YOU GET WHAT YOU GRIEVE / open, intro

[roman]

it seems as if tanglewood is so full of children that it is bursting at the seams, eh? well, maybe not. fish, for example, is not a child. she looks like a (large) child, behaves like a child, and thinks like a child. but time passes differently for water spirits, and though she may believe that she has been lurking within the swamp for only a year or so, it has actually been several decades since her prenatal demise and subsequent reincarnation. had fish not passed away much too early, had she grown up in a different body and received the name of connie, she would have lived a full live. but she didn’t so now she is here, searching for whatever scrap of entertainment that she can find. life is so boring alone; hence, her decision to lurk within the ranks of the local clan. although she has been aware of their presence for quite some time, it took fish a while to stop curiously watching from the shadows and advance to pretending to be part of the group. no one told her she had to join officially, so fish assumes that no one notices or cares.

the scaly canine emerges from the woods suddenly and silently—on second she is not there and the next a massive creature the size and shape of a full grown wolf seems to melt from the shadows. fish does not actually melt. it’s just a trick played on the eyes by her natural camouflage. just like a chameleon, fish can manipulate the color and hue of her hide to blend into her surroundings. it is very useful for hunting, stalking, and playing pranks on others. or just being creepy. as of now, they are a stunning, iridescent black; like oil on water. ”hello, circe who is new. i am fish who is not new, but people don’t know me either so i guess we are practically the same.” the childlike beast trots over with a friendly smile, comically large ears pearched atop her thick skull.