Upon waking up, Maribelle couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. Lying in her cosy bed, she smiled as she reminded herself that something had changed. She was a mermaid now. She had chosen to abandon her life on the surface and begin a new life under the sea.

  Gently pulling away her bed sheet, she began ughing as she looked at her beautiful purple tail. Her scales glistened slightly in the low light as she ran a hand across them. It was her tail, her scales, her fins. It all just felt so right to her, like she should have always had them.

  Pushing herself from her bed, she drifted to her wardrobe. Thankfully Joyce had kept the other outfits that Maribelle previously had. Though she considered that perhaps she needed to get some more outfits. Changing from her nightgown to a deep blue outfit, she felt ready for the day ahead.

  As she drifted closer to the door, she stopped by her mirror. She looked into her reflection, watching her tail swish through the water. She pushed herself closer, pcing a hand on her mirror's reflection. This was who she was now, and she had to admit that she liked what she saw. After spending enough time admiring herself in the mirror, she pushed away and headed out of the room. Today was a new day, and she was eager to see it.

  Joining Bryn in the dining room, Maribelle helped herself to some fruit for breakfast. She bit into something that reminded her of an apple, but much rger, and savoured its fvour. It didn't seem like Joyce was around; she was likely teaching her students.

  “Did you sleep well?” Bryn asked, finishing the st of her breakfast.

  Maribelle nodded. “It was good to be sleeping in a comfortable bed again.”

  “Good, good.” Bryn smiled ever so sweetly. “Would you like to start your Merrow lessons today?”

  “Of course, the sooner I learn Merrow, the better,” Maribelle said eagerly.

  “Your excitement is appreciated, but you should also be patient. These will take longer than your swimming ones will,” Bryn said.

  Maribelle finished off her breakfast, and swam up to the dining table. Sitting next to Bryn it was impossible to not notice how pretty she was this morning. The way Bryn’s hair floated in the water was mesmerising.

  Maribelle reminded herself to focus on Bryn's lessons, and not on her face. Even if her eyes did shimmer in a way Maribele couldn't ignore.

  “So where do we start?” Maribelle asked, ready to begin.

  Bryn chose to start with the Merrow alphabet and how to pronounce the letters. Which was simple enough to do. What was more difficult was stringing those letters together to make words. Bryn, to her credit, was very patient with Maribelle when she struggled with a particur word. Bryn also proved to be an excellent teacher; being able to nudge Maribelle in the right direction when she was struck.

  As a nguage, Merrow was very different to Engarish which brought its troubles. But as she was learning, Maribelle noticed simirities in how sentences were structured. At least once she learnt the words, it would be straightforward to get them in the right order.

  Hours passed and the lesson continued. Maribelle felt like she was making progress, but she was starting to g. She needed to get outside and stretch her tail.

  “Bryn, I really appreciate your help, but can we take a break? I need to be in the open sea for a while,” Maribelle said, leaning back.

  “Sure, taking breaks can help the lessons settle in. Do you have anywhere in mind?” Bryn asked.

  Maribelle pondered the question. “Nothing comes to mind. How about we just see where the tides take us?”

  “That's a lovely idea,” Bryn said as she pushed away from her seat.

  Hand in hand, Maribelle and Bryn left their home, and began swimming through the streets of Coraltide. With gentle, rhythmic kicks, Maribelle pushed herself forwards. There was so much for her to see. While she still remembered the sights from the st time she was here, there was still a lot that she was yet to discover.

  This time Maribelle led the way, guiding Bryn down whichever streets caught her interest. They passed by many homes built from coral, and all of them were so colourful. There were also plenty of shops selling all manner of things. She didn't want to go shopping today, though, she just wanted to swim.

  Weaving past the crowds, she watched the merfolk go about their everyday life and felt relief knowing that if anyone saw her, they would just see another merfolk living her everyday life.

  As she swam past a street, something caught her eye. She was curious as to what the was, she wheeled around and went down the street turning. “Oh my, you have gardens down here?” Maribelle said as she marvelled at the array of flowers before her.

  “Yes, we have floral life down here. We didn't pass any on the way to Port Glorious, but there are plenty of patches in the sea where wildflowers grow.”

  “I see. What's the word for flower in Merrow?” Maribelle asked as she swam closer to the sea flowers.

  Bryn said a word in Merrow. Maribelle repeated it a few times before she finally got the pronunciation correct.

