"Do you have your things ready for our trip to the beach today, Sollux?" The seven year old boy turned his head in the direction the woman's voice had come from and remained still as he stood by the side of his bed.
"Almost, Ms. Maryam," the boy lisped his answer. "I'm just packing right now," he patted one of his hands on top of his bed near an assortment of items that he had been gathering to pack for the beach trip.
"Very good," the woman smiled warmly. "Are you packing for your brother as well? Where is he?" she asked.
"He's in the bathroom," Sollux responded sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm not packing for him he can do that himself," he said petulantly. He had a frown on his face as he turned his head back toward his pile of belongings on his bed and pushed a few of them around.
"That doesn't sound very nice," Rosa Maryam said and decided to come closer to the child to have a seat at the end of his twin sized bed. "What's wrong, Sollux?"
"Nothing," the little boy grumbled keeping his head down facing his bed.
"It certainly doesn't seem like nothing," the woman probed. Sollux grabbed his sheets in his fist before giving in.
"He won't leave me alone," he finally said. "He keeps following me around and trying to do everything I'm doing."
"Mituna?" Ms. Maryam asked for clarification.
"Yeah."
"He just loves you, dear. You are his brother after all. He probably looks up to you," she reasoned.
"Why? It's not like I'm older than him. We're the same age," Sollux argued.
"I know, sweetie, but you and him went through quite a bit last year together," Ms. Maryam said gently. She reached out to place a comforting hand on the child's arm. He flinched at the unexpected contact but relaxed quickly enough. "The only family the two of you have is each other so try not to be too cold to him," she said softly. The sound of a toilet flushing could be heard faintly and Sollux sighed then pulled away from the woman's hand to continue getting his things together. "I'll see if I can get him to play with someone else on our trip today to give you some time to yourself," she whispered hurriedly.
"Hi Ms. Maryam!" Mituna greeted enthusiastically when he entered the bedroom he shared with his brother and two other boys.
"Good morning, Mituna," the woman responded and stood from the end of Sollux's bed. "Are you excited about going to the beach today?" she asked the child.
"Yes! I want to build a sandcastle," Mituna announced.
"That sounds like it will be very fun. When you and Sollux get your things ready make sure you go wait in the dining hall with everyone else," Ms. Maryam told the two boys. "I will see you two there."
"Alright," Sollux answered. He transferred his stuff on the bed into a backpack and zipped it up while Mituna could be heard rummaging for things to pack in his own bag. "Don't bring too much stuff, Tuna," Sollux warned as he turned around to sit on his bed to wait for his brother. "You'll end up losing something."
"I'm not going to lose anything," Mituna argued. He spoke with a slight lisp as well but it was mostly due to having lost both his front teeth the week before. Sollux knew he would be losing his soon as well and dreaded the day. He pushed his tongue against back of one of his front teeth experimentally and felt it give slightly. He immediately retracted his tongue, not wanting to make the tooth any looser. He figured he probably had until the next week before it would have to come out.
"Are you going to make a sandcastle with me?" Mituna asked while he shoved a few toys into his own backpack.
"I don't know. Maybe," Sollux responded noncommittally hoping that Ms. Maryam would hold true to her word and get the other boy off his back so he could spend some time in solitude at the beach. "Where's Tavros and Rufioh?" He asked.
"I haven't seen them since breakfast and their beds are made," Mituna answered. "Maybe they already got their stuff together and are waiting in the dining hall," he suggested.
"Yeah maybe," Sollux agreed. "You ready?"
"Yep!" Mituna chirped and pulled his backpack on. Sollux grabbed his own bag and pulled the straps over his shoulders then slid off his bed. He reached for the white cane that was propped against his bedside table and turned toward where he knew the door was.
"Alright let's get going then," Sollux said tapping the cane out on the floor in front of him as he walked. Mituna followed his brother out of the room and walked beside him toward the dining hall. He would offer to guide the other boy as he had many times before but Sollux's doctor had said that he needed to use the cane more to get better at handling it. He had only had it for just under a year. It didn't take long for the two boys to begin to hear the excited chatter of the rest of the kids gathered in the dining hall waiting for the bus to arrive.
"Oh! I see the Nitrams," Mituna told Sollux. "Ms. Maryam's here too."
