Merrow

	Meredith was a Merrow, the more eccentric, lustful kind of mermaid that can't help but be enthralled by the affairs of others. She had made herself a home out of a dilapidated and abandoned shoreside cottage, right next to a secluded section of the beach. She had messy, long, bright red hair, vividly pink scales, and a cute, round face. She never made her presence known, nor did she let anyone know that she was residing there, as many couples would use the secluded strip of sand as a romantic getaway, and this was the perfect opportunity for to learn everything she could about sex.
	It was enough that she could witness such lewd acts in public, but she had borne witness to a variety of sexual situations in her short time there, more than she could possibly learn from any books on the subject. On one occasion, a couple walking over to the private beach had discovered that it was already in use. Instead of awkwardly walking away, or finding another spot, they simply asked if they could use the spot as well, and ended up having an on-the-spot foursome. It was lewd, it was depraved, and Meredith couldn't get enough of it.
	Of course, being around all of this lascivious activity gave Meredith plenty of excuses to experiment with herself. She was a habitual masturbator, and although she had no personal experience with sex, she did her best to emulate some of the kinks and positions at play.
	Her lust grew to a point where, desperately wanting to know how a kiss felt, she brought a CPR dummy. Of course, this was a very limited solution, but it came with some benefits. For one, if she was inserting a phallic object inside of herself, she could hold the dummy close, and squeeze tightly, allowing her to feel a heavy breath against her neck, bringing her that much closer to the real deal. But, it still couldn't satisfy her.
	Over time, she began to realize that she was not the only one who lurked around the cottage. A young man, who immersed himself in a book at around 12:00, and left at 12:27 every afternoon, without fail. He would never lift his eyes from his book, unless disturbed by a noise or a leaf falling on him. He was completely oblivious to the outside world–the perfect candidate for a harmless prank or two.
	Every now and again, the beach would be empty at around the same time that the young man would drop by to read his book. At first, she kept her distance, but grew bolder as time went on. Eventually, she'd be looking down at him from a window, groping herself vigorously as she imagined how humiliated she would feel if she were caught.
	Then, one day in the middle of the act, she stopped, opened the window, and called out to him.
	"Hey, whatcha readin'?"
The man looked around, unable to determine the source of the voice.
	"I'm right behind you, silly."
	"Auugh!" The man yelped, spiraling through the air as he scrambled to face the one addressing him. "Oh, it's a mermaid."
	"Merrow, actually."
	"Ah, excuse me." He adjusts his glasses. "Actually, this isn't a book, it's a ledger."
	"A ledger for what?"
	"The inn. There have been quite a few tourists stopping by here recently, so I was wondering if I could find a pattern."
	"You're an innkeeper?"
	"Nope, just an assistant. But, with how much business we've been getting, it wouldn't surprise me if I ended up in charge of my own."
	"So, why are you here?"
	"It's the quietest place around. The inn has been getting so noisy that it's a bit hard to think clearly. Is this your home?"
	"Yeah. Don't tell anybody, though."
	"Why?"
	"For one, I'm a mermaid, but there's another reason. In fact, it might be related to your research."
	"Really? What is it?"
	"Why don't you come in and find out?"
	The man had no reason to fear a mermaid, but the smirk plastered over her face was certainly off-putting. Nevertheless, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, so he swallowed his caution, and allowed himself inside the house.
	To the man, the inside of Meredith's house was a complete sty. It looked like it hadn't been touched up in ages, and there were cobwebs and dust covering nearly every part of the home. The sole exception was a window, which Meredith was eagerly beckoning the man over to. The window overlooked a small section of beach, isolated on three sides by steep cliffs.
	As the man approached the window, he quizzically cocked his head to the side. "I don't quite understand what you mean by-" He choked in the middle of his sentence, not because an errant bit of dust had flown into his lungs, but because he was dumbfounded by what was just out of sight a moment earlier.
	"Are they...?"
	"Yup. Lots of couples come by here."
	"How long has this been going on for?"
	"As long as I've been here. Maybe longer."
