The building crew was at the main island and already making measurements. Mitchell was trying to catch a ride with another boat, but Bobby had hauled him back and forced him to do accounting files that were reserved for Ashley. If he was going to stay with his father, then he was being put to work. Ashley was enjoying some cooked lobster when her phone went off to show she had a new email. On opening it, she blinked at the news.
"Joel," she said to her husband. "you're not going to believe this..."
"What?" her husband asked over his opened beer. He hadn't left yet, since he wanted a drink first. He always had a beer before doing anything with construction. The light buzz helped him get past the irritation that he couldn't really build anything without help.
"Anna-Marie's mother just sent me an email. A pageant has been decided to be hosted out here! In the Caribbean!" she winced. Joel spat out his beer with disbelief. Annie's face paled. Tessoo was now getting a very nasty vibe from this news.
"Not safe," he said with a shake of his head.
"No. Not safe at all," Annie swallowed.
"You no go," he nodded. She nodded, too, and snuggled into him with a trembling whimper.
"Why now?!" Joel snapped. The beer was clearly forgotten.
"I don't know!" Ashley fretted. "She says they need twenty grand to get it going. I don't know who's lame-brained idea it was to even suggest such a thing!"
"I know who," Annie frowned. "Mom, who sent you the email?"
"Anna-Marie's mom! Oh. You think it was Anna-Marie?!" she asked with surprise.
"Yeah. I think it was. She comes up with ideas of where to put pageants all the time, too. And all of them are successful. Even you know that. And, with me gone, I'm sure she had gotten the idea to do it out here. I mean...I've never missed a pageant ever!" Annie frowned.
"You're gonna miss this one," Josh smirked.
"Well, they still need to raise the funds," Lisa frowned.
"It doesn't matter. I don't even feel the need to go, anyways. I'm sure it's just a way for them to confront me and find out why I ditched them all. I really don't feel safe anywhere else," Annie admitted. Tessoo nodded to her and continued to hug her to him.
"And, with Mitchell being out here wanting a glamour wife of his own..." Joel muttered.
"Wait," Nichole mused. "that's why he wants Annie?"
"Yes. Why?" Joel asked.
"I have an idea," Nichole grinned and nuzzled her husband for his attention. "We can become private benefactors. Anonymous funders. Let them come out while Mitchell is still here. Let him pick one of them. He'll be so awed over them that he may as well forget about Annie completely."
"That is the most evil thing you've ever thought of. I like it," Joel grinned.
"If it gets Mitchell away from Annie..." Kilnak mused. Tessoo was grinning widely now. "Do it. We'll fund the whole damned thing. We found more treasure, so that's not an issue to replace what we spend. I also want to make a prize worthy of them to dress up to look their absolute best. What's normally given as a reward?"
"Sometimes a small fake crown with some cash. The cash can range between ten to fifty thousand dollars. Annie won quite a few pageants, but the money was being saved for her college. She has almost a hundred thousand saved up," Ashley smiled.
"I had that much, and you didn't tell me?!" Annie gaped.
"Nope! I guess you can have some access to it, since you're a married woman now," she thought.
"No. Emergency backup only," Joel said quickly. Annie started to pout, but Tessoo's warm smile made her nod. There was no need for me to have money anymore. He provided for me now.
"Let's make a real crown," Kilnak grinned. "But, the real one is going to Nikki. We'll have a fake one made in its place to be given away."
"No!" Nichole scowled at his grin. "Just make a fake cheap one with overdone designs."
"And you will have the real one," he said. At her glare, he argued, "You came up with this idea! You get the real trophy! Let them keep the fake crap! And it's another birthday present from me, so you can't say no to it. I'm sure Josue can help us."
"You suck!" she said with a cringing look. The others laughed hard.
"It will be the 'ultimate' pageant crown," he said, and he started to grin at the idea. "Annie, you'll need to give me some good design ideas, okay? You can sketch out some designs in the sand."
"Okay," she nodded. "Um, what about prize money?"
"Joe, how much money do we have left that we can use right now?" Kilnak asked.
