'Slowly…. Slowly….' A scuba diver was very slowly approaching an ornery dolphin that had somehow stolen some marine equipment from her shelf. She finally had him cornered and was about to wrestle with him to get it back. That was until there were little thumps against the glass paneling. 

"THUMP THUMP THUMP!!!" 

She turned her head for a second, but that was enough time for the darn thing to escape. She sighed tiredly as rough air bubbles puffed from her mask. She then ascended to the top to see who distracted her.

She saw two little girls. About the ages of ten years old. One girl with a blue bow in her puffy brown curly hair looked sheepish while the other girl, who had honey brown straight hair, had a mischievous look on her face but eagerly smiled and waved to her energetically.

She took her scuba gear off. A long bright ruby red haired woman with pale white skin and emerald green eyes looked to her two adopted daughters.

"Hello Harriet and Beau. I thought I told you not to disturb me while I'm working." She said with a tired smile and a scolding stare.

"Oops, sorry but we just saw you and wanted to say hello." Harriet let out a small smile while Beau let out a small giggle. "Well it's nice seeing you two but I am exhausted after trying to get back the equipment from that dolphin." She let out a sigh while looking back into the water hoping that she would see that dolphin again.

"Well I guess since we're here now do you want to join us?" Beau asked.

"I would, but some coworkers of mine said that they caught another Mer earlier this morning. For some reason they want my input on it." Lydia said tiredly, still glaring daggers at the water. The kids then looked elated.

"Oh, can we come with you?" Both of them plead with the puppy eye treatment.

Lydia tried hard to resist…. And she failed.

"Okay, but if it proves to be too violent, then you're leaving. Okay?" 

Both kids nod in agreement while hopping around excitedly.

Lydia shook her head and smiled tiredly while rolling her eyes at them. "C'mon my little sea urchins."

Both kids followed their mother to the place where the new Mer was kept.

As they walked out of the dolphin area, they walked back to the main area and asked the front desk if the doctors were ready to see her. 

"Yeah but be careful! This new Mer is a bit…. aggressive. It already took out some of our field investigators. In a rather… gruesome way…" the clerk lady shuddered at the thought.

Lydia was then debating on bringing her kids. But she saw the desperate looks in their eyes. She knew that they loved the Mers. Heck, Harriet had already made friends with a blonde haired lionfish mermaid who looked to be her and Beau's age. They're currently making good progress with a dolphin Mer and trying very hard to make friends with the Mako Shark Mer.

She grabbed her kids hands and carefully led them in the back area behind the Mer section of the building.

A quick introduction should be in order. A few years back, mankind had discovered a whole new species of aquatic creatures. The Mers. They showed that they had intelligence but they also showed primal instincts and aggressiveness towards mankind. Which, if you think about it, makes sense considering all the crud that's dumped in the ocean and how much of their food is being taken away. Regardless, in order to learn more about them, they, upon discovery, are to be captured and taken to the nearest Aquatic facility that tailors to Mers. Which, leads up to now. Lydia is one of the workers that attends to the Mers' needs and also helps the other aquatic animals that look either sick or injured. She's what you call a jack of all trades person that works there.

"Okay you two, you remember what happened last time when we brought in the Mako Shark Mer?" They nodded hesitantly. "Well this might be a lot worse. So STAY close." She warned dangerously.

 As they walked in the back, they saw various doctors and scientists mulling about studying their latest catch. "Alright people, what're we working with?" Lydia called out to her colleagues.

One of the scientists handed her a clipboard of the information. And as she flipped through the pages, skimming the information, Harriet got a little too curious and walked up to the tank to see if she could find the Mer. Beau tried to call her back, but she didn't listen, as always.

Harriet scanned the tank. The water was dark and murky with some kind of… ink? She then spotted two shining golden yellow eyelights in the darkness. She squinted her eyes harder to get a better look at it. That was until a ghostly pale fist came pounding right in front of her face. Practically making the room shake. 