	"And how long have you been here?"
	"Around six months."
	"Well, it lines up.  Amazing that the answer was so close by." The man nervously averted his gaze from the window. By all means, sex was in no way disgusting to him, but watching it from afar filled him with a kind of uneasiness he couldn't describe.
	Meredith, on the other hand, had her eyes locked onto them, with the focus of an academic. "Hey, mister..."
	"Dunkirk." The man blurted out. It wasn't his real name, but he was quickly growing suspicious of the Merrow. "And you are?"
	"Meredith. Mister Dunkirk, would you like to see it up close?"
	"The beach, you mean?"
	"Yes. The couple is on their way out."
	"Well, no, not really. I'm perfectly satisfied with what I know right now."
	"I was hoping you would go there with me. I was wondering how it would feel."
	"The sand?"
	"Sex. I don't have a partner."
	"Is that so?" He coughed adjusting the collar of his shirt. "Well, maybe you could find someone at the tavern."
	"I've already shown you my secret, haven't I? I don't really want to tell anyone else."
	"I mean, it's not that bad of a secret, is it? Voyeurism is a fairly common practice, for better or worse."
	"Dunkirk, do you masturbate?"
	"Excuse me, what?"
	"You know, touching yourself. Down there."
	Dunkirk rubbed his forehead. "I know what you mean, I just don't understand why you're asking me that."
	"So, you do? Because that doesn't sound like a no."
	He mimed checking a watch, despite not owning one. "Oh, wow, I should probably head back now, they're probably wondering where I went."
	"It's only been fifteen minutes. Don't you usually head back around 12:27?"
	"How do you know that?"
	"I've been watching you."
	The man didn't think twice about bolting out of the front door, and heading back to the inn full-sprint.
	"What a weird guy." Meredith thought out loud. But, she wouldn't let the awkwardness of her first-ever house guest ruin her routine.

However, in the end, Meredith couldn't get the man off her mind. In a way, he seemed to check all of the right boxes, and Meredith often found herself daydreaming about when he'd return. These daydreams eventually turned into fantasies, sometimes of a sexual nature. She wondered if someday he'd return with a bouquet of roses, sweets and wine, sweep her off her feet, and marry her on the spot. Other times, she thought about how good it would feel to be taken by him on the secluded beach she loved so much.
	The man never returned. Meredith wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She wondered if the man's prediction of eventually buying and running his own hotel was true. So, for the first time in nine months, she made her way into town.
	It was exactly the same way she remembered it – a few stores here and there, a massive clock tower in the middle, and a single, crowded inn and tavern. If there was still only one inn, it would be reasonable to deduce that Dunkirk was still working there. She went inside to see for herself.
	The inside of the inn was bustling, and she barely made her way over to the counter without stumbling and falling.
	"Are you checking in?" The receptionist asked, tapping a gold-plated pen on a dusty book.
	"Oh, no, I'm looking for an employee. His name is Dunkirk."
	"Dunkirk? You sure that's his name?"
	"Yes. We met a few months ago, but I haven't heard from him since. He told me he worked here."
	"Well, you're free to look for him. However, we currently have a strict loitering policy, due to the high volume of customers. It'd be best if you bought a room.
	"Alright, how much?"
	"A hundred gald a night."
	Meredith reached inside of her hat, grabbed a handful of something, and set it down on the counter. As she lifted her hand, the receptionist's eyes opened wide. He took a couple of pieces, looked over them carefully, and sighed. "You must be joking. This is worth far more than a night. You could practically live here with this kind of money."
	"So, do we have a deal?"
	The receptionist scratches his head. "Wait, you lost me. Are you saying you want to live here?"
	"I already live here."
	"I'm sorry, what?"
	Meredith slams her hands against the counter. "Just let me in already!"
	"Uhh, okay. If you need room service, just ring the bell."
	Meredith had already left the counter by the time the receptionist had finished his sentence. She began her search by sliding down the hallways and calling out for Dunkirk. When that didn't work, she made it a point to knock on every door to every room and ask for him.
