Glass in the Ocean[P3]
You find yourself visiting the shore again for… Whatever reason.
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thank you all again for your support!! apologies for the somewhat late chapter, had a family emergency to take care of.
If you all have any questions about more of my mer lore, feel free to drop me an ask! i'll be sprinkling more tidbits as the story goes along, but i'm always open to receiving asks and talking about it more! helps me to world build too hehe
Cross-Posted on AO3!
Warnings: Mentions of self harm(NOT for the reader or anyone else; Mentioned in reader's passing thoughts regarding a situation)
Words: ~5.8k
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P1 | P2 | P3
You head back up the stairs, put away everything you don’t need inside, put the key in your bike, and are off to the town. It’s a Wednesday, so it’s fairly quiet. There’s tourists, of course, but you know it’s not bustling like it would be on the weekends. Still, you need to traverse carefully around people, trying not to barrel into anyone or knock them over. It’s not very often you ride a bike around, so you’re getting your sea legs back, so to speak.
The first few shops you visit are grocery. There’s only a couple, but you’re sure to take a note of what they keep in stock, and what you may need to order from elsewhere. The next places are for clothing. Everything is fairly expensive, to no surprise, but there’s some cheaper options too for more practical items. You can’t help but to buy a beautiful flowing gown, and although it’s pricey, you’re excited to wear it at some point. After that, you find a shop that helps to supply your grandparents with a few things they needed for their own business. You stop by to say hello to your grandmother as she runs her shop. You’d asked if she’d wanted help, but she just insisted you look around more, so you continued on your way.
You finally just let yourself peruse the various shops, grabbing some lunch after looking at the important ones first. Thankfully, it wasn’t all seafood that was served at every single place. There was definitely some variety, which you were grateful for. It was finally late afternoon when you decided to head back. You’d picked up a few things at the grocer to cook for dinner, including a little box of chocolate covered seafoam candy. You took it slow, trying to adjust to having items in your basket. The bike was electric, so thankfully it was a little more sturdy, but it still had a bit of a pull when you would turn certain ways.
Arriving back home, you found your eyes once more drifting to the ocean. All quiet. Not a single sign of mers. You were beginning to wonder if you had dreamt about the entire thing– Both encounters. You felt relatively calm around the whole thing, now, thankfully. Maybe talking with Connor had put you at ease… Then you remembered his brother. The one from today. You shuddered a bit at the thought. He looked like he was more than willing to eat you if there was nothing else around. Yep, definitely not swimming anytime soon.
After securing the bike, you walked inside, beginning to work on cooking the tilapia and vegetables you’d bought. You turned on some music while you worked, humming along to the beat as you chopped and sauced everything. You were used to being alone, doing the same routine like this almost nightly. It could definitely be a lonely lifestyle, but it was one you didn’t really mind. You had so much freedom with it, after all.
Your grandmother was home by the time you had finished cooking dinner, and you set everything down on the table. “This smells delicious, dear, thank you. Where did you learn to cook?” She asks as you settle down as well, cutting a piece of fish off with your fork.
“Little from mom, mostly from online videos.” You admit, taking a bite of your meal with a pleased hum. The fish was so fresh and tender. It was actually probably one of the best pieces of fish you’d cooked in your life, and you could only assume part of it was due to it being so local. Your grandmother took a bite as well, a pleased hum leaving her lips as she swallowed, offering you a smile.
“Well, I’ll say, this is excellent! If you do move in here, consider rent paid with dinner. This is as good as where we ate last night.” She beams, and you laugh, feeling your cheeks heat up at the compliment.
“Please, this isn’t as good as your food.” You tease, and she just chuckles with a shake of her head as she goes in for another mouthful. “Did you get a lot of people in the shop today?” You ask, eating some more, and she offers a resigned sigh after she swallows.
“A little more than normal, but a lot of it was condolences because of the service. I will say, I think it did increase sales output. Thank goodness you’re here, we’re very much going to need to restock soon.” She murmurs, shaking her head again as you merely smile.
