A familiar uniform

May was waiting for her in the main changing room, leaning against the metal lockers. She wasn't smiling. Her eyes, sharp as razors, swept over Magi from head to toe, from the shabby pants to the loose-fitting T-shirt. A heavy silence settled between them, broken only by the distant drip of a shower.

"You look like a fugitive," May finally said, in a flat voice that cut more deeply than a shout. "Or a beggar. Is this how you represent the image of this establishment now?"

Magi lowered her gaze, feeling the heat of humiliation rise up her neck. There was no suitable answer.

"Your clothes," May continued, taking a step forward. "The ones you stained with so much wine…" She paused deliberately, loading the word with venomous skepticism, "are in the organic waste container. Where they belong."

Magi held her breath. May knew. She knew she had lied.

"It seems you need a reminder of what your real uniform is," May added, and now a cold, calculating smile spread across her lips. From her canvas bag, she pulled out the minimal white bikini, the same one from her first day as a mermaid, the one that turned transparent upon contact with water. She held it with her fingertips, as if holding something contaminated. "This is your uniform. The only one that defines you here."

Magi looked at the triangle of white fabric. A wave of nausea and déjà vu washed over her stomach. She was back at the beginning. Only this time, there was neither the innocence of ignorance nor the faint hope of the first day.

"Put it on," May ordered. "The penguin enclosure needs a thorough cleaning. The rocks have algae, and the glass is dirty. And for that," she added, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "you need the freedom of movement that only this attire gives you."

The order was as absurd as it was humiliating. Cleaning in a bikini. Not in the warm water of a tropical aquarium, but in the cold penguin habitat, in front of visitors.

Magi, with the resignation of someone who no longer has the strength to fight, took off the borrowed T-shirt and pants. The cold air of the changing room struck her bare skin, making it prickle even more. With clumsy movements, she put on the bikini. The cold fabric immediately adhered to her body, leaving very little to the imagination.

"Better," May murmured. "Now, follow me."

She led her through back hallways to the penguin area. The contrast between the cold changing room and the controlled climate of the enclosure was a new shock. The air smelled of fish and salt. And there they were: dozens of visitors behind the glass, watching the penguins slide into the water.

May opened a service door and gently pushed Magi inside.

"The tools are next to the pool. Scrub all the rocks. And don't forget to smile."

The door closed behind her. Magi was left alone in the enclosure, the water up to her knees, the white bikini clinging to her skin, and dozens of curious and amused eyes beginning to notice her presence.