“I find the best way to get rid of a patch of dry or dead scales is to just find a nice big rock to rub against. Sugar or salt scrubs make a world of difference when bipedal, ‘cause not everyone can drop everything to find a body of saltwater, y’know?” When her recommendations were met with a blank stares followed by outright confusion, Nadia frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “What, I’m not allowed to overhear you two when I’m in the next room?”

Bucky was the first to catch on, leaving Clint looking at her like she was crazy. “Nadia... Nads, are you...” His voice was tiny, hesitant, and it made Nadia more than a little worried. She’d never heard that tone from him before. “Are you a mermaid?”

Nadia was taken aback to say the least. “You mean you aren’t? You were talking about tail-maintenance...” she trailed off, her turn to be confused.

Watching the street below her window usually raised her spirits. The people bustling about their lives made it easier for Nadia to put up with her self-imposed confinement. They were back in California for the time being, and close enough to San Francisco that the odds of someone recognizing her were too high for either of her fellas to be comfortable. James had suggested she and Clint stay back east with the boys, but Nadia wasn’t about to let him waltz halfway across the country without Clint to watch his back. And if that meant she had to come too, so be it.

But tonight, the men in smart suits accompanied by ladies in the latest fashions (she was assuming) pour out of their cars and into the speakeasy down the street was just making her miss the glitz of the life she’d left behind. Nadia wouldn’t trade what she had with James and Clint for the world, but times like this it sounded awful tempting. She’d brought along her best dress--the one she’d been wearing when they’d met James in the first place, mended and maintained to the best of her ability--just in case she needed it. It would be so easy to slip it on and find her way through that door. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d found a stranger’s arm to hang from to get what she wanted.