Click.

"—now the trick with making French toast is to cook it long enough so that you get that nice golden-brown color without-"

Click.

"—your stinkin' paws off of me, you da-"

Click.

"—authorities have yet to comment on the explosion that destroyed the already condemned apartment building here on Hamill Street, but several witnesses have confirmed that Ba-"

Click.

"—kachu, use your Thunderbolt atta-"

Click.

"-ya que tenemos estas peleas, mi amor? Sabes que no puedo abandonar a mi fábrica de chocolate más de lo que puede dar-"

More and more, the visions she saw on the glowing box called 'television' continued to fill Ariel with amazement; with her finger constantly pressing the rubber arrow on the tiny black box, she went through vision after vision of so many marvelous lands, some very much like the world she was in, but others so alien she could hardly comprehend them (some even looked like drawings, but come to life!). She could hardly stay on one vision for too long; the lure of what could come with the next clicking of the button was too great to resist. There seemed to be no end to them either; she had a feeling that she could lay back on this soft leather couch, warmed by the morning sunlight coming in through the window, and click on through forever. But even then, she felt that this was incomplete; it felt too much like watching what was happening on the beach or on a ship from afar, bobbing in the flow of the waves, always watching and never joining…Still, at least she was somewhat more educated about what she was missing out on. That had to be a benefit, right? Besides, she could always just grab her Star Gem later and…

No wait, she couldn't.

She threw herself back on the couch with a defeated sigh. All those other worlds she had visited, all that time she had spent swimming by coastlines and picking up trinkets for her collection, and yet barely had she considered the risk of losing the Star Gem. If only she had kept it on her person more securely, if only she had kept her satchel with her…if only she had said something to her father before she left, before she had, for all intents and purposes, died…

Her face fell into her hands at that thought.

At that moment, however, she managed to hear voices, live voices, over the chatter on the television. She looked up and around to see Bruce and Alfred coming down the hall through the entrance; Alfred was in his usual get-up, while Bruce seemed to be dressed more casually than the last time she had seen him, wearing a light grey jacket over a black shirt. They spoke in hushed voices as they drew near, but they were too far away for her to eavesdrop.

She did notice something odd about Bruce; his spine was unusually rigid, as though he was forcing his body to stand up straight; while the stride of his left leg seemed hampered. She didn't know much about the general quirks of human locomotion, but it seemed as though he had been in a fight with something…

She turned back to the television, but her thoughts still lingered on Bruce. Alfred said that he had business of some kind to take care of after sunset, but what kind of 'business' demanded going out in the middle of the night? Maybe tonight she could wait until long after dark for him to come back and then figure out what it was—but then Alfred might coax her back to bed again. The answer to that was simple enough; all she had to do was pretend to go to bed, wait until Alfred was surely asleep, and then get up to meet Bruce when he got back. It worked out so well back in Atlantica…but there was still the issue of her missing voice. How exactly did she plan to get some truth out of him? He could get away with saying anything, and she wouldn't be able to say otherwise…

Meanwhile, the TV continued to drone on in its babble. Barely heeding the words of the people inside, she continued to flip through the channels as she mulled over her plan.

"—you do not know the power of the dar-"

Click.

"OH MY GOSH, THIS IS THE GREATEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!"

What a wild-looking human…Click.

"—three nights of magic and wonder right here in Gotham-"

Click.

"—lo, I'm the Nostalgia-"

Wait. She had heard something two channels back. Something about magic…could it be? Was it possible?

She clicked back to the previous channel. The images were rapid and constantly changing, but the focus was clearly a human woman illuminated by bright white lights standing on a large platform in front of hundreds of people. She possessed long black hair and bright green eyes, and wore a black suit and tie that lacked trousers; instead, she wore some kind of netting over her legs. With one white-gloved hand she tipped a black top hat, and with the other she twirled a black rod with a white tip on the end before striking a box with it. In response, it fell apart, releasing a flock of white birds in a puff of smoke…

Ariel's jaw dropped at the sight. Was that MAGIC?

The visions continued to show the woman performing feat upon feat, each one just as astonishing as the last. The voiceover, meanwhile continued, saying, "Prepare to be amazed as the one and only Zatanna blurs the line between illusion and reality! Tickets are available by calling this number below! Get them before they're gone!" Finally, Zatanna herself made one last appearance, smiling and saying, "Blink and you'll miss it!" She then waved her rod, and disappeared in swirl of glittering particles.

A new vision of a man showing off brightly colored cars replaced the spectacle, but Ariel paid no heed to it. Only one thing occupied her mind.

