[ the tentacle's easy to coax into his hand, curling in it lazily; it slips between his fingers easily too, sliding through them and wrapping around his wrist a little awkwardly. the other tentacles are staying put, generally, though they dig into the sand like they'd Like to do something else. ]

They weren't answering me! [ so, clearly, he had to do Something. ] I wanted you back, and all they'd tell me was that things were coming along, or that you'd be back soon... Nothing sure. The only way to get their attention is to misbehave a little, and they don't punish me... ♪

[ it would be bad to hurt their star experiment even on accident, after all.

...wataru is a little more aware of his privilege than he lets on. ]

I asked them too, what I am. [ a soft laugh. ] They were bored with "surface mermaids," and wanted to try something close to the "deep sea"... They have another one somewhere else in this place that glows in the dark... Isn't that incredible? I wish I could do that! It doesn't get to have playmates though, since it needs to be under such pressure... To that end, I prefer being like this more...♪

[ he gets eichi, after all. ]