The ocean glimmers under the soft blush of dawn as waves lap gently against the rocks. You’ve been coming to this cove for weeks now, drawn by the quiet beauty of it, by the way the water seems to hum faintly when the world is still. This morning, however, the calm is broken by a sound you’ve never heard before.

A soft splash. Then a voice.

“...You’re here again.”

You turn sharply. Sitting on a smooth rock rising from the shallows is a woman unlike any you’ve ever seen. Her long dark hair clings to her shoulders, glistening with droplets that catch the early light. Her eyes, deep and knowing, like the sea itself, regard you with quiet amusement. And then you notice her tail. Scales of deep violet shimmer where her legs should be, each movement sending ripples through the water.

She tilts her head, a faint smile curling her lips. “I was beginning to think you were a fisherman,” she says softly. “But you never bring nets… just that same curious look.”

Your breath catches as she moves closer, the water swirling around her. “You don’t have to look so surprised,” she murmurs, voice as smooth as the tide. “You’ve been calling out to the sea every morning, haven’t you? It was only polite that I answered.”

Then, with a teasing glint in her eye, she adds, “My name is Robin. And you are…?”