26 part 27
Coral walks out of the house after looking everywhere for Conch.
Coral
Where did that man run off to?? We have to go to work soon. Hm?
Coral spots Conch at the docks putting on a new shirt in front of Taro and Tommy who were sizing him up as he wore it.
Coral
Well then… what are they up to?
Coral heads over to them and soon starts to hear them talking about the size.
Conch
How is this thing fitting!? And it stretches all the way down to the waste!? What is this material!?
Tommy
just tell me how it feels, damn. You ask more questions than Taro's nosy ass.
Taro
Hey!
Coral
Good morning gentlemen. What's going on over here?
Conch
Coral! Look at this thing!!
Conch pulls a shirt out of a box that Tommy brought out of the cabin nearby. It was almost bigger than his hand until he pulled on it and let it stretch out.
Coral
What!? What the hell is that!?
Conch
That's what I wanna know!!? Tommy says it's waterproof. So it doesn't get sopping wet. Like duck feathers. But it stretches like rubber.
Tommy
Will you tell me how it feels on your skin, boy!!
Conch
Ah… r-right. Sorry. It kind of snug but I don't feel restricted… it feels like a second skin and its weird. This is gonna take some getting used to.
Tommy
So long as you feel comfortable in it your fine. Now you too. Put that on.
Coral
… hahaha!! Nice one, Tommy. That a good one.
Tommy takes the small shirt from Conch and hands it to Coral.
Tommy
Shut the hell up and put it on.
Coral
Seriously!!?
Conch
Just do it. I had the same reaction and I'm still freaking out about it.
Coral
… awe dear Neptune… Fine.
Coral strips his shirt off and tries to put the new shirt on. As he does, Megan and her sister, Marilyn, walks over to them with a basket of fruit when they see Coral struggling to get the shirt on. Conch and Taro start laughing at him when he gets his head stuck in the sleeve by mistake.
Coral
STOP LAUGHING AND HELP ME OUT OF THIS CONFOUNDED THING!!!!
Tommy helps coral get the shirt on right while Conch and Taro continue laughing. Megan and Marilyn started giggling in the distance as they watched Coral change while he puffed fumes of anger from the embarrassment. Conch finally stopped laughing enough to see the girls giggling to themselves watching the fun. Conch had to get Coral's attention for them.
Conch
Oh, Coral. You got some pretty guests.
Coral
What?? … MEGAN!!?
Megan and Marilyn approach them still giggling. Coral blushes at them knowing that they were watching.
Coral
Ugh… come on. What are two doing here?
Marilyn
Watching y'alls fun.
Megan
Marilyn!
Marilyn
What? You laughed too.
Megan
We came by to say hi to you boys. We never did get to welcome you both to the island so we brought fruit.
Conch
Well, thank you, ladies.
Marilyn
*wink* Oh, anytime handsome.
Conch
Eh… eheheh…
Coral
Yes, thank you for your time. You really didn't have to, but I'm glad to see you. Although, I'd be less embarrassed if you didn't see that.
Megan
*laugh* awe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh so hard.
Conch
But you meant to laugh?
Megan
Ah! Hey!
Everyone gets a good laugh out of Conch's sudden clowning.
Tommy
Alright. We gotta get to the market you three. Them fish ain't gonna sell themselves.
Conch
Yes yes. Of course... Come on, guppy. We're leaving.
Coral
Ah! You ladies can go to the house and set them on the table by the door! Thank you very much!
Conch grabs coral by the collar and drags him back to the cadin with Taro and Tommy to get ready to work. The girls walk off and drop off the fruits then head back themselves.
At the market, the boys set up their stall and Conch shows Coral what to do. Coral catches on quickly until he notices a lot of people staring at them.
Coral
Conch.
Conch
Hm?
Coral
We appear to be attracting a crowd of attention.
Conch
Just keep working. Apparently they like to watch guys work.
Coral
… More like they like watching you work.
Coral sighs at Conch's audience and continues working. They work until the stall was empty of fresh catch and they finally close up for the afternoon. Coral slumps over the stall exhausted.
