Part of {YOUR} world? [Carl/open!]

[sirenetta]

The sun was just beginning to rise, making the skies a lovely blend of reds, purples and yellows. Despite the on-coming light, the land was still very dark, and so visibility to anyone without some kind of light was hopeless. Dark waves crashed onto the shore of Overlook island, the tides still high because of early hours.

Near the sea, on the golden sands, led a young woman, her stature still, her deep blue eyes closed. A simple, yet fitting dress, sea-green in colour, covered her, with the skirt part extending the further it came behind her. What was most striking about the woman, however, was her hair, which was a very vivid shade of red.

Unlike what most would think, the red-head wasn't merely sleeping there. She'd recently under-gone a transformation from a mermaid into a human, something more than anyone would ever believe. Unfortunately, the transfer had taken it's toll on her, and she'd collapsed unconscious just moments after surfacing from the sea.

Now, all she could do was lie on the sands, until she awoke, either by herself, or someone else...

[The Balloonist]

Sunshine was a heavy sleeper. Duck Avenger always tried to squeeze another hour to sleep. But in the Overlook, one of the earliest of risers was the elderly superhero whom the Dream League calls the Balloonist. The Balloonist, as quietly as he could to not disturb the still-slumbering Leaguers, sauntered into the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of Bran cereal. After finishing, he got up and, as part of his plan to keep in shape, stepped out of the Overlook and out into the open air.

Because of the rollicking waves, wind was expected. Morning air was chilly, but the Balloonist was ready; he had on his multi-piece suit, complete with a jacket, and his fedora kept his head warm. He looked up to the sky, a sky whose sun was just about to begin its daily climb, and then looked down to the horizon, to see the early, early morning of Epcot City. This was probably the Balloonist's favorite time of day, just because of the tranquility of it. Ellie loved waking up with him on the mornings, too.

The Balloonist started his walk around the island, and by the time he reached the most beautiful flotsam to ever wash up on shore, he stopped dead in his tracks. His bespectacled, illuminatingly blue eyes stared at the redhead in the dress, or what appeared to be a dress. There wasn't enough sunlight to get a proper view of the body, but the hair was definitely red. From where he stood and stared, her face was covered. Red hair--he gasped, and hurried to the other side to look at the face. He wasn't thinking; the red hair and the slender body reminded him all too well of her. He hunched onto the moist sand and, after some hesitation, placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. He was probably just delirious, but to him, the skin felt very much like his lover who was taken from him by natural causes.

He wished it was her.

"... Ellie?"

[sirenetta]

The red-head continued to be still whilst the elderly man discovered her, and came next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. It was only when he uttered a woman's name, did the girl begin to move, at first only shifting herself slightly on the sand, more hair falling into face. Then, her eyes flickered open, at first only seeing darkness due to being out for so long and her vision partially blocked. She moved her arm to shift the offending hair, when she felt something on her shoulder.

Sitting up gradually, it was clear that Ariel was confused, most so because of what was on her shoulder. Moving her hair from her eyes, it was then that she saw the elder in front of her, who had his hand on her, and the sudden realization made her eyes widen and open her mouth in surprise. Running a hand through her hair, she noticed something else...he-he looked human! More confused than ever, the red-head looked wildly around her, only now seeing she was on the sands, usually the place where she saw humans!

What in the Poseidon...this wasn't another one of her dreams, was it?

Looking back to the man, Ariel removed her hand from her head and placed it down where she expected her tail to be...except she felt some sort of soft material instead. Following her gaze to that hand, she jumped when she saw she...she had legs! Legs! She really did have legs, she was...she was a human! It was then she remembered how she'd burst to the surface, somehow unable to breathe anymore under-water...she'd been terrified. Somehow, she'd gotten herself to land, and then...nothing. This must've been when she gained legs!

Ariel's shock soon turned to excitement, and she gave a wide smile. This was going to be so much fun, learning to do things like a human! Her euphoria was short-lived however, as she realized that she couldn't tell anyone about her life beneath the waves...and therefore, she couldn't show any signs like the ones she was giving now...she'd have to act just like humans did immediantly.

Bubbles, that wasn't very exciting. But, she was sure she could pull it off...after all, she'd learned a lot from Scuttle about them, hadn't she? As long as she could do what she came up here to do, there was no problem...perhaps she even befriend a human. Oh, how fun would that be!

