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"Just your hands? But that has to be nearly impossible, even with the way you were swimming..."

The horse-man blinked, glancing down at the boy clinging to his hand. His fingers curled as he fought the instinctive urge to pull it away, to hide it out of sight, but forced himself to relax, letting Cody turn it this way and that as he pleased. Water dripped from the matted black hair covering his forearms.

"...You..." he began slowly, an idea forming in his mind. "You ever tried fishing with a net or something?"

Drawing his hand back, Gaius couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's shyness, and patted him lightly on the head.

"Hey, it's okay. I'd probably be the same if I was your age and saw something weird like them. Looks like you've got a bit of similar trouble with your own hands anyways." He tilted his head, a horseish smirk on his blunt muzzle

"Hm, I bet a net could help you with those fast fish out here... but we'd need some kind of rope that won't dissolve in the water. That, and..." Gaius winced, ducking his head, "I don't really know how to make one myself. Just thought one of them might be handy for a kid like you. But maybe someone else knows..."

"Heh, well, my hands are just matching the rest of me, I'm afraid, including my feet and all..." Gaius chuckled dryly.

"Yeah, after time they'll do that, I think. Rope gets old and worn out. It's because of all the... uh, chemicals in the ocean? Like the salt and stuff, that's probably what makes them fall apart. But thin string would definitely dissolve pretty fast, kinda like when you put paper in the water. Maybe the labs would provide something..."

As he spoke, Gaius stood back up to his full height, dripping water all over. His hair clung to him like wet clothes, feeling incredibly heavy. It was like a sponge! The horse-man gave a great shake all over, like a wet dog. His mane flapped back and forth, clinging to his neck and wrapping around part of his face. Gaius pulled some of the strands away from his eyes and gave another snort. "Ah, sorry about that!" he smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, not my fault there!" Gaius chuckled, twitching his tail as he tried to get it unstuck from his leg.

"Hmm... Listen Cody, I'll ask around and see if anyone knows anything about net-making. I bet you can try making one yourself if you can find some good materials. I'd just suggest avoiding the labs, they're very... well, bad poeple, no matter what they say." Gaius shook his head. "I've dealt with them before, and it's not fun."

"Anyways!" he said, brightening up again, "want to join me on my way back to the village?" He gestured back up the beach towards his towel and the trail he'd walked.

The pegasus' ears flattened back, even as his wings puffed up. Ah, Sabin. His name always followed close behind any mention of torment... "Yeah, I've... met that guy before. He's messed with me at the labs too..."

His head tilted a bit at the mention of the woman. The only one he'd heard about until now was Aubrey, but this description seemed different. "Woman with weird hair? Who's that?"

Gaius caught sight of the bracelet, though he failed to understand its significance, and instead wondered at the boy's suddenly glum mood.

"Can't...?" he asked, wondering if the boy would off an explanation.

Well, at least that answer affirmed the woman was different from Aubrey. He'd have to keep an eye out for her, though the last thing he wanted was any more dealings with the labs. Not after all he'd dealt with.

His ears flicked up and back a couple times, silently expressing his confusion as to why Cody didn't want to join him, but he decided it probably wasn't best to press, even if he was curious. Shrugging, he headed for the beach. "Fine fine, I'll leave you to your playing then! I need to get to some work myself, and my dog's probably hungry by now..."

Glancing back over his shoulder, he cast a friendly smile at the dolphin-boy. "I'll let you know if I find anything about a net, okay? Which duplex do you live in?"

Gaius had padded up to retrieve his towel, shaking the san off of it before patting down his legs. Sand clung to the wet hair around his feet. That, combined with all the water he was still retaining, left Gaius feeling like he'd gone swimming in his jeans and boots.

So, when he turned around to say goodbye to the kid, he hadn't been prepared for the sight. The horse-man frowned, perplexed, as he tried to figure out what was striking him so odd - a trick of the water? No, it was just... there was Cody's tail, but the boy clearly had no legs! It was difficult even in that light to tell where they had once been. A guilty pang hit him. So that was why Cody didn't want to go with him. Here he was, upset about his hands of all things, when he still had workable fingers, and this boy couldn't even walk anymore. How fair was that?

All this passed through Gaius' head in a rush, mirrored on his face with the conflicting emotions and look of guilt. When the horse finally found his voice again, it came out in a high, broken note. "I'll," he squeaked, then cleared his throat. "I'll see you around, okay kid? Good luck with those fish!"