Ben heaved in deep lungfuls of oxygen, his vision was blurry but he could still make out the shape of Ryn standing above him. The shorter mermaid between Ben and Donna, her every muscle tensed like a snake preparing to strike.

An ordinary woman would have been angry at worst, upset in the least, at what Maddie was seeing, but that wasn't how Maddie felt. Maybe just a tiny bit confused, but otherwise she just didn't feel like anything was wrong. It was like what her mind said she was seeing was perfectly normal.

"I still feel safe." Making sure to move slowly so Ryn wouldn't be startled, Ben leaned down and planted a soft kiss to Ryn's knuckles. The gesture was perhaps a bit too intimate, but he could think of no other way to show Ryn what he meant, even if she may not understand the gesture.