Maybe she could start by be friends with whoever found her? Once again meeting the man's gaze, Ariel smiled, intending to introduce herself.

[The Balloonist]

As soon as Carl spoke, he cursed himself for being so foolishly optimistic. Of course it wasn't Ellie; Ellie is dead, and she's never coming back. Still, Carl's heart sank, and he sadly looked down at the sand. Even though the redhead was apparently excited about something about herself, Carl just stared away from the girl's eyes, dealing with his feelings.

Eventually, Carl sensed that the girl stared at him. His illuminant eyes (they glowed, not bright but they definitely glowed) gazed into the girl's eyes. She was very pretty, beautiful even. She was definitely young, still a teenager, but Carl knew she would grow up to be a real looker, just like Ellie. Carl was the polar opposite of this stranger; while she was bright, energetic, and happy to make friends (at least, it looked like it), he was still sad and obviously disappointed.

"I'm sorry," he spoke. Pause. "I thought you were... someone else."

Carl looked away again, and made a decision after an awkward moment. The Dream League had convinced him to move on with his life, and he was already failing that. But not now, he can't give in already. So, Carl set aside his troubled feelings and relaxed his face into a more neutral expression. He looked back to the girl and asked for her identity.

"What's your name, kid? Did you swim here?" He stopped kneeling on the sand and now fully sat, his palms supporting himself, pressed against the sand. His suit would get sandy, but, so be it.

Carl eyed the pretty teenager's clothes. Did she actually swim with it on? Was swimwear getting classier these days? Well, they were much better than thongs, Carl agreed.

[sirenetta]

The red-head was about to give out her name, when she was stopped by the man speaking first, saying that he'd mistook for someone else. Normally, Ariel would've happily over-looked that, and still attempted conversation with whoever it was, but something in his expression stopped her. It...it almost looked like he wanted her to be that someone else. Concern and sadness crept into her features, as she realised whoever he had mentioned most probably meant a lot to him...had something happened to them?

Though she wondered about that, Ariel wasn't going to ask, for fear of upsetting the elder more. Instead, she began to think how she could perhaps ease the man's troubles, particularly since she didn't want to make a bad impression with the first human she'd met. Awkwardly averting her gaze down to her hands, which were tapping together in a nervous manner, it was almost a relief when he decided to speak again, asking for her name and how she arrived here.

How she arrived here... What would she say? Though she thought she knew one or two things about human, it was difficult for the mermaid to think up an excuse, also because she didn't really want to lie completely, either.

Oh, well. The red-head figured she should introduce herself first, and think about that after. Giving another smile in friendly manner, she opened her mouth to say 'Ariel.' However, whilst her mouth formed the word, she was unable to make a sound. Immediately, a look of puzzlement and then disappointment came over her face, and she touched her throat with one hand.

What had happened? Was this a side-effect of the transformation?

'Oh, no! Please, this can't be permanent! How will I ever manage to talk to a human, if my voice has gone?' Ariel thought sadly. Though she didn't show it on her face, the mermaid was panicking inside.

Biting her lip, she thought hard for a moment, before looking up to the man again, and attempted to mouth her name, in a exaggerated fashion, that might've been laughable had she not looked so frantic by the end of it.

[The Balloonist]

Carl was no longer sad. He was back to his 'old man' self, and he watched the pretty girl say something without a voice. Her reaction made it clear that the girl's lack of a voice was as surprising and confusing to her as it was to Carl, if not more. The old man's bushy white eyebrows furrowed, and his mouth slowly opened. He was about to speak when the girl mouthed her name again exaggeratedly, but Carl couldn't make it out.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" He brought up his left hand (his right hand still supported himself on the sand), and held it up before the girl as he attempted to calm her. "Easy, calm down! Don't get so worked up."

He looked at the ocean. Maybe she was out of breath? No, that's terrible logic. Maybe the stress of swimming here temporarily robbed her of her voice? That didn't make sense! As Carl looked back to the girl, realization crossed his face. Soon, he would have to explain her to the Dream League. That was going to be awkward, to say the least. Who could he confide into, first?

[Duckworth]

The Balloonist wasn't the only early riser that morning. Knowing that he had a long day of day ahead (that was why Mr. McDuck had had him remain overnight here at the Overlook instead of at McDuck Manor), Duckworth had arisen with a yawn. After getting ready and dressed in his crisp clean standard butler's uniform, the canid left the bedroom that had been given to him and went down to the kitchen.

