This story is intended to be fairly wholesome and intended for most viewers. However…
*There is a transgender transformation in this piece, affirming but lengthy.
*A merfolk/mermaid transformation is depicted.
*Mild profane language is used.
*There is a reference to a real property that I do not own. Ownership credits will appear at the end.

Embrace of the Ocean – Chapter 2
Reunion

With the time they had for the rest of the day, they used it to plan out Andrea’s sleeping arrangements. The master bathroom’s tub was very spacious (and still attached to the house). They figured they could fill it with saltwater so she could sleep comfortably. Zenna thought ahead and grabbed some sea plants to make a sheet and pillow for Andrea.

Meanwhile, Zenna had to explain a lot to the family. Her place of work, Citadel Harbor University, was a college that hid a vast underground facility where all sorts of beings worked. Known to various Earth governments and the United Nations, humans mostly ran the “front” of the place, while terrestrial magic races – merfolk, dryads, and dragons among them – and an extradimensional “kitsune” race worked with other humans to understand magic and advance technology for the better of all.

(Especially given that within the next few decades, the kitsune’s world was going to become unlivable for them due to a magic curse, and three billion kitsunes will need a new home – and Earth needed to be ready for them, if it even could…)

She did her best to describe each race and their abilities, so that when they came over, the family would be ready for them. It was a lot to take in, and even Zenna admitted this was not going to be the easiest thing for them. They’ve been tossed into the world of magic, whether any of them were ready or not.

She also took the time to detail her own people, whose realm had been constantly bombarded by human refuse, much to the merfolk’s chagrin. Still, in time, they became clever and crafty; merfolk led the rest in recycling-based ideas. She even mentioned how her own clothes were spun from discarded plastic shopping bags, an experimental recycling technology they were hoping to bring to market in the next few years.

The night came and went without incident. Zenna had opted to sleep in a chair to look over Andrea, in case she accidentally floated too close to the surface and began choking on the air. Fortunately, there were no problems of the sort.

When Andrea woke, she decided to do a check of the changes to her body. She was a bit surprised that the number of new scales could be counted on one hand, and the webbing on her toes hadn’t really changed either. She grumbled a bit at her chest’s continued lack of progress. But it was hard to complain when she realized her hips had grown considerably – maybe even fully – overnight. But it didn’t come with more for her behind, so it oddly felt bony again.

Her hands, too, were fully webbed up. Pretty as the turquoise-blue webbing was, she had hoped to message her friends today, let them know she was okay, but she worried the webbing was going to hinder that. She started flexing her fingers around, simulating typing. The webbing didn’t hinder her movements at all, thankfully. It stretched and retracted as needed to keep her movements free. She gave it a quick tap. It was sensitive and a little fuzzy, likely to deter overexertion or sharp hazards.

She grabbed the glass cup next to the sink and filled it. Her hands latched onto it with an iron grip, knowing this was necessary for her to breathe now.

The family and their guest had been up for an hour when the doorbell rang. They all decided to greet the visitors, fairly certain it was Zenna’s coworkers.

The door opened to a man whose face screamed “I hate Mondays.” “Is this the Madison residence?” he asked.

“Indeed it is!” Andrea’s father answered.

“Oh good, because it would have been embarrassing to arrive at the wrong place, especially with some… Eh-hem, unusual guests in tow….” He stepped aside to reveal all sorts of people behind him. There was practically a rainbow in front of the family, of people of all kinds with a wild assortment of hairs, furs, and scales. The fox people really stood out, no two alike.

The man held out his hand. “Agent Terrance, of the FBI. I’m a part of the department that overlooks the supernatural. I heard we have a merfolk transformation in progress?”

Andrea raised her hand, showing the fully formed webbing. “That’s me.”

“Ah, good, I hear your name is now Andrea? If you can answer a couple of questions for me, I can cut through the paperwork and help you get your new identity in order.”

The Madison parents looked at Zenna. “He’s okay. He’s got a good track record with us magic folk. He says what he means. He can get Andrea’s affairs in order without the usual bureaucracy to get in her way. She should be okay with him.”

They nodded, and Andrea showed him into the intact living room. Mr. and Mrs. Madison turned to Zenna again. “So, what’s with all of them?” Mr. Madison asked.

“They’re here to renovate the place,” Zenna answered.

“More like demo the place, reuse what we can, and make a much more stable and sturdy home that can accommodate your daughter’s new needs,” a kitsune man in front replied.

