View source for 2022-03-02 - It's Tutor Tamamoru!

{{Logsummary|
Title=It's Tutor Tamamoru!
|Summary=First day of Tamamoru's new job with Horns Conglomerate, he and Nina Flip meet up to begin her Sea Speak lessons.
|Who=[[Louis]], [[Nina_Flip]]
|Date=March 2nd, 2022
|Where=Along the Denko Waterfront
|Log=

Tamamoru the Malayan Tiger sits on a bench on the beach with his phone held in his hands.  The cool Spring weather keeps the animals from doing much, at least along the small gathering area where Tama likes to hang out, so a few same-species couples may be seen wandering along the walkways or the beach itself but there's little more water activity than that.  Wearing a hoodie with shorts and sandals, the tiger kicks his toes at the sand as he watches the screen with a bit of anxiety. 
 
With the light of day fully illuminating him, it's easy to see that he's a big boy.  Some of that is to be expected for his species, but he's got a bit of padding that the hoodie hides well yet the shorts reveal through his legs.  Big-boned, some call it, yet he's not 'fat'.  Not exactly.  He taps at the screen with both thumbs, likely texting somebody, while keeping an eye on the time.  He showed up way too early for a meeting with the dolphin that knows magic.  Not long ago he was talking to Horns Conglomerate's Animal Resources in getting registered and an employee ID that he can use with a work app that he promptly downloaded for his phone. 
 
"Nothing to be stressed over.  It's just a start.  It's just the first day.  The first day...of a job with only the most wealthy company around that is only just recently hiring Carnivores and you're a Carnivore and why would there be any pressure?  This is totally normal somehow and you barely ever even talk to girls and your dad thinks it's strange but it's just weird, but now I'm gonna teach like I always wanted to do, but..."  He's muttering to himself in anxiousness.

Nina is still feeling a little nervous about the idea of starting at a new school, in a new place, where she'll be pretending that she's just a dolphin girl and nothing more. But today was a day to be excited, because she was going to learn something new that mostly only the aquatics in this land know. She had already texted Tamamoru that she was on her way to meet him, and before long she's swimming her way down though the water near the shore, every so often poking her head up to look for Tama. 
 
Eventually she finds him and makes her way back onto the sandy beach, tail-walking her way over to join him, offering a wave as she gets somewhat close. "Hey, nice to see you again. Thanks for agreeing to teach me and all, this is a lot to take in at once, but I'm pretty excited overall." She pauses for a moment, thinking about what to say, eventually she asks a question if Tama doesn't beat her to it in offering what they would do. "So uh, where should we start?"

The tiger startles at the sound of her voice and drops his phone (he seems to be prone to that), but thankfully it just slides down a shin and stops atop his feet before falling into the small pit his feet had dug in the sand.  He quickly fumbles his way into picking it back up before jumping to his feet and rushing over a bit closer.  His hands are balled into determined fists.  "Nina the Dolphin!  You actually came!  I didn't know if you would show up from the water or the street.  I should have asked!  I was worried that I forgot something, especially when I tried sending you a text message and you didn't respond and- OH!" 
 
Tama shakes a little as something finally clicks in his head.  There's a pause, then he laughs loudly in embarrassment.  "That'srightIguessyoucan'ttextunderwater.  Ah ha ha ha ha."  If Louis were here, he'd have an epic facepalm moment. 
 
"Uh, but I guess we can just start with some basics, or some history, or if there's anything you feel you should know about 'Tama-sensei'.  Oh, oh!  Oh, wait, I have to log in on the app first."  The tiger takes a moment to brush some stray sand off of the screen as he turns it on, then goes about opening the HC application so he can remotely punch his digital timecard.  "I just-  Need-  To log in with my details first-  And-  They told me no more than-  Uh- Twelve hours per week.  Or-  Was it twenty?  Something like that.  Part-time job and all-  Invalid password?  No, that had to be correct.  The keyboard on this is so tiny.  My dad bought me a phone, but it's for a smaller species and my fingers can be too big.  One sec."  Such a look of extreme concentration follows.  You can do it, Tama!

