5. Chapter 5

Sid turned back from the tutorial just in time to catch one last glimpse of Jayna as she disappeared into the changing room. Unlike most performers he had met, she was somehow even more beautiful up close and in person than she had been in the show.

And they had definitely gotten up close. The memory of her pressed against him set his heart racing. If she weren't an employee at one of his companies, he would be very interested in getting to know her better.

But Sid had learned the hard way that having a relationship with an employee was a recipe for disaster, and it was a mistake he would never make again.

He felt a tiny bit of guilt at having kept his identity from her, but she was the one who had jumped to the conclusion that he was a stagehand. He simply hadn't corrected her misconception.

Still, he would need to properly introduce himself as soon as she finished changing.

Sid turned his attention to cleaning the merbreather. It was a fascinating blend of technology and fashion. What appeared to be bust-enhancing scale armor was actually a high-tech rebreather, and the thick gold necklace was a breathing tube hidden in plain sight.

As he cleaned and sanitized the merbreather, Sid realized the past fifteen minutes had given him insights into park operations that were as valuable as anything he had learned during an entire day of meetings and tours.

The employees were all understandably guarded and reserved. The only person who hadn't held back when talking to him was Jayna. Maybe he should find out as much from her as he could while she still believed he was a mere backstage technician.

Sid packed the merbreather away and turned his attention to the tail hanging on the hooks near the water. He started with the glittering turquoise silicone tail and then moved on to the bionic exomuscle. He had read about the technology while researching the park and was curious to see it first-hand.

He lifted the plain dark-gray mass and was surprised at just how heavy it was. It was also warm to the touch and had a texture that reminded him of dolphin skin. He quickly finished the maintenance on the tail and packed it away just as the inner door of the changing room opened.

Sid had a decision to make. He needed to tell Jayna who he was, but he didn't need to tell her right away. He had a golden opportunity to gain some valuable insights into the park and its employees before correcting her misperceptions about him.

Jayna emerged from the changing room, and Sid caught his breath. She had been beautiful when playing the role of Mermaid Aaramere in the show and alluring when he'd helped her out of her merbreather. But dressed in a simple fitted button down top and knee-length shorts, with her long red hair pulled back and the heavy performance makeup gone, she possessed a beauty that Sid found mesmerizing.

He had met more than his share of attractive women, but there was something about Jayna that stirred dangerous feelings in him—feelings best left unexplored. Don't even think about it, Hayes. Your reputation score still hasn't recovered from the Crystal debacle.

Sid attempted to regain his composure, but he could tell by the grin that spread across Jayna's face that he hadn't been quick enough. He blushed, and her grin grew even wider.

"You look nice," he said, trying to recover as best he could.

"Thank you," she replied. Then she turned to her gear and said, "Let's see how well you did."

Jayna gave both her tail and merbreather a thorough examination, and Sid was surprised at how anxious he was for her assessment.

But at last, she gave a satisfied nod. "Not bad. I think you'll do well here."

Her approval sent a surge of pride through him. "Thanks."

"We'd better get going," she said, and then motioned towards the exit.

As they walked towards the reception grotto, he said, "Can I ask you something?"

Jayna stiffened. "Sure. But before you do, you need to know I already have a boyfriend."

Your boyfriend is a lucky man, he thought. The stab of disappointment Sid felt surprised him. He would have to be extremely careful around this woman.

"No, that's not what I was going to ask."

"What were you going to ask, then?"

"I was wondering what it's like working here as a mermaid?"

Even in the darkness, there was no mistaking the skepticism on her face. "Why? Are you thinking about joining the merformers?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

Her skepticism remained as she gave him an appraising look. "You might be able to pull it off. If you can swim and sing."

"Don't forget splashing," he added. "Splashing is important too, right?"

She grinned sheepishly, and Sid worried the comment might have given him away.

"Yes, splashing is important." She was quiet for several steps before speaking in a soft voice. "Do you really want to know what it's like?"

