Maribelle sat at the dining table, looking out the window while eating her breakfast. She had to admit the fruit from the sea was far nicer than what food she had on the surface. Finishing off another piece of the delicious fruit, she reminded herself not to have too much as today was going to be a busy day. Shame she could not remember why.

  Swimming to the window, Maribelle looked out into the city of Coraltide, her new home. She smiled to herself as she realised she had been living in Coraltide for two months now. And it had been two months since she chose to become a mermaid again. She was certain she would never regret her decision.

  Indeed, the st two months had been some of the most pleasant she’d had in her life. Her Merrow lessons with Bryn were advancing quite well. While she had yet to master the nguage, she could now speak a few sentences in Merrow. There were also her daily swims with Bryn where she showed Maribelle around her new home. It was always lovely to be able to spend time with Bryn. And of course the food was much better in the sea than what she was used to having on the surface.

  “Good morning, Maribelle,” someone behind her called out.

  Turning her back to the window, Maribelle saw Joyce swim into the room. Today Joyce was wearing a purple top and skirt which was odd since she never wore those colours.

  “Good morning to you, as well,” Maribelle replied.

  Joyce smirked as she looked at Maribelle. “What were you thinking about that got you blushing?” she asked teasingly.

  Maribelle put a hand to her cheek. It did feel warmer than normal. “I'm not sure,” was all she could say.

  Joyce ughed as she swam to the dining table and wrapped her long tail around the stool she sat upon. “Whatever you say. Well enough about that. Are you excited for today?”

  “I'm always eager for another delightful day in Coraltide.”

  Joyce ughed to herself. “Yeah, you forgot. There's a finball game today; another team from one of the other cities has come to py. We talked about it three days ago. Your mind must have been wandering far away,” Joyce said with a devious smirk.

  “I- well,” Maribelle tried to say, but instead stumbled over all her words.

  As Maribelle became more and more flustered, she sincerely hoped for something to save her from her situation.

  Just then, Bryn swam into the room. Maribelle immediately brightened up the moment she id eyes on the mershark. Looking at Bryn, she realised that Bryn was also wearing purple clothes. “Good morning, Bryn,” she said in Merrow, filled with delight.

  Laughter from Joyce drew both Maribelle and Bryn's attention. Maribelle herself was very unsure what was so funny. Did she mispronounce a word?”

  “Is everything okay?” Bryn asked gently.

  “Did I say something inappropriate?” Maribelle asked worriedly.

  “It's nothing, don't worry about it. Maribelle here forgot about today's finball game,” Joyce expined.

  “Is that why you're both wearing purple?” Maribelle asked.

  Bryn's tail cut through the water as she approached the table. “That's right. Purple is the primary colour of the Coral Tidecutters who are pying today. So we wear purple to show our support,” Bryn said enthusiastically.

  Joyce quickly chimed in. “I got your outfit ready, Maribelle. You were not in your room so I left it on your bed. I was going to tell you about it, but I got distracted.”

  “I've already had my breakfast so I'll get changed in a bit,” Maribelle said before looking at her purple scales. “Hold on. Are my scales going to look good in purple?”

  “Personally, I try not to wear the same colour as my scales, but a time like this counts an exception,” Joyce said.

  “I think you'll look lovely,” Bryn said confidently which caused Maribelle's blush to return.

  Excusing herself, Maribelle swam back to her room and found a purple top and skirt waiting on her bed. She quickly changed into the new outfit, and checked out her reflection.

  The top was really nice, and she could see the name ‘Coral Tidecutters’ sewn into it in bold letters. The skirt was also pretty, but she could clearly see what was meant by not matching clothes and scale. Both her tail and skirt were a deep purple which caused them to mesh too well. It did not look awful, but she would prefer another colour that went with her tail better. However, Bryn had been very excited for the game so Maribelle was happy to join in as much as she could.

  With everyone ready, the small group swam from their home towards the finball stadium. Joyce slithered through the water by herself while Maribelle swam hand in hand with Bryn. It was always a blissful experience to swim alongside Bryn.

  It wasn’t long until the small group was joined by another two. Maribelle grinned when she saw Emily and Torya emerge from a side street. It was good to see the two caecilia again.

  “Is it okay if I talk to Emily?” Maribelle asked Bryn.

  “Of course, I'm sure you have plenty to catch up on,” Bryn answered warmly.

  Reluctantly letting go of Bryn's warm hand, Maribelle parted ways and swam alongside Emily who's tentacles were wafting in a rhythmic beat.

  “It's good to see you again,” Emily said cheerfully.

  “Likewise,” Maribelle replied smiling.

  “So how's your Merrow lessons going?” Emily asked. “Torya told me about them.”

  “I think I am getting better at it,” Maribelle answered slowly in Merrow, careful to not mix her words up.