“It’s why I’m here. I think maybe we should do some work here tomorrow, then open for the weekend, then close for a couple of days to restock what we can.” You suggest, and she contemplates your idea while chewing.
“I think that’s an excellent idea, dear. Yes, let’s do that.” She agrees, and you beam at the prospect of a good suggestion before the both of you finish up your dinner. You both clean up, and although your grandmother is talking, you find your mind wandering. And it’s wandering back down to the water. There’s a certain draw it’s beginning to have now, which is both a little confusing and concerning for you. You try to push it out of your mind, wondering why your brain is insistent on going back towards danger, but it seems that you can’t ignore it. Soon enough, you find yourself with a small, portable light in your hand, your earbuds, and your box of candy as you head back down to the beach.
You head back over to where you were earlier. It’s dusk, the last of the orange in the sky beginning to fade out. Thankfully, the light you have provides plenty in its soft glow. You unroll the towel tucked under your arm, setting it down as you sit cross legged on it. You slip your now cleaned earbuds in, turning on some music as you watch the water and open your box of candy. You truly do wonder why your body is craving the sensation of sitting by the ocean so suddenly, despite the fear of what had just happened, and you realized that it’s probably because you’re trying to work through the trauma. Your mind is certainly crafty, putting you close to things you fear.
You munch on your second sweet, nearly jumping into the air as something breaks the surface of the water. There’s a wide smile on his face, and you almost think it’s Connor, for a second. The more muted blue of the tail, though, gives the fact away that it’s definitely his brother. You can feel your heart rate pick up a bit, but you’re uncertain whether it’s out of fear, or… Or what? Surely it must just be from being startled.
You take out your earbuds, setting them on the towel as you see he’s trying to talk to you. He says your name, and it’s a little surprising, only to realize that Connor must have passed it along. “You came back down; I knew you would. Connor had his doubts, but I didn’t doubt you for a second.” He smirks, pulling himself up on the shore a bit. You find yourself subconsciously shifting backwards, despite the length between you two, but don’t make a move or comment yet. His eyes catch onto the bandages wrapped around your ankle, and the mirth on his face seems to fall a bit. You can see something akin to remorse flash on his features in the soft light, and you wait for an apology, but instead he just says, “Connor said you both talked earlier. You’re practically friends now, right?” He’s looking cocky again, lips curling up as he rolls onto his stomach.
You don’t know how to feel. An apology would be nice, but you’re not sure you’re getting one. You set your lips in a thin line, not looking particularly pleased as you answer, “I think ‘acquaintances’ is a better term, and even that is pushing it.” You admit, and he just chuckles, rolling his eyes as his tail briefly flicks up from the water.
“Sure, sure. My name’s Sixty, by the way.” He says, and you raise a brow at the peculiar name. You’d expected something like Connor’s, not… A number.
“How’d you get it?” You ask, and he just shrugs.
“It’s the only name I remember I was given. Connor was given Fifty, but he decided to change his name. Nines was Ninety, which I think he’s attached to as well, considering he didn’t fully rename himself, but he just purely goes by Nines now.” The confusion is evident on your face at his explanation. These were all… Numbers. A name he was given… A sudden thought crosses your mind.
“Were you in captivity?” You ask, frowning slightly, and Sixty seems to grow a bit defensive at the question. He just scoffs, rolling his shoulders.
“No.” He says, sounding offended. There’s quiet, then a soft, “Maybe.” Your frown deepens a bit, and you can’t help the sympathetic wave that shoots through you. You know that mers that are held captive are, more often than not, used for study and experimentation. There’s a few put into aquariums, but if they’re not highly drugged, there’s a pretty good chance they find a way to kill themselves in the first couple weeks. You wonder what their case was. “Doesn’t matter.” He says, brusquely, moving on as he then asks you a question. “What are you eating?” He leans forward a bit, as if it would give him a better look.
