It took some convincing and perhaps some begging to have Eska get Senna in disguise – about 5 minutes of it. Fortunately she had a shirt that fit her as well as a long skirt to hide her tail; as for the wig, she managed to find one hidden away in a trunk tucked in the corner of her room.

However, applying the makeup was no easy task.

From the very start, Senna was hesitant on having such foreign materials on her skin; said she didn't have anything of the sort at her abode. 'Probably because makeup doesn't work underwater for you…' I thought as my sister started applying some skin-coloured foundation.

This was then followed by some…pink blush, I believe; then came the eye shadow and eyeliner. It was quite funny to watch as Senna kept trying to move Eska away each time she held the brush or pencil close. Finally the lipstick was applied…after we managed to tell her that's it's not meant to be eaten even though it did smell like cherries.

"Humans are rather complicated creatures," Senna spoke as Eska tucked away her things, "Why do they need this 'makeup' when they're already beautiful creatures on the outside?"

"It's mostly to highlight certain features of the face," my sister replied, "But in your case, it's better that you look like us so you wouldn't draw too much attention – we wouldn't want you to be found out for what you really are."

"Good point," Senna agreed as I carried her to the wheelchair. As I pushed her around, I chuckled as she clung to the arms as though afraid she may fall off. "I won't go too fast," I assured her as I wheeled her out to the car; carried and placed her in the front passenger seat while Eska sat in the back; folded the wheelchair and stored it in the trunk.

The ride to the mall was quite lively – Senna kept asking questions along the way and Eska answered them, mostly because I was concentrating on keeping my eyes on the road rather than get distracted by her voice.

"There are so many humans here…" she whispered in awe as I parked the car. "Is there some grand celebration taking place?" she then asked, holding onto me as I carried her to the foldable wheelchair Eska held steady.

"Not really; it's always like this everyday," I replied, pushing her towards the entrance and letting her whip her head back and forth, eyes glittering with fascination as she studied her new surroundings. She must've been so distracted because she didn't notice I moved us in the opposite direction, avoiding a group of rowdy teenagers.

Eska then suggested we get her some clothes of her own; I agreed, but also reminded that we have to stay within the budget. Senna seemed to like the idea and asked if she could choose them herself.

…little did I know that the girls would take about an hour to get out.

On the way to the food court, I noticed Senna was – once again – observing her surroundings and it appeared she didn't want to get near those offering seafood. We weren't sure if it was because those used in those dishes were friends or she just dislikes them; decided it's best not to ask and go for something different [to her diet].

"I'm not sure if they offer your kind of cuisine up here, so how about trying something different for a change?" Eska suggested, smiling as Senna agreed. "Tonraq, why don't you go order our usual while we find ourselves a seat?" she added, already wheeling her away.

As soon as I brought the steaming-hot food to our table, I held back a chuckle as Senna eyed the dishes hungrily. But before we could eat, we had to teach her how to use cutlery which earned us some inquisitive stares. "She's new to this culture," I excused, relieved as they looked away with thoughts of her just being some lost tourist – which she was, in a way.

We then shopped for more items and re-stocked on groceries before heading home, the Mermaid smiling through the entire trip as she hugged a stuffed toy dolphin Eska decided to purchase for her.

And then a thought crossed my mind. "Senna, where would you like to sleep?" I asked. "Well…I wouldn't like my tail to get dried out completely," she replied, giving me an obvious answer –

"Wait, wait, wait – we're not putting her outside in the pool. Someone will notice her!" Eska objected. "Okay, the bathtub then," I calmly stated, heading to the bathroom to prepare a sleeping area for Senna before carrying her in. "If you need anything, just call either of us," I instructed, smiling as she readily settled into the water and stretched, having enough space to do so. "Thank you," she replied, yawning before submerging herself into a peaceful slumber.

I quietly closed the bathroom door and found Eska staring at me from another room. "You know we can't keep her like this," she reminded, "She may have relatives waiting for her out there."

"I know," I sighed, "We'll see what we can do about that in the morning."