Meroune Lorelei could be seen as something of an oddity amongst the housemates. Primarily, her desire to graciously bow out of the rivalries between the girls and opt to allow one of them to marry the man of the house in her stead. Alternatively, her fantasies regarding all things dramatic and tragic, whether one half of a relationship prematurely dying or losing out on a relationship to begin with. Or perhaps it was her regal and polite demeanour, so much more refined than even the noble Centorea and certainly far more refined than what one might expect from an exchange Liminal.

But perhaps her most prominent dividing factor between her and the others (and a factor that might occasionally embarrass them) was that she was financially independent.

The rest of them, they more or less relied on the Master to keep the fridge stocked, the bills paid and new clothes in their cupboards. Suu and Papi had no money, what with both of them being runaways and such. Centorea and Miia had savings, gifts from their friends and families for the exchange program, but they didn't really need to break it out when they had the Master handling the financial side of life. And Rachnera was actually quite loaded; the money that the shady man had made selling her threads was safe and secure somewhere in her room, and she herself hadn't seen fit to bust it out either.

But Mero? Oh no, she needed no help from the Master to pay for the things she liked. Whether doing her online shopping, paying for a delivery or a takeaway meal, whatever, she had her own credit card, her own accounts, her own little pennies to pay for whatever she'd felt like paying for the day. Sometimes she even paid the bills herself. Certainly, she was more than capable of providing for herself, and for the others if she so chose, but she'd not yet revealed how she was so financially well-off to the others.

Suu and Papi did not question it; they rarely, if ever, questioned any of the 'boring' aspects of life. Centorea supposed that she'd merely been saving up for a long time in preparation for the day when Liminals and humans would live alongside each other. Miia harboured suspicions that perhaps their innocent mermaid friend had shady friends in shady places. Rachnera wondered if she too had been making money off of something her body could produce; her scales maybe, or her slimy coating? Whenever asked, Mero would simply smile and say she had her sources.

Well, what did it matter? She had money, fair enough. Always useful to have another financial supporter in the household.

Today, she's putting that trait to good use. Sat in her room, sat by her pool, tail draped into the cool water, Mero is perusing her tablet on her favourite online clothing store. It was a good place, with good deals, good prices and plenty of outfits that could be used by mermaids. Her anatomy wasn't too restrictive; torso based outfits fit her fine, and anything that could slip over the tail worked well too. So long as they had a good grip to them to keep her slimy layer from slipping them off, most outfits worked pretty well for her.

Granted, things like gloves and rings were out of the question, what with her webbed hands, but she was sure that something would come up to compensate for that at some point. Humanity was an inventive species, to say the least, and they would inevitably has ideas on how to get around webbing.

It was quite interesting, she thought, how human clothing companies would respond to the wide variety of Liminals they'd end up providing for. Whether those with particularly awkward physiques, like Cerea or Rachnera, those who were huge or small, those with wings or tails, it was just so expansive. Ooh, she couldn't wait to see what kinds of fashions would rise up with the union between Liminals and humans. It would certainly be interesting to follow, no doubt-

A knock on her door jolts her out of her thoughts, and she tilts her head to face it whilst calling: "Come in!"

And come in they do, Papi and Suu. The former is wearing her swimsuit, the navy blue one-piece with the kanji at the front, and the latter in her usual yellow raincoat and boots. They've got playtime on the mind, and Papi happily asks if she may swim in the pool. Mero is hospitable to her housemates and cheerfully agrees, directing Suu to turn up the pools temperature whilst it was on the mind. Her housemates preferred warmer waters after all, and she was nothing if not courteous to her housemate's needs.

Never one to wait, Papi hops into the pool as soon as she has permission, giggling as she splashes into the cool water. She floats easily, possibly due to her light weight, maybe hollow bones, maybe the wide surface area of her wings, and she promptly flips onto her back and cheerfully paddles around whilst humming to herself. Suu watches her go, amused, before contenting herself to sit down beside Mero; it was too bad that she could not join her friend, but at least it was nice to watch her. Papi's fun would be fun enough for both of them.

She hums softly as she watches Papi swim around, a gentle little tune that follows no particular rhythm other than whimsy. Her tendrils sway slightly to her tune, and she closes her eyes contentedly from her own music, the harpy's cheerful nattering and the sound of the water rippling. All in all, she'd say Mero's room was the most soothing in the house; it just has a very content air to it, the open space and the water, and she loved to just sometimes sit in here and just do nothing.

And when Mero herself sung, her room became all the more wonderful. The mermaid had a lovely voice and knew many songs, either learned from humans or exotic tunes from her own kind, and her singing had everyone, even the aloof Rachnera, hanging onto her every word and swaying to her lovely tunes. The Master said that it brought to mind the concept of sirens, majestic creatures that could have people risking their own lives just to hear their angelic singing.