"Hmm," Joel frowned and looked up the banking records. "We just sold a small cache of treasure. We have well over two hundred grand. We'll have more if we sell more."
"Good. Make the winning prize fifteen grand in cash. I want the crown to look like it's worth well over twenty grand. I want the fake to look just like the real one. Take pictures of the real one to show it's authentic, but have the fake one on display to win," Kilnak snickered.
"Why do that?" Doug frowned. He wanted to go to the island to help the builders, but Sitari convinced him to stay with her. She didn't want him to leave without Joel, too.
"All of those girls appear to be as fake as they come," Kilnak shrugged. "You showed me what a pageant show was like from an online clip. What more is there for me to say?"
"Very true," Josh nodded. He was busy massaging Kina's shoulders and enjoying the sounds she gave off. She clearly needed the work done. Now Kilnak looked at Nichole and shivered at the massage she started to give his shoulders. He was definitely overdue for one.
"We'll talk more later," Kilnak muttered, as he rested on the damp beach. Lotisoo gave a hopeful look at Lisa, and she smiled before gesturing for him to lay back on his belly. When Tessoo looked at Annie curiously, she blushed.
"I'm not sure I know how," she started.
"Just have him lay down next to Kilnak. I'll show you what to do. It's easy," Nichole chuckled.
"Okay," Annie nodded. Kilnak told his brother what to do in regards to laying down. Now Annie was taught how to massage. Tessoo gave out a deep sigh of relief at the feeling.
"They'll need it a lot more," Joel frowned. "Doug, you may as well massage your wife, too."
"Right," Doug nodded and had Sitari lay back with the others. He was a touch more careful from her wounded tail, but the reaction she gave was the same. Intense relief from the stress removed in her deeper muscles. Ashley grinned and went to work on her husband now.
"I don't need it!" Joel scowled.
"Nonsense! Just shut up and let me pamper you for once!" she giggled. He rolled his eyes, but found himself succumbing to it, too. "Wow! Maybe I should book you for some massage therapy. You're just one giant knot in your back!"
"Quiet!" he grumbled. She found herself getting pulled down and tickled.
"Joel! That's not funny! Stop it!" she gasped from the bouts of laughter. Now the kids were sputtering their laughter. Then he gave a spank to her bottom and grinned at the rewarded glare.
"Totally worth it," he snickered. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. He rose a brow at her and said, "You aren't allowed to get mad at me. We've spent over twenty years together. We've had five kids. I've earned my right to do goofy things to you every now and then."
"Well, I'm still in my prime," she smiled. "Maybe we should have kid number six."
"No," he said flat out. Kilnak looked up from the sand and grinned.
"I have eight siblings under me," he chuckled.
"Shut up!" Joel snapped to get the merman laughing.
"Now nine," Kep chuckled. Kilnak suddenly rose up from the sand to stare at him.
"Matriarch?! Is this true?!" Kilnak asked. Mirn swam over with Soosnik, and they were both grinning softly. Now Tessoo was leaning up with a form of surprise.
"Well, with how you and Nikki were, we had to see if we could try again," Mirn smiled.
"The full moon dances are for being together," his sire chuckled.
"Joel," Ashley smiled.
"No! I'm done raising kids!" he said with a shake of his head. "And I'm going to have a swarm of grandkids soon, too. There is no need for more kids. Just wait nine months."
"Oh, all right," she sighed. Then he stood up and growled something in her ear to make her blush. She was already taking contraceptives and proved they worked whenever they had time to be together alone. He gave her a wolfish grin and even gave her his own loving kiss to keep her happy.
"I do love you, but I'm done raising kids. Grandkids are another thing. Okay?" he smiled. She nodded and got another kiss. He sighed heavily and went back to his beer.
"You and your booze," she smirked at him. He made a face back at her and sipped his beer.
"Oh, Dad," Annie said and sat up on her husband's back. "Um, can you ask Kilnak what I want to do? If he can help me?"
"Oh, yes!" Joel nodded. Kilnak looked over with a small smile. "Annie would like to take some cooking lessons. She thinks that she can help benefit with a gourmet restaurant to serve up what we catch. Bobby would be all for it, if it worked out."
