From Beneath the Waves

Scrubbing wasn't really something Korin needed explained, but the tools and the soap were certainly unknown to him. The sink, at least, worked largely like the shower had and had only two controls, so nothing was overly complicated. Doing something simple was helpful in distracting him, and he was glad enough to listen to Olivia's instructions as he worked.

"Clean and shiny," He said with a smile when they were done, very carefully handing over the last dish for her to dry because he was worried he would break something. The plates felt so fragile. He didn't think he'd found any that were intact in the ocean before, so it made it feel as if they were all very fragile. "What next? Are we going to the town already?" He wasn't sure if she was ready to go, and also not sure if he was ready himself, mentally speaking, but he likely never would be. He looked human, so he just had to stay at Olivia's side and everything would be fine.
 
She had to hide a smile as Korrin worked, she didn't want him to think she was making fun of him, because she wasn't but it was a little amusing to see him being so over the top careful.

She nodded a little as she dried the plate, "yep, I mean I'm ready when you are." As she put the dried dishes away, she turned to face him, giving him a gentle smile.

"Now, try not to worry too much okay?" "Everything will be fine, but if you get too scared or overwhelmed just tell me and you can wait in the car or we'll just pack up and come home okay?"
 
Korin was happy to have helped, distracted at first by the satisfaction of doing well before she looked at him and had his full attention. It was kind of her, trying to reassure him so, and his expression went a bit soft for it as he listened. He was aware that he hadn't given her a very good impression of his ability to deal with things.

"I'm sure it will be a lot," he said with a little nod, almost thoughtful for a moment before giving her a little smile. "But if we're together, it'll be okay. I'll try not to wander off." He was sure there was going to be a lot to look at, and it was possible some things might help him remember bits of his past that might be distracting or send him spiraling back into panic - but he would do his level best not to stray from her side just because he saw something neat.
 
She was a little amused by him getting so excited about something he'd just wander off, but at the same time it was also a little concerning.

It wasn't a huge town and she didn't think he'd get far, but she still didn't like the idea of him getting confused and lost. "Okay, well let's go then."

She smiled and grabbed her purse, slinging it over her shoulder to rest on her hip. She led the way outside towards her small car, "first stop we'll get you some shoes and clothes."

"I've got to grab some stuff from the grocery store but we can do that whenever, is there anything in particular you'd like to see?"
 
Korin smiled at Olivia's energy, relieved to have something to focus on outside of himself for a while, and followed her out of the house without hesitation. He was slower than she was as they exited, picking his steps carefully even now that he was more sure on his feet to avoid as many sharp things as he could. He had to walk over the gravel still, but it wasn't so bad compared to other things and he wasn't getting cut so he was sure it was all right.

The car was a novelty in itself, something he'd only seen from far away and never encountered close up. The first trial, really, was just finding out how to get inside, and from there how to properly 'buckle in' as Olivia directed him. When he was settled, finally, the rumble of it turning on and starting to move was almost enough to make him nervous.

"I don't really know where to start," he said, thinking if there was anything he wanted to see he didn't know what it was yet. "I'm sure wherever you want to go will be good." It was possible it would be plenty of adventure for one day, or that he wouldn't want to leave the stores at all. He wasn't sure he would know until they got there.
 
Once they were settled in the car, both of them belted in, she started the car and slowly started off. She was a careful driver anyway, but she made sure to keep the ride as smooth as possible for Korrins sake.

In an effort to make him less nervous, she turned on the radio, keeping the volume low enough for them to still hear each other clearly.

"Hmm well depending on how long everything takes we could grab some lunch while we're out." She said thoughtfully, "there's the bookstore and the movie theatre too."

"The nearest town isn't very big." She smiled brightly, " but the next city over is huge and it's got a lot of fun stuff to do." "It's a bit of a drive though so we can't do it today, but we can go any other day." "If you want too of course."
 
Korrin's attention was firmly out the window as they started off, marveling at the feeling of motion and just how quickly the scenery outside could fly past them. It made him a little nervous, if he thought about it too hard, but mostly it was all very exciting. It did help him feel a bit less anxious when Olivia turned something on and quiet music began to play around them. Human technology would never cease to amaze him.

