Some time later, both girls sat in Joan's room. It had been rather disconcerting for the boy-turned-girl to find out that her family only remembered her as Joan. Her room had also undergone some changes, becoming a bit neater and more cluttered at the same time. A few stuffed animals shared her bed, and an unfamiliar dresser now occupied one corner. On top of the dresser, pictures from hikes and other outings with Nicole spoke of an active lifestyle. It also indicated a longtime friendship.
To Joan's relief, Karyn also featured in a few of the photos. Hopefully, they were still close friends.
Meanwhile, Nicole leaned back to take in what she had heard of her friend's adventures. "So, mermaids are real."
"It seems so."
"And now you've escaped from mermaid jail." The brunette giggled at the mental image.
"It's really not that funny when you go through it," Joan huffed, but she could not keep from smiling. "In any case, I'm now stuck with this." She grimaced at her manacled wrist. All attempts to wish it off had failed. To make matters worse, it seemed to cancel out any wishes directly affecting the girl herself, and when she tried to make her own wishes, she experienced an all too familiar jolt of pain that left stars in her vision.
They both had to admit that it made sense. A magic manacle would certainly be equipped to keep a prisoner from escaping by magical means. Though they had to wonder how Joan had been teleported out of the jail in the first place.
Eventually, they decided to put further speculation aside for the time being and get some rest. Nicole took the stone back home with her. The other girl felt it was no use trying to get it from her now. Thus exhausted from her experience, Joan prepared for sleep.
