The closer they became, the more clustered the streets became. Conch looks around the place and notices a few groups eyeing him and Coral while Coral was in awe and excitement from the festive air around them.
Conch
Coral... Make sure you don't leave my side this time. Alright?
Coral
Hm? Alrighty! Oh! Lets look there! Geh!?
Conch grabs corals collar and stops him.
Conch
Food. Then home. I'm already beyond my comfort zone. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary.
Coral
... Yes sir.
Conch releases Coral and they continue through the market together careful not to get separated. They collect their food and even shop around for ather everyday items on sail until they make it to the other side of the market.
They stood before edge in shock when they come across a large ring shaped gate hanging at the edge of the market with a path splitting into two. One to the market and one to the castle. Some people were jumping through the ring and diving out to a large drop just under it and come back out completely wet and dry off instantly.
Coral
What is that...!?
Conch
I... I don't know. It looks amazing...
Coral
... Lets go see it! Come on!
Coral pulls Conch by the arm and they hurry to the large ring. Two guards stood at the base checking the people that pass through it.
Guard1
Step lightly now. No rush. Just watch your step please.
Guard2
Welcome. Welcome back. Watch your step. Walk this way so I can check your things please. Hope you enjoyed your time in Atlas.
Conch
... Atlas?
Guard2
Hm? ... Hello boys. what can we do for you?
Conch
Did you say this leads to Atlas?
Guard2
Ah. That I did. This is the water ring to Atlas. There's another that leads to Pasifa with a quick tide current just a bit of ways past the castle. This your first time seeing it?
Coral
Yes... How do you get to atlas through this?
Guard2
Simple just hop in and get your fins, then follow the tide current there. Wanna give it a try?
Conch was enticed to go but stops himself.
Conch
... Maybe another time. Lets head home. We got enough.
Coral
Uh... Right. Thank you for your time, sir.
Guard2
You boys take care now!
Later that afternoon, Conch and Coral make it home to find another guard standing at their door.
Conch
... Oh, now what?
Coral
Pfft! Looks like princess Aurora's grown to like you more after the party.
Conch
... Come on.
Guard
There you are. I was wondering where you'd gone to. Her highness wishes to have your company this weekend at the market place just outside the castle. I'll be comeing back for you then. Any questions you would like to relay to her while I'm here?
Conch
Yes actually. But I think I should refrain from asking them at this time.
Guard
... Yeah. I get what you mean. Good day to you two then.
The guard leaves. Conch heads to the house with Coral tailing behind him.
Coral
Think its a date? Eeh?
Conch
Shut up.
Coral
Ow. Attitude.
Conch
I really dont feel like waisting my time being with anyone when I got two jobs to do.
Coral
Two?
Conch
Your legs.
Coral
Ah. Sorry.
Conch
... Its fine. At least now you can help me get more stuff so we can get your legs to be permanent.
Coral
True enough. With us both diving we can keep our legs for good and not worry about diving and changing in to tentapods ever again! Yay!
Conch
... Yeah. Sure.
Conch heads to the pearl room and the pearl opens up for him to with a pink cloud settled inside it. Coral looks inside and stands by the door.
Coral
...? So where are we starting for our search?
Conch
... First... Human remains. Each piece from the skull to all the toes.
Coral
...!!? Uh...!? Please tell me you joking.
Conch
... What your asking me to do is change your entire genetic structure. Which seems to require a lot bone structure. Which we don't have. Our bodies are made up entirely of muscle fiber even now. If we want to be human, we'll need to change that. Starting with our lack of bones. We need complete skeletons for this to work.
Coral
... Uh... What else?
Conch
... Next is seagrass. Mud made with pure water... And two blue pearls from the same clam.
Coral
Seagrass and mud I can get, but blue pearls?? ... How the blood soaked protestant hell do we find that??
Conch
I have to find that one. The clams that make blue pearls are in the depths of the trench. And since im the only one that withstand the depth pressure and see better in the dark, its only logical I go to get them.
Coral
Ah... But... That's going to take a lot of time to get isn't it? Seagrass only grows on tropical rain islands...
Conch
You can buy them in the market. But they have to be fresh and you'll need... 573? Pounds of it at least.
Coral
Pounds!? That's a lot of money! On its own!
Conch
Same with mud and water. The mud needz to be tripled and the water double.
Coral
WHAT!?
Conch
The I need to sculpt them into our image which will take about half a year to do because I need to make each muscle of movement onto the skeletons from the clay made from the mud with the water as the base for the blood stream through the...
Coral
WHOA! Wait a minute back up a few seconds! You have to Build the bodies!? Why!!?
Conch
Because your asking for a miracle, Coral. This is forbidden work. If I'm going to be messing with our natural biostructure, I'll need to destroy these bodies to make the new ones. So once they're done, we can't ever go back to being as we are now. We won't be able to swim for longer than an 10 minutes underwater at best compared to being able to breath water. We can't swim any faster than a mile an hour with practice. We won't be able to swim any deeper than 40 meters below normal sea levels at best. We will be humans. Just like you want. And we will have the exact. Same. Restrictions. As every human on this earth. And if that's what you want. You'll need to get these things and stay patient with me. Alright?
Coral
... I... I'll do what I can... But... It's... Why does it feel like your asking me to die?
Conch
... I am.