“Seafoam candy.” You respond, and bemusement instantly crosses over his face.
“What’s that? Does it have chocolate?” His eyes suddenly light up, and you blink at the new air about him.
“Yes. Does your human not give you chocolate?” You ask, and he wrinkles his nose at your phrasing.
“He’s not ‘our human’. He doesn’t own us.” He scoffs, and you put your hands up a bit, placatingly. “He doesn’t give us human sweets, though. One time, he gave some to us when we were younger. It made Nines very sick, so he doesn’t feed us a lot of human food anymore. Afraid it’s going to hurt us, even though I keep insisting it’s going to be fine.” He rolls his eyes, and you’re suddenly unsure, now, if you even want to feed him anything. He can spot the uncertainty in your gaze, and he just groans, flopping onto his side. “Come ooon. Don’t be like him. Give me a piece. Please?” He begs, rolling back up, using those goddamn puppy eyes you fell for this time.
Except, now, you were far away from him. And if you gave this to him, the only person it could harm is himself, so… You were willing to take that gamble. Not like you wanted to see him get sick, but… He had hurt you. You were petty, alright? “Fine.” You declare, and his smile widens as you pick out a piece and toss it to him. He catches it with surprising deftness, rolling onto his back as he peers at it with what you assume is awe on his face. With it being dark, now, and him being so far, it’s a little hard to tell.
He pops the whole thing into his mouth, his eyes widening in surprise as he chews. He rolls back onto his stomach, making a face the more he chews, and you’re not entirely certain he likes it. He finally swallows, and sticks his tongue out, lip curling up a bit, before you can see his cheeks puff out a bit as he tries to likely get the candy out from between his teeth. “Thish ish– Chocolate?” He glowers, nose scrunched up, and you can’t help but to softly giggle at the sight.
“Only the outside shell was. The inside is made of sugar, vinegar and corn syrup. They make it in a way where it’s kind of fluffy and spongy. It’s sort of supposed to be a mix of a meringue and toffee and kinda honeycomb… Not like you know what any of those are, probably.” You sigh out, realizing you’re just beginning to waste your breath. He’s still trying to get the substance out from his teeth, and hisses in annoyance, an irritable click leaving his throat. You only feel a little bad as you watch his frustrations, amusement coming to your own face as well, now. He even goes as far as to roll away and back into the water, and you take the time to open your phone and look through it.
A couple minutes later he pops back up, his nose scrunched up. “Yeah. That sucked. I don’t wanna try that again. Can you bring me just chocolate next time?” He asks, and you blink at the forward request, a little surprised.
“Who said anything about a next time? I don’t live here, after all.” You say, and it’s his turn to look surprised.
“You don’t? I thought you just moved here.” He asks, glancing up towards your current residence. It’s a little far away, still, but you can barely see part of it over the hill where the balcony is.
“No. I’m just here temporarily.” You reply, and you can see his body almost deflate at the information.
“Oh.” His voice is flat, and there’s a look on his face which you can determine is likely disappointment. It raises your next question.
“Why did you bother me yesterday? I know you guys like to be secretive. What pushed you into waking me up?” You ask, eyeing him intently now, but it’s Sixty’s turn to be unable to meet your gaze. He squirms a bit, back on his stomach, pushing a few strands of wet hair out of his face that just inevitably fall back into their spot.
“I don’t know.” He admits, and you feel frustration start to mount in you, now. Connor had given the same answer. “It’s hard to explain, but I just… It felt like something was pushing me to do it. I swam by, peeked out, saw you, caught your scent, and I… I just knew I needed to talk to you.” He’s still frowning, as if he’s confused by this whole phenomena too. He looks back to you, and you don’t quite know how to feel. You didn’t think he was lying. He didn’t seem to be. It felt like a flimsy excuse, though.
“What if I went and told someone?” You couldn���t help but to ask, voice quiet. His tone holds an equally quiet note as he replies.