"Alright kids," Ms. Maryam spoke over the din. "The bus has just pulled up out front so if you will follow me in an orderly manner we can begin loading up. Please do not stampede out of here like a bunch of wild wildebeests." There were a few snickers heard among the group of kids but otherwise they began following the woman in a semblance of order. They lined up at the door to the bus so they could climb on one by one and when everyone was seated Rosa took a quick head count then signaled to the driver to begin the trip before taking a seat behind him. Mituna pulled out two action figures from his backpack and handed one to Sollux convincing him to play along with him to pass the time until they got to their destination.
They arrived at the beach in what felt like no time at all and the bus parked and opened its door. Ms. Maryam stood from her seat and turned to address the bus full of children. "When we get off this bus you will follow me to the buildings where you can change into your swim suits. Once you have changed you will stand with me outside until everyone is present then we will set up an area on the beach. At noon we will get the coolers off the bus and eat lunch. We will be leaving by three o'clock. Does everyone understand? Any questions?" There was a chorus of "no" so Rosa turned to exit the bus.
The kids all scrambled to get out of their seats and into the center aisle. Mituna shoved his action figures back into his bag and remained seated with Sollux until they were they last ones in their seat and everyone else stood in the aisle. The line moved steadily as kids climbed down the stairs and hopped off the bus. "Alright Sollux, the coast is clear," Mituna said. Sollux grabbed his white cane and stood from his aisle seat to side step into the aisle. He felt for the tops of the seats as he used them to guide himself forward and Mituna followed closely behind. When he reached the last seat he turned slowly in the direction of the stairs and used his cane to feel where they were. He stepped carefully down the steps and was relieved when he tapped the cane in front of him and felt the ground. He took the last step out of the bus and as soon as Mituna was out Ms. Maryam began leading the group to the changing rooms.
Sollux tapped his cane out in front of him as he walked and he followed the sound of many footsteps nearby to lead him where he was going. Of course with Mituna right at his side it would have been difficult to get lost. He went into the men's changing room and got into his black and white checkered swim trunks and pulled a loose white shirt on even though he had no intention of going in the water. He and his brother rejoined Ms. Maryam outside the changing rooms where they waited for everyone else to be finished. Rosa placed a hand on Sollux's shoulder, which startled him at first, and gave him a reassuring squeeze. He knew that she had their conversation from earlier on her mind and felt relieved at the prospect of having some alone time.
With everyone present, Ms. Maryam led the group down to the beach where they set up blankets and umbrellas. "Alright kids," she said when all the setting up had been done, "go play and have fun. Be careful near the water."
"Sollux, make a sandcastle with me!" Mituna exclaimed and pulled his brother down the beach. "You stay here while I get the supplies," the boy said before running off to get a small bucket from the supply of toys that were brought from the orphanage for the kids to share. He grabbed a plastic cup from the toy pile as well then went down to the water. All the while Sollux stood in place wondering when Ms. Maryam was going to say something to his brother. She clearly hadn't forgotten about it. He could tell he was still near most of the other kids based on how close they sounded. He could hear the waves of the ocean too but he knew he wasn't very close to it.
"'Kay I'm back!" Mituna announced when he returned to the spot he had left his brother. "Sit down so we can build." Sollux reluctantly lowered himself to the sand and folded his cane up to set down beside him. "I'll make one side and you can make the other, okay?"
"Yeah sure," said Sollux.
"I got some water so we can make the sand more wet and buildable," Mituna explained and the next thing Sollux heard was the splash of water hitting the sand in front of him. "You can start now," Mituna said. Sollux reached out in front of him and felt the cold wet sand on his hands. He had no idea what to do and it kind of frustrated him. The other times he had been to the beach with his parents and Mituna in the past he was able to build sandcastles with ease. Now he couldn't see anything but darkness in front of him and he had no idea what his hands were forming. He tried his best to create something that looked slightly better than a blob of sand. His concentration was able to distract him from his other thoughts and before long the collaborative castle had reached completion.
"Wow that looks really wonderful you two," Ms. Maryam's voice came from above Sollux. "You are excellent sand castle architects."
"Thanks!" Mituna said happily.
"Tavros doesn't have anyone to play with right now. How about you go see what kind of sandcastles you can make with him, Mituna? I bet he would love to share his Pokemon toys with you too," she said.
"But I'm making sandcastles with Sollux," Mituna pouted. Sollux could hear the pout in his voice. Of course his brother wasn't going to leave his side without putting up a fight.
"Tavros doesn't have anyone to play with, Tuna. You don't want him to be sad do you?" Sollux added.
