[PRP] Ankle bitters [Fisheye/Brother Shark]

[Beejoux]

They were multiplying, changing, and one of the new weird looking ones seemed to have taken a liking to him. Or Bait. Brother Shark wasn't entirely sure, and it really didn't matter. The result was the same, he seemed to have another shuppy to worry about.

The buck was making his way across the beach towards Fisheye's den, a pair of unruly shups on his tail. Yapping and snapping, pouncing on each other before going after his ankles, until he'd shake them off again, starting the whole vicious cycle all over again.

"Fisheye?" He could see a few of their kids rolling around in the sand near her den, roughhousing together, and he chuckled lightly before a sharp bight on his ankle redirected his focus. "Ah! Fish? I need you."

[Appeal]

Fisheye looked up from her work when she heard Brother Shark's call. In the dim light of the cave, Fisheye stood out prominently as the halo of light around her head illuminated the area around her. After mysterious darkness, Fisheye never had to stumble around in the dark again. Aside from that, it made keeping and orderly cave and completing work much simpler.



Fisheye looked up to greet Brother Shark but from either side of the cave entrance came barreling her own two shuppies. They were off duty in the cave, and Brother Shark was familiar, so the two shuppies ran up to greet him... eagerly. Their tails thwacking around on the wall of the cave as they both fought for his attention.

"Brother Shark," she said in a pleased, soothing tone as she stood up from her work. "How can I help you?"

[Beejoux]

The sudden emergence of Fisheye's two shuppies made the buck hesitate, ears folding back as they charged him. These two were better trained, usually kept their teeth to themselves, but they were still wildly energetic and unpredictable. He froze at the entrance to the cave, feet shifting in the shade cooled sand to avoid stepping, or being struck by, a wildly wagging tail. "Well, I--"

The newer of the two shups that'd been following him turned their attention suddenly to the two new shuppies that were bounding around Brother Shark, and they let out an odd, gnashing bark, butting it's odd shaped head into the side of the Fisheye's brown shuppie. "...er, yes. With that."

With the attention off himself and onto the other shups instead, Brother Shark could side step, moving carefully past the rambunctious creatures and deeper into the cave where Fisheye was standing. "I don't know where it came from, but it won't leave me alone."

[Appeal]

The two shuppies were obviously offended that Brother Shark left them with this weird looking shuppy, whining as he sidestepped over to Fisheye. Surge, the brown spotted shuppy, flopped over dramatically when the hammerhead shuppy rammed into them. They whined, and cried, as though they were gravely injured in battle and would soon perish. Swell, the grey shuppy companion, headbutted the hammerehad shuppy in defense of their fallen companion. It was all incredibly dramatic.

Fisheye looked at Surge and Swell, and then then new shuppy. Well then. That's... new. She stood up from her position and met Brother Shark halfway.

"It has eyes on the side of its head, that's fascinating," she observed. "You say that it just started following you? How delightful to think that there are different types. Do you think there are more? Should I look? I should certainly look."

She was definitely excited about the prospect of more shuppies.

[Beejoux]

Glowing eyes lingered on the small horde as the new one gave a pleased yip at Surge flopped over and cried. Dramatic things, the lot of them. Bait had hung back, briefly, but as Swell moved to headbutt their new friend the paler shup jumped on them, nipping at their dorsal fin.

Brother Shark's ears lay back as he watched them, a look of deep weariness on dark features before Fisheye's observations had his attention snapping back to her instead. "Fascinating, right." That wasn't the word he'd have used for it, but Fish always did have a bizarre affection for the little beasts.

"Yes, I was fishing, and when I returned to the beach he was going after my tail." Delightful was also not how he would have put it. "And Motherfather help us, I hope there's not more of them." But of course, she was going to look. He knew she was, and he also knew he was going to help her look.

[Appeal]

Fisheye seemed unfazed by the shuppies. Of course, as she decided to look for the hammerhead shuppies, she gave a whistling sound. Immediately, Swell immediately gave up their quest to jump on Bait... almost mid action. It was as though some force had pulled them back. Surge sat up off the ground, ending the theatrics. A second sound, more like a clicking, called the two shuppies to her side where they sat at command.

"Fishing, you say? So, we should start at the beach. Was it a new beach? Perhaps they just came out of the water? So many questions..."

She was looking at the hammerhead one with an intent gaze. Was their vision impaired like that? She had so many questions.
 

[Beejoux]

Brother Shark let out a soft sigh as Fisheye headed for the mouth of the den, head shaking lightly in warm exasperation. He'd come to her for help in taming the new little beast that had taken a shining to him, but he knew her well enough to know she'd be excited about the new variant. This impromptu search had been a predictable outcome, if ill-timed.

