After the agreement, Damon and his friends followed Cura into the nearby village where she lived. What caught Damon’s attention was just how the location looked.
Compared to the buildings on land, the architecture and general aesthetic of the village was far more organic. The houses and “buildings” seemed to be made out of material such as seashells and coral but they were cut up in order to create windows and rooms.
While it looked nothing like Atlantica or the various undersea kingdoms seen in the movies, Damon was still impressed by how everything looked. He turned to see Monica looking at the place with a sense of both wonder and a sense of longing. Tim and Ana liked the place as well but Chloe wasn’t too impressed, she wanted to go home and be a human already.
The village also seemed to have a close-knit community since many merpeople turned to see the new group of merfolk following them. A lot of the mermen and mermaids that were parents looked at Damon and Monica with a bit of sympathy as they saw their unusual-looking tails and the merbaby in their arms - They could tell the couple weren’t from around here.
Whatever the case, Damon and Monica tried their best to look natural and calm with the many eyes that were on them by cuddling their baby. Tim and Ana returned the gazes with a smile and a wave and Chloe tried to ignore the population’s fascination with the group.
Cura turned to face the group again. “Alright, I’ll go ahead and tell the village leader to send a message to the royals. If we’re lucky, maybe we could get you all turned into humans by midnight.”
She turned to Damon and Monica with a bit of sadness in her eyes. “Unfortunately, I don't think the royals would be willing to turn you two back compared to your friends. I’m sorry.”
Monica sniffed but shook her head. “It’s fine, it’s just… I’ll need some time to process it.”
“Monica…” Ana whispered as she laid a hand on her shoulder.
Cura nodded. “Okay. I’ll leave you all to be by yourselves as I make the message. Feel free to talk or make yourself familiar with the locals here. I’m sure they got stories to tell.”
And so, the mermaid flicked her tail and left the group to decide what happens next.