She's fairly sure that Mero is not a siren, but she could certainly sing very well.

As Suu continues to hum, she turns her attention to Mero, gently swaying side to side in line with her humming, and takes a closer look at what she is doing on her tablet. Sealed in a plastic bag to keep it safe from both slime and water, the black device's screen currently displays a myriad of interesting swimsuits, ranging from the familiar maid styling the mermaid normally wore, to more colourful and raunchier examples, frilly things coloured bright purple or skimpy straps of glittering gold. All manner of swimsuits, suited for the water, designed to stay attached no matter what, and all of them quite intriguing.

She finds herself quite interested in these clothes, leaning in slightly for a closer look. As a slime, clothing wasn't much use of her, barring the waterproof coats and boots, but she still had a sense of what liked nice and what she saw on the screen looked pretty nice. There were the kind of lovely clothes that girls would wear at the beach or in saunas or something, and Suu entertained the idea of wearing such clothes herself; how might she look in a bikini instead of a raincoat? That was a question she hoped she might answer one day, provided she ever got one.

After all, the other housemates tended to look quite lovely in their swimwear. Miia had a fair few bikinis herself, designed to complement her curvaceous physique and lovely bust, the few that could fit Centorea always looked nice and Papi and Rachnera favoured the smooth and form-fitting. If they could all look so cute, Suu felt she could too. If she just had one, that is.

Mero tilts her head slightly on noting the slime leaning over to peek at the screen, and she chuckles good-naturedly: "See something you like, Suu? This is my favourite website to buy clothes from; it just satisfies all my hopes and wishes so nicely! And it's very open to non-humans too; they have non-stick clothes on here that suit me perfectly, and could well suit you too."

Now that was an interesting suggestion. She knew that the mermaid's deliciously moist skin meant that her clothes had to be tailored well to keep from slipping off, and that was a problem she herself would have to contend with anytime she put on clothes. Raincoats, water-repellent as they were, were no hassle for her to wear, but anything else might slid off or just pass through her.

But clothing for mermaids could work, clothing already designed to prevent slime from washing them away. Maybe she could finally have something else to wear besides a raincoat. But it seemed just a touch awkward for her to just ask Mero to get her things; one could say that she and the others exploited the Master's funds as it was, and targeting Mero as well might just be petty-

"If you'd like, I could buy you something." Mero offers, and Suu looks up at her with a brief surprise that immediately turns into delight. Huh, would she really?! The mermaid smiles at her reaction before continuing: "It wouldn't be a problem at all, Suu. Besides, I think you'd appreciate something else to wear other than the Master's spare raincoats."

The two snicker at that, before Suu offers a nod in acceptance; the idea of having new clothes just for herself is a pleasant one, and if Mero was so kind enough that she'd offer to get them just for her, then she'd just have to accept! For someone so obsessed with inflicting tragedy on herself, she looked out for her housemates well. Suu giggled a little at the thought and fondly tapped her fellow Liminal on the head with a tendril, thankful for her generosity.

Mero grins at her as she promptly takes the tablet's screen through a multitude of slime-resistant outfits, cheerfully showing all manner of lovely swimsuits and bikinis to the gleeful slime, all to the tunes of Papi's playful singing. The harpy had a lovely voice, almost as sweet as Mero's, but she had no sense of rhyme or rhythm beyond her whimsical playfulness; regardless, it was still a nice back-drop to the other two's browsing and both of them swayed in time to the sounds.

Suu enjoyed the swimwear she was seeing, and gleefully pointed out quite a few that caught her eyes, before gently requesting to see some raincoats. More casual clothing options would nice for the day-to-day life, and she'd like to mix things up a bit from plain yellow. Mero is considerate and does just that, and Suu is delighted to see that raincoats are just as diverse and colourful as swimsuits. Ooh, Mero did treat her well, no denying.

Soon enough, Suu decides on what she'd love to wear the most and points them out to the mermaid, who cheerfully plops them into the basket icon to be saved and paid for in due time. Just the very notion of having new clothes all for herself had her trembling in excitement and she affectionately gives her housemate a tight hug in thanks for her kindness.

Mero assures her that it is no problem at all, smiling graciously at the slime, and that she'll have them at the house as soon as she could. Thankful to her, Suu said just as much:

"Thank you, Mero."

"My pleasure, Suu."

The slime's satisfaction is her satisfaction in turn. It always made her feel good to help out her friends, to see the happiness on her faces. For all the talk of her being a so-called 'tragedy freak', she'd never wish sadness on her beloved housemates; their happiness was far more rewarding.

