Without her income from Demon Marcus, Ada hadn't had enough money to get a new dress this year. Instead, she'd pulled the dress she'd worn to her first ever Fandom dance. If anyone said something -- though she doubted most people would even realize -- she'd say it was nostalgia.

She walked in, took one look at the seashell necklace she was offered, and went paler than usual as she declined it. If her grip on her date's hand tightened a little bit, well, she was doing an excellent job in not just running out.

Ada'd improved a lot over the last few years: she could make (and take) jokes about her condition. Hell, she could use the word 'mermaid' without wanting to cry. But she was never, ever, going to be thrilled about the ocean.