#barkeepchase
((Serialized AU where Jackie’s a selkie and Anti’s a pirate for MerMay2022! =D Also on AO3!))
“Seal skin, ey?”
Captain Anti of the pirate ship Abyss squints at the strange man before him. Marvin is his name and magic is his game—so he claims. The bottles around him somewhat support this—strange in shape and color and ability…
But Anti’s not so sure. (hWat’s ‘e want SEAL SKIN fer???)
“No, no!” The so called mage hastily makes his way back over to the pirate, hands moving to wave an old, ruddy, leather-bound tome under Anti’s nose.
The pirate crinkles his nose in an effort not to sneeze or cough.
It comes out as a scowl. Or a sneer.
They aren’t quite sure which.
Regardless, Marvin ignores it in favor of opening the book and showing Anti… Well, he’s not rightly sure WHAT that is, but it’s definitely not a SEAL.
At least, not fully.
“THIS is what I want,” Marvin exclaims, finger tapping emphatically on the image of a man—or what Anti THINKS is a man—appearing to… both BE a seal… and wearing a seal skin like it’s clothing. A woman is doing the same next to him; but Marvin’s not pointing at HER for some reason. “SELKIE skin.”
“Seal key skin?”
“SELKIE!”
“Silky skin???”
Anti sighs, tough but tapered fingers dancing around the rim of his scotch glass. “Selkie,” he reiterates, mouth forming the same shapes and sounds as Marvin after numerous near mocking attempts just an hour or so before.
He’d celebrate the small victory if it didn’t feel like the mage won.
(Won what, though, he isn’t sure that it even matters...)
“‘E wants SELKIE skin.” The surly pirate scowls as he downs his third drink, slamming the thick-bottomed tumbler against the tabletop when he’s done.
A bejeweled finger—because no pirate is ever complete without some bling—taps against the glass and it’s the barkeep’s turn to sigh as he tops it up.
“Ar son Dé! T’at freaky diabhal an’ ‘is focain fetishes!!!”
“Ye can always say no?”
“Shuddup, Chase!!!”
