Killer's POV a few days later

"Morning, Killer."

"Morning, Horror."I say as he sets food out

"Did you rest well?"Cross asks

"Did you realize how loud you snore?"Dust grumbles

"Enough you two."Dream says

I glance at Horror as he hums a tune.

"Ya know I haven't seen Lust in a while. How have you both been?"I ask Horror

His face burns up a bright red.

"W-We've been good..."He says

"Got any plans with him?"X!Chara asks

"I'll go find him..."He says, swimming out

"Wow, Chara. You spooked him."Cross says

"What I say?"He asks

"Horror clearly has the feels for Lust but is very shy and jumpy about the topic. Not to mention that it's getting closer to mating season for his kind and he's completely innocent to that concept, your question and implications may have spooked him in more ways than one."Dust says

I smile as I eat and hear them discuss it. Then hear a bellowing call of a conch shell.

"What's that?"Dream asks

"I made some friends and that's their way of calling a hangout."I say

"You're heading out again?"He asks

There's a knock at the boulder. I nod, opening it to see Error waiting outside.

"YoU rEaDy tO gO?"Error asks

I nod, following him away. I notice Error smiling for once.

"Is InK gOInG tO bE tHeRe?"He asks

Oooh! That's why!

"Depends, when is your mating season?"I ask

"SHUT UP!"He snaps, his face turning a bright yellow

We follow the sound of the conch call. The first one I see is Outer, who hugs me close. I see two new friends beside him. One being a colorful mersquid named Ink and another being Blue, obviously with his bright blue tail. Ink looks over at Error and his eyes twinkle with a spark of recognition.

"Error...?"He says

That was surprising. He has horrible memory and this is only the second time they've hung out. Error seems just as surprised.

"HeY, InK."Error says

Ink grins, sitting down with him. He puts a shell between them, putting his hand on one end of it with Error's hand on the other. Ink puts down a sack and smiles at Error.

"I noticed that you, um, keep a pearl close to you in your place so I thought you'd like some shells and....these...."He says

Error peeks into the bag and his eyes twinkle.

"WoOaAh..."He says, his cheeks burning.

Outer, Blue, and I each look at each other as the two start up a conversation. Ink of course is eagerly leading the conversation. Yet Error is intently listening.

"They are so in love."Blue chuckles

"And thus gives birth to the squellyfish species and mers."Outer chuckles as the two completely disregard us for their conversation.

We settle nearby them, chatting away in our own conversations. Then we pause, hearing some rustling behind some seaweed. Blue glances over, then focuses back on us. I see two glowing eyes from the seaweed and quickly recognize them as they fixate on Blue. After a few minutes I can tell that his gaze was noticed by Blue and making him uncomfortable. I facepalm, shaking my head.

"Dust if you want to hang out or interact quit your staring and show yourself. Actually talk. Hiding like a creep and staring only makes you look ridiculous."I say

He slowly comes out of hiding, glancing at me before waving to the other two. Blue and Outer wave back. I can tell that he's still zoning in on Blue. His eyes twinkle at Blue and he actually smiles. Within minutes they are chatting away as if they've known each other since forever, Dust noticeably inching closer to Blue.

That leaves me with Outer. I smile at him and he smiles back.

"How about we leave the soon-to-be couples and visit my friend Sci? He could help explain the human pieces of your dreams."He says

"Sure!"I say, swimming away with him

We reach a small cave and Outer puts his hand out to stop me.

"Sci is very jumpy so I'll talk with him before introducing you to him. Or you might get pinched by his claws or an experiment of his."He says

I nod.

He goes inside where I couldn't hear much. I smile, glancing around.

Soon I will have more answers. I won't feel awkward around Nightmare anymore!

"Alright, you can come in!"Outer shouts

I go right inside, finding ropes tied to rocks and vials or jars of strange glowing substances littering the inside of the cave. I see a mercrab up ahead who I assume to be Sci. Half his body is tucked away in a shell, multiple legs peeking out to stand upright and his two hands morphing into claws as they push up his glasses and hold a rope. I could see the shock and growing fear on his face so I wave and smile to try to ease things.

"Hey! You must be Sci! I'm Killer, it's nice to-!"I begin

SNAP! SPLASH! HISSSSSS!

Just like that, his claws cut the rope and something splashed onto me and I could hear it sizzling as it burns into my bones. Some slip over my eyes and I couldn't see anything. My soul starts pounding and I try to wipe or shake it off but that only made it spread on my body more.

"What the hell, Sci?"Outer snaps

"Sorry! My hands slipped! You know I'm not steady when I'm nervous! And you didn't say you were friends with a shark!"Sci snaps

"Killer is a dolphin!"

"Not with those scars he isn't!"Sci says

Outer groans.

"Why did you even have a rope with substances over the entrance?"He asks

"I'm making the most of the space I have!"

Then suddenly it feels like I can't breathe. I take in some breaths but start choking on the water, which has never happened before.

What the hell did Sci do? What is this stuff doing to me!?

I grip my throat and feel my body trembling.

"Oh no....I'm getting him out of here and you better find a solution!"Outer says

"Hey, now he will learn first-hand about the human stuff! That helps, right?"Sci says

"Doesn't make it right, Sci!"Outer snaps

I feel someone grab me and start pulling me away as if I weighed nothing.

"Don't worry, Killer. I'm getting you out."He says

I feel the currents of the water zip past me and then feel my head get above water. Immediately I start coughing up all the water that was choking, gagging and my body shaking. It still stings in pain as I feel Outer lift me onto something. I feel around, touching the smooth and hard surface of a large rock.

"Okay...This is new...Killer, it seems like you'll have to stay on the surface for a while. I'm so sorry about him but I promise that we will find a solution!"Outer says

The stinging slowly ebbs away and I could see again. I see that I am on a large rock that slides like a ramp to a sandy beach. And beyond the beach is a distant village. I look down, seeing two human legs replace my tail. Though they still have scars like my tail does. I see that I've been turned human, which explains my near-drowning experience. I look at Outer, who gazes up at me from the water apologetically.

"I'll come back when there's a solution. Just stay safe, alright?"He says

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just nod. He dives back underwater and I glance around. I feel chills go down my spine as my body shivers. It's unusually cold right now. Maybe it's because I don't have any clothes besides my torn shirt.

Alright, can't stay here. Let's find some shelter.

I crawl off of the rock onto the beach, knowing from my dreams that I'm not the best at walking right away. I find some abandoned fabrics and rope, which in a few minutes of crafting was made into some clothes. That's when I decide to get up and try walking. I stumble a lot, sucking at this land skill. But then I got the hang of it. And that's when I feel two hands grab me.

"Madam! I found a lost boy wandering on the beach! What should about him?"A voice from behind me asks, a blade to my neck

"I see you so put away your blade. He is lost and seems clueless to the land. Foreigner perhaps or a poor orphan, someone in need of help and guidance. I'll gladly give him some. Let's take him home."Another voice says

And just like that, I get dragged away. The last I see of the water is the sun setting on the ocean's horizon.

TBC