"Why aren't you going with me to play with him?" the boy questioned.
"Sollux has to go collect shells and things to decorate all the sandcastles with," Rosa supplied. "Right Sollux?"
"Uh, yeah," Sollux agreed. "I've got to go down the beach and find cool stuff to make our castles even more epic." He hadn't really planned on spending his time collecting shells but at least he would have some peace and quiet.
"Cool!" Mituna grinned in excitement. "I'll go build a huge fortress with Tavros and we'll even put a mote around it then we can make it super realistic with shells all over!" he fantasized.
"I'll take you over to Tavros so you can get started," Rosa said. "Be careful collecting shells, Sollux."
"I will," he smiled and reached for his cane in the sand beside him. He extended it out fully and stood up to begin tapping the sand around him and walking forward. As he walked he would occasionally tap something hard with the end of his cane and he'd lean down to pick it up. Most of the items he picked up felt like shells but some he was unsure of. Either way, he put his finds in his backpack for safekeeping.
Eventually Sollux realized that the sounds of the other kids had disappeared in the distance and the waves lapping up against the shore sounded much closer. He tapped his cane out as far as he could and when he tapped right he heard the splash of his cane hitting water. He stood still on the spot and just listened to the sounds around him and enjoyed the feeling of solitude. He heard a distinct splash mixed in with the sound of the waves and listened for any follow up noises. When he heard nothing else he let his guard back down. A moment or two later he heard the water splash again followed by silence aside the sound of the waves.
"Who's there?" he lisped. "Mituna? Did you follow me?" The young boy stayed quiet to listen for a response but heard none. He let out a breath and was about to move on when a voice he didn't recognize spoke up.
"Why do you have that white stick?"
"Who said that?" Sollux snapped his head in the direction of the voice and tensed his muscles getting ready to make a run for it.
"I did," the voice said. It sounded like another little boy. "Obviously. Can't you see me right in front of you?"
"No I can't," Sollux snapped angrily. "That's why I have this cane, stupid."
"You don't need to be rude about it," the voice said in a tone that sounded like it included an eye roll. "I've just never seen a human carry one of those before."
"'A human'?" Sollux questioned. "Who even talks like that? Are you saying you aren't human?"
"Wait, you don't know?" the boy sounded like he was piecing something together. "You can't see me." He almost sounded like he was grinning.
"Yeah I can't see you," Sollux repeated. "For all I know at this point I could be talking to a rock," he said sarcastically.
"Whatever," the boy said ignoring the question from earlier. "What are you doing out here alone if you can't see?"
"I'm collecting shells and stuff so my brother can decorate his sandcastles," Sollux answered. "I'm blind not brain dead. I can go wherever I want."
"I've never met someone that's blind before," the boy said.
"Me neither," Sollux replied honestly. "What's your name?"
"Eridan," the boy answered. "What's yours?"
"Sollux," the blind boy said. "Are you my age?"
"I don't know," Eridan shrugged. "How old are you?"
"Seven," said Sollux.
"Seven what?"
"Years. What else would it be?" Sollux questioned in confusion.
"Sweeps," Eridan answered. "I'm almost three and a half sweeps."
"And you're sure that you're human?" Sollux asked almost jokingly. Eridan fidgeted nervously and ignored the question again.
"You said you're lookin' for shells?" Eridan asked to change the subject. He had a strange accent that Sollux had never heard before.
"Yeah, I've just been finding them along the shoreline."
"I could get you some really awesome shells if you'd like," Eridan offered casually.
"Sure that'd be great," Sollux grinned. "That way I don't have to keep looking for them."
"Alright I'll be right back," Eridan said then Sollux heard a series of splashes. He decided to sit down on the sand while he waited for Eridan to return. He shrugged his backpack off and unzipped the main compartment to pull out his favorite little toy to play with in the meantime. It was a fat little plastic bumblebee that he had won from a prize machine a few months before. He really liked the way it fit in his hand because of how round it was and it had a pleasant smooth texture to its plastic body. The toy also had moveable wings that Sollux liked to fiddle with.
Water splashing close by made Sollux lift his head in the direction of the sound. "Eridan?" the boy asked just to be sure.
"I found you some really great stuff," Eridan announced. His tone suggested that he was pleased with himself.
"Great," Sollux grinned and moved to put his bee toy away.
"What's that?" Eridan asked when he saw the bright yellow plastic.
