Something Fishy

Lei had always adored the water. Lived in it and practically breathed it. At least, he would if he could. So when Melusine had begun to advertise that they’d come up with a brew that could give boos fins, mer tails and even the ability to breathe under water? He’d been eager to get in line and try it out. Then again, some of the boos concoctions were… less than ideal and the side effects could be… devastating. So as eager as he was, Lei did take a little time to… test the waters, as it were. He let a few other boos ahead of him, made sure that it didn’t have any of the nastier side effects, and then he was good to go!

Sitting on his surfboard in the water, Lei held the mysterious potion in his paws. He’d been sure to get the temporary one, just in case he didn’t like it or it didn’t work well, but the moment it touched his lips, he could feel his legs already beginning to fuse together. It was a strange sensation and he watched as his legs became a long eel-like tail that whipped around in the water, already eager to explore.

Lei let himself slip off his board and swam it back to shore so that he wouldn’t lose the thing, and then, he submerged himself completely. For a few seconds, he held his breath and then, he opened his mouth and breathed. He could breathe underwater!!! Something inside him felt so wild and free! Lei began swimming in circles, doing little back flips and tricks as he learned to control his new powerful appendage.

As he swam and splashed around beneath the waves, which looked amazing from down here, something watched him from the shadows nearby. Lei himself was far too excited and caught up in his new exploration and fun to notice but slowly, a boo approached him. It wasn’t until Lei nearly swam right into them that he noticed he had an admirer.

“Whoa! Sorry, almost ran into you there,” Lei said sheepishly. His voice seemed less muffled than he might have expected under the water. Perhaps that was another effect of the potion. He looked the new boo that had approached him up and and down. They were a Squiboo! He had met Marisol and her little son, Kai, a couple weeks ago but now? This Squiboo was entirely different! Sightings were apparently cropping up all over Booterra as the mysterious Squiboos began interacting more with the rest of the boos.

“You swim so strangely,” the Squiboo said, swimming around him in literal circles. Unlike Lei’s overly excited swimming, this boo was far more controlled. Their skin was so dark that it reminded the bunnaboo of ink, though some scales near the ends of their tentacles were outlined in a bit of pink. They also had spikes on their shoulders and bright aqua eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” Lei blurted out, then blushed, feeling a little embarrassed.

“You think I’m beautiful?” the Squiboo asked, swimming closer so that they were nearly touching.

“Absolutely,” Lei answered, nodding to emphasize his point.

The Squiboo squinted at him, as if trying to discern his intentions before laughing. “You are a strange boo, I like you. My name is Delphin.”

“Lei,” the bunnaboo introduced. They shook hands and the feeling of the contact was almost electric. Lei wasn’t sure if the other boo felt it as well, but if they did? He had a feeling that he’d be seeing a whole lot more of this Squiboo and perhaps he’d have to visit Melusine again. Someday, he might need one of those potions to make the change permanent…