The little bitty waves

[mitochondriaaya]

The elastic strap was suppose to go around her ankle. Of course, the board she'd gotten hadn't exactly come with instructions (that she saw anyway), so she had it kinda tucked in the shoulder strap of her swimsuit. She couldn't find her flip-flops, but she did remember sunblock! That as the important part right?

The boys had promised to teach her how to surf! Or wake surf...or wade, or something. She could swim a little, and she didn't think they'd be going very deep, but this was her first time to the beach that wasn't poking at tide pools. She felt kinda...grown up.

Yep, very grown up with a board almost as big as she was.

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah, I know." Braig agreed, "And he is."

The dolphin chortled at them and lept extra high.

[mitochondriaaya]

"You picked him on purpose cause he was fast? EEEEEEEEEHHHHHeeeeeheehhhheeeeeee!" Well, she kind of assumed the two statements were related, and...no longer about him? SIX YEAR OLDS MOVED ON FAST! "Awesome! He needs a medal! A gold medal!" The Olympics had been on recently.

[sliceitwithwind]

"He's a dolphin, Aya, he has no need for a medal." Braig just...let it go.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Couldn't he take it home?" And...put it on his shelf, in a seas cave or something? "I bet he has a treasure chest!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Dolphins don't have homes, Aya. They go all over the ocean, and wherever they are is 'home' that night."

[mitochondriaaya]

"...but these are special dolphins." He'd said so! "They could!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"But they don't." Braig said with authority, "The whole ocean is their home."

[mitochondriaaya]

"And the whole ocean has treasure chests." So the dolphins TOTALLY HAD TREASURE CHESTS TO PUT MEDALS IN!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Aya, dolphins don't care. They don't collect material items. Things."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Sure they do!" She laughed and pointed to one of the dolphins they were racing. "That one has a bracelet on her tail!" She was six. Her logic was IMPECCABLE.

[sliceitwithwind]

"That's a tracking tag." Braig said, "Scientists asked her if they could put that on her and they keep track of the pod's movements so that we can learn more about them. It's not for pretty."

[mitochondriaaya]

"...but it's orange. And pretty." In that way where bright colors were the only requirement for pretty to little kids?

And katzu.

[sliceitwithwind]

YES WELL.

"I think they were Katzu scientists." it's all he's got.

[mitochondriaaya]

"...okay?" Because that had NO RELEVANCE in her mind. "Maybe we can give him something else, if he won't like a medal? He won!" That meant a prize!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Just keep enjoying, Aya. He'll be happy if you are."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay!" She could do that for a good, long while given permission!

[sliceitwithwind]

They continue to ride the dolphin until Aya is either bored, or chilled. Then Braig helps her back into the shallows.

[mitochondriaaya]

Yeah, that point when she was giggling despite how hard her teeth were chattering? That was when they headed back, with Aya giving the "Awwwww...." comments the whole way.

"Good bye dolphin! Thanks!"

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig picks Aya up as they head home, carrying her on his hip. Dilan is helpfully babbling dolphin biology to them as they go.