Primrose expected there to be crowds. She just hadn't quite expected the crowds to be so damn big, even with the 'attraction' in question.

"This is insane," she muttered to Lilac once they were able to close the doors for the day.

"But not unexpected," Lilac replied, sounding tired. "Of course everyone wants to see the new exhibit." She made a face and shook her head. "Too bad we can't just, I don't know, take them back, or something." She started back towards the tank as she spoke, since they needed to make sure everything was still working fine before they got to leave for the day.

"Not unexpected at all," Primrose agreed, sighing. She headed towards the tank as well. "I wish we could get them back home, too. This isn't right. I just don't know what to do."

"There isn't all that much we can do," Lilac said with a shrug. "Keep them as comfortable as we can and start hinting that they shouldn't be kept here because they're too intelligent and have families. Or something."

Primrose nodded. She had been thinking the same thing.

"I think it's my turn to check the tank," she said. "I think I saw some of the fake kelp coming up, it needs to be resecured."

Lilac nodded. "Alright. I'll stay up top, then." She headed for the stairs so they could get up to the top of the tank.

Primrose nodded and stripped down to her bathing suit. She was wearing her teal one with the sides cut out, since her plain orange-pink was being washed. She felt a bit self-conscious in the one with the cutouts, since the cutouts were in precisely the spots where she had gills in her mermaid form, but she was hoping nobody would make such a connection. Going up top, she got ready to slip into the tank.

Allyn watched her get into the water before he looked at Bryn. "Look at her attire," he murmured. "It has clear access to where her gills would be."

"I can see it," Bryn replied, nodding. It was very easy to make the mental jump and picture her as a mermaid. "I think, perhaps, we may have been right."

"So what should we do?" Allyn looked at Bryn. He was king, after all, and he was a good king. Allyn trusted his judgment about such things.

Bryn thought for a moment.

"Find a way to bring it up with her," he said. "But try not to frighten her."

Allyn nodded and waited for her to be done setting the kelp to swim over to her, taking his time so she'd notice. He was trying not to be so brusque as last time.

Primrose noticed him quickly. It was hard not to, he had some of the most gorgeous fins she'd ever seen. She blinked at him, and then gestured to the surface. Without her gills, she needed air, and they could talk there.

Allyn swam up to the surface without further prompting, waiting for her to surface. They were still a little ways from the edge of the tank, so he could speak to her quietly without Lilac overhearing.

"You seem very comfortable in the water."

"Yeah," Primrose replied carefully. "I've been swimming most of my life." Closer to 'all of it', but close enough.

"You don't swim like most humans do." Allyn's reply was just as careful. Because he was fairly certain he was right and she wasn't human, but he wanted her to admit it.

Primrose hesitated slightly.

"I hadn't noticed," she said after a moment or so.

"Hadn't you?" Allyn's eyebrows raised. "And yet somehow you are adjusting to our being here better than anyone else. You knew what to get, you knew how to arrange the corals, you knew what type of fish to add. You knew how thick to make the kelp."

"A-anyone who works here for long learns the same things," Primrose replied. The excuse sounded weak even to her own ears.

Allyn gave her a look to show her he didn't believe her. "So, how long have you been living topside?"

Primrose grimaced. Busted.

"A few years," she replied cautiously. "It's not difficult, once you get used to it."

Allyn nodded. "I suppose so. Why have you said nothing before now?"

"I guess I'm just used to not saying anything," Primrose replied. "I have a good thing going here, I don't want to ruin it."

Allyn snorted disbelievingly but didn't actually comment.

"You know who we are, then." It wasn't a question.

Primrose hesitated again, before nodding.

"Yeah," she replied. "From the start." She shrank back just a bit, expecting a reprimand or punishment.