"Hmm. That does sound promising," Kilnak admitted.
"I could teach Nikki what I learn, too," Annie smiled.
"Now I really like that idea," Kilnak grinned. Even Tessoo gave a chuckle.
"I figured you could help her for funds with one course. See how it goes. She also has her pageant money, so it could go towards that, too," Joel said.
"I'll help with the first course. If it goes well, I'll take care of the second. For each course she does well in, I'll help her advance. If she does poorly, she uses her money," Kilnak nodded.
"That's fair," Lisa nodded.
"Very fair," Josh agreed. Doug seemed to frown. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to him and what he wanted to learn.
"The same will go to the rest of you," Kilnak nodded. That brought small bits of chuckles and sighs of relief to them. "Just do well in your studies."
"Doug no stop!" Sitari growled when the massaging ceased. He smirked, bent down and whispered softly to her. Then she let out a small squeal at the nibble to her neck. "Bad Doug!"
"Telling me to stop?" he grinned. At her look of surprise, Kilnak burst into laughter. Then he coughed when Nichole ran a hard lick up his neck. At the glare he gave her, she beamed at him.
"Nikki," Annie said with a small thought. "can I try something with you?"
"Like what?" she asked.
"Tessoo, I left my purse on the boat. Can you help me get it?" Annie smiled. She whispered to him, and her husband looked at her with amusement.
"Look nice for me, too?" he smiled.
"Okay," she nodded. Kilnak now looked at his wife with a smug grin.
"You want to give me a makeover. Don't you?" Nichole winced.
"Well, the sun gave you an awesome tan! I honestly think that you may be prettier than me now. So, I want to test a theory. I still have my emergency makeup kit with me. I never cleaned my purse out. Will you please let me do this for you? Kilnak can judge, too!" she begged.
"Do it," Kilnak grinned. At Nichole's jaw dropping with disbelief, he pulled her close. "Remember what I said before? How I wanted you to look nice for me whenever you could?"
"Okay..." she sighed with defeat. "Hurry up, Annie!"
"I should get a makeover, too!" Lisa grinned. Lotisoo was all for it. Joel was laughing quietly. As Annie went to the yacht, Grynkar swam over to Kep.
"I have been watching the Land Dwellers around our surface. They are working efficiently. I am concerned over one, though. He seems to be looking for things," Grynkar frowned.
"Is that so? Have the Fin Folk try and pester him. They may be able to see what can be done. And make sure he is not moving any of the growing cling rocks," Kep said wisely.
"We moved all that we could away first. This also goes for all of the yellow ore stored there. But, yes, I will ask the Fin Folk for aid," the scout nodded and swam off.
"Joe," Kep said as he swam over. "Grynkar was concerned."
"About what?" Joel asked. Kilnak now looked over with a frown.
"One of the men seemed to be trying to look for things," Kep said slowly.
"He could also be checking the structure of the island to ensure it can be drilled into," Joel said calmly. "If it isn't strong enough to support what we need, then we would need to improvise."
"Okay," Kep nodded.
"Now, if he's snooping, as in trying to find stuff," Joel said. "I'll punch him in the face."
"As long as I can watch," Kilnak muttered.
"Deal," Joel smiled. He now watched Tessoo return with Annie, and she was holding her massive purse up high to keep it from getting wet. Once on the beach, she started to take out her cosmetics to set them around her. The other pod members were quite curious about this.
"Okay. Who's first?" Annie smiled.
"Me first," Lisa said.
"It should be Nikki," Kilnak said.
"Just see how it's done with me first, okay?" Lisa smiled.
"Let her," Lotisoo grinned.
"Fine," Kilnak nodded.
"Annie after," Tessoo smiled. Kilnak was about to complain, but he relented when his brother gave a small growl. He wanted to see his wife looking nice for him. And it was her makeup. Nichole chuckled and nuzzled her husband to calm him.
"Good things come to those who wait, you know. You saw me prettied up before," she smiled.
"Not with this," Kilnak smiled back. She rolled her eyes and laughed at the tickling side poke. He pulled her close after that and nuzzled her. "Love Nikki."
