Night was different in the ocean. Darkness fell quickly and, with it, the water dropped in temperature. Pretie shivered as goosebumps rose on her skin—even the grey scales of her tail pricked up and began to twitch against each other, resulting in a soft grating sound. That—above all else—was definitely new to Pretie.

The girl swam close behind Ephyra and her friends as they headed away from the rocky hollow, winding their way through the rock columns.

"Where are we going?" She couldn't help but ask, taking a moment to rub at her arms. 

"The sleeping nooks?" Ephyra replied, shooting her an amused look as if this was something Pretie was supposed to naturally know. The girl just frowned, looking away. She refused to ask what 'sleeping nooks' Ephyra was referring to—not as long as she was going to stare at her like Pretie was some naive child. It's not my fault I don't know all the mermaid customs. It wasn't even my choice to become one.

Fortunately, the words explained themselves several minutes later, when a craggy outcropping of rock and coral came into view ahead of them. Pretie slowed as she noticed the array of mermaids flitting through the area, displaying tails of a whole rainbow of colors ranging from the palest pearl to the darkest midnight blue. As Ephyra and the others swam ahead, she continued to look around, noticing the niches in the rocky cliff. When she drifted closer, she saw the glimmering scales inside each one. All the mermaids are curled up to go to sleep, Pretie realized as a figure in one of the alcoves rolled over to reveal a human face.

The more the girl looked around, the more she noticed the sheer number of niches—and, beyond that, the number of mermaids sleeping in them. Every nook held at least two, their bodies twined together for warmth.

When Pretie looked up, she saw that both Krill and Melody had disappeared; all that remained was a flash of electric green and coral pink scales as they slipped into one of the alcoves. Ephyra started to follow after them before she turned to catch Pretie's eye. Her mouth opened, her eyes skating to the awaiting sleeping nook. The girl's heartbeat stuttered. Is she going to ask me if—

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, so... Sleep well, Prettypants." Offering her a nod, Ephyra dipped into the alcove. Something in Pretie crumpled in disappointment as she watched the last of her tail recede from view. She wasn't sure what she had been hoping the mermaid would ask her, but this somehow wasn't it.

With Ephyra gone, Pretie was alone. The clearing was still as the other mermaids tucked themselves into the remaining alcoves, their soft, companionable murmurs providing the only noise. Shivering in the cool water, the girl drifted around, trying to locate a sleeping nook of her own. They all seemed to be taken, their residents' presence revealed by the glint of their scaled tails in the dim moonlight.

This is exactly why I don't want to be here, she thought to herself as she swam down to the sand below. Her eyes caught on a small cranny between the ocean's floor and the craggy rock outcropping—clearly not a prime choice, considering it remained the only empty spot. Not perfect, but it'll do. Pretie hesitantly twisted herself around and, after some wriggling and grunting, managed to fit herself into the crevice, leaving just enough space for her to turn over. The sand and the rock alike were cold against her skin and she hugged her arms around herself, trying to reduce her trembling. 

I definitely understand why they pair up to sleep. It's... It's freezing. While Pretie knew she was probably exaggerating, the temperature seemed far colder than she was used to. Aecora was practically tropical; even the winters were mild. Here, the cold seemed to seep into her very bones, combining with an even deeper sense of loneliness that only increased her shivering. 

It seemed like hours of tossing and turning—as much as one could manage in an alcove so small—to no avail.  When Pretie finally fell asleep, it was restless. She slept in fits and starts and, all the while, she felt the strange prickling of eyes on the back of her neck, as if someone was watching her.

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It was the first morning Pretie hadn't been woken by the cries of gulls and the glare of sunlight on her face. Instead, the girl was startled awake by something cool and scaly sweeping across her face. As she jumped up, her head hit the rock above her. She immediately sucked in a breath, wincing.

A rumbling laugh sounded somewhere beside her, and Pretie blinked the sleep from her eyes to recognize Ephyra. The mermaid raised an eyebrow at the sight of Pretie's grimace.