Nina pulls her phone out of a little pouch she was wearing, she packed light since she'd be swimming with the bag, it was in a extra water resistant pouch despite being a water resistant phone to start with, can never be too careful especially with salt water and electronics. She sees she has multiple texts from him and just smiles. "Right, touch screens don't really like being underwater." She says with a nod as she moves to sit on the bench, taking the other end to give Tama some space, though when he struggles with logging in she does reach over to give him an encouraging pat. 
 
"It's okay, relax, this is going to be fun, right? It's not like you're teaching me calculus or something." She was trying to be upbeat and friendly, she had barely met Tama, and as much as he seems to be a bit of a derpy guy, she still liked him so far and hoped they can be friends, even if he is significantly older than her.

"Oh, uh!  Sorry if I make you feel like I'm being too anxious.  Um, but you should probably know that 'Tama-sensei' is just a lazy beach bum, ah ha ha.  Eh, I graduated high school and everything, but I never did well enough for university and I still live at home with my parents, so this is a really major thing for me.  If it were up to me, I'd just hang out on the beach all day and maybe go swimming when it's warmer out."  The tiger offers a cheesy grin briefly over at Nina, but he fat-fingers the login again and - is - super - careful - in - pressing - backspace - to - fix - it.  "And there!" 
 
There's no fanfare or anything.  He logged in on his new employee account on a phone app, but for Tamamoru he's happy to savor every victory.  He finds the digital punchcard and goes through confirmation to log hours as 'Sea Speak Representative -- Part Time'.  It records the time. 
 
Tama shakes a little.  "I'm...  I'm a Carnivore, Nina.  I'm a Carnivore and I just clocked in with- with- with THE Herbivore company."  Not the first, of course, but it's a very major detail that even somebody like the air-headed beach bum lifeguard Tamamoru understands.  "And...!  And that means I'm now officially your tutor.  Go us!" 
 
The tiger is all too happy to show off the timestamp on the phone screen.  "Aaou oou!  Ha ha ha ha!  This is so weird but cool and I have no idea how to start."

So, he's a beach bum that lives with his parents. Nina doesn't judge him too harshly for that though, since she could easily see herself falling into the same rut if she isn't careful, and at least this means they both have something in common, liking to hang out at the beach and swim. She also wants friends, but never really had many due to how over-protective and secretive about his work her dad always was. 
 
She nods and smiles at the concept of him, as a tiger, working for Horns Conglomerate. "Yup, Louis and his company are indeed awesome and it's great that they're being more inclusive for carnivores. Anyway, I uh, you could teach me some common phrases in sea speak, and stuff like, how to introduce myself, ask for directions, say hello and goodbye, easy stuff. But this is just the first day, we can start slow do more later, or even go for a swim to help get us both going, well, I already have been swimming, but you know what I mean, sometimes it helps me think."

"W-well, that brings up a good point.  As Land Animals, we learn to speak Sea language meticulously and with great exaggeration that probably sounds really awkward to Seas."  In other words, he isn't certain.  "But, uh, it's because our bodies aren't made for talking underwater, so, if we want to be understood in a Sea's natural habitat, we have to learn to enunciate each emphasis very carefully.  I've never talked with a Sea underwater myself, but I know a wolf that says he talked to a shark.  He learned from a Spotted Seal that lives in his apartment building.  I thought he was making it up until I saw them together at a noodle shop, but I was too scared to go say hi." 
 
"Um, so...  Okay.  We can start with the basics."  Tama stops talking for a moment and takes a few breaths.  This is a completely new experience for him, but he's trying his best.  Louis was probably aware of some of Tamamoru's history, especially if he knew Tama's father's name, which means that the deer likely has access to a lot of info and, ultimately, wanted to put the lazy yet well-meaning tiger in a position to improve himself.  It's a detail that both Tama and Nina may not grasp, but this is a deer trying to build a better future of acceptance and coexistence one animal at a time. 
 
"Oh, wait!  In school we learn to do some mouth exercises first.  A lot of muscles control the jaws and you have to make sure to warm them up!  Let's try something like..."  Tama makes a face.  A really silly funny scrunch-face and he's likely being way serious about it, but he doesn't explain how.  He simply does it.  He makes this face and shows Nina.  All he needs is a manga speech bubble saying something like Argle-bargle-blarrgle and it would match perfectly.

