"Earth to Eric." Adam waved a hand in the intern's face. "You look like you're about to start drooling."
Eric jumped and looked at the older boy. "Sorry. I guess my mind was elsewhere."
"Thinking about your mermaid again?"
Eric blushed, guiltily, and looked down at his work. "Not, exactly."
"Oh." Adam gave him a knowing grin. "Another girl, then?"
Eric was silent for a few moments as he debated the answer. "You remember that girl I told you about, Angela?"
"The one who flew off."
"Yeah." Eric twirled his pen between his fingers. "So, it turns out she's real. I found her night before last. I was sober, this time," he hurried to add that last part.
"Did she show you how she flew?" Adam wondered with a teasing smile.
Eric shook his head. "That part was definitely the drink, but she's real."
"And still beautiful, I assume?"
Eric nodded, slowly. "She's like a dream. I'll find her on the beach at night and we'll talk and...stuff." He hesitated to go into detail about what had happened the previous night. "Of course, she can't be found again during the day. I don't even know where I would start looking or if I even should."
"Because of Aria?"
"I can't just give up on her because of a girl whose last name I don't even know. Angela could be secretly engaged or something. If I focus my attention on her, that would be I'm giving up Aria for an uncertainty."
"Aren't you over-thinking it?" Adam pointed out, "Aria doesn't have to know you're interested in someone else. You can pursue both girls until things work out the way you want with one, right? Didn't you say Aria was doing something similar, anyway?"
"I said Aria might be interested in someone else. That's not exactly the same."
"Sounds the same to me." Adam shrugged. "It's your choice, though. You are welcome to wait for Aria to make up her mind while knowing she might not even choose you, or you could look elsewhere. Mind you, if you're going to focus on Aria, I'll want Angela's number. It's not fair for you to have all the luck."
Eric stared at him for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "I don't think I'm ever going to even introduce you to her."
"Harsh," Adam joked, "At any rate, we should get back to work. These papers aren't going to edit themselves." He returned to his own desk, leaving Eric to absent-mindedly edit the doctor's work while debating with himself about how to handle his love life.
"You got my message," Aria commented as Kai appeared on the beach in front of her, that afternoon.
"I did." He pushed his wet hair out of his face. "It wasn't easy to get away, though. My parents are freaking out a little."
"Because you helped me escape?"
He casually waved her concern away. "They're not mad about that. Don't worry. They're going to have words with the Glemorans for attacking my guests. You'll probably be given some time to find the necklace, now that they're involved. They just worry about anyone taking action against me. I told them that won't happen, but..." He shrugged. "Parents."
"You're sure they won't?"
"Of course not. They wouldn't risk the treaty over a necklace. Right now, they're probably trying to figure out how to recover from attacking a guest of Valador. Like I said, you should be fine for a while."
"And if I can't figure out where this stupid necklace is?" she wondered.
"We know they're lying," he commented, "We just have to figure out a way to prove it."
"Do we know whose necklace it was?"
He sighed. "Well, yeah. It belonged to Alexander, apparently. He and his sister have matching ones they were given when their parents were chosen. It was a big deal because they're twins and all. Plus, they're parents are part of one of the most influential families in Glemora. That's why the Glemorans are freaking out."
"So Rin was right," Aria noted, "It'll suck if he blames himself for it any more."
"It was sort of his fault, though," Kai said, holding his hands up defensively as she glared at him, "What? You protected a red-tail and that got you into trouble. You should have just let him handle things himself."
"So you're saying it was his fault they attacked him and his fault I intervened?" She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows.
"I don't know why they attacked him," he pointed out, "He might have actually done something to warrant that. You defending him might not really be his fault, but you wouldn't have had to do that if he hadn't gotten in that situation."
"Do you even hear yourself? Somebody gets beaten up by three guys and you think it's the victim's fault? Is that really so normal among your people?"
"Having a red-tail around at all isn't normal," he explained, "They have their own little city where they can be kept away from the rest of us. Sapphira's shadow is an abnormality and nobody knows how to deal with him. The simple truth is that he shouldn't be living among the other merfolk. That was always going to lead to trouble."
"Do you blame him for that, too? I was under the impression that he had no say in who his parents were."
"He didn't," Kai agreed, "And I know the seers do what is best for us, but that doesn't mean we can expect everything to be as simple as you seem to expect. What is it about him that gets you so worked-up, anyway? You barely know the guy and he's attacked you multiple times. For the record, I do blame him for that."
"You say things aren't simple, but you over-simplify the bad things he does," she told him, "Have you even talked to him yet?"
