When Glow had been told about Seafoam and Snickerdoodle's encounter with the stranger who had tried to talk to them underwater in what appeared to have been some sort of sign language, she was curious. She had convinced Seafoam and Snickerdoodle to ask if the stranger - Sapient, they found out - would be willing to teach them the language. It had seemed useful to know, even if just to communicate underwater when fishing.

The native agreed to visit, and by chance, a whelp was visiting to learn about Rekes. Glow decided that even if the whelp didn't learn much themself, it might be interesting for their colony. Their name was Ember, and Snickerdoodle had been showing them around while Glow and Seafoam waited for the colonist to arrive.

For the comfort of Sapient, an aquatic, they had set up a small pool in one of the rooms in their colony. Glowing bones laced the walls of this stony apartment, dug into the side of a mountain. It could've been oppressive, but wide windows let in light, and the walls were covered with colorful works of art. Rugs, paintings, and knicknacks, everything was fair game.

Hearing from Seafoam that Sapient was on their way, Snickerdoodle and Ember, showed up, talking together. Ember had seemed a little shy at first, but had warmed up to Snickerdoodle and was talking readily with her. When they saw Glow, though, they half-hid behind Snickerdoodle's legs. Glow just smiled at them, then nodded towards the couches.

"You can sit down, if you want. And there's drinks in the fridge as well, plus some snacks."

At the mention of snacks, the whelp perked up and headed into the small kitchen.

Snickerdoodle settled down beside Glow, and they both looked up as Seafoam lead in Sapient, who glanced at them and then made for the pool, settling in it with a soft sigh of appreciation. Seafoam was at least somewhat used to the dry weather of the mountains, but Sapient was used to the ocean.

"Sapient, this is Glow, and that's Ember," Seafoam motioned at them in turn, and Glow nodded in return.

"Nice to meet you," she offered, and Sapient nodded and made a gesture with their hands.

"That's 'nice to meet you' in ocean sign," they clarified, and repeated the gesture again, slower while Glow, Snickerdoodle, and Seafoam leaned in, interested.

"But it's so short?" Snickerdoodle asked, curious, while Ember came back with their snack to munch it under her wing. "The thing you signed," she clarified.

Sapient nodded. "While we can sign out words letter by letter, that's not really fast, like you noticed. It's much easier to have signs for specific common phrases or words like 'nice to meet you,' 'hello', or 'danger.' Make sense?"

Enthralled, Snickerdoodle, Glow, and Seafoam nodded while Ember sipped a lemonade, unconcerned. A thought struck Glow. "Does it vary by region?"

Sapient nodded, seeming pleased at the question. "Yes! Like you have regional dialects or different language, the same with sign language. It isn't a monolith, and there's several different languages that have popped up independently. When you're underwater and need to communicate, it really provides an incentive."

Seafoam nodded thoughtfully, then considered the webs between their fingers. "And for different types of people, yeah? Tsabhuas probably incorporate four hands, while draconics don't have any?"

Sapient nodded again. "There's specialized versions for both, just like the different languages and dialects."

Ember waved their four arms, appearing happy to have their extra limbs noticed. Sapient laughed cheerfully, then started showing the group some basic signs. Even Ember got in on it, Sapient teaching them some tsabhua signs they knew.

It was an informative afternoon, and Glow was happy she'd thought of it. As she, Seafoam, Snickerdoodle and Ember waved the native goodbye, she ruminated on what she'd learned. It could be useful during avalanche season… speak to each other without risking the sounds setting off a chain reaction.

Their next task was to get Ember home, and as they seemed to be attached to Snickerdoodle, Snickerdoodle headed off with them to get them to the transport pad. That left Glow and Seafoam standing together, looking out over the mountainous slope down the the shining waters of the ocean. The two stood in silence for a moment, thinking, then nodded at each other and went off to their own tasks.

There was always more to do, after all.