"Love Kilnak," she sighed and cuddled into him. He rocked her with a small smile on his face. He was very grateful for that humidifier. As much as it made the others sweat, it helped him and his pod out immensely. A kiss was placed on his mouth, and he pulled her into a long kiss that lasted all the way up until it was her turn. On looking at Annie and Lisa, he was impressed. Tessoo and Lotisoo were both speechless at how they turned out. They only had eyes on their own wives, though.
Now Kilnak watched the transformation of his wife. The base makeup was put on first to lightly cover up any blemishes. A touch of eye liner, a hint of mascara, and a light brush of eye shadow was applied next. A tinge of blush to her cheeks was given, and a faint amount of lipstick was rubbed on her lips. When Nichole sighed and turned to see him, he paused with complete shock. She was completely stunning. Even Joel was surprised. Lisa let her sister look in a mirror to see for herself.
"I told you that you looked better than me now!" Annie grinned.
"Wow..." Nichole whispered.
"I should so do your hair!" she said.
"No!" Nichole said with a shake of her head.
"Do it," Kilnak nodded. Then he grinned at his wife's scowl. Annie beamed and got out her comb and brush to work on her sister's hair.
"You should cut your hair from all the swimming you're doing," Lisa grinned.
"No!" Kilnak said with a mild glare of amusement. "I like her hair. She keeps it."
"Thanks," Nichole chuckled and winced at a tangle. An untangling conditioner was sprayed in her hair now and brushed out even more. When it was smoothed out, Annie began to skillfully work it up into a spiraled and braided bun. Sticking a silver and crystal hairpin in it to keep it there, she grinned at her work. It feels good to work on my sister's hair. It's even better to see Kilnak's reaction to her.
"Annie, you are fully forgiven by doing this for me. And I'm sorry for calling you a stupid monkey behind your back," Kilnak nodded. Annie nodded at first. Then she gasped at what he said, and Lisa died laughing with Nichole. Doug and Josh lost it after that.
"You did call him a fish," Joel grinned.
"So did you," Kilnak said with a mild glare. That got him rewarded with a small shrug. When the glare went to Ashley next, she blushed and giggled.
"Annie is my stupid monkey," Tessoo said. Now they all died laughing, and Annie was gaping at her husband with shock. When Kilnak breathlessly told him what it meant, Tessoo dropped his jaw with complete surprise. He had no idea that it was an insult. "Um...sorry..."
"It's okay..." Annie said with a tight smile. "You didn't know."
"No," Tessoo winced. She knew he didn't know, and she forgave him with a soft kiss.
"I know you feel bad," she said. She found herself laughing over it. "Now you have to make it up to me with a massage. Okay?"
"Okay," he nodded. Kilnak was still laughing, as Lisa showed Tessoo what to do. Lotisoo was even sniggering softly, as he was given a massage to show his cousin how to massage Annie.
"You have to admit that that was a priceless moment!" Joel laughed.
"No. Priceless was watching my companion splash water on her," Kilnak grinned.
"That wasn't funny!" Annie scowled. Then she squealed when his companion did just that.
"I help!" he chittered. A mackerel was tossed to him in appreciation, as the laughter kicked up even more. Only after they calmed down a bit was Annie able to be heard.
"I just did my hair!" she cringed. "And my makeup!"
"It's not that bad," Lisa grinned. "And hair can dry. You can put makeup back on, too."
"I know..." she sighed. "It's a habit with me. You know? You just get the hair done, and you don't want it to get messed up. Same with everything else. That's all."
"Of course," Ashley grinned. Josh was still chuckling, as he cradled his wife. She was resting her head against his shoulder. She was feeling queasy, but she was laughing, too. On noticing this, Ashley grabbed a bottle of mint oil to light up over a burner. The scent in the air was quick to ease many ailments of queasiness. "We'll need to get more of this. If this helps everyone that gets morning sickness, then it will need to be constantly lit up."
"Yeah, you're right," Joel nodded.
"And that reminds me! Nikki, sweetie, I brought you a present," Ashley beamed.