"This?" Sollux lisped and held his toy in what he assumed was better view. "This is my favorite figurine. He's a bee and he stings all the bad people."
"Really?" Eridan asked in wonder. "How does he know if people are bad?"
"Because bad people rob banks and jewelry stores," Sollux said simply. "Where are the shells?" he asked after he slipped the bee into his backpack.
"I have them in my bag," Eridan answered. "Come here and I'll give 'em to you." Sollux stood from the ground leaving his bag where he had been sitting and extended his white can to begin tapping the sand in front of him before moving forward.
"Where are you exactly?" Sollux asked uncertainly.
"I'm over here," came Eridan's voice and Sollux turned slightly to begin heading in that direction. It didn't take very long for his cane to start tapping water.
"You're in the water?" Sollux asked nervously.
"Well yeah, I thought you knew that," Eridan scoffed.
"How was I supposed to know if I can't see you?" Sollux snapped in frustration. "I'm not going in the water," he said stubbornly.
"Why not?" Eridan complained.
"Because I don't want to drown," the little boy said already beginning to retreat back to where he had left his bag.
"You won't drown," Eridan told him. "How am I goin' to give these shells to you then? Throw 'em at you?" he asked in annoyance.
"You could always just come out of the water and hand them to me. It's not that difficult to figure out," Sollux responded caustically. Eridan pursed his lips as he carefully contemplated his next move. He could just turn around and leave, no strings attached. He didn't really know this boy and he was blind anyways so it wasn't like he had seen him. There would be no harm done. In fact, all signs pointed to Eridan's best option being to turn around and just leave and pretend the encounter with this strange blind boy never happened. He watched as Sollux stood near the edge of the water waiting with his white cane clutched in his hand.
Against his better judgment Eridan heard himself saying, "Wait right there." He swam closer to the shore until his lower half brushed against the sand beneath the shallow water. He pulled himself closer to the shoreline with his webbed hands until only a few inches of water covered the light grey shark like tail that made up the lower half of his body. The child looked around nervously and wriggled his tail back and forth a few times to be certain that he wasn't going to get beached. Eridan had never been this close to the shore before. He was pretty sure that no one he knew had ever been this close either because of how dangerous it could be. He propped himself up with one arm. "This is as close as I can get. You're goin' to have to come in the water a bit to get your shells," Eridan told the other little boy.
"Why can't you just come all the way out of the water?" Sollux asked as he remained in place.
"My father told me not to leave the water," Eridan stated. It wasn't a complete lie. "Just get over here I won't let you drown." Eridan lifted a webbed hand out of the water and scratched at a spot behind one of his finned ears as he watched Sollux consider his next move. Anxiously, Sollux began tapping his cane out in front of himself and stepping forward. He knew the water was in front of him once he heard the splashes from his cane but still froze up when he felt the cool water on his toes.
"How much further are you?" Sollux tried to disguise his discomfort with annoyance.
"Not that much further," Eridan rolled his eyes. "You really don't like the ocean do you?"
"It's not that," Sollux lisped as he carefully continued forward. "I don't know how to swim." Eridan kept a wary eye on Sollux's cane as it got closer to him and managed to catch it in his hand before it made contact with his body. "Is that you?" Sollux asked in surprise.
"Yeah you were about to bludgeon me with your stick," Eridan snapped and kept the cane in his grasp.
"Oh whatever, I would have just tapped you with it" Sollux remarked.
"Who's to say that wouldn't have hurt me? Maybe I have sensitive skin," Eridan defended.
"Maybe you're over reacting," Sollux said. Eridan pulled a face then realized the other little boy couldn't see it. He looked at the cane in his hand and the boy on the other end of it and realized that he had never been so close to a human.
"Really, Sol? You're goin' to offend the one who said he wouldn't let you drown?" Eridan asked in a haughty tone. Sollux turned his head as he considered the nickname he was just given.
"Sol?" he questioned.
"Yeah, got a problem with it?" Eridan asked.
"Nope, no problem, ED," Sollux replied with a grin.
"ED?" Eridan repeated the name with distaste. Sollux stuck his tongue out and began pulling himself forward on his cane towards Eridan. The sea dwelling boy tensed as the human drew closer to him and held his breath when Sollux's hand made contact with his own on top of the cane.
"Hi, ED," Sollux said as he squeezed his hand on top of Eridan's gently. He was glad to feel corporeal evidence that the boy he had been talking to was actually real.
