[D6 EM] Sand Gets in Your Suit

[Eir]

"You gotta hold your breath, fathead," she teased. "Just relax, your buoyancy is higher in salt water, just go with it and let it hold you up."

[Taime Jorel]

Sputtering, he said, "That's not precisely my specialty." But he gave it a shot, trying to lie back. He laid back, then became worried his head would slip under and then flailed around, going under again. "I'm just gonna stand."

[Eir]

Laughing, Eir playfully shoved Taime, “you forgot to hold your breath.” Having moved closer to the nagai, she could easily reach the bottom and straightened herself up. Tugging on his sleeve, she indicated back in the direction of the shore, “c’mon, I know something more your speed.”

[Taime Jorel]

Following with not a little relief, he let himself be tugged along. "I hope so. Cause all I've gotten is a good irrigation of my nose from this."

[Eir]

Eir laughed, “that’s good for you!” Brightly coloured fish no larger than Taime’s thumb darted away from the pair as they waded back to the shallows, another of the clear jellyfish ambled by, was swept up by a wave and carried onto the beach, almost getting stranded. A scallop, alarmed by their prescence, dropped to the sand and began burrowing into the soft substrate; it made no apparent movements as it did so, seeming to simply melt slowly out of sight.

The half-arkanian, knee deep in the water, the white shirt now clinging wetly to her still-tomboyish frame, was steering them towards a rocky outcrop that divided the beach. The ancient rocks, dark as slate, had been worn smooth over hundreds of years, and was dotted with hollows that filled with seawater at high tide.

[Taime Jorel]

He felt sort of confused with Eir holding his hand like this. He felt warm. Maybe he'd been in the sun too long already. He'd just never seen her so...happy. It was a bit of a revelation.

Following her, he saw where she was indicating. "What are those?"

[Eir]

Without even meaning to, Eir moved gently through the water, barely splashing, “tidal pools! Come see,” she tugged on his hand, but then dropped it so she could scramble up on a low shelf of rock. The rock had formed a large basin, like a giant bathtub, a layer of sand on the bottom, less than two foot deep at its centre. “Careful, don’t slip,” and she offered Taime her hand once more.

The wavelets occasionally washed over the rock shelf, keeping it wet enough to prevent the algae from drying out, and it was slippery in places. Sea grass clung to the edges, waving gently with the motion of the water each time a wave topped up the pool, and a crab was waving its claws, picking something from amongst the leaves and transferring it to its mouth. A small group of mussels were anchored in the pool, their shells open a fraction, and waving barnacles clung about their beards.

[Taime Jorel]

He took it, scrambling up. "Its like...a tiny ocean. In miniature. Its gorgeous!"

[Eir]

While Taime climbed up next to her, Eir’s cheeks took on a pink shade as she got a close up view of the older boy’s own shirt sticking to his skin. She hurriedly looked into the pool, “oh, a sea urchin,” she scooped up the spiky black ball to show Taime.

[Taime Jorel]

His eyes widened. "Whoa. Is it safe to touch?"

[Eir]

Making a sort of ‘snrk’ sound, “yes, fathead,” she rolled her eyes. It was already in her hands, so it had better be safe, “go on,” she encouraged him to touch the critter.

[Taime Jorel]

He reached out a tenative hand and gently touched the spikes. "Oh wow. That would hurt to step on. Its so stiff. How is it like that?" He said, looking at Eir as if she would have the answers.

[Eir]

Happily, Eir returned the urchin to the water, “I guess kind like insects can be spiky too?” she offered. Carefully, she clambered up onto the next shelf of rock and peered into the pool there. “Taime! You have to see this!”

[Taime Jorel]

He followed up after her, trying to figure out what had her so excited. "What is it?" He said, trying to find a good way to clamber up without being on top of her.

[Eir]

“Shh, if you scare it, it might change colour,” she was sitting on the edge of the tidal pool, legs tucked up on her left side. The higher pool was only reached by the tallest of waves, and the rock was dry. It was very similar to the pool below, apart from the little creature that she was pointing to.


Image credit.

[Taime Jorel]

Taime's eyes rounded and when he spoke, his voice was quiet. "Its....beautiful. What is it?"

[Eir]

“Some kind of octopus,” she murmured, “some species are amazing mimics and can copy any colour you can imagine, and maybe even some you can’t, but iridescence? I’ve never heard they could do that.” The baby cephalopod, small enough to fit in one of Taime’s hands, ambled across the bottom of pool aimlessly.

[Taime Jorel]

He cocks his head to the side. "Maybe that's their camoflauge. At the top of the ocean, with the sunlight on it, I bet it'd be hard to spot."

[Eir]

Eir nodded in agreement, “could be.” The creature found a shady spot near the edge, the rock had been begun to wear away underneath, creating a sort of lip, and strands of bright green grass and stalks of sea grapes grew under its protection from the waves. The girl gasped, reaching for Taime’s hand unthinkingly. When she’d first come to the Temple as a five-year-old, holding the older boy’s hand had been as natural as breathing, but one day they’d stopped, and Eir couldn’t remember exactly when, or why that was, but here she was, holding his hand for the second time that day.

The octopus had nestled itself amongst the sea grass, and was slowly changing colour to match. It turned its tentacles upwards, blending in with the other fronds.

[Taime Jorel]

He held on, knowing Eir didn't just reach out for no reason. As they watched, the octopus nearly disappeared. "Incredible." He said.