The man could not bring himself to wake the boy but it was nice to watch him sleep as the sun came up. He had never gotten the opportunity to do so before and he'd admit that it was an interesting sight to see. Ivan felt tingly all over but that was likely from the boy sleeping on him all night and cutting off his circulation.

As the sun started to shine through the window, the boy slowly began to wake. He opened his eyes and yawned, blinking sleepily for a bit as he woke up fully. It was a bit odd to sleep with both eyes closed, yet at the same time it was also rather nice.

"Ah, how did you sleep...?"

"Good." The boy says with another yawn, smiling a little. "It is different to sleep that way, but not bad."

"Are you well rested?" Ivan asked as he shifted.

"Yes." Mattie nodded and shifted as well, moving to get off of Ivan. "Food, then shoes, then hunt?" He asks curiously. "Or food, then hunt, then shoes?"

"The second. Your shoes will be the prize for a job well done today. We're going out beyond the bay today but not too far out. I have a feeling the weather will be good."

"Oh." Mattie nodded and got off of the bed. "Hunting different fish today?"

"Yes, bigger ones too." Ivan sat up and stretched his tense muscles.

"How much bigger?"

"Hm, about this big." He held up his hands to show him, giving a length that was a little more than two feet. "Like that one you brought me the day we promised. And maybe a few squid or crabs if we can manage?"

"Okay!" Mattie said with another nod. "Can try crabs but very hard and hands bite."

"I know. I'll give you something to catch them in so you won't have to worry about their biting hands." Ivan chuckled at the boy's thoughts on the crab claws and ruffled his hair a little as he stood up.

Mattie giggled a bit and smiled. "Okay."

"Now why don't you go strip and get into the tub while I change? I'll only be a moment."

"Okay." Mattie nodded and went to do just that, going into the other room and taking off the clothes before climbing into the tub. He had his tail by the time Ivan came out and the necklace was still around his neck.

"Would you like to catch your breakfast this morning or have some porridge and toast?" Ivan asked with a smile as he walked into the kitchen area to cook.

"Breakfast here." Mattie replies, smiling back.

"Lots of butter?"

"Yes please!" The boy nodded eagerly.

)*(

Once they were out of the bay Ivan called Mattie over to the side of the boat. He asked the boy if he could search out a good spot for them to start fishing and then after that they could decide what catch they should go for first.

Mattie gave a nod and went underwater, looking around for a bit before popping up not too far away and waving Ivan over. Ivan turned the ship towards Mattie and then their day of work began.

Their method of fishing had changed since they had gotten to know each other; Ivan rarely, if ever, laid out nets for the next day anymore.

The two of them started with fish; Ivan sorting them as Mattie was out scouting and when the boy found something, Ivan would move the boat and they'd work together to catch the fish before repeating the process.

When Mattie found crabs, Ivan handed him an old rusted cage, square in shape, and with a sliding gate rather than a swinging one. He had founded it a few days ago and had thought it might be useful but didn't know how until he actually thought of what to do with it. "Put the opening over the crab and then close the gate under him. You won't get bit like this. Once you've caught him, bring him up and I'll drop him in a bucket."

The merman nodded and took the cage, going back under to get the crabs. It took him a while to get the hang of using the cage but once he did, it was fairly quick work. He caught one or two good sized ones but most of the crabs were small. He even caught one medium-sized lobster as well on accident, coming up and saying that he'd found a different shaped crab before holding the cage up so Ivan could see.

Ivan was surprised but pleased and by the time they were done with crabs, he was left with sore hands, pinched fingers, and a few nicks from the small beasts. Crab fishing was turning out to be nasty business and he hoped it was worth the trouble.

When they were done with crabs, Mattie looked up at Ivan and tilted his head curiously. "All done for today or hunt more?"

"We might have missed the morning market since we weren't out before sunrise so bringing this to the noon market would be better." Ivan replied thoughtfully. "But we still have some time before then."

"Go back to house and dry off or hunt more?"

"No, if we went back to the house there would be no point in coming back to the boat and then having to sail back for the market." Ivan says, shaking his head. "Why not just take a break for now and decide what to do after?"

"Oh… okay. Mattie wanted to go to market with Ivan but clothes at house."

The man smiled. "I brought them with me, I thought you might want to come. I even have something for you to dry off with."