"I haven't had a chance," he admitted, "I haven't seen him. From what I understand, the king and queen have him locked up tight, right now. Everybody's on edge, after all. The peace treaty is at risk if everyone isn't careful, so they have to play it safe and they can't have someone like him running around, making things worse."
"How would he make things worse? You jumping to conclusions again."
"Maybe, I am," he said, "But everybody else is thinking the same way. You're the only one who seems to think differently, here."
"That doesn't make me wrong."
"No," he agreed, "It just means you are unlikely to change the minds of those around you."
"I try not to be so pessimistic." She remember that optimism was partly t blame for her looking for a non-metal necklace using a metal detector, but she decided not to mention that. "At any rate, change has to start somewhere. I may be the only one who thinks like this right now, but what if I can change your mind? You could likely change Echo's, I'm sure. Past that, who knows what we could do?"
He stared at her for a moment and smiled. "You aren't easily daunted, are you?"
"I just think you never know what you can do until you try," she replied, "At the beginning of this year, I didn't even believe merfolk existed. Now, look at me talking to a merman."
"You didn't believe we existed?"
Aria shrugged. "Most humans don't, to be honest."
"I know that. I just figured you might be different."
"I'm always different," she assured him, "Just not always in the ways you expect."
"I don't even know how to respond to that," he told her with a smile, "So do you have any sort of plan to find the necklace?"
"None, at all," she answered, "Even so, I'll figure something out. You'll tell me if you hear anything helpful, right?"
"Immediately," he promised, "I want you to be able to return as much as you do, I'm sure."
"Then, for now, we'll just pay attention and look for any clue we can," she announced, "I'm sure we'll find this thing in no time."
"I don't even know where to start!" Aria complained as she flopped down on the couch at home, "You think they even hid it on land? What if it's under water somewhere? What if they just dropped it in the middle of the ocean and it's lost for good?"
"What happened to all that illogical optimism?" Freya wondered.
"I've been racking my brain all day. I can't even begin to guess where it might be. I mean: it's a necklace! I don't even know what it looks like!"
"A left fin, apparently."
Aria sat up and looked at her. "What was that?"
"His necklace is a simple rope with a stone fin," she explained, "His sister's is the right fin, indicating they are one unit, more or less. The pendants are actually precious to them, so I think we can rule out it being dropped in the middle of the ocean, at least."
"One problem down, fifty to go," Aria spoke with forced cheerfulness, "If it's precious, is it really likely he hid it on land?"
"Hard to say," Freya admitted, "If he found a spot it would be safe, maybe. He couldn't risk someone seeing it near him and figuring out the truth, after all."
"So somewhere that seems safe..." Aria considered that. "It would also probably be near the beach, if not on it. I doubt he would feel safe travelling to far inland, right?"
"I have no idea. I really don't know much about him."
"So it may be somewhere on land and possibly near the beach, but we're not sure." Aria sighed and flopped back down. "Great."
"If you decide to give up," Freya said, "I could make arrangements on your behalf to keep you from being attacked on land, provided you agree never to return to the sea. I know that might not be exactly what you want, but you would be safe, at least."
Aria stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, contemplating it. "For now, let's try to find the necklace, at least. I don't want my future decided by those bratty twins."
"Fair enough," the nymph said, "My offer is always open, though."
"Thanks," Aria replied, "I'll keep that in mind." She breathed a sigh and pushed herself up. "Now, I need to get my homework done, just in case I do remain a human."
"Good idea." Freya watched the girl pull out her worksheets and frowned, knowing Aria wasn't as happy as she pretended to be, but she couldn't say anything to help. "I'm going out for a bit."
Aria looked up from her work in surprise. "Out where?"
"Just for a walk," Freya said, "Being inside too much isn't good for me. I won't be long."
"Alright." Aria figured she didn't have any reason to keep her there. "Be safe."
Freya smiled at that. "I'm immortal. I'm always safe."
"You went years with hardly any visits and now, you come all the time. What am I to make of that?" Idun wondered as she stepped out of the trees.
Freya sighed. "I always meant to visit more. I just got so busy..."
"With your human life?" Idun looked her over. "I expect this is connected to your human friend, again."
Freya nodded. "She's being accused of stealing from a prominent Glemoran family. If she can't find the thing she's accused of stealing, she'll never be able to transform again."
"Well, that's good news for you, isn't it?"
