Not Unlike You
Chapter 12
After the confusing events of the day prior, Adam felt like he needed some time to himself, and decided he'd take Gregory on a walk around town to clear his head. Much to his (not too obvious) annoyance, Suu wouldn't stay behind, planting herself in his backpack. Trying to extract her proved too difficult, so he gave up, to which Suu celebrated by turning her pseudopod into a hat atop Adam's head. As it was a Fedora like the one worn by his favorite Kamen Rider, he couldn't help a small smile cracking his neutral facade.
The walk was nice. The neighborhood had it's occasional noise here and there, but it was relaxing none the less. Adam's mind wandered as he looked to Gregory. Perhaps he could be a part-time dog walker?
It would make him a little money, and it would be a great way to have some "alone" time. As much as he enjoyed his housemates, a little time to himself would be nice. Was he being too negative? Would the others see it as him pushing them away? Before he knew it, Adam's thoughts were going down a depressive spiral.
Sensing their friends depression, Gregory and Suu gently pulled Adam over near a utility pole before licking his hand and rubbing the top of his head respectively. As Adam began to calm down, he heard a woman yelp in distress. His negative funk left him in an instant as he saw a young lady in a wheelchair, racing uncontrollably down the hill towards him. It all happened so fast. Suu flew out of the bag, her excess mass forming a cushion behind him. The wheelchair toppled and threw the girl at him. She slammed into Adam, landing in his outstretched arms as his back hit Suu, but his chest still hurt from the impact.
Sliding slowly to sit on the ground, Adam noticed the girl was wearing Gothic Lolita style clothes, had pink hair, and he thought he saw a pink and yellow fish tail under the edge of her skirt. A mermaid wasn't quite a common sight, but seeing one on land left him curious. Maybe she was a tourist?
Stirring in his arms, the girl opened her eyes, and storm gray met her ocean blue. "Oh dear me! Thank you ever so much for catching me. I must have left my mind elsewhere while wandering. Tell me good sir, what is the name of my hero this day?"
Thinking that she spoke similar to Centorea, he decided to play along, for now. Gregory had righted the wheelchair and brought it over, so Adam gently deposited his new acquaintance before kneeling, putting a hand over his heart, and introducing himself.
"My name is Adam Lavender of House Belmont, milady. My companions are Gregory of House Belmont and the slime Suu. Are you unharmed?" Her eyebrows arose slightly at the mention of his family name, but schooled her expression as she smiled at her savior.
"I am quite well, thanks to you. Please, arise and be at ease." As Adam stood, Suu retreated back inside the backpack, with her pseudopod resuming its hat form atop Adam's head.
Dropping the formalities, Adam looked around, but saw no accompaniment for the young lady. "It's not often you see a mermaid, much less on land. Didn't you have someone to show you around? It can be dangerous to get lost around here. Trust me when I say that idiots are all too common around the city."
She looked a little nervous and held her hands together in front of her face. "Well...no. I was actually here on vacation by myself. I'm afraid that I may have gotten a tad lost on my way to the nearest bookstore. Would it be too much to ask for you to guide me there?"
To be truthful, Adam would've preferred to take her to the bookstore and then fuck off to solitude, but he couldn't leave a young lady with no legs by herself. What would Zack say if he did? He'd probably smack Adam on the back of his head before questioning where his spine went. There was also the fact that without legs, this girl could easily be kidnapped by any ninny-hammer crook and held for ransom, and that just wouldn't do.
With little thought after his short internal debate, Adam handed the girl Gregory's leash before grabbing the handles on her chair and pushing onward. "So I forgot to ask earlier, but what's your name?"
Turning slightly in her chair to look him in the eye, she smiled with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "Forgive me. My name is Mero, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance.
Yukino hummed happily as she groomed a very fluffy Allison. The Mastiff had her eyes closed and would shake once in a while, sending water and suds flying around the grooming station. Just as she began to rinse Allison off, Yukino got a shiver down her back. Normally this wouldn't be a bother, but something in her head was ringing the alarm bells, meaning that Adam just did something. What that thing was, she couldn't begin to guess, but she mentally began to prepare herself for a headache later.
The trip to the bookstore had been a little more of a hassle than Adam first thought. Mero kept redirecting him to change direction every time a guy in a suit appeared a little further down the road from them. Other than that, idle chit-chat hadn't been too bad with her. She asked about local sights, his hobbies, and a few other mundane things. As Adam perused the Horror section, he saw Mero wheeling her way towards Romance and Fantasy. Curious, he decided to see what her reading preferences were.
Peering over her shoulder, Adam noticed she was looking at a copy of the original Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. While not his first choice in classic literature, he could see that Mero was enraptured in the tragic romance.