	He was nowhere to be found. That, or he was in hiding. She returned to the receptionist, who was still counting the fortune he had recently amassed.
	Meredith slammed the service bell with her palm. "I need a list of everyone who works here, as well as a list of the guests staying for tonight."
	"I don't think I can do that." The receptionist quivered.
	"Then who can?"
	"I'm just not sure if it's legal."
	"How much?"
	"Ma'am, I can't-"
	"He's here, isn't he?"
	"Look, I can get you my manager. He should know exactly where your boyfriend is." The receptionist shrugged as he vanished into a hallway behind him.

	What Meredith didn't know, was that the man she was looking for wasn't anywhere near the hotel. He was standing on the
 same beach that she used to watch obsessively. The beach was empty, for now, and the sun was barely shining through the thick layer of clouds.
	The man who had previously introduced himself as Dunkirk was carefully observing his surroundings.
	"Something is definitely off about this place. It feels like..." he muttered to himself, "It feels like it's really close." Dunkirk laid his hand on a nearby rock wall. "Something demonic." The demonic energy was dense enough to make him dizzy.
	"A demon, you say? I happen to know a few of them."
	A voice chimed in from Dunkirk's backside. He quickly turned around. "Nereid!" He yelped, as he backed into the cliffside.
	It was, in fact, the Demon of the Sea, the Nereid. A race of creatures infamous for dragging their prey deep underwater, never to be seen again. Her damp, dark green hair was fashioned in a well-kept bob cut. Her pale, seaweed green skin was littered with red tattoos, and her darker green appendages all ended in sharp, claw-like nails. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just interested in what you're doing here alone. You do know what this place is, don't you?"
	The man took a moment to catch his breath. "I'm aware. I just don't understand it. I have an idea, but I don't know how to tell for sure."
	The Nereid folded her arms, and gave the man a cocksure grin. "Can I let you in on a secret?"
	"Is it about the woman who lives up there?" The man asks, pointing up toward Meredith's shoreside home.
	"Oh, Marilyn? No, she's mostly harmless."
	"Marilyn? You mean Meredith?"
	The Nereid chuckled to herself. "Looks like she pulled one over you. Pretty typical of her. But, she's not related to what I'm talking about."
	"Alright, then what were you talking about?"
	"This is a demon realm. It's been coming up the shoreline for years now, but this is the first time it's ever hit dry land. The couples that come here are usually aware of it, too."
	"That explains why everything's spinning."
	"That's also why Marilyn's been watching it so much. It's not only a good place to watch some action, but a great place to get some, too. Demonic energy has a way of persuading men into doing whatever you want them to."
	"That explains why she was so eager to take me down there."
	The Nereid shrugs. "Of course, you're here now. What's going to stop someone from finding you, and taking you for themselves? You've put yourself in quite the predicament."
	"Aren't monsters supposed to be against that sort of thing?"
	"Many monsters are of the opinion that an abduction can be qualified by an adequate seduction. Poseidon thinks that way, as well."
	"Well, I appreciate the warning."
	"Who said anything about a warning? I'm just giving you time to process what's about to happen to you." The Nereid smirks, licking her lips.
	The man let out a fake, anxious laugh. "You mamono have such an odd sense of humor. Shame that it's completely lost on me." He made a couple of awkward steps forward, bracing himself against the steep, rocky wall that separated the tiny beach from the rest of the coast. He felt his ankles getting soaked in saltwater. "Huh. Don't remember the water being this steep. Is it high tide already?"
	"I'm just raising the water level to make things a bit easier for me. Once it's about knee-high, I can drag you under without hurting you too much."
	The man was quickly realizing how dire his situation was. "Well, I should probably hurry then." He stammered, climbing up the rocky slope a bit as he continued walking down the edge of the wall.
	"I wouldn't do that if I were you. The waves are pretty strong this time of year." As the Nereid spoke, a massive tidal wave began to form behind her, and was quickly building up speed as it rolled toward the shore.
	"Can't we be a bit more diplomatic about this?"