There was a magic user here in Gotham! And she was advertising herself like a sea-lion all on the television! How come she never found out about this sooner?! Looking down at the black bracelet on her arm, it dawned on her like a burst of fire in the dark; if this 'Zatanna' person was capable of sorcery, then who was to say that she couldn't remove the enchantment that came with this thing—or at the very least modify it so that she would be able to speak! To speak again…oh, the things she would say! The songs she would sing! At last she could tell Bruce and Alfred who she was, and then she could ask them where she could find the Manta Man! And then she'd be able to ask the Manta Man all the questions she could think of, and then…

She just had to find this Zatanna, one way or another. There was no other option; all there was to do was to pray that this sorceress was a benevolent one.

"Morning, Ariel," Bruce's voice startled her from her contemplation, and drawing her attention to him standing in the doorway, Alfred standing a short distance away. "So, are you a fan? Of Zatanna, I mean."

Ariel cocked her head in puzzlement. She wasn't some instrument to keep the Zatanna sorceress cool! Where did Bruce get that idea? She shrugged mildly at his query.

"Well then," Bruce continued, "I don't want you getting bored here, so what do you say if I got tickets to her show? It's no big deal; you should have seen what I was able to do with the Russian Ballet…"

Ariel couldn't believe her luck. Jumping to her feet, she ran over and latched onto Bruce as firmly as she could.

"Oh! Okay, well then, we'll go this weekend, then," Bruce said as Ariel let go of him. "I'll have Alfred take care of things. I've got an appointment to get to."

As Bruce went his way, Ariel almost sprinted back to her room. She couldn't believe this change of events; for once, things were finally looking brighter for her.

Watching Ariel run back down the hallway and up the stairs, Bruce couldn't help but feel somewhat infected by this display of joy. He had never seen her quite this happy before, and for some reason it felt satisfying, more so than seeing a criminal being taken to jail had ever been. It was almost enough to distract him from the pain of the beating he had taken the night before.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said as they started walking towards the front door, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Well, it's a little unfair to keep her locked up at home all day, don't you think?" Bruce replied.

"As I recall, Master Bruce, it was you who said she couldn't afford to go out in public so long as the Joker was running amok."

"Which is precisely why I'm asking you to reserve a private suite, away from any prying eyes," Bruce answered. "I'll take care of the rest."

There was a moment's hesitation before Alfred said anything, but he did look at him with a small, rather suspicious grin. "Just for the two of you, or…?"

"Invite about twelve others, I don't care who," Bruce instructed, "We'll make it a party. And for the record," he said, pointing his finger, "This is just a friendly event."

"Of course sir," Alfred replied, "I meant no harm. After all, you are with Miss Appolonia…"

Bruce nodded. Just before Alfred could open the door for him and head to the waiting limousine, Bruce paused and instructed, "Let me know if anything comes up…especially if he's involved."

"Of course, sir," Alfred replied, "By the way, our genome sequencer is about thirty-eight percent completed. I will be sure to check on Fox's progress in the meantime."

Bruce thanked him as he stepped out the door and into the sunlight.

The Ferrier Hotel turned out to be a quaint place to have a date with Elyssa; for one, its primary restaurant, called the Greenhouse, was directly on the top floor, and was also equipped with a glass roof that could open and close according to how pleasant the weather was. It also happened to be personally bought and paid for by Bruce himself (at least for the next four months), which meant that the waiters knew to bring him ginger ale instead of anything alcoholic without him having to verbally instruct them, as per his request in the deal. He couldn't afford to dull his senses at any time.

Elyssa, of course, didn't know about this. Perhaps it was better for both of them if she didn't. For now, he was able to simply enjoy each other's company, basking in the strong midday sunlight surrounded by lush, exotic greenery that hummed with the chatter of other restaurant patrons, as they exchanged tales of their exploits in the world of socialites and celebrities. The conversation took a rather unexpected turn, however, as she told him of her recent involvement with archaeological excavations around the world between sips of apple margarita.

"I didn't know you had an interest in ancient history," Bruce remarked.

"Is it really so unusual? You donate to that museum, don't you?" Elyssa asked with a wry smile as she shifted herself in a blue dress that shimmered like scales in the light, "I'm terribly sorry about what happened to it, by the way."

"Don't be," Bruce said, "It's not your fault some psychotic clown blew it up."

"Very true, darling," she said, raising her glass, "Here's hoping the caped crusader can save the day! Anyway," she continued, "It's not an entirely selfless endeavor, I confess; I'm mostly in it for whatever artifacts they dig up…especially if it happens to be very attractive."

"You're starting to sound more like an art collector. Are you sure you wouldn't mind attending an auction instead?"

"Oh, darling, I'm not one to compete for competing with others. Besides, I'm rather specific in what I want; something that's only been recently found…"

"And what is that?"

