The merman had stopped bumping the boat and sung a song instead; Bram had complimented it; the merman had given him a gemstone... and so Bram had thought this interaction was going about as well as it could, until now.

Until this. What was this? Bram’s mouth fell open in mute surprise – and he had just been awfully worried about offending the merperson, but honestly what? – was the merman joking; or was this some trick, to get him to lean over the side and drown him; or was this a true mer custom, that if they gave a gift one was expected to return it with a – with a –

Bram gripped the edge of the boat between them with both hands, perhaps a little defensively. He was sure his chest was seizing up. “Oh, I – I –” he struggled even to get out that much, but the wide-eyed terror in his look might have spelled out the rest: I couldn’t possibly. He couldn’t give back the song, though, but perhaps he could have the gemstone back, to spare him this? The last thing Bram wanted – well, besides having to kiss anybody – was to make an enemy today, though, so: “Isn’t there – s-something else...?”

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