“My goodness, that’s a lot!” Mrs. Madison exclaimed. “How are we-“

“CHU has some very deep pockets, Mrs. Madison. No need for a struggling family in our midst to pay for their needs, like an intact house. We’ll make sure next time a storm like that rolls through, your house will withstand it with little more than a couple of lost shingles and a scratch or two!” Zenna said confidently. “Speaking of… Who’s the shopping team?”

“Shopping team?” the Madisons asked.

A handful of humans stepped forward, along with several who seemed to be human… But they noted one was wearing mittens and pants (a merman, they realized) and the breeze blew a woman’s hair aside to reveal leaf-like ears (a dryad, as they had learned the day before).

“It’s going to be a mess around here, as you can imagine. While we need to keep an eye on Andrea, we figured you two shouldn’t stick around an active construction site. Why not treat you two to some of the funds of our organization? After all, you’ll have a whole new house to furnish…” Zenna suggested.

Andrea had rejoined them, hearing the end of the conversation. “That’s okay with me. I can handle myself, especially having all these people to help look after me. Besides, I wanted to reconnect with my friends online, let them know what I can about what’s been going on.”

“It’s a lot more than you’re probably thinking right now…” Terrance behind her whispered, too quiet for anyone to hear.

“Alright, sweetie, take care!” Mrs. Madison said as they both waved to their daughter. She waved back, smiling.

=======

Andrea had her laptop hooked up to a massive battery that was running some of the construction equipment. That was being fed by a small solar array, a small windmill generator, and some device that was way down on the beach (she suspected it was a hydroelectric device of some kind). It was good enough to keep everything running and then some.

She put the cup to her face and took a few breaths through her nose. She was getting better at figuring out when her body was starting to reject air, and she kept on top of it. She put the cup down… Only for a kitsune woman to walk by, her wide array of tails bumping the cup over onto the ground, spilling Andrea’s valuable water.

“Oh come on, really!?” she shouted.

The kitsune turned around. “Oh, sorry about tailbrushing you…” she apologized.

“Huh?”

“Oh, ‘tailbrushing’ is a term we use when we knock things over with our tails by accident. I got ten of these things, and they’re hard to keep track of.” She looked down at the cup she knocked over, water seeping into the dirt. She looked at Andrea, noting her merfolk features, which were still in development. “Oh no! You’re the new mermaid girl! I’m so sorry! How long ago did you get a breath of water!?”

“Just now, actually. I should be fine for a little bit.”

“O-okay. Hey, someone get this girl some water! Saltwater recommended!” she called out.

Several “on its” echoed from the construction crowd.

Andrea blushed a little. Here she was, barely a week into her transformation, with little apparent progress to show for it, and people were calling her “girl.” It made her giddy, given just before she was flung out to sea, she only was a girl online. She had a handful of close friends she made over a mutual love for a webcomic called Rain, about a transgender girl taking on her senior year in school as her authentic self. They were close enough that they knew each other by their wanted or legal names.

First was Kaylee Night, a demigirl in her early thirties, a few years older than Andrea. Often crass but with a great heart, she worked as an overnight security guard. In a surprising stroke of luck recently, Kaylee was able to move cross country to her boyfriend with the help of a new job out in northern California. She’s been unusually secretive about her new job, though… And of a new friend she hoped to introduce to the group at some point.

Roland Michell lived in a city in Michigan called Fireleaf Hills. He was a pre-hormones trans man with a heart often too big for his own good. He has been stuck homeless for a couple of years. Still, work at a shelter was helping him slowly get established. He recently got an SUV, an upgrade to his sedan, at least. He lived in the same place as the last member of their group…

But no one had heard from Ariel in almost a year. She disappeared a week after she was declared dead by her parents – on her nineteenth birthday, no less – finding to her horror that legal help services couldn’t help her anymore. They all missed her dearly, and Roland often took his time off to try to find her, hoping the poor girl could be found alive one day. He NEVER gave up hope she was alive, somewhere. (Andrea knew of Ariel’s parentage – the Arden-Smiths were known to be ruthless, with some serious reach. She worried that Ariel crossed her parents somehow…)

She opened the chat app. She stared at her friends list, just trying to make out what she was going to say. She wasn’t even sure what she could say. Fortunately, a friendly voice offered her a quick distraction.

“A cup of saltwater, with some fresh ice.” Andrea turned to see Zenna was holding the cup.