"Oh, it has to do with some Pre-Columbian tribe that made the most exquisite talismans. Personally, though, I'm just looking to put them up for decoration in my home. There are plenty of other things having to do with them, but as far as I'm concerned, it's mostly trivia that only scientists would understand. I don't think you'd be very interested," Elyssa said, fanning away with her hand.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Bruce said, "I donate to a museum, remember?"

"Oh, yes of course. Here I was thinking that all you did was play around in fake romances with movie stars!" she laughed. "Anyway, I guess there is an element of romance to archaeology, isn't there? In a way, I feel like Indiana Jones himself, stumbling across a golden idol in the jungle…of course I haven't stumbled across any traps yet."

They shared a small laugh together before she took a moment to take another sip from her glass. This gave Bruce a moment to admire her grace and litheness, and as he did, he recalled the raucous day when they had met. There had been so much activity going on outside the box where he had been watching the home team win another score, and then she had come into the picture—rather unexpectedly, but still, it hadn't been an unpleasant surprise at all…

"Well, if you're interested in old relics after all," Elyssa said, pulling him out of his reverie, "I can show you what my people have found."

"That's very generous of you," Bruce said.

"It's all in Metropolis, however," she explained, "and seeing how it's all very delicate, I'm afraid I can't have it brought over without great expense. Still, I don't think you'd mind a weekend out of town, would you?" She leaned towards him over the table, the margarita in her glass tipping very slightly towards him very slightly. "Come on, darling, we've been apart for too long! And I missed you so much…I know you've been busy, but surely the Prince of Gotham needs some time away from his kingdom, right?"

It was an attractive offer, he had to admit. She was right; they hadn't seen each other in months, and they did need to catch up after so long apart…

The ashes and ruins of a collapsed warehouse and a fire-burned double-headed coin flashed before his eyes.

"Bruce?" Elyssa asked, shaking him into reality, "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "Like I said, it's wonderfully generous of you, but…"

"But what?" she asked.

There's no way I can leave Gotham while the Joker is out there waiting to strike, waiting to throw more lives into misery. Maybe once he's back in Arkham I can take up your offer.

"I need some time to think about it," he said.

At first, she was clearly disappointed, but that seemed to be brushed aside. "Very well," she answered, "I'll call in next week."

"Really? You're not upset about this?"

"Why would I be? I understand that you're a part-time business man, and you're very busy. Besides, I've got plenty of time to spend in Gotham. You just call me up when you feel up to it. But don't go running off somewhere without me, do you understand?"

This was incredibly generous of her. It almost surprised him, how lenient she was. But still, at least that gave him some time to try to catch the Joker; the sooner the better, though.

He agreed, and thankfully, the conversation switched to a different subject.

It proved difficult for Ariel to think back to when she had seen water so clear before. At the same time it proved difficult for her to describe the emotion she felt when seeing so much water, all of it contained within a single pool as long as a whale, and all of it inside of the building, illuminated by the bars of light up on the ceiling. She had no idea that humans were able to hoard so much water in one place; it was like Bruce had his own personal sea!

Alfred stood behind her, saying, "I felt, Miss Ariel, that I had to make sure that you knew about ALL the facilities available here; I'm surprised that Master Bruce hasn't shown you this, but he is a very preoccupied man, to say the least. I'm sure he won't mind if you take a dip." He then motioned to a door on the other side. "There's a changing room over there," he said, "and I've taken the liberty to procure some swimwear and towels. I'll be right here if anything comes up."

Excitement at the sight of water deep enough for her to swim in started to overcome her. Already it had dawned on her how kind fortune had been to her; she was all too ready to jump right on in, kick off the lower garments she was wearing, throw that cursed bracelet off of her arm, and swim freely with her tail again, and finally be able to sing, be able to speak again….

But then she held herself back from taking such an action. First of all, if she did take off the bracelet, she'd only have to put it back on again, and go through that horribly painful transformation again. Second, what would Alfred's reaction be to seeing her change species? She didn't feel like she could bring herself to do that to him.

Third, she could smell something odd about this water that she had never smelled before in water; it was strong, almost pungent…perhaps it would be best to keep the bracelet on after all. Whatever was in that water probably wasn't worth breathing in, anyway.

She stepped towards the doors that Alfred had indicated, and right inside a white-wooden stall was a bikini made of some silk-like material, colored a deep green, sitting on top of a small bench jutting out from the wall. After undressing, she slipped it on, and noted how soft the fabric felt against her body. Still, as comfortable as they were, she doubted how long the top would last against the pressures of oceanic life, as opposed to her own shell top that she had been wearing the whole time up until now.