Between working for the Dream League and taking care of the McDuck household, Duckworth might have been just the slightest bit overwhelmed, even with Miss Beakley's assistance at the latter household. At first he hadn't wanted to say anything, confident in his ability to handle the workload. But now... well, he wasn't quite as sure about that anymore. He was intending to speak about the situation with Scrooge, AKA the Masked Mallard. Duckworth was one of a very small number of people who was aware of Scrooge's superhero ID. As he pondered over the situation, he went to work preparing a large breakfast spread, hustling busily around the kitchen. Thanks to a list that had been given to him by Mr. McDuck, he knew just what to prepare and which Dreamers preferred what to eat. He moved with the speed of someone who had done this sort of work for years, blissfully unaware of the exotic new visitor to the island.

[sirenetta]

Well, that didn't seem to have worked. Rubbing her face with one hand, Ariel wondered how else she could possibly communicate with the man, knowing that she couldn't give up. This was her one chance to see and do things in the world above the water, and her time wasn't going to be wasted! She could only hope that her voice would come back soon...

The man brought up a hand, attempting to calm her. Though it wasn't possible for the red-head to do that right now, she let out a breath, her large fringe blowing in her face as she did so, and attempted to be a little serene, more so for the elder's sake than hers. Her gaze meeting his, she suddenly [though, gently] grasped the man's right hand on the sand, her eyes looking into his. Even if she couldn't speak, her eyes clearly held a yearning to, and she attempted to show that through them.

[The Balloonist]

Carl watched the redhead's face as she exhaled in frustration. She was obviously upset that she couldn't talk. Mr. Fredricksen couldn't blame her; he'd be pretty cranky, too, if he woke up one morning, washed ashore on an unknown island, unable to speak. In fact, she was probably taking it better than he would have. He simply watched her with eyes that were neither rude, nor entirely compassionate. But that would soon change.

Carl felt the redhead gently grasp his hand. He looked down at the two hands: one was old, thick, covered in liver spots, and belong in him; the other was thin, delicate, and belonged to the beautiful mute. As he felt the soft, dainty touch on his hand, he looked back up to the stranger's face. His face, too, changed. When he saw the girl's sad, yearning, vulnerable look, Carl's facial muscles (including his eyebrows) loosened, and his mouth relaxed. His eyes, lit up because of prolonged exposure to his power ring, looked squarely into the redhead's amazingly innocent hues.

From that moment, Carl decided to help her to the best of his ability.

After an awkward pause of his changed face staring into her fragility, he licked his lips, awkwardly looked away for a second, but quickly returned to look at her. "Hey... It's all right. I'll help you, however I can." After another pause, he offered his first smile of the day: a smile of comfort and reassurance. There was still warmth and life in this old man, even though he so often portrayed himself as a grump.

He continued to feel her soft hand, and that's when an idea struck him like a bolt. He quickly exchanged glances from her face to her hand. His gasp was soft, but it was heard, and he quickly spoke to the girl before he could forget his idea. "Do you know how to write? You can write your name on the sand!"

Carl looked at the empty slate to be had beyond the two hands. He released his grip on the girl, and used his right index finger to make a quick, nonsensical squiggle, to hastily explain to the girl that she should write her name. If she could, that is.

[sirenetta]

Ariel hoped the man would understand what she was trying to convey. Though she would've given anything to have her voice back now, if she could find someway to communicate without it, that'd make her feel less frustrated about it. After she'd reached out to him, the elder looked down to their two hands now which were now together, before returning his glance to her. It was then the red-head noticed something different...perhaps it was just his changing expression, but something about his eyes, they seemed brighter?

The former mermaid wanted to comment on it, but decided now wasn't the right time. Her face immediately lit up after the man said he would help her, and she mirrored his expression, giving a smile, though hers was out of happiness. The relief of just knowing that someone would help her out in a place so foreign, outweighed all of the worry and dread she'd been feeling for the past few minutes.

At once, the man glanced from Ariel to her hand on his and back again, emitting a quiet gasp, though the red-head heard it. Her blue eyes widened, she wondered, with a little excitement, what he was doing, before he asked if she could write. Though she'd lived under the sea the whole of her life, Ariel had indeed learned how to, and sported quite neat writing whenever she wrote. At his idea, she nodded eagerly, her mouth opening in a wide grin.