  “I can certainly hear the improvement. You're doing well,” Emily said.

  “You say that, but some days are much harder than others,” Maribelle said as she shook her head.

  “Don't be so hard on yourself. I went through the exact same thing, and trust me, you'll get there in time. Especially with a teacher like Bryn,” Emily said and she pced a hand on Maribelle's shoulder.

  “Thank you, Emily. You're right though, Bryn is a very kind and patient teacher. It would have been much harder without her,” Maribelle said as her cheeks started to warm up.

  “On that note you're doing a wonderful job adapting to your new life. It's strange to think you ever left,” Emily commented.

  Maribelle shivered for a moment as she remembered her time on the surface. Nothing up there but misery now.

  “It's funny in a way; I pushed myself so hard to return to what I thought was home, but in the end I now realise that this is my true home,” Maribelle said, ughing gently as she focused on the joy that returning to the sea brought.

  “I get that. And just so you know, I'm gd you came back,” Emily said, smiling at Maribelle.

  “I don't belong on the surface anymore,” Maribelle said with a sad sigh. As happy as she was to be home, she couldn't help but miss her family.

  “But you belong here with us,” Emily stated.

  “Thank you.”

  The group continued swimming towards the stadium. Suddenly a thought that had been clinging to her resurfaced.

  “Does it ever fade away?” Maribelle asked Emily.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Sorry, it's a little difficult to put into words. It's just, I can't help but think about how much everything has changed now. This life and my old life are completely different. I have a new form, a new home. I live in the sea now. Nothing is the same any more,” Maribelle expined, hoping she was making some form of sense.

  Emily ughed. “I know, right. I've been living here for two years now, and I still can't help but think the same. Just this morning as I was getting changed, I thought to myself ‘I remember having two legs once.’ So to answer your question, it never truly fades away. Personally I think it's so we remind ourselves that we made the right choice.”

  Maribelle smirked with the knowledge that she wasn't alone. “You're right, we have made the right choice.” She gnced back at Bryn who was swimming on her own. “Thank you, Emily, this has helped. Though if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Bryn again.”

  Emily covered her mouth as she suppressed a ugh. “Of course. Go ahead,” she said as she drifted towards Torya.

  Swimming closer to Bryn, Maribelle offered a hand. Upon noticing her, Bryn smiled and gdly took her hand.

  “Did you have a nice talk?” Bryn asked sweetly.

  “Yeah we did. I managed to clear up some of my own thoughts as well,” Maribelle answered.

  “That's good,” Bryn said, gently squeezing Maribelle's hand. “We are almost at the stadium by the way. Do you remember the rules?”

  “I'm pretty sure I do. “I've been looking forward to this, you know.”

  Bryn beamed with delight. A sight that easily warmed Maribelle's heart. “I'm delighted to hear that. You won't be disappointed,” she promised.

  Maribelle always found it easy to fully trust the promises Bryn made

  The stadium was swarming with all sorts of merfolk. Eelin, merwhal, hippocampus, mermaid, sea mia, and many more milled together as they awaited the start of the match.

  Maribelle and Bryn carefully weaved their way through the crowds. As they did so, Maribelle noticed that some of the merfolk were wearing deep green clothes, and she assumed that they must support the other team. She also saw how both groups were mingling together.

  “Is it safe to have both sides so close together?” Maribelle asked, remembering how bitter rivalries could burn on the surface.

  Bryn stared at Maribelle in confusion. “There's no harm in everyone getting to know each other. It doesn't matter who wins or loses, it's merely a game in the end. Everyone wants to enjoy themselves today, and a brawl would be the opposite to that,” Bryn expined.

  “Oh that's a relief,” Maribelle said, sighing in relief. “Shall we find our seats?”

  “Good idea, I'd rather we not struggle to find somewhere we can sit together” Bryn said.

  Sitting together with Bryn. Such a simple thing, but nevertheless it was something that stirred Maribelle's heart. The notion of being close to Bryn was a deeply appealing one. She wasn't sure why, though. Well maybe it was because she liked being close to a close friend.

  The stadium seating stood in rows, carved out of stone, and it didn’t take them long to find a free spot. Sitting especially close to Bryn, Maribelle ran a hand over the stonework, it was very smooth and surprisingly comfortable to sit on. All that was left to do was wait for the match to begin.

  After a brief period of waiting and talking, the two finball teams swam onto the field. On one side were the Coral Tidecutters and on the other the Wavebreakers. Six pyers on each side, with a match warden in the centre of the field holding the ball. With everyone ready, the warden tossed the ball into the air, and sang a note to announce the beginning of the match.

  The crowd roared with excitement as two merfolk sped towards the ball. One of the Tidecutters reached the ball first and kicked it with her orange tail. It soared through the water only to be intercepted as a Wavebreaker pelted it towards another teammate.

