So many books were in this one room, she loved it!
One thing she loved to do was to read about things, mainly mythology and poetry, scary stories and sometimes the occasional romance. The room on the other side of the tank she would swim in with Abe had been made into a room that she was told belonged to her.
She had her own room with a bed! Mika had only slept in a bed once or twice. There was even a screen she could control with a remote to go over the tank when she wanted to be alone.
Most of the time she kept the screen down so she could see the water and all of her little fish in it with the occasional Abe swimming by.
There was an entrance to the tank near the top so she could exit into this room and not have to worry about freaking people out with her nudity.
The Marine group she was with were all mature and never freaked out over being without clothing but then again they lived on the boats that they called 'The Fleet.' The only one in the group was Kins. He would flirt with anything that had legs but he never acted on anything.
She had been here with the B.P.R.D. for a few months. Her white blonde hair had gotten longer, reaching a bit past her knees. Hellboy tried calling her 'Godiva' once only to end up with the long hair around his neck in a choke hold.
The book she was reading now, Edgar Allen Poe's famous tales. Only she had fallen asleep between stories. Half laying on the book, her hair was covering her naked body almost like a blanket. Her knee shifted, hitting the remote with her knee. The screen came down and revealed the tank. Abe swimming and minding his own business, he had been watching the fish. When the screen went down, he looked into the room curiously. He saw her laying cutely over half of the book.
He realized it was rude to stare, even if she was asleep. He continued on his way with the fish, trying his best to not get distracted.
...
Abe had a new book on Merfolk that Liz had bought from a bookstore a few days prior. Hellboy walked in and plopped down in front of him, six pack in one hand, cigar in the other. Mika was gone, having dragged Myers out by the hand to go with her to another pet store she had discovered.
"What's this book say, Blue?"
He flipped through the book, turning each page as gently as possible almost as if he were afraid they would disintegrate if handled roughly, "Did you know some people believe mermaids and mermen are the drowned children of a pharaoh? Other societies believe a goddess came down from the sky and took a human for a mate. She was in love with him but being as powerful as she was she killed him by accident. Full of sorrow, she cast herself into the ocean as punishment and became a mermaid."
"Uh huh... What else?"
"It is also believed that mermaids were witches or druids that were forced from the land to escape being burned at the stake."
"I could go for a steak right now..." Red blew a puff of smoke in Abe's direction.
"Not that kind of stake." He went back to his book but Red knew the expression on his face when he looked to the tank.
"Oh, no. Blue... Not this again."
"What?"
"You like the mermaid girl, don't you?"
Abe actually blushed for a few seconds, "D-don't be absurd..."
"Ah, shit! Remember what happened last time? You gave up the last piece-"
"I feel I must point out that she does not have any kind of 'pieces' with her." Abe said, his eye twitching.
"So you do like her." Red stated bluntly.
Abe did not answer, just turned the page in the book and acted as if he were still reading.
"Oh, Blue..."
"I'm pretty sure she likes Myers, though. He can actually go places with her." Abraham said sadly, "She can't exactly do much with me."
"You don't know that she likes him! Talk to her!" Red opened a beer and turned it up. He downed the whole can in one go.
A feminine voice was heard singing just before the door opened and Mika pranced in with a rather big aquarium tank. Inside the tank were hermit crabs sliding around on the glass in a bag.
Myers came in after her, looking spent. In his hands he was half carrying, half dragging a giant bag of sand. The poor man seemed ready to fall out at any given second.
"Mika? What have you got there?" Hellboy asked, amused at the state Myers was in.
"I had to help the hermit crabs at the store!" She opened the door that led to her personal room on the other side of the tank, "Come on, big bubby! They need their tank!"
"Big bubby?" Red asked, "Myers?"
"Yes, yes. He is so much like my big brother back home! He even looks like him all but the hair. Come help me!"
Hellboy looked into the room with Abe and smirked a smirk that said he was up to something, "Sorry, Fins. I can't help you. But Abe here would love to help you out!" He shoved Abe into the room, then left.
Myers sat on the floor against the cool tank. His dress coat was off and on the floor beside him and he was sweaty, "I'll just stay here for a minute... Next time I go out with you I am not wearing anything like this..."
He saw the tank was a fifty gallon, Abe noticed the glass was thick too. He was shocked at how strong she was in her human form, being able to carry this heavy thing.
Mika took out the bag the four hermit crabs were in and sat them carefully on the bed, "Pet stores are so cruel. There were over a hundred little hermie babies in the ten gallon and out of all of them only four were alive. No food or water, I don't understand the landwalkers..."
The bag of sand was two hundred pounds and she lifted it with ease. The top was ripped open with her teeth and the sand was poured in.
Abe looked to the hermit crabs in the bag and took the largest one out, picking it up by the shell, "Is this shell painted?"
"Yes, the paint can make them sick. I have other shells, real ones for them to use." Her pale hands smoothed out the sand and she walked over and held her hand out for Abe to put the crab on, "My big girl! You can tell they were handled roughly. They are all terribly stressed."
Abe picked up the other hermit crabs and put them in the tank with the big one Mika had put in. Other shells and various objects to climb on and hide under were put in as well as salt water, fresh water, and food. They seemed happy.
She misted the tank and stepped back to admire her work, "There! All better! Look how happy they are!"
"They do look rather active."
"Don't they?" She smiled, "They should be okay n-" She trailed of and lifted a hand to her chest. Her mood changed from being happy to one of distress.
"Mika? What's wrong?"
"Something bad is happening..."
"Where?"
"T-the ocean... She's screaming!"
About that time, Hellboy walked in fiddling with an empty beer can, "Big oil spill on the news." He looked up, "What's wrong with her?"
"Oil spill here? At the ocean?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Damn landwalkers! I have to go! I need to help!"
Liz walked in and saw the state the mermaid was in, "We can all go together. Something big took out the ships and its not supposed to be here."
"Okay." Red shrugged, "Let's go."
Mika ran out without giving anybody else time to follow.