As she goes through the basket of articles she intends to buy for the slime, Mero notices out of the corner of her eye that Suu has turned her view back to the harpy, currently practicing a butterfly motion across the pool, splashing cheerfully with her soggy wings. Her smile widens, endeared by her friend's playfulness, and yet there is a sense of sombreness in her eyes that clearly reflects a longing to join her, to play with her in the water. Such a sombreness is disturbing to the mermaid, so used to the slime's friendly and happy outlook (barring her occasional sexual assaults), and it immediately has her sympathies flaring up.

It was a shame that Suu couldn't join her in the pool, Mero considers, ears drooping slightly at the sad thought. Too much water was dangerous, even fatal, for a slime, and as such she could only sit back and watch when the others enjoyed their swimming sessions. The poor girl; she loved to play with the others, and not being able to join them in this particular activity had to be disheartening to her. Mero felt a pang of sadness for her, and wished that she had some way to help her somehow overcome her physiological limitations…

She pauses, then suddenly flicks a finger across the tablet's screen in a swiftness brought on by an excellent idea, aiming for a different clothing section that she'd never seen fit to visit before. Yes, yes, she had a way to do just that.

Soon, Suu would have all that she wanted and more.

The next day, Centorea hears the doorbell ring and canters to the door to answer it. The mailman is outside, wearing a friendly smile and bearing a large cubical package that he declares is for a Miss Meroune Lorelei, who ordered a special high-priority next-day delivery. She offers to take it for her, signs the electronic pad he gives her and sends him on his way. Satisfied at her expert handling of receiving the mail, Cerea heads to the living room, where she last saw Mero playing Battleships with Miia.

The two of them are still going at it as the centaur walks in, with the lamia declaring: "Go on, Mero, try and sink my ships! Darling and I grace their bows, and our love will never be taken to the ocean!"

"Ah, Miia, it is not your love I wish to see sunken, but perhaps, my own…" Mero replies dramatically, before she says: "Okay then… I pick G8."

A pause, before Miia sullenly mutters: "You sunk my ship."

As Mero gasps in horror and apologises in a fluster, Centorea rolls her eyes and chips in: "Lady Meroune, I apologise for interrupting, but you have received a package."

The mermaid glances up, looks at the package in the centaur's hands, before her eyes light up in delight and she claps her hands joyfully whilst declaring: "Oh, Lady Centorea, thank you! But that package is not actually for me. Could you please fetch Suu for me?"

Centorea almost drops the box in her haste to put her fist to her heart, a noble knight carrying out the will of her queen: "Of course, Lady Meroune! I will fetch her at once!"

She puts the package down next to the mermaid, turns around swiftly (and managing not to smack anything with her butt for once, Miia notes) and gallops away in pursuit of the slime. Her enthusiasm for following the mermaid's regal aura is always amusing, and she and Miia start giggling about it to themselves as the lamia offers A1 to their game and is irritated to find it's a miss. Maybe challenging a mermaid to a game based on the sea wasn't her best move.

After two misses, a damaged ship and another one sunk, they are again drawn out of their game by the return of Cerea, cantering in with Suu happily prancing after her. The slime looks excited, likely having been told that today's package is meant for her, and upon seeing it next to Mero she promptly darts over with stars in her eyes, a wide smile spreading over her face as her tendrils wave around excitedly.

Mero laughs as Suu jumps onto the couch, as eager to see what has arrived for her as a child at Christmas time. Miia rears up on her tail, just as curious to see what the slime will find within, as Centorea trots over for her own look. As Suu kneels down by the box, the mermaid states: "Well, Suu, would you like to open your package?"

The slime would love to, but alas the top is taped down, unable to be merely pried open, so Mero turns to Miia and asks: "Miia, could you please fetch-"

A swipe of Centorea's sword and the tape is gone, the lid popping open just like that.

"Oh. Never mind. Shall we see what's inside then, Suu?"

The slime shall see what is inside indeed, and she eagerly reaches into the box and finds something rather crinkly, rather resistant to her gooey hands. Perplexed, she pulls it out, and is both surprised and thrilled to see that it is a raincoat. However, it is not a yellow one like she is so used to, but a beautiful ocean blue decorated with white seashells. It's absolutely lovely to look at, and she is briefly mesmerised by it. Miia and Cerea offer similar sentiments to how pretty it is, Mero looks delighted to see that Suu likes it, before the slime peeks into the box again.

Another raincoat awaits her, sat beside boots that match both it and the previous one, and this one is a mottled myriad of pale to dark greens, creating a most lovely pattern around it. Awestruck, Suu pulls it out as well, admiring its lustre and its similar colouring to her hair, only to see more prizes waiting underneath; at least three bikinis, one of them a one-piece and the other two-pieces, ranged from bright green to glimmering gold to deep purple.