Nina thinks about what Tama says about land animals speaking Seas for a moment, and she wonders what implications that has for her, since she's a dolphin, but she's also not from around here either. "So, I guess maybe I'm going to have an easier time than average picking it up because I'm not a land animal," Or she'll end up speaking it with a land animal accent because she's not learning it from another animal of the sea. She refrains from saying that to Tama though, she can see he's nervous enough about this and she really appreciates him working to help her, she doesn't want to make him feel inadequate because he's not from the ocean. 
 
"Basics are good, sure." She agrees, and watches curiously as he makes a strange face, if it'll help though she's all for it, and she tries her best to match the face he was making, certainly helps that she basically has a slight pointed muzzle in place of the full rostrum a more traditional dolphin would have. "Hhooww's t-thiss?" She asks with slurred speech as she tries to hold the face.

The corners of the tiger's mouth curl a bit, almost twitching, as he tries his best to keep from laughing.  It's never this silly back in classes.  "Great!  Oh.  Okay, um, other way.  Gotta warm them all up."  Just like that, the striped feline stresses the muscles of his face in the other direction to hold for ten to twelve seconds.  Somehow, someway, he manages to choke back any giggles although his grinning doesn't make it any ''easier''.  Tama swaps it up again, this time making his mouth look all droopy for as much as can be done. 
 
A couple passersby probably score amused glances at this going on, but out of all the animals that like hanging out at -that- spot on the beach, Tamamoru would be the one to play silly games with any Sea Animals come ashore.  At length, Tama manages to show off a series of held exercises that leave the lazy cat with a big sigh.  "Wow, I feel hungry from that already and we're only getting started."

Nina is happy to hear that Tama thinks she's doing great, and as he shifts his mouth muscles she does her best to follow the same face shape and hold it, as if doing a stretch with her mouth. However, as she keeps watching Tama, trying to ignore the amused looks they're getting from other animals that pass by, but soon she thinks about how ridiculous she must look holding her face like this, and unlike Tama, fails at holding back and giggles for a few moments. "Sorry, couldn't resist after looking at your face and imagining what mine looks like." She apologizes and takes the facial pose again, holding it for another ten or so seconds. She nods in agreement about being hungry. "Me too, since I swam here, figured it'd be faster than walking though. Maybe we can go get something to eat after we're done?"

"Sure, that sounds great.  They have a great bean fajita place not too far away, if you want.  Or maybe, uh, wait.  Seas mostly prefer fish, right?"  The nature of Nina's separation from the local marine life doesn't seem to fully stick in Tamamoru's head.  "Dad says beans are cheaper than fish for protein, so it's usually beans or tofu for us."  Tama's dad is a real scrooge when it comes to money.  They tend to live in worse conditions than they can afford because of it.  The tiger has had a conflicted upbringing.  "But I might have enough for something from one of the local street carts.  Maybe some octopus?" 
 
"But, uh, okay, let's at least cover the basics of ah, ooh, ee, eh, uh, oo, and ew sounds.  Uh..."  Tama takes a moment to look up something on his phone.  This kind of thing would be easier with books to look over, but it is just the first day.  "Each sound is different.  Ah is formed from an open mouth, tongue flat.  Ooh comes from slightly closing the mouth from the first position.  Ee comes from tightening the mouth and showing tee-  Sorry!  I didn't mean to show my fangs, Nina," he interrupts himself with with a very worried expression.  It's a very socially taboo thing, even if it wasn't meant as harmful.  "Uh, I'll try to look to the side.  Um, after ee is eh, which is like ee, but wider jaws."  This is all very preschool.  Most animals know basic vocalizations, right?

Nina nods as Tama talks about food, and gives an understanding nod as he mentions how his dad goes with what is cheap but still provides the nutrition, rather than what might taste better but costs more. "My dad is always stuck at work, so he pretty much buys me anything I ask for, or sometimes just things he thinks I'd like." It's like he's trying to compensate for not being there to you know, be her dad. "But I got sucked through some wormhole or something to this place, and he's back in Anima City, maybe in some other dimension or something, I think that's how this works... That's assuming he hasn't started World War Three when I disappeared and caused the city to implode in on itself..." She explains, and eventually stops as she realizes she's here to learn and she's rambling on about herself. 
 
