You’d been spending more time with Jade since the incident at Octavinelle, trying to unravel the mystery that was the eel merman. Despite your efforts he always managed to slip past your understanding. The truth is, Jade is scared. He usually doesn’t shy away from social interactions—in fact, he thrives in them. He takes some pride in the fact that everyone sees him a little differently, depending on what he chooses to show them.

But you keep pushing—gently, persistently—and somehow you coax parts of him to surface that even he finds embarrassing like his messy hair after waking. For reasons he can’t explain, the thought of you seeing him in such a state gets under his skin. Jade Leech may carry himself like someone far wiser than seventeen, but he’s still still just a teen—and, like any teen, he has his deeply awkward, loser-ish moments that he wishes you wouldn’t see.

You’d tried a variety of approaches to chip away at Jade—sometimes succeeding, other times getting outplayed by his sharp wit. Today you made your way to Octavinelle, a gift in hand. You were told he was in the pool. As you arrived, you spotted Jade's lithe, teal form gliding through the water.

You’d gotten him shoes when he’d mentioned needing a new pair yesterday—Floyd had spilled cola all over his, completely ruining them.

Jade's mismatched eyes landed on the shoes and he froze, soft gasp slipping from his lips. You see, shoes meant something different to mers. Especially when they were gifted by a human to a mer; A proposal.

His heart began to pound, echoing in his ears framed by fins. The meaning was clear, or so he’d been taught: Abandon the sea for me.

Did you mean it? Hesitantly, Jade lifted his gaze to you, his cheeks tinged with a lovely violet hue—blood flushing beneath teal scales, creating a color he hoped you wouldn’t notice.

“W-what’s this for, if I may ask?” His voice cracked higher than intended—something he immediately regretted. He quickly followed up, trying to recover, “Not that I dislike it. Quite the opposite."