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"Stay here, Flounder. I'll be back to check on you." Soulina spoke towards Flounder who was in the water as the two half talokanils sat on the stone floor. Aquarella noticed Namor wasn't in his office room so he must've been around somewhere or else he was in Talokan City. "Let's go before I reconsider cookin' him," Rella added. Soul shook her head with an eye roll, "She won't hurt you, don't worry. She loves you." Soul smiled, gently fistbumping his fin and he swam back under water to breathe.

"Is Attuma still single?" Soul asked, holding Rella's hand as they walked down to the kitchen as it was around the time they would have dinner. "Yes, but I'm pretty sure that's a choice." Rella shrugged.

Walking into the kitchen everyone looked up, Selya sighed in relief and ran over to the girls, wrapping her arms around them immediately. Selya pulled away and cupped Soulina's face, "I can't believe you're here." Soul smiled, and Selya pulled her back into a hug, smiling with tears down her face. Aquarella walked over to Namora who immediately pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry." Namora apologized, referring to when she hurt Aquarella during the battle.

"It's okay, I understand. I'm sorry too." Aquarella said, hugging the shorter woman with a sad smile. They both pulled away and Rella let Mora go over to Soul who was more than happy to see the woman. Soul was obviously loved by everyone, it was nothing new. Nobody in Talokan ever had a problem with her. The only people who did were the teenage sirens in Atlantica. But then again, their opinions were irrelevant.

Aquarella noticed Attuma sitting at the table, his arms crossed as he leaned back in the chair, attempting to be petty with the silent treatment. "Come on, you for real gonna ignore me?" Aquarella deadpanned. Attuma just stared forward, Rella rolled her eyes as she sat down next to him. "Technically, you have zero right to be petty towards me. You're the one who tried to murder me." Rella pointed out.

"He's mad because you taught that warrior lady to speak our language against him," Selya added, causing Soul to chuckle and walk over. "No I didn't? She taught herself, actually. It confused me too." Aquarella said. Soul hummed as he brought her onto his lap and she hugged him. "He has a crush on her, it's so obvious. Also, hi Uma. I missed my favorite blue man," Soulina pointed out the obvious and he nudged her, feigning offense.

"No I don't. And I missed you too, I guess," Attuma objected. Soul scoffed, "Yes you do. You learned Xhosa for her and she learned Maya for you." Aquarella and Selya shared looks, both seeing Soulina's point and agreed with the mermaid. Meanwhile, Namora just sat next to her wife, not adding in a comment as she thought it was obvious he liked the Wakandan warrior. Attuma rolled his eyes but didn't deny it.

"Hey, uh where is he?" Aquarella spoke, referring to K'uk'ulkan which was obvious. Namora was the one to speak up as the others didn't, "Your room."

Aquarella nodded, letting out a breath, "You guys mind watching her for a few minutes?"

"I don't need to be babysat." Soul mumbled, feigning offense but they all knew if she wasn't watched she would dissappear somewhere.

Namora gave the siren a nod, saying they would keep an eye on the mermaid. "I shouldn't be long." They all watched as the siren walked out, headed towards her room.

K'uk'ulkan sat at the edge of the bed, Polaroid pictures in his hands that Aquarella took with the Polaroid camera she stole. Most of them were selfies with Selya, Attuma or Mora in the background being caught off guard. A small knock on the caused him to look up where the sound came from. Aquarella leaned against the doorframe, the curtain pushed to the side and she didn't even fake a smile, she just gave a blank emotionless look. He understood why but it did hurt.

"Did you know she was alive?" Aquarella asked, her jaw slightly clenched. She didn't know if she could even trust he would tell her the truth anymore. But, she thought it didn't hurt to ask.

"No. But I yielded because she was there. I yielded for our family." K'uk'ulkan answered honestly. Aquarella shook her head and scoffed under her breath, "What family? You're seriously gonna look me in the eyes and say this is a family? Cause it's not, dad. Family doesn't do all that you and momma have done. Soulina being back doesn't change anything. In fact, it just motivates me to get far away from you and mom. I just came here so she could see her real family one last time before we leave." Her words stung, and she knew, but she didn't care anymore.

"You're gonna take my daughter from me?" K'uk'ulkan set down the Polaroids and stood up, his head tilted with an intimidating look on his face bit it did nothing to move her. "You're not her father. She had one. You killed him." Aquarella stated coldly.