She listens to Tama talk about basic sounds. "I think I know how to make mouth sounds, but if you think it'll help with stuff later..." She goes through the sounds Tama makes, mimicking them as well as the exact mouth shapes he is making. She chuckles a bit as he gets self conscious about showing his teeth. "We're learning stuff, and it's not like you're going to go all wild and tear me limb from limb?" Her teeth show a bit when she does the 'tee' and 'ee' sounds, her jaws are fairly human-like, but her teeth are a little more pointed and conical.

The tiger reaches up to rub at the back of his neck as his gaze drifts away to the ocean.  "That sounds horrible.  Do you wanna talk about your pop?  I mean, it's only the first day and I know Mister Louis said he wanted fast results, but that sounds really awful."  The attempt at a touching moment has a bit of distraction as somebody calls out 'hey, Tama' from the path 20 feet away.  A chipmunk, only maybe five or six inches tall, waves a greeting.  The tiger looks over, lifts a hand, and responds.  "Hi, Katie." 
 
"Going to the bonfire?" 
 
"Not tonight.  Working." 
 
"New job?  Yay!  Tell me about it next weekend, then."  Off she goes. 
 
Tamamoru looks apologetic.  "Sorry.  That's one of the local beach fans.  Uh...  Her name is Katie."  Obviously.  "Anyway, uh, your...dad?  Or we can skip the practice, too.  I've went and gotten a bit mixed up.  Ha ha.  Embarrassing for a tutor, huh?  How about we skip the technical stuff completely and just chat about the basics as we walk to find a snack or a cold drink?"

Nina nods as Tama asks if she wants to talk about her father, and was about to say more when the chipmunk girl shows up, her eyes grow wider and practically glow at the sight, finding the girl downright adorable, but knew better than to bluntly say that, and the girl was talking to Tama anyway, as they seemed to know each other, which Tama confirms. Still she offers a wave of one of her flipper-like hands. "HI, I'm Nina." She introduces quickly, and then she's gone. Nina turns back to Tama and nods as she stands up so they can go get a snack or something, ready to follow Tama's lead. 
 
"I mean, he does love me, he's certainly a lot nicer to me than he is to the poor guys who work for him, it's almost like he's a different person, but his work does keep him really busy, so after school and sometimes on weekends it's just me, and one of the guys who works for him acting as my bodyguard/chaperone. I was pretty much allowed to go anywhere in the city I wanted to, just not the more run down 'unsafe' parts like Rabbit Town. He also forbade me from listening to human music, and almost started a 'war' when I snuck over to the mainland where the humans live one night to attend a party one of my friends on Facelook invited me to... It's uh... sorta like Beastbook here. I wasn't allowed to leave the house for like a month after that."

"Oh, jeez, that's nothing like my pop.  I can't even imagine what that's like.  I've seen my dad pretty angry, but I don't think I'd say he'd try to start fights.  He used to be a really respectable banker back in his day, but he was made to retire when they started making the push to more digital bookkeeping.  He met my mom pretty late in life, I guess you could say.  He's probably almost old enough to be my grandpop at this rate, ha ha ha."  With a family that controls money so tightly, Tama has never really had many cool and trendy things, so he had to make his own fun and visiting the beach is free.  It all stuck. 
 
The tiger slips his phone into a shorts pocket before stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.  "I'm sorry you got separated from your family.  That really sucks."  His tail droops a bit as he stands and walks a few steps.  "Are you looking to have a family adopt you or something?  I...don't even know if it's legal to adopt Sea Animal children, now that I think about it.  Oh-!  Not saying you're a child.  Just...you know, I meant as far as legalities go and all.  Denko is really progressive compared to other cities...or the Districts."

"Yeah, like I said, he's really nice around me, treats me like his little princess, well, as long as I don't break his rules anyway, but he really doesn't talk about what he does for work around me, and tries to change the subject if I ask directly. So whatever it is, it's very hush hush, and something where he has some power." Nina says with a shrug. "One time said he'd tell me more about it when I was older, but I guess maybe now I'll never know, and yeah, it really does suck, I didn't like how much he was against all human stuff, and how he always had one of his guys following me around, but it still beats trying mooching off my friends in Senta and not having a real home anymore... Maybe getting adopted would be a good idea, as long as it's not actually illegal. I just hope I get along with whoever ends up being my new family."

"Wow.  I just...  I mean, really it all sounds nothing like what I know of Sea Animal life."  There's a notion of awkwardness that follows along with a sigh.  He's maybe a little disappointed that he's not getting to talk with a native of the local ocean, but he'd never ever admit that in words. 
 
