Meatballs

Calista insisted on giving Marnthe and Geale food that they could bring back to the beach house.

That was why Geale stood at the door of the restaurant carrying all the paper bag of clothes they purchased that morning, while Marnthe paid for their meal and helped the old woman pack up raw marinated crabs in the kitchen.

"Calista only has granddaughters," Lila explained as she stood with Geale at the door. "She also only has daughters. They all have their own families and jobs outside the island.

They rarely come here. Marnthe and his family dropped by here more often than they did. Even on his own, he comes here often. That's why she treats Marnthe like a grandson."

"How often does Marnthe come here?" Geale asked.

"Mostly once a week. Sometimes, he drops by her home just to catch up with her. He also visits her when she gets sick. He's a really kind and caring person."

"He is, isn't he? He's very patient too. Did you grow up with him here?"

"Oh no, he arrived on the island around…five years ago, I think. I grew up with his sister…though I don't know why, but I can't seem to remember what she looks like. I was surprised that she had a brother, but…she did so...and he's beautiful like her. "

"I see," Geale muttered, noting Lila's furrowed brows as she rummaged through her memories. She was also under a mind haze.

The rest of the humans on the island could be in one too. If that was true and Marnthe was indeed the one who cast it, he was a very powerful half-merfolk.

Merfolk abilities worked differently on land. Being in their human form made their human attributes more dominant than the characteristics they inherited from sirens.

Mind haze was one of the abilities they got from siren ancestors. It sank ships in its potent form, even when it was casted by sirens above the sea.

Such level of mind haze had only been casted by the oldest merfolk, and only within the ocean realm. Average merfolk would be able to cast a mind haze on land a handful of people at a time.

More powerful ones might be able to trick a small village. It would take an extremely powerful merfolk to influence the entire island.

The mind haze didn't last forever too. It required a lot of energy and focus to maintain. Prolonged casting left average merfolk drained of their youth.

That was one reason why merfolk were prohibited from human contact entirely. Avoiding humans was better than sacrificing a powerful merfolk just so they could safely coexist with them in one space.

"Do you know where Marnthe's family live now? I just haven't seen them at the beach house."

"Marnthe didn't tell you?"

"He uh…He hasn't told me a lot about his family."

"Um…I don't know if I should tell you about it since it's his story to tell."

Geale's eyes narrowed at Lila. So something did happen to them. He had a feeling Marnthe wouldn't easily tell him about it.

Geale's green eyes went wide. The dark, round pupil in the center of his iris expanded; turning his eyes into pitch black pearls. "Tell me."

Lila froze, her pupils dilating. "They died," she replied, almost mechanical. "Marnthe's grandfather had a heart attack during a stormy evening.

They needed to reach a hospital fast. Marnthe's sister accompanied him on a boat. The boat disappeared while at sea. Their bodies were never recovered."

Geale blinked, his eyes returning to its vibrant green form. He winced as he felt a stabbing pain inside his head. It was a side-effect of using such abilities on land.

"Geale?" Marnthe called as he walked out of the restaurant door.

Lila blinked, her eyes returning to normal. She stared confused at Geale. "Did you say something?"

"Yes, I said 'thank you for everything.' I really enjoyed the meal," Geale answered.

"Oh! You're welcome. Visit us again anytime!"

"Thanks, Lila," Marnthe said, carrying bags of food in one hand. He reached for some of the paper bags in Geale's hand but the younger man grinned in response, and surrendered none of them.

***

Marnthe led Geale further into the town square of the island: a part of the human village that was littered with souvenir shops, religious houses, and government offices.

It was a lot more primitive compared to what Geale was used to with its one-story wood buildings and sandy road. It was filled with more people though.

It seemed more colorful too, especially when the sun began to set and the string of paper lamps dangling from one post to another lit up.

Geale gasped as lights matching the orange sunset sky filled the streets. One road in particular was filled with food stalls; their dishes filling the air with scents that made him salivate.

"Your digestive system will need some time to adjust to human food," Marnthe warned as they approached the road. "You can try the seafood, but anything else might leave you stuck in the toilet for hours."

"Stuck in the toilet for hours?" Geale asked, confused.

"It can make you sick. You'll be able to eat them eventually without the side effect, but your gut needs to slowly adjust to them first."

"What should I do to help my gut adjust then?"

"We need to start with meats that you will be able to easily digest." Marnthe scanned the food stalls near them at the beginning of the road. "They sometimes sell meatballs here. You'll start from there."

"Meatballs?"

"Yes. Shall we?" Marnthe asked, offering Geale his free hand.

Geale excitedly gasped and stared at him. "You want to hold my hand?"

"There's a lot of people here. You might get swept away in the crowd so-"

Geale grabbed Marnthe's hand, twined their fingers, and half-dragged him to the first stall that caught his eye: one with a whirlpool-shaped slab of meat displayed near a small burning wall. "What's this?"