  “Sea flower,” Maribelle said in Merrow. The word sounded cute on her tongue.

  “Well done, that's exactly it,” Bryn said.

  Maribelle smiled at the praise. It would take time, but she'd one day be fluent in Merrow.

  This time Bryn took the lead as she guided Maribelle through the garden. She taught Maribelle about many of the flowers they passed. Their names, their history, their meaning if presented as a gift. There was a particur flower, one that glowed with bright hues of orange and red. Bryn expined that the great poet Saphrena popurised the sharing of such flowers between female lovers.

  Maribelle remembered that name, Joyce had mentioned Saphrena at the store that sold pride pearls. She also remembered learning about the sapphics who took their name from her.

  Maribelle turned her head towards Bryn, and took in everything she saw. Bryn's bck hair, her grey skin, her red eyes, her dark grey lips, the tips of her fangs. She considered for a moment if she was someone who would be described as sapphic. She did like Bryn, but then again, Bryn was a very likeable woman. It was natural to enjoy being in the presence of Bryn. Not to mention she had saved Maribelle’s life twice now, and helped her adjust to life in Coraltide.

  Maybe she was just overthinking things. She was going through a great deal of self discovery right now so she was sure that in time she would figure things out.

  “I don't know about the surface, but homes down here don't have private gardens. That's why these public gardens are so important. This way everyone gets to enjoy some natural beauty. You could be a gardener here if you wanted,” Bryn asked as she gestured to the flora around then.

  Maribelle shook her head. “Only the nobles get to enjoy gardens as beautiful as these. I appreciate the suggestion, but no thank you. I did enough work on the fields growing up to st a lifetime.” Farm work was difficult, especially for a growing child, but her family needed to make ends meet.

  “Besides-” her growling stomach cut off her thought and inserted a new one into her mind. “I'm a little hungry to be honest.”

  “Well there's some nice pces that do food nearby, how about we get something to eat?” Bryn suggested.

  Maribelle nodded in agreement, and was about to ask Bryn for what she would recommend when something came to mind. “Is Torya's stall nearby? I want to let her know I chose to return.”

  “Oh that's a good idea. I'm sure Torya and Emily will be thrilled to know your back,” Bryn excimed joyfully.

  Leaving the beautiful gardens, Maribelle followed Bryn. Maribelle smiled as she easily kept up with Bryn. All the swimming lessons had paid off.

  After passing through a few streets, Maribelle smelt something familiar. Swimming round the corner, it was easy to recognise the street where Torya’s food stall waited.

  Maribelle ughed softly which caught Bryns attention.

  “Is everything okay?” Bryn asked, concerned for Maribelle's well being.

  “Oh I'm fine, sorry for making you worry. It's just that I remembered the first time I was here. I was so anxious and worried, I didn't know if I was going to be okay. But being here right now, I know I'll be more than okay. I want to be here,” Maribelle said, her tail proudly swaying in the water.

  Bryn smiled at Maribelle as she held out a hand. “You belong here. Now let's not keep Torya waiting.”

  Maribelle eagerly took Bryn's hand. As her fingers intertwined with Bryn's, she appreciated how comfortable Bryn's hand was. When they held their hands together, it always made her heart beat just a little faster.

  Swimming past the food stalls, Maribelle kept an eye out for the familiar colours of Torya’s stall. If she remembered correctly then she was looking for a deep orange stall that smelled a little smokey. She realised that despite being underwater for so long, her sense of smell had not diminished. Then again, as a mermaid, her senses would have adapted to her new enviroment.

  “Oh, there it is,” Maribelle said as she spotted it, pointing towards the familiar stall.

  “That's right. Come on, let's go say hi,” Bryn said.

  Gracefully slowing down, they finally came to a halt at Torya's food stall. Maribelle felt pride at herself. She was finally getting the hang of stopping herself; it was quite straightforward once she figured it out. Just another sign she was getting used to her new life.

  Maribelle heard Torya talking from around the corner. Torya spoke in Merrow, and Maribelle had not learnt enough to know what Torya was saying.

  “Is she distracted by another book?” Maribelle asked. She remembered when she was here st time, the caecilia was engrossed in some novel.

  Bryn smirked. “Good guess. She is, but she will be here in a moment.”

  Torya drifted towards the front of the stall. She merrily greeted Bryn before shifting her attention to Maribelle.

  “Another saved soul so soon? And she's also another mermaid? Oh my, you have been busy Bry-” Torya's eyes widened in surprise. She leaned over the counter and gnced at Maribelle's tail.

