He approached her at a brisk pace. She let out a mini shriek and drew back.

"Stay away from me!" She reversed the Cypod another meter, even though he slowed to a stop. "And let me go. I'll give you the gear back in a few hours."

His forehead furrowed, enhancing the shadowy effect the stubble bestowed on his face. "What are you going to do in a few hours?"

"I met the person I wanted to meet," Dea said testily. "He turned out to be the prime minister's son. Wait, back at the Witch's Cauldron, when I showed you his card—you knew, didn't you? Of course, you knew."

"You met him?" He shook his head as if he couldn't quite believe his ears. "How?"

"That's not important!" She composed her face into a scowl. "The point is, I did. And he invited me to his banquet tonight."

The waves swashed outside, and the trees whispered in the wind.

Dea cleared her throat. "Yeah, quite a lot happened. I think he recognized me as his rescuer—"

"What did you tell him?"

The sharpness in his voice made her blink. "I didn't get to talk. That's why he invited me to his place. I also bumped into those nasty humans earlier—there was this big factory thingy. I saw ships, so I guess it's actually some kind of port?"

The massive window wall next to them diffused the moonlight and outlined one side of his face. Her eyes inadvertently traced the strong jawline and high cheekbones.

Anuk finally opened his mouth to reply, but her stomach beat him to it. It emitted a wail that carried in the stillness—much to her embarrassment. Great. As if the aches and perils aren't enough right now.

His frown appeared to play a tug of war with his amusement. Then he succumbed to the smile that twitched at his lips.

Without further ado, he closed the gap between them in three strides.

Dea flinched and glared up at him.

Unfazed, he reached down and lifted her up into his arms again. His hands were smooth as they slid around her torso, trailing soothing sensations like the brush of seagrass. Heat erupted in her face.

She squealed and wriggled, one hand hugging her backpack. "What the flipping hell are you doing?"

"Torture. Upstairs." He carried her towards the staircase.

The words emanated in the same annoying tone he used when he asked her to shoot him. It was so matter-of-fact that she wanted to bonk him on the head.

As they ascended, a gurgle of water wafted into her ears.

For a monster from the brine pool, he was surprisingly gentle, and the bobbing motion made her eyes heavy. Dea resisted the impulse to lean her head on his shoulder. She had never been so close to a boy before—the closest was smacking the school bully back in the seventh grade. After all, dating was a no-no for teens in Calliathron. It was even more incredible when she pondered the fact that Anuk was a human guy.

Pressed to his chest, Dea tuned in to the rhythm of his heart. She was suddenly aware of lean muscles and a whiff of terrestrial forest that lingered about him. Her stomach experienced a feeling akin to many insects taking flight. It was short-lived, however, when annoyance bubbled up. A moment like this was supposed to have been reserved for "Prince Dilip", and here she was with the Sea Witch instead. It was confounding and so very unfair.

She shook her head and craned sideways to see how far down the floor was. Then she did an experimental jerk.

"Stop wriggling." He paused, his arms cradling her closer, which didn't help lower the temperature in her face. "It's futile to fight."

"Put me down!"

"I will. Soon. Stay put."

Arms enfolding her in a warm cocoon, he carried her to a half-open door. A sliver of amber light elongated on the floor.

When they entered the room, Dea squinted against the sudden brightness. It was obviously his bedroom, judging by the human bed positioned at the center. She barely took in the comfy furnishing before she was whisked away to an en-suite bathroom, where the trickle of water originated from.

Her eyes swept over the glistening counter in her line of vision. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but gasped when he bent down and released her.

Dea plopped into a half-filled bathtub, and lukewarm water flowed over her skin. A sigh escaped her.

"I thought you needed a good soak," he said, straightening up and burying his hands in his pockets. "Turn this faucet when the water level is right. I'll be back to get you in an hour."

Her jaw pivoted open and then shut—not unlike a reef fish robbed of oxygen. Then he just left, shutting the door behind him.

For a good minute, Dea sat listening to the hypnotic sound of water, burbling and splashing as it filled up the tub. She fidgeted to a comfortable position. The numbness in her butt eased, and circulation restarted with a welcome smattering of pins and needles. She let out another sigh.

The reflection on the shiny tub showed a face with smudged black eye makeup. Yeah, I do look like a frazzled feline. She removed a leaf stuck in her hair.

The problem of how to get to the banquet and the dire state of her future prospects settled in her gut and screamed for her attention. The mystery of the "brine pool jerk" also itched like an urchin sting, but for the time being, he was obviously not a threat. She had pressing biological needs to attend to, as well as making herself presentable for the night at Dilip's.