"But, Nina, why bother over learning Sea Speak if you seem so keen to live with Land Animal families?  I mean, uh, is it just a curiosity?  They teach real classes.  Can't you just claim to be a foreign exchange student or something?  Maybe use your trick to blend in with the primates?"  Tama pulls a hand from his pocket as he slowly walks and uses his clawtips to scratch at the top of his head.  "Not to say I'm not happy to be your tutor.  Or, uh, at least trying to be your tutor.  Ha ha.  I'm guess I'm just trying to understand what it is you've got planned.  Of all the places and you decide to live here."

"Guess there are some differences between here and where I come from." Nina says with a nod, and smiles at the question of why she's bothering to learn Sea Speak. "Well, I think the fact that I'm a bit further of an exchange student than most factors into this. I mean, don't get me wrong, I personally like the idea of learning a special language for sea animals here, and maybe getting to talk to other Seas at some point. But this idea got started because Louis is trying to get me into a school as a sea animal exchange student of sorts, I'll be the first, but maybe it'll open the door to others? If I look like a sea animal, but don't speak the language, animals are going to start asking a lot of questions. I don't mind talking to you about my past and where I came from, I feel like we're kind of friends at this point, but crowds of others I don't know... I'd rather not start telling the whole world about it, if that makes sense."

The tiger listens carefully.  He really does.  He's clearly not the brightest bulb, but he tries.  The concern on his face is genuine as is the worry in his eyes.  "I, uh...  That sounds a lot like lying to me.  I don't understand it, but I guess it's true that young Seas don't grow up on land.  Most of the only Seas we see roaming the city are those trying to connect the two cultures.  Adults."  Tama pulls his arms over his front to almost cross them, but winds up idly tracing his fingertips over the stripes on one arm. 
 
"I'm sure Mister Louis knows what he's doing.  He's really really rich and owns a very big powerful company.  I bet he could buy fish anytime he wanted," he remarks despite the extremely obvious fact that Louis is clearly an Herbivore.  "I don't know why things have to be so complicated.  I think I'd be happy to just sit on the beach and enjoy the wind and water every day for the rest of my life."  Tamamoru bites his lip. 
 
"But if you want to pass yourself off as a Sea Animal, that shouldn't be that hard.  You can act just about any way you want and most any Land Animal would believe it's just the quirkiness of Seas.  I mean, I don't see why you couldn't just say 'I've taken a vow to adopt Land Animal customs and Land Speak as my language as I embrace living among you all' or something like that and animals wouldn't think twice about it.  Well, except to praise your conviction and dedication.  Older adults like those two words a lot."

Nina frowns a bit and nods, it sounded a lot like lying because it really was, she wished there was another way this could happen, but she was really getting the feeling that she needed to be careful about revealing that she could change forms, since it was not the norm here, and though she's a bit sheltered from the grisly realty of it, she'd seen enough on social media to have an idea of how some of the humans on her world feared beastmen like herself. "Whether animal or otherwise, fear of the unknown, different, alien, it seems to be a thing that some just can't shake off. You were pretty shocked when you first saw me change, how do you think it would go if everyone in the city found out about what I can do? Do you think they'd let me go to school and live a 'normal life'? I really fear the answer is no. So yeah, I wish it could be different, but I agree, Louis knows what he's doing, and if in the process I can help things between Seas and Land Animals here, then that's an added bonus I'm happy to have."

"Hey, uh, wow.  This really sounds a lot more serious than I'm used to being involved in."  The tiger rubs at the back of his neck as he walks along.  "Don't want it to sound like I know what I'm talking about, I guess.  Ha ha ha.  Well, look.  I said I'd help teach you Sea Speak, so that's what I'm gonna do.  Since we're heading this way to find a snack, why don't we just head down to the quay.  A lot of shipping is done in and out of the city there, but there are some postal residences for some Seas there, too." 
 
Tamamoru stuffs his hands into his hoodie pockets.  "That is, if you don't think it'll be too far for you?  Like this?  It might be a bit of a walk, but I can always discuss some basics on the way.  Or you can just ask me questions and I can try to answer, too.  Or-  Or, uh..."

