Piopi was the only actual adult and she was busy, so when the researcher of Tsidal approached Professor Kee with an offer to visit the colony and the region, Maema was sent along to meet people. She had been greeted when she'd arrived by Alastor and Nalla, who were now escorting her on a bit of an adventure through the ocean's ranges.

Currently Alastor and Nalla were supervising her while she dug in the sand along the beach of one of the islands. Maema was old enough to travel, obviously– she wasn't a suckling or anything– but neither of them felt especially comfortable leaving her completely unsupervised this close to the ocean in territory unfamiliar to her.

Maema was in particular searching for a crab. She had seen a breath spot in the pale sand the last time the water had swept in so now she was standing there digging for it while the foamy tide lapped over her feet. The next time the tide came in, a beautiful shell rolled a short ways away from her. It was purple and white and whole, with a smoothness to it that she couldn't help but think was beautiful. An aquatic lurking in the water called out to her as she approached it. "Hey, wait!"

Alastor and Nalla's heads snapped up, and so did Maema's. The two of them drew closer but not before she had a chance to strike up a conversation. "Oh! Hello!" she said, blinking in surprise. "I didn't know you were there!"

He pulled himself partially onto the sand but not so much as to be threatening.

"Nor did I," Nalla said, eyeing the aquatic with some degree of suspicion.

"I'm sorry," he said, dipping his head. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you three! I wasn't going to stop, but the tide washed in that shell and the whelp here was going towards it. Only, that animal is really venomous, and I didn't want it to sting her."

Maema's eyes widened. "Oh! Wow, thank you, sir! I was definitely about to go pick i up…"

Allastor dipped his head. "Yes, thank you. We'll have to make a note of that for the researcher."

"Colonists, then?" he asked, looking them over. "I would've guessed you were a family, but then I don't know much about how tsabhua genetics work!"

Nala shook her head. "No. I am Allastor's aunt, technically, but neither of us are related to Maema as far as I'm aware."

Maema grinned. "I'm from a colony in the desert called Hakira! I'm here visiting."

"The desert!" he replied, eyes widening. "My, I've never been there!" His eyes sparkled at his joke. "Well. At any rate, my name is Sapphique– I'll probably be on my way now, but maybe I'll see you around again while you're still visiting, Maema."

"Bye Sapphique!" she called, watching him go. She turned back to Alastor and Nala, still smiling. "He seems nice! I've never seen anyone shaped like him before."

"He's an aquatic tark'ee," Allastor said. "Quite a few of them live around here!"