"Hello."
Anne started a little. "Oh, hello newcomer."
"I was wondering, just out of curiosity, are there any silver-fins around here? Because what drew me to this school was the sense of one in the water."
Tilting her head, Anne replied, "There are no available silver-fins in this school."
The newcomer shrugged. "Oh well. I've been wrong before and I know I'll be wrong again." She laughed lightly. "Anyway, there's a man building a house on his own on this island. I overheard Tamara discussing with a messenger whether or not she should talk to those sailors about helping him. Anyway, it was nice talking to you. I'm going to go join another patrol. Good bye."
Anne floated still for a few minutes, thinking.
She wasn't sure she could trust the newcomer. After all, she was new, unfamiliar. And something didn't seem right with the report on Tamara. Then again, the newcomer had undoubtedly paraphrased the leader's words. She couldn't mean any harm by it. And Philip, building a house on his own? That was just a terrible idea. What if he got hurt?
As Anne swam to the sailors, she wondered if Patrick would then start building his own house, if he knew he could have help.
She wondered if he'd build room for two.
Conduirt watched Anne swim off with the determination and fluff of someone in love.
She laughed inside.
Her plan was working so far, but her hunters were getting closer...
Patrick called to the others. "Mates! There's another man on this island. And he's building a house. You want to help? Get some exercise?"
The other three sailors nodded in agreement.
"We're up for it," said the blond, called David, who had not yet named the gold-fin he was growing close to slowly.
Anne smiled shyly; the calico dress she wore hung loosely on her body and she gestured the men to follow her, towards the water. One of the men hung back. "Wait, can you swim?" asked Anne kindly.
"Not really," he replied embarrassed.
"What's your name?"
"Micheal."
Anne held out her hand. "Come along. I know how to travel to him by land."
Micheal took her hand hesitantly and then he realized she needed his support to walk. "Sorry, forgot you haven't got your land legs yet."
She smiled as she started to lead the men to Philip. But she cast a glance back at Patrick. Haven't got my land legs? Yet? What did he mean by that, she seemed to ask, but not aloud.