Look to the voice.

It's been so long. A young, green-skinned woman swims down towards your group with beautiful flowing dark aqua hair tied back with a band of seaweed. The bottom half of her body is coloured the same, though it consists of shimmering scales which ends like a fish's fin, and in her hand is a trident. She's garbed in only a bra made of seashells, both of which are a pale tanned colour like sand. You recognize her immediately. And while you can't place a name, you remember her fighting alongside you, Amara and her mother Yaera, and the kraken Selinda. In fact, there's a certain something that belongs to her in your backpack.

"It is you," she says. "Kyle, the slayer of the Witch of Decay. Where are your elven companions?"

"Not with me this time, but this is Snow, and our guide Candy. It's good to see you again," you say. Then you think for a moment. "Do you remember what you offered me before we parted last?"

She touches a hand upon her shell bra as a dark colour slowly fades into her cheeks. "Yes. I do."

"You said something about how I was meant to hold onto it until you could repay the favour."

"Correct. I trust you did."

You reach back into your pack to dig around for a moment. Then, you withdraw the other brassiere she gave you. Snow looks at it with pink in her face, while Candy's grin widens with the utmost excitement. "Of course," you say before once again putting it away. "So maybe you can help us somehow."

"W-Wait. What happened exactly?" Snow asks.

"Mermaids give this to someone they feel they owe a debt to, or something. It's a gesture of gratitude."

Snow puts a hand over her lips, still blushing. "... Interesting."

"You beat the Witch of Decay?" Candy chimes in. "I hope you did it in a humiliating way. She deserves it."

"You could definitely say that," you reply.

The mermaid puts her arm over her chest in salute. "It's a pleasure to meet you all then, and you once more, Kyle. My name is Kailani, and I'm a scout that protects the city of Nureteru. I don't know if you know this or not, but we're not all that far from where we last departed. Welcome back. Please, what is it you actually need?"

"We seek a Shard of Draconax," you reply.

"And knowledge of how mermaids have sex. Like, where even are your naughty bits?" Candy asks before honking her nose. "That quest is even more important."

"Wh-What?" Kailani seems taken completely off guard. "Well, uhm. You see. We--"

"That isn't our quest," Snow interrupts. "Just the first, please."

"You aren't a little curious?" Candy asks.

"... W-Well, a little bit, but..."

"I actually do know. I just wanted her to say it. See, mermaids and mermen can make their naughty bits appear at-will. Maybe she'll demonstrate."

"Stop!" the mermaid blurts out. "Can we please talk about the shard instead?"

"Do you know if it's possible to get it? I heard it's in the royal vault," you say. "You all don't have dragons down here anyway, right? Maybe we can strike some kind of deal."

"You're right in that we don't have dragons, though of course it isn't mine to give. I can take you there, however, and I can vouch for your previous deed. Unfortunately, that's about all I can do."

"I appreciate that. If we can get the shard, I'll return your shells. We need it. Because pretty soon, we'll probably have a very angry dragon after us."