Once that was finished, she walked back into the area surrounding the pool, and felt inclined to head towards where the water was darker in color. She noticed a long plank on this end that she hadn't noticed before that stretched out a good distance over the water. Curious, she stepped up the small ladder before it, and walked out to the edge of the plank. Instinct beckoned to her, and at its behest, she placed one hand over the other, took in a deep breath, and leaped. To her surprise, her jump was increased, and she felt herself flying before diving into the pleasant cool of the water and hearing the explosion her penetration had caused as she plunged deeper and deeper.

For the first time in a long time, she felt at home again here in the water, but even then, it felt strangely alien to her, here; she immediately noticed how deaf she was, hearing nothing but a monotonous, muffled roar. She attempted to move forward, but there was little to no momentum as she flexed her spine. Her legs waved around aimlessly in the water, meanwhile.

Great, she thought. She had to learn how to swim again…and fast, now that she thought about it. The air in her lungs was starting to grow stale; normally, her gills would fill her lungs with the precious 'breathing gas' filtered from the water, allowing her to speak underwater and not worry about drowning, but now she realized that she had a limited supply to run on. She needed to get back to the surface for a quick gulp, and fast. But how to do it?

Think, Ariel, she thought to herself. How did humans swim without a tail? She certainly couldn't flick her legs like she would a tail…or could she?

She looked down at her feet. For some reason, she thought of the paddles on human oars, how they were like the flippers on a turtle, how they managed to propel boats forward with a stroke…

Then it came to her. Perhaps it was just like walking…sort of.

Stretching out her feet, she then started to kick, and to her joy, she moved! But it wasn't enough to move her further along; realizing what was needed, she began to kick harder, harder, and constantly. She pressed her fingers close together, and pushed herself upwards. With surprising speed, she managed to break through to the surface, and instinctively breathed out the stale, and breathed in the fresh, before sinking back in.

Well, that wasn't so bad, she thought. Maybe she could get the hang of this 'leg-kicking' method after all.

Before long, she was swimming again like never before, though admittedly with half the skill she was used to. Even then, she reveled in being weightless again as she swam laps up and down the length of the pool, twirled around, and even just simply floated on the surface. It didn't measure up to what she was capable of doing with her tail; if only she could leap high out of the water like she could before. Just one of the many sacrifices she had to make. But still, at least she had this much to work with; these legs weren't so bad at swimming as she thought they would be, even if she had to put in constant effort to kick around and keep her head above water.

For now, however, she rested, keeping her body level as she floated in the water, taking in the peace of the moment. It was curious, but she never had been able to float like this before, or at least not for this long, anyway. Out in the open sea there was always the risk of some predator, shark or otherwise, taking advantage of someone taking a moment to rest, but here, she had none of that concern. She could lie here as long as she was able to keep herself steady with a constant waving of her arms…

As it turned out, however, that wasn't for very long, as she slipped back upright and sank into the water. But as she sank below water, she captured a glimpse of someone standing at the other end of the pool…

Bruce! He was back from that appointment thingy of his!

As fast as she could, she adjusted herself and swam forward towards him at the other end.

"Hey, Ariel," Bruce said as she climbed up the metal ladder attached to the wall, "I see Alfred has shown you the pool."

"Yes indeed, sir," Alfred said as he came up, holding a thick, folded towel in his hands. Ariel thankfully grabbed it from him and began drying herself off with it. All the while, she couldn't help but look into his hazel eyes again, and feel that funny feeling again…

"So, how was your time with Miss Appolonia?" Alfred asked Bruce.

"Oh, yeah, it was a good time," Bruce replied, "I'm going to have to see her later. So, anyway," Bruce continued with Ariel, "Did you enjoy yourself? I'm sorry I wasn't able to show you before."

She nodded vigorously. He went on.

"You're a very good swimmer," he complimented, "did you know that? I've actually been watching for a while, and I have to say, I've met some people who've qualified for the Olympics, and I bet they'd be jealous of you."

At first, Ariel blushed at the compliment, quietly wondering what he'd say had she REALLY been in action. But then she noticed something about his eyes, something analytical, like he had been observing her for other reasons than admiration…

"Well, it has been four hours," Alfred said, "I'd best be putting dinner together."

"Very well," Bruce replied, "If you don't mind, Alfred, I'll head out a little early this evening. You know, for the usual business."

"How early?"

"Early enough to get in some extra work," Bruce replied.

"May I ask why, sir?"

"Let's just say I have some extra motivation," Bruce said. "Don't wait up for me." He then started his way towards the exit, while Alfred and Ariel looked on after him.

All the time, Ariel couldn't shake the thoughts that came to her after seeing the look in his eyes. He said he had been watching her for a while…was that the same as studying? Maybe, but who could say?