Sid felt a tingle of excitement as he realized she was about to open up to him. "I do."

Jayna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It used to be the best job in the world. I mean, we are professional mermaids, and it doesn't get more magical than that. Performing in the show is incredible, and Swim with the Mermaids events are the best. The kids have a great time, and I absolutely love sharing the mer-magic with them."

"That sounds amazing. But you said it used to be the best job. What happened?"

Jayna hesitated, as if deciding whether to confide in him. After a few moments, she continued. "Three years ago, Michael Stirling, the park's owner, passed away. His son Carter had never shown any interest in the business, so we were all surprised when he took over as general manager. But unfortunately, he didn't have a passion for the business or the customers or the mers. He saw an opportunity to squeeze as much money out of it as he could, and things went downhill fast."

Sid knew all about Carter and his mismanagement of the park, but he hoped to learn more about how it affected the park's employees. "Ouch. What kind of things did he do?"

"What didn't he do? He jacked the price up on Swim with the Mermaids Day, so only the really rich could afford it. He claimed he was making it a higher quality event, but all he did was cut out the less fortunate kids. And then, when some of us started hosting activities on our own time using our own gear and renting a pool with our own money, he tried to change employee policy to prohibit us from doing any mermaid-related work with any other organization, including for ourselves. Fortunately, the guild threatened to sue, and he backed down."

"By the guild, you mean the Society of Amusement Park Personnel?" he asked.

"Yes. I strongly recommend joining the SAPP if you aren't already a member."

"Thanks, I'll check into it," he said, and made a mental note to find out as much as he could about the guild. "I'm glad they stepped in. I can't believe anyone would try to implement such a terrible policy."

Providing service was important, and he admired Jayna for what she and the others were trying to do. The fact that Carter had tried to shut them down made him angry.

"You think that's bad? That's nothing compared to Swim with the Mermaids Days he decided to set up for adults. It was a magnet for every creep with a mermaid fetish. We call them ‘merverts.' Fortunately, that got permanently canceled after I drowned the president of ExoFab."

Sid stopped in his tracks. "You what!?"

"Don't worry, I resuscitated him."

Sid shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, I need to hear this story."

Jayna shrugged and gave him a wry smile. "I was wearing a top with fishnet accents, and he got his fingers caught while trying to remove it. I simply followed my natural mermaid instincts and swam to the bottom of the pool. It's not my fault he couldn't hold his breath for more than a minute."

Sid shook his head, unable to believe what he had just heard. "You're kidding, right?"

Jayna's face turned solemn. "I wish I were. Fortunately, the park's lawyers were wise enough to veto any more adults-only activities."

"Man, that's just…wrong."

She rolled her eyes. "No kidding. But I think the worst thing he did was increase the park's cut of employees' dropper."

"I know what drips are—dynamic royalty payments, right?"

Jayna nodded.

"But what are ‘droppers'?"

"Drips are paid out based on the dropper—the dynamic royalty payment rate. The more popular someone is online, the higher their dropper score, which means bigger drips. But since Realms owns the intellectual property for the characters, the park receives a portion of the drips."

They'd reached the edge of the reception, and Sid was grateful for this information. "Ah, got it. So, when Carter increased the park's share of the drips, the performers took a pay cut."

"Exactly. They increased our base wage, but nowhere near enough to make up for the missing drips. It's so bad that most junior performers qualify for supplemental basic income."

The more Sid learned about the way the park had been managed, the more outraged he became. "That's terrible. Nobody working at a business this profitable should be on supplemental basic. We need to fix that."

Jayna snorted a laugh. "Yeah, good luck." But then she stopped walking and gave him a suspicious look.

Sid realized he had slipped up, but before he could come clean and let Jayna know who he was, Emmaline approached them. "There's our missing mermaid," she said, her eyes fixed on Jayna. "I'm Emmaline Douglas, Obsidian Hayes's assistant."

"It's nice to meet you," Jayna said.

Emmaline gestured to Sid. "I see you and Obsidian have already met."