	"We can talk as much as you want after I'm done. For now, you can choose between a good time, or a great time. Though I feel like staying on that rock is your way of telling me that you need the former."
	The wave closes in on the shoreline, and the man starts to become frantic. He repeatedly tries to pull himself further up the rocks, to no avail. "Be reasonable!" He wimpers, "There's no way I could love someone who tried to drown me!"
	"Yeah, yeah, sure. Oh no, how could I possibly threaten your life! How crass of me! I'm so deeply sorry, could you ever forgive me?" She whines mockingly, while feigning a swoon.
	The wave crashes into the shoreline with a thunderous splash, and easily floods the area. The man clings desperately to the rocks, but is peeled off of them by the force of the water. As the man tumbles into the current, the Nereid dives underwater, and darts toward him with exceptional speed. The man desperately tries to swim back to the surface for air, but is quickly caught by the Nereid, who drags him back into the sea by his leg. He struggles against her grip, but can't find the strength to shake her off. The Nereid yanks him down to her level, and clinches him.
	"Calm down, I'm not actually going to kill you. It was fun to see how terrified you were, though." The Nereid giggled, before planting her lips upon the man's. The cold, slimy tongue of the Nereid worked its way inside of the man's mouth, drenching it in sweet, sticky saliva. The man manages to shake himself free of the kiss. “Stop struggling, or you'll drown.” She whispers through the water. “The water-breathing spell is only temporary.”
	The man hadn't realized that he was breathing. “Even if that's the case, I don't want this! Let me go!”
	“It's too late for that. If you leave now, you wouldn't have enough time to reach the surface. Give up already.” She moves a hand up to grab him by the back of the head, and pulls his face uncomfortably close. “We're gonna fuck, and that's that. By the time I'm done, you won't be able to think about anything else.” She grumbled, before forcing him into another kiss. The Nereid, confident in her victory, began to giggle malevolently to herself as she toyed with the helpless man in her grasp. She forced her thigh between his leg, and gently nudged his crotch, her face growing increasingly smug when the man let a moan slip from his tongue.
	A shadow began to blot out the faint glimmer of the sun above. Gradually, the shadow began to turn pink. The man wondered if this was another property of the demon realm. Knowing that his fate was sealed, he gave up on struggling, much to the Nereid's pleasure.
	Then, the pink shadow started to glow in the dull sunlight. It took the form of a teardrop. Then, it grew in size, to that of a small fish. Then, a dart, with a three-pronged tip.
	“Let him go!”
	A trident, brightly silver, and glowing a faint purple, plunged into the Nereid's backside. The Nereid shrieked in surprise. “Marilyn?!”
	A face flashed in the reflection of the trident. Indeed, it was Marilyn, whose face was swollen with anger. She jabbed the Nereid once more. “Let him go!” She cried once more.
	The Nereid roared as she swung a hand backwards at Marilyn. “He's mine!”
	The break in her grip was the exactly the opportunity the man needed to kick free of the Nereid's clutches. Desperately, the man began to swim upward, but the Nereid was quickly closing the distance. However, in chasing after him, she had turned her back to Marilyn, who was charging at her once more with the trident. The Nereid quickly darted away from harm, cursing as she fled into the abyss.
	Marilyn caught up to the Man, and, without a moment's hesitation, tossed aside the spear, and placed her hat upon his head. She immediately began to feel uneasy. “I'm sorry, Duncan.” She apologized to the man, using his true name. “It looks like it might be a while before we can see each other again. Try to remember me, okay?”
	Without their hat, a Merrow will become completely helpless underwater for a lengthy period of time. Marilyn knew this just as well as anyone else. However, even though she understood what it meant, what would happen to her, how long it would take to adjust, she had already made her decision. She closed her eyes, and relaxed her body, waiting to drift onto the sea floor. However, that time never came. She opened her eyes, and saw that Duncan had seized her hand, and was slowly dragging her upward with him. Though it was a long way up, and Duncan was well past the point of exhaustion by the time they reached the surface, Marilyn had a warm smile on her face the entire time. Duncan pulled himself up to the beach, where he collapsed in a heap of sand.