"I did what I had to do, he was in the way," K'uk'ulkan replied, just as coldly. "How?! How was he in the way? Cause he cared about us? Treated us like his own? Something you and mom clearly couldn't do!" Rella looked up at him, a pissed off expression that they both shared. "Do not speak of your mother like that. She protected you all your life! He tried to take you and your sister from us! He wanted the both of you to live with him on the surface world, and I couldn't have that. Neither of us could. Why do you think your mother helped me?"

"Don't you think maybe there was a reason he wanted to take us from you both? You didn't care about us and he saw that." Rella shook her head, tired of the conversation that would never end with her forgiving all that he's done. "You know what? I'm done with this." Rella grabbed her tote bag and gathered the important things she needed. She figured she would just come back for the rest or have Attuma bring it to her. She just needed to get out of there.

"Where are you going to go, Aquarella?" Namor watched her bored, figuring it was just another stupid mental breakdown she had every other week. "We're gonna apply for college, far away from you and mom. If you really love us, you will not come searching for us. Attuma, Selya and Namora will be the only ones to know of our location and it's staying that way." Aquarella stated, not noticing Soulina at the doorframe.

"I got my stuff, Relly. I told them what you told me to tell them." Soulina spoke up, not paying any attention to Namor. Aquarella told her everything and to say she was pissed off at him was a huge understatement. Aquarella nodded and clicked the button on her tote that put a waterproof seal over it to protect her stuff under the water. "Ready to go then, Soul?" Rella turned away from her father to look at her younger sister.

"Yeah. Bye, Namor." Soul gave a small wave with a half smile and Aquarella took her hand and pulled her out of the room. "Let's go say bye one last time, yeah?" Soul nodded in agreement with her sister.

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"Rella, where the hell have y'all been?" Jessie asked, jogging down over to the water where Aquarella and Soulina both walked out of once their tails were gone. "We had to get our things and Soul wanted to say hi to everyone." Aquarella explained, as Jessie pulled her into a hug. "I talked to my mom and she is literally so pissed off with me." Jessie said, taking Aquarella's bag from her shoulders.

"I think I'll just get our stuff, say bye to my siblings and then we can figure out what to do. In this together right?" Jessie smiled. Aquarella nodded with a smile, "Always."

"Come on," Jessie took Soul's bag and they followed him back to the palace. "Shuri got a room prepared for you guys so you can share. Your mom and the sirens helped fix up the city so everyone moved back into their homes. But don't worry, they left already so you won't run into her." Jessie informed the two women as they walked down the halls of the palace, Soul using the hand not holding Flounder to hold onto Aquarella's hand tightly.

"We're hungry," Soul mumbled as Jessie opened the door to the huge room they would be sharing. "I can call Shuri to get the chefs to bring you something," Jessie offered, setting the bags onto the bed. "Seems like y'all got close when I was gone," Aquarella mumbled under her breath, sitting down as Soul went to explore the huge bathroom with Flounder, mainly the bathtub.

"I sense jealousy," Jessie raised a brow with a small chuckle. "I don't get jealous," Aquarella denied.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that. But, if I must put up with her for the benefit of you, then I guess I can atleast use her name. Not that this means I like her. Cause I don't, not after the shit she put you through." Jessie sat down next to the siren, giving her a comforting smile that she returned. "Can you tell me something though?" Jessie turned to face her.

"Sure."

"Is there something going on between you and Shuri?" Jessie asked, mainly wanting to know if there was any feelings attached. Aquarella furrowed her brows slightly, not sure why he wanted to know. "I can't deny that there's some feelings there. But it doesn't matter what I feel, cause it won't work. We're not meant for each other. I can't give her the love she's looking for, not when I have no experience of that kind of love." Aquarella struggled to explain what she was feeling but Jessie understood what she meant.

"Hey," Jessie set his hand on hers, intertwining their fingers, "I completely get it. I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you. You can talk to me." He comforted. Aquarella smiled, her eyes watering and she leaned her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her.

"I feel like I'm in pieces."

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a.n: u see what i did there? 🌚 in pieces in literally my favorite song ever now its on repeat 🥲

one more chapter left!! ☺️ it is based on chlöes song; in pieces so pls if u haven't listened to it, go do that!! it's very important that you listen to the song as it describes the relationship between shuri and aquarella!!

this was short so i might drop the past chapter idk-

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