For Rox, with much love. I know this wasn't the Valentine fic you wanted (and expect) but I hoped you enjoyed this nonetheless.
Azure
She was the painter's daughter, the sole one in their small humble village of a hundred. In those days it meant that her father was always in high demand, but it also meant that he was always away. They were relatively well off with no need for her to work, so she spends her days wandering aimlessly between worn wooden houses and tiny backyards until her feet draws her to gritty sand and salty air.
They met while he was swimming. She was standing off the coast, hands in her coat pockets as she looked out to the distant fathoms below when she sees him; a sleek shape moving fluidly through the water.
He moves with a gracefulness that borderlines seductive and she cannot help but be mesmerised. Her feet take her to him, and when he finally surfaces on shore, water dripping over tanned broad shoulders and lean muscles with his lower body still covered by the sloshing waves, she swallows heavily.
She is aware that she eyes look disinterested, that an indifferent expression has been plastered permanently on her face, but she is curious about this man that swims more like a fish and less than a human. So when gentle maroon irises rise to meet hers, she makes a strange noise and steps away, embarrassed with her boldness.
It didn't help that the man was completely naked.
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Periwinkle
If Jivan was graceful in the water, he is the complete opposite on land. It gives her some mirth to know that he tries to imitate her style of walking. But his limbs are too long and thick and his stature too broad and male so his attempted stroll turns into a clumsy saunter as he struggles to keep pace with her and not amble along too fast.
Qiu Min chuckles lowly, hair whipping to and fro as the breeze tickles it, and the sound brings Jivan pleasure because he smiles too, bright and warm. Their first meetings are spent close to the sea, where the tangy breezes ruffle their hair and the gulls are jubilant with their catches of fish and roe.
Their feet leave sand and touch grass. It is spring, and the coast is filled with bird nests and incessant chirping. Periwinkles grow aplenty up here, and she watches him curiously as he gathers up a half dozen clusters before presenting it to her.
He is grinning, telling her something, but all she can see are the pastel blue clusters in his smooth hands. There is a hand in her hair then, threading flowers within, and when she looks up with lifted eyebrows, there is a sheepishness on his face that she cannot discern.
She does what she must, tapping his hand away and telling him about personal space, and they part by the beach before she goes home. Her father takes one look at her and chortles, giving her a meaningful wink as she blinks dumbly.
It is in the bathroom mirror that she sees why. The periwinkles had been cleverly braided into her hair, blue against burgundy, and they soothe out the creases in her eyes. She looks like a siren. Qiu Min stares for a second, two, before leaving for the dining table, flowers untouched. There is a tiny quirk on her lips.
x
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Lapis Lazuli
The bazaar comes early this year so for two weeks the worn dirt paths are filled with flickering June lanterns in May. These days are warmer times, and they move further away from the blue and closer to stones and dirt and sturdy wooden houses.
Jivan is insistent they explore the stands of candlelight and foreign goods of far away so they traipsed around and between stalls like little children do. She finds he is a lot like a child that way. He is easily impressed with musky scents of perfume and antique glass bead trinkets. He glows with childish delight when she shares her popsicle with him and acts as if he had not tried flavoured ice before.
It is endearing in a way.
Amusement only grows when he holds a shell necklace up to her face. One glance at the stall and seller and she knows this marketing tactic, the rip off. There is a bored and disdained look on her face as he gushed about how pretty the quality of it is. Trinkets never did interested her and neither did fakes.
She gets surprised when he claims that it is not.
For all her indifference he buys it for her anyway, using the coins she gave him earlier in the evening and dropping the necklace carefully into her open hands. Perhaps it is the warmth of his fingers as he grabs her wrist to pull her in some other direction, but she blushes, her mind buzzing with the euphoria of youth and new experiences.
There is strawberry iciness in her mouth, tinkling lapis in her hand and she is the picture of unsophisticatedness.
Jivan calls her beautiful.
She refuses to be flattered.
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Cobalt
It was an accident.
The coral reefs had looked too enticing, so she strayed, with an confident kick of her legs as she left his side. There had been an alcove and she promised herself a quick look inside before returning to the surface. But then she couldn't find the exit, and she had thrashed in alarm, the water creating bubbles as she reached the limit of her breath.
Her lungs want to burst but then she can see him coming closer, moving with sleekness she does not possess and she feels relief but then why is he coming too close, why is his mouth suddenly on hers but then oh there is air in her lungs and she closes her eyes because everything is fuzzy.