Following his hand, she watched him quickly draw in the sand, and realised how it left a mark in the sand...oh, if she wrote out the letters of her name, he'd be able to see them! Shifting herself a little so there was an untouched spot of sand in front of her, the girl carefully began to form an 'A' shape in the sand with her finger, and continued doing all of the letters until the marks in the ground resembled 'Ariel.' Sitting back, she looked up expectantly at the man, just hoping it was readable...

[The Balloonist]

The Balloonist couldn't disregard the redhead's smile. It was as though this person was the personification of a naive yet adventurous spirit. It was infectious, to say the least, and Carl felt himself smirking at her smile. But his smirk grew more sincere as she watched the girl spell her name on the sand. His illuminant eyes followed the girl's finger, but he didn't acknowledge the letters she spelled until she was done. After she finished, the Balloonist took a moment to lean few inches forward, read the word, and face her again to speak.

"Ariel. Your name's Ariel?" His pronunciation of the world was Air-ee-el, instead of Are-ee-el.

He shuddered as he felt the beach's cool wind. He gripped his jacket's shoulders, and that's when he decided to risk his reputation among the Dream League by inviting the complete stranger inside the Overlook.

"Why don't we head inside? I'll talk more in there, but let's get you warmed up, away from the sea." His expression was that of a concerned, protective grandpa. Ironically, he never had any offspring (he couldn't). With his power ring, he easily rose to his feet by simply 'flying' up until he could stand, and he offered his left hand to hoist up the girl. If Ariel had a keen eye, she could notice a ring through a finger.

[sirenetta]

Fortunately, it appeared that the elder could read what she'd wrote in the sand, and when he looked up to question her about her name, she leaned forward and nodded, pleased that they were a little better acquainted now, but also that she now knew somehow she'd be able to be understood without having her voice.

The cool wind coming along the beach didn't only affect the man, as the red-head herself folded her arms together, only now noticing from his actions how cold it had been. When she was a mermaid, it was far easier to not notice these things, probably something to do with spending only moments above the water before now, but also being used to the sea's waves and such. As a human, however, it seemed she was more susceptible to the weather than she'd realised.

At his offer, although more excitement arose, Ariel also felt touched that he was inviting her into some place that was probably warm and, well...basically that he'd offered. After all, they'd only just met minutes ago! 'I don't know how Daddy could ever hate humans...he just needs to them for himself! If only it could be that simple...' The red-head thought, giving a inward sigh, remembering the fierce argument she'd had with him not long ago on the subject...

Nodding again, she wished there was someway she could thank the older man, and decided that she'd try and find a way to later. Her expression became curious as she watched him stand...it looked more like he'd...he'd...well, gone into the air, almost like Scuttle could do...was this how humans moved, too? Just before she took his hand to get up, the girl noticed a ring on one of the man's fingers, though she wasn't entirely sure what it for, despite having seen a few mer-people wearing one, but they had been mainly for decoration, suppose humans did to?

With everything else that had happened today, Ariel had forgotten that she couldn't yet walk like those on land did. She realised this too late, and immediately began to over-balance rapidly as soon as she stood. Fearing that the elder would fall too, the red-head released his hand shortly before falling to the ground again, catching herself on her hands.

Oh, no...if she really was going to have to behave like a human, how would this look? Managing a smile to the elder, Ariel tried hoisting herself up again. She managed to stand on her new feet but it was clear she was once again struggling to stay upright without support.

[The Balloonist]

Carl had intended to simply walk with the girl inside the house. Unfortunately, the girl was very clumsy with her legs. How sad was it that an elderly man could out-walk a girl who should have been sprier? The old man grunted in surprise when he felt the girl release her grip on him. His eyes darted down to the tumbled girl, and he grimaced. "Careful!" His throat scratched in concern.

He watched as the girl hoist herself up and stand on her feet, but she would have collapsed like an ill-structured house of cards any second from then. Carl, the Balloonist, grit his false teeth and tightened his left hand into a fist. He pointed his fist right at the girl, and the ring in his ring finger illuminated, just like his eyes. The ring was mostly gold, except it had a symbol that was shaped like an inflated balloon on the top. The symbol was a darker gold. The balloon symbol then shot a blue, fantastical beam at the girl. But as it struck the girl, it was immediately clear that the beam was not physically harmful at all. In fact, it couldn't have been felt, even as the raw, blue power engulfed the teenager. It probably would have been shocking, but there was absolutely no pressure from the power; as the transparent, blue energy enveloped the girl, it held her upright, so she absolutely could not fall, let alone wobble. It was as though she were held by an invisible force, not harshly, but strong enough to completely stop her from falling.

