I Promised There Would Be Toys; Let Them Have Toys! [Nobu]

Green eyes blinked in surprise as Nobu held up the little hermit crab. Gently the druid took the shell from him to examine the little creature. it was already starting to peek out a little, eye stalks, legs, and claws all moving for it to peer around. Lelianna gasped before cooing. "Awwwwwwwww it's so cute!" She fawned. However, Nobu had a point. She returned it to him as she dealt with the other crab-free shells she had collected.

"Wow..." There must have been thousands upon thousands of these mollusks out there then. For as Lelianna looked around the beach there just seemed to be an endless amount of shells sticking out of the sand. Lelianna looked down at one of the shells in her hand. The deep purple of it had a few streaks of white going through it here and there. It was beautiful, honestly, and she immediately thought she ought to collect a few for her neighbor. "There must be so many of them out there then! And to think they leave such beautiful things behind when they go." It felt oddly poetic to her, despite the fact she barely knew much about poems at all.

However the redhead didn't just want to wander around collecting shells all day (which honestly she probably could). Lelianna picked a spot a little ways up in the grass to put down all her collected treasures- which certainly would grow with time- before returning to the waters. They were at the beach after all; they should get in the water.

Lelianna took a few steps forward from the hot, dry sand to the cooler, damp grains. The moment a wave washed over her feet the druid's smile grew once more. As if reacting to the water itself, the blooms in her hair began to shift once more. Only this time they turned into vibrant blues that almost seemed to match the waters Lelianna now waded through. Goodness this felt so nice! With a laugh the magi walked out further, not minding the waves that hit against her and slowly began soaking her cloths. In fact it was like the waters were slowly renewing her energy. The further out she got, the faster Lelianna began moving. Eventually she was full out sprinting against the tide until she jumped straight into a wave with a loud splash.

When she surfaced she gasped. Then promptly broke out laughing. "Nobu! Come on in, this is so much fun!" As she finished saying it and wiped some of the water from her face, another wave crashed over her again. Once the druid surfaced again she was laughing. Though now she surfaced as something of a tangled flowery redheaded mess as her locks got thrown over gem crown and antlers alike. "Ack! Hey!"

Yeah don’t you worry Nobu: the little deer magi was more than happy with the shells she was finding; less colorful than the usual kind or not.

Eventually though she managed to move on from the shells to be fascinated with the water. Only she didn’t even bother taking anything else off like Nobu had. “If this is it’s way of saying hello, then I have a feeling it would get along really well with Arecia!” The magi said with a laugh in her voice as she tried untangling her hair from her pointy bits. She’d gotten a lot more of those lately. It was definitely getting harder to do her hair, and harder still to keep it from getting snared. Especially when the ocean kept washing over her.

“Oh for-“ Another wave hit the magi and she took the hint. Instead of standing upright she disappeared beneath the water for a second. Now that the strands were floating and not heavily sitting on her antlers and crystals, it was a lot easier to undo the tangled mess her red mane was becoming. When she resurfaced, she could even see. ”Ha ha!” She said triumphantly….

Then another wave hit her.

As she sputtered and moved out to redo her process, she caught Nobu’s question. She answered it once she resurfaced and could actually see him. By now though she was getting the timing of the waves, so she could keep her head from going under and getting messy again. ”Oh! Uh, decently? I mean, I’m sure you’re faster but I’ve gone swimming in the Loch before. And some of the rivers and streams whenever I’m washing Skjorn.” The hermit didn’t add the fact that she was usually wrestling with the bear more often than not during that. Nobu didn’t need to know that; it might make him worried. ”I’ve definitely never dealt with, ah, this big of waves before, but I should be good! I think.” Hopefully. ”Why?”

Hey, with all that Lelianna had seen, the friendship between an ocean and a forest did not exactly sound too far fetched to a magi who could talk to one.

Especially when the ocean seemed just as determined to mess around with her as Arecia did.

Fortunately she was getting used to the water. So no drowning today, thank you. ”Gotcha!” To emphasize this point, she raised a hand out of the water to give him a thumbs up. "I think I'll be ok. Though I have a feeling you might be faster than me." Her clothes admittedly did slow her down a bit, but she wasn’t about to strip so casually. Plus they were already far enough out it was too late even if she thought on it. So she followed after him regardless as best as she could. At least she was fit enough from having to walk across miles of forest daily, and wrestle a number of forest-dwelling critters. Like a bear.

Though she was kind of curious where exactly they were going. It seemed like they were just swimming out into the endless blue. The druid managed to keep track of Luca through the waves by following his head. The waves weren’t quite as high further out from shore, so it wasn’t too hard. Finally Nobu did eventually stop and Lelianna did eventually catch up to him. So they were diving? ”Sure! I think I’ll be good.” She could hold her breath for a while enough. Though she was still curious:

What were they doing? Other than enjoying the water of course.