In the darkness she feels his hands cradling her cheeks, her ankle bumping into his thigh. She is vulnerable, and for the first time she feels like she might die. But then his hands leave to grab hers and he is pulling her up in a wide arc. Her eyes open unconsciously, and she sees light and a rippling surface rushing up to her at alarming speed.
There is a splash of water breaking before the tension in her lungs leaves. She wheezes, coughs, anchors her hands against tanned skin, eyes blinking back hot tears at the saltiness of the water. He holds her, whispering apologies and comforting words. There is raw panic in his eyes, and fear. His breathing is quick, erratic, and Qiu Min does not like the realisation of being the cause of it.
When he asks if she is hurt, she shakes her head, only half listening as her brain buzzes with an onslaught of oxygen. Still he moves closer until he is the one keeping both of them afloat, and guides her back to shallower waters.
She is sorry, but the days following the incident is left silent. No apologies were uttered, and nothing of that day was spoken of again.
x
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Indigo
They are in her house, and there is a laugh bubbling up her throat. Qiu Min throws her head back and feels the bounce and recoil as she hits the soft mattress. Opposite her, Jivan grins playfully, pulling off the too tight dress over his arms, careful not to make the seams tear, and pulls her off the bed.
She lands unceremoniously in rumpled huffs and gasps but before she gets her bearings straight he is picking her up with uncharacteristic tenderness in his strong arms. They are out of the door in the minute she takes to recover, his feet tracing a familiar path through the village. She is pressed awkwardly close to his half naked torso so she squirms, using the back of her elbow to dig into his ribs.
Jivan relaxes his grip with a grunt, but does not let her down. Qiu Min rolls her eyes but does not resist.
The tides are starting to advance by the time they touch sand. The beach is empty of people, and with a laugh Jivan sets her down and runs for the reaching waves. His arms are spread wide as he breathes in the sea air, and Qiu Minwonders why he did not choose to become a sailor instead of staying here.
The thought of not knowing where his origins were briefly touched her mind, but it is brushed off quickly when she hears him laugh and face her. He extends his hands to her, smiling with a boy's impishness and she smirks, eyes gleaming with suppressed laughter as he starts twirling her haphazardly around the sand.
Her once empty eyes are long gone; this man has exchanged it for brighter ones.
His face is red by the time he slows down the pace of their dance, and he flushes harder when she fixes giddy half lidded eyes and smiles lazily at him. She laughs out loud, a soft sound in the evening breeze, and stands on tip toe to press her mouth against his cheek.
She leaves him a spluttering mess as she walks away to feel the waves splash over her toes. There is a stuttered indignant sound from him, and she hears footsteps running her way. With a muffled chuckle she speeds up, and before long she is running, laughter following behind her.
Their fingers entwine some time during the night.
x
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Sapphire
Dusk is approaching. She knows because the clouds are turning orange and the wind has changed its direction. She knows this, but she does not know how it has come down to this; standing by the shore with him, his eyes distant and sad.
The waves lapped at their ankles softly in sympathy, sucking the sand from beneath the soles of both their feet.
He is leaving, but how can he when she doesn't remember shedding tears into the sea in the first place?
She does not look at him, focusing down at their intertwined shadows instead. She does not want to see his face, not when he has stolen something of hers that he might never give back. He probably doesn't even realise he stole it. An unbidden smile comes to her, only for a moment before it is erased into nothing. Movement occurs, and she is startled into stiffness when he bends his head down to hers.
The kiss is a gentle peck, soft and light against her mouth. He tastes of the sea, of minty wind and cool waters and salt. Or maybe that was just his tears, some stray one two droplets that trickled down onto her lips. Her hand palms against his clothed chest and clutches it tensely, afraid that he would disappear into nothing the moment he lets go.
He makes her a promise before he enters the water, having to pry her hand off him first with wavering voice determined and eyes full of woeful affection. She hates it; hates how he pledges himself so quickly, so naively. Someday is a long time; could mean forever, and she the human can only wait and hope for so long.
Qiu Min watches him turn back to fluid elegance beneath salty waves as his form slips further and further away from the shore, just like that first meeting so long ago. If she closes her eyes she can pretend that this is another of their swimming trips, and he would be back by sunset, but then blue waves push his soaked shirt and pants against her naked leg, and she knows otherwise.
It is a long time before she leaves for home.