  Maribelle observed the match in silent awe as the pyers wove an unpredictable pattern in the water. They were so elegant, and so graceful. There was practised discipline in both teams formations, but also a fmboyant flexibility that allowed pyers to react to an ever changing environment. And yet despite how exciting the match was, Maribelle found her gaze increasingly drawn to Bryn.

  Bryn’s red eyes were so mesmerising. It was so easy for Maribelle to lose herself in them.

  “Is everything okay?” Bryn asked with concern.

  Maribelle blinked with shock having been dragged back to reality. “Y-yes I'm fine. It's just there's a lot to keep up with,” she replied hastily.

  Bryn smiled sympathetically. “I understand. It can be a little overwhelming at first. If you need anything expining, just ask.”

  “Thank you. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Yes I am, thank you. It's all the better with you beside me,” Bryn said, squeezing Maribelle's hand softly.

  Maribelle's heart skipped a beat. “I'm gd to be with you too,” she said, her cheeks blushing.

  Bryn smiled with relief. “I'm so gd to hear that. I sincerely hoped that- oh abyss!” She shouted in shock

  Maribelle turned towards the match, and winced in shock as she watched one of the Tidecutters, who was about to receive the ball, get tackled by a hippocampus that had blindsided her. That certainly looked painful. The hippocampus looked very powerfully built; she could probably knock down a wall if she smmed into it with full force.

  The game continued with all its excitement. At least Maribelle assumed it was an exciting game. The thing was, no matter how hard she tried to focus on the game, her attention kept being drawn to Bryn. She couldn't help herself, as there was something about the mershark that attracted Maribelle. However she just couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was.

  Bryn’s looks certainly pyed a part. Maribelle could not deny how gorgeous the mershark looked. Her grey skin looked so luscious, and her tail was so elegant. Whenever Maribelle saw Bryn's deep grey lips, an urge grew within her. She was not sure what it was she wanted to do, but the desire was certainly there.

  The game continued, both teams putting up a fierce fight. As the match drew closer to its end, both teams were drawing. Maribelle watched as the teams cshed, each pyer determined to prove themself worthy of victory. It really was hard to keep up with everything going on. Especially after spending much of the match distracted by Bryn.

  One of the Tidecutters weaved her way through the opposing team, and aimed a desperate shot at the goal.

  Did she score? It was hard to tell from where Maribelle was sitting.

  Suddenly the stadium erupted with cheers, and Maribelle found herself being closely embraced by Bryn who was ughing joyfully. Despite the uproar around her, the sweet sound of Bryn ughing was perfectly clear, and Maribelle couldn't help but join in.

  As Maribelle looked once more into Bryn’s eyes. A desire bloomed within her heart. Bryn’s body held so much warmth, and her deep grey lips looked so delicate. All so had to do was pull Bryn a little closer and-

  Maribelle suddenly remembered that she was in a very public pce and quickly let go of Bryn ending their very close embrace. Bryn must have realised the same as she also let go. Her cheeks turning a very deep colour of red, Maribelle turned her head. It was not that she felt ashamed, she felt more confused as to what had overcome her.

  Looking away from Bryn, Maribelle found herself face to face with Joyce who had taken a break from cheering to smile mischievously at Maribelle, which only worsened her blush. With all the cheering going around her, she struggled to process the strange feelings surging through her. Maybe she was so flustered because the match had brought out so many emotions? Yes, that was probably it. Her worries faded away as she joined in the ongoing jubitions.

  *****

  That night as the street mps began to dim, Maribelle y in her bed as she struggled to fall asleep. At first she assumed it was because she was yet to get over today's excitement, but rather than think about today's finball game, her mind was filled with images of Bryn. She almost felt like there was a shoal of very tiny fish in her stomach.

  She tossed and turned in her sheets as Bryn swam around her head. Her luxurious bck hair, her delicate grey skin, her luminous red eyes, her adorable tail. There was so much that made Bryn beautiful.

  It wasn't just that Bryn looked gorgeous. She was one of the sweetest, kindest people she had ever met within the sea or on the surface. Ever since they met, Bryn had been nothing but patient and caring. Without Bryn's generosity, Maribelle would have struggled greatly in adapting to life in Coraltide. In fact, without Bryn, Maribelle wouldn't be alive. Twice now Bryn had saved Maribelle’s life, and not once did she ask for anything in return. She had even put her own life at risk, braving the crossbows of Port Glorious in order to break Maribelle free of her cage.

  Yes, Maribelle knew she held a great deal of adoration for Bryn in her heart. But was there more to those feelings? Did she desire more? It was so difficult to know for sure.

  The only thing that Maribelle knew for sure was that she would not be sleeping well with all these questions swimming around her mind.