	“Thanks...” He muttered, as he fell unconscious. It was the first time Marilyn had heard that word. She lifted Duncan's limp body from the ground, and carried him off to her home, where she dusted him off with a towel, hung his clothes out to dry, and laid him on top of her bed. She gave him a kiss on the forehead, before collapsing next to him, and falling comfortably asleep.

	Duncan groaned as he stretched his arms above his head. It was early the next morning. He opened his eyes, but could see nothing familiar about the room. “Where am I?” He thought to himself, as he slid out of bed. His limbs were extremely stiff, and he had difficulty walking around the room. The faintest smell of freshly baking bread was wafting from just outside the door. The pangs of hunger in his stomach forced him into action. He made his way out of the bedroom, down a long hallway, and descended a flight of stairs. He ended up in a large living room, with dark, wooden floors, and tall dual-pane windows. He immediately recognized where he was standing. He looked down from one of the windows, at an all too familiar beach, and sighed.
	“You're awake a lot earlier than I was expecting. Are you alright?”
	Marilyn had slithered in from the kitchen upon hearing Duncan descend the stairs. She didn't have anything on but an apron, which was oddly appropriate, as she didn't really have much to cover up on her backside. Her normally messy hair had been done up in a ponytail, and she was holding a spatula.
	“Yeah. I'm sore, but alive.” He sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I take it you brought me here?”
	“Of course. It'd be pretty irresponsible of me to leave you on the beach. Besides, I owe you one.”
	“So that's what this is all about.”
	“What, do you think I dress like this every day? I heard from a friend that humans like this sort of thing. Plus, I made breakfast.”
	“I was wondering what smelled so good.”
	Marilyn giggled to herself. “I'm so happy to hear that. And, if you're hungry for seconds, we could... you know.” Marilyn winked.
	Duncan folded his arms in deep thought. “You know what? I might take you up on that.”
	“Oh, uh.” Marilyn coughed. “A-Anyway, breakfast is this way.” She stammered, motioning him toward the door to the kitchen. Following his stomach more than her hands, Duncan made his way in.
	The kitchen was very generously sized, with a small dining table located in the back corner. On top of the table were two plates, each loaded with rosemary-seasoned hashed browns, sunny-side-up eggs, and thick-cut, smoky strips of bacon.
	“I'm not exactly the best cook, but I tried my best.” Marilyn smirked, her pride shining vividly through her humble words.
	Duncan was already digging into the meal, grunting happily as he stuffed his face with food. Marilyn did the same only moments later, as yesterday's ordeal, as well as cooking breakfast, had left her completely exhausted. The room become completely silent save for the sound of ravenous feasting, if only for a few moments, after which Duncan took a massive swig of water, and a breath of fresh air.
	“Marry me.” Duncan blurted out.
	Marilyn slammed her hands on the table. “Absolutely!” She exclaimed. “But, uh, before that...” She panted in arousal. “Wanna do a practice run?”


-----------------------------------------------------------------Afterword
	Hey, sorry that it's been so long since I've posted anything. Life's been crazy, and I just hadn't had the motivation in a while to do anything. But, after a whole lot of “do it fagit” from some friends, and a certain Sahuagin waifufag recommending that I try a story about a Merrow, I finally found some motivation.
	With that said, I'm kind of upset that I didn't make her yandere. I dunno, I feel like the only way I could do that, while still trying to remain faithful to the Merrow's character, would mean she'd have to watch the protagonist she's in love with fucking someone else, and I'm just not about that. So, in short, sorry if you were expecting a yandere story.
	On a final note, before you start thinking I'm dead again, I should probably tell you all again about my personal discord server, which you can use to personally relay your messages of “stop being dead, faggot”, “write more lilims”, and “when are you going to remake your first tanuki story, you loser?”. You can join it here! https://discord.gg/FQUHbx7
	Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful next few hours. I don't know what time zone you live in. What do you think I am, a stalker?