If she needed air? Oh! Were they going underwater? Now Lelianna was really curious what they were going to be doing. However, she gave Nobu another thumbs up. He seemed so excited! Quite like the earth magi had been only a few seconds ago in fact. But then he was going under the water and Lelianna had no choice but to take a deep breath and follow.

She nearly lost all of it at the first sight.

There were so many different underwater plants below the waves! it took her a little bit to reach the area, but when she did the magi practically froze. It was so beautiful! She’d seen some of the flora in the still ponds back in her garden, or within the Loch itself, but never plants like these! And then all the fish! So many colors and breeds! It was like she’d stepped into an ever flowing painting.

So predictably the druid lit up as well. The flowers in her hair changed and shifted colors like a vibrant kaleidoscope. Even the crystals followed suit, crowing her head with a multitude of different colored gems that just kept changing. They almost seemed to be glowing at this point. Despite the fact she couldn’t speak, her body seemed to convey her thoughts without the need for words. The hermit was absolutely delighted.

She simply had to get closer.

Using one of the air bubbles Nobu had brought along (she’d noticed them before and figured they were probably so they didn’t have to return to the surface; of which she was now extremely grateful for), the druid swam closer towards the kelp forest. Amazing. Even outside of Arecia, nature continued to be breathtaking. Lelianna got right up near most of the aquatic flora. The fish weren’t as used to her as the denizens of Arecia were, so most of them scattered from her. Which would have been disappointing if Lelianna wasn’t completely swept away by the sheer gorgeousness of this place. Somehow the water’s current only made the picture more dream-like. The way everything swayed and floated as though in a constant gentle breeze. For a split instant she wished she had Nobu’s gills just so she could stay there suspended in space for as long as she liked.

After her initial shock and awe, she finally began to explore in earnest. Gently reaching out to touch along some of the sponges or kelp. Particularly swimming straight into the latter with a soundless giggle on her lips only given away by the bubbles that escaped her. Trailing after some fish to watch them swim and gleam in the sunlight. Observing the colorful shells of the mollusks as they scuttled by. Overall the druid was completely captivated by the underwater world the other magi had introduced her to. So she just had to convey her gratefulness to the one who brought her. Which she did so by swimming over to Nobu and wrapping him up in a big hug with a swift kiss on the cheek to boot. When she pulled back, it was clear from her ecstatic expression and the plethora of wild colors infusing her magi traits what she was wanting to say.

It really was beautiful down here. Sure she’d seen her far share of the different ponds, streams, and lakes back in Arecia, but this place was so different. Maybe there’s something like this in the woods? She had to wonder. Even through her time living there, she hadn’t discovered everything. The possibility was very much one that could come true. For now, though, she was more than happy to enjoy the sights before her.

Not only that, but the sounds.

She was not as hand-in-hand familiar with these aquatic plants as she was with the trees and bushes in her woods, but the druid was quick to remedy that as fast as she could. There was such a warm, curious air to the flora as the druid swam amongst them. Little, soundless conversations as she heard the voices of each one near her connect with her mind. It was like meeting hundreds of new friends in the span of only a few minutes: each one as warm and genuine as the next.

However, as she hugged Nobu, the other magi seemed to have something else in mind. Was there even more to see? Already her mind was completely swept up in the sheer beauty and wonder of the current scene before her. The thought that there could be more than this- more than the vibrant picture they were currently swimming in -could’ve blown her mind. Even so she found herself eager.

With a smile and an enthusiastic nod, she swam after him as they approached a forest made of kelp. Now wasn’t that ironic. She’d left one forest only to find herself in another one. Although this one was hopefully less mischievous than Arecia. Or at least initially. But playful or not, Lelianna followed Nobu deeper with equal parts excitement and curiosity.

There was something otherworldly about the kelp forest they swam into. Something otherworldly about the sensation. Definitely even more so for the one who could actually sense the feelings of the very vegetation they went through. It was...amazing. Calm. Endless. Or at least it very well felt that way. On land, Lelianna was aware of just how far her senses extended. The Earth, for lack of a better term, grounded her. But out here?

It was like she was floating through some kind of rolling subconscious.

On the very edges of her mind she could feel the murmur of voices further out- aquatic plantlife extending deeper and deeper into the watery depths they were exploring. It was a...humbling feeling, for sure. One she found herself being literally and figuratively swept away by as Nobu took them further and further out. She tried to memorize everything. Every little fish and coral that passed them by. The gems and flowers in her hair were in a constant state of changing color now: slowly morphing in and out of hues as she reacted to what they encountered.

And when the seal suddenly appeared? They burst with a flair of warm tones. What was that? Lelianna found herself completely captivated by it with a huge smile on her face. It somehow reminded her of Skjorn, albeit a lot more graceful in the water. Though she did try to reach out and touch it, it looked like it was keeping just out of arm's reach. Though that didn't dissuade her. Instead she kept her hand out in an offering sort of gesture. Whether or not the seal would approach her was up to it, but either way she already adored it. It was so cute looking!