“What’s the ice for?”

“Volunteer trials suggested iced saltwater was good for a merfolk’s developing lungs,” she answered.

Andrea cupped it to her nose and breathed it in. She felt the icy cold flow down her throat and coat her lungs. It was very soothing! “Oh, wow, that actually feels good!”

“As your lungs are changing, they’re developing excess heat. While tolerable under normal circumstances, the cold water really helps soothe the changing organs.”

“I’ll have to consider that later. Thanks, Zenna!”

“You’re welcome!” she replied, smiling, before walking off to help with the construction.

Andrea turned back to her laptop, and to her conundrum. But she wasn’t going to keep them waiting, either…

Andrea: Hey, guys, I’m back. I’m alive.
Kaylee: Oh my gosh, girl, where have you been!? {hug}
Roland: You were gone for a week! What happened?
Andrea: Bad storm. Did come out to my parents. Went well!
Andrea: … But we lost a chunk of the house.
Kaylee: Damn! But at least you’re okay!
Roland: And not only that, but your parents took it well? I’m happy for you! {smile}
Andrea: Thanks, you two! {smile}{hug}

Andrea looked over her shoulder. She saw Agent Terrance nearby. He wasn’t looking her way.

Roland: So, internet or power out that long, huh?
Andrea is typing…
Andrea is typing…
Kaylee: This is… Odd.
Roland: What’s going on, Andrea?

Terrance was now intrigued and looking over her shoulder. “Uh, err…” Andrea stammered.

“Friends of yours?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what to tell them…”

“Do you trust them? While a lot of this stuff is classified, we’re trying to slowly bring this all to the light. As technology improves and humans and their counterparts expand, more interactions are going to happen. It’s not going to be a secret forever. So we’re allowing leaks to close friends… Although, I’m recognizing the names.”

“Really? They’re Kaylee Night and Roland Mitchell.”

Terrance’s face contorted into something other than a drained look – he was slyly grinning. “Wouldn’t you know? I met both of them in the last year.”

“No way…”

“Roland I met about ten months ago, asking about a man I was looking for towards my regular case. Meanwhile, Kaylee got involved with this part of the job, the one I’m doing for you and your family. About two months ago.”

“When she moved out to Calif- Shit, she’s working for Citadel Harbor University, isn’t she!?”

“Good call. You’re pretty smart, Andrea! I’m actually curious to see where this is going. Don’t mind me…”

Andrea: Okay, the internet/power out wasn’t true. I got an FBI agent over my shoulder.
Roland: WHAT
Kaylee: What did you do this time? {smirk}
Andrea: Both of you might recognize him: Terrance.
Kaylee: OHMYGOD HIM!? HAHAHAHA
Roland: Yup, I remember him. You too, Kaylee?
Kaylee: Reasons.
Andrea: He’s saying we can come clean to each other.
Roland: Huh?
Andrea: …
Andrea: I got thrown out to sea by the storm. I survived, but I was infused with some sort of magic. I’m slowly becoming a mermaid.
Andrea: And yes, I’m turning into a girl with it.
Kaylee: HOLY SHIT
Roland: This has got to be a joke! Right?
Kaylee: Err, I work at a place with merfolk. They’re real, Roland.
Roland: …
Roland: {mind blown}
Roland: The California job?
Kaylee: Remember how I said I met someone I wanted you guys to meet? She was my ticket into this crazy world. Robot girl, self-built in that MA tech lab I was at before. Name’s Kit. You’ll like her! She’s adorable!
Andrea: Robot girl?
Kaylee: Made by the military, went rogue to be a tomboy girl. I wish I could make this shit up. XD
Andrea: HAHAHAHA
Roland: HAHAHAHA
Roland: If only Ariel were here… She loved the idea of supernatural stuff… {teardrop}

“Ariel?” Terrance suddenly asked.

“She’s a trans girl who lived in the same city as Roland. Disappeared almost a year ago. We’re all afraid she’s…”

Terrance was deep in thought. “Did she ever want to change her last name to ‘Hope?’”

“She… Did…”

“Why don’t you put that on video chat?”

Andrea: Terrance wants us to join a video chat.
Kaylee: That’s sudden…
Roland: ?

Andrea set up the video chat. Roland and Kaylee joined immediately.

“Hey, you two!” Andrea said, waving.