"A book . . . store?" He asked, trying to process it all at once and remember if he knew what a movie was. He had a vague idea of it, a story acted out by people or drawings, only played on the screens humans were so fond of. An entire trade building dedicated to just books sounded interesting.

"I think . . . just a few places today will be enough." He said after a moment of thought, turning to look at her for a moment and then out the front windshield as well. "But I think I'd like seeing new places. I should try to get used to some of it, I suppose. . ."

He was nervous about it, but it was still a half formed idea in his mind that he should start trying to live as a human again, even though a large part of him longed for the familiarity of the sea instead. Even still, with every passing day it felt like there was less and less in the water keeping him there.
 
She kept her attention on the road, glancing at Korrin occasionally as he spoke. "That's fine Korrin, you don't have to push yourself to do too much too soon, just take it at your own pace okay?"

"There's a lot of fun interesting stuff I can show you, but only when you want too, if you want too, alright?" She didn't know how long he'd even want to stay, but she'd make the time he did as fun as she could for him.

His comment about the bookstore git her thinking, "yeah the book store is pretty big and there's a library too." "Do you.. like to read?" She asked gently, not wanting to make him feel awkward by asking if he could. Obviously there weren't books in the ocean, but perhaps they had their own written language.
 
"I don't really know what's too much. . ." Korin admitted, uncertain but not overly concerned in the moment. Even if he was exhausted or wanted to retreat back to Olivia's home where things were quiet and close to the water, he was sure he couldn't feel any more horrible than he had the night before. He would do his best to tell her when he needed to go, though he wasn't sure how he would know.

When she asked if he liked to read he made a soft, thoughtful sound. "I suppose. There aren't really books underwater, not human ones anyway. But I do find them interesting. Most stories down below are told verbally." Passed on and on and on, as faithful to the original as they could possibly be. He didn't get to hear many anymore, living alone, so the idea of reading them in books was appealing.
 
She seemed a little unsure how to answer him, "well that's not really something I can tell you Korrin, it's just something you know and feel for yourself."

"But I'll be here to help you if you need it alright?" She smiled reassuringly, "Besides there's nothing to be worried about anyway, this is easy routine stuff."

"Oh that's cool, we have things like that too, like an audio book where someone reads the story to you."
 
Easy and routine seemed like very relative terms, given how differently they had lived, but Korin could understand what she meant. For the average person, buying food and clothing was nothing special. For him, though, he was sure it would be a more exciting event.

"I'm sure I'll be okay," he said with a thoughtful little tilt of his head at some of the cars that passed in all directions around them, "as long as we're together." He would just have to tell himself to stay put and not wander if he got distracted.

While he wasn't sure what an audio book was, Korin could guess simply from the two words together. Maybe it was like music, and rather than play an instrument or tell a story someone read from pages. He was sure he would never understand how sound was captured and replayed, but he enjoyed it regardless.

"Do you like reading?" He asked finally, having circled back around in his mind and wanting to reciprocate so he could learn more about her. "Or . . . audio books?" He supposed if it was people reading what was already on paper they were quite similar.
 
She smiled and nodded, "of course." She thought he'd be fine, it wasn't anything too stressful. Still she understood how hard it might be for him, so she would stay by his side to help him if he needed it.

As he fell silent she zoned out a little, concentrating on her driving and just listening to the music. She wondered how she was going to explain Korrin to her family, as far as she knew, he didn't even have a last name.

His voice pulled her out of her thoughts, as she nodded a little. "I do, but I prefer to read books myself over audio books." "Do you think you'd be interested in them?"
 
"I'm not sure." Korrin said thoughtfully, considering for a moment what the difference would be and which he might like better. "I do like stories. And I'm pretty sure I can read your books." Other things around, like signs or the names of boats, came to him naturally enough. He was sure books would be the same, if they were in the same language. Maybe even others. He didn't know how much Minamet's magic had done to him.

"Listening to them might be nice, though." He said after a pause to think, eyes following the trees and houses that lined the streets as they passed. "If you don't mind me looking at some, that is." He was sure Olivia would share, but it was rude to presume everything she had was free for him to use. Some people didn't like others touching their things.
 
"Listening to them can be more convenient because you can do other things while you're listening." She slowed the car down a little as they entered a vast carpark. "And yeah of course, im happy to share."