And it never ceased to amaze him how incredibly obedient Surge and Swell really were. He forgot, often, when they were tearing about as all shuppies did, but with that singular whistle, both were abandoning their current escapades and hurrying to catch up with Fisheye. Brother Shark followed as well, and where he went Bait and the new shuppy followed, yapping and scrapping at each other and him as he trotted across the sand to fall in at her side.

Yes fishing. Not a new beach, but not one we use as often. Around the bend up ahead." He nodded up the way he'd come, then winced as the hammerhead turned it's attention from Bait back to his ankles. "Agh~!"

[Appeal]

Fisheye knew which beach Brother Shark referred to and so she headed there promptly. She paused when she heard Brother Shark wince, slowing her pacing down. She looked at him, assessing the situation.

"This one, too, huh? We'll have to work on that. I'm curious why so many shuppies, despite their variances, seem to find your ankles irresistible."

Had his ankles lured this one out of the depths of the beach? Could they use his ankles to find more shuppy variants? It was a curious question, although highly impractical.

[Beejoux]

"It would seem so," he answered with a sigh, moving quickly to catch up to her. Despite the pair of rowdy little monsters trailing after him and getting caught up. In his tail.

Then grinned widely back at Fisheye, scaled brows arching. "You don't find my ankles irresistible?" Well, hopefully more than his ankles.

Had he been aware of where her mind was wandering he'd have put a prompt stop to that train of thought. None of his body parts were available as shuppy bait.

[Appeal]

She looked him up and down as if silently examining him. She looked at his ankles, and then moved her eyes across his flank until she met his gaze.

She said nothing but smiled.

As they walked, she looked around expectantly. Perhaps they were near? Perhaps she would see the shuppy in broad daylight? it seemed unlikely though as they weren't overwhelming the beach.

[Beejoux]

He watched her keenly as she eyed him up and down, and when she smiled his eyes lit up, toothy maw stretching in a bright and pleased grin. She didn't have to say it, that was enough for him, as they continue walking he moved up to bump gently against her should.

Bait and the new shuppy had managed to distract each other and they were now tearing up and down the beach in wide loops around Shark and Fish. Something Brother Shark was grateful for. His tail and ankles needed the break.

He wasn't looking particularly hard for other new little monsters, quietly relieved that they had yet to run into anymore. It was a small reprieve, he knew, if there was one there would be more, but he would take it.

"Maybe it's just a weird mutation," he offered after a moment, almost hopefully.

[Appeal]

"A weird mutation, huh?" She asked, pondering that idea as she looked at the new shuppy as it around loops around them.

She had been so excited to find more but what if there was only one? Her eyes went from the one shuppy to the area around them. Perhaps they weren't around today? Would this require a multi-day exploration?

"This is the area you found the shuppy at?" She inquired, looking to confirm before her hopes of seeing another were darted today.

[Beejoux]

"It's a possibility," he answered, shoulders shifting in a small shrug. The prospects of that seemed disappointing to her, and he hated to see Fisheye disappointed. Yet he couldn't deny the part of him that was relieved that there may not be more of the little ankle biters out there.

He stepped in closer to her, bumped his nose under her chin in a small nuzzle. "Yes, this where it found me." He'd certainly not been looking for the thing. "I was swimming, and it came after my tail."

The little beast in question was racing in wide circles around them, kicking up sand and water as it chased the other shuppies around the beach. Glowing eyes followed it warily.

[Appeal]

Her face leaned into his nuzzle, and some of the tension from her stress released. So, it had found him here... but he was swimming. Did that mean that they were lurking in the water perhaps? It was so hard to say. Perhaps they hadn't yet expanded their territory into the beach! Going for a swim was not something she planned to do right now but there was a lot of information provided by their trip.

"I understand. I shall have to follow up with more investigating later on with the right provisions prepared."

That left the two of them alone on the beach here with just their shuppies. She couldn't simply go for a walk, though, could she? It would be nice to spend some more time here on the beach with Brother Shark's company.

"Perhaps we can continue looking down the beach, though. This could be the edge of their territory." Yeah, that was a good idea.

[Beejoux]

She relaxed with the nuzzle and Brother Shark smiled softly. He hadn't wanted to cause her stress, and really he should have known she'd want to go investigate a new variation on the creatures that plagued their beaches so prolifically.

Thankfully, the shup he'd wanted assistance with was thoroughly distracted by the outing. Shark eyed it a long moment as he raced down the length of the beach after a seagull.

"Of course we can keep walking." He secretly hoped they didn't run into another, though he couldn't deny how happy it'd make her, or how much it'd make her features light up.