Harriet jumped away, staring at the Mer with excited fear. “W-woah..”

"HARRIET!" Lydia quickly grabbed her and took her away from the tank. She bent down to check her over to see if she was hurt. "I TOLD you to stay next to me! This Mer is very dangerous and won't hesitate to hurt you or worse. Stay next to me and Beau. And if I catch you wandering off again then you're going to be grounded for two days. Got it?" Lydia scolded.

She gave a “wounded puppy” look. “Yes mom..” 

Lydia tiredly sighed. "Honey, I just don't want you to get hurt. Especially while under my watch. Love you, okay?" She tried to comfort her daughter. And what she said about "on my watch" had a double meaning. Apparently, ever since childcare services heard of her job of studying these creatures, they've been breathing down her back about if the children were threatened or hurt in any way, they would revoke her rights of caring for the girls entirely. She already had to go through a battle to begin with just to adopt them in the first place since she and her family were considered "special". And in that, I mean that she's part white witch. A person of mysterious magic that has yet to be comprehended to mortals. 

You see in this world, mythical creatures like werewolves and vampires exist in harmony with the humans of today. In the past, not so much. But ever since they came to agreements on settling their feuds, there hasn't been a war outbreak since fifty years ago. So some of the knowledge of the world's unknown species have yet to be studied and understood. Thus the Mythical Creatures Association program was put into place. This program was dedicated to humanely study mythical creatures with their consent. The Marine Aquarium is part of this program. And ultimately, Lydia was a member and active participant as well. 

Now if you're wondering why they're "kidnapping" the Mers for study, well they tried to negotiate with them. But the language barrier and some accidental mistakes prevented that from happening. So plan B was the ultimatum. But regardless, since Lydia is technically one of the world's mysteries, she was highly feared and shunned by most humans. It was a freaking miracle that she was allowed to adopt the girls in the first place. So now it leads to here. She didn't want the girls to know. It would bring too much trouble than it was worth. 

“I love you too, mom. I just let curiosity get the better of me. I’m sorry..” Harriet apologized, though she kinda wanted to see the Mer again… even if she was scared. 

Beau gave Harriet a hug to comfort her. Lydia was about to say something when a rather rude scientist partner of hers interrupted her.

"Are you done with your "family moment", Ms. Starlight? We all have work to do. Including you. I'm surprised the boss even let those…children, back here in the first place. This isn't a playground." The man known as Laurence remarked snidely.

Lydia narrowed her eyes at him. "Enough of your badgering Larry. They're fine the way they are and the reason they're here is because the boss favors them and thinks they can learn from us. Not too thrilled that you're one of them. But at least that'll give them something to think about NOT becoming when they're grown." She replied bitterly. The children silently "OOOOHHHH"ed.

"It's Laurence. Miss Starlight…" he narrowed his eyes at her and the children. "And it'd be best not to cross me than you already have so far…" the tension between the two was so electric with hatred that you could practically see the sparks between the two.

Another scientist interrupted. She was more timid but still had enough courage to at least interfere with the ongoing conflict. Her name was Wren Starlight. And she was Lydia's cousin. She also happened to be part vampire. She had a lighter shade of red hair with dark purple highlights. Her eyes were purple and her skin was ghostly white.

“Dr. Starlight! L-Lydia! I’ve got them for you! The statistics! He’s a male, and a hybrid… octopus and moray eel.” She started, holding the papers to her. 

Lydia, reluctantly, looked away to pay attention to her cousin. She took the papers and looked them over.

"Thanks Wren. At least SOMEONE is generous enough to actually help WHEN it's needed. Instead of adding their two cents in WHERE it's not." Laurence scowled and left for his station. The room of scientists was still busy gathering information but they grew considerably more quiet. The awkwardness was prevalent.

Lydia sighed tiredly. "All right Wren. What else have you found out from him besides his DNA? Origins? Powers? Anything?" She pressed as she inspected the heavy duty glass to see if it was cracked. Thankfully it wasn't. 