“You didn’t, though, did you?” There’s a hint of a challenge in his eyes, giving you a pause before you speak again. He’s right. You didn’t. Deep down, too, you knew you probably still wouldn’t.
“How long have you all been here for?” You ask, uncrossing your legs as they begin to ache. You let your ankles cross over one another, mindful of your scratched up one.
“Few years. Four, I think.” He replies, seeming to relax just a bit more. “It’s nice, this area. You don’t get a whole lot of explorers down here, even if it’s considered safe, just because of the residences along the coast. Namely, yours.” He admits, jerking his head back towards where your grandmother’s house is there. That house is the first along the scattered line. “So, then. Why are you ‘temporarily’ here?” The word has a certain inflection to it, like he’s not quite sure he believes you. Not like you care, but you find it a little funny.
“I’m helping my grandmother for a while. My grandfather just recently passed away.” You explain, and there’s a bit of confusion on his features. Oh, right. You’re not sure what phrases they’re aware of. “He died.” You correct, and the look drops to more of a brief stint of pain.
“I’m sorry to hear that. So you’re not here visiting, then, like everyone else.” He waves a hand towards the town, and you shake your head.
“No, I’m not a tourist. I’m going to help her run her shop until she can find someone to help her more permanently.” You state, and he looks confused once again at your statement, making you wonder what you should have worded differently.
“Why don’t you just help her permanently?” He asks. Ah, that makes more sense. Mers were very family inclined. Their pods could get quite large due to it, sometimes up to the twenties; Rarely the thirties.
“Well, I have a career.” You start to explain, letting a hand drift down and settle in the sand. “I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life trying to get to where I am now. It’s not so easy to just leave that and pursue something like this.”
“I mean. Sounds pretty easy to me.” Sixty shrugs, flopping onto his back. You see his fin squish out on the side of his back, and he tucks his arms behind his head, tilting it back a bit to peer at you. “Humans are flippant.”
“That’s a big word.” You find yourself teasing, gently. It catches you off guard, but it doesn't bother him. If anything, it just makes his smile bigger. Clearly, you’re beginning to grow more relaxed. You don’t know how you feel about that.
“Yeah, yeah, fish brain. I’m serious, though. I hear humans will just leave and start anew all the time. I hear they can have whole families and abandon them on a whim for something– Or someone– Else.” His lips curl in distaste at the thought, and you grimace, peering down at your toes.
“You’re… Not wrong. Not all humans are like that, though. A lot are very loyal. Whether it’s to their spouse, or job, or family, or even their pet. I know if I had a cat or something, and my house was on fire, I don’t think I’d leave until I knew it was safe.” You comment. Sixty eyes you, a curious look on his upside down face, before he rolls over onto his front.
“You say that not all humans are like that, and yet you were so quick to assume yesterday that I was going to hurt you.” He states. You feel your cheeks heat up a bit at the implication, and for a moment, you don’t know what to say because he’s right. You had just made assumptions based on all of the data gathered.
“I-I mean–” you stutter, and another smirk plasters itself on his face as he sees your clear discomfort. You’re certainly not an innocent party, but neither is he. “You nearly proved my assumptions by dragging me into the water!” You counter, and he just scoffs and rolls his eyes, tail flicking from the water once more only to loudly slap down on it.
“You’re still on that? You know I wasn’t going to actually hurt you.” He counters, and any embarrassment you were feeling has begun to give way to irritation.
“No, actually, I didn’t know that! You were exhibiting all the signs of a mer who was trying to lure me in and drown me!” You snip out, feeling your metaphorical feathers bristling at his insistence.
“And what, may I ask, are those signs?” He grins, resting his head in his hand as he peers at you from afar.
