Coral was nowhere to be found. Conch swims to an air opening in the ship, opens the bottle, and pours a drop on his arm near his wrist. He watched in amaze as his color changes from its dark sea blue to a creamy pale flesh color like that of a seafolk. This wasn't enough. He need more proof. It only looked like a bleach. He puts a drop on a stinger on his neck and watches it turn to brown hair. He couldn't feel it move on its own anymore. Conch tugs on it. It didn't hurt, but he felt the pull on his head. It was hair. Soft, fluffy, brown hair that hung over his shoulder lightly.
He dives back down to find Coral had returned from his run. He looks at his hand; it was blue again. He couldn't show him right then. So he decided with excitement to show him on the surface. Conch grabs Coral and shows him the small bottle, then they race to the surface careful not to be seen. A small island stood on its own directly above their sunken ship.
Conch takes Corals side and drizzles the rest of the content of the bottle down his tentacles. They both watch as Corals tentacles merge together and make cream colored legs that mirrored each side. Only the toes could spread in and out as their smallest function. Coral, with his pod torso and human legs, quickly stood to his new feet as Conch tried his best to help him balance. Coral was so excited to walk with leg for the first time. They decided to learn how to first. Then Coral learned how to run, then jump, then dance, and even drop and stand on his own. Coral can be human.
Conch looked to his arm again forgetting that he had a few drops on him. It looked bleached again after he dried.
Coral-
AAAAAAAHHH!!! Hahahaaa!! I'm a man! ... well sort of. Heehee! ... What's wrong? What's up with your arm?
Conch-
Uh... Nothing. I'll be right back. I'm going to get more. I need to learn too, right?
Coral-
Right. Hurry! I wanna see what the rest of me will look like, too!
Conch dives back to their ship leaving Coral as giddy as a little girl on the island. He returns to the ship safely and swims to the pearl. It opens up and gives him a larger bottle with a new label on it: "for land and sea. Lord and friend."
Conch-
Lord?
There's a crash from inside of the ship, putting Conch on immediate alert. He rushes to see where it came from as another crash goes off nearby. It came from the pantry. Maybe a snack somehow snuck in through the broken window. He smirks thinking about it as he quickens his pace.
Conch looks in the pantry room to find everything knocked off the shelves. The shelves themselves were on the floor. Under all the items that fell was what seemed to be a large pearl and gold fin with a beautiful, silky flipper swaying sullenly back and forth in the rubble. It jerks as the rubble moves off of a tiny arm and head of a girl. Conch excitement of food quickly died into fear. His heart sank, his blood ran cold, and breathing stopped. A mermaid found their home. He didn't fear her, but what Coral might do to her if he saw her too.
The mermaid found herself stuck in the rubble mess she caused. She had just realize that she was caught by something most merfolk fear; a podulus merfolk. His dark blue husk of a body towered over her as his bright yellow and green eyes looked down at her with a piercing, yet hypnotic gaze. She remembered the blue color of his skin. He saved her from the sirens at the cloud pool. She became more nervous than afraid.