“He still hasn’t talked yet, but from what we’ve seen he's very powerful.” 

"Well I can clearly see that. But that doesn't explain where he was caught. Or why the water in the tank is so dark…"

Wren "oohed" in realization. “R-right....! He was caught in the Subcon Kelp Forest and, uh, we believe it’s one of his powers. Along with area warping, instant pain, instant death, possible laser manipulation, and… soul stealing..”

THAT last part caught her attention. "Soul stealing…?" The power to remove one's own essence from within yourself or others was considered taboo amongst the community of magic users. It required tremendous use of not only magic in general but the very use of dark magic itself. It also means that in order to use this magic that he's most likely a very dangerous individual. 

'Most likely a predator amongst his kind. That and along with his other powers… I definitely have to be careful with this one. And if he could use dark magic, not only could he have killed others but he possibly might've had a near death experience or something…' Lydia thought to herself. 

“Yeah… he’s, um, already taken the souls of three of our scientists in an attempt to get his way… He seems kinda childish in that regard..” She laughed nervously. 

"Were those the scientists that were in the room or from the diving team?"

“D-diving team..” She replied. “They were in the diving team.”

"... Do I even wanna know what happened to the rest of the team?" Lydia asked with seriousness.

“It’s in the back of the file… If you do want to know that is..” She pointed to the papers she’d given Lydia. 

She flipped to the back and looked it over. She nearly gagged at some of the violent descriptions on how the mutilation went.

"Have you contacted the victims' families? They might just need to arrange an empty and/or closed casket…" She said as she peered over to her cousin.

Wren nodded. “It was done… and that was suggested to them….. After a lot of the remaining few who saw it were done recovering...”

Lydia nodded. She looked over to the tank and managed to catch a glimpse of the Mers glowing yellow eyes and wide sick smile. She shuddered though kept it to where she didn't want to seem weak. One sign of weakness could be the end of her.

"Wren… closing time is coming. I want you to take the kids back to the house and I want you to stay with them. Me and the other scientists are going to perform a few experiments. I'll call you when I'm done. Okay?"

Wren nodded. “Just, please… be careful..” She asked fearfully, glancing at the tank.

The kids wanted to object but Lydia's cold and serious stare quickly put a stop to the whining.

"If all goes well, then I'll show you the video diaries with him okay?" Lydia bargained.

“Hmmmmmm. Fine. It’s a deal. You better not die mom!” Harriet agreed. 

"Hattie!" Beau gave her a scolding look. But then turned to Lydia. "Love you Mommy. Please be safe."

“What Beau said!” Hattie said quickly. 

Lydia giggled. She went up to them and kissed them on the heads and ruffled their hair earning a few delighted squeals. Wren then ushered them out of the lab. And that was when Lydia got serious. 

She walked up to the overhanging platform beside the humongous dark tank. She then set up the cameras and started her video log. 

"Okay… Video Log entry 1100. Today, some of our diving team managed to find a rare Mer… unfortunately… some of them didn't make it… my prayers go out to their lost souls and families… I'm not going to lie… this one has me a bit nervous… even more so than our mako shark Mer. And that's speaking VOLUMES. Especially with the vocal cords the other one had… yikes. But regardless this mer seems to be a hybrid of octopus and moray eel and definitely a male that prefers to act now and then think later. I haven't gotten a good look at him…yet. Don't know whether that's a good thing or not. Harriet seems to like him. Though I don't know why. I mean he just scared the crud out of all of us when he slammed on the glass. Although she's a thrill seeker at heart. And that's what I love about her." 

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. 

"I and a few of my colleagues, minus Wren, thank God, are going to perform a few experiments. Depending on how his tolerance level is… we might be at this all night."

She got up from her chair, turned off the close up camera, and then switched to the overhead cameras to record the progress.

"Okay people. Let's see if we can get mister solitude out of the water." With that said, the team tried various methods on getting him to appear. With no luck. It was getting to the point where it was frustrating a few. And this creature seemed to thrive off of it. Much to Lydia's annoyance.

