130. Hope

                                    

                                          
Among the merfolk, only three could make the silk.  One had no interest in me, whatsoever.  He only asked to try and court Qin and had no intention of trading.  The other two, however, were willing to bargain, and one was recognizable with his blue, wavy hair and matching eyes.  Unfortunately, the only thing either of them wanted in exchange was to mate. 
	Since Hope and my immediate need for condoms was satisfied, I took my time trying to find things that they'd be willing to trade while also seeing if they were as Qin said: more interested in a bond than physical affections.  
	As much as I wanted to be the person who got to stand on a moral high ground, I kind of stopped caring about a lot of things after living here so long.  One such thing that didn't bother me was contractual marriage.  I really didn't care.  
	What I cared about was not providing for a spouse what they needed to be happy. I was able to provide for all my spouses the most basic things which are a mating bond and a home with no fear of having their bond severed over something shallow.  But I also wanted to provide care and affection, if not love. But that was my choice, not always their expectation.
	If the potential suitor in question was not a needy one, it was feasible.  Sieg, for example, did not have a high libido and was completely laid back.  He rarely wanted much from me and it wasn't because he was holding back. 
	If I found a mer male like him, whose satisfaction came from just having a bond and whose joy was directly connected to his stomach, there would not be a problem. Assuming my mates didn't mind him.  I'm still very firm on the no drama between spouses deal.  
	The conversation did come up.  The closest thing to protest that came up was Mitchell muttering something about, "Conquering land and sea." His imagination seemed to be something.  
	Even Curtis, the neediest mate of mine prone to jealously did not hiss at the mention of it.  I think I had Sieg to thank for that.  Sieg was so low-maintenance that even Curtis found him easy to accept.  If the mers were like that, there wouldn't be a problem. 
	That was the mindset in which I approached them again.  
	"Grace!" said Bluepool from the surf.  "Have you changed your mind?" 
	It didn't take long to spot an additional splash of pink in the water.  
	"Grace," called the mer named Coral. 
	I looked at my two choices, very happy with both as far as appearances went.  And while the contents of the novel had faded greatly over time, I was glad I recalled my impression of Bluepool from the novel: earnest and shallow. Given how both these mers acted, I wasn't all that perturbed or wary of them.  It helped that me and my family could kick their asses six ways to Sunday.
	"Hey.  I came to talk about what we discussed last time." I was friendly.  As much as I didn't care for merfolk because of what Qin went through, I'm not about to lump every last one of them together.  I'll give them a fair shake. 
	"Then," Bluepool's eyes lit up.  "You're willing to mate?"
	Coral shifted his multi-hued pink tail to legs and waited.  He'd heard land females inspect the reproductive parts of the males they were interested in.  Hopefully, his was acceptable. 
	Bluepool pulled out his best chance of securing his mate and intended to present it.  He wasn't sure if she was looking to accept the both of them or if he had to outdo the other male. Bluepool had an extra mark compared to the male, but the other mail was more brilliantly colored.  His luminous pearl should be able to assure his victory if it became a competition. 
	The cawing of an eagle interrupted the moment as it descended from the sky.  
	"Tot?" I was curious, but then I saw someone on his back.  My tone dropped.  "Hope?"  I could only feel trouble was here.