"You did?" Nichole smiled. Kilnak looked over curiously at the small yellow square wrapped in plastic. Nichole squealed with a form of childish delight at the sight of raw honeycomb.
"I was going to save it for your birthday, but I know this will help you with your pregnancy," Ashley laughed. "I'll cut this up for you."
"Hurry up!" Nikki urged. "Kilnak, that's honeycomb. Remember the clip about bees that I showed you? How honey was made?"
"Ah! Yes, I remember. I get to taste it, too, right?" he smiled.
"Yes," she nodded. There were a few blocks purchased, but only one was cut up into small cubes. This was now shared between her and Kilnak, and he was in shock at how good it was.
"I found this, too," Ashley grinned. She brought out a small box of chocolate covered honeycomb squares. A few of these were eaten next with a form of giddy childish delight. Kilnak was very impressed, but he didn't like how it stuck in his teeth. Nichole smiled at him and nuzzled into him with a sigh of contentment. He hugged her tight and cuddled her back. A small groan had them looking over to where Kessin was resting. He was coming back around, and Joel was quick to evaluate him.
"Easy," Joel muttered. "I need water and soft food for him, please."
"Here," Lisa said, and she handed over a few living soft-shelled crabs. A bottle of water was brought over next, and Kessin stared at it curiously. Joel showed how to drink from it with a different one, and the water was now taken in.
"It's different, isn't it?" Kilnak chuckled to him. "Don't worry. You are recovering faster than others would. I have heard nothing from your pod yet."
"It is fine," Kessin sighed and reclined against the soft seaweed. "I guess I was lucky to have been brought to your pod. I...would like to join it. I owe these Land Dwellers much."
"You wish to join our pod?" Kep mused. He sent out a call for the females in the pod. Kilnak's younger sister and Lotisoo's sisters appeared. It was Lotisoo's older sister that took a distinct concern for him. When their eyes met, the others knew that they were a match.
"Treat her well," Lotisoo nodded. "If you wish to join us, then we don't mind."
"You have my vow," Kessin nodded back. Grynkar was now called on to evaluate the new pod member, and even he approved. His mate also approved of this. Since he had survived such a horrific shark wound, and had survived on his own for so long, he had proved his worth. He didn't have a pearl for her, but one was easily provided. He was amazed.
"Joel, can we move him to one of the spare pools with a water branch? This way they can be together, and she can help care for him? It may be better, since the humidifier is keeping the back of the shelter pretty moist," Kilnak said. It was quickly done. Joel directed Josh and Doug on how to carefully ease the wounded merman into an unclaimed pool. His new mate was now able to swim through the island water tunnel to be with him and keep him company. She could help monitor him and change out various seaweed linings, if needed.
"Don't worry. We will make everything better," she smiled.
"I think it already got better for me," Kessin smiled back. He was quite handsome and strong to her. She would do everything she could to help him live. Joel wanted to keep Kessin calm, so he now taught her how to apply various salves when they were needed. If he could avoid touching him to keep the stress down, then he'd rather do that. He would only take over, if the need was great.
"What is your name in case I need to call on you?" Joel asked her. She knew just enough to talk to him, and she thought over what he said.
"Ah, Liksee," she smiled. He nodded to her and handed her the new seaweed to wrap around Kessin's wound. Joel showed her how to check the wound and how to tell if something was wrong. Kilnak was able to help translate the harder parts. His dolphin companion was only there as a backup communicator now, but that was fine. It was when the dolphin Elder appeared to slap her tail on the water to show her irritation at something that all focus went to her.
"Bad one comes. Need help. More help. Come?" she asked with soft clicks.
"He still showed up," Tessoo growled. Sitari narrowed her eyes, and Lotisoo looked over with complete confusion. Kilnak gave out a hard sigh.
"Who showed up? The one for Annie?" he asked his brother.
"No. This is the one that was looking around our surface. He decided to come here. To see what he could find. He's a ways off right now," Tessoo said.
"Joel, the builder that was snooping is swimming here," Kilnak said.
"Are you shitting me?!" he scowled. "Can the dolphins push him back?"
"Is the Land Dweller on a device? Why is it hard to make him leave?" Kilnak frowned.
