Family Bonding. They're not related by blood but they all treat each other as family.
Zac's parents want a family dinner
Zac "Mum and dad invited us all to dinner. All of us, Nerissa, Mimmi, Rita, Veridia."
Evie "Veridia?"
"Mimmi accidently let it slip, and they want the whole 'family' there. Can you please come as well? It's going to a be a wreck."
"Sure. Should you invite Chris as well? The more humans the better," Evie said.
"Oh, good plan. Then we tell the Mermaids to say they can't make it, the dinner doesn't happen and everything's fine," Zac said.
"Zac, it's probably better this happens now. They deserve the full story.
"I still haven't told them I'm a Merman, or that Mimmi and Nerissa are Mermaids. I can't tell them the full story. It's a bad idea."
"I hate to say this but I think you should invite everyone they said. They already know Nerissa but they've never met Veridia, she'll be a distraction from those awkward questions."
"And have them bombard Veridia and Rita with questions instead? That's probably worse, you know I doubt Veridia's spoken to a land person before, besides you."
"You should definitely cancel."
Two days later
Evie sat down on the couch beside Rita. Veridia was on the other side wearing what was most likely one of Rita's dresses.
Rita x Veridia scene set prior to the dinner
"If you manage the dinner with these land people , I promise I'll make it up to you."
"How so?"
"You'll have to wait and see."
"I hate you."
"No you don't."
"You're right."
They kissed.
The night of the dinner while waiting for Zac's parents to arrive
Mimmi sat on the couch beside Chris. She kept bouncing her knee nervously.
"Who's ready for an incredbly akward family dinner?" Zac asked, grinning tensley.
"It won't be that bad, will it?" Chris asked uncertainly.
"It will be worse," Zac said.
Evie playfully smacked Zac's shoulder.
"It will be fine. We'll all stick the story and answer any questions as truthfully as possible," Evie said.
"They're going to have a lot of questions for you Mum, and you Rita, probably Veridia as well," Mimmi said.
"Mimmi's right. They are going to have questions," Rita agreed.
"We're prepared enough to cope with dinner. It will be alright," Nerissa said.
The doorbell rang.
"Here we go," Zac said, "do you want me to get the door Rita?"
"Yes please."
Zac ran off to get the door.
"No running!" Nerissa called out after him.
"Okay, no one does anything weird or magical, or use those ocean references you guys usually do," Evie said,"we should've invited Cam."
"Mum, Dad. You know Mimmi and Nerissa,"
"It's good to see you again," Lauren said.
Rita and Nixie talk. Set during S1E11. This scene has been adapted and used in The Day That Went Askew but this was the original version of this scene
"Nixie! What are you doing here?"
"Trying to sleep."
"On land?"
"Why not? You do it, don't you?"
"Not often. And certainly not there, it's not very comfortable."
Nixie wriggled further against the stone, feeling it digging in her back. Rita was right.
"What's this really about?" Rita sat next to her.
"We're never going back to the Pod. We're going to be stuck here on land. I might as well get used to it."
"Living on land isn't so bad you know. And it certainly doesn't mean you have to sleep on land, I rarely sleep on land nowadays. You don't have to change what you are because you don't have a Pod."
"You've dropped the optimism. You don't think we're ever going back do you?"
Rita sat down next to Nixie.
"I don't think it's possible to reverse what happened to Zac, and I doubt Veridia will suddenly change her mind about Mermen."
"You know Veridia?"
"We went to Mermaid School together. Is her hair still over the top?"
"So over the top. No Mermaid needs that many shells in their hair."
Erik returns and finds Ondina. Not knowing what to do Ondina runs back to the grotto hoping for someone to talk to about everything
Ondina sat on the grotto bench hugging one of the many cushions scattered about. She lost track of how long she had been sat there waiting.
She had swam back here as fast as she could hoping someone would be here. There hadn't been anyone. A quick search of the house upstairs had revealed she was the only one in. Everyone else was out.
She knew Mimmi was at work and Sirena was at the cafe, but Rita was usually around, or Nerissa. Hopefully Rita would be back soon, she understood the whole situation better than Nerissa.
"Ondina. I thought you were at the cafe?"
Speak of the devil. Ondina waited until Rita was down on the lower level before speaking.
"I saw Erik today. He's back."
They talk, Ondina reveals Erik apologised and claims he'd never do anything like that again and that it was just the Trident/Chamber manipulating him
Rita "People do change?"
Ondina "Everyone says that, but how do you know?"
Rita "You give them a chance."
"You ever been in this situation?" Ondina with humorous tone
"Not exactly, I've never had a Merman boyfriend, let alone one who activated a deadly Merman weapon."
Ondina managed to laugh. "Really though, have you ever gone back to someone not knowing if they've changed or if they're still the same? If you know what I mean..."
"I do and I have," Rita paused for a second, "Veridia."
"I guess. I mean you guys are friends again, even after what happened in the Chamber."
"Ondina," Rita paused, "how much attention have you been paying the last few months?"
"Why?"
Rita laughed, "me and Veridia have been together , as a couple, since the Pod came back."
"Oh. I did not know that."
"You didn't notice anything?"
