Damian stood to one side with his arms crossed. Finally, he gave a derisive snort, chin raised high, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Hmph, farm boy. You don't even know that? Merfolk originate in Eastern mythology. They weave silk from water and shed pearls for tears. They're nothing like the mermaids of Western legends that bewitch people with their singing."
"Oh, mermaid silk! I know about that!" Lost in his excitement, Jon didn't notice Damian's tone. "Dad gave Mom a beautiful Little Sun charm. If she falls into water or gets into danger, squeezing it hard three times turns it into a huge sheet of mermaid silk that wraps around her. It's for emergency rescues! It's just incredible!"
Damian raised an eyebrow. "You squeezed it?"
Jon's gaze drifted slightly.
Following his gaze, Damian spotted Conner pretending to study his phone intently.
All right, then.
"He squeezed it. Oh, sorry, let me correct that. The two of you did it together."
Jon looked a little embarrassed. "We didn't mean to. We were just curious, since Dad said the Little Sun was actually made of water... I'd never heard of mermaids having powers like that before. Wow, it's just incredible!"
"You've said that twice already. You really haven't seen much." Despite his scornful words, Damian's gaze involuntarily settled on that blue-violet tail as well. He paused, then added, "Besides, merfolk can naturally control water, and they're physically powerful. Their abilities are completely different from the mermaids in fairy tales."
As he spoke, Damian deliberately glanced at Jon, looking for all the world like a little peacock showing off his knowledge. Keeping his face stern, he added, "Only you people would mix up such basic mythological categories."
Titus nudged the back of his hand with his head at just the right moment, as