Léan nodded, and then changed the subject to something happier. "Do you want to go swimming out by the coral reef anyway? The one out here is shallow...very shallow. You could reach it in less than a second and sight-see easily..."

"That sounds like fun," Glory said.

Léan perked up, his tail swishing back and forth. "All right, it's this way. We must traverse deeper water first to get to it, but it gets shallower once we near it." He started off in the direction of the reef, at a slow enough pace that she could keep up with him.

"Alright," Glory said as she followed him. She tried to pace herself, knowing she'd get tired at some point, and she was glad he went at a pace she could follow.

After a few moments, Léan paused in his movements and pointed down. Below them, bright and beautiful--and easily seen because of the clear water--was a fair-sized coral reef. It was teeming with wildlife. Normally, most of the wildlife would have scattered upon sensing a human nearby, but the fish and other creatures seemed to feel safer seeing that Léan was with her. It was strange, considering merpeople ate fish.

"Oh wow..." Glory said as she looked down. Taking a breath, she ducked down under the surface to get a better look. The colors were amazing, and they were only made better by all the fish around.

Léan dove down after her, swimming alongside her. He looked perfectly natural in the reef, and the colors only amplified the shimmering of the scales on his tail, the color of his hair and eyes...

Glory drifted around the reef, looking at everything she could lay her eyes on but doing her best not to touch anything. She didn't know what would try to sting her and what wouldn't, and she wasn't about to test any of it. After a minute or so, she quickly went back to the surface for air before diving back down again.

Léan seemed to have acquired an underwater friend while she went up for air--a very small shark was swimming alongside him, nudging at him with its nose. He kept swatting it away, but it kept coming back. It looked like a baby.

Glory grinned when she saw the little shark and made a very distinct 'aw, how cute' gesture. It was just too good to pass up, she couldn't help herself.

Léan frowned at her and once again attempted to shoo the shark away. But, no matter what he did, it kept following him, a lost look on its face. He wasn't fond of being close to sharks--he'd almost had his arm bitten off by an aggressive male when he was smaller.

"Oh, it does not think I'm it's mother."

Surprisingly, he was able to speak clearly underwater, with a slight echo. It seemed that because he breathed through barely-visible gills on his neck, taking water into his mouth did not bother him.

After another quick breath, Glory went back to watching him and the shark. It really was kind of cute. The shark acted kind of like a lost puppy, and seemed to have decided that Léan was its friend. She couldn't help but grin and try her best not to start giggling. The salt water would not be comfortable to inhale.

Léan eventually gave up, looking exasperated, and allowed the shark to swim alongside him. It seemed fond of him. Merpeople were not known for eating sharks, since their skin was just...not sanitary--most sharks urinated through their skin into the water. They only ever fought over territory. The shark followed Léan wherever he went in the reef and snagged a fish or two on its way around.

Glory grinned. Seems Léan found himself a pet. It wouldn't be able to follow them back home, though... It would probably die in the colder waters, and would definitely not survive the plane ride.

Léan studied the shark for a moment, curiously. "...Oh dear. This one is just entering its growth spurt stage...I hope it doesn't double in size while we're here." He didn't want to check if it was male or female--to do that for sharks, you had to...er...stick your hand somewhere unpleasant. Males were aggressive.

Glory raised her eyebrows and went back to the surface.

"That would be bad, I'm guessing," she said once she was able to talk without drowning. The Jaws theme drifted through her mind briefly.

Léan popped his head up above the water. To his amusement, the shark attempted to poke its head up above the water, as well. "Only if this is a male. They tend to get nasty during their growth spurts. Females are a little less territorial."

"It doesn't work that way, sweetness," Glory said affectionately to the shark as it tried to copy Léan. Then she looked back at him. "We're only here for a week, at the most, how big could it possibly get in five days?"

"Depending on what type of shark it is, it could gain a couple of inches to a couple of feet, or more," Léan informed her, shuddering a bit. He swatted the shark back under when it tried poking its head up again. "Stay."

"Maybe you could train it," Glory teased. "It seems to like you already."

Léan made a face. "And why would I bother doing that? There isn't really a way to take it back with me...getting attached to it now would only hurt it in the end."

"I think it's already getting attached to you," Glory teased as the little shark swam around him.

Léan grumbled at the shark. "I don't want it getting attached to me. It will only hurt it once I have to leave. Unless there is a way to take it back with us--with Viktor's endless supply of money, I doubt that would be impossible."

"Maybe if you ignore it, it'll go away, then," Glory suggested.

"I'm trying..." Léan complained, attempting to swim away from the shark. It followed him, almost religiously. "It won't leave me alone."