Turning off the faucet, Dea threw a glance at the sizeable mirror above the counter, where a fascinating collection of human personal care products stood. Right when she wondered how to access them, she noticed the low stool that Anuk had placed there for her use.

Dea surveyed it for a prolonged moment, eyebrows pinching together. Then she slowly hauled herself out of the tub.

As promised, he arrived at the appointed time and knocked on the door.

Dea startled awake—at least, the left hemisphere of her brain that was getting its power nap. The tub wasn't comfortable enough to sleep, but the nap had energized her back to full functionality.

Another knock sounded.

She slumped back against the tub and crossed her arms. "Enter."

Anuk opened the door and paused, his hand on the knob.

"What?" she snapped.

He walked up to her and bent over the tub for a closer look, which prompted her to scoot away. "What a transformation. Just a smile that's missing."

She rolled her eyes.

"Ready for dinner?"

To her annoyance, her rumbling stomach acted up.

"I take that as a yes."

She splashed him when he reached down. He straightened up and observed the damp patch on his shirt.

"What?" she muttered. "You were going to carry me anyways—and I'm wet, so it's inevitable."

He lowered to a crouch and leaned forward, propping his forearms on the rim of the tub. "You're not a slave. Can we have dinner now?"

Dea's mouth hung open. "I—I'm not?"

"I thought it was pretty obvious at this point." He swept a hand through his hair that had flopped onto his forehead, though it did little to tame it.

Her heart stirred. She stared at him suspiciously, which was a bad idea given the proximity. Her eyes fluttered over the contours of his face before homing in on his eyes—twin pools darker than the midnight zone. They sucked her in like a whirlpool.

Dea recovered enough to blurt out, "Why would you revoke it?"

"As much as I want my personal slave, let's just say I prefer bots for that job."

She didn't relax her stance. "So what's going to happen now that I can't pay the fine?"

"My prototype wasn't up for sale—or for rent."

"Huh?" She goggled at him. "What about—why would you give it to me if you're not going to make money off it?"

He watched her for a long minute. There was a big piece missing that she couldn't put her finger on—or even multiple pieces. Her mind conjured up his expression when she brought up the fact that she made contact with Dilip.

Just when she thought he was about to spill the grains, he just shrugged.

She wanted to pull her hair out. "I want answers!"

"There are...events at play here that you might not be aware of." Hesitation flitted across his face.

Dea blinked, but said nothing. Even though he hadn't outwardly changed, he appeared different—or maybe it was merely her perception that had shifted. She jogged down memory lane, marveling at the twist of fate that led her to have this conversation with this strange human.

"I do know what it's like to want to explore," he said with a half-smile and stood up. "That goal you want to reach no matter what..."

Dea searched his eyes, braving the magnetic pull they exerted on her. He had on barriers that made it impossible for her to gauge him. As much as she wanted to probe deeper for information, his stance made it clear he wasn't going to elaborate.

All of her questions dissipated, however, as relief flooded her system. She fought back the wave of emotion in order to maintain her stony facade. Don't jinx it, you silly gull. You still need to get out. She wondered if the banquet had already started.

When silence stretched out between them, Anuk turned and grabbed hold of a fluffy towel hanging by the door. Returning to his position by the tub, he pulled her up and wrapped it around her until she resembled a grain ball—albeit a glowering one.

Dea didn't appreciate the dryness, but she held back from complaining.

"Why did you come up with that stupid contract?" she asked as he carried her out. "And make me freak out about the time?"

"Why do you think?" he replied with a face that would have done well at the city casinos.

"Fun." Her mood soured. You definitely had fun, huh, you jerk?

He shook his head and sighed.

Anuk brought her downstairs and planted her on the sofa. What captured her interest immediately was the open sliding door that led to the balcony. Lambent strips now lined the geometry of the living room, mellow enough to not overwhelm the ocean view. Her gaze landed on the Cypod, charging next to a wall.

"My ogi's almost out of power too," she said, trying not to sound too hopeful.

He held out a hand.

It took ten full seconds for her to disentangle herself from the towel, which didn't improve her mood.

She watched him plug her ogi to some strange contraption before sauntering towards the kitchen island. As she slathered on moisturizer, Dea mused at the strange sight of counters sticking up from the dry floor.

"Are you done interrogating me?" he called out, steam curling up from the pan he lowered onto a countertop.

She wanted to demand that he sit down and tell her how he became the Sea Witch down in the deep-sea lair, but instead, she asked, "Why did you rescue me?"

"I was just on my way home. Plus, I had to get the gear back." The reply was so brusque and dismissive, he might have been referring to a trip to the local grocery store.

"Oh, that's it?"

"Yep."

