A Chat With a Mermaid

The sun was shining brightly today, beckoning another day of fishing at the lake. Jiang wasn’t sure how many places he fished at now, but god, it was a lot. He fished up the river that cut through the town, he fished at the small pond just north of town, he even fished in the cavern Yin and his family called home, in one of the bigger pools. Of course, none of them yielded the ever-elusive Rainbow Fish, just a buncha smaller fish Jiang tossed back.

Yijun was already on his case about it, much to his ire. “What, you haven’t gotten me those scales yet?” she said. “Come on, it should be easy for the likes of you! Just dive in there and grab it, Musclehead!”

Such great advice! Yes, dive in there and try to find a damn sparkly fish amongst all the other fish. A fish that she even admitted was rare!

“I swear,” Jiang grumbled as he set down a bucket of bait and a blanket-covered basket, “Yijun’s like Kaguya-hime. First, some shark’s teeth. Then, some chimera fur. Now, some rainbow scales! Next thing you know, she’ll be asking me to rip the eye out from a dragon.” After a bit more setup, he cast his line into the lake and laid down, staring at the clouds passing overhead. “Though, least that’d be more exciting than fishing.”

It was far too easy for him to doze off: he didn’t even get a single bite in the first hour! He could have sworn he would have slept through the day without a single regret, had it not been for a certain someone calling out, “Helloooo, Jiang!”

He sat up with a yawn, opening his eyes and seeing the blue-haired mermaid peering out from above the water. “Oh, hey,” he said, raising his hand to wave at her sleepily. “Nice to see you here and all.”

“It’s nice to see you, too! Though, you’re a pretty sleepy guy, huh?” Kailani asked, puzzled. “The last time we met, you were sleeping, too!”

Jiang rubbed the back of his neck and frowned as he replied, “I don’t really have the patience for fishing. It’s just too boring for me.”

“Then… why are you fishing?” Kailani tilted her head to the side, placing her webbed hands on the soft ground. “You shouldn’t really do things you don’t like doing. Life’s too short for that sorta thing.”

Ha, if only it were that easy, thought Jiang bitterly as he recalled all his acts of banditry. Out loud, he replied as he slouched, “I don’t really have a choice.”

Kailani looked puzzled for another moment before her eyes went wide. “Is it a job, then?”

More like free labor. “Sort of.” He paused a moment, watching Kailani put her hands on her cheeks, eyes wide with curiosity, her flipper flip-flopping in and out of the water.  With a bit more confidence, Jiang admitted, “I guess the other part is that I wanted to see you again. Least, for this fishing trip.”

The smile that spread on her face could have lit up a room. “Really? You didn’t need to start fishing to see me, you know! You could just relax by the lake!”

“Eh, two birds, one stone and all that.” Jiang yawned again, then pointed over to the basket he brought with him. “By the way, didn’t think you’d like to eat worms and dragonflies all the time, so I brought you some lunch.”

No sooner did he say the word “lunch” did Kailani flopped her way towards the basket, ripping off the blanket and revealing plenty of food, ranging from simple dumplings, meat buns, and neatly packed sandwiches and salads. She tore into the meat buns like a demon, devouring them as fast as she could. It was a bit hard to believe that someone so beautiful could have such an appetite. Then again, the only women he knew were his delicate Aunt Chun, the vain Yijun, and willowy Ning, none of which were big eaters.

“Wow, this stuff’s super good!” Kailani said as she finished her third meat bun and grabbed a dumpling. “Complements to the chef! I can’t stop eating these things, they’re that good!” As if to prove her point, she shoved the fourth meat bun in her mouth whole and wriggled with joy.

Jiang’s eyes went wide with shock as he said, “H-hey, careful! You’re gonna choke if you eat that fast! Slow down a bit, will ya?” Thankfully, with the meat buns almost out, Kailani had no choice but to slow down and savor them with all she has, although her wriggling did not cease.

“Sorry, they’re just so good!” Kailani said as she grabbed a sandwich and nibbled on it. “Who made them? Or did you buy them?”

Jiang blinked a moment, then turned away, feeling his cheeks burn red. “Well, uh, I didn’t buy them, that’s for sure,” he said quietly, though he hated how his voice quivered a bit.

“So you didn’t buy them… sooo…” Jiang looked back and saw a small grin on the mermaid’s face. “That means you made them, right?”

He flinched, then forced himself to look her in the eye as he replied, “Th-the sandwiches and salad? N-no. Everything else? Y-yeah.” Hastily, before she had a chance to speak, he added with a shout, “W-well, what of it?!”

“What of it?” Jiang was too slow to pull his hand back as Kailani grabbed his hand, her eyes twinkling with delight. “Jiang, that’s amazing! Those were some of the best things I’ve eaten ever since I came here!” He wasn’t exactly sure whether to beam with pride or deflect her praise. Not that it mattered: Kailani wasn’t giving him a chance to talk as she added cheerfully, “You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about! I mean, good food’s good food, no matter who makes it!”

“U-uh, yeah, sure, okay?” Jiang sputtered out, trying his best to gently pull his hand away, to no avail.

Kailani picked up on his anxiety fast, as she let go of his hand and gave him a worried look. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked as she inched back towards the water, giving Jiang a little more space.

A pang of guilt struck his heart, Jiang looking away from the mermaid as he rubbed his neck again. “No, no, it’s… not really like that.” He took a deep breath, sighing as he continued, “Just that… most people think it’s weird that I cook. Not all of ‘em, but most.” While he could recall Yin happily devouring his stews and praising him to high heaven for his skill, he had a stronger recollection of his father scolding him for helping Aunt Chun make stew, all those bewildered stares when guests came over and saw him steaming bao, and of course, Yijun’s snort of disbelief as she claimed that he couldn’t have really made anything that good without help.