Mattie grinned happily and swam up close to the boat. "Can Mattie get in boat from here?" He wanted to get up and know what it felt like to be in a boat when he had legs.

"Okay, one moment." He then left the edge to fetch the towel he brought, though it was more like a big blanket. As he neared Mattie again, he thought of something. "Mattie? Do you want me to pull you up or do you want to get up yourself?"

"How get up by self?" The merman tilted his head a little and looked up in confusion.

"You could jump?"

Mattie considered this for a few moments before shaking his head. Landing on the deck would probably hurt a lot if he jumped. "Eon pull Mattie up please."

Ivan nodded, dropping the towel and reaching down to grab the boy under his arms. Mattie made sure to stay still while he was pulled up so it wouldn't be harder than necessary. When he was up and being above the deck, he held his hands out for the towel and Ivan wrapped it around him carefully, tail and all before setting him down.

Mattie dried himself off as much as he could and then just kind of waited for the sun to dry himself off the rest of the way, frowning a little when he saw the cuts on Ivan's hands. "Crabs bit you."

"Yes they did." Ivan looked over his hands before grinning at Mattie. "Shall we eat one as punishment for biting my hands?"

The boy giggled a little but shook his head. "Crabs go to market, right?"

Ivan shrugged. "They will be."

"Tomorrow, want to hunt for those little round things?" The boy asks suddenly. "Saw them yesterday at market. They small, round, and white."

"You mean clams?" Ivan tilted his head slightly.

Mattie's head tilted to the side in thought and then he gave a small nod. "I think so. The small round things are inside those, right?"

"Round things...?"

"Yes. Round white things. They at the same place this was." The boy motioned to the necklace that Ivan had bought for him that was hanging around his neck.

"...Pearls? You want to hunt for pearls?"

The merman nodded and smiled. "They look nice and they can go to the market like fish and crabs, right?"

"They are worth more than fish and crabs! Do you know how hard it is to come by those?" Ivan exclaims in astonishment, gaping at the boy in surprise.

Mattie stared at him for a moment before tilting his head a little. "No?"

"They are very hard to find Mattie. That is why they are worth so much."

"Oh… we could try." He gave Ivan a smile and then going quiet for a moment before asking. "What does worth mean?"

"Um... That one is hard to explain. I guess it would be how much one is willing to give up for something."

"Don't understand that one." The boy gave a soft frown.

"If-If someone wanted to hurt you Mattie, I would have them hurt me instead of you." Ivan says slowly as he placed a hand over his heart. "That is how much you are worth to me."

"Oh… Mattie don't like when Eon hurt though."

"It was merely an example Mattie. Do not worry." He smiled and moved his hand to the boy's shoulder.

Mattie went quiet for a moment before looking up and tilting his head a little. "Can we still try hunting for pearls tomorrow?"

"If that is what you wish."

)*(

After Mattie was dry and dressed Ivan turned the ship around towards the docks. They would be early but that was not a problem. He could give Mattie a quick lesson on how to sell something while they waited.

Mattie sat near Ivan, away from the wet part of the boat. He'd found that standing on a moving boat was not fun and rather hard for someone who'd only recently learned how to properly walk. Him sitting was safer and made the trip back more enjoyable.

Once at the docks, Ivan began to sort the fish according to species and then size while Mattie helped as much as he could. Though the boy mostly just watched Ivan sort the.

"Do you think you can carry these?" Ivan asks suddenly, holding two buckets of water with crabs crawling inside of them out to the boy.

Mattie made a face and shook his head. "Don't know but don't want to carry them. They bite."

Ivan couldn't help but laugh at that response. "Alright, will you watch them for me when I set them down in the market then? I don't want them running off."

"Yes, but how can they run off? They in a bucket."

"Oh they can climb." The man teased playfully.

Mattie made an unhappy face and took a step away. "Don't want them to bite feet."

"You are quicker than they are, rest assured." Ivan grinned as he walked onto the docks, though Mattie didn't look too reassured by that as he followed after the man.

)*(

Ivan found what he thought was a good spot and set the buckets down. He was nervous about leaving Mattie alone in the market but there were not very many people around at the moment so he figured that the boy should be fine while he went and got the rest of the catch. He then walked off to get the catch, leaving the boy to wait with the buckets and glance down from time to time to make sure the crabs stayed in the bucket and didn't get anywhere near his feet.