"A sad tale, but it relates well for many lovelorn individuals these days. Have you read it before?"
Mero looked up from her trance and smiled. "My mother used to regale this tale to me when I was younger. Many Merfolk grew up with this story, and still do to this day. You could say that tragedy runs through our veins." She had a far off look in her eyes as she spoke, her cheeks flushing slightly as she went on.
"To find true romance, only to have it snatched away by another. Such fabulous tragedy!" Mero's whole body shivered as she fantasized about many different scenarios in her head.
A risen eyebrow was his outward reaction, but inside, Adam was thinking about how he had encountered "another weird one". He wasn't complaining in the slightest, but having a fetish for romantic misfortune was pretty far outside the norm. This got him thinking. What was his own fetish? As far as he knew, he liked all sorts of women, but he couldn't pin down what "turned him on" since he never really took time away from his studies to look into it. Academia was a lifelong pursuit, and while once or twice he had given into his biological urges, it didn't thrill him like other boys his age.
Lost in thought, Adam didn't notice the three men in black suits that had surrounded himself and Mero. One of them pulled out a taser and proceeded to yell at him, but it all flew in one ear and out the other, at least until the end. Spasms, an impact, and then darkness.
Smith was not having a good day. At first it was great! She had some of her men as security detail for a visiting Mermaid Princess, which was good for her department and its finances. Then things went to shit, as the girl managed to escape their notice for but a moment, and she was gone. They managed to find her again, but in the company of some "skinny creep", in their own words. Unfortunately, Adam was the individual in question, and one of her guys had tasered him to the floor, which she was now inquiring about with a revived Adam back at the office.
"Sorry about this whole mess, kid. I thought my men would KNOW BETTER than to floor someone without substantial reason." Smith stared at the Agent in question, who just looked at his own feet in shame.
Adam, as usual, looked nonplussed. "To be fair, I may have said something antagonistic." Rotating her right hand in a signal for him to continue, Adam did so.
"Well, I was just standing there with Mero, talking about her favorite stories, and then that guy and two of his buddies show up. I was too busy thinking to hear everything he said, but I did catch the end. He said "Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees, right now!", and something in me just snapped. In response, I said "I'm not your mother last night!", which I think he took offense to, because I tasted pain and smelled colors before everything went dark."
Smith tried her hardest not to laugh, but she couldn't hold it in. Her laughter echoed off the office walls, and the agent who got offended earlier just turned and sulked in the corner. "I haven't laughed that hard in a while, kid. But in all seriousness, you're free to go. The Princess told us how you saved her and showed her around town. Thanks for picking up the slack for me!"
Being thanked for unintentionally saving someones job? That was a new one in his book, but it made Adam smile nonetheless. In the hall, Mero waited patiently for things to play out, and hoped that Adam wasn't in any trouble because of her. The door to the interrogation room opened, with Adam coming out looking none the worse for wear.
"I'm sorry, good sir. Because of my withholding information, you were assaulted without good reason." She bowed her head in shame. Adam waved her off. "I'm not in trouble, so no permanent harm done. Besides, I've been through worse."
Mero sighed in relief. "Before we part ways, would it be too much trouble to ask that you be my personal escort back to my hotel? It's not that far from here, and the staff should be able to help me afterwards."
Seeing nothing wrong with one last walk, Adam nodded his consent, and they departed. Conversation was sparse between them as they went, but the interim silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. Once at her hotel of choice, a procession of staff and personal servants greeted her at the door.
"I would just like to thank you again for accompanying me on my excursion. You and your companions were quite the delight." In recognition of a compliment, Suu tipped her pseudopod hat to the side, while Gregory just wagged his tail and gave her his best smile. Adam bowed slightly with a hand over his heart. "While not everything went smoothly, it wasn't boring in the slightest, and I hope you continue to enjoy your time here." Before leaving her, Adam reached into his pocket, pulled out a notepad and pen, wrote down his phone number, and handed it to Mero without ceremony.
"If you're still in town for a while, maybe you could join me and my friends for a movie or something like that. Take care, Mero."
As the young man, slime, and dog walked away, Mero smiled to herself.
His mind was running back and forth, trying to figure out why he just did that. Adam couldn't exactly figure why, but then he started to reminisce about his other friends, especially Rachel and Brian. Every friend he made had met him in less than normal ways, and while meeting Mero had followed this trend, getting to know each other had been mundane. Had those agents not entered the picture, maybe things would have gone smoother, and their friendship would have started out in some semblance of normality. But that was all behind him now, and he had made another friend with his own efforts.
Growling came from below. Adam looked to Gregory, but he just padded alongside his ward. He heard it again, but realized it was his stomach. It was a little past time for his lunch, so he made his way home, feeling refreshed and ready for food.