“You were being nice, which is a huge red flag right from the getgo from a mer to a human,” You start, holding out your hand and counting with your fingers. “You offered to help me. You asked me about myself. You tried to gain my trust. Need I go on?” The statement is finished with an annoyed flourish of your hands, before you slap them back down onto your thighs. He clicks his tongue, raising an unimpressed brow.
“Really? That’s what humans assume we’re doing when we want to gnaw on someone?” He asks, voice flat, and your frown mars further across your lips.
“Yes. It’s literally proven data.” You counter.
“By who?” Comes his own counter.
“By those who have been dragged to sea by mers.”
“You mean the people who are dead?”
You open your mouth. Then close it. He has a point…
“I assume by those who were attacked and lived to tell the tale.” You bite out, and he sneers.
“There you go. Assuming again. Is that a typical human trait?” He tilts his head to the side, and you’ve found that your patience has officially ran out. It’s getting late now, anyways, and you’re sitting here talking to a mer. Sixty laughs a bit, and good Lord it’s way too charming. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”
“I’m done.” You announce, abruptly getting to your feet. You tuck your earbuds and phone away, grabbing your towel and whip the sand off of it.
“Oh, come on, we were just getting started! It isn’t even moonhigh yet!” He counters as you roll up your towel, tucking it back under your arm, grabbing up your boxed candy shortly after.
“Goodnight.” You say, turning and marching off without even looking at him.
“Come back soon, okay? And come swim! I won’t drag you out again, I promise! It’ll be a lotta fun!” He calls after you, and you just roll your eyes. No shot that was happening.
Despite your stubborn demeanor as you try to forget about the mers while getting settled for bed, you find that they just won’t leave your mind once you’re settled beneath your covers. Connor’s pleasant, polite demeanor. Sixty’s snarky, but funny attitude. Then, there was Nines… Although he was a complete mystery to you, and only regarded you with cold, untrusting stares… You couldn’t help but to think about him as well. You wondered if he was like either of his brothers; He certainly didn’t seem like that. It was clear he spent a lot more time underwater than the two of them, given the complexion of his skin tone. Perhaps you’d be able to actually talk with him one day.
You nearly slapped a palm to your forehead. Why were you wanting to actually converse more with mers? They were dangerous creatures! They were going through an awful lot of trouble to try and butter you up for a meal, though… Maybe that was because they couldn’t get too close to the town, and he mentioned others never wandered out here. You just happened to be the first idiot that did in a long while. You wondered how long they’d been wanting to taste human meat.
Then, you thought about the supposed human that had helped to take care of them. The one you weren’t supposed to know about. He lived not too far, apparently. Maybe one of these days you could take a trip out, try and figure out who it was, and talk to him. Get a better feeling for the brothers. After all, if they weren’t lying, and this guy actually vouched for them… Maybe, perhaps, things could be different. You highly doubted this man would be trying to trick and feed humans to mers, after all. He’d have nothing to get out of it.
You turned over in your bed with a sigh, closing your eyes to will yourself to sleep. It finally did come, and although your dreams were a little cryptic with flashes of you swimming and beings swirling around you, they weren’t nightmare inducing. You woke up early that morning, earlier than normal. Although still bleary with sleep, you decided to get up and start your day off with a nice breakfast and some work.
You think about making a big enough breakfast for yourself and your grandmother, but scrolling through your emails on your phone makes you think otherwise as you see how much there is to deal with. Resigned, you grab some fruit salad from yesterday, make some toast and coffee, and call it good as you settle on the dining room table. You open up your computer, munching as you scroll through and answer emails. The work is mind numbing, and you sit there for an hour and a half just doing that until your grandmother comes out to make herself some breakfast and coffee as well. She tells you that you that she wants to get started in an hour and a half, which gives you time to catch up on more work.