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Navy
The cooling depths no longer eased him. Where they once provided him comfort and safety, now he only feels smothered and crushed. The ever flowing liquid presses him ever downwards and when he surfaces it is not to the sight of warm pale shores or beautiful burgundy hair and crimson eyes.
He doesn't think he likes swimming anymore. Not like this. Not when all he sees is endless ocean and wispy clouds, where the gulls don't caw as loud and the rain doesn't fall as harsh and he cannot feel his sweat.
He can never truly hate the sea, for it is in his blood. He lives for the water, the freedom, but in this very instant, he hates it; loathes the curse the Great Mother has placed upon his kind. The calling of the Ocean is stronger than any chain; of fate and of love, and so he sinks into the Great Below.
He despairs, for he is home, yet he can never return to Home. Home, in another world where everything is loud noises and blue seashells and warm warm red. A school of mackerel darts his way, and Jivan moves, instinct taking over until there is nothing left but the catch and dinner.
There is no red in the deep ocean.
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Amaranth
The bouquet of red flowers lay undisturbed on top of the wooden tabletop. Inside the house, the atmosphere was tranquil, a sharp contrast to the hush and awaiting silence outside.
Her dress, a brilliant creamy white, folds and spills over her still form, the tips barely brushing over the wooden planks of her floor. He would have loved it if he could see it, hands stroking the silky fabric as he gazed at her with awe-ridden eyes. Qiu Min smiles, and grips the blue necklace tighter in her hands.
Beyond the splintered wooden door, her life was waiting for her; white knight by the altar and silver horses outside reception, ready to sweep her off to a life away from the sea.
With quiet grace, she stands up and clasps the necklace over her neck before taking dainty steps to the front door. She turns the lock, and the sunlight that streams in glimmers seashells a beautiful lapis.
She can't wait forever for a man she knows won't come.
x
x
He made her a promise, she couldn't keep it.
x
He couldn't keep it too.
x
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(It is said that Selkies are creatures that resemble seals in the sea, but shed their seal skins to assume human form on land. A selkie can only make contact with one human for a short amount of time before the selkie must return to the sea. They are unable to make contact with that human again for seven years, unless the human steals their selkie skin and hides or burns it.)
A/N
It is said that should a woman wish to have an encounter with a Selkie, she should make her way to a suitable rock along the shore, then at high tide, shed seven tears into the sea. A young Selkie male will come ashore shortly, removing his seal skin and approach the woman as a handsome young man. (That one line in Sapphire should make sense now.)
Hey, this is me trying out a new style. I wrote this during my writers block, but I'm still happy with this piece a lot. HongSey is adorable, nyo or not, and since a friend drew me some days ago I got the inspiration for this angst fest. Please ship this with me.
Hahah, Selkies. I love them. Bet you thought he was a mermaid or something did you? I enjoyed writing Periwinkle best, compared to Lapis and Navy. These two were hard. The hardest thing though was coming up with their darn names sighs.
Also it is my mission to make you sad on Valentines' Day please don't take it to heart.
Nyo Seychelles-Jivan; Sanskrit, literally means give life. I had to choose whether to roll with a French (Marcel) or Indian name for Sey. In the end I decided on the latter because it gives him an exoticness I was hoping to portray without spoiling outright that he is a mythical creature. Not that French names aren't exotic too, but Jivan works better in this case.
His name I got from the famous Seychellois man Kantilal Jivan Shah who was very big on conservation.
Nyo Hong kong-Qiu min (Qiūmǐn) 秋敏; Chinese, literally means autumn exquisiteness (because Hong is queen haha) My father helped me derived her name. Personally l liked it very much. It rolls off the tongue really well.
Qiū 秋 autumn is the counterpart of Chūn 春 spring, which comes from Chun yan (spring swallow), the popular fandom name for Nyo China which I assumed is Hong's sister in nyo verse hence my father giving them connected names.
Mǐn 敏 comes from Mǐnruì 敏锐 which could mean acuity (sharpness, keenness for Hong's thoughtful and intelligent nature) or exquisiteness (daintiness, delicacy which can stand for Hong's grace, but it can also be sarcastic because she is acts more like a tomboy than a delicate little girl). It can also mean astuteness (deep, profound) which makes sense because this name is deep as all heck with all its double meanings and what not. (And the many complex layers to Hong's character.)
I love my father. He should be a Chinese name giving Guru. That said he has 100% copyright on Hong's name pfft.