Finally, she had enough. She then stood over top of the tank and folded her arms. 

"Okay you… what is it going to take for you to cooperate and just do a few tests?! I know you probably don't understand me. But I KNOW you have the ability to comprehend that I AM talking to you and that I'm getting frustrated!"

There was a long pause… until the water turned a bit darker in the middle of the tank. And a mess of wild blackish purple hair peeked out. Eyes hiding behind his hair.

“YOU are frustrated? How do you think I feel being TRAPPED in this place!” He boomed in anger.

Lydia stumbled and fell on the deck in surprise. "Y-you… can speak English?"

“No, no, I'm speaking dolphin… OF COURSE I CAN SPEAK ENGLISH YOU IMBECILE!” He replied sarcastically.

Lydia, though stunned, was a bit peeved. She then scooted closer on her hands and knees towards him. Even though she was a bit pissed off she couldn't help the eagerness that she was FINALLY getting somewhere with this project.

"Then how come out of all the Mers I've worked with so far don't seem to know a lick of our language?" She sat cross legged and folded her arms in frustration.

“Hmmmm I wonder why..? Maybe it’s that fact that YOUR kind has OUR kind penned up in these… tanks!”

"Well it's not like we TRIED to talk it out in your element before. Just a simple mistake from one of our idiot newbies and suddenly it seems like it's war… again." She said the last part quietly but bitterly.

“You must have been talking to an idiot then, because most of us are fluent.” He looked away, crossing his arms. 

"Do you also have another language? According to our records it was showing that he, the first Mer we talked to, was speaking something akin to Spanish." She brought out her notepad and started to take notes.

“Well naturally I speak in my native tongue, I mean it is our first- HEY STOP GETTING ME TO TALK!” He sputtered. 

Lydia tried to hide the amusement in her smile. "Well, like I said before, we tried to reach out. I think the Mer we first caught that started all this… we call him "The Boss" he seemed to be the leader of a bunch of Mers that looked identical to each other. Even till this day he demands to be treated like royalty. Through previous conversations with him though, I've managed to decipher some of the language since it's pretty close to Spanish. From what I've managed to crack was that his name is Leonardo and that he was the "Mafia Boss"? If that makes any sense?" 

“Uhg! That guy… He’s the leader of the “Mafia of Cooks” in the bay area. They call it “Mafia Town”. Complete idiots..” The Mer grumbled.  

"So he wouldn't know English…? Or is he just messing with me?" She raised a brow in irritation. She was going to have a few words with him…

“Oh he CAN speak english… Just not as fluently as most. Most if not all the Mafia are like that.”

She made a face of general displeasure.

😑

"Yep… definitely gonna have a few words with him since he's the one that started this mess in the first place…" she grumbled as she wrote in her notebook.

“I ought to steal his soul for this… Oh what biddings I can make him do..” He darkly chuckled at his future plans. 

She seemed to cringe at this. "Seeing as how you managed to pick off most of our diving team, I wouldn't be too surprised that you would do something like that. May I have your name?" She asked with a small smile.

“...”

“I haven’t even… THIS WILL NOT DO! I AM SNATCHER! THE MOST RUTHLESS MER IN THE SUBCON KELP FORESTS! ALL WHO KNOWS ME, FEARS ME!” He cackled like a hyena in frustration.

You could practically see the head sweatdrop Lydia had while the other scientists seemed to be a little threatened.

"Snatcher huh? Well I'm Lydia. I'm your caretaker from now on until we manage to find the leader of your species and make negotiations with them for our program." She said as she continued to write down in her notebook. 

This had Snatcher with multiple emotions. But the mention of a program seemed to peak his interest. 

“A program you say? What is this program?” He asked in curiosity.

She looked up at him with her green orbs. "Well believe it or not, you and your kind are not the only supernatural creatures that live on this planet. Our program is to have multiple creatures of magic participate in finding out more about our magic and understanding it, each other, and ourselves. Take me for example."

