[PRP] Land and sea (Raurava and Federico)

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"Most excellent," replied Federico. Quickly, he wondered what a soquili who had never seen the ocean would find most interesting. "The first thing, you see, the reason why we can be so near to each other right now is the tides." He nodded in mock-seriousness.

"Right now, it is high tide. That means the water is high and deep, so I can come closer to shore. When it is low tide, the water pulls back and the beach gets wider." Someone had once told him it was the moon that did this, but Federico didn't know that he believed it. The moon moved so slowly, but the tides changed much faster.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

It was such a small thing, but still something Raurava had never known about the ocean. She knew about the waves, but it mystified her that some times of day the water might be deeper than others. "Where does the water go at low tide?" she found herself asking. She wondered if Federico would think her silly for not knowing. Maybe something like that was commonly known among those who swam in the sea, though she could imagine there was much he didn't know about living on land.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"Ah... hm..." Federico blinked and tilted his head onto one side. He didn't know the answer to that question. He could tell her just about anything and she'd probably believe it through not knowing any better. He idly considered telling her it went into large underground caverns and then was spat back out for high tide, but he decided that might be a bit ill-spirited.

"I do not know," he reluctantly admitted. "The ocean is so vast, it could just add to the water in the deeper parts and there wouldn't look like there was any difference." That made sense to him. It must be something about the shore that caused the tides.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Raurava felt a little disappointed. That part of her curiosity would apparently not be sated. She wondered what else she could ask the mer. What would be most insightful and the least foolish? Any foal could ask where the sand from or what caused the waves. What would be a question of true insight?

"It must be so different living in the ocean," she found herself saying. That wasn't a question. She wasn't even sure when she decided to say the statement out loud. She searched, and found the rest of what she was trying to say. "It must be freeing." Yes, that sort of freedom was something she longed for.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"Hmmm..." Federico sank a little lower in the water as he contemplated his response. The way the mare said it, she seemed sad. Whatever her life was like on the land, it seemed that there was something she felt was lacking there.

"I, of course, wouldn't know what it's like to live on land." He smiled at this. "But you are right, it is very free to live in the water." He looked over his shoulder and saw endless miles of water stretching out behind him. It was all a habitat he could explore, intimidating in its vastness.

"Of course you have to think about safety and food... but other than that..." He shrugged. "It can be lonely, and sometimes very hard to find other soquili. That is the problem with such freedom." He could remember stretches that lasted weeks in the open ocean where he saw no other being with a voice.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"Oh... of course." The ocean was not some perfect refuge. Loneliness seemed like a small cost, however. It might even be considered a benefit. Raurava imagined immersing herself, knowing that there was no one to bother her within miles. That was a comforting thought. If she had been born a mer, she imagined her life would be much different.