“Is it because it’s mostly a girl thing?”

That, and who’d expect a dumbass like me picking up cooking? “Sorta.”

“Well, I can’t cook!” Kailani said as she folded her fin underneath her and placed her hands on her lap, chuckling a little nervously. “I know I’m a mermaid, but still, cooking’s a handy skill!” She placed a finger on her chin, then added, “I wonder if worms taste any better cooked?”

“You’re better off cooking a trout over an open flame,” Jiang pointed out, cringing at the thought of throwing worms in a pot and stewing them up. “They taste better with some salt and pepper.”

“Awww, but I like worms!” The mermaid crossed her arms and sulked a little bit, then grabbed a handful of dumplings, eating them one by one as she asked, “So! How’s the fishing going?”

Jiang opened his mouth to answer… then realized that he forgot that he was doing that to begin with. Hastily, he reeled the line and saw that the bait was long gone, taken while he was too busy chatting with Kailani. “Agh, damn it!” he said as he grumpily set some more bait and cast his line. “Wasn’t paying attention, damn it…”

“Do you want any help?” Kailani dived back into the water, giving Jiang a curious look as she swam in place. “I can help you find a big, juicy fish to cook up!”

Jiang resisted the urge to either tell her about the rainbow fish and drool at the thought of catching and cooking up a catfish, instead replying with a, “No, I’m fine.” After a moment, he frowned a bit and admitted, “Though, I’d appreciate the company. Like I said, shit’s boring. I don’t know how anyone can fish for a living.”

Kailani smiled and swam in a circle, smiling gently at him as she said, “Well, some people have the patience for it! And for someone who doesn’t like it all that much, you did a good job at it last time!”

Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe it was because he was putting out better bait. Or maybe it was because Kailani was actually a good luck charm. Regardless of the reason, Jiang found himself landing some big catches within the next few hours, even if they weren’t what he was looking for. His bucket was full of plump, juicy trout before he knew it, perfect for a meal and to sell for that extra bit of coin he certainly wasn’t going get from raiding anytime soon. That wasn’t really the best part for him, though: the best part was listening to Kailani humming as she swam around the lake, occasionally flopping onto land and picking flowers to put in her long, blue hair. He didn’t know what exactly she was humming, but soon after she started, he started to hum along with her, albeit a lot worse than her.

Once his bucket was filled to the brim, Jiang reeled back his rod and sighed in a mix of relief and disappointment. Even then, though, he lingered by the lake, just watching Kailani do her own, mermaid-y thing. After a few minutes of watching, though, he couldn’t help but call out, “Hey, Kailani?”

The mermaid flew up from the lake, did a flip, then plopped back down into its waters. She popped right back up and bowed before she looked at an amazed Jiang and asked, “What’s up, Jiang?”

“Well, first of all, holy shit! That was amazing!” Jiang said with the same sort of sparkle in his eyes that Kailani had after eating his home cooked meals. “Second… What even brought you out to a place like this?”

“Huh?” Kailani tilted her head a bit, the flowers falling from her hair and drifting on the lake waters. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, this is kind of a… backwater sorta place.” Jiang tried his hardest not to rub his neck again, in fear of rubbing it raw. “It’s not exactly exciting or anything.”

The mermaid blinked, then tilted her head to the other side. “And?”

Jiang swallowed hard. “I-I mean, you’re a mermaid. A beautiful fish lady who’s supposed to live in the sea, singing on rocks and charming sailors and all that sorta stuff. You look like you belong in some noble’s koi pond, enjoying some fancy meals or whatever." When that didn’t erase her confusion, Jiang took a deep breath and said reluctantly, “So, um, aren’t you a little too… good for this sorta place?”

She blinked again, staring at him. He couldn’t tell what kind of stare it was, and it scared him. Did he say something wrong? No, wait, scratch that. How wrong was he this time?

After a few moments of silence, Kailani replied, “I don’t know much about the world, so I’m just traveling and learning, trying to find a place called home, a place I’m comfortable with. It doesn’t matter if it’s a backwater lake or a koi pond, the sea or a river. Long as I feel at home, that’s what matters most.” She tilted her head again for juuust a moment before she crossed her arms and said, “By the way, koi? They’re jerks. They don’t know how to share a single thing.”

Jiang couldn’t understand why he was so shocked at the answer. It made perfect sense: she was trying to find a home. Home was where the heart was, so they say, and she’s trying to find out just where her heart will go. Honestly, it was a bit commendable that she would travel so far out from the sea to come here.

Regardless, he took a moment to get his composure back and reply, “Well, feel free to make yourself at home while you’re here. And don’t worry: far as I know, there aren’t any koi to bother you ‘round these parts.” He stretched before he grabbed all his things, turning away from the lake as he said, “Well, that’s enough fishing for one day. Gonna head back home, make some stew, and get some rest. Feel free to have whatever’s left in the basket: it’s all yours, anyway.”

Kailani happily flopped back onto land just to grab the basket and shove the last meat bun in her mouth, humming happily as he left. Soon as he was out of her sight, he turned back, watching her cheer fade into sorrow, the mermaid looking down at the ground with a frown.

Traveling here was definitely brave of her, but as far as Jiang could see, she seemed rather lonely as a result. She was so far away from her own family, her own friends- friends and family who probably cared for her rather deeply. Not a whole lot of people would care to move away from such support, not without a friend beside them.

After taking a deep breath, Jiang shouted out, “Kailani!” The mermaid turned towards him, baffled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Her expression shifted from sorrow to shock, then from shock to joy as she yelled back, “Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow, Jiang!”

He smiled back at her before heading home, humming the same tune Kailani did as she swam around the lake, off-key as he was.