Imperial Radch Fandom Meme

There are so many good ways to go with this and this probably isn't the best one and it's so short I'm sorry

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She didn't get her tail back, but she didn't die, either. Maybe some of Awn's blood had splashed on her after all. She didn't wait for Awn's bride to be to wake and see what she had done. She leapt overboard, into a sea that was freezing and hostile to her warm human skin, her weak human lungs. She tried to dive down, some vague unclear thought in her head to reach the sea witch and plunge her own knife into her cold black heart, but her body was too weak. The waves battered her, and she opened her eyes some time later to cold morning sunlight, and found herself washed up on a beach, every part of her aching.

Still holding the knife.

She wandered, after that. The earth still cut her feet, but at least she had her voice back, though nothing could replace the chorus of her sisters. She left Awn's kingdom, and stayed away from the human princess's as well. She avoided all coasts and beaches, afraid of being found by her sisters, afraid they would recognize her and try to drag her back under the water, or, perhaps worse, that they would not recognize her, and see only a dirty, tired human. So she headed inland, and traveled through many kingdoms and encountered many people. The land was still beautiful, and she learned many things on her travels, though it was difficult for her to appreciate this.

At least it wasn't dark and cold like the sea.

If she remained human, perhaps she would live only a short human life, and then, surely, become sea foam. It was more than she deserved.

Everywhere she went she carried the knife close to her, though there seemed little chance she would ever get to use it on the sea witch. Still. She sang as she walked.