"Daddy, I can't believe you punched Abhu!" Opal says, her mouth agape.

     "That's what love does to you, Little Gem," Varian explains. "It makes you do crazy things, even against your better judgement."

     "Crazy is right," Cassandra says.

     "Oh, like you wouldn't have done the same thing," Varian teases. "I know for a fact that you've clocked a lot more people than I have."

     "Touché," Cassandra says with a grin.

     "So where did Abhu go?" Opal asks.

     "We'll get to that later," Cassandra says. "But the next day, there were a few surprises in store. Including the start of something that I didn't understand yet..."

The next morning, Cassandra arises after struggling to sleep. Her mind kept returning to the conversation with Abhu, and now she can't help but feel worthless. Worthless and exhausted.

     After doing the best she can to make her wardrobe more island-appropriate, she exits the shelter and heads to the beach. There was a particular rock just offshore where she used to sit every morning the last time she was stuck here, to enjoy the peace and quiet. Once she swims to it, she settles in and watches the sun slowly rise in the orange and yellow sky.

About ten minutes pass, and she hears footsteps clomping along the sand behind her. She assumes someone else has finally awakened, but when she turns around she is surprised to discover that Varian is emerging from the palm tree jungle rather than the shelter. What was he doing out there, and so early? She wonders. She hops off of the rock, and returns to the beach.

"Whoa! What the heck happened to you?!" She asks, catching sight of the huge bruise on Varian's jaw. There is also a bit of dried blood on the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, um... it's nothing," Varian says, instinctively reaching his hand up to touch the bruise. But as soon as he does, he winces from the pain.

Cassandra shakes her head. "You confronted Abhu, didn't you?" She realizes. "And he punched you?! I can't believe he would—"

"Don't blame him entirely," Varian says sheepishly. "I, uh... Well, I-I punched him first."

Cassandra raises an eyebrow in disbelief. "Yeah, sure you did."

"No, really," Varian insists. "I was so angry with how he treated you! It just... kind of happened."

Cassandra pinches the bridge of her nose. "You two are infuriating... Alright, where is he?"

"I don't know, he took off into the jungle last night."

"Last night... and you've been out here all that time?"

Varian again looks sheepish. "I, um, saw my own blood and fainted..." He rubs the back of his neck, chuckling embarrassedly. "I guess I fell asleep after that, because I only woke up just now."

     He's so afraid of blood that he passes out at the sight of it, yet he slugged Abhu... for me? Cassandra is unsure how to feel about this. "Ugh, come on," she says, motioning for Varian to follow her through the jungle.

     "Where are we going?" He asks, not hesitating to go after her.

     "There's a grove nearby with this weird plant," Cassandra explains. "I found it the last time I was here. The leaves from it helped soothe any cuts or bruises I would get from sword fighting. I'm sure it's still there."

     Once Cassandra locates the grove, she tears a couple of leaves off of one of the purplish plants. But Varian only seems interested in studying them.

     "I've never seen flora like this!" He says, clearly fascinated. "I wonder what exactly is in its chemical makeup that causes it to have medicinal qualities?" He reaches for one of the plants, but Cassandra grabs his arm and leads him to a large rock.

     "Sit," she tells him, and he complies. She does her best to ignore the adoring gaze in his eyes as she gently presses one of the plant leaves to his bruised face. At first he winces from the pain of being touched, but after a couple of seconds the soothing plant begins to do its job.

     "Thanks, that... that feels a lot better," Varian says. His cheeks are brushed with a light pink blush, and for a moment Cassandra is surprised by the swell of affection that she feels for him.

     "Now, I do not want any more of this fist fighting between you two!" She scolds. "You're lucky Abhu only punched you once!" But when she sees the dorky grin he is giving her, she can't help but smirk herself. "But, thanks... you know, for taking up for me or whatever."

Varian leans closer to her. Only slightly, but it is enough to make her fully aware of just how close their faces are. She can clearly perceive every freckle on his flushed face, and for some reason her heart begins to beat faster. "It was worth it," he says softly.

Cassandra clears her throat, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Um... just keep that there for a couple more minutes, and you should be fine," she tells him, removing her hand so that he can hold the leaf up with his own. She exits the grove and heads back to the beach, forcing herself not to check if he is following after her.

     "There you two are," Hugo says once he catches sight of Cassandra, confirming that Varian is indeed right behind her. "I was beginning to think I had been abandoned, for once."

     "Wouldn't dream of it," Cassandra says sarcastically, meeting Hugo beside the water. Varian comes up beside her.

     "Anyway, we have a new guest," Hugo tells them. He bows dramatically, and steps aside to reveal...

...A mermaid bobbing in the waves behind him.

     "Wh-What?! You're a... a..." Varian can't even spit the word out.

     "A mermaid? Yes, I know." She smiles sweetly as she flips her fins with gentle motions, creating ripples in the water. "My name is Misty."

     "Fascinating!" Varian says, stepping closer to her. "I wasn't aware that mermaids existed!"

     "Neither was I," Hugo says. "Trust me, I was just as shocked as you."

     "I'm not," Cassandra says. She isn't sure why, but she finds Varian's captivation with this mermaid irritating. "I met a mermaid last time I was here."

     "Of course you did," Hugo remarks, folding his arms.

     But Varian doesn't seem to have heard her. Instead, he and Misty are locked in some kind of intense staring contest.

     "Actually, you look—" Varian starts to say.

     "—Familiar," Misty finishes. "Have we...?"

     "No, it's impossible," Varian says.

     Cassandra can't help but scowl. An anger builds up in her that she can't explain, and she has an urge to fillet this fish into sushi... If she only had her sword. "What are you here for, mermaid?" She sneers, stepping between Varian and Misty. "The last one of your kind I met didn't have great intentions."

     "I'm sorry to hear that," Misty says. "But I promise you, I am here purely out of curiosity. I saw you humans arrive yesterday, and I've always been fascinated by your ways! I wanted to come and introduce myself."

     "Well, there's not a lot of 'fascinating' going on around here, so maybe you should just move on," Cassandra says.

     "Hold on Cass, maybe she can help us," Varian suggests. "Hey Misty, have you ever seen a symbol similar to this around here?" He squats down and traces an infinity symbol in the sand with his finger.

     "Not that I can think of," Misty replies. "But I'll keep an eye out for you." Her smile widens as she continues staring at Varian.

     Cassandra doesn't like the look this mermaid has on her face, and again an inexplicable anger flares. "Great, thanks. We'll see you around." She stomps away furiously, hoping to find anything that could be a distraction.

(My full design of adult Misty! You can also find her in my fanfic, "Alchemist Out Of Corona.")