Having always had an fascination over the ocean, Seal was sure he could find a suitable gift among the ocean's many treasures. He had always been found some sanctuary in deeper waters, despite being more drawn towards the communities often found on land. He knew his way around the coasts of L'hatzif well, though, and was quick to navigate trough the currents. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, exactly, which made his search a lot harder.

 

Rummaging under stones and reaching into cracks in the rocks, Seal was quickly finding himself frustrated. Picking up yet another shiny rock, he turned it around in his hand hoping to find anything special about it. The rock was pretty, it looked like some sort of gemstone, but it wasn't as special as Seal needed it to be. He sighed, getting ready to toss the rock into the distance when he heard a voice behind him.

 

"Excuse me?" a tark'ee said, "I've been looking for that kind of rock for ages. Would you perhaps be up for a trade?" Seal frowned, but shrugged. "Works for me, I suppose. What've you got?"

 

The Tark'ee started rummaging trough her bag, muttering something under her breath while Seal waited. He vaguely recalled having seen the other ocean-dwelling Xunari before- digging trough his mind for a bit. It must've been a while ago if he had  met her. Jolly? Holly? Ah, yes, he suddenly recalled a Tark'ee called Tolly, who had helped him out as a whelp. He had gotten swept away in a current and Tolly had helped him find his way back. 

 

"I've been watching you rummage around the dirt all day." Tolly said, while holding out some trinkets for him to inspect.

 

"Oh? Yea I've- ah- I've been looking for something special" he stumbled, blushing a bit as he spoke.

 

Tolly chuckled at him "Something special, eh? Whose the lucky lady?"

 

Seal froze. He didn't think people would catch up to him that quick. Tolly smiled brightly, her eyes gleaming. "Ah, don't worry about it, I won't tell on you."

 

He smiled back at her nervously. "Ah- thank you? It's nothing, I swear." To which Tolly shook her head. "Well, I've found some nice things the last few days... maybe just the "special" something you've been looking for, then."

 

Frowning, Seal considered the options that Tolly had laid out in front of him. The items were all beautiful- some gold and silver, likely from sunken ships, a few beautiful pearls, pieces of coral, but Seal's eyes were instantly drawn to a large, colourful conch shell.

 

"it's pretty, isn't it?" Tolly said as he reached to pick it up, turning it around in his claws. "I found it near the coast of Issiq. It's even prettier above water, the sunlight adds a beautiful shimmer to it... And I'm just saying, if someone were to gift this to me I'd be swooning." she winked at him.

 

Hmmm... Seal wasn't sure if a shell was the right choice. But by the looks of it, Tolly's words about it being more beautiful in the sunlight definitely held up. And the rock was much, much worse than a pretty shell regardless. He hummed softly to himself, turning the shell around and watching it catch the limited rays of light that the ocean had to offer.

 

"I suppose it'll do." He said, dropping the stone he found earlier in Tolly's waiting palm.

 

"Thank you!" she said, "You won't regret it!"

 

Seal nodded, mostly glad that his day didn't turn out to be a complete waste. "I should get going now." He told Tolly with a kind nod. "I have ah- important business to attend to."

 

Tolly gave him a knowing smile as she waved him goodbye.