"Is dangerous. Bad. One that take things. Hurt us," the Elder dolphin explained.
"It sounds like this guy is a coral harvester. He likely posed as a worker to get close to the island chains. We already moved much of the coral, so now he's branching out to find other islands," Kilnak said, as he pieced things together. "If he comes here, he'll get killed."
Joel was already on the phone to Bobby. "Hey, Bobby. One of the workers may be one of the coral harvesters. He abandoned his post, so to speak, and he's getting closer to me."
"Seriously? I swear, if it's not one thing, then it's another! I wonder..." Bobby mused.
"What?" Joel asked. He put the phone on speaker now. He felt the pod needed to know this.
"I think this is the same guy that tried to mutiny. He apologized and was allowed a second chance to help the building crew. If the guy looks a bit short in the neck with bleached hair and black eyes, you'll know it's him. If he responds to the name Carl, then you'll definitely know," Bobby said. "If it is him, send him back. And, I want him to be dressed up in seaweed and fish guts!"
"Sharks are all over the place. If you want fish guts on him, then that's no problem!" Kilnak chuckled. "We can have a dolphin drop him off halfway."
"Do you have me on speaker?" Bobby laughed. "All right. Of course, if he gets sent back to the building crew, they'll likely make him work. If he snoops again, send him to me. Oh, Kilnak, Josue started on the trident. He is very happy with the coral sample you gave him."
"Good. Oh! I need to ask you something else," Kilnak said with a touch of seriousness.
"Hmm. When you sound like that, I'm all ears," he replied. The issue with the pageant was now brought up, and the idea of what to do was given. When Bobby learned of what they wanted to do with Mitchell, he almost died laughing. "Are you serious?! Well, it would be one way to keep Mitchell out of your hair! And he could get the best pick. Who do you think would work for him?"
"Well," Annie said. "if he wants a completely spoiled glamour girl, it would have to be Anna-Marie. It was likely her idea to do all this. She's really rotten to the core, though."
"She tried to threaten me!" Ashley scowled. "She's never gotten the spanking she needed!"
Tessoo just gave out a small hiss and cradled his wife. He looked out over the water and bared his teeth. He could sense someone getting closer. Since the island wasn't enclosed in rocks, it was easy to see a splashing figure swimming over. It was doubtful that he noticed that the island was occupied.
"Bobby, we'll have to call you back," Kilnak said. "The intruder is closing in."
"Try and send him back alive," Bobby said. "Or back to the building site."
"No promises," Kilnak said bluntly. "Any that stray from where they need to be are at risk."
"I know," Bobby agreed. "Let me know what happens."
"We will," Joel said. The call was disconnected shortly after. Various pod members now swam into the waves to get a closer look at the intruder.
"What we do?" Kilnak's companion clicked.
"Make more movement. Force the Land Dweller back," Kep said. "Use our tails to make a stronger force at a distance. Many cannot move forward, if too much is done."
"That is true," Grynkar nodded. A wall of Merfolk now formed from the pod and started to make forceful movements with their tails to make a rather strong current. The dolphins helped by keeping track of where the human tried to move. He already started to get nervous by being out in the open water and surrounded by dolphins. When the waves started to get choppy from the sudden current, he had to turn back. The human was not happy with the change of plans, but now he thought that something had to be on the island. If a strong current was moving around it, then there had to be something past it.
"He leaves now. But not safe. May come back," Tessoo muttered. He was watching the retreating human in the distance from the safety of the shallow beach. Annie was pressed up against his back.
"Well, it's doubtful if he will. I'm sure that Bobby let the building coordinator know," Joel smirked. His thoughts were quite correct. The man was now seen as a liability. The moment he got back to the island, he was questioned as to where he was and given the task of heavy lifting. He wasn't going to be able to leave their sight for the rest of the building operation. He was an able body, and his help was not going to be cast aside. They needed all the manpower they could get. Bobby had definitely informed them, and he warned them to keep tabs on the guy at all times.
"Hmm," Kilnak thought. "Do they plan to return to the mainland?"
"You would think so for more supplies," Joel nodded.