  “Maribelle, is that really you?” Torya asked, struggling to believe that the merfolk before her was indeed Maribelle.

  “Yes. It really is me, Torya. It's good to see you again,” Maribelle answered.

  Torya stared at Maribelle until she recovered from her shock. Reaching over the stall counter, she embraced Maribelle.

  “It really is you,” Torya whispered before ending the hug. “You were gone so long I was certain you had returned to the surface.”

  “I did return to the surface,” Maribelle said.

  “Oh tides. Why did you return? What happened?” Torya asked, driven by curiosity.

  She didn't want to share the whole story. There was still a lot of pain in it. There were still wounds that had yet to heal.

  Taking a moment to compose herself, Maribelle began to expin, “when I was on the surface, I was completely unable to stop thinking about the sea. Whenever I came across something I was always comparing it to what I saw in Coraltide: the food, the clothes, the theatre, the pearls.” She turned her head towards Bryn. “The people.”

  “So you finally admitted you like being a mermaid?” Torya asked, smirking.

  Maribelle ughed gently as she stroked her tail. “Yes, you're very right. My time here has changed me for certain. It's that I've been made into a whole new person. It's more like-” She paused trying to find the right words. “I feel like I'm discovering things about myself that I would never have done on the surface.”

  Bryn reached a hand out that Maribelle eagerly took.

  Torya ughed. “You know, that's very simir to what Emily told me when she announced her desire to stay.”

  “Is that so? Well it makes sense I suppose. By the way, please let Emily know I'm looking forward to seeing her again,” Maribelle said.

  “I'm sure she will be too. But what about your family? If I remember right, they were the reason you returned to the surface.” Torya asked, a bit of worry creeping into her eyes.

  Maribelle sighed sadly as she remembered her family. Seeing them again any time soon was impossible. She felt Bryn gently squeeze her hand. Turning to the Mershark, she felt her heart warm up a little.

  “Things will be okay for them. My sibling is supporting our parents, and they will know I'm alive and well,” Maribelle expined.

  Even if her parents were not at her execution; Bryn's daring rescue would not have gone unnoticed. People would be talking about it for a very long time so she was confident that one way or another, her family would know she was safe with the merfolk.

  Torya turned her attention to Bryn and started talking in Merrow. Maribelle was unsure what they were talking about, but based on their expressions then it had to be something serious.

  Torya returned her focus back to Maribelle. “I see. Well I'm gd you are where you belong.” Torya coughed awkwardly before blushing in embarrassment. “goodness me, you've come here for food and here I am taking your fins off. Tell you what, I recently got some real nice swordfish. How about I grill you both some?”

  Both Maribelle and Bryn nodded eagerly. From what she heard about during her time on the surface; swordfish was seen as a delicacy that was only avaible to the rich. She was keen to discover if it was worth all the fuss.

  Maribelle watched as Torya handled the grilling box while also preparing the swordfish. It was fascinating to watch Torya work. The caecilia was so dextrous that she could wield a knife in a tentacle as gracefully as Maribelle could with her hand.

  “It must be convenient to have so many extra limbs right?” Maribelle asked, hoping her question was not inappropriate.

  “Absolutely. When Emily first arrived here, she needed quite a bit of help adjusting to her new form. I helped her out since I could sympathise with her difficulties. Though it was not long until I was teaching her what a caecilia can do to another woman. If you know what I mean,” Torya winked as she implied her incredibly intimate interactions with her wife.

  Blushing deeply, Maribelle gnced away for a moment. Her eyes locked with Bryn, who's cheeks had turned a strange mix of grey and red. Perhaps they both felt the same way.

  Torya groaned quietly to herself. “I'm sorry Bryn, I completely forgot that you're not into that. I shouldn't have said that,” she mented as she scolded herself.

  “It's fine. Besides, I am happy for both you and Emily. You deserve each other in the best ways,” Bryn said, holding her hands open to show no offense was taken.

  Torya sighed in relief and gnced at her grilling box. “Oh, your food is ready. Maybe it was grilled a little longer than it should have, but I just think that adds more smokiness to the fvour.”

  Torya presented Maribelle and Bryn with ptes that held very generous portions of grilled swordfish. Taking up a knife and fork, Maribelle cut a piece and popped it into her mouth.