Ivan had to make two trips to bring the last of the catch into the market and afterwards he made rounds to see if some of the stationary merchants had any interest buying the catch from him. Ivan preferred it this way because there were less people to talk to and even less that would avoid him out of spite. He brought Mattie along with him, showing the boy how to haggle a little. While the boy didn't seem to really understand the lesson, he paid close attention to what Ivan was telling him.

The catch was sold with little trouble to the merchants. When they were done, Ivan placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We did a good job this morning. Thank you for the help Mattie."

The boy beamed happily at the praise before asking a question. "Shoes now?"

"I was just about to say that. Shall we?" Ivan started to walk to the other side of the market.

Once inside, Ivan asked if he could borrow a rag and a pail to wash "her" feet before putting on her new shoes since they were a bit scraped up by the time they had gotten to the shop.

The man had the boy from the day before fetch it for him and Ivan then started to wash Mattie's feet while the boy sat there patiently, letting Ivan wash and dry his feet and then help him put the new shoes on. Once they were on, Mattie looked down at them curiously, noticing how different they were compared to Ivan's. "Stand up and let me know how they feel." Ivan says, standing and holding out his hand.

Mattie took Ivan's hand and stood up, looking down at his feet and tilting his head a little in thought. He let go of Ivan's hand then and walked around a little before stopping back in front of Ivan with a smile. "Feels very nice. Much easier to walk with these."

)*(

After they left, they returned to the market that was already growing crowded and Ivan began to look around for oysters. He had to show Mattie what he was looking for before they went hunting after all. "Ah, here. Come look." Ivan pointed to grey shells. "That is what pearls are found in. They're called oysters."

"Oysters." Mattie repeats, looking at the shells and nodding.

"You think we'll find any?" Ivan asked as he led the boy away and back to the docks.

"Oysters yes, pearls don't know."

"Do you want pearls of your own?"

Mattie shrugged a little. "Not sure. But it would be very good if we found any, yes?"

"Yes, you could get a bigger tub with just one."

"With just one?" The boy's eyes went wide in surprise. "But pearls are so small!"

Ivan nodded with a chuckle. "But they are worth a lot. Someone can get many things with something of great worth. You are understanding more and more Mattie."

"Can we go look for them now?" The boy asks with an eager smile.

"Of course. But first let's get something to eat, hm?"

"Okay!"

)*(

Ivan got them some sweet bread as a treat but also some dried and salted meat. Both were favorites of Ivan's and he happily chewed the meat as he readied his ship for sail. Mattie sat in the boat next to him and munched on the food as well, enjoying the bread quite a bit. He wasn't that impressed with the meat but didn't complain as he ate it.

Once they'd set sail and were headed for the edge of the bay, Mattie looked up at Ivan and asked a question he'd had earlier. "Why do our shoes look so different?"

"Because yours are made for a woman and mine are made for a man. A man does different work than a woman." Ivan replied simply as he steered.

"Why do I have shoes made for a woman?" The boy tilted his head curiously.

Ivan looked a little ashamed. "Well... You agreed to wear a dress so it would be easier and likely safer for you. The shoes are to match because it would look odd if you wore men's shoes in a dress."

"Oh… okay." He smiled and looked out at the water. He turned his head back to Ivan a few moments later. "What kind of work does a woman do?"

"Uh..." Ivan was at a bit of a loss. He didn't know anything about women other than that their appearance was different and that they looked after children. He had spent his early years with his grandfather and even then the only things the man had taught him were all about how to survive so Ivan didn't really know that much about men either. "Look after children?"

"Oh!" Mattie blinked in surprise, glad for a better idea of a comparison between which type was which for his own kind now. "Will the others in town expect me to look after their children?"

"No. Everyone looks after their own children. They will most likely not ask you for anything." I hope.

"... So the town is not like a big family then?"

Ivan shook his head. "From what I know, everyone sticks to their own families."

"How big is each family?"

"At the most maybe twenty? But even I don't know."

"Okay." Mattie nodded and went quiet, enjoying the scenery. When he spoke up again, they were almost at where they had been earlier that day and his voice was soft and cautious. "Ivan…?"

"Yes?"

"My family is very far away because I got lost. Where-" The boy hesitated a few moments, unsure whether or not it would be okay to ask. "Where is… Ivan's family?"

