It took Eva a moment to orient herself as she blinked her eyes open to see large black eyes watching her.

“Morning Viola,” Eva croaked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her voice was dry and hoarse but she felt well rested. Viola being more than twice her size did mean she was quite effective as a cushion.

Viola smiled, her large sharp teeth no longer a worrying sight. Eva realized just how much she trusted Viola. She was very much not a trusting person, she did not let her walls down easily and yet after only weeks she was comfortable enough around Viola to fall asleep on top of her. Oh god, I'm naked!

In her panic, she rolled and slipped off of Viola who caught her before she tumbled onto the floor. She sighed and let Viola pull her close, there was something about being around Viola that seemed to make coordination impossible. It was utterly ridiculous. She would just have to pretend she had any dignity.

“What wrong?” Viola asked.

“N-nothing,” she chuckled and leaned her head on Viola’s shoulder. “It’s… humans wear clothes, it’s weird not to.”

Viola laughed, a clicking chuckle that was now a familiar sound. “Covering…. Clothing dry?” she asked.

Eva glanced over and winced at the pile of wet clothes. Last night the last thing on her mind had been hanging her clothes up. I guess I’m going to need to get used to nudity.

“As comfortable as I am I really need to pee and if I don't eat something I may starve. Are you able to catch another fish?” Eva groaned as she sat up and stretched.

“Yes,” Viola nodded as Eva slid to her feet. “What is… pee?”

Eva clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. Explaining urination to a mermaid when trapped in a deep-sea habitat built by an insane cultist was not something she ever could have predicted. Thankfully Viola was not a small child at Ocean Land who was making life-altering discoveries and instead was simply confused about translation. Which was somewhat embarrassing but fairly easy to remedy.

Before Viola went to find breakfast she leaned down towards Eva. For a moment Eva was frozen as she waited for what her brain could only process as Viola going to kiss her, instead, Viola simply pressed her forehead to Eva’s as she had done before.

“Not as sad today,” Viola said gently and Eva couldn't help but return the smile before Viola slipped into the water. Eva had to take a moment to tame her pounding heart.

As expected, the bathroom situation was atrocious considering it was the ocean. Eva did her best not to think about how much urine and feces were in the ocean normally, she did not like having to confront such facts herself. She already missed soap, she could still smell the fish on her from dinner. By now she felt very gross but Viola had not seemed to mind.

Breakfast went about the same and it was just as gross as last time. However, this time Eva helped, using the small knife so the fish was less… exploded in the end. Eva also dipped it in salt water to try and add some seasoning. It was just as wet, metallic, slimy and fishy as last time.

“I don't understand how you can stomach raw fish,” Eva groaned as she scrubbed furiously at her hands.

“Fish is good,” Viola shrugged as she picked at her teeth. While Eva had just eaten a single piece to stave off starvation Viola had gulped down several fish practically whole.

“When we get out of here I’m going to introduce you to pizza and ice cream,” she muttered. Eva paused when she realized what she had said. If they ever got out of here. The odds were not good.

“It is the land of dead. Abyss will… swallow us,” Viola said, staring up at the ocean sky that looked more like the vast emptiness of space.

Eva didn't care much for her ominous words. “Yeah… we need to get Talbot to bring us to the surface.”

“Machine?” Viola asked, pointing to the small computer console by the door.

“I checked, I can’t call him. We're just waiting until he calls and he won’t let… me go unless I give him…” Eva sighed in defeat. It already seemed hopeless.

“I am sorry, Eva,” Viola said. “I will not give him what he wants, it is not for him.”

“What?” Eva’s head snapped around so fast she could have sprained something. “What isn't for him?”

Viola shifted, splashing her tail in the water and stretching her pelvic fins. “He is… bad, not right.”

“Not right for what?”

Viola whistled in annoyance, something Eva understood to mean she didn't have the right words. “What exactly are you? I know I've been calling you a mermaid but you’re not half fish and it would be stupid to assume you don't exist beyond human limitation. I’m sorry if that sounded bad, you're just… really special.”

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“Mother said humans called us sgaana xaaydagaay. We are… blackfish,” Viola replied.

“Oh, I've never heard that before,” Eva replied awkwardly.

“Long time, mother… very old.”

“How old?” Eva asked, unable to ignore her curiosity.

“Don’t know. Older than machines. Very big. Humans took body,” Viola said sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Eva said. “Oh god… the mermaid I saw, do you think… Talbot said his father was only ever able to collect a body.”

Viola nodded, “maybe.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why? You are not hunter.”

“Because you’re… I care about you,” Eva explained scooting over to lean against Viola.

Viola clicked happily, “you are favorite human.”

Eva couldn't help but smile at that. “How old are you anyway?”

Viola frowned. “Time… different from humans. Not… important. When little… machine boat…” She clicked in annoyance and let out a powerful breath throwing up her hands to exaggerate. “Hot water,” she said before repeating the forceful exhale.

“Steam?” Eva guessed.

Violla nodded slowly. “Steamboat.”

“Steamboats were a thing when you were little?” Eva asked incredulously. She certainly wasn't an expert on boats but steamboats were an old-timey thing. Like a century or two old-timey, the invention of trains and cars old-timey. Viola was over 100 years old. She really wished she had the internet so she could narrow this down.

“Think so, long time,” Viola replied.

