Monica used the ultrasharp plastic knife all merfolk were supplied with (it was possible, though rare, for merfolk to be caught in fishing nets, and the knife would cut through any net) to shape a bit of coral. Like many merfolk, she had found her artistic talents blossoming in her new life.
"Hi sweetie, whatcha doin?" said Lorraine. Lorraine and Monica had broken off from Lorraine's pod to establish a new pod of their own. So far it was just the two of them and a merman named Mike, but that was enough.
"Working on some jewelry" answered Monica "How about you?"
"Exploring" said Lorraine, who liked to go deeper into the sea than most merfolk.
"What do you think we should do once our contracts are up?" asked Monica, a subject which had been on her mind lately.
Lorraine giggled. "There's a whole world out there outside the fish-herding routes! I want to be part of a new wild civilization of free merfolk with you, my delectable seaweed ball!" (This was a merfolk endearment based on a delicacy, roughly the equivalent of "sweetie-pie.") "We're meant to be a new species with a whole new way of life on our sea-covered, beautiful planet, not a bunch of fish jockeys! Venus for the Venusians!"
Monica raised her eyebrows. "That sounds awesome! But in the meantime, I've got coral to carve."
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Taprobana sailed through the air. Deciding to allow her body and psyche to start maturing for the second time had done nothing to change her love of flight in Mars's low-gravity atmosphere. Now she was considering what she wanted her second adulthood to be like. She knew that at this point she wanted to share it with Carlotta, but choice of a career? Whether to try motherhood again, possibly raising a flying daughter this time? She looked at Carlotta, with whom she was sharing an intricate aerial mating dance. Taprobana realized that the thought of returning to earth's crushing gravity was horrifying. She was a Martian, now.
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Ashley looked at the frisky young minotaur toddler he and Sithathor, well mostly Sithathor, had produced and smiled. Meriptah was a lively male, growing quickly as young minotaurs tended to do. Ashley wondered if Meriptah would keep that form throughout his life, or change as both his mother and father had. It seemed so long ago that Ashley himself had been both female and human. No regrets, thought the minotaur bull.
++++++++++
Robisa lay in a dreamless sleep as she traveled the cold wastes between the stars.