Snatcher leaned in. “You?”

She raised a brow and an amused smile. "Yes. Much like you, I have two different backgrounds. My father is a human while my mother is… a white witch. She's been around for some time and is the leader of her own coven."

“Which means your what? Some sort of Princess?” He cringed at the thought of princesses. He hasn't exactly had a pleasant experience with them.

She noticed the discomfort on his face and took a quick note of his behavior.

"Well yes and no. Yes that I do hold the ranking as one but ultimately I am just what you would call a SIC while my twin brother is third. My youngest sister is what you would call a princess since in a few hundred or so years she'll be the one to inherit the coven. I also have vampire relatives that are high in society. One of them you have already met." She stated as she thought to herself for a few moments and scribbled some thoughts down.

“That… is interesting. So where do I sign to join this… program?” Snatcher implored. 

She looked up from her notes with a surprised face. "You're genuinely interested? And if you are… can you tell me how to contact your leader(s)? I think it would be beneficial if they knew."

Snatcher put his hands together in that classic evildoer way. “I am quite interested. And my boss… well… Hey oh great and powerful Snatcher? 

Yes, Snatcher, what is it?

A “princess” has asked us to join a rather interesting magic program.

“Oh? That does sound interesting. I’m in.” He grinned his trickster grin at Lydia. “So… where do I sign?”

Lydia blinked owlishly for a few moments. She then got up to go get the documents without a word. Once she came back, she marked the spaces where it was needed. He looked the documents over.

He signed each one “The Great and Powerful Snatcher” then handed them back over. 

She looked them over and then filed them away in her desk.

"So… are you the overall ruler of your kind? Or are there separate leaders for different tribes or something?" She asked curiously as she sat back down. 

Her silence a few moments ago had actually started to worry him a little, so it was a relief to hear her ask a question. “There are separate rulers for different sections… Except for DJ Grooves and Conductor who fight over our world's “Hollywood” as the humans would call it. I rule over the Subcon Kelp Forest.” He explained. 

"I see. So depending on the Mer…. How many leaders are there? Including you. And… since you're going to be a part of the program, we'll put you in a habitat that has access to the ocean so you can come and go as you please. Just remember that the kids would like to know more about the Mers, so we have a specific schedule of times or days on when you should show up. Is that okay?" She said as she went back to her notebook.

“Fine, Fine..” Snatcher agreed. “As far as leaders go, it’s really just me, MB, Conductor and Grooves. Sure there are smaller… subdivisions? I guess? Smaller groups of our kind lead by Empress or…. Queen Vanessa.” he scowled at the last one mentioned.

Lydia noticed how he got uncomfortable at the mention of the last one. 

'Must have had a bad experience with her… probably not a good idea to prob any further on the subject.'

As Lydia wrote her notes down, a thought occurred to her.

"As for living arrangements, I'll need details on decor, water temperature, and preferred meals. To fit in your natural environment of Subcon Kelp Forest." 

“The Subcon Kelp Forest is a large expanse of dense kelp that hardly any sunlight can penetrate through. The temperatures can get as cold as 5 degrees celsius despite being on surface level and can be as warm as 25 degrees celsius.”  

She wrote this down quickly. "I'm guessing it's thick with kelp and seaweed instead of… whatever that is? Or is it both? Is it more of your personal touch?" She questioned.

“... Maybe all of the above..” He replied with slight hesitance. 

This made Lydia raise a brow in curiosity. "Ooookaaaayyy…? Well I'll be sure you have your own space in the habitat for when you're on break or something. Deep and dark cave with some dry space that's also connected to the escape hatch to the ocean. Sound about right?"

“Oooooh! I like that, yes!” His expression was almost giddy. 

