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"Should I just have you talk to him?" Glory asked, mostly for Archie's benefit. Him being on speaker meant that Léan could hear him.
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Léan, who had purposely been avoiding speaking, frowned.
"I guess...but...it'd probably have to be private, 'cause he won't like me screamin' things out before he's finished explaining," Archie informed her. "Lemme at him!" |
Clicking the phone over from speaker to private, Glory handed it to Léan.
"I figure at least this way, I don't need to be able to understand what you're saying," she said. |
Léan took the phone and studied it for a moment before holding it up to his ear. He spoke to his brother in a mix of English and his native language for a few moments. Then, he sighed and held the phone out to her. "Excuse me. Because I feel he's going to scream it out, I'm headed out to deeper water until he's finished..." He looked quite embarrassed. He quickly slid out into the water, and into deeper water away from shore. The shark followed him.
"...Is he gone, yet?" Archie asked, brightly. |
"Yeah," Glory replied cautiously. "What did you say to him? I didn't even catch half of that conversation."
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"He's having confidence issues again," Archie responded, happily. "He, uh...didn't want to talk about it because it's still a touchy subject for the two of you."
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"For someone without feet, he's doing a wonderful job of dancing around the subject," Glory muttered. She sighed. "Care to enlighten me?"
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"Heeeeeeeee...wants to know...about your feelings for him, specifically...I don't even have to ask him to know about his feelings, though he'd shoot me if I went into specifics...unleeesss...you so cleverly guessed from information I provided? He's not gonna dredge up the guts to talk about it, anyway. And he says I'm a wuss!"
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"Great..." Glory sighed. "Which means I may as well head inside now and wait for him to come back." She could also quote Shakespeare, but she didn't. At least, not aloud. The course of love never did run smooth, after all... And for them, it wasn't even relatively bumpy.
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"You could always try starting the conversation yourself...if you push at him, he'll relent, I think. He'll probably get curious and come back in a few minutes," Archie assured her.
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"I'll see what I can do about talking to him," Glory said. After a moment, she added, "did he tell you about the pet he managed to acquire?"
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"Huuuuhhhh?" Archie sounded excited--there were distinct sounds of splashing, like his tail was swishing back and forth in the water. "Nooo! Do tell. It sounds interesting!"
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"A little shark decided it likes him," Glory replied. "Be careful with the phone, it will stop working if it gets wet inside."
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"Oops, sorry!" The splashing sounds died down. "Awwwww! That's adorable...is he annoyed? He gets annoyed when animals get attached to him, usually."
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"I think he was annoyed for a few minutes... And then he asked if we could somehow get it home," Glory replied. "I'm still trying to figure out how."
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"Hm...aren't there big glass things you humans keep fish in sometimes? What are they called...tanks?" Archie mused. "You could try to find a tank for the shark."
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"The problem is getting it from point A to point B," Glory pointed out. "I can't exactly just drag a tank onto the plane, and there's no way I can get one into my little junky car."
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"Oh..." Archie sounded disappointed. It sounded like he really wanted to see the little shark. "Maybe you could ask another human for help with the shark, and just not mention my brother?"
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"That may be the only option," Glory said. "I'm still not sure how I'll explain why I want to take a shark home, but I'll come up with something."
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"Yay! I can't wait to see the little guy, or girl...which is it? Oh...did you name the shark yet?" Archie pressed, curiously. "You and Léan should come up with a name together!"
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"You're enjoying this far too much," Glory accused teasingly. "I have no idea if it's male or female... I'm still hoping it doesn't end up thinking I look like a tasty snack when it's an adult."
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"Léan keeps telling me that," Archie whined. His pout could be sensed even over the phone. "Sharks aren't aggressive to beings they trust, usually...unless they're starving and absolutely need food. Maybe you should figure out its gender before naming it."
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"He's probably right," Glory pointed out. "I'm sure he'll have come up with a name by the time he comes back."
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"Okay! And he is so not right," Archie added, grumbling. Sibling rivalry--it was what kept relations open between Archie and Léan. Léan's constant annoyance when it came to Archie was tiring, but when they bickered instead of truly fought, it meant they were getting along for once.
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"I can tell you're pouting, you know," Glory said dryly, teasing him a bit. "Anyways, I should probably go so I don't build up too much of a phone bill... Long-distance is expensive."
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