"See if they can leave stuff in bulk there. My pod may be able to speed up the underwater building. If they can lay out the guidelines and leave their blueprints behind, we may be able to pick up the slack. What do you think?" Kilnak asked. A phone call to Bobby was quickly made, and the new plans were given to him.
"I actually like that idea," Bobby said. "Doug should learn a bit before that, though. Can he get to them? Would it be possible?"
"I can take him on the yacht. Maybe swim it out a bit and make it look like we were fishing. It can work. We can do that now," Joel said and stopped the call. "Sitari, I know you want Doug with you, but he has to help with the house now. He has to learn. I'll be with him. Liksee knows how to work with Kessin. If anything big happens to him, you will need to get me."
"Okay," Sitari nodded. Grynkar would also be watching from a distance.
"Maybe some of my pod should watch how Doug works under the water," Kilnak thought. "This way, they will know how to work with the equipment, too. They could even watch others that have more experience. If we are to build fish enclosures, this will be needed. At least I think it's needed. "
"Yeah, it will be," Joel agreed. "Who will be willing to learn at a distance?"
Lotisoo optioned to learn. Several other pod males agreed, too. The dolphins would ensure that they could see at a safe distance. Kilnak's companion would be crucial here. He helped Kilnak get close to Nichole at first. He would know the best distance. The building crew also knew that dolphins congregated there. Many of the dolphins had already appeared to check them out. A few of the workers even had some fish on them to show that they meant no harm. Bobby had suggested it to keep the dolphins calm, and it easily worked like a charm.
The workers that were trying to construct stronger pillars under the island were amazed at how helpful the dolphins were, too. If a tool was dropped, it was quickly retrieved. A reward of fish was quickly given over. The pod wanted this safe haven built quickly. The faster it was done, the sooner the humans would leave. There wasn't much shape to it yet, but it was only because dimension size was being gathered. They needed to know how much they could work with to drill into.
Scaffolds were built into the outer rock lining to give a deeper detail of what was safe to use against the currents. The scaffolds could also work as a form of docks for the boats. They could even stay as a permanent structure. The island needed a docking system, and the scaffolds would work perfectly. From where the scaffolds were, specialized floating bridges were constructed to gain access to the beach for easy transport. They could take that with them, but Joel actually liked them. It gave him ideas for future visitors, and he planned to purchase some in the near future.
The builders also knew the specialized rock formations needed to stay. It kept prying eyes out, and they wanted to keep the natural privacy wall. With the amount of money they were being paid, they were sticking to the guideline rule. Try to keep it looking as natural and unchanged as possible above the water. Salvage as much of the natural terrain as possible. When it came to housing designs, a small hut was easy to build on top. Like Nichole wanted, it would serve as a small lookout station. Under the hut was where all the real living quarters would be in the island.
At first, the men were a bit questionable at the tubes of water that were to be built in. When Bobby told them that it was possible escape routes, it was a bit more believable. When they were reminded that it shouldn't matter, because they were being paid to build it, they stopped asking questions. Kilnak wanted the tubes to have special codes to be punched in on the outside. Only legit pod members would know the sequence. Steel doors would open to allow entrance after that. He already had the visual in mind. It was just watching everything take hold.
He also planned to not use traditional numbers for the coding. He was going to use pictures and engravings. He got the idea from how Nichole first used drawings to try and talk to him. It would be harder to crack, and it would force the intruders to try and figure out what they were looking at. Much of the engravings would be based on touch. It would be like Braille. The Merfolk did use touch as a main sense of navigation. Another code idea he got was from low sound. If the button pressed was correct, a very low vibration would be given instead of a high-pitched beep. A human wouldn't be able to hear such a low tone or know how to feel for the vibration.
Nichole had recorded everything down from what he said. Joel was simply in shock at how fool-proof it all was. Even Bobby was amazed. Kilnak would work on the frequency level when he learned how to do it. He also planned to have the code change each time. It would never be the same pattern. It was true that he may have to guess the sequence each time, but the low frequency would help him figure it out. The code would change daily. An alarm system with low vibration signals could even be rigged, if someone tried to get past the security ring outside the island. Vibrations traveled just as much as sound did. That would be discussed when Michael came back out with his group.
