"You..." Luke began before quickly correcting himself. "Who are you?"
The revised question sounded far less suspicious.
The woman regarded him coolly.
"I am Synthia. A mermaid."
Her voice was calm, but there was a faint chill to it, as though she had taken slight offense at his initial hesitation.
Luke couldn't help but stare.
Mermaids belonged to fairy tales, animated films, and the occasional cosplay he demanded from his girlfriends. Seeing an actual one in front of him was surreal.
Her beauty felt almost otherworldly.
What surprised him most was that, for perhaps the first time in his life, he wasn't distracted by the fact that she was naked, her perky bust full on sight.
Instead, his attention remained fixed on her face.
It was elegant and luminous, as though moonlight itself had taken human form.
"Why do you keep freezing up?" Synthia asked. "Is this your first time seeing a mermaid?"
Luke let out a small sigh.
"You could say that."
Then his curiosity returned.
