[ He manages a crooked smile, an attempt at boosting a mood that refuses to lift between the two of them. It's a strange feeling, not just for its abrupt onset but in general. He isn't like this, normally. He doesn't dwell on things, refuses to let others around him dwell, and so feeling as if they've managed to fall into some sort of pit that even he can't reach the top of is unsettling. It also puts things into perspective, here and there, particularly with relation to friends he hasn't seen in ages.
So he's equally grateful, then, for her company and her own attempts to boost their spirits with a weak joke and a rosy gaze that searches for a laugh in response to it. ]
The sea, sort of. The lifeguards, not exactly. [ She gets a laugh, soft but genuine, though he does break their eye contact briefly to scan the shore for any lingering gaggles of those gulls. They're unsettling too, in a way that other things that have happened in the last few months both have and haven't been. He's not sure whether he's grateful or not that this place still manages to surprise him. ]
Can't be sure about the mermaids either way. There's rumors of a giant fish back home. One of those legends where all the details get exaggerated. For all anyone knows it might just be one of those mermaids. [ A pause. ] I can't exactly say I'd be any more comfortable if they were the other way around though. Mermaids don't exist where I'm from, even as stories.
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[ He manages a crooked smile, an attempt at boosting a mood that refuses to lift between the two of them. It's a strange feeling, not just for its abrupt onset but in general. He isn't like this, normally. He doesn't dwell on things, refuses to let others around him dwell, and so feeling as if they've managed to fall into some sort of pit that even he can't reach the top of is unsettling. It also puts things into perspective, here and there, particularly with relation to friends he hasn't seen in ages.
So he's equally grateful, then, for her company and her own attempts to boost their spirits with a weak joke and a rosy gaze that searches for a laugh in response to it. ]
The sea, sort of. The lifeguards, not exactly. [ She gets a laugh, soft but genuine, though he does break their eye contact briefly to scan the shore for any lingering gaggles of those gulls. They're unsettling too, in a way that other things that have happened in the last few months both have and haven't been. He's not sure whether he's grateful or not that this place still manages to surprise him. ]
Can't be sure about the mermaids either way. There's rumors of a giant fish back home. One of those legends where all the details get exaggerated. For all anyone knows it might just be one of those mermaids. [ A pause. ] I can't exactly say I'd be any more comfortable if they were the other way around though. Mermaids don't exist where I'm from, even as stories.