…Except, after another half hour of whittling away at it, you can’t help but to let your eyes gravitate towards the window. The sparkling ocean greets you in the early morning, a slight fog settling over it. Still, you feel a certain pull towards it that you definitely hadn’t before. Not to swim, but to just… Be around it. You think about the mer brothers, and you feel something squeeze in your chest at the thought. You were trying to distance yourself more from them, but to your surprise and slight horror, you found it was actually becoming difficult. It seemed, now, that you actually wanted to seek them out. You lightly tapped your thumb on the spacebar of your laptop, chewing on your lip.
Just a quick trip. You decided, getting to your feet. You closed your computer, changing into something you’d wear for the rest of the day. You glanced at a couple pieces of leftover fruit in your bowl, and decided to bring it with you. The thought crossed your mind; Had any of them ever had fruit before? They must have. After all, fruit was considered healthy, and you were sure that their human friend gave them such. Plus, this was fruit salad. It had a dressing on it. Why you were even thinking too hard on this was really beyond you, or why you were heading down barefoot to the beach with that bowl in your hand was just something beyond your comprehension. It was clearly happening, though. You wondered if anyone would even be out this early… Connor was yesterday. What were the odds of them skulking around two days in a row, though?
Heading back to your usual spot, you managed to catch a glimpse of something in the water, quite far from where you were. It was a faint shimmer of something, a little difficult to see with the mild fog that spread across. As you kneeled down in the sand, though, you could see another flicker once more. Something crested. Was that a tail? You were certain it was. Your suspicions were confirmed, true, as moments later you saw a body swim in the shallow water, breaking the surface shortly after. The more vibrant tail colors immediately tipped you off to it being Connor, and he offered you a bright grin. It was infectious, you insisted, as you smiled back. He said your name, looking quite pleased to see you here. “What brings you down here this morning?” He asks, and that’s when you find yourself short on an answer. Why were you here?
“I… Guess I just felt like coming down and watching the sunrise.” You admit. It’s not a full lie. The sun is still rising; It’s only seven in the morning, after all.
“It’s a little difficult to see it today.” Connor admits, frowning somewhat as he glances back over the ocean, still lightly shrouded in mist. “I’m still glad you’re here, though.” He looks back, smiling once more, and the shy smile returns to your face with a faint heat coming to your cheeks. “What’s that you have?” He asks, curious as he eyes the bowl in your hand. Right, you’d nearly forgotten about it.
“It's a fruit salad. Would you like to try a piece?” You offer, watching him perk up similarly to how Sixty had last night.
“Yes, please.” He responds, eagerly. You take a piece out of the bowl– A nice thick apple chunk– And toss it his way. He’s quick like Sixty is, watching with a sharp eye and snatching the fruit out of the air. He takes a moment to sniff it, before giving it a curious lick, and finally pops it into his mouth. His eyes widen as he chews on it, an appreciative hum coming from his chest. “I’ve never had a fruit that tastes like that before.” He admits after he swallows, peering back at you, an eager look in his eyes for more. “What was it?”
“It was just an apple, but it’s covered in a dressing. It’s yogurt, vanilla, and a little bit of marshmallow.” You explain, and you can faintly see the fin on his back quiver.
“Can I… Have more? Please?” He asks, a little shyly, and you look down at the bowl. There’s still a few pieces left. You’re about to pick up another one, before you find yourself pausing. You glance to him, and then the bowl, before slowly getting to your feet. Connor watches your every move, his eye widening a bit, but you can see a certain sharpness to them that wasn’t there before. Now, you’re suddenly uncertain of who is more wary of the other. He’d seemed so kind yesterday, and today as well, but this doesn’t make you forget that he’s a wild sea creature who’s ready to bite at any second. You’re certain that he doesn’t forget you’re a human, either, who killed many of his kind. It was obvious who had the upperhand in this situation, but despite how friendly he was, there would probably always be that constant reminder between you both about who you each were.