She chuckled and continued to write in her notes. "Alright. I'll have the workers make the tank. If everything goes to plan, then we should be able to have it done within the week. So you'll have to stay here for a while. And while you're here, the scientists will give you some intelligence tests and puzzles to test your thinking and agility. It's part of the study program. And as far as meals go. Would you prefer fish, and I mean the basic, or try some beef or other meat? We have bacon as well. That's a popular favorite amongst our early risers of workers." 

“What is “bacon”?” Snatcher asked with intrigue. 

"It's pig meat. It's usually cooked and served for breakfast. And to what a "pig" is, is that it's a land farm animal that has no hair. Depending on the person, they can be cute but on the other hand… not so much. But that also depends on the breed of pig as well. Either way… it's an animal you can eat. And HAVE you ever had cooked meat before?" She wondered. 

He shook his head, all the more curious. “I don’t know how one even could underwater.” He mused. “Is meat better when cooked?” 

"Well depending on the living being and the circumstances that they were raised in, it depends. On one hand, raw meat could POTENTIALLY help your immune system. But on the other hand, it could make you sick with all the bacteria that it's taken in if you don't have strong antibodies. So to you who's been living your whole life underwater in the wild, you might have a stronger immune system for which both cooked and raw meat wouldn't matter. But as far as taste is concerned, again, it depends on the person or being. I know that for me, it would have to be cooked. For most food. But your files also mentioned that you have the possibility of using fire magic, albeit, dark magic, but fire magic regardless. So if it is true, you can probably cook meals in the dry part of your cave or something. And by tomorrow, I'll bring a pack of bacon. And then you can give it a taste test. Sound good?"

“Yes.” Snatcher was very fascinated with the surface dwellers and their cultures. They seemed so different from what he knew. 

"Alrighty!" She looked at her watch and noticed the time. It was already 12 a.m. 'Yeesh! I need to get home!'

"Okay Snatcher. Since it's late and some of us have full time shifts tomorrow, most, if not all of us are going home for the night. And that reminds me. You owe something to someone." She crossed her arms.

“Owe? What do I owe? Since when?” He crossed his arms as well. 

"To my daughter." She stated factually.

He tried to think of what he could have done. “OH! You mean the little brat that I scared earlier?” he replied with an evil chuckle.

Lydia narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes. She's one of my daughters. And you owe her an apology. I could've let it slide by if you hadn't treated it so lightly and with amusement for that matter just now. And she might act bratty sometimes, but she's a good kid. And she actually seems to like you. And if it wasn't for that then I would've clonked you on the head by now." She said with a firm tone. 

“...” 

“Good night.” Snatcher disappeared into the waters.

"Wha…! Hey! Uggggghhhhh!!!" Lydia groaned. She then went to her computer and turned on the close up camera and turned off the overhead ones. 

"Ending of log 1100. It seems that the Mers comprehensiveness in understanding our language turns out that they are fluent in it. And that I have to remind myself to further interrogate that pompous "Mafia Boss"." She grumbled at the last part.

"Regardless. This experiment wasn't a total loss. Not only have we gained the trust of a new ally but one of the leaders to a large portion of the underwater kingdom. Two if you count MB. And as far as information goes, the Mer we exhibited is not only stubborn, snooty, proud, powerful, and childish. But he also seems to be quite intelligent for his species. I guess that comes with the territory of being a leader. Can't say the same for our other one… Anywho! By later on…" she looked at her watch again. "In a few hours, we're going to see how "Snatcher" reacts to the IQ tests and puzzles. Along with the taste test of bacon! To see if it fits his needs. I also have to give the measurements and details for the new tank for him. Hopefully… along with him and more Mers, we'll get a decent amount of participants for the program. Snatcher seems genuinely interested in our species. So let's hope it stays that way in the future. This is Lydia Starlight. Signing off."

She turned off the camera and ripped out the details for the tank out of her notebook. And put the book back in her desk drawer under lock and key.

"Alright everyone lights out and lock up. We're done for today. For those who have to work the next day, I'll see you in a few hours. And don't forget to bring the tests! I'm looking at you Jeremy!" To which the older scientist scratched his head with a sheepish smile. The scientists in the room giggled a bit in good nature. Lydia then turned to her computer and made a copy to her home computer and sent the other to her boss on her findings.