The Balloonist, satisfied that the girl wouldn't fall now, continued to have his ring's power attached to the girl. He smiled, and he chuckled with his gravelly, aged voice. "Let me help you inside the mansion, kid."

Clearly, the Balloonist was one hell of a first meeting with a human.

The Balloonist, consistently using his ring's power to keep the girl upright, turned and gestured for the mansion. He started for that very mansion, leading the girl by his ring's power.

[sirenetta]

Waving her arms around, Ariel attempted to keep her balance, determination written all over her face. She was so intent on doing so, she didn't notice the blue beam that engulfed her until she realised that her body no longer swam around in the air, instead remaining perfectly still. Looking around, the red-head at first panicked, her eyes going up the man's in front of her, but noticing his smile, she realised that whatever held her wasn't intended to harm her, just stop her from falling. He then added he would help her back to the mansion. What was one of those?

Giving a silent breath of relief, she was amazed at the power humans appeared to hold. From what she'd witnessed of them before, there was nothing like this! They were so mysterious and facinating! Thinking about her grotto deep down in the sea, she wondered if perhaps one of the many thingamabobs she'd collected over the years could do such a thing.

But, she'd never be able to find it now, there wasn't much left of her collection, was there?...

Forcing herself to break out of those depressing thoughts, Ariel only now realised that she was moving, moving across the beach. But, how? Surely, she couldn't possibly...

The she noticed that the blue...[well, it reminded Ariel of a bubble, somewhat], was still around her, she looked to the elder man and noticed that he seemed to able to move her whilst she was under it. Half-forgetting about the blue bubble-thing, the red-head became excited as she wondered again what a 'mansion' was, seeing as Scuttle never mentioned anything about those. Perhaps it was like what she lived in, as the man had mentioned somewhere 'inside'. Oh, this was so thrilling! She could hardly wait to see it.

As they traveled, the sun began to shine over the island, making the land more visible and overall brighter. Glancing towards where it was, Ariel grinned, as she'd never gotten much of a chance to see the sun before, only behind the surface of the sea, tainted by the ever-changing waves. She thought it looked wonderful, though she didn't recognise it actually as the sun, thinking of it as a huge ball of light, that turned silver and made everything dark by some kind of magic when it wanted to.

Suddenly seeing some kind of structure not far ahead, Ariel gave a silent laugh of exhilaration, and wondered if this was the mansion the man had talked about.

[The Balloonist]

The Balloonist reached the front door of the Overlook. He wiped his feet and shook off some sand from his pants. As he removed the sand that was stuck on his clothes, his left hand was still a tightened fist, because the power ring still handled Ariel. Of course, the Balloonist himself would physically help her inside; once he was satisfied that enough sand was off his clothes, he approached Ariel and broke his ring's contact with her. But he was quick to catch her and hold her upright. He smiled as well as an elderly, nascent friend could as he quickly yet gently placed Ariel's left arm around the back of his neck, her hand to his left shoulder. He would help her inside this way, and he would only go as fast as she could.

"Let's go," he said.

He carefully opened the Overlook's front door and led Ariel inside. The Balloonist led her to the kitchen, because in that room there were some chairs and food. The old man figured that Ariel must be pretty hungry, swimming from God knows where and washing up on shore overnight.

As they entered the kitchen, the Balloonist immediately recognized a proper and English butler at work.

"Oh, thank goodness, Duckworth!" the Balloonist exclaimed in relief as he led Ariel to a chair (if she wanted to sit, that is). "Here's the catch of the day." Though wrinkled, his face happily smirked at his own minor joke.

[Duckworth]

Recognizing the gruff, aged voice that had called his name, Duckworth returned the greeting as he stood at the hot stove, carefully flipping pancakes in a skillet to brown them just right. Already there was a cool pitcher of orange juice and a platter of friend sausages on the counterparts.

Duckworth knew that the elderly superhero liked to get up early to exercise, and they would occasionally cross paths. They must've missed one another this morning.

"Good morning, Master Carl," The anthro canine said, turning to face the Balloonist, and that's when his eyes landed on their guest. It was a young human lady with very long, very red hair, wearing a long sea green dress. "Oh! I didn't know you were having company this morning. Good morning madame," He gave her a polite nod and an amiable smile. "I can always prepare an extra plate. Is there anything in particular you would care for?" He asked, directing his question at their guest.