“Oh my gosh, you look so different! So pretty! And has your voice changed already? It’s deep, but cute! It really suits you!” Kaylee gushed. “Also, hi Terrance! I guess I know where you went today!”

“It’s been a while, man. How’s that case of yours going?” Roland asked.

“It seems it’s written on my face, as many have said to me lately…” Terrance replied.

“Ouch, my condolences…” Roland replied.

“H-hang on…” Andrea took her cup of iced saltwater and breathed it in. “Better…”

“What the heck, girl? Why are you snorting your water now?” Kaylee asked sarcastically, getting the group to laugh hard.

“Oh my gosh, I needed that,” Andrea said as she took another breath of the water just to make sure. “This mermaid transformation is weird. Until I’m fully formed, I’m becoming dependent on breathing water instead of air. Right now, I can do both, but eventually I’ll be water-bound until the tail forms. For now, I’m just slowly changing in some ways, others really fast. I think my hand webbing finished the other night,” Andrea explained, waving one of her hands at the camera to show it off.

“Woah, that’s freaky…” Roland muttered.

“I just wish some of my girl parts would grow faster…” Andrea admitted.

“Girl, that’s a universal truth,” Kaylee half-joked.

“Anyway, Terrance, what did you want to talk about?” Roland asked.

“So, there’s a fourth member of your group named Ariel Hope that you haven’t seen in almost a year?” Terrance asked back.

“Well, that’s what she wanted to be called, but her real name was-“ Roland began.

“Joel Duke Arden-Smith.”

They all froze. Terrance knew something…

“I met her five months ago. She’s alive.”

“Holy shit!” Kaylee swore.

“No way!” Andrea exclaimed.

“M-m-my God, how, where!?” Roland asked, desperate.

“Well, I was meeting a genie contact out in Georgia, and she was there. She was now that genie contact’s apprentice, training in her new ‘Angelic Genie’ powers,” Terrance explained.

“Angelic Genie…” Roland repeated, trying to let it sink in.

“When it comes to the magic world, she’s basically at the top of the food chain, so to speak. She’s more powerful than the genie mentoring her…”

“W-why hasn’t she contacted us yet!?” Roland asked, tears coming down his face now.

“I can imagine she was swept up by all that her own transformation entailed. But in my short time with her, she fixed my tablet, then gave me a better one. Then she heard passing mention of my roommate having troubles, then gave them a blessed fortune cookie. They’ve since gotten a better job and their own place…” explained Terrance.

Roland tried to wipe away the tears (which Andrea and Kaylee had both joined in at this point). “Th-that sounds like her…”

“She might actually be heading your way soon, Roland. She’s drawn to certain places and people, those who need her help the most. It sounds like the first person she’ll lend her power to long-term is a trans teen in Fireleaf Hills. Given she’ll have time on her hands, she might come your way, Roland.”

Roland cupped his hands to his mouth. It was clear he was crying uncontrollably, unbroken streams of water running down his face. “H-how soon?” he asked, slightly muffled through his hands.

“One year to the day after she got her powers, September 4^th. A little more than a month from now.”

“G-good t-to know. Th-thank you…” Roland stammered. “I-I should go, I-I got my shift coming up. I-I need to c-calm down.” Roland dropped the call. He immediately replied with “Thank you. {smile}” before getting offline.

“Maybe I should leave you two to it…” Terrance suggested as he made his exit.

“Holy shit… Ariel… Alive… Not just that, but she’s even some super-powered goddess type deal now? Damn…” Kaylee said, trying to shake off the shock with a joke.

“W-well, in any case, it sounds like we’ll see her again someday…” Andrea hoped.

“Yeah, it’s probably all bewildering for her too. If she’s that powerful, she probably needs as much time as she can to learn what she can do before she helps someone like that…”

“You work for CHU. Know anything?”

“I’m a night guard, Andrea, not one of the geeks,” she said with a mischievous chuckle. “Still, they do talk, and if she is the Angelic Genie type, she can grant unlimited wishes and will always be free. She just has to continue being a kind person.”

“Wow… But we know she’s going to be okay-“

“Yeah, cause that girl is practically a saint!”

They started laughing, before Andrea started coughing. She quickly grabbed her cup and breathed in the water again.

“Sorry, too much?” Kaylee asked.

“No, you’re fine. I’ll get used to it… It’s only temporary.”

“I’ve also heard more about your kind of transformation… Are you going to be okay?”