Ondina scrunched up her face as she tried to think.
"N-no. Although, no, no. Do the others know?"
"I think everyone knows. And now you do too."
"How did I not notice?"
Weilan finds a smashed photo and goes to see Rita. Set during S3
The glass was smashed, the photo crumpled and the frame broken. Weilan carefully brushed the glass away and picked up the photo. A smiling Mermaid and a land boy. Weilan had never met the man, Harry, but she knew the impact he had had on Rita's life. She set it on the table with the golden Indian vase before knocking on the white wooden door.
"Rita? It's Weilan."
No reply. Just silence echoed through wood.
"I'm coming in,"
Weilan waited, counting in her head. 1,2,3,4,5.
She pressed down the door handle and paused for another second. She opened the door and found the room well lit. The curtains were open and gently waving in the breeze from the partially open window letting in the sunlight. The adjoining door to the bathroom was open slightly. Weilan crossed the faded grey carpet and knocked on the door.
"Rita?" She pushed open the door and stepped into the bathroom.
Rita was sitting on the edge of wooden towel bin, holding a bloody tissue to her hand.
"Oh, no. What happened?"
"I'm fine. It's just a little cut."
Weilan darted across the bathroom.
"Let me see."
Rita lifted the tissue. For a second Weilan could see various scratches, three far larger than the rest before the blood started leaking out again.
"You need to get that cleaned. Do you have any alcoholic wipes or something?"
"There's probably some, there's a first aid kit in the other bathroom. I was more concerned with getting the glass out."
"Glass. Did you get it all out?"
"I think so."
Set during S3, Weilan wants to play music. I like the idea of Weilan and Rita having more of a relaxed/fun relationship. Almost more sisterly than the more mentor/aunt Rita has with the other Mermaids
"How loud can I play music?" Weilan asked loudly, holding her phone lazily in her hand. She was in the mood for loud music, not necessarily the loud rock music Rita was prone to listening to (which was a surprise, Weilan had expected the other Mermaid to listen to classical music or something like that.)
"As loud as you like," Rita replied from somewhere. Weilan guessed the kitchen. It was close by and she could hear Rita fairly well - meaning she wasn't too far. Weilan couldn't actually be bothered checking though.
"Can I play gay music?"
"Play whatever you like."
"Thanks Rita!"
Weilan pressed play and the song continued playing, blaring out on the speakers she'd set up.
Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new
Weilan flopped onto the couch.
"Nice music," Rita said. So she was in the kitchen.
"I'm in a gay mood."
"Do you want tea?"
"Sure."
Weilan kicked off her shoes and swung her legs up onto the couch.
Big movie night. Either Rita or Veridia's pov. The Mermaids plus Cam, Evie maybe Carly and David have a movie night/sleepover
In the grand scheme of things, there were many, many, many worse ways to spend a night. It hadn't sounded overly appealing at first, a movie night, spending the night with all the 'kids' watching movies. The entire idea of movies was odd, staring at a screen for hours watching land people do whatever
Weilan hung back, not wanting Ondina or Mimmi to see her.
" no pod. No moon ring. Land."
"What about me? I don't have a Pod, a Moon Ring. I live on land."
"...It's different."
"You're right," Rita paused, "Because I had a choice. Weilan didn't. So if you have problem with Weilan, you know the way out."
Set during S3 the episode where Evie loses her tail
Evie knew why the other Mermaid walked off so fast, why she only gave her a quick hug. She was still a Mermaid. And Evie was still partially damp from the Sea.
Zac and Mimmi talk to Rita following the revelation that they are siblings. She did lie to them and they want answers.
"You lied to us." Zac and Mimmi stood beside each other standing back from the pool's edge.
"How long did you suspect that I was a 'real' Merman?" Zac asked, arms crossed.
"When you told me you could turn invisible. Only natural born Mer-people can do that."
(This part relates to another idea, in S1 when Zac is invited to the grotto he shares all his powers with Rita. I'm sure I saw it in someone else's headcannon and that it seems only natural born mers can turn invisible)
"So you knew I wasn't just a land boy for six months?"
Rita nodded.
"When did you suspect he was my brother? When I told you about the visions?"
Rita paused, "that itself was-"
"You're lying again. When did you suspect?"
"The fact that you were drawn to the Chamber in the first place meant you had to be descended from the Merman who built it. Nerissa is the only one left besides you two."
"So for two months. I asked you if you knew anything about our mother and you said you knew nothing. Why did you lie?"
"Why did you lie?"
"I didn't want to say anything unless I knew for certain. Veridia confirmed it in the Chamber."
"You're going to have to do better than that Rita."
Set between S1E4 and E5. Rita takes the Mermaids on a shopping trip to get them some more clothes that they haven't stolen. Nixie and Lyla fall asleep in the car on the way home.
"Hey I really like your new clothes. Where'd you get the money for them?" Rita asked.
"Oh." Nixie slipped a single gold coin from behind her ear and held it out on her palm.
"Evie said we have to pay her properly by tomorrow or else we'd be in trouble."
"Actually she said we'd better pay her by tomorrow or she'll call the ..."
"Cops."
"Cops."
"Aunt Rita! Do you have any money?"