"Hey," Eridan responded quietly. He looked at Sollux now that he was closer to him. The boy had his eyes closed and a few light scars were visible near his eyelids and forehead. His dark brown hair stuck up at odd angles near the back of his head and he wore a goofy smile. "How come your eyes are closed?" Eridan asked innocently. Sollux frowned and his grip on Eridan's hand faltered.
"Because my eyes don't work anymore," Sollux answered. "They were weird anyway. At least now I don't have people making a big deal out of them and I don't get confused with my brother anymore," the boy pouted a bit.
"What do you mean?" Eridan probed.
"They're two different colors," Sollux explained. He made an effort to lift his eyelids, the muscles to do so having grown weak from disuse in the past year. He managed to get them open and Eridan flinched when he saw them. Sollux's right eye seemed to have been a dark brown while his right was a light blue, however, a milky white had settled over the centers of them from built up scar tissue. The whites of his eyes were more pink and red from angry blood vessels. Sollux closed his eyes again after a few moments.
"I'm sorry your eyes don't work, Sol," Eridan said after it had been silent between the two of them. "I think the two colors are pretty interestin'."
"Thanks," Sollux accepted the compliment feeling awkward. "Are you going to give me those shells?"
"Oh, right," Eridan remembered the reason he had this human standing in front of him and lifted the satchel he carried with him that was made from woven seaweed over his head. "Here just take my whole bag so you can carry 'em back easier," he said as he handed it over. Sollux reached out and took the bag when he felt it touch his fingers.
"What is this made out of?" Sollux asked pulling a face. "It feels slimy."
"It's, uh, made of seaweed," Eridan considered lying about it but decided against it when he realized someone else might see the bag and tell Sollux what it was actually made out of. He didn't think most humans probably made their bags out of seaweed if Sollux's backpack was anything to go by.
"Why seaweed?" the blind boy asked in surprise and reached inside the bag to feel the shells. Eridan wasn't sure how to answer the question and maintain the assumption that he was a regular human being.
"I don't know," Eridan shrugged. "My father gave it to me."
"That's weird," Sollux said. He pulled his cane out of Eridan's reach and was about to start heading back to the sand where he had left his belongings.
"Wait!" Eridan called out to him.
"What?" Sollux asked impatiently already anxious to get out of the water.
"Do you want to play or somethin'?" Eridan asked almost shyly.
"Will you come out of the water?" the blind boy questioned.
"No I can't," the boy from the sea answered.
"Why is your dad making you stay in there?"
"He, uh, said he'd be right back. He told me to wait here so he would know where to find me," Eridan lied pathetically.
"I'm sure he won't mind if you go out onto the sand. You'll still be right here," Sollux lisped. He reached out for Eridan's hand again, "Come on." He had planned on attempting to drag Eridan with him to the sand but his fingers brushed against the webbing between the other boy's fingers. He gasped and jerked his hand away as if burned. "What was that?' he yelped. Eridan swished his tail back and forth as he thought about his situation.
Sollux seemed harmless enough from what Eridan could tell. He was just a child much like Eridan himself. Could it have been possible that Eridan's father had been wrong about how dangerous land dwellers were? The sea dwelling boy sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me," Sollux challenged.
"Well for starters I'm not really a human," Eridan said.
"You're not?" Sollux asked in shock. "You have to be. There's no such thing as real aliens," he reasoned.
"Aliens?" Eridan asked in confusion. "I'm a sea dweller."
"A sea dweller?" Sollux echoed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You touched the webbin' on my hand a moment ago. I live in the ocean," Eridan explained.
"Like a mermaid?" Sollux asked curiously.
"I don't know," Eridan huffed. "Do humans even know that there is an advanced race livin' under the sea? We aren't supposed to make contact with land dwellers. I'm not even supposed to be talkin' to you," the boy leaned his head in his hand propped up by his elbow on the sand in the shallow water.
"Do you have a fish tail and everything?" the blind boy asked in interest. Eridan waved his tail back and forth at the mention of it.
"Yes I do," he answered matter-of-factly.
"Let me touch it," Sollux demanded. Eridan lifted his head from his hand and furrowed his brow.
"Excuse you, but I don't make a habit of lettin' commoners touch me. You've got to be even worse than a commoner because you're a human," the finned boy said arrogantly.
"If I don't feel it for myself how am I supposed to believe you? Mermaids aren't real," the blind boy argued.
