Day 24 Black Butterfly Goldfish
You heard the same thing every time you went to the marketplace along the docks now.
The sounds of a biwa playing over the sounds of crashing waves and wafting through the air. It wasn't always like that. In fact the marketplace used to be a pretty normal place with your average stalls selling foods and other items with lots of customers buzzing around. However it changed the day the strange woman showed up at town. A woman with long black hair and clothes showed up on the docks. Nothing but a simple biwa instrument on her back. She already stood out out from her unnatural gloomy appearance however there was another characteristic that made her stand out amongst the other people.
HER LONG TAIL.
You couldn't miss it. It was long and black with flowing fins as she sat herself on the pier and caught the attention and shock of anyone around her however she paid no mind. She only calmly dragged herself out of the water to sit on the docks and pull the instrument off her back to play until sundown before she packed up her instrument and left. That's how it went every day for the last three months. Unless the weather was bad, she'd come back everyday. She never browsed the stalls. Never bought anything. Never spoke to anyone. Just sit in her place in front of the fountain and play then leave before coming back the next day.
No one bothered to get close to the non-human woman. Giving her sneers and looks. Whispering to each other and walking far from the docks to avoid getting close to her as everyone was afraid of the rumors of mermaids lure people to the water to drown and/or eat them. She never complained about it. Only continued to mind her own business and play to her heart's content until she left the next day.
Until a pair of footsteps approached her and a figure stood in front of her blocking out the sun.
She paid no attention to the new figure until the song finished from her fingers and her head tilted up to the other woman.
You smiled at her. "That song is very lovely. What's it called?"
She didn't answer you at first only continuing to stare. "...Wind Through The Waters."
"I've never heard it before. "
"Of course not. I wrote it." Her head turned away from you to stare down at the waves below your feet and her tail. "You have a shamisen on your back."
"Yes. I've had it for a long time."
"Do you know how to play it?"
"I do. I perform for ceremonies and festivals all the time but I've never seen a biwa before. You play it beautifully."
"I give you my thanks."
"Would you like to hear me perform? Perhaps we can teach each other new songs."
Her eyes glanced up in surprise, blinking at you a big taken aback before just looking down at her instrument in silence. "You may but do not expect me to compliment your playing."
"I don't expect you to." You pulled your instrument from your back. "What's your name?"
"...Nakime."