As soon as she locked up for the night, she made her way to construction and maintenance and handed the notes to the building manager who was always working late. And left for home.

….

As she came in, she was greeted with light from the house and warmth from the fireplace in the living room. Wren was fast asleep on the couch with Harriet and Beau sleeping together next to her. The sight made her heart swell.

She grabbed a blanket from a nearby chair and gently placed it on them. She smiled at them as she made her way to the kitchen to get herself something to eat. And there to greet her was her father. Lenard.

He was one the captains and owners to the world's most well known mining company. The other captain and owner was his twin brother Warren. 

"Hey dad. What're you doing up? Is mom, bro, and sis asleep? And are my two other cousins still studying? And I don't NEED to ask about Auntie. She's a workaholic along with uncle." To which her father chuckled at.  

“I’m up because Hattie was telling me about your new “cool but dangerous” Mer and I wanted to make sure you were ok. Everyone else had long since gone to bed.” He replied. “So how was it? You look fine but..” He trailed off. 

She smiled at her concerned father.

"Dad. I'm fine. Just frustrated. On the plus side, that new Mer is part of the program now. He signed the papers."

“Oh great, more work for your aunt and uncle.” He jested, rolling his eyes. “So Mers can write?”

"And speak our language as well. Apparently the Mer that I HAVE been talking to was somewhat pulling my leg and was talking in his native tongue instead of talking to me in English. Though according to our newest resident, MB and his followers aren't so bright. So it may be a simple misunderstanding. We're about to see in a few hours." She got out the milk and coffee creamer and poured it into a cup and put in the microwave for a few seconds.

“Huh. That’s new… so is the Mer as dangerous as Hattie was saying?” 

"..."

She avoided his eyes and started to sweat and smile twitching nervously under his intense gaze.

“Lydia Starlight. Tell me.” He narrowed his eyes at her. 

"Well… ok. Yes. He is. But! He's now part of the program and its laws. And he seems very intelligent so he'll know that there's no excuse, except defense, that he can hurt anymore of us…" she stated quickly.

“And he just… agreed? Like that?” Lenard asked, wondering what sort of gain a creature like that would benefit. It was the dangerous AND intelligent ones that a person should be most wary of, after all.  

"Well… he looked through the contract like he's done this more times than he can count… And he seems genuinely interested in our culture! Dad… this is what we've been trying to achieve for the program. As long as they're are creatures out there that are beyond our comprehension, they need to be studied and taught at their own pace. Like Wren and….me…" the microwave beeped and she carefully brought out the cup to cool down a little before drinking.

“Ok, ok. Just be careful, I don’t wanna see my little scientist getting hurt or worse..”

She gave her father the stare that you would give to someone being silly or stupid. "Dad. I'm always careful. Heck, I've been on the diving team more on a few occasions and came back unscratched. Can't say the same for the others, but honestly some of them act now then think later. But, regardless, I am careful. And if he shows any aggression towards me, I will act accordingly. Via contract or not." She reassured.

“I believe you.” He sighed. “I’m gonna take a nap before the sun rises. Good night, love you kiddo.” 

"Love you too." She quietly called back.

'I wonder what tomorrow is going to be like…'

Meanwhile…

Snatcher's POV

I circled the tank with the full intent of intimidation while I thought about my interactions with that human. She was much too easy to talk to and it was terrifying. Not that I’d ever admit that EVER. Now she wanted me to apologize for doing what I do best, other than stealing souls and making contracts, and I was actually considering it. What is wrong with me?! I’m the Snatcher! I am bad. I am evil! I am heartless! Why would I ever apologize to some snot nosed little brat?! 

"And she actually seems to like you."

I stopped, sighing. “But I did sign that contract...” I sighed again. “Fine! Only because it’s in the contract!” I told myself firmly. What a glorious lie.