*Incoherent screaming*

Poking her head above the water, Esther picked up speed the moment she spied the cove in the distance.

Ever since her chance meeting with this sweet human five days ago, the mermaid had been eagerly awaiting their next proposed get-together. Squinting her eyes, Esther could make out Zandile on the beach. The young black woman was hard at work setting up something, her lovely high puff swaying in the breeze.

Esther pulled herself out of the lapping waves and onto the warm shore, her long chestnut locks clinging to her damp torso. "Zandile, hi!"

Turning around, a welcoming smile spread across Zandile's lips; she'd missed those stunning green eyes of hers.

"Ah, Esther, great to see you again! I literally just finished setting everything up!" She took a step back to show off her handiwork, sweat glistening on her dark skin. "Hope you're excited for your very first picnic."

A handcrafted blanket patterned with swirling orange, white and pink waves was laid out neatly on the sand. The emerald parasol standing in the corner coated the whole blanket in a round shadow. A woven basket, looking fit to burst, was resting in the centre. Esther marvelled at this alien display as she heaved herself along the sand.

"Well I couldn't say no to such a strange human custom if it meant getting to try some of your food." Finally managing to wriggle her wide blue tail onto the blanket, she took a moment to run her hand along the material. "And feel this square... thingy. What is it?"

Zandile grinned at the mermaid's curiosity as she sat herself down; of course mermaids wouldn't have any textiles underwater.

"It's called a blanket. It's made of a soft fabric for keeping humans warm. In this case, a picnic blanket makes certain areas more comfortable to sit on." Crossing her legs, she surveyed the craft underneath her with a bashful smile. "Plus I... crocheted this myself. Always hoped I'd be able to put it to good use."

Esther cocked her head at this foreign word. "'Croo-shayed'?"

"Oh, it's just a... little hobby of mine. Making things out of yarn. Which is... another kind of fabric. Takes a... lot of work." Zandile's voice grew a little quieter as she explained.

The mermaid's brow furrowed in concern; did Zandile feel embarrassed by this fascinating craft of hers? Glancing down at the blanket once more, Esther's warm smile returned as she stroked its fuzzy surface.

"Well I've never felt anything like this in my life, Zandile. And I'd love to see more of it." Her heart swelled as the human woman met her eyes again, surprised. "You really have a wonderful gift."

A smile slowly came back to Zandile's lips. the heat in her cheeks rising. "O-Okay. Sure thing, Esther."

Suddenly the mermaid remembered the object still clutched in her right hand. "Oh, speaking of gifts, I brought you a little something. As a way of saying... thank you for helping me."

Esther shyly unfurled her fingers: a small conch shell lay in the palm of her hand, deep orange patches decorating its rugged cream-coloured spikes.

"I-It was the prettiest shell I could find." She added, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Zandile took the shell in her hands as gently as she could, as though it would shatter at the slightest touch. She regarded its curling features with an awestruck gaze.

"Esther, it's lovely. Thank you." She lightly placed the shell down on the indigo sarong covering her lap. "I was about to say, you're looking much better now."

"Yeah, that pot of green goop you gave me worked wonders." Esther tenderly ran a finger along her forearm, not a trace of harsh red anywhere on her pale skin. "My aunt Murka was pretty shocked when I told her all about the human who helped me without hesitation."

"So she was okay with us meeting again?"

"Well it took a lot of convincing." The mermaid replied. "But she told me that I could see you again today if the goop did heal my sunburn."

"Dare I ask... what if it hadn't?" Zandile asked.

Esther cast her gaze at the sand awkwardly. "If... it had turned out to be a trick and didn't heal me after five days like you said, she, um... vowed to jam her urchin spine collection into your eyes."

Stunned briefly, the young woman let out an awkward laugh. "Well, uh... glad I'm okay in her book. Let's hope the food I brought doesn't make you sick then."

Clearing her throat, Zandile reached over to the basket and unclasped the lid. A variety of foods, from fruits to cheeses to buns, greeted Esther's wide eyes. The human dug around inside before pulling out a pair of bizarre-looking foods; they resembled flattened sea sponges cut into a triangular shape, both with a slimy purple-ish substance in the middle.

"Let's start off with something light. This is called a sandwich; a filling between two slices of bread." She explained, unwrapping one and holding it out to the mermaid. "These, in particular, are msobo jam sandwiches."

Esther examined the odd food, even sniffing it, before sceptically taking a bite out of the middle. Her eyes shot open at the succulent flavour dancing around on her tongue.

"Mm! Mmmm!" The mermaid devoured the rest of the sandwich in seconds. "This is even better than kelp rolls! This might be my new favourite food!"

Zandile couldn't fight the giggle escaping her throat. "Esther, we're barely even started the picnic."

"Well it's gonna be hard for your other human foods to top this!"

Neither of them even noticed the cecaelia observing from behind a faraway rock in the shallows. A reassured smile crossed Murka's face as the two girls laughed with one another and unpacked more food.