Another main concern for the housing was the room structures. Nichole had an idea for honeycomb levels, but it was unsure. If the structure was built like a box, it would be possible. Even as a sphere, but a box would be more feasible. If it was a three-tiered tube, it could also work. A single floor underground home seemed to be the best resort. The rooms could be designed in a circular way for maximum space, and a smaller basement room could be done for storage. Right now, they had to work on outer structural possibilities.
It was judged that a ten-foot depth would work best for concealment. The outside of the underwater bunker would be camouflaged to blend in with the water. The entrances would also need to be disguised fairly well. Kilnak was able to see various subterranean places to make a judgment, and he had lightly drawn out his ideas in the damp sand. Of course, when Nikki put her hand over his larger webbed one to stop him and change something, they both looked at each other and blushed. It was something that also happened when they first met, and the nostalgia of the moment caught them by surprise. The kiss they shared next proved it.
They both agreed that two entrances should be made. Both would be wide enough for through traffic, if it was needed. They would also loop through the whole building with entrances to each room in the form of various entry pools. Two fish reefs with specialized parasite cleansing fish would be set up just before they reached the entrances. This would help remove parasites and other blemishes naturally. It was likely that another reef would be set up in the place Joel planned to set up his medical equipment, too. It was also likely that it would be a giant saltwater aquarium pool. Fish were known to help pick off infected skin to keep wounds clean, and it would be a natural form of medication for the Merfolk and dolphin pods. The housing structure would be a place of complete safety for them to heal and rest.
In the end, it was decided on a two-story circular structure to be built. The water passages and reefs would take up the lower floor, and viable living space would take up the top floor. A total of eight rooms would be done for living, kitchen, bedrooms, storage, and bathrooms. Plumbing would be tricky with filtration, but it could be done. The treasure being sold and the fish market stall were already turning a nice profit. Lionfish were plentiful and quite popular. There was even a tuna that was given over to be cut up for large chunks to be sold at varying prices.
"I was thinking of the island house to be like a small, one room cottage. Like a college dorm room," Nichole smiled. "It could be used as a small guest house. The way under the island would be under a special set of floor tiles. I'd say it could be accessed under the bed, but that would be too obvious. I'm not sure what else to think of."
"Under the dining set of furniture," Joel chuckled. "The whole floor can lift and move over slightly. That could work. Maybe, instead of a one room home, we can make it three rooms. The island might have just enough space for it."
"No. Two rooms. One big room for the main room. A smaller one for the bathroom for privacy, and the tiles come out just in front of the toilet," Kilnak said. "This way we can say it is easy access to plumbing in case water spills. Just a bit further down will be a hidden metal grate. You will have to enter the code to have the grate move to get past it on a secret panel."
"That makes a lot of sense," Joel nodded.
"This is like top secret stuff," Doug grinned. "Are we going now, Dad?"
"Yep. We'll be back later on. I have the design specs," Joel said. Everything was carefully noted and drawn out on some paper. Sitari watched the yacht pull away, and she sighed with a touch of worry. At Grynkar's nod, she felt some relief that her husband would be watched.
"I'll send an email back with a question on where to send funding for that pageant," Ashley chuckled. "The sooner we set it up, the sooner they'll get out here."
"If you find out, use Joel's card. The funds are on it. Have Bobby help make us anonymous," Kilnak nodded. "I want this pageant done. And, Annie? Can you please draw out some ideas for a crown? The more elaborate, the better."
"I can do that!" Annie nodded. "Um, can another fake one be made for me?"
"I don't see why not," Kilnak chuckled. "Nichole will get the real one."
"I don't want a crown!" his wife hissed.
"I want you to have one. It's another birthday present from me. And, I want this pageant on live stream, so that we can watch how it goes. A bit more cash, I'm sure, but I want to watch from here," Kilnak grinned wickedly. Ashley started laughing, as she made virtual notes on everything to be done. With an email professionally constructed, she sent it off. Now all they had to do was wait and make design ideas on this ultimate pageant crown.