Scylla

Scylla is not all that she appears to be. Like her mate Cetus, Scylla is an Aequorrem—a creature of the depths, but unlike him, she is far more practiced at “passing.” While she has more fins and gills than the average dragon, and her teeth are more numerous, Scylla prefers to lay her fins flat against her body and to speak in a gentle murmer that does not flash her many rows of teeth. Added to this act is Scylla’s near mastery of the common language. While Cetus struggles with the many sounds and intonations of the common tongue, Scylla has trained herself to speak it fluently, and perhaps even artfully. Much of this can be attributed to Scylla’s insistence on speaking to others rather than communicating through writing as Lorelei is prone to do or through gestures, as Chrysaor does. As a result, Clan LockCharge has gained a greater trust for Scylla than for the other pod members, perhaps Euryale excepted.

Back in the depths, Scylla occupied the role of a warrior, although she was far less adept than others. Pods have little use for diplomats and lawmakers—paper doesn’t hold up well underwater, and as the members and leaders of a pod change, so do the laws. It is in this role however, that Scylla excels. While Euryale occupies the role of a dignitary facilitating the pod’s sanctuary in Clan LockCharge, it is Scylla who regulates the every day interactions between the pod and the clan. With little understanding of the common language among some members of the pod, misunderstandings are bound to happen, and when tempers flare, it endangers the refugee status of the entire pod. Scylla dedicates herself to making sure this is not the case. Working closely with LEADER and Cetus, she helped establish a code of conduct and translated it both to the pod and the clan alike. Finding a medium between the clan and pod cultures in which both parties feel safe and respected is more challenging than it sounds, but Scylla does a fair job of sorting it out.

Aside from keeping the pod in lawful order, Scylla also co-owns a little treasure shop with Cetus. Although it doesn’t sell anything in particular, the shop is full of the many trinkets and treasures that the pod accumulated during their time in the depths, and it constitutes much of their wealth. The items are sold to visitors and denizens alike, and the money is used to alleviate the expense of feeding and housing the pod. Any extra money is stored in a large chest in Scylla and Cetus’s den as Cetus has a slight mistrust of the banking system on land. While all the pod members have access to the money, requests typically go through Scylla or Cetus before it is distributed to the members for their private use.

While Cetus and some of the other pod members long to return to the depths, Scylla has become quite comfortable on land. The threat of the Tidelord’s absence prevents any hope of returning home soon, and Scylla sees no sense in pining for a home she cannot have. Still, she longs for a breath of salty air, and she takes pleasure in the small saltwater spring that pools at the bottom of her den. After a long day, Cetus and Scylla will often submerge themselves in the water and dream of simpler times. While she loves her mate dearly, Scylla can’t help but be upset with his refusal to have any children while on land. The two have never hatched a nest, and Scylla desperately wants children, but not so much that she would abandon Cetus to have them with another.

Among her friends, Scylla is closest with Lorelei and Undertow. Lorelei was the first of the pod to learn to read, and as a result, she gave most of the pod their land names—the names they go by since their names in the Aequorrem tongue are unpronounceable by all but a few dragons. As Lorelei lives in the constant grief of a lost child, Scylla feels just as much a mother to her as a friend, making sure that she is taken care of to the best of her ability. If any in the clan doubt that Scylla would make a wonderful mother, they need only to look to her care of Lorelei to know otherwise. As for Undertow, she is not an Aequorrem herself, neither is her mate Bulk, but she has spent time among pods before, learning their customs if not their language. While Bulk can speak the Aequorrem tongue passably, Undertow struggles immensely with it, which does not say she does not continue trying to learn.

Undertow and Bulk came to land due to a wasting sickness that made it impossible for Undertow to live on the deck of a ship as she had before. Perhaps it is this shared loss of a home that unites Scylla and Undertow as friends, or if not that, perhaps it is their love of the sea. While Scylla has come to regard Clan LockCharge as her home, she sees in Undertow, as she sees in Cetus, an intensification of her own longing to return to her true home. On days when she feels too weak to fish with Bulk, Undertow makes a spot for herself in Scylla and Cetus’s shop. She admires their wares and, when she can afford it, buys one to bring home to put a smile on her mate’s face. In the meantime, Scylla brews a healing tea for Undertow that brings a smile to her face, if not sufficient strength to her limbs.

At times, Scylla feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. With the pod constantly struggling with homesickness and miscommunication, she feels swamped by their needs. Still, she regards it as her duty to care for the pod and keep them safe, even if they are unhappy in their safety. While the job can be thankless at times, Scylla loves her family dearly, and she longs for their home to become safe again, if only for the sake of their happiness. For her part, happiness is something she brings with her wherever she goes, and somehow she finds a little more everywhere she ends up.