"I'm not used to sleeping in a nook like this," she blurted, suddenly defensive. "Usually, there's a lot more space over my head. And a comfortable mattress underneath."

"Oh, my bad," Ephyra snorted with a roll of her eyes. "I should have thought to prepare a bed for your arrival, Princess Prettypants." She bowed awkwardly, though Pretie couldn't determine whether it was her intention or lack of legs that made it that way.

Biting back a line of curse words, Pretie wriggled out of the alcove, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight filling the clearing—which actually wasn't as bright as she'd expected. The water was clear, still holding a little of the night's chill. A few rays of sunlight broke weakly through the surface of the water up above. The clearing was empty—it seemed like all of the other mermaids were still asleep.

"What time is it?" Pretie asked. She yawned, the gills lining her neck rippling with the motion. Her eyes went wide for a moment. Yep, that's a sensation I've never felt before.

Ephyra chuckled a little. "A little after daybreak. It's time to go."

As Pretie's gaze drifted past her, she noticed that they weren't the only ones awake after all. Krill and Melody hovered a few feet away, chatting to each other as they shouldered bags made of woven kelp and passed some sort of food between them.

"Oh. Oh. It's time?"

"That is what I said. Come on, Prettypants, you ready?"

She nodded, letting the tip of her tail propel her closer to the others. Melody seemed far too excited to even bother to greet Pretie, her fins twitching so much that she seemed to be struggling to remain still. Krill just wore an eager smile and stretched out his hand to offer her a bite of whatever he and Melody had been snacking on.

Pretie eyed the mushy, pale pink mess in his palm. Is that... Shrimp? Crab? Fish? Whatever it was, it looked raw and half-digested—and definitely not appetizing. As hungry as Pretie was, she refused to touch—let alone eat—something so... Fresh. She forced a polite smile—which may have passed as more of a grimace—and shook her head. Krill shrugged and raised his hand to his mouth to slurp up the last of it. She barely withheld the urge to gag at the accompanying sound.

"Alright, gang. Who's ready for an adventure?" Ephyra called with a grin, grabbing a couple of additional packs from a small cranny in a nearby patch of coral. She tossed one of the packs Pretie's way. The girl's hands shot up to catch it, but she failed to remember how the physics of water differed from those on land; the pack drifted her way as if it was in no rush, tapping lightly against her forehead. She snatched it up before Ephyra could break into laughter again.

"This is so exciting," Melody squealed, shaking her hands. "I mean, this is— We're searching for something that—" She trailed off with a squeal, her elation too strong to translate into words.

Krill and Ephyra shared a look, a combination of fondness and amusement that summoned an unfamiliar longing in Pretie's chest. She lowered her gaze.

"Let's not waste any more time, then," Ephyra decided with a nod. "Krill, navigate us?"

The merman grinned. "Of course."

He fished a small object out of his pack. When Pretie drifted over to try and get a closer look, she noticed that it was a compass—or something akin to one. The device was roughly circular, made from a mishmash of shells and old wood, with notches carved along its face and a thin, rusted needle of iron in the very center. A strap of kelp—or very frayed rope, Pretie couldn't tell for sure—allowed Krill to tie it around his wrist. 

She watched as he twisted the device's outer circle, spinning it until one of the marked lines was at the top. As Krill turned in a slow circle, Pretie managed to look over his shoulder to see that the needle had rotated with him.

"We're going... To the east?" He confirmed, raising an eyebrow as he glanced over at Ephyra.

The mermaid nodded her agreement.

"Right. That's..." Krill spun around a few more degrees. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "This way."

A pointy-toothed grin flashed across Ephyra's face just as quickly, and she clapped her hands together—a movement Pretie thought should have created a louder sound, based on what she was used to hearing on land. "Perfect. What are we waiting for, then? We've got a legendary artifact calling our names."

With a squeal from Melody, a placid nod from Krill, and a sharp laugh from Ephyra, the three swam off in a flurry of ripples. Pretie fumbled to grab her pack as she hurried to follow suit.