Before she could figure out if he was being serious, he arrived with two hot bowls that made Dea's stomach perk up. He pushed a bowl into her hands and sank down not far from her.

She stared at it, almost tasting the fragrant grains, sautéed with greens and golden-brown chunks. "Land grain?"

"Yeah, it's fried rice—with veggies and tofu."

She inserted a spoonful into her mouth. Her tongue exploded with flavor—a spicy umami base with a tinge of sourness.

"Mm, this is delicious," she managed to mumble. "You got this delivered now?"

"I cooked it."

Dea's hand faltered on its journey to her mouth. "Oh."

He tucked into his own bowl, a full smile lighting up his face like the moon outside the window wall. Silence enveloped them again, except for the occasional clink of the spoon.

"I can't believe I'm having dinner with a human," Dea murmured, chewing thoughtfully. "My mind still doesn't accept the fact that you are one."

"You're not like a mermaid either."

"Oh, yeah?"

"For instance, you should have fish scales and breathe water." He smirked. "That's what humans expect anyways."

"How's that possible?" Dea straightened up. "We're mammals!"

He shrugged. "And you don't even look like one."

"How am I supposed to look?"

"Mostly naked. Nothing below the waist. And just two shells tied with string for a—"

"Huh?" Heat blossomed in her cheeks again. So crude—they think so lowly of us! "You humans think we're stuck in the Stone Age? Even back then, merpeople wore better clothing. And who in their right minds would wear shells!"

"I dunno—that's how movies depict you."

Her jaw dropped open, and the heat intensified. "You have half-naked mermaids in your movies? You...watch these?"

"Yeah, I watched it as a kid."

"Children watch these too?" It was so scandalous, she wondered what Gramma would say to that.

He let out a laugh and spooned in the last chunk of tofu.

"Wait, you humans know about us then?"

"I think there were sightings in the past." He collected her empty bowl and got to his feet. "It's folklore now."

Anuk walked over to the counters again and produced what he called king coconuts—large orange nuts he proceeded to cut open with easy swipes of a knife. He's so good in the kitchen. She was so impressed, she could barely take her eyes off him. He seemed to like the attention, since he paused for an instant with a smirk playing on his lips. Then he went back to his task with renewed vigor.

Spellbound by the sight, Dea's heart flapped like a dumbo octopus. Wait, do I...find him handsome? She shook her head in horror. Am I turning into some kind of player then? A montage of male friends and acquaintances popped up in her head, including Kelp, and she decided she certainly didn't crush on every guy.

She wondered if she had a late bout of the "boy craze" that Gramma said afflicted young teens like penguin pox. The old merwoman was so proud that Dea hadn't gone through the phase—in fact, Dea once overheard her bragging to Mr. Nudibronk about it to rub in the fact that his granddaughter was a "flighty gull", who eloped with the cashier at the neighborhood convenience store.

"Maybe it's human craze in my case," she muttered.

"What?" Anuk asked, pausing again.

"Nothing, just...do what you're doing." She propped her chin on her hand. "If you weren't going to hurt me, why didn't you say so when you drove me here?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Would you have believed me if I did?"

Dea clammed up. She had to admit it might have come across as an attempt to get her guard down and abduct her.

He returned and handed her the coconut, a metal straw poking out of the hole on the top.

"Thank you," she murmured, taking a long slurp. "Why did you come up with that contract? Okay, it was at least ninety percent for fun. But..."

"Ninety percent? Hm." He downed a good half of his coconut. "It was a bit fun, I must admit."

She bit back a retort as she picked up pieces of coconut flesh and popped them into her mouth. "Uhuh."

"I had to amp up the stakes to make sure you come back without venturing into Serendiva. I obviously underestimated you."

"But why would you bother?" she asked without missing a beat. "And spare me the cryptic answers."

"Calm down."

"Does Calliathron know you're human?"

"Your city-state has many secrets. I happen to know the best-kept secret." A thoughtful look eclipsed his face as he surveyed her. "At least, after some detective work and deduction."

"Oh, yeah? What secret is that?"

"Sh," he said with a conspiratorial wink, which made her heart act up.

"Why do you care what I do anyways?"

"Well, we're talking about you meeting my people and possibly exposing yourself to them."

Dea slurped the last of the coconut and handed it over. "So?"

"Don't you think it's wise to assess before making history?"

"Well, I've made up my mind," she stated with finality. "In any case, I have to be leaving soon—the banquet might've started already."

Anuk's mood underwent a remarkable transformation—like dark clouds gathering before a cyclone. "You can't go."

Animal: Firework Jellyfish

https://youtu.be/9D0eyl7-XQA