[sirenetta]

Watching as the man removed the sand on him, she immediately panicked as he broke whatever had held her up, but she was soon calmed as he caught her, helping her inside. Already, the red-head saw him as a sort of grand-father figure, and she was very grateful for his help. Her eyes widening with each step, Ariel took everything in as she was led inside the building. It looked nothing like what she knew beneath the waves, and this only enthralled her all the more.

She was led in the direction of one room, where another person was...oh my! She was going to get to meet two of them, in one day! How lucky was she? Still, the man she was now meeting looked sort of different to whom she'd been with already...but still, he held human traits after all, from what she'd seen! Giving a wide smile to the stranger in front of her, she carefully examined what actions he was doing. Of course, the food underwater was vastly different, both in terms of how it looked and also it's preparation in some ways. Ariel so far could make out some kind of orange liquid in a glass container, and what particularly caught her eye was what the man was doing with...well, she didn't have a clue what they were, but the red-head was easily entertained by the motions they made in the air as they flipped, it almost reminded her of being underwater again.

The man whilst doing this noticed their presence, and acknowledged the elder first as 'Master Carl' first...oh, so was 'Master Carl' his name? Or was 'Master' a title? Turning back to the elder man, she blinked, her expression holding realisation mixed in with confusion [if that was possible!], before looking back when the man who was apparently named 'Duckworth' addressed her, and she nodded in acknowledgment, still unable to speak.

Sitting down, the girl nodded again, this time to Carl in a 'thank you', relieved that she didn't have the fear of falling over for the time being and she was also becoming quite weary from the effects of the transformation. Duckworth then asked what she'd like to eat, a question that Ariel couldn't really have answered if she could speak, as she wasn't entirely certain on what humans classed as 'food.' Still, she was willing to try anything! Unable to answer normally, she shrugged her shoulders, giving a care-free smile, hoping to indicate that she didn't mind what she got.

[The Balloonist]

Carl watched Duckworth speak to the beautiful young woman. She was beautiful, like Sunshine, but in a different way. The hair was very different, very red, instead of sunshine gold, and her eyes were different, as well. When Duckworth asked the mute stranger what she would like for breakfast, Carl's smirk faded. He raised his right hand to politely get Duckworth's attention.

"Sorry, Duckworth. She can't speak, at least not now. I found her outside, on the sand. She was unconscious, but she's okay now. She spelled her name--it's Ariel."

After his quick explanation to the butler, the old man lowered his right hand, and placed his left hand on Ariel's right shoulder, and he spoke to her. "I didn't tell you. I'm Carl." His name was not Coral, or any other sea-related name; it was definitely Carl. He gestured to the dog-man butler. "He's Duckworth. He helps us with..."

Carl caught himself before he could reveal more about the Dream League. Carl didn't fear the stranger, or even suspected that she was a spy, but he still chose to hold such details for the time being. He licked his lips and continued. "Well, he's a helpful man." After speaking to Ariel, he looked to the butler again.

[Duckworth]

Initially, Duckworth was curious when the young woman did not try to speak, instead only nodding and smiling when he spoke to her. He knew that some people considered speaking to hired help to be beneath them. Duckworth may have liked his station in life, but that sort of behavior was simply unacceptable to the prim and polite Englishman. However, she didn't seem as though she was trying to be rude, as her smile and sparkling eyes were friendly sunny. Perhaps there was some sort of problem with her voice then?

Fortunately, Carl quickly cleared the matter up for him. Apparently she could not speak. His eyes grew wide with surprise, and his cheeks became flushed with embarrassment. "Oh! I do hope you'll forgive me, miss Ariel! I honestly meant no offense."

He took Ariel's shrug to mean that she didn't mind what she got. So he set two pancakes on a blue ceramic plate, topped the delicious-smelling stack off with a pat of soft yellow butter, and added a sausage and some hash browns. He set the plate before her, then fetched some silverware, a napkin, and a glass of orange juice, all which he set down around the plate. He had never known a person who would turn down a pancake. Hopefully she would enjoy it.

Duckworth caught Carl looking at him and raised an eyebrow in question. The whole situation sounded quite strange to him. He said he found her outside on the sand. What on earth was she doing out there? Girls didn't just wash up on the beach. Perhaps she required medical attention! He wondered if he should take Carl aside and ask him what would be the proper course of action to take in this situation, or address the matter now.