The carpark was lined with trees and she pulled into a space underneath the shade of one of them, there were quite a few other cars, the shopping centre rather busy today.

"Alright, can you wait here by yourself for just one second?" She asked as she turned to face him, "I can run in and grab you a pair of shoes so you don't have to walk in barefoot."
 
Korrin thought about it for a moment, then eventually nodded a little in agreement. He supposed it would be helpful, getting to listen to stories while she worked on something or looked through the things in the house, rather than having to sit and hold the book with both hands. Humans were very inventive.

When they reached the parking lot he was quiet, looking around with clear interest at all of the cars around and in a bit of awe at the sheer number of them. He supposed it was like a dock where all the boats gathered. If everyone was going to the buildings instead of the beach, it made sense that they would leave their transportation nearby.

"Hm?" He turned when she asked him questions, hesitant at first but offering a little smile anyway. "Sure. I can look at the cars and the people while you're gone." It would be okay to be by himself a for a while. The more he observed people, the easier it would be to blend in. He hoped, anyway.
 
She smiled reassuringly, "ok, don't worry I won't be long." Grabbing her bag she passed him the keys, showing him how to lock and unlock the doors.

She thought he might feel more comfortable sitting here alone if he could lock the doors, though she was only going to be a moment or two.

Glancing at his feet once more as she got out, so she could get at least close to his size. "I'll be right back." She called out before heading inside, she ducked into the closest shoe store and bought a pair of sandals.

She thought they would fit pretty well, and they'd be easy to slip on and off. Making her way back towards the car, she started making a mental list of what he'd need.
 
Korrin marveled at the little thing with buttons she placed in his hands, unsure at first what it was for since he had seen her use it to turn the car on and would by no means be doing so himself, but followed along well enough with Olivia's explanation of what it was for. He didn't feel a need to lock the doors, since there didn't seem to be anything dangerous around and he was there to guard the car and things inside anyway, but it was nice to have the knowledge.

While he waited for her return, Korrin had to fight the urge to get out for a better look at things. He liked to watch the trees move in the breeze, and the little birds that hopped around the parking lot between cars, and even more so the people that wandered to and from the stores around them. It was strange, sitting inside a little bubble all by himself as the world went on, like he was still stuck with his fins and the car was the only water around. Some day, perhaps, if he spent more time around people he would begin to feel less like the world around him was a foreign planet, but for now it was all so new.

Olivia returning didn't quite startle him, since he'd been anxiously awaiting her return so he would be allowed to walk around afterwards. He opened the door a bit as she approached, turning to see her with a smile and holding out her keys so she could have them back. "That was fast." He said, eyes drifting to the things in her hands. "Are those shoes?"
 
She took the keys from him, handing him the sandals in exchange. "I didn't want to leave you waiting too long." "And they sure are, a type of shoes anyway, they're called sandals."

"You slip them on." She explained as she watched him, "I think I got the right size but they're just so you can come in with me, then we get you some sneakers and stuff in the right size."

"We'll just get you a few essentials until you decide what you want to do, then if you need more we can always come back again alright?"
 
Korin was confused at first, looking at the sandals and then his feet, which he still wasn't used to seeing. After a moment he did intuit how to wear them, though it felt very strange, and slipped out of the car onto his feet to test them out.

"That feels strange," he said with a little chuckle as he took a few steps in them and did his best not to let them slip off, "but it's better. No stepping on rocks, or making people uncomfortable." He wasn't sure if he would need anything else, but would defer to her judgement on those sorts of things since he didn't know.

"I don't know how much I'll need," he admitted with a shrug, gently closing the car door as it seemed they were going to walk away. "But whatever is just enough will be fine. If I need anything, I can go back to the water for a while."

It was strange to think of spending enough time on land that he would need clothing and shoes. Everything was so new it was almost boggling.
 
She laughed with him and nodded, "yes they're multi-purpose." She pressed the button to lock the car once he'd shut his door and shrugged a little.

"Well, we'll get you some outfit basics, some pants, shirts, socks... underwear." She blushed a little on that last word, "and some more comfortable shoes."

She started to lead the way inside, "clothes will probably take the longest so let's do that first yeah?"
 
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