Nerissa "Aqua" Tide, The Mermaid

Nerissa Tide, known as The Mermaid, or better known by her nickname "Aqua," is an amphibious scientist with a kind heart and a gentle nature. Born as a rare aquatic humanoid, she is only capable of breathing underwater, making life on land a challenge. However, due to her unique appearance, she has spent most of her life facing prejudice and misunderstanding.

As a teenager, Nerissa was relentlessly bullied for her appearance, often mocked as a “frog”, "fish" or "monster". The constant ridicule drove her to flee society, seeking solitude in the waters of Crown City Bay. However, her isolation was short-lived—mistaken for a sea monster, she was captured by wildlife services and wrongfully imprisoned in Crown Correctional Center based solely on her inhuman looks. Due to her unregistered status as a non-human, she remained incarcerated until a prison break orchestrated by the Syndicate gave her an unexpected chance at freedom.

Grateful for their help, Nerissa accepted the Syndicate’s offer of shelter and protection, officially registering as a villain to gain legal immunity. However, her role within the organization is far from glamorous. While she considers the Syndicate her only family, they treat her more like a pet than a valued member, keeping her in a lavish aquarium for the amusement of high-profile guests. Unlike most villains, Nerissa avoids violence and conflict, which has relegated her to non-combat missions—scouting waterways, retrieving lost cargo, and serving as a courier for the Syndicate’s underwater facilities.

Despite her criminal status, Nerissa is compassionate, shy, and deeply lonely. She longs for genuine connection, struggling with the feeling of being an outsider in both the human world and the Syndicate. She is polite, well-mannered, and pragmatic, often seeking peaceful solutions rather than resorting to hostility. However, her deep-seated loneliness makes her desperate for real connection, leading her to form friendships easily—even with those who might be considered her enemies.

She is multilingual, fluent in four languages, which helps in her work as a courier and scout. Polite and well-mannered, she often speaks with quiet respect, even to strangers. Her multilingual skills reflect her intelligence and adaptability, but her inability to blend in physically keeps her forever apart from society.

Physiology & Equipment

Nerissa's piscine anatomy gives her an otherworldly appearance—she has teal-colored skin, a large green dorsal fin on her head, baby-blue sclera eyes, fin-like ears, webbed hands and feet, and small fins on her forearms and calves. She lacks a nose, enhancing her hydrodynamic form for swift movement in water. Aqua is an exceptional swimmer, capable of moving at incredible speeds and withstanding the immense pressure of deep-sea environments.

However, her biggest limitation is her dependence on water—she can only survive on land for short periods before suffocating. To counter this, she wears a specialized aquatic survival suit, similar to a high-tech diving suit, featuring a glass helmet filled with water that allows her to breathe. A small opening at the base of the helmet enables her to eat without removing it.

At home, Nerissa prefers the comfort of water over dry land—she sleeps in large containers like bathtubs or aquariums, and when she does, she sleeps completely unclothed, embracing her natural state as a water-dwelling being.

Trivia & Extra Details

Her nickname, "Aqua," was given to her by the few friends she made in the Syndicate. It stuck, and even she started introducing herself that way.

She prefers to sleep fully submerged, usually in a bathtub or a large fish tank. She also sleeps completely bare naked since wearing clothes underwater feels unnatural to her.

Though she is officially a villain, she has never committed an actual crime outside of working for the Syndicate.