Ivan was quiet for a very long time, not looking at the boy. Not looking at anything really. He then took a deep breath; breathing out slowly before replying in a faint, barely there whisper. "Dead."

Mattie was not quite sure what to expect but when he did get an answer, he didn't like it at all. Without saying anything Mattie stood up slowly, wobbling a little due to being on a boat, and then turned and gave Ivan a gentle hug.

Ivan tensed, freezing on the spot. "Mattie." His voice was a mix of question, pain, dislike, and confusion. His chest felt tight and it hurt; he wanted it to stop.

Mattie didn't move from where he was. "Yes?" He asks softly.

"What are you doing?" Ivan's fists tightened into balls, fearing he'd push the boy away or do something he would regret for the rest of his life otherwise.

"Hugging you." The boy replies simply. "Do you not like it?"

"It hurts... please stop." His hands were shaking now and his eyes stung as his vision blurred slightly. "Please."

Mattie let go almost instantly, lifting his head quickly to look up at Ivan in confusion and worry. Ivan moved away, grabbing the anchor to throw it over with a great splash. Once it was in the sea, Ivan placed his hands on the side of the boat. Many ragged breaths came from him and he was gripping the wood with all his might until his hands were screaming in pain as he tried to steady himself but the hurt only throbbed harder throughout him.

Mattie fell back down into his seat at the sudden movement in the boat, watching Ivan move with a worried look and waiting a minute before standing back up. He slowly wobbled his way over to the man, stopping next to him. "Ivan…?" He asks, his voice soft and full of concern. The boy put one hand on the side of the boat to steady himself and then hesitated a moment before he tentatively placed his other hand on top of one of Ivan's.

The man hissed in pain like hot coals had been dropped on him and Ivan's other hand moved to grip his own chest. Make it stop. Make it stop. I can't take it. Mattie was on the verge of breaking Ivan. Simple words, simple touches, simple anything. Most people would have to take a hammer to him for months just to get him to crack, to break and yet Mattie was able to do it in a moment, like being licked by the flames of the sun.

The boy pulled his hand back quickly, looking at Ivan in worry and confusion. He wanted to do something to comfort the man, to undo the pain he'd unintentionally caused him but he didn't know how to do that without possibly hurting Ivan more. "I-I'm sorry." He chokes out, feeling close to tears himself with the knowledge that Ivan's pain was currently his fault. "Didn't mean to- to hurt you… I-" The boy quickly took steps back and away from Ivan, turning from him and removing his clothes and shoes as quickly as he could without falling as he made his way to the opposite side of the boat. He thought that maybe it would be best to just go and do what they came out here to do before he accidentally hurt Ivan even more.

The boy climbed over to the edge of the boat and hopped into the water, sinking a bit before his tail came back. He then surfaced quickly for air. "I will just go hunt pearls now." He calls up to Ivan before disappearing underwater and diving down to look for oysters.

It was a good while before Ivan moved and then it was only to tie up the sails. He then lay on his back and stared at sky, just keeping his focus on his breathing and the pain. He kept his mind clear of all other thoughts until he knew he was calm once more.

)*(

Mattie didn't like this horrid feeling of weight on his chest at all. It was tight and it hurt and he didn't like it. It made him feel like he didn't have enough air even though he knew he still had plenty.

The merman swam down, looking for oysters and trying to pry them open. He got rather frustrated when the first one he found didn't open and hit it on a rock nearby until it opened. He gave a squeak of disappointment when there wasn't anything inside of it and continued this method of looking for a pearl until he ran out of air half an hour later, leaving the ones he busted open for other fish to feed upon as he swam to the surface.

Once he'd surfaced, he got the air he needed before going back underwater, diving much deeper than he had the first time and repeating his process of looking for at least one pearl.

Mattie surfaced twice more, growing more frustrated. He took a large intake of air before diving as deep as he knew he could go and still make it up in time, grabbing several oysters into his hands and swimming back up quickly. He surfaced, got more air and then went back under (though not nearly as low down) and used a rock to bust open the ones he'd grabbed.

By this point it'd been a little over two hours since he'd jumped into the water and he was certain he'd gone deeper than any of those on land could go, however he was getting more frustrated with each one that he broke open and found it empty.

He was starting to give up for today as he began cracking open the last one he'd grabbed from far down. He was been expecting another failure so much that he almost tossed this one away before he realized that much to his delight, there was a pearl inside. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't super tiny either. Squeaking happily in delight, he pulled the pearl from its oyster and held it in his hand securely as he swam up to the surface.

