Caboose walked at the head of his group as they entered the hotel/castle. The wide moat around the outside turned out to actually be an aquatic highway for swimming guests to get in and out in a hurry, while others were pushed about in wheelchairs or walked. Merfolk of all sorts swam in the river road, while others were escorted down glass highways with fish of all sorts swimming on all sides. Caboose instantly noticed Rachnera and Suu getting uncomfortable being surrounded by so much water. "Is this safe?" he asked worriedly.

[Atmospheric envelope constructed,] his Freckle offered helpfully. [All Freckle units assigned to land based Blues unified to generate safe space. Estimated pressure limits...3,700 atmospheres at standard gravity.]

"That's more than at the deepest parts of the ocean!" Mero gasped in shock. "That's amazing!"

[These units function at maximum capacity,] Freckle confirmed, once more managing to sound pleased. [Analyzing molecular composition of water...field can be maintained in full immersion for six hours without fresh infusion of air atmosphere. Side effects of oxygen deprivation will not begin to appear until the four hour mark in Lieutenant Papi, longer in others.]

"Then we're perfectly safe with those floodgates?" Caboose asked excitedly as the roof opened up above them and thousands of gallons of water flowed down...parting around the group in a perfect sphere and leaving them completely dry.

[Affirmative,] Freckle agreed as Mero slipped out of her wheelchair and into the water.

"That's good," she offered happily as she swam. "This hotel is meant for aquatic extraspecies, so the interior is filled with water…" She noticed Rachnera and Suu sporting matching freaked out expressions. "...and I probably should have mentioned that sooner?" she offered apologetically.

"Well, Arachne like Rachnera also breathe through their exoskeletons like spiders, and slimes like Suu can be dissolved by being exposed to too much water…" Polt explained softly. "So yeah, that was important to mention sooner."

"Sabastian!" Mero barked out insistently. "Guide the others to the Dry Rooms immediately! I will meet with them there after I have met with my mother. See to their needs in the meantime."

"Yes Your Highness!" Sabastian responded immediately, turning to guide the group further into the hotel. As Mero swam away, it didn't take long for Sabastian to get the group out of the water filled areas. "Terribly sorry about that, we were so enveloped in giving Merouta-sama the VIP treatment she deserves that we forgot that most of you aren't water breathers. This hotel was made specially by and for our kingdom's Royal Family, with VIP rooms for others of our species...but there's an additional hotel attached for air-breathers. Had we thought about it, we would have brought you in from that direction."

"Well, nobody's hurt," Caboose allowed as he cuddled Suu and Rachnera to comfort them. "So for now, what's fun? We can meet with Mero when she's done talking to her Mom, right? And then we can meet her Mom?"

"Er...yes," Sabastian allowed, uncertain what to say to the one his Princess had declared as her suitor. "Well, there's the beach-"

"I love the beach!" Caboose declared excitedly.

Mero swam calmly into the throne room within the hotel, seeing her mother waiting for her. "Mother…" she began carefully.

"Child, your time abroad must come to an end immediately-" her mother began.

"No!" Mero snapped out, interrupting her mother - and flat out defying her - for the first time in her life. "I do not know what has happened that has caused such problems, but I will not be separated from my beloved Lord! He is not even of New Japan, so how can it be-"

"There are things you are unaware of," her mother interrupted firmly, her eyes glowing in the darkened throne room. "It is good to see you growing into your regality and learning to wield the authority and stand up for yourself, but you cannot be the petulant child, spoiled princess, or angsty teenager now. Relations between humanity and the merfolk are deteriorating...and if they continue, the merfolk may withdraw from the Treaty."

Mero gasped in shock. "W...what? How can it possibly be that bad?"

"That does not concern you at the moment," her mother chided gently. "It is best you do not get involved. We will discuss further later, but for now return to your rooms. I will meet with your friends at a later time."

Mero lowered her gaze. As much as she wanted to speak up and press, she was a Princess. She had a Duty. Sadly, she returned to her rooms to think, to plan...and to figure out what she would need to tell her Lord so that he would blunder into a solution to this matter. Surely he would come up with something…

[Someone is at the door,] her Freckle observed calmly once they'd gone to her rooms. [It is not a merfolk or a Blue. Treat as hostile?]

Curious, Mero pulled the door open...and stared in surprise at the figure there. "Have you come to kidnap me as my Mother suspects, as the cause of this crisis that is separating me from my beloved, and dooming me to forever be trapped in horrible imprisonment?" she asked, her voice moving from worried to excited as she began to discuss tragedy.

The woman at the door flinched back in surprise. She stood - more floated in the water of this part of the hotel, really - taller than Mero, with a dark-skinned, voluptuous figure barely contained by a skimpy white robe, the hood mostly hiding her face as tentacles swayed from around her face and flexed below her waist to keep her in place. "Err...not exactly…" She then blinked in shock as she felt dray air suddenly touched her back.

"Are you actually a nice lady who doesn't have magic who's gotten caught up in the merfolk's tragic romance obsession in the villain role who just wants them to leave her alone, but would welcome friends who accept you for you?" Caboose asked hopefully.

The Scylla woman blinked in surprise. "...more or less, yes," she allowed. "How did you know?"

"I like Connect the Dots!" Caboose greeted happily.

"Are you truly so wise, Sire?" Mero asked in shock.

[Captain Caboose requested this unit run literary analysis of events to determine the motivations of the Scylla Oct that had the highest probability of Recruitment,] Caboose's Freckle explained. [That was the result.]

Mero blinked a bit as she remembered the present status - from Caboose's perspective - of the 'recruits' of his Blue Team...and chuckled. "Oh, so that's why you think Miia will be upset with you."

"So does that mean you'll help me?" Oct pleaded with Mero. "You'll use your authority to dash the rumors that I'm tempting mermaids into eloping with humans?"

"Wait!" Caboose interrupted. "Merfolk are obsessed with tragic romance like The Little Mermaid...and people think they need someone tempting them to go hunting for that sort of romance? I mean, Freckle thought the rumor was that you were allied with wicked humans preying on mermaids desire for such a romance to lead them into a situation where they would be captured and exploited. That's a much better narrative, right?"

"Perhaps we should step into my rooms before continuing this discussion?" Mero suggested carefully. "If only to not draw attention?"

"Please," Oct agreed as the group stepped through the door.