'Round Midnight

It was almost literally like trying to carry a large sturgeon right out of the water. Nerina flipped her tail everywhere, knocking everything onto the floor and throwing Eric off balance. There was no way they would make it to water outside, so he had to think fast. The only reasonable place was to put her in the bathtub. It would be awful for her, but it'd work.

Eric shoved the bathroom door open and protected Nerina's head as he entered. He couldn't keep the tail from flopping around, and Eric was afraid she'd hurt it. He placed Nerina as best he could into the bathtub, plugged it, and turned the tap over to a medium temperature. He wasn't really sure how Nerina would want it, so he'd have to wait for her to yell it out.

It wasn't the only thing he did. Once the bathtub was running, Eric scrambled for a bucket and poured in it water from his sink. He splashed Nerina frantically with as much water as he could, hydrating her as fast he could.

“You're going to be okay, don't worry,” Eric was frowning. Her dress was soaked through, the bathtub was too small for the tail, but it was the best he could manage in short notice. “Please be okay,” Eric begged of her.

Eric tried not to react when Nerina removed her dress. It wasn't the time to gawk at a naked woman in his bathtub. Still, there was no denying her beauty even as her legs grow out into an enormous tail.

Eric idly said “Yes,” before he realized she was reaching over to grab it herself. Eric was startling close to her, but it was a whole different matter than he'd have liked. A little less terror and need for survival from a few minutes ago would have improved the atmosphere.

As Nerina settled back into the bathtub, Eric got the courage to sit next to her. The floor was now covered in water from splashing and dripping, but Eric didn't mind getting wet in his running clothes. He had to wash them later anyway.

“So uh... you're a mermaid?” Eric asked. He didn't know what Nerina was, but he knew woman with tails often were called mermaids. He peeked at the part where her hips blended into the tail of a fish. How did it work, anyway? He was curious, but maybe those questions were best left unanswered.

“That's pretty cool,” Eric admitted. He had never dated a mermaid before. Contrary to what she might think, Eric thought it rather fun. “Minus the hydration issue. I'm sorry I couldn't get you to the ocean in time-”

That's when he realized the connection to the ocean. “So wait... your house... do you live in the ocean?”

Too big to Eric probably meant something than to Nerina. Eric was imagining a three-bedroom house with a nice patio. Where the heck did Nerina get the money for that? Perhaps she found a lot of treasure in the sea too, and just didn't mention it to Eric. Like from pirate shipwrecks full of chests of gold.

He didn't ask about it though. Eric didn't want to know of Nerina's financial situation. None of his business, just as much as he expected for her not to ask of his own.

“Hey, don't uh, don't worry. We can keep it in mind next time,” Eric wondered when exactly this happened. She was looking out the window earlier. Eric didn't really notice the time, but there was a bit less light coming in from outside.

Would there be a next time? Funnily enough, a wicked tail wasn't exactly stopping Eric from being interested in her. That was up to her, though. Today didn't go as smoothly as Eric intended.

She asked again about the records, and Eric succumbed to her sweet voice. “Okay, but don't go anywhere. Er, I mean I'll be back soon.” He left the bathroom once he figured Nerina had everything she needed, as well as an emergency bucket of water next to her. He closed the door behind him and quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper. He taped it to the bathroom door and ran off with the records.

Nerina would hear someone come through the front door only a few minutes later. Too quick to be Eric, and sure enough the footsteps did not enter through the bathroom. She would hear a low growl, however.

“What the hell is he-” the voice trailed and the footsteps stumbled off.

A while later, the front door opened again. Eric was back, but he was stopped by the other person. They spoke outside, but it was difficult to pick anything up. Something about 'horrible runs' and 'need space'. Sounded gross.

Eric returned with a half-hearted smile. “Sorry, got caught up.” He sat in his place next to Nerina. “Are you alright?”

As Nerina touched Eric's hand, he curled his fingers around hers. How long had she been in the bathtub? She had no wrinkles, one of those small details someone might miss. She was definitely aquatic, or at least more aquatic than what a human could manage.

“That was my brother,” Eric informed. His voice was low as well, just above a whisper. “I dunno if he'll hear us. He has good ears, but he likes to listen to music more often than not.” Eric adjusted his body against the floor to try and get the best position he could. It was a little awkward being out of the bathtub, and her inside of it. It'd be even more awkward suggesting he joined her, not that she had the room anyway.

“Will you be okay for the night? I can sleep right here, if you'd like that.” Eric didn't know if he really could sleep on the floor. He removed his shirt and bundled it into a sort of pillow. He rested against it, trying to adjust himself to the point where he might be able to get shut eye.