At the very least, though, he didn’t look primed to attack. His muscles were tense, sure, but it was clear he intended to flee at the very moment of danger. For some reason, the thought made your chest ache just a bit. Perhaps you didn’t want him to be afraid of you, but… You hadn’t extended the same courtesy to them. Maybe that’s why, against all of your gut instinct, you found yourself shuffling a bit closer. His eyes never left your body, occasionally flicking up to meet your own. Tepid and uncertain, but not afraid. You were standing about five feet away from him when you came to a halt. Your heart was beginning to race as you thought about him grabbing onto your wrist. Dragging you into the water like his brother had. Only this time, there definitely would not be any saving, because Connor had been your savior. He certainly could be your doom as well.
With a somewhat hesitant, shaky hand, you offered him the bowl. He looked at you, then the bowl, and slowly reached out. You couldn’t help but to flinch back a bit as his hand raised up, which instantly caused him to recoil. His arm curled in, and he bit his lip, blinking apologetically. “Sorry.” You found yourself murmuring, trying to steel your nerves as you held the bowl back out to him. You remembered his vow. They didn’t kill or eat humans. Really, that remained to be seen, but you were chancing it right now. Again. You just didn’t learn, did you?
Your arm extended once more, and you kept yourself from flinching as his did, too. You held the lip of the bowl, and he cupped it with his hand. Gosh, he was so large. It was certainly intimidating. Bright, sharp, intelligent eyes that watched your every move as you let go, immediately taking a few steps back. You released the breath you’d been holding, and some of the tension appeared to meld away from both of your bodies. Connor peered down at the bowl, tilting his head to observe the pieces of fruit left inside. He’d delicately pick each piece up, examine it, before eating it. He seemed to grow more and more enthralled with every piece he ate, but alas, there were only a few pieces left. He was soon out, a disappointed look crossing his features as he settled down.
“That was really good. There was this… Really sweet undertone to it. Something a little more overpowering than other pieces. I really liked it. What was that?” He asks you, curious, as he holds the bowl back out for you to take. You slowly inch forward, timidly taking the bowl from him as you try to think of what he may mean. Whilst grabbing the container, your fingers brush against his own. You both flinch at the sudden contact, causing you to quickly scuttle backwards like you’d been burned. His fingers had been cool to the touch– A bit slick, thanks to the scales. You peered down at your hand, perplexed, and you noticed Connor do the same with his hand. Even though you were further away, you were still close enough to notice a blue tint overtake his cheeks. He looked almost… In awe.
“Marshmallow.” You finally answer him as you regain your senses and figure out what he’s referring to. He blinks, refocusing on your gaze, and a soft smile comes to his face.
“Marshmallow… I really like that. If you… Come back… Could you bring me some more? Just the marshmallow?” He asks, hopefully, and the look on his face makes your heart pick up a bit. So. Chocolate for Sixty, marshmallows for Connor… You were really doing this, weren’t you? Well, as long as you kept your distance, you figured this may be a fun use of your downtime. A sudden idea came to mind, which had you smiling just a bit more.
“Tell you what.” You begin, eyes crinkling. “Tomorrow night, I’ll bring marshmallows, and some other things. Why don’t you invite your brothers as well? It can be a… Party.” You decide, and his eyes light up at the prospect.
“Really?” Another smile crosses his face, and you nod, still grinning.
“Yes.” You glance over to the alcove to your left. It would be a good place to shelter from the wind, should there be any tomorrow night. Plus, the more you looked at the water, the more you were able to make out a steep dropoff. It would probably be more comfortable for them to wade water there instead of being partially beached. “At sundown.” You decide, turning your attention back to him, and he’s practically beaming.
“Okay! I’ll let them know.” His tail flicks up from the water, eager, and you take another step back, glancing back the way you came.
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. I need to get going now. Lots of work to do today.” You state, finding the strange feeling of reluctance creeping up inside of you. He appears mildly disappointed as well, smile falling some as he settles his fin back into the sand and sea.
“Alright. I hope you have a good day. I’ll see you later,” He offers a friendly chirp of your name. You both wave, before you turn and make your way back to your temporary home, ready to learn a new craft.
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