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There was someone else on the beach that didn't mind the frigid waters, a young boy. He'd strayed away from the beach in front of his parents' home to play in a more what was the word--private? area. He'd found that on quieter beaches there were more shells to be found, and shells meant he could fill his mother's shelves faster. The still waters meant he was able to dive and search for other treasures.

So far he'd found a very angry shellder. Oops. It'd sprayed his face with water before diving back into the sea. It was after that incident that he took notice of his surroundings, and noticed a very pretty girl. Huh. A girl. On the beach.

And it seemed she didn't mind the cold weather either, excellent! He ran over to her. "Hey," he greeted her. "Making snow angels?"

That was a difficult question, Niall thought, as he considered it. What was a angel? And how could he explain it to someone who had never heard of them? "Well... Er. Angels are... Well. They have halos, like circles over their heads, and wings, and they fly and sing and stuff. They protect people, I think. At least that's what I've heard. Angels look after things." He hesitated again, glancing at her. "You're a dewgong," he noticed, smiling again. "I'm a seel. My name's Niall. Want to swim with me? I've been finding shells for my Momma, but not much luck today... I found a shellder, but it got all mad that I brought it up here."

Stupid shellder. It wasn't his fault it'd been closed up like a shell! At least it hadn't been a cloyster. Those things were terrifying.

Niall was surprised by Kirsi's question, though he acknowledged that it was a valid one. When he had first changed, he had been in so much of a panic, he hadn't thought much about his legs. He'd only known they were there. Iona, his trainer, had been quick to put an end to the panic attack that had arisen, and he had recovered. Eventually. It had taken a bit of getting used to. It was no longer acceptable to headbutt people with affection, because it could hurt them. It was no longer acceptable to sleep sixteen hours a day. One had to wear clothes to be warm, and being afraid made you feel cold, even when it wasn't. Humans were strange creatures.

"I don't know," he replied, honestly. "I woke up like this. My sister has legs too. Maybe it depends who finds the stars..." It was a concept he hadn't considered before. "I bet you can swim really well with that tail," he said.

"I swim," Niall confirmed, beaming. It was a bit more difficult, without his tail, but he found he could swim almost as fast as he had before the transformation. "All the time!" He couldn't not swim, the ocean was a part of him. "I was swimming just then," he gestured to where he'd been before finding her. "That's how I found the shellder. It was underwater, and when I brought it up it used water gun on me." He made a face; water type or not, salt water didn't taste particularly good.

"Want to race?" he asked, hopefully.

Niall beamed, pleased to have someone willing to have a race with him. He'd tried racing with wild pokemon before, but they tended to use it as an excuse to run away. "Okay, get ready!" He cried, moving into the water. He waited for her to enter, excited.

It wasn't common for him to feel on equal footing with someone in the water. "Um. Let's see. Whoever goes--" he pointed to a piece of driftwood in the water, "To that and back here first wins!"

For his part, Niall wasn't very far behind her. It was harder to swim without a tail, the boy realized that more than ever now, seeing someone with one in action. He was immediately envious. Aw well. He tapped the driftwood with his hand, kicking his legs as fast as they would go.

He wanted to at least tie. To be just as good, but he didn't think that would be happening. She was too fast. He'd have to get her to teach him the trick to her speed. "I think you win!" he breathed, pausing when his legs could touch the bottom. He was worn out already!

Kirsi was an impressive swimmer, Niall reflected, making his way out of the water. He sat on the sand, attempting to catch his breath. Better than him, even, and he was better than both of his parents. He gave a nod and a smile. "Sure," he agreed, easily. "That was fun!" Even though he'd lost, he'd enjoyed swimming with someone on equal footing. It was a challenge, it gave him a reason to improve.

"Next time, I'll beat you, I bet!"