Mara smiled when the human's pretty face took on a pink sort of glow as she blushed and she bit her lip thoughtfully as she listened to her speak. The girl mentioned that she had wondered what a real life mermaid would look like, and Mara felt her smile widen a little bit more and another blush on her cheeks. She wasn't used to this kind of attention, but at the same time she felt a little bit flattered. After a moment she finally responded, "Well...I hope I lived up to your expectations." The girl's next words made the smile falter a little. She had asked if she had to go soon. Mara adverted her gaze, looking back over her should to the ocean as she considered the question. Yes. And no. She should go, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

She was cute, this human girl. She had a smile that seemed to light her whole face and her eyes were dark and seemed to sparkle. She envied the girl's tanned skin more than she cared to admit. Mara enjoyed sunbathing as much as she could, but her own skin remained as pale as ever due to her life in the dark, cool depths of the sea. The girl seemed to radiate friendliness and it had been so long since Mara had mat someone new that she wanted to believe that she could be friends with this girl. But they couldn't, could they? They were from two different worlds, ones that were probably meant to stay separated. If her family or her pod ever found out that Mara had let herself be seen by this girl, let alone that Mara had actually spoken to her... She didn't want to think about what would happen. So she should leave. Now. Before...something happened. Before she could befriend a human. Even if a part of her really wanted to. Really wanted to learn more about a girl who had been kind enough to help someone that wasn't from the same species as her.

No. This was dangerous. She needed to go home now. A mermaid couldn't be friends with a human. 

Then she heard the girl introduce herself, and Mara's eyes lifted to Mayumi's gaze once again. Then she felt her reservations fade as she looked into the kind girl's eyes and she stayed exactly where she was. "My name's Mara." She smiled, feeling a sort of elated rush from this forbidden action. Then the other girl's eyes shifted and Mara turned her head to see what she was looking at. It was her tail and fin, and when Mayumi spoke again Mara turned back to look at her. She bit her lip when Mayumi told her she was beautiful and glanced down at her hands. "Thank you, Mayumi. So are you, you know." She said it in a sincere voice, and her head rose so she could smile up at her. 

Mara's fin flicked and she glanced back at it for a moment before looking back to the girl. "You can feel it. My tail. If you want to. I don't mind." Her smile was reassuring as she shifted her position in the sand once again and rolled over onto one side, still bracing herself with in elbow. She used her free hand to brush some loose sand off of the scales, then rested it gently against them. "It's alright, really. You can touch." Mara met Mayumi's eyes and nodded her head, inviting her to come closer.