[Hera Cleary]

Hera grinned widely. She looked in awe at the mermaid's tail and fins; they wee so pretty and luminescent!

"I'm not sure if I have any human things with me right now; I tend to travel light when I'm not with my kids. I have twins - Damien and Nikoletta. Currently in their terrible toddler years." She laughed. "Do you have a family?" She asked, sinking down again.

[Delyse Seaglass]

Delyse's eyes widened. Twins! She didn't think she knew of anyone in her tribe who was a twin, but she had always been curious about the idea. "Such nice names," she breathed, repeating them softly to herself. "So you have a husband, then?" She wasn't quite sure what Hera meant by terrible toddler years, but she figured it was similar to merfolk tadpole years. "I have a big sister, and my parents, and I'm promised to someone, but that's about it. Oh, and Golpie! He's my grindylow," she explained, shrugging.

[Hera Cleary]

Hera's smile mellowed a little.

"I did...not anymore. We used to fight all the time, so we got a divorce not long after the twins were born. We're working on it, though." Did working on it mean sleeping with other people and then falling into bed with Egan at a party? Unlikely. But those were all just details, right? "I don't know if I would want another marriage anymore after what happened..."

She trailed off, and then looked to Delyse.

"Tell me about your suitor!"

[Delyse Seaglass]

A divorce? Delyse's own smile faltered and she tried to shake off her confusion. That was something she hadn't heard about before. "I'm sorry," she said, hesitantly. "That's terrible. I hope things work out." She tilted her head in confusion as Hera mentioned not wanting another marriage. "I'm sure they will, though."

She grimaced when asked about her own suitor. "He's okay. He's a bit older than me, and I don't know him that well. My parents are noble, though, so I don't really have a choice. He has orange scales, though, which is pretty rare for our area. So he's rather handsome." She wasn't sure what else to say about him.

[Hera Cleary]

Orange scales? From what she did know, that was rather rare, just as Delyse said. Hera thought for a moment, and then asked carefully.

"So...you're not marrying for love?"

[Delyse Seaglass]

Delyse hesitated, glancing away for a moment before saying in a small, quiet voice, "I'm not."

She had never thought about it like that before, but it was the truth. What was also the truth was that... "I think I love someone else."

[Hera Cleary]

Hera bit her lip.

"You know...I was an heiress. I was expected to marry somebody aristocratic and wealthy, but I instead married Egan for love. He was involved in organised crime, came from a hard background, very rough around the edges. But I loved him...I still do. I fell for him so hard. And even though we're not together now, I don't regret the choice I made; I experienced things I never thought I would, I have two beautiful children, and I'm a much stronger person now."

"I'm not saying go and jump in with this other person but...maybe seriously consider your options." She spoke softly.

[Delyse Seaglass]

Her brow furrowed and her nose scrunched as she listened. Delyse couldn't imagine going through what Hera had, and she admired her for it. It was a new perspective she hadn't considered before.

"I will," she replied, equally as soft, giving a nod of her head. "I'm really glad I met you. I haven't really told anyone else about this. My father would... well, he wouldn't be happy. But I'm going to really think about it." She grinned. "Thank you for the advice!"

[Hera Cleary]

"I'm glad I met you too. It's actually nice to know that others from totally different worlds have similar ideals and problems. It reminds me that it's not just me." She smiled.

To her right, she saw a ladder drop down from the boat. Apparently it was her time to leave.

"It's been good meeting you, Delyse. I hope to see you on some expeditions one day. Good luck with your love."

[Delyse Seaglass]

Delyse nodded.

"Take care of yourself!" she chirped, rising out of the water to look up at the boat one last time. "And tell them there's some shoals over that way, so they should try to go around." She pointed, then gave one final wave before flipping over, swimming down into the depths.