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When he finished singing and raised his hands high above his head, everyone in the pool cheered. Everyone except for Jayna, who stared at him, slack jawed. The shock on Jayna’s face made the risk of ridicule from the business streamers all worthwhile.
She leaned towards him and said, “Emmaline told me you had a showman buried beneath that corporate exterior, but I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.” Her eyes drifted down to his chest and then out to the end of his tail. “I think we may need to rewrite the Sirens of Atlantis show to include a part for Merman Marevitrum.”
Sid felt his face flush at the suggestion. “Thank you, no.” Pleased with himself, he glanced around at the pool, where a dozen or so groups of merfolk lounged and chatted with children. Each had a streamer drone or two hovering above them at a discrete distance.
“So, what happens now?” he asked.
“Now you go and mingle with the kids. Your donation to research at the Pediatric Bionics Institute may help some of these children in the future, but it’s your time and attention that will help them now.”
Sid looked around at the groups of merfolk with the children and their parents, laughing and splashing. The atmosphere was entirely different from every other Giving Tour he’d participated in. He felt a surge of pride at being a part of it—and a ton of admiration for what Jayna had managed to accomplish in less than a day.
Chapter 17
From the moment she’d first seen him in that tight Realms uniform shirt, Jayna had suspected Sid would make a fine-looking merman. The reality was even better than she’d imagined. His chest and arms were those of an athlete rather than a businessman, and his abs were tight and well-defined where they disappeared into his tail.
Jayna forced her attention away from Sid’s physical attributes and tried to figure out the best way to get him engaged in the activity around them. She had hoped he would embrace his role as Merman Marevitrum but was surprised at how thoroughly invested he seemed. With any luck he would also have the skills and disposition to interact effectively with children, but Jayna decided to stick close to him, in case she needed to intervene.
She was about to lead Sid to a small group where he could observe without having to participate directly when she heard Emmaline calling to them.
Sid’s assistant approached with a couple of professional-looking streamers in tow, their camera drones hovering above them. She gave an apologetic shrug, and Sid muttered something that sounded like, “Here we go.” Then he smiled, pulled himself up onto the edge of the pool, and lounged like he had been a Merman his entire life.
“Looking good, Obsidian,” said the taller dark-haired streamer. “Or should we call you your highness the Merman?”
Jayna didn’t appreciate the mocking tone in his voice, and she readied her tail to send a spray of water at him and his little flying camera. It took all her restraint to hold back and wait to see how Sid handled the situation.
The intense protectiveness she felt towards Sid surprised her. Sure, merfolk looked after each other. But if she was being honest, her feelings went deeper than that.
“James, Jeff. Thanks for coming. Marevitrum will be fine.”
The shorter grey-haired streamer said, “What is all this, Sid? We were surprised when we didn’t see you at one of the real projects today.”
Jayna’s insides flared hot, and a quick pleading glance from Sid was all that kept her from drenching them both.
“Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Mermaid Aaramere. She wisely reminded me that the true purpose of service is the people being served. And if you look around, you’ll see quite a few people, many of whom are typically underserved. I’d be willing to bet this is one of the most real projects happening today.”
A particularly loud peal of laughter from across the grotto caught all their attention, and when it had died down, Sid surprised Jayna by saying to the streamers, “I’ll be happy to talk more later, but the whole point of this event is for children to meet with mermaids and mermen.” Then he turned to her and said, “Aaramere, let’s go spread some magic.”
He slipped into the water and swam towards their assigned pool. Jayna followed close behind. She was impressed with the way Sid had handled the streamers, though she did flip her tail just enough to drench their shoes.
The sound of the children laughing reverberated through the grotto area, accompanied by the crash of the waterfall and the sound of tropical animals and birds. Sid reached their assigned wading area and pulled himself out of the water. Jayna joined him on the edge of the pool, and the smile he gave her made her heart skip.
Get a grip, Jayna. He may look like a merman, but you can’t afford to forget who Obsidian Hayes really is.
One of the park attendants running crowd control approached and asked if they were available to take visitors.
“Absolutely,” Sid replied. “Let’s do this.”
The attendant returned, leading a local Manutai family with two small children. Jayna waved, and Sid did as well. His broad smile appeared genuine, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.
The children got to the edge of the pool and stopped, casting wary glances at Sid and Jayna.
“Hello. What are your names?” Jayna asked.
“I’m Lani, and this is Tetua,” said the older girl, gesturing to her little sister.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Mermaid Aaramere, and this is Merman Marevitrum.”
Sid gave a small wave. “Hello.”