Eva didn't even know how to process that, maybe Talbot wasn't insane if Viola could actually live that long. Mermaids already defied possibility and the more she learned the more impossible they should be. “How long do… blackfish live?”

“Don’t know, mother killed. Pod is not blackfish, just me, I see many die.”

“Your pod, what are they? Orca?”

Viola nodded, “Family is… different.”

“That… that can't be easy.”

“They are not so different from you and me but… it can be hard. I am old to them but I am still small.”

“You are not small,” Eva laughed.

Viola grinned, “I am not full grown but I am not…” She used her hands to shrink a large space to a small one.

“A child?”

“Yes, not child. You?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You are… small adult.”

“Young adult,” Eva corrected, “I’m almost 23.”

“23?” Viola asked.

“I have no idea how to explain how years work. How do you tell time?”

Viola clicked thoughtfully. “Change in… world and eh… change in night sun– moon.”

“Ok... moon phases. So a year is 12 entire cycles of the moon going from a new moon to a full moon… more or less.”

“Complicated,” Violal snorted. Eva was inclined to agree.

“So I would be… 276 moons moons cycles.”

Viola just rolled her eyes. “I do not know what 276 is either.”

“Do you have a numbers system? 1, 2, 3, 4,” she counted on her fingers. Viola just blinked at her.

“Not like humans,” Viola finally replied. “We do not live like you. Pod is concerned with food, children, and survival. It is simple, sometimes boring. Harder as only blackfish.”

“Do… Do you have children?” Eva asked. Viola shook her head and shifted uncomfortably. Eva got the sense she had struck a nerve. “You don't have to answer.”

“I… not interested in… don’t want children. Maybe blackfish one day, not orca.”

“You can… have either?” Eva stuttered. It felt inappropriate to ask but how could she not? Part of her worried that Talbot was listening in on all this information but if it made him come down and rescue them then it was certainly an acceptable cost.

Viola shook her head, “Blackfish are orca, we are different orca. We make orca like humans make human… I think,” she suddenly paused and looked at Eva more thoughtfully. Eva who was still very naked. She was really hoping she wasn't blushing again. “Blackfish is… gift for… blackfish is gift."

“Ok,” Eva laughed nervously. She felt far too flustered for this line of conversation. Worse was that Viola was just trying to picture how humans had sex. The part of her brain debating asking Viola if she wanted a demonstration was on incredibly thin ice.

“Do you have children?”

The question caught Eva off guard but it was a distraction to latch onto.

“N-no, I’m… Humans usually have kids older. But I don't want kids, especially in this economy,” Eva replied with a chuckle. “Pregnancy sounds like a nightmare, though I’m gay so I don't really need to worry about that.”

“What is… economy,” Viola asked.

“Oh god uh… humans trade things for money, the entire system is an economy. It's too expensive to have a kid.”

Viola nodded, “pregnancy and gay?”

Eva’s cheeks warmed, she really should have seen this one coming. “So… pregnancy is… growing a child inside you. You have sex, become pregnant then give birth and boom, a child. Your mother was pregnant with you before you were born for example.” Eva could at least give an example since Viola did in fact have a belly button and was a mammal.

Viola nodded, “No, Mother… rescue.”

“Oh, you're adopted?”

“Adopted, yes,” she replied though the infection made it seem more like a question. “And gay?”

“I uh… don't like men romantically, I like women. Or I guess anyone who's not a man? Sapphic might be a better word, sexuality is confusing,” Eva replied. It was weird having to explain such things, especially things humans didn't talk about much. But Viola didn't judge, she was just genuinely curious. Still, Eva couldn't bring herself to look at Viola and she could tell the mermaid was watching her intensely.

“Do you like me, Eva?” Viola asked, her breath ticking Eva’s.

When did she get so close? Heat flushed through her. Eva was painfully aware of Viola’s body pressing against her, what had been simple companionship had suddenly become far more intimate. Her brief comfort with being naked vanished as her mind slid right into the gutter.

When she looked at Viola any notion that she had been simply confused by translation was immediately tossed in the garbage. Viola wore a self-satisfied smirk, she was doing this on purpose! Which means she knows about my crush…

“I… You’re, I think you’re very beautiful,” Viola murmured, having to look away to get the words out.

Eva could swear Viola’s eyes lit up with something. Viola shifted, subtle but enough that Eva felt the space between them shrink as Viola leaned close. Eva’s pulse pounded in her ears as the world around her was blocked out by Viola.

She closed her eyes, not daring to move a muscle. Desperate to find out what Viola was doing. She was entirely buried in her presence, trapped against the wall in the most delightful of ways.

“I love how you smell,” Viola whispered against her neck.

“What?” Eva croaked, the spell abruptly snapping. She knew for a fact that she did not smell remotely good and even as a compliment it was a little strange.

“You smell like… Eva. it nice, safe,” Viola explained, pulling away. Her brow furrowed in thought.

Eva felt a very different feeling in her chest. It may have been strange but it was also quite sweet. The charged moment was gone but Eva still felt a little fuzzy inside. Going with the flow she leaned up and kissed Viola. A quick gentle kiss on the cheek.

Viola’s dark eyes were wide when Eva pulled away. She pressed large fingers to her cheek where Eva’s lips had brushed.

Before either of them could say anything however there was a loud popping sound and the lights flickered out. In less than a second they were enveloped by darkness of the abyss.