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 Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2025 8:59 am
Eabha turned to look at Fritz, baffled and more than a little bit irritated - he was just as soaked as she was, why was he being so calm about it? She was supposed to be the mature one, and she was spitting mad!
Eabha did not like to get wet. Especially not without her consent! If it was by her own choice, that was one thing - still not pleasant, but if it was her own choice, at least it was her own fault! This little pipsqueak had drenched her, out of nowhere.
She couldn't believe that she'd ever, even briefly, thought he was a danger. He was a twerp, and Eabha was tempted to march on into the ocean and show him so.
...But...Fritz was right, unfortunately. She wasn't hurt, she was just very annoyed.
"I'm fine," Eabha admitted, grudgingly. She didn't want anyone to get really hurt - she was faintly surprised by the intensity with which their water-bound friend had gone on the defensive - the Sharkeathi seemed surprised too, based on the tone of his whining pleas. "You can't do that," Eabha said, firmly, to the Sharkeathi, "but...you probably shouldn't try to fight a shark-horse, either," she added, much more gently, to their female friend. "He's not gonna hurt anybody, but... the next one might, right?" How many sharkeathis were there? A frightening thought, but Eabha repressed her shudder. She couldn't let this little sharkeathi think he had rattled her - because he hadn't. He'd just made her mad, and he should count himself lucky that Fritz was there to balance her out and keep her from doing anything foolish.
((WC: 270))
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2025 9:51 am
Marina was still glaring at the little fish - he was a tiny little thing. He must be, for her to be able to body him in any measurable way, because Marina herself was not exactly a large specimen of her species.
And, as it was becoming rapidly apparent, he was little more than a kid. He may be adult in size, but in mentality? Clearly still very much a foal, and Marina had always found it difficult to maintain anger at foals for very long. Sure, he was old enough to know better, but he clearly didn't, and someone would have to teach him one of these days. She supposed it was better that she - or perhaps she and her new friends collectively - explain it than the next person he tried to mess with, as the next person could be far less patient and far more willing to chase a little Sharkeathi into the sea and have him for lunch. That was the real problem - he didn't know who he was messing with, and seemed to have no grasp of the consequences.
Marina sighed.
"I was defending myself," Marina began, "but I apologize for going on the offensive immediately. I thought you might be about to hurt us." She looked at her new, now soaking wet, friends on the shore and sighed again. "You aren't terribly hurt, are you?" Marina didn't exactly want to check on this rapscallion, but - well, she couldn't help herself. If he wasn't out to eat them for lunch, she didn't have any real issue with him, aside from the fact that someone needed to teach him some manners.
"Do you know why what you did was a bad idea?" Marina asked after a moment or two of thought. "Aside from the fact that it was rude and unnecessary."
((WC: 303))
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2025 11:16 am
Takutai didn't know why he didn't carry on with his plan (which consisted of leaving as quickly as possible, not looking back, and never seeing any of these people again), but he did pause when the stallion spoke from the shore. Was he...defending him?
Well, maybe not quite defending him, but at least keeping the mares from ripping him apart, as it seemed like they both wanted to do. It was just a little joke, they were getting so bent out of shape over just a little bit of water! Honestly...
Takutai shook his head in answer to the blue mare's question, without even fully realizing that he'd answered it. He hadn't meant to - he'd meant to ignore them and flee beneath the waves. But now he'd gone and done it, so he rolled his eyes at her, an exaggerated gesture even under the best of circumstances, which this definitely was not.
"Because boring people hate fun?" Takutai hazarded, only mostly joking - it had made them mad, but that didn't mean it was a 'bad idea'. He thought it was a great idea. "Or, better question, why do you even care? You're a Seathi like me, kinda, you're already all wet - you didn't even get splashed! Why did you run into me like that? Wouldn't that be an even worse idea than my hilarious and not bad idea?"
