbled, still grinning.

"Again, thank you for everything, Ishani. It was nice to... forget things, for a while."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“The attachments?” She laughed harder than he did. “And they tell me I have a dirty mind…”

He bemoaned the low likelihood he would ever find love. “Oh, you will,” she said. “You just have to know where to look. And hey, if you’re that into mermaids, there are other fish in the Chaldean sea.”

It was time to say thank you and goodbye. “It was nice, and you’re welcome. Now get out of here, you degenerate, and take your attachments with you.” Eventually though she gave up the act, and with a big smile and a friendly wave she yelled, “Bye Alicio!” out the window.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Now get out of here, you degenerate, and take your attachments with you.”

Alicio rolled his eyes, actually rolled his eyes, as the woman threw playful insults at him, crossing his arms and leaning on a hip. He'd never been called a degenerate before.

But then Ishani grew more genuine, and he did too, raising a still hand, but smiling wide. "Farewell!" He held the pose for a moment longer, watching as the speeder would fly away, before turning towards his ship.

He took a few brisk steps up the ramp, producing his datapad and tapping on it, ready to return to his life. But he hesitated on the last step into the ship, and turned back to Chaldea. Alicio enjoyed the cold air of the evening one last time, before finally disappearing into the shuttle.

Back to work.

- Ishani Dinn -