The afternoon sun was warm as they emerged onto the street, the city bustling with activity in the late afternoon.
"Damn! What a joy to be free!"
Shuyin stretched her arms wide, her face tilting toward the sky. The air filled her lungs, fresh despite the urban smog, crisp compared to the recycled staleness she'd breathed for so long. "So free..."
Ting Fei stood beside her with the briefcase, his expression patient as she savored the moment. No one could truly understand what she felt right now. Three years locked in an institution as a mermaid, studied and contained and bled dry. Waking up in an imprisoned body hadn't been ideal, but she'd bought her freedom either way.
And now she stood on a public sidewalk with the sun on her face and nobody controlling where she could go or what she could do.
It was intoxicating.
She stretched again, rolling her shoulders, feeling her borrowed suit shift against her skin. Everything was a choice now. Everything.
