Nail colors and connected emotion:
Yellow- Happy
Red- Anger
Blue- Sadness
Lilac- Nervous
Green- Envy
Orange- Surprise
Black- Disgust
Grey- Confused
Pink- Love
White- Neutral
Striped-Feeling more than one emotion
No color- Sleeping or half-asleep
As much of a headache as Sara could be, the Princesses were concerned after it became evident she had gone missing. Sara was one of their best fighters. As they sat down for handmaidens to style their hair for the day, they stared at their lilac nails, except Seira's and Noel's were blue.
"Sara's mature enough to handle herself, right...?" Orca tried to believe in Sara. However, they still needed to learn the name, identity, and how powerful their adversary was.
"While that is undoubtedly true, we know nothing concerning our despicable treasure hunter friend." Lina said "friend" like it was a bad taste in her mouth. For this bastard was not their friend, and her nails turned red.
"I wish we had a way to find out what we'd like to know," Karen added, a little snap of annoyance in her voice. The revelations that had been revealed to them by Naia caused her nails to turn a vividly bloody color.
"I don't mean to eavesdrop, Princesses. However, as would my twin sister, I would be honored to assist if you require someone for surveillance." One of the hairstylists, a woman with gray hair and eyes in a beehive style, offered.
Her twin sister has brownish eyes and hair in two backward-curled ringlets on the sides of her head. Both were pink mermaids and had always served Orca and her family. "You would do that?" Noel asked with her hand over her heart. She was touched two mermaids would put themselves in jeopardy to help, and her nails turned pink.
"Of course, Arctic Princess Noel. However, we are here to attend to you or with whatever you may require," the brunette woman bowed.
"Thank you. We appreciate the offer and could greatly use the help...sorry, what are your names again?" Hannah questioned, blushing in embarrassment.
"Mary." The gray-eyed woman replied.
"Maria." Her brown-eyed twin giggled at their similar names, but they were twins.
Mary and Maria displayed sharp tact, and Queen Oki agreed to let them be of service. Figuring a group would have a better chance of surviving, Mary and Maria took a young red mermaid, Ruby, a purple mermaid, Violet, and a black mermaid, Lucy, with them. Ruby was one of Orca's people. Violet had come from Karen's kingdom as she was Karen's mother! No one knew where Lucy came from as she showed up as a refugee.
Unbeknownst to the small group, Noel's empathetic heart forced her to follow. She desperately tried to keep her emotions in check. Therefore, her nails remained white and would not attract attention. Worried for her safety due to her shyness, Karen and Lina pursued her with orange nails. Noel stayed far from the rest of the group as they surveyed the area where Coco and Sara had gone missing. Swiftly, Karen snuck up behind her and grabbed her, covering the blue mermaid's mouth to muffle the loud gasp she made when surprised. Lina swam in front of the Arctic Princess to show she was safe.
"Lina? Karen? What are you doing?" Noel demanded her fellow Senshi.
"Following you. What are you thinking?!" Lina pointed, her nails burning red.
"This is what friends do." Noel slowly repeated what Coco had told them earlier when she needed help sneaking Seira out. Later, they heard anguished screams! Mary and Maria pulled Ruby and Lucy back underwater from land as they ran from the shack, but Violet was writhing, stuck in the mud!
"Mother!" Heedless of what she was doing, Karen rushed to free her, her nails now bright pink, though Lina and Noel tried to stop her!
"Karen? No! Stay away!" Violet screamed in agony to the panicked princess. Too late. Karen looked up to see the man, and her nails turned black!
"I only need one of you..." This man prepared to whistle when Violet spoke up.
"You can take me, but let my daughter go!"
"I need her voice to enter Rush City," the ugly fellow shook his head.
"Gold...is that what this is about? Rush City doesn't even exist. It never did!" Violet exclaimed exasperatedly. Thus showcasing how ridiculous this idea was to her.
"Answer me, this wench. Why would numerous individuals scour the ocean's darkest depths for a place if it doesn't exist?" he hissed in Violet's face.
She knew he would not believe anything she said, but she was going, to be honest, "Greed..."
By this time, Karen had scrubbed the sluch off of Violet, "Mother, go home. I can defend myself. CRYSTAL PEARL POWER! MAKEUP!"
Karen began to sing over the man's whistling, which she seemed to be winning! So, Karen's mother, hoping her daughter could be victorious, began padding back into open water when she ran into Lina and Noel! With horror, she noticed Noel taking out her pearl to transform, too!
"No, Noel! You have always been like a second daughter to me! My heart is already broken; don't break my spirit, too!" Violet threw her arms around Noel.
"I have to help Karen. Lina?" Noel looked to her friend for assistance.
Lina peeled Violet off of Noel and tried to reassure her, "Together, Karen and Noel stand the best chance we've had. We are not needed here."
As Noel transformed and rushed to join, Karen, Lina, and Violet dived back underwater. Truthfully, Karen and Noel did not sound too good without Coco, but they were neither pushovers. They poured their friendship and love into every syllable! As the man's whistling was wearing out, backup arrived: Sara and Coco! Coco and Sara transformed and used their singing against their friends!
While Karen was loud and Noel quiet, Coco and Sara remained the better singers and complimented each other's voices better. Karen and Noel could not sing over them. As they had to stop singing to rest their vocal cords, the man yelled, "You should save your breath! I can't have your voices damaged before we get to Rush City."
"Even if Rush City is real, we won't help you!" Karen screeched.
"You don't get to make that call." He started whistling.
As much as Karen and Noel tried to fight it, it caused them physical distress to resist...it felt so much better to give in. As they collapsed, the man heaved them over his shoulders, one on each side. Once Karen and Noel were laid down to rest inside the shack...
"What's wrong?" Sara asked as she saw the man looking disappointed.
"Hm? Oh! These two have lovely figures, but I wonder how they would look with a baby on the way." This man rubbed Noel's flat stomach.
"Not as slim." Coco joked.
"You're so funny." This man got up and kissed Coco, which made Sara a little jealous.
However, as he made to leave the room, he slapped Sara's butt, making her gasp in a pleased manner. Walking into a back room, this man lit a candle, shining its light on a shrine dedicated to everything anyone knew about Rush City! His most prized possession lay in a mahogany, handcrafted, velvet-lined box, under glass, and on a marble, white pedestal in front of the shrine. A single gold coin he found on the beach as a boy. It was not from this land as its markings did not look like anything from Earth. Even though the words were in a different language, they showed what Rush City might look like!
"I am Damian Douglas, and I will become king of Rush City." This man smiled, kissed the golden coin, and prayed. Damian Douglas meant "to tame dark water."
Matthew Mercer voices Damian.