Takutai looked from her to the pair on the shore. "He gets it. It was just for fun. It's not like it's poison - you guys will dry off! Or you can get in the water with us, which is way, way better than being all dried out on the beach, let me tell you."
((WC: 282))
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2025 10:13 am
Eabha raised her eyebrows about as high as they would go, considered blowing up again, and then glanced at Fritz and realized--
What was the point? She wasn't hurt. It wasn't poison. There was really no reason for her to ruin her own dang day, was there?
"Don't mind if I do," Eabha said suddenly, taking three hopping steps into the waves breaking across the beach. Everyone seemed shocked by that - Eabha included, if she was being honest with herself - but especially the Sharkeathi, who looked downright terrified.
"The water is nice," Eabha admitted, trotting herself a little deeper; not so deep that she couldn't still touch bottom, of course, but deep enough that the water got up to her chest. It was cold, colder than she had expected, but she wasn't going to give the Sharkeathi the pleasure of showing her discomfort. Besides, she would warm up soon - the sun was hot and warm, after all, and most of her body was out of the water. It might be nice to dry off on the beach afterwards, maybe.
After what, though? Now she was in the water. What came next?
"So. Aside from splashing innocent bystanders," Eabha said, turning her attention to the Sharkeathi, "what do you do for fun, living in the ocean?" Eabha glanced at Marina, inviting her to respond as well; if she was in the ocean, she might as well enjoy herself, and there was no better way to do that than by asking the experts how.
((WC: 252))
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2025 10:21 am
Marina was surprised that the mare joined her in the water - surprised but pleased. The divide between land-dwellers and sea-dwellers often seemed insurmountable to Marina, but it was nice to be reminded every so often that it didn't have to be that way. She couldn't join them on land - at least, not for very long - but they could join her in the water from time to time. It was like having friends over to her house, if her friends could only stay in the entryway.
"There's lots to do," Marina said, gushing in spite of herself. "Most of it does involve going all the way underwater, but...I'm sure there's plenty we can do at safe depths for you, too!" Marina glanced at Takutai. If the kid played his cards right, maybe he had a chance to turn this whole interaction around and make a friend or two - it certainly seemed like he needed them, if his attitude was anything to go by.
"Do you know where the good coral is around here?" Marina asked him, tail swishing excitedly. If he didn't, then she would get to show all of them some of the prettiest views this part of the sea had to offer. If he did, then he could help her find the best of the best...assuming he didn't run away immediately, or try to get them lost, or...
...Maybe it would be better if she took the lead, either way. Just in case. It would be pretty dang embarrassing if she got herself and her new friends lost.
((WC: 259))
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2025 11:28 am
"Yeah!" Takutai said, before he could stop himself, or remember to seem cool, aloof and disinterested. Dang it, he'd shown genuine emotion, now he was ruined.
"I mean, yeah," Taku said, trying to recover some shred of his dignity - but he could tell based on the look on their faces (especially the mares) that it was a losing battle. "We can go look at some coral, I guess. Whatever, I'll go with, if you guys are demanding it."
Ignoring the dry protestations that actually nobody was demanding anything, Takutai took off, darting under the water to get a head start - no way was he going to let that blue mare lead the way. How would the land-dwellers even follow after her? She blended right in.
But the land-dwellers did follow after he and Marina both, around the bend of the island. They both got in the water at some point, the big guy enjoying making as big a splash as he could with every step - it was a good thing these guys lived on shore, Taku thought, because with his attitude he'd starve to death from making all the fish run away from him.
"Okay," he said, a short while later. "Are you guys ready to see the coolest thing ever?"
This was, perhaps, a tiny bit of an exaggeration. It was cool, though, and Taku couldn't help but smile as he ducked back under the water and swam closer to their target. He looked back over his shoulder and was pleased to see the rest of the crew was joining him, and that finally the land-dwellers had gotten their walking/paddling under control enough to not spook everything in a mile radius.
This was going to be awesome.
((WC: 289))
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