"It should be," Freya admitted, "But I don't want her to be forced to remain human and feel miserable about it her whole life. Now that she knows there are other options, I want her to be able to choose what makes her happy. Besides, the whole reason I didn't want her to transform in the first place was to avoid something like this."
"I see your point," Idun commented, "Well, you're here. Is it because I might be able to help?"
"Maybe. We think the person who's accusing her might have actually hidden the necklace. I wondered if you or the others saw anything that might help us track down where."
"I don't know anything about a necklace, but I'll keep an eye out for it and I'll make sure the others do, too. You know we're fond of your human, after all."
Freya offered her a grateful smile. "I'd appreciate anything you could do."
"Of course, there is one other solution to the problem," Idun pointed out, "You could claim Aria and give her the life she desires under the sea. She would be thoroughly protected, then, too."
Freya was shaking her head before she finished the sentence. "That's not what she wants and I want her to be happy."
"Suit yourself. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Just do what you can to find the necklace. That will be plenty."
Idun gave a dramatic bow. "Your wish is my command."
Freya shook her head at the older nymph, but paused as she sensed something coming from the sea. "I've got to go take care of something, now. I'll see you later."
"See you later." Idun faded back into the trees as Freya walked away.
The nereid went straight to the beach and frowned as she saw a bottle resting there, knowing there was no way it wouldn't be more trouble. Trying to be optimistic, she popped in open and pulled out the note, tucked inside. She told herself it could very well be that Kai had figured out where the necklace was and Aria no longer had anything to fear. That was unlikely, but Freya wanted to believe it could happen.
However her eyes widened as she read note. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the thing, but she knew she had to show it to Aria, regardless of the potential consequences.
"Would you like to go hunting for that girl, tonight?" Adam asked as they prepared to leave.
Eric shook his head. "I get the feeling she won't be so easily found."
The doctor was still working, nearby, so Eric tapped him on the shoulder.
"Time to close down," he said.
Dr. Grey looked at his watch in surprise. "My, how the time flies."
"Like Eric's new girlfriend," Adam teased.
"Shut up," Eric replied as his cheeks flushed.
"Are you dating someone new?" Dr. Grey wondered.
Eric shook his head and sighed. "Not even close."
"Well, chin up," the doctor told him, "Even if you don't have a love life, at the moment, there is always the work to keep you busy." He headed out the door, as if that were a perfectly acceptable way to end the conversation.
Eric watched him go for a minute and looked at Adam. "You ever wonder what would happen if he fell in love?"
Adam laughed at that. "I'm fairly certain the world would end."
Eric couldn't help smiling, but he shrugged. "You never know. They say there's someone out there for everyone."
"I would just love to see the girl that caught the doctor's interest," Adam said, "She would really have to be someone incredible."
Freya didn't go back to the apartment, immediately. She wandered around, killing time for a while as she tried to figure out the motivation behind the strange note. When she finally headed to the apartment, she hoped Aria might be asleep, but had no such luck.
"You've been gone awhile," Aria noted as she entered, "You didn't go talk to the Glemorans without telling me, did you?" She was still sitting on the couch, where Freya had left her.
"You know I wouldn't do such a thing." Freya fingered the note in her pocket, hesitant to pull it out. "So did you finish your homework."
"Yes." Aria gave a dramatic sigh. "It was excruciating."
Freya smiled at the girl, enjoying a brief moment of normality before she withdrew the note from her pocket. "I found this on the beach. It's for you."
"Is it from Kai?" Aria asked as she took it.
"Not exactly." Freya saw the same surprised look on Aria's face that she had worn when she read it.
"Why would she send me something like this?"
Freya shrugged. "It's Sapphira. Who knows what she's thinking?"
Aria flipped the note over, trying to find some sort of explanation. All it said was that she wanted to meet on the beach where Aria usually met Kai.
"You think she intends to kill me?" Aria wondered.
"I don't see why she would," Freya pointed out, "You're not really a threat to her, at the moment."
"Maybe not, but she is a little on the crazy side." Aria looked up at her friend. "Do you think I should go?"
"It's up to you. It's true that she might be after you, but it's also possible she has some information that might be helpful."
"You think she knows where the necklace is?"
Freya shrugged. "I can't say, but it's a possibility."
"Even if she does, why would she help me?" Aria wondered, "She hates me."
"I can't guess at that, either," Freya admitted, "The only way to find out is to meet her tomorrow."
"Right." Aria read the note a few more times, searching for hidden clues. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, then."
"You always have a choice," Freya assured her, but she understood what Aria meant. If there was any chance this could help clear her name, they had to take it. "But I'll stay by your side, the whole time."