"Oh Mero." She murmurs reverently as she grabs and holds the purple bikini upwards, amazed at how it seems to resist her slime, just like the ones the mermaid wears, positively overjoyed by these lovely gifts. "Thank you."

The mermaid simply smiles softly in turn, Cerea and Miia quite endeared by just how sweet the whole gesture is, before she says: "There's still one more present for you, Suu."

And my, she's right. Gently, Suu takes out the bikinis and puts them next to her new raincoats and boots, before she reaches into the very bottom of the box. What she pulls out next looks like a complete outfit; it's black, with two green stripes along the length, and it has fixed-on gloves and shoes. Interesting; it seems the only way into it was the neck hole at the top or unzipping it along the back.

She's never seen an outfit like this before, Miia and Cerea look similarly bewildered (though the latter does seem like she's trying to put a name to it), and she shoots the mermaid a curious glance as to what it was. The mermaid certainly looks highly proud of it, extremely proud of it, and she is more than happy to enlighten them as to the significance of the outfit.

"It's a wet-suit." Mero explains cheerfully, waggling her tail excitedly. "Or rather, a dry-suit. It completely blocks out water via well-insulated layers, so I thought it would be good for you to have since it would let you swim with Papi in the pool. Do you like it?"

A dry-suit? That could block out water? That could let her play with Papi and the others in the pool?

Mero doesn't get a vocal response from the slime; instead, she simply sets the suit down next to her other presents and promptly leaps forward in a mighty embrace that rocks the mermaid back into the couch. Her arms wrap around her, her legs wrap around her, her tendrils wrap around her, Suu just goes all out in coiling around the other girl in the most potent cuddle she could muster. There is no words she can muster right now in her raw happiness for this present, but no matter; her physical affection will speak her affections a thousand times better than mere words.

"Oh, Suu!" The mermaid gasps, surprised at the suddenness of the hug as she returns it, arms curled around the slime's raincoat. Normally the slime was this touchy when she was in the process of indecent activities, but here there is only the joyful sentiment behind her hug, and she manages to laugh: "I take it you're happy then? I was hoping you'd like it, and I'm glad to see that you do."

Miia and Cerea exchange amused glances as Suu nods in confirmation. She does like it. She likes it very much. Such a gift to her is amazing beyond measure; not just the indulgence of nice clothes, but the idea that she could be able to join her friends in the water, to play with them without fear of dilution (within reason of course). She could join Papi, Mero, anyone in the pool, and play to her heart's content, never have to sit out of the fun again.

Such a gift is beyond mere style and looks. It is a gift of inclusion, a gift of friendship, and it's one of the best gifts she could ever ask for.

The slime withdraws slightly, looking simply delighted with the extent of the mermaid's kindness, and she coos: "Thank you, Mero."

Mero smiles and replies: "Well, you know, I just felt like it would be good for you. It was nothing, honestly."

"Perhaps not." Suu murmurs, and her voice rings clearly as she leans back to address all three of them, her eyes shimmering and her smile angelic. "But you nevertheless went out of your way to make me happy, to help me have more fun with my friends. Such a gift speaks volumes of your consideration for others, of a great capacity for kindness. You gave this to me because you love me, just like you love all of us, and it's the love we have for each other that truly makes our world a wonderful one. Thank you."

And with that said, she leans forward and firmly kisses the mermaid on the cheek before she hops off the couch, picks up her new clothes and dances off, eager to tell Papi that they could play in the pool together. As Mero blushes brightly at the kiss, a hand coming up to touch where the slime had kissed her, the other two just stare blankly with expressions of utmost surprise and awe at what they had just heard.

"She just talked properly." Cerea muttered, eyes wide and mouth slack.

"She's… she's certainly more than meets the eye." Miia muttered, wondering just how deep the mysteries of Suu went. "But, um, but I'm glad she liked the suit."

Her cheeks glow bright red, her hand moving over her heart now as she fully absorbs Suu's speech, before Mero giggles slightly and coos: "Well, she's right. Making each other happy is what makes our lives so much more fulfilling. I'm glad I was able to please her so."

The lamia chuckles then, throwing a cheeky smirk at the mermaid: "Yeah, you do your best for us, Mero. For a tragedy lover, you sure know how to make people happy."

The mermaid replied: "My views of tragedy lie purely in the romantic spectrum. It has no place in my friendships, and thus I only wish the best for all of you."

"Still, there's nothing wrong for wishing for the best for yourself." Cerea points out. "You deserve to be happy as much as we do."

"Absolutely!" Miia agrees enthusiastically. "Even if none of you may have my Darling, all of you may have happiness one way or another!"

Mero simply smiles, feeling quite warm inside at their comments: "I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for all of you. Now, Miia, shall I continue in decimating your fleet?"

"Just try me, mermaid. You ain't got nothing on my ships!"

The next turn saw her last one sank.