All merfolk could apparently sense each other out. When he saw us during his routine, he looked surprised. That did not stop him from putting on a show. It appeared that this show was really good at capturing the attention of young children. He made it a point to engage them by swimming to the glass and letting the children press their hands where the merfolk was on the other side of the tank. For the adults, he sang and did acrobatic tricks under the water. After 10 minutes, he finished his set with a bow and swam to the top of the tank, Because the tank was so big, it led to the floor above us and was obscured by the ceiling and the lack of illumination at the top. The show was a flop for Nabo and the rest of my squad mates. They grumbled about it being a mockery of their way of life. "Humans have no right to keep us in pools like we were just any other fish in the sea to be studied." Wyne said with a huff. We continued onwards. In the outside area, there was a dolphin show. The trainers had taught several of them how to do tricks and were rewarded with fish. The merfolk had a sour taste.
It was 15 minutes later when the merfolk from the huge tank came to find us. He looked friendly with an excited smile. "Hey! I've never seen you guys around before. Are you all new to the town?" he asked. I nodded my head. It was the truth. "Yeah. We're all new here." I told him. "I thought so. I guess we can just sense each other out." he said as he got closer. Nabo and the others were not really willing to engage. "It's an open secret that people like us exist in the county. The mermen come here and then people like us have to deal with it." he said with a bit of bitterness in his tone. "So you were born in this city?" I asked. He nodded his head. "Yeah. I was going to the beach with my friends. I got caught. It fucking hurt a ton! Then I was stuck like this." he said as he began to ruminate on the memory. Then he slapped his cheeks and put a new smile on his face. "Since it happens so often, we figured out that we can become normal with human body fluids. But you know that. Those mermen hardly ever take people back with them. Sadly, this only works with those of the same sex." he explained.
Looking him up and down, I asked "So you had to kiss a guy in the staff room?" He just rolled his eyes. That seemed pretty crazy to me. "It's pretty annoying. Human body temperature is much higher than ours is. I hate all that heat when he gropes me all over my chest and tail. He is a total creep! I'd rather go through that not be able to use my legs again though. When I'm back to normal, I just push him off me and climb out on my own." he said, showing off his legs. "Oh? You can get your legs back even when you're still soaking wet? We usually dry off first." I said. "And flop around uselessly on the floor!? Nah, that's way too uncomfortable for me. We have power in the water. Why give it up and be vulnerable?" he scoffed. That was a good point. The pimp and the whores were ready to move on. It was time to move on. "Sorry, but we have to go. We're in a larger group. I guess we might see you around." I said. He said his name was Noah. I introduced everyone to him before scurrying after the small group. Steele said "So this is the fate of converts left behind. I never thought about it before."
