redroseknight
The senpai who noticed
It was rather interesting how swiftly time flew by once one was no one longer so fixated on the monotony of it all. 16 years had passed so slowly for Ariel when all she had to do to entertain herself had been to scavenge around ship wrecks looking for human artifacts and learning about them through Scuttle. While she wasn't sure exactly how long she had been ashore with her human legs, it had likely been a couple of years at this point if the changing seasons were anything to go by. Yet it seemed only yesterday to Ariel that she had arisen from the ocean and stumbled on new legs, toes digging into the sand to seek purchase to hold her steady. She had emerged with fantasies in her head, expectations of being swept off her feet by the human man she had seen and being able to explore the world of humanity that had to be nothing but wonderful. What a fool she had been.
"It has been quite some time since we've seen so many visitors for Prince Eric, but I suppose that's expected with his engagement announcement. Everyone wants to make sure they are friends with the soon-to-be king, right?" Olivia giggled. "Thank you for coming with me, Ariel. I had thought that I was going to be stuck just having Felix with me this morning to fetch what we need from the market for tonight. He's so infuriating. You're much better company even if you never say a word."
Ariel looked to the shorter brunette walking alongside her and smiled, giving a small nod of her head to show she was listening. It had been so difficult at first to learn how to communicate without the use of her voice, but she had learned how to use gestures with the other staff of the castle. Her face was also expressive enough that most could tell how she was feeling from a glance. Ariel had never been as capable of concealing her emotions as her sisters had been, and the human world hadn't been so unforgiving that she had been forced to rein in her more exuberant personality entirely. Still, she was far more muted in excitement than she had been while she had been in the ocean. While she was safe, she was aware that her time limit for her deal with Ursula had run out. The devil was going to come to collect one day.
A flash of raven and blue caught Ariel's eye, and the red haired young woman turned to look to her right. Learning about the humans around her had lost a bit of its charm since there had ceased being anything truly new or fascinating to learn from them, so it was natural that someone standing out in the crowd would capture Ariel's attention. This woman was dressed much differently than the other women she generally spent time with from the castle or in the market, and her skin was a much warmer, darker olive hue. Her head tilted to the side for a moment as cerulean eyes took in the woman's exotic appearance. Ariel would have been struck dumb by the woman's beauty if Ursula hadn't already done so with her magic.
"Are you listening, Ariel? And here I was just saying you were better company than Fel--oh. I guess you haven't met the guests arriving to see Prince Eric, have you? Can't say I have met them. Heard from Ellen that one there is a princess, but I doubt that all royals are as affable as our Prince Eric. Makes me a bit anxious to meet Prince Eric's betrothed. Then again, with your memory loss you might be a princess yourself and not even know it!" Olivia laughed to which Ariel feigned her own laughter to cover up the sting of that remark. Yes, she herself had been a princess. She once had the oceans at the tips of her fingers, everything she could have ever wanted and needed except the freedom to explore as she pleased. Now she had that freedom, but it had cost her so much that she wondered at times if that had been a fair trade. And that was excluding the fact that the specter of Ursula's return to drag her back to the sea as per their agreement ever loomed in her mind. She hoped that the simple dress she wore would help her blend in with the common folk around her, but even if she hadn't had that vibrant red hair...nothing was common about Ariel.
"It has been quite some time since we've seen so many visitors for Prince Eric, but I suppose that's expected with his engagement announcement. Everyone wants to make sure they are friends with the soon-to-be king, right?" Olivia giggled. "Thank you for coming with me, Ariel. I had thought that I was going to be stuck just having Felix with me this morning to fetch what we need from the market for tonight. He's so infuriating. You're much better company even if you never say a word."
Ariel looked to the shorter brunette walking alongside her and smiled, giving a small nod of her head to show she was listening. It had been so difficult at first to learn how to communicate without the use of her voice, but she had learned how to use gestures with the other staff of the castle. Her face was also expressive enough that most could tell how she was feeling from a glance. Ariel had never been as capable of concealing her emotions as her sisters had been, and the human world hadn't been so unforgiving that she had been forced to rein in her more exuberant personality entirely. Still, she was far more muted in excitement than she had been while she had been in the ocean. While she was safe, she was aware that her time limit for her deal with Ursula had run out. The devil was going to come to collect one day.
A flash of raven and blue caught Ariel's eye, and the red haired young woman turned to look to her right. Learning about the humans around her had lost a bit of its charm since there had ceased being anything truly new or fascinating to learn from them, so it was natural that someone standing out in the crowd would capture Ariel's attention. This woman was dressed much differently than the other women she generally spent time with from the castle or in the market, and her skin was a much warmer, darker olive hue. Her head tilted to the side for a moment as cerulean eyes took in the woman's exotic appearance. Ariel would have been struck dumb by the woman's beauty if Ursula hadn't already done so with her magic.
"Are you listening, Ariel? And here I was just saying you were better company than Fel--oh. I guess you haven't met the guests arriving to see Prince Eric, have you? Can't say I have met them. Heard from Ellen that one there is a princess, but I doubt that all royals are as affable as our Prince Eric. Makes me a bit anxious to meet Prince Eric's betrothed. Then again, with your memory loss you might be a princess yourself and not even know it!" Olivia laughed to which Ariel feigned her own laughter to cover up the sting of that remark. Yes, she herself had been a princess. She once had the oceans at the tips of her fingers, everything she could have ever wanted and needed except the freedom to explore as she pleased. Now she had that freedom, but it had cost her so much that she wondered at times if that had been a fair trade. And that was excluding the fact that the specter of Ursula's return to drag her back to the sea as per their agreement ever loomed in her mind. She hoped that the simple dress she wore would help her blend in with the common folk around her, but even if she hadn't had that vibrant red hair...nothing was common about Ariel.