By the time Mattie reached the surface, his smile had dropped and he approached the boat tentatively, unsure if it would be okay for him to come back up onboard now. He was glad that he found a pearl but was afraid he'd accidentally hurt Ivan more without meaning to, making him wary of making his presence know. "Ivan…?" He calls up softly after a few minutes had passed.

The boat rocked as Ivan got up quickly. He didn't even ask; he should have, but didn't as he reached for the boy and pulled him into a strong embrace out of the water. He fell to his knees once Mattie was in the boat with him, cradling the boy in his arms. Ivan had waited, wanting, hoping, that Mattie would come back on his own. "You didn't hurt me." Ivan started off quietly. "You have never hurt me Mattie."

After Ivan spoke, the boy was quiet for a few moments. He wasn't really sure how to respond to that right now without getting worked up over it so he avoided the topic entirely. Instead, he gently tugged on Ivan's shirt to get his attention. "Look." He says, holding his hand up to the man and slowly opening it to reveal the pearl sitting in the palm of his hand. "Mattie found pearl."

Ivan blinked in surprise; he never thought the boy would find one. "Incredible..." He breathed.

"Worth lots, yes?" Mattie's voice was soft and tentative as he closed his fist so he wouldn't lose the pearl. He then turned his head to hide his face in Ivan's chest. "Found it for Ivan."

"No, I couldn't. It's yours Mattie." Ivan shook his head.

Mattie was shaking his head before the man could finish talking. "No. Found it for Ivan."

"Mattie." Ivan wanted to argue, to get him to keep it for himself but he also didn't want to upset the boy either.

"No. Found it for Ivan." The boy insists, just a hint of a whine in his voice. "Mattie sorry. No more sad or hurt now please. Don't like seeing Ivan like that."

"I'm no longer hurting Mattie. I'm fine, it's passed." He rubbed the boy's back gently as he said this.

"Good. Don't like seeing Ivan hurt." Mattie whispers with a nod. "Hurts."

"Thank you." Ivan hugged him tighter for a moment and rested his head against Mattie's as the boy hugged him back quietly.

)*(

Several days later, Ivan was just entering his home with Mattie's new clothes folded nicely in his arm. He hoped that Mattie still wanted a dress because Ivan wasn't all that inclined to go through that again. The town was already full of whispers about his new "prisoner" or the "poor soul" that he was bringing around. Ivan didn't care what they talked about so long as they didn't get involved. He didn't want Mattie to be a part of any of their torture. "I return." He says with a smile as he closed the door behind him.

"Welcome back!" Mattie exclaims happily, coming over to greet him with a smile. Upon seeing the clothes in Ivan's arm, the smile got wider and the cloth was taken from him; the boy unfolding it and excitedly trying to figure out how to put it on.

"Take off what you're wearing now and put that on like a shirt." Ivan happily shooed him off to the bedroom. "I'll help you with the belt afterwards."

"Okay!" Mattie grinned and went off to the bedroom, pulling off his clothes and putting the dress on. When he had the dress on, he came out of the bedroom, playing with the swishy material a little.

Ivan froze the instant his eyes fell on the boy and his expression fell to a look of surprise. Had he been holding anything, he would have dropped it, and as he stared at the boy, Ivan felt a rising heat come to his face. His cheeks were no doubt becoming red.

Mattie stopped in front of Ivan and tilted his head curiously, looking up at the man with a soft, questioning look. "Belt now…?"

"Hm? O-oh, right." Ivan gave himself a small shake as if it would get rid of the strange feeling and then moved towards Mattie to tie the belt around his small frame.

He regretted stepping back to get a better look to see if he had everything in the right place. The slight poof above the belt made it look as though the boy had some sort of a chest, thus giving an ever so slight curve to Mattie. One you wouldn't see unless you were really looking.

Ivan felt a bit hot under the collar as his heart pounded mercilessly against his ribs. His face was red as he placed a hand over his mouth to keep him from saying anything stupid or something that he might regret and it took a lot to pry his eyes away from the sight in front of him.

Mattie had a confused smile on his face as he watched the man's reactions, not quite sure why Ivan was acting like he was. "Does it look odd?"

