<div style="background-color:#6c9cb8; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><span style="color: #000000"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Lola took the comb, examining it; her yellow-green eyes scrutinized every millimeter of it, her slender fingers slid over the taps of the comb, but no flicker of recognition appeared on her face.<br/><br/>"I don't know what this is, and I don't really know of anyone who would," she said. Alannah's face fell. She had never thought of Lola as some sort of fountain of magical knowledge, but she usually knew what to do or where to go, and this defeat, so openly admitted, punctured her enthusiasm. She opened her mouth, but never got the chance to say something before Lola continued.<br/><br/>"I think your best bet is to go to a library," she said, thoughtfully. "Although no one believe we supernatural creatures really exist, books remain rife with folk tales and myths from regions all over the world. I know that's a lot," Lola said with a small smile, correctly interpreting Alannah's alarmed expression, "but you only have to look for stories related to the ocean. That already narrows it down quite a bit! And you can take Asya with you, if she wants to go," she added in a slightly louder voice, to make herself heard over the splashing sounds that could still be heard from the bathroom. "A little reading would only do her good."<br/><br/>She turned to Dimitri and continued, this time much softer, "truth be told, I think she's going a little nuts from being cooped up in here. We aren't always that many here, and I haven't let her go very far outside, and never alone. I'm sure she'd want to talk to you again, not to mention relish the chance to get away from the house. Tap water can only entertain you for so long."<br/><br/>Lola rose and stretched, looking down at Dimitri and Alannah with her imperial gaze. "I believe I've done what I can for you. We have some books here, and I'll see if I can't find anything in them while you are gone. Please, take Asya with you, but return her later tonight. Not necessarily by midnight, she isn't a princess in any way," she added and rolled her eyes, which seemed comically out of place in her usual stern expression, "but I'd like her to sleep here. Thank you for your time." And with that, she turned to the tall shelves at the far end of the room, and no longer paid any mind to the mermaid and demi-god.<br/><br/>Alannah looked uncertainly at Dimitri. She felt vaguely uneasy at the thought of having to entertain a tween; having never had younger siblings (or any siblings at all), how to behave around children without making them bored or frustrated was a daunting task to her. <br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"There's lotsa libraries up by the Common,"</span> she said, picking up the comb that Lola had left on the coffee table in front of them. It looked quite ordinary and new, save for its extreme sturdiness, and the fact that Alannah was certain it was the oldest thing she'd ever laid eyes on. Why she felt like that, she didn't know. She, too, rose from her seat, and went to knock on the bathroom door.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Asya?"</span></span></div></span></div>