notes – Writing this for the pkmn kink meme on lj, I'm going with the Disney version of the tale, and yesss finally a proper chaptered fic! I know my chapters are weirdly short, but I think this is how the story should be broken up, rather than being smushed together.

Golds or Tails

1. Daughter of Triton

A grand ship sails across the peace of the ocean, the sound of men banging beers and drinking to old sailor's tales filling the evening air. Two silhouettes emerge out of the waves and swim closer to the celebration of testosterone.

"They're having a party, aren't they?" the mermaid whispers to the squirtle bobbing beside her, a plan hatching in the mirth of her voice.

"And where there are humans, there's bound to be gold! And jewellery!" She claps her hands at the thought, leaping out of the water to hang onto the underside of the ship and peer into a closed porthole. The room is vacant and dark, and she can't make out anything worth stealing. The things is though, humans almost always have the strangest, most fascinating and shiny possessions. She should pay the room a visit, just for fun.

[Blue, are you sure it's safe?] Squirtle asks, his eyes the only feature of his face above the water.

"Naturally, I've done this enough times to do it with one eye closed." The mermaid with long brown hair, but otherwise namesake eyes and tail, nods with sagely experience. She fishes out a small, blunt screwdriver from the contents of her black bikini, before proceeding to tinker with the window.

She's unscrewing the latch of the window when she hears thunder rumbling overhead and Squirtle choking back a yell. "Oh phooey, just my luck," Blue sighs, chewing the inside of her cheek.

Despite Squirtle's hasty and anxious pleas for her to return to the safety of the sea, her hands don't stop working on the window, because she's almost through and –

The door bursts open and she sees a human male, dark hair and green eyes, shouting orders to the men. He looks younger than the other seasoned sailors, but they rush to man the hatches and wind the anchor without protest. She stops to listen for awhile because he's not too ugly for someone who has a pair of legs. She lingers at the corner of the porthole, before a sudden weight on her tail causes her to lose her grip and fall gracelessly back into the water. Squirtle had grabbed and yanked her down.

[Let's go! The storm looks really bad,] the turtle shivers once they're back under the ocean surface, the worry lines on his face softening.

Blue folds her arms as she stares up at the ship, probably filled to the brim with treasures the men have obtained from foreign lands. She can't miss an opportunity like this.

"We'll wait and see, maybe the storm'll pass and I can get back to that window," the mermaid suggests, grabbing onto the paws of her friend, who suddenly looks like he doesn't want anything to do with her.

[Are you sure about this?] he asks, the reluctance in his voice giving way to that silent resignation he's learned to accept when it comes to Blue and her habit of thieving. She likes to refer to it as shopping, but the squirtle really doesn't want to argue with her.

"Positive!" Blue smiles, keen and expectant.