And we're back! Sorry it took so long to update. I got a little tied up. Anyway, this chapter's short, but the next one will be longer to make up for it.

Okay, enough from me; on with the story!

Chapter 13

The next few nights passed similarly to that first night when the royal merfolk went out to help build new homes for the Alolan refugees. At the rate they were building, Cynthia believed that they would finish their work before the week was over. In the meantime, May continued to spend time with Lillie. Although shy at first, Lillie gradually opened up to the young princess, while May was grateful to know someone who didn't pester her about whether she would go to the human world or not. Still, she stayed somewhat reserved with the younger mermaid.

As the nights went on, however, May started to notice something...or rather, the absence of something. She had, on occasion, met up with Ash's mother when she or someone else needed materials. His mother, Delia, had been very helpful in their efforts. Despite this, May hadn't seen Ash swimming around at all. Where was he?

"It's not like him to not lend a hand when someone needs help," she muttered to herself as she looked around. "Where could he be?"

She didn't think much of this at first, figuring he was taking care of business elsewhere. But as the nights went on, his absence became more and more pronounced, making May feel uneasy. She still remembered what she said the last time she saw him, and what she said about him afterwards.

"I don't know what I was thinking," she muttered, looking out from the front gate of the palace one evening. "Then again, I probably wasn't thinking. He probably didn't even mean it that way." She sighed sadly. "He never questioned me about my choices before; he was one of the only merpeople to accept me as I was, even if I acted differently from everyone else. He really was so kind and sweet to me. I guess it's no wonder I was crushing on him that night. And how do I repay his kindness? By yelling in his face and telling him he's no different from everyone else when he was one of the only ones who did nothing wrong." She sighed and started to swim away, wanting some time alone. "Oh, Ash," she whispered, "I'm so sorry…"

"There we go," Lillie grunted as she put another stone in place on the home she was building. She took a few deep breaths as she leaned against the half-finished structure. She'd been working for a few hours by herself. Curiously, May hadn't come to help her. She wasn't even in the area right now.

"I guess I should've known it was too good to be true," Lillie sighed, looking down at her fins with a small frown. As she watched the white scales glisten in the water, she couldn't help but smile softly. "I never thought of my tail as being beautiful before," she mused, "but I guess she was right. It is really pretty." She looked up and gazed at the palace, which wasn't too far away. As she gazed at it, she noticed a familiar glint of red swim out the front gate and around the palace.

"May?"

It had to be; she didn't know anyone else with scales that red. She looked at her half-finished home for a moment, then nodded resolutely and started swimming after the princess. She swam around the palace and followed May into a garden of corals. She almost lost her as she swam to and fro through the garden, but she managed to keep her in her sights. Finally, she found her sitting on a structure that provided a magnificent view of the ocean. As Lillie swam up next to her, she noticed how she looked down, idly flicking her fins as though depressed.

"May?"

May gasped and looked up to find her new friend floating behind her. "Lillie!" she exclaimed. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I saw you swimming away from the palace, and I wasn't sure why you weren't helping us build homes, so I decided to follow you," Lillie explained. As she floated over to sit next to May, the princess turned away, looking down sadly again. Seeing this, Lillie took the hint. "Unless you'd rather be alone…"

"No, it's fine," May said sadly, looking up at her. "I'm just in a bad place right now. I got into an argument with a good friend about a week ago, and I haven't seen him since then. I wanted to talk to him, but I haven't seen him around, and..." Her voice cracked a bit as she spoke, and she turned her face away.

"Oh," Lillie whispered.

"He was such a sweet merman," May said, "and I repaid his kindness by telling him he was no different from everyone else." She pulled her tail close to her chest and hugged it. Lillie, unsure what to do, scooted closer and put her arms around May in a somewhat awkward hug, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her. May looked up and gave her a weak smile. Although she didn't feel much better, she appreciated the effort.

"Thanks, Lillie," she said quietly.

"Of course," Lillie smiled gently.