The head of the koi broke the surface again. Only, it had hair? Long, straight, golden hair, actual gold strands. Her skin was pale and shone like she had powdered in gold dust. Her eyes were a deep golden-brown, tilted on her face, above a petite nose. The lips that parted, still dripping wet, were a darker shade than the skin but gilded still the same. She shimmered in the sunlight.

The fish's fins transformed into the long sleeves of an empress kimono. The expensive and intricate embroidery was a repeating fish scale pattern that vibrated in Alexandria’s vision.

The gold woman stood not in the water, but on the surface. The breeze ruffled her sleeves as if it were light silk and not heavily embroidered. How was she even dry? Everything about the dress was a contradiction down to the ripped and torn hem.