Pocket Mer

Joe Scay was an asexual man in his 20s. He was really fond of Mers, a recently discovered species. They had the upper body of a human, but in a far smaller shape. Instead of legs, they had a tail like that of a fish. They could breathe both air and water.

Even though they could be as intelligent as humans, they were still sold as pets.

Knowing this, Joe decided to get one, but not as a pet. Rather, he was hoping to take home a young one that he could be like a father to.

When he arrived and found the Mers, he saw a young Mer girl who seemed to be more willing to interact with humans than the others in her tank. She breached the surface and liked to rest her arms on the sides of the tank. She did not look to be any older than six, though she had some fat on her that did not make her look worse, given that chubby Mers were normal and considered healthy.

Joe decided that she would be his daughter. He bought her with his own money, and when she was being transported to a temporary bag, she went in without much resistance.

He also bought a tank that was quite large compared to the girl's size, as well as a waterproof tank top made for Mers that had a hole in the back for the fin, which was large enough to show all of the scales on the back. The tank top was colored green like an ogre from a 2001 movie.

After the drive home to his house that was too large for one human, he put her in the tank after he filled it and got a filter running. The tank was located in the living room, elevated from the floor. She had soaked rags, so he offered her the tank top after she was in her tank.

Surfacing and resting her arms on the edge of the tank, she said, "Oh my Xadall! Oh my Xadall! You, a human, is actually offering to improve the life of me, a Mer! I will be forever in your debt!"

He was a bit surprised that she could talk with him, but gave her the sweater. He said, "Do you want to go out of the water to help get it on?"

"I'll be fine, master,"

"Actually, I don't see you as my pet."

"You really mean it?"

"Of course! Seeing you, someone with enough smarts to rival a human, being treated as a pet does not feel moral! How about this: I'll be your father, while you'll be my daughter. You will probably still stay in this tank, but we'll have a lot more of an even relationship than a pet and owner."

"Yes! I got taken in by a nice human!"

"Also, I never got your name. I'm Joe Scay. What's yours?"

"I'm Poncon."

"Alright, Poncon. Do you think you'll be able to remind me when to feed you?"

"Yep!" she said, and she reached her arms out. Joe knew she wanted the shirt, so he gave it to her. He said, "I may forget that you have scales on your back around your dorsal fin due to the tank top. Is that alright?"

"Sure!" said Poncon, and she reached her arms out again. Confused, Joe put his index finger towards her, and she hugged it.

This caught him by surprise, but he found her finger hug to be very nice.

The day after Joe Scay got his daughter Poncon, they were talking, and she said, "By the way, even though I'm suited for life in water, I can breathe that or air, so you could take me places even if I'd be out of water."