"N-no. It, uh, looks very good." Ivan didn't understand why his mouth had a feeling of dryness.

"Oh, good! I like it." The boy's expression brightened immediately. "It is soft and more nice to move in than the pants."

"I'm happy to hear." Ivan gave a small smile, glancing at the boy for a moment. "B-but don't spin around in it, okay?"

"Okay but why not?"

"Well, because you're not wearing anything underneath." Ivan responded awkwardly, his voice full of embarrassment. "If you were to... spin around, every one would see."

"That is… not good then?"

Ivan shook his head; he couldn't even think how other people would react because his mind was too busy being bombarded with Mattie in a dress.

"We can hold hands in town now, right?"

"Ah, yes..."

Mattie smiled happily. "What else is okay to do in town now?"

"Everything." So far. Ivan surprised himself with that thought. Where did that come from?

"Even rub heads?" The boy's smile widened.

Just when Ivan had thought the blush was fading from his cheeks, it came back full force. "Y-yes... Even rubbing heads."

"Good!" At seeing the red on his face again, Mattie tilted his head to the side a little. "Why Ivan's face change color?" He asks curiously, reaching up and gently touching Ivan's cheek with one of his hands. Ivan flinched and looked at Mattie with wide eyes while the other blinked in surprise at the temperature. "Very warm."

It took Ivan a few moments to get words to come out of his mouth. "... W-what are you doing?"

At those words, Mattie's eyes got very slightly wider and his hand was pulled back very quickly, almost as if he'd been burned by the words. He took a step back from Ivan as well and looked down at his feet dejectedly answering. "Just wanted to know why Ivan's face changed colors..."

Ivan grabbed Mattie's hand quickly and Mattie looked back up. "It's not bad!" The man exclaims, confusing himself with his own words. It's not? "Er, it's fine, don't feel bad Mattie." He said gently a moment later. "I'm just overwhelmed with strange feelings from how beautiful you look. W-wait! That's not what I meant- well it is, b-but not in that sense. Just that you are beautiful woman, if you were- what I mean is you'd make a beautiful woman!" Ivan groaned at his petty stumbling. He felt like he was ten all over again, unable to speak properly or get out what he wanted to say.

Mattie watched Ivan stumble over his words in surprise and confusion. There were many new words that were being used much too quickly for him to ask what any of them meant.

"Why do I keep saying beautiful so much?" Ivan muttered to himself. "... Never mind, that's beside the point. You look very nice Mattie and it's got me confused, no, not confused. Just- I am unable to understand why or what I am feeling at the moment. It's not about- it is about you, b-but not what you did, only how you look."

When Ivan was done speaking, Mattie just stared at him for a few moments looking rather confused and startled at all of that, not quite sure how to react to any of it. Ivan let the Mattie's hand go after seeing the confusion on the boy's face. "Sorry."

"Ivan is saying… Mattie looks very nice and also looks like a woman…?" The boy asks slowly after a few moments, tilting his head to the side a little. Ivan nodded slowly, still feeling odd and greatly embarrassed. "Oh... okay." The boy gave a nod. "What do overwhelmed and beautiful and confused mean?"

"Overwhelmed means too much. Beautiful... means very nice to look at, like pearls and flowers. And confused is another word for not able to understand." Explaining things to Mattie was a wonderfully soothing act for him; he was already feeling a little better.

"Oh." Mattie nodded in understanding. "Why did your face change color and get warm? What is that called?"

"Blush." The man answers reluctantly.

"Blush." The boy repeats, tilting his head a little. "Why did you blush?"

"I," Ivan started, feeling a little uncomfortable about this. "Felt embarrassed and other things."

"What does embarrassed mean?"

"To feel uncomfortable, ashamed, or timid? It's hard to explain."

"What do those words mean?"

"Uncomfortable can mean a few things Mattie. It can mean scared, a little hurt, or not wanting something. Ashamed means you feel bad for doing something and don't want to talk about it. Timid is like being scared, but not of something or someone, just a little scared of what it or someone does." It was like running around in circles; telling him one word meant telling him another two.

Mattie thought about this for a few moments before nodding a little. "Oh, okay." He smiled a little. He liked learning new words because it helped him understand things much better.

Ivan was still pink and he still had the odd feeling but he was calm now and knew the feeling would pass eventually.

Last day to vote for the fourth story! Only four hours left until the 19th! 8D
-RQ