"Well maybe it's best if you don't believe me," Eridan retorted. "Seein' as how I shouldn't be talkin' to you anyways."
"I won't tell anyone, ED. That is, if you are telling the truth," Sollux bargained.
"Of course I'm tellin' the truth!" Eridan shouted defensively.
"I don't know you aren't giving me much evidence. It sounds a bit," Sollux grinned, "fishy." The boy laughed at his own joke.
"That doesn't even make any sense," Eridan fumed. "How can somethin' sound like fish?"
"I don't know," Sollux shrugged. "It's just what people say."
"Fine! You don't think I'm bein' serious? Have it your way and touch my tail," the boy from the sea said angrily and splashed his tailfin behind him. Sollux had a satisfied smirk on his face as he took small steps back over in Eridan's direction. "You're goin' to have to get wet," Eridan said. The blind boy's face changed to a look of concentration as he felt the ocean water fully cover his feet.
"So since you're a mermaid apparently you should be able to help me if I start drowning right?" Sollux asked trying to sound less nervous than he was.
"I don't know, if you keep bein' rude to me I might just let you drown. It'd be one less human to have to worry about," Eridan replied stubbornly. "Though I would be impressed if you actually managed to drown in water this shallow," he added. Sollux tapped Eridan in the side with his cane when he got close enough.
"Is that you?" he asked.
"Yes and watch where you're wavin' that thing," the finned boy complained. "You might wanna get down in the water to be on my level. I'm not standin' ya' know." Sollux gripped his cane anxiously at the thought of sitting in the water, but Eridan was right about it being very shallow. He held onto his cane as he lowered himself into the water then folded his cane up to make it easier to hold onto. He tentatively reached his hand forward seeking out the other boy and Eridan watched with apprehension. This was his last chance to back out and not reveal himself. Something kept him rooted firmly in place no matter how much he tried to tell himself to go.
Sollux's fingers made contact with the other boy's wet shoulder. He inhaled sharply as Eridan rolled over to sit as upright as he could in the shallow water and took Sollux's hand to guide it down to the less human like portion of his body. The blind boy felt his hand come to a rest on an oddly rough feeling surface. He moved his hand carefully and felt his fingers brush over Eridan's violet colored pelvic fins and followed the length of the tail down to the caudal fin. Eridan sounded like he was trying hard to restrain laughter.
"What's so funny?" Sollux lisped defensively and yanked his hand away from the tail. "Are you pulling a prank on me?" he accused.
"No," Eridan's giggling ceased. "It just tickles."
"So that was actually you?" Sollux asked in shock. He reached out a hand again to touch the sandpapery skin and purposely moved in a way meant to tickle. Eridan erupted in a fit of laughter and thrashed around splashing Sollux with ocean water. Sollux just grinned at his new friend's reaction and continued to tickle him until a sound caught his attention. He stopped what he was doing and listened out for the sound again. Eridan looked at him in confusion.
"What are you-"
"Shh!" Sollux shushed and heard the sound again.
"Sollux!" came Mituna's voice faintly from the distance.
"I have to go," the blind boy said suddenly. "My brother's looking for me. You should go too before he sees you."
"Will you come back?" Eridan asked.
"I don't think I can today because Mituna never leaves me alone," Sollux answered with disappointment evident in his voice.
"Oh," Eridan said trying not to sound too let down. "Maybe another day?"
"It depends on if we have another beach day this summer. I'll try to get everyone to vote on coming here," Sollux explained hurriedly.
"Sollux!" Mituna's voice was getting closer.
"I'll try to find you if we come back and we can play if you want," Sollux said.
"Yeah that sounds good," Eridan said with a grin. "See ya' later, Sol." The sea dwelling boy began pushing himself back into deeper water to swim back home as Sollux held his new seaweed bag in one hand and his cane in the other. The dorsal fin on Eridan's lower back had just disappeared under the surface of the water when Mituna finally spotted Sollux and ran over to him.
"What's taking you so long?" Mituna asked and went into the water to guide Sollux back to shore. "What are you holding?"
"It's just something I found to put shells in," Sollux answered as his brother walked him back to his belongings.
"Well it's lunch time now so we can decorate the castle after that," Mituna said. "You missed the entire building part of it." Sollux grabbed his bag and halfway listened to his brother's ramblings as they walked back to where everyone else was. Most of his thoughts were excitedly racing as he thought about the new friend he'd just met as well as his important discovery- mermaids were real.