Coral
Urgh… do you guys always go through this??
Taro
Not since your brother's been working here we didn't.
Conch
What!?
Taro
You're a goddamn lady killer with those looks, man! We didn't get that many customers until you showed up.
Conch
Uh… sorry??
Tommy
What for? We getting sales. Just stay pretty and keep selling.
Conch
Tommy!
Tommy
Oh shut it, ya squid. And get off my crates. Y'all can go home for the day.
Coral
Pfft hee hee hee. Squid.
Conch
Shut up, codfish.
Coral
Hey!
Everyone starts to pack up, ready to leave the stall until a guard approaches them.
Guard
Afternoon, gentlemen. I'm looking for the Marine's.
Coral
That'd be us, sir.
The guard hands them letters.
Guard
His highness, the king and the king of Atlas would like to have an audience with the two of you in a week's time by the waterway gates around early morn on the first day of the sun… is how lord Titan described it.
Conch
Lord Titan?
Coral
Dear Zeus. I'm not ready for this.
Tommy
What you two do this time?
Conch
I'll tell you later. Thank you for your trouble, sir.
Guard
Not at all. Oh! And this is a bit of a friendly advert from me to Mr. Coral.
Coral
For me??
Guard
*chuckle* if that's you, yes. Keep your distance from sir Bartubus. He seems to be getting in a lot of trouble because of you so i hope you don't end up in the dungeons cuz of that man's temper.
Conch
Are you serious!?
Coral
I didn't do anything to that man! I swear!
Conch
You're passes at the woman in the eatery doesn't count as doing something to him??
Coral
He's going to try and arrest me for flirting!? What sort of tyranny is this!? It's not my fault he doesn't know how to talk to a lady.
Guard
… really…? That's why he doesn't like you? A woman?
Coral
A very fine woman, mind you.
Guard
… *sigh* that man is going to lose his title if this is what he's making a fuss over. Well, all in all, be careful, the both of you.
Conch
Thank you very much.
The guard leaves. Conch and Coral walk off to the docks with Taro and Tommy.
Coral
Urgh… That brute again is it? Is it so taxing that he would be so hateful to have his competitions force a forfeit simply he can't grow a pair of pearls? Well he's not much of a competition to start with since all he did was scare the poor dear.
Conch
Coral, do you even realize what kind of trouble your drama just put us in? I'm glad that man was nice enough to warn us to stay out of it. For the love of pearl, I hope nothing gets out of hand too soon.
Coral
Oh, what's the worst that man can do to me other than have me behind bars?
Conch
Have you in there for life. For crying out loud, Coral, we just got here.
Coral
…Yeah… That'd be a bit extreme, don't you think?
Tommy
Knowing that man, no. It ain't that extreme with how he tends to get.
Conch
How bad is he? And how is he a guard??
Tommy
He knew the princess way back when. Having connections with talent got him the head position in a quick fix.
Conch
God, we're doomed cuz of you.
Coral
Oh, please.
The four walk past the eatery where Megan stood at the door handing out flowers again. She and Coral make eye contact and she waves at him bashfully. Coral waves back and blows a kiss to her without hesitation.
Conch
Coral! Stop flirting!
Coral
What!? I'm not hurting anyone! I'm just saying hello.
Tommy
… Really? That's the one y'all fighting over? Not the little sister?
Coral
I found her more adorable. Like a peaceful open beach that got its first ray of morning sunlight.
Conch
… Yeah he's that bad.
Taro
Wow I didn't think he would be such a heavy romantic. There's no way I could do that with so much confidence.
Conch
Don't mistake his idiocy for confidence. He's a natural airhead.
Coral
I am not!!
Conchl
Oh look she smiling at some kids.
Coral
What?? Oh my goodness! How cute!
Tommy
Yup. I see it.
Taro
Careful, Conch, that might be contagious.
Conch
Uweeh…! Imma need some ointment for that.
Coral
For what?
Taro, Tommy, and Conch burst into laughter all at once. Tommy almost falls over while Conch and Taro stagger around as if they were drunk.
