Coastal Dreams

Tangled Once Again!

      "Don't you dare lay a finger on him, human!" those words echoed in my mind. 'S-so it's a boy then, I gotta remember that.' sweat and perspiration glistening on my skin.

      I find myself pressed against the farthest side of the boat, the rail digging into my back as I try to make sense of what I'm looking at right now. Squiggling tentacles spilling in as the other three octopus-people are rocking my boat until the smaller one pulls into my raft. Its unruly pitch-black hair is clinging to its porcelain white face, deep-blue sapphire eyes glaring at me with full-blown anger. If I wasn't freaking out, I might have thought this was by far the neatest thing I found, but since I am freaking out, all I wanted was to get back to shore. I feel something cold and slimy wraps around my ankle, clenching me tightly in a firm grasp as I'm pulled away from the railing in an instant.

*Thunk*

      My head meets with the floor. Pain shooting through my skull like a bolt of lightning as I held it, already I could feel the lump forming. I was hissing in pain before sitting up, startling the others as I glare at the dark-haired octopus-kid who climbed into my boat without conceit.

      "That hurt! What do you think you're doing?" before I knew it, I'm yelling at the top of my lungs with a burning sensation of the knot forming on the back of my head.

      "W-well you deserved it!" is the only so-called cleaver response I get from the black-haired creature, "You were trying to take Prompto back to your lair and eat him later, we heard you!" pointing a clawed finger lightly against my chest as if it didn't want to hurt me again. "Humans are all the same!"

      'Those look...' grasping his wrist, they all flinch in surprise as I carefully wiggle one of the digits. 'They're hard and smooth, ridged underneath near the tip of the fingers like some kind of crustacean!' my eyes gleam as I look over all five digits, noting that they became softer around the palm, but the skin seemed to be thicker or sturdier in regards.

      "Whoa, you got like real claws!" I found my anger quickly dissipating as it promptly changes to a smile that's beaming with radiance at the dark-haired creature.

      "A-ah, yeah?" the tension seemed to drain, a conflicting look danced across its deep-blue eyes while trying to retain a non-emotional expression.

      "That's so cool," my voice trails as I pressed my hand against his, curious as it became more apparent with how much larger those icy hands seem to be in comparison. "Do you all have claws like these?" noting the deep midnight purplish-blue hard-shell tipped-claws.

      "No, I mean," quickly, it shakes its head in disbelief. "What the hell am I saying, you humans go around lying and destroying whatever you come across! Give Prompto back!"

      "Wow, for a moment there you looked like you got sidetrack, Nocts." the largest of the group suddenly speaks up, smirking as it crossed its arms over the rim of the boat while laying its head on them.

      "Hm," the other beside it seemed to be wearing some kind of glasses. I watched as it adjusted them with a long tentacle, their claws digging into the rim effortlessly.

      "Sure, give me a moment," the reply fell so quickly from my lips as I maneuvered around the squiggling tentacles. "So you're Prompto? Sorry for scaring you," his bright blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight as I untangle the blond creature from the net, going slow and gentle as I could muster. "That should be miles better."

      "That sure was fast and painless," the substantial creature perks with interests as the dark-haired one, Noct wasn't it, crawls to the other side of the boat, causing it to rock slightly.

      "So, I'm not getting eaten?" Prompto asks as he crawls free from the netting.

      "Looks that way," Glasses seems amused at Prompto's wide eyes frantically looking around between the two parties.

*Crunch*

      My head whips around to see Nocts eating as live spazzing fish from the discarded pile that I had yet to sort out. The small silvery fish that I worked so hard to catch and a calm blank expression gobbling them up without consent.

      "Hey! Those are mine!" I scoff in disbelief, watching as it carries on, biting through bones and scales as the tail twitches before disappearing down its gullet with a swallow.

      "Nope, mine." it retorts before licking its thumb, clearly satisfied.

      "I don't know who or what-" I found myself flailing as I gestured up and down its figure before gesturing to the others who were still watching with interest. "You things are, but I caught those fish, so they are mine!"

      "I think cecaelia is what you've come to know us as," the glasses-wearing creature speaks up once more, raising a brow.

      "O-oh, okay, then are you all-" another awkward pause as I gesture them with pursed lips. "Nevermind, I don't wanna know." deadpanning as I slump back to the floor.

*Click, Slurp*

      I'm frowning more as I glance at the blonde, who is currently eating an unusually large mussel. Prompto awkwardly chuckles as he drops the shells, scratching at his drying tussled hair, embarrassed that he got caught.

      "Sorry, I was so relieved that I remembered how hungry I was." Prompto fidgets more as the others start grabbing up my catch.

      "I don't even care anymore," sighing as I hear the mix melody of snapping bones and slurping as they continued.

      "You're not that bad of a guy, for a human that is," the sizeable rugged-looking creature grins as it eats a fish in few quick bites.

      "I have a name, you know." huffing as I sit up when an idea struck me like a bolt of lighting. "Say, I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!"

      "Hm," Nocts, the dark-haired one, murmurs before creeping around, it's dark purplish-blue tentacles probing at my left leg and foot.

      "I am Ignis Scientia," glasses speaks up, fixing their dirty-blond hair as it sweeps up at the front of their hairline, jewel green eyes seem to sparkle. "You've already met Prompto, Prompto Argentum, that is." Ignis went on, gesturing to the blond who smiles at me this time.

      "Hey, I'm Gladiolus Amicitia," the biggest one greets me with a wide grin, confidently pointing at himself with his clawed thumb.

      I could see a solid swell of muscle with many scars marrying its tanned body; longish brown hair shaved along the sides with a strong jaw, warm deep chocolate-brown eyes linger on my face. The longer I stared, I notice little hairs poking from its chin.

     'I-I guess it's safe to assume it's a he,' blushing more, I did want to give them the benefit of the doubt. 'I wonder if they are all guys, do their species even have any females or are they like a hermaphrodite?' suddenly, the thought made me a little queasy as that would apply many other unpleasantries.

      "And, um, I'm Noctis Lucis Caelum," the dark-haired cecaelia finally speaks up but keeps their gaze to the coast. "Guess I was wrong about you, but you are still weird," it adds while owning that blank expression.

      "Me? How so?" perking up, curiously at how soothing his voice sounded all of a sudden.

      "What kind of a guy, let alone a human goes around hunting in the shallows by themselves?" those deep-blue eyes are now lingering on my face, piercing and cold. "You are outmatched and outnumbered, that's pretty dumb in itself."

      "I'll have you know that I can take care of myself!" my blood is boiling now as I can feel my face heating up, "I don't need your permission or anybody else! I've done fine by myself!" I shouldn't be getting mad, it was only a passing comment, but I couldn't stop. "And stop calling me 'guy' as if we're friends, I'm a girl, goddamn it!" I didn't know that I was screaming at the top of my lungs until I took a few deep breaths.

      "What's ah... girl?"