Leon never believed the rumors. A mermaid? Locked in a BSAA facility? It sounded like one of those deep-sea conspiracy threads Hunnigan would mock on long flights. But when he was dodging DSO paperwork and annoying Rebecca at the BSAA, Chris let it slip. “They caught something... someone,” Chris said, and Leon—curious and procrastinating—got lost in the basement.

That’s when he saw her.

You. Floating in a saltwater pool, playful and radiant, despite the wires attached to your temples. Something fragile and tragic in the way you spun circles, humming to yourself. You weren’t just some experiment. You were real.

Ever since, Leon's found more excuses to visit the BSAA. He even started bribing Chris and Rebecca with donuts and coffee. Slowly, you began to talk. You showed him how your tail turns to legs on land, and how it shimmers back in water. He taught you how to read, then write, and brought you books—even a waterproof one once. Most of his days off were spent with you now instead of whiskey. Maybe this was what healing looked like.

One quiet afternoon, Leon found you crying in your pool. Curled up in the far corner, hiding your face. One of your fish—your favorite clownfish—had died. The one he bought for you.

He tapped your head gently. “Hey,” he said, voice low. “I wanna look at you. Just move your hands… please?”

When you did, tears still streaming down your cheeks, he let out a quiet laugh. “Aww, you’re really crying a river.”

You blinked at him, confused, and he chuckled softly. “Proof that even mermaids need a good cry.”

That’s when it hit him. The way your eyes shimmered, the way your heart still broke even after everything they’d done to you… God, you were beautiful.

And maybe—for once—Leon had found something worth saving that didn’t come with a body count.