  It tasted good. It tasted really, really good. The swordfish was tender but also filled with much fvour, the smokiness perfectly complimenting it. Oh she had missed the taste of grilled fish. Surface food could not compare to these delicacies.

  She turned to see if Bryn was enjoying her meal. Bryn was chewing with her eyes closed. She always did that when she was tasting something that was truly exceptional. Eventually she swallowed her food and opened her eyes.

  “Absolutely delicious,” Bryn announced. “Thank you, Torya.

  “Yes, this is amazing, Torya. I can see why this is an expensive delicacy on the surface,” Maribelle chimed in before taking another bite. "its impressive that your still able to cook food despite the water.

  Torya beamed with pride at the praise. “I'm delighted to know the two of you like it so much. I'll imagine you'll be pleased to know Maribelle that us merfolk can get our hands on swordfish far easier than humans can. You're more than welcome to have more another time.” She patted the grilling box with a tentacle. "You can do all sorts of wonderful things with magitech."

  Maribelle swallowed her food before replying, “I think I will come again. This food is amazing.”

  Maribelle continued tucking into her swordfish. Every bite, every morsel set her taste buds alight. This was far better than anything she ever had on the surface. She could easily get used to this type of cuisine.

  And to make things better, Maribelle was dining with very fine company. Turning her head, she watched Bryn enjoy another mouthful of fish. Bryn caught Maribelle's gaze, causing her to smile. Seeing the mershark's dark lips curl into a smile made Maribelle smile back in kind.

  Maribelle felt her cheek warm up a little. There was something about Bryn that always caught her eye. She had always found Bryn pretty, but she found herself appreciating it far more now. And it did bring her a great deal of joy to be able to spend time with Bryn. Returning to her meal, she silently chuckled to herself. Bryn was a beautiful mershark. There was no need to overthink things.

  Once Maribelle finished her fish, she pushed her pte away from her. “Thank you, Torya. I really needed that.”

  “You're more than welcome. Don't worry about paying. Consider this a homecoming gift,” Torya said, her gaze switching between Maribelle and Bryn

  “Are you sure? I feel like I'm taking advantage of your kindness. Especially considering the st time I was here,” Maribelle asked.

  “Don't worry about it, Maribelle. I want to give you this. Besides, you'll most certainly be paying next time,” Torya said with a sly wink.

  Torya spotted Bryn pulling out a pouch. She raised a hand, saying something in Merrow. After a brief conversation, Bryn returned her pouch having not paid anything for the meal. Maribelle reminded herself to focus on her studies. Something was going on if they were using a nguage she did not understand. The sooner she learnt Merrow, the sooner she would understand these conversations.

  “I'm really gd to see you again, Maribelle. See you again soon,” Torya announced.

  “Likewise. I look forward to your cooking again,” Bryn said as she pushed away from her seat with Bryn following suit seconds ter.

  Her tail kicking in gentle beats, Maribelle left the street with Bryn. As the smell of cooking faded away, Maribelle turned to Bryn and asked, “what was going on? I don't know Merrow yet, but I can tell something was happening between you and Torya.”

  Bryn gnced away, hesitating whether to respond. “Torya is a sharp woman, she figured out that something happened to you on the surface. It's just that those who return to the surface never return, but you did.”

  Maribelle's hand acted on reflex and reached for her neck.

  “I'm sorry, Maribelle. I didn't share the details, but I did confirm her suspicions. Torya is a good person, she won't pry, but if you ever want to talk to her about it then she will listen,” Bryn expined with a guilty look on her face.

  Maribelle offered her hand to Bryn. “It's all fine. I'm sorry if I sounded suspicious of you. I just couldn't understand what was being said, and it worried me a little.”

  Bryn took Maribelle's hand and their fingers intertwined with each other. “Okay, I understand. Shall we return home and continue our lessons? Or shall we continue our swim?”

  That was a very good question. “Hmm. Let's head home. But how about we take a scenic route?” Maribelle suggested, her tail swishing eagerly in the water.

  Bryn ughed in respondes “Very well. I know some spots you'll certainly enjoy.”

  Maribelle ughed back. “Alright, as usual I will put my trust in you. Lead the way.”

  Swimming alongside Bryn, Maribelle was excited to discover what Bryn wanted to show her. If Bryn was eager, then they must be quite spectacur.

  It was wonderful to know that tomorrow, the day after, and all other days would bring more joy. She was a mermaid now; Coraltide was her home now. She had an exciting life ahead of her now.