Wow thank you everyone for all the support on this fic! I'm glad you guys seem to like it so far! For the people that gave me requests, I'm going to try and get to as many as I can, if I can find a way to make a good chapter out of it.

The most requested one I got was a difference in puberty between the two species. You guys just want awkward hijinks, don't you? I probably won't post that one next because I still have to write it, but I will get to it eventually.

Chapter 2: Nails

Anne had reread the preteen magazine for the 55th time. She knew every article by heart, but still she couldn't help but revisit it. The afternoon sun streamed in through the window as Anne sat on the Planter's couch; beside her, Sprig sat practicing his violin.

It wasn't her home back in her world, but it was still home. It was familiar, comfortable, and filled with people she cared about. Sitting in the quiet living room with a little piece of her world in her lap, Anne felt the seamless merging of two worlds. She could lose herself in reading about what good looking celebrity was endorsing which make-up products, and at the same time, reach into Sprig's snack bowl of caramelized cricket legs and pop one into her mouth.

It was both foreign and familiar, and somehow, it just kind of worked.

Anne was surprised to feel soft, clammy hands grab her own hand, which was in mid-reach for the snack bowl.

She had long since gotten used to the feel of frog skin. Where at first it had felt off-putting, slimy, and too smooth against her own skin, now it was just Sprig. It probably helped that Sprig was physically affectionate with family and friends. Even the first week they met, Sprig had no hesitation about climbing up on her shoulders and settling there as if it was the most natural thing in the world. That had gotten her used to being around frogs pretty quickly.

Now, Sprig had grabbed her hand and pulled it close to his face in careful examination.

"Hey!" Anne complained, mostly because he was preventing her from reaching the snacks.

She looked over to see him staring in awe at her hand. Anne raised an eyebrow at him. Yes, their hands were very different. She had five fingers where he only had four, she had human skin with hard calluses from practicing tennis and he had soft, fragile skin that was always cool to the touch. Still, this was nothing new for both of them. They had been living together long enough that these differences were starting to feel ordinary.

"Sprig, what are you-"

"Your claws changed color."

Anne stared at him. "My what?"

"Your claws! They're now purple! What does that mean? Are you okay? Are you sick?" he asked, staring up at her with wide, worried eyes.

Anne looked down at her bright purple nails. She had been overjoyed when she first discovered a few bottles of nail polish in the bottom of her backpack during her first week in Amphibia. Last night, Anne had decided to paint her nails just for fun. She knew with all the work she did around the farm, the nail polish wouldn't last long, but she was feeling homesick and needed to do something normal.

"No, I'm fine." Anne pulled her hand away, but then splayed out her fingers so Sprig could see her handywork. "I just painted them."

"Why would you paint your claws?"

"Would you stop calling them claws? You make me sound like a monster," Anne snapped. "They're my nails!

"Sorry. So… why would you paint your nails?"

"Mostly because I like the way it looks and it's fun."

Sprig was silent for a moment before he looked up at her with a hopeful look that should come with a warning label.

"Will you paint mine?" he asked.

"You don't have any nails."

"I know, but it looks cool!"

Anne frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not sure it will work on you. There needs to be a hard surface for the paint to dry on."

Sprig's hopeful gaze fell. "Oh..."

Anne scowled at Sprigs crestfallen look. That really wasn't fair. He didn't even know what a puppy was, but he had mastered the kicked puppy look effortlessly.

She sighed. "Fine, hold on. I have an idea."

A half an hour and use of Hop Pop's woodworking kit later, Anne had managed to file down some wood pieces to resemble fingernails. Using some of Hop Pop's glue, she attached the wood pieces to the end of Sprig's fingers. At first, she wasn't sure if the glue was safe for his skin, but then she remembered Hop Pop had been covered with the glue once and he had been fine.

"What color do you want?" Anne only had four options, and she smiled a little when he picked the purple one; the same color she had on her nails. Even though giving a frog fake nails was one of the weirdest things she had done in her time in this world, and she had done a lot of weird things since coming here, she had to admit that the purple went well with his skin tone.

Anne opened the bottle of nail polish and started painting the first nail.

Almost immediately, Sprig began to cough and leaned away. Anne was sure he would have plugged his nose if he had one.

"It smells like poison," Sprig said in a surprisingly cheerful voice as his eyes watered.

"Well, I wouldn't recommend drinking it," Anne said as she continued to paint. "But the smell will go away after it dries." Anne hesitated, pausing in her next stroke. "Wait... is this safe for you? Didn't you say once that frogs absorb stuff through their skin? These chemicals might hurt you."

Sprig shrugged. "Dunno. But we've done super dangerous stuff before, so what's the difference?"

"Good point," Anne conceded as she continued to paint. "Just don't touch the paint until it dries, and you'll probably be fine."

The front door opened and almost instantly Hop Pop and Polly started gagging on the fumes.

"What in Frog's name?" Hop Pop gasped. "What is that smell?"

"Look, Hop Pop! Anne is giving me poisonous purple claws!" Sprig held out his half-finished nails for his grandfather to see.

Anne shot Sprig a glare.

"Uhh, I mean nails!"

"Poisonous claws! Cool! I want some!" Polly insisted, jumping out of Hop Pops arms and onto the floor next to Anne and Sprig.

She looked over at the color options. "Do you have black?"

"Nope, but I have red."

"Like the blood of my enemies! Perfect!"

Hop Pop eyed the nail polish wearily but didn't look overly concerned. Anne figured he was long since used to her human stuff and he had given up trying to understand it.

"Fine, but those come off by tomorrow, Sprig. There is no way you can work in the field with those on your fingers. And Anne, try not to poison anyone."

"Uh huh, sure," Anne said distractedly. "Spig, quit moving around so much!"

"Sprig! Let Anne do her thing so I can go next!"

"You don't even have any fingers!" Sprig shot back.

"So?"

Anne shook her head in amusement.

Yep, a merging of two worlds. It just kind of worked.

Let me know what you thought!