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“She has more right to know than anyone,” Merletta started, but Emil shook his head.
“I wasn’t talking about Eloise. I was talking about Andre.”
Merletta made an exasperated noise. “Of course we had to tell him, Emil. I should’ve done it from the start. It wouldn’t be right to keep him in the dark when the rest of us—”
“You misunderstand,” said Emil, still speaking in his usual emotionless way. “I was referring to the way you cornered him into inviting you today. It puts a much greater target on his back than the rest of us are carrying.”
Merletta stared from him to Sage, who was once again fidgeting.
“Why does it do that?” Merletta asked, confused. “We’re all known to be friends. Why would inviting me to his celebration change anything?”
“This is what I was trying to explain, Emil,” Sage muttered. “She honestly doesn’t understand.”
“Enough,” said Merletta darkly. “I’m clearly missing something, and it’s time for someone—anyone—to explain what it is.”
“Gladly,” said Emil, his voice dry. “Look around you, Merletta. How many people in our generation do you see?”
Merletta frowned at the crowd. “Not as many as I’d expect,” she acknowledged. “I’m surprised by how many of the guests are the age of Andre’s parents, given it’s his birthday celebration.”
“That’s because Andre’s family didn’t invite individuals to this event,” Emil explained. “That simply isn’t how we do things in Skulssted. We invite families.”
Sage nodded. “He’s right. Family is everything in Skulssted. Not just in the sense that it matters which family you come from. It’s almost like…like you don’t exist outside your family.”
Merletta’s thoughts flew to the way Sage had introduced herself to Andre’s father the night before, and how he’d seemed to relax when she presented herself as a representative of her family rather than a friend of Andre’s from his studies.
“I see,” Merletta said, subdued.
Sage shook her head. “I don’t think you do, to be honest. And how could you be expected to? Last night I thought maybe you were just dismissive of the conventions. It didn’t occur to me until later that you probably had no idea about them, given no one where you grew up had a family.”
Merletta was silent, thinking over certain experiences during her time at the Center. Perhaps this mentality was why her presence seemed to be so offensive to the more uptight residents of the Center. Without membership of a family, she had no identity whatsoever, and no standing based on which she might enter the Center’s ecosystem. Even the day she’d signed up—the mermaid on duty in the Center’s receiving hall had been disdainful at the absence of any parents to formally support Merletta’s application.
“What about Eloise, though?” she argued. “She’s here alone.”
“Because she’s a widow,” Sage said. “I mean…” She lowered her voice. “As far as anyone knows. She might be alone now, but she’s still a representative of an honored and recognized family.”
“But what about orphans?” Merletta protested.
“We don’t have orphans in Skulssted,” said Sage simply. “They’re formally adopted into families, and take on the name and standing of the adopting parents.”
“That sounds very nice,” said Merletta dryly. “And like the kind of answer the Center would give to your average citizen who doesn’t know enough to dig any deeper.”
Sage looked taken aback, her eyes flying to Emil for support.
“She’s right,” Emil told her calmly. “Sometimes there isn’t anyone willing to adopt the orphaned child. In which case they’re sent to a charity home.” He paused. “None of which are in Skulssted.”
Sage’s eyes widened as her gaze passed slowly from Emil back to Merletta. “You mean, like…”
“Yes, yes, like me, but I’m not from Skulssted,” Merletta said impatiently.
Her irritation softened as she read the disillusionment in Sage’s eyes. The other mermaid had honestly believed the pleasant picture she’d been painted of Skulssted’s approach to those unfortunate enough not to possess the family required to validate existence in the wealthy city.
“You could be, for all you know,” Emil pointed out.
Merletta didn’t respond. She hadn’t told anyone about the record she’d found in the center of the maelstrom—the one claiming her parents were named Elminia and Elric and came from Hemssted—and she didn’t intend to bring it up now.
“So the point is that Andre has disgraced himself socially by inviting me to his celebration without a family to give me credibility,” she said, returning to the original point. “It was heroic of him to let me push him into it, then.”
“You’re still missing the point,” Emil informed her. “It’s not about social standing. It’s about the way we do things. People won’t be offended that Andre invited an individual, but they will take notice.”
