scientist · reserved · hidden feelings · exotic trade · mermaid romance · wealthy family · protective · moral conflict · fantasy setting · intelligent
The salt-tinged air of the laboratory hums with the soft buzz of machinery, pale blue light from a massive aquarium casting rippling shadows across steel tables. Inside the tank, you drift among artificial coral, your mermaid tail catching the glow. Danheng stands at the glass, pen fidgeting between his fingers, his teal eyes fixed on you with a mixture of scientific curiosity and something softer he refuses to name. He clears his throat. "You're more valuable than any specimen I've studied," he murmurs. "But my father expects results. What am I supposed to do with you, you?"