“Well, you’ve probably heard of the team that came down here. They’re rebuilding our house from the ground up, with multiple levels, including a…” Andrea turned around and saw a merfolk worker walking by. “Hey, what did you call that basement floor you’re making for me, again?”

“Oh, the hydrobasement, a fully underwater floor that Andrea here can live in while she develops. She’ll have a good area to swim around and do things in. We’re also working on incorporating technology she can use while she’s water-bound,” they replied.

“Boo! You know it, it’s the mermaid suite!” Kaylee strongly suggested.

Andrea smiled and blushed. “Mermaid suite” sounded perfect!

Kaylee saw her reaction. “Mermaid suite! Mermaid suite!” she chanted.

Zenna walked by at this very moment, with another cup of water with fresh ice in it for Andrea. “You know, it has a nice ring to it. I’ll see if I can get everyone to start calling it that.”

“Sweet!” Kaylee cheered.

“Actually, you’re the person I wanted! I’ve got a question for you,” Andrea said to Zenna.

“Oh?”

“So I know I’m going to be a biological mermaid girl by the end of this, but I have to ask…” Andrea started tugging lightly on her short, naturally gray hair. “Is this going to grow at all?”

“Sorry, nope. It might change to match feminine consistency, but otherwise hair isn’t affected by the transformation process. It’ll still be the same length – or at least grown naturally. Sorry, I know women – humans and merfolk alike – like long hair.”

“Dang it…” Andrea muttered.

“Screw it, rock a pixie cut, girl! You’ll look amazing!” Kaylee suggested.

“Alternatively, we could use a dryad compound. They made a hair-growth formula over a century ago. If you’re desperate once this is over, you could try that…” Zenna suggested.

“Oh yeah, I forgot they did that kind of stuff… I might have to ask about that after my shift later tonight…” Kaylee muttered.

“I’ll think about both suggestions. Thanks, you two!” Andrea said, smiling.

“Of course!” Kaylee said. “Oh shit… The time! Hate to break this off so soon, but I got to get some stuff done before work. Hey, keep us in the loop, Andrea! Give us some selfies every now and then, show us your progress!”

“I will! See you, Kaylee!”

“You too, Andrea!” Kaylee logged off.

“You have some wonderful friends…” Zenna commented, smiling.

“And I just found out one of them is alive after all… Wow, this just keeps getting better! I get to be a girl, my family gets a new home, and each of my friends’ lives have been touched by magic. Well, I guess not yet Roland, but it sounds like he’ll get there once Ariel pops up again!”

“But you do have an ordeal ahead of you still, Andrea. The later stages of the merfolk transformation are arduous. Infuriatingly limiting, to one who’s lived on land all their life.”

“I know…” She took a breath of water from her new cup. “This is reminding me of that.”

Zenna looked away.

“You have some bad news, don’t you?”

“We’ve crunched the numbers. Based on your current progression, you may be in for a months-long transformation.”

“Crap.”

“But your gender change is moving along nicely! That should be done in a month… Give or take a week.”

Andrea closed her eyes and smiled. “You know, I think I can take it if that’s the case. Thank you…”

CHAPTER 2 END

By CrystalSeaDragon44

Credits (and Special Note from the Author!):

Rain is an actual webcomic, made by Jocelyn Samara! It’s a slice of life dramedy about Rain, a trans teen trying to make it through her senior year of high school, for the first time presenting as her authentic self.

Rain is what inspired me to start writing and drawing. I found a comic I could relate to, and Jocelyn said that she made it in part to see the story she wanted. That stuck with me, so here I am, doing the same! Magic, wonder, kindness, and more all apparent in an otherwise niche genre of transgender transformation fiction. I saw so much, but nothing that ever spoke to me.

So, I set out to make my own stories, starting with The Golden Edict over a year ago, a story inspired by my love of a certain video game franchise, but making my own world and rules. And of course, having actual transgender folks looking for their happiness most of the time. Since then, this world (multiverse, more accurately now) has expanded, and now they come together here, with several of the original characters being a part of one friend group!

This story influences what comes next, which I will be expanding into webcomics of my own! I’m starting with a short multi-page piece, Remembering Ariel (out now!), with ideas for a few longer form comics, the first of which to start will be Heather’s Hope, the story of Ariel finally appearing before trans teen Heather (first appearing in The Golden Edict: 6 Months Later) and helping Heather transition with her magic!

I hope to keep going, and for you to keep following my ever-growing stories!