Nina nods in agreement. "It is pretty serious, much more so than anything I've ever done. I hope I can one day reveal my true self here, because if I can't get back home to my world, then I feel like living here is the next best thing. It's not the same as where I came from, but still feels like a place I can belong to." She hops along with Tama and next nods to the thought of where to go, and if it would be too far. "Well I'll do my best, if I need to stop and rest I'll let you know, okay?" She'd offer the idea of swimming and meeting him there if she knew where they were going and if it'd be quicker to get there mostly by sea.

"Well, uh, okay.  I'd offer to call us a cab, but, uh-  I don't think I can afford one right now.  Maybe after I get my first paycheck!  That's, uh, two weeks from now?  If I don't get fired for doing a bad job, anyway."  Tama flashes a smile at this.  He's trying to make a joke at the expense of himself.  He's poor, only now has a job, comes from a lower class family where his father controls every coin miserly, doesn't have the grades for university or the money, and just wants to live a life enjoying the beach and the ocean.  It's no wonder he doesn't think highly of himself, but maybe that's why he was given a chance by the most unlikely of deer. 
 
"Go ahead, ask me anything!"

Nina grins a bit. "It's been a bit hard getting by since I got here. I'm used to my dad getting me everything I need, often going overboard like he's trying to compensate for not being around. Wish I asked him for money before I ended up here." She says with a laugh, though it doesn't occur to her in the moment that said money would likely be useless here anyway. She tries to think of something really good to ask him, but is drawing a blank, so she goes with a more fun question. "What's your favorite sea animal?"

"My favorite...sea animal?"  No pressure.  That's being put on the spot.  "Well, uh, that's a bit complicated.  I don't know of many personally.  I've seen a couple spotted seals along the quay district, but, uh, that's not exactly what you're asking."  Tamamoru the Tiger continues to walk as they talk.  It's far less about Sea Speak than general trivia about Sea Animal culture...or what little is known.  Nina is likely old enough to tell that there's a scholastic perspective on things and an experienced one.  Tama's passion is one based on textbook facts and assumptions with very little personal experience.  There's likely a very good reason everybody was so excited when Nina showed up on the beach that one evening. 
 
The quay itself is massive and while certain sections are set aside just for large shipping vessels, there are small docks for independent ships and fishing vessels.  Fishing is not as huge of an industry as one might think, which is something Nina might notice.  Aside from the docks, there's beach space lined with small mailboxes and address signs.  There are no houses, however.  A path leads along this beach edge, although it's lacking the typical sandy expanse in this area.  It's somewhat rocky.

Nina continues to follow along with Tama, and while she is a bit disappointed in his lack of a real answer, she can't really blame him if he's barely even met any sea animals. "Ah, I see. So there really isn't much interaction between the land animals and sea animals here... Guess that's why everyone was so surprised when I swam up onto the beach that one day, and Louis helping me attend a school here is such a big deal." She comments as she looks around to make sure no one was looking before she shifts back to human form as the path gets a little too rocky to be comfortable. She pulls a pair of black flats out of her purse and puts them on. 
 
"I notice there aren't as many fishing boats around as I'd expect to see in a place like this. Not many land animals here eat fish? Where I come from the animals you'd normally expect to eat fish of course do, and even some you might not expect."

There may not be any outside observers around to see what Nina can do, but there's still the tiger.  He stares for a while as she puts on some shoes, then realizes he's staring and forcefully looks away with some amount of shame and apology.  "Fishing?  Oh!" 
 
Head lowered and ears lain back, the tiger walks away while allowing the subject change to help him (perhaps) save face.  "Well, that's pretty new, actually.  I don't know all the details, but rumor has it there was some sort of okay over eating fish.  It's very controversial, since a skilled animal in Sea Speak can talk to just about any Sea Animal that cares to chat.  Some of the Seas that have been working to bridge the gap claim it's Eat or Be Eaten in their society and that it's okay.  I don't know what to think about it all, if I'm being honest.  It still seems kind of wrong?  Another rumor says the Sublime Beastar retired over the go ahead on fishing even though he wanted to turn it down, but I dunno.  He was really scary." 
 
Indeed, the coastal line seems to have plenty of addresses for sea animals.  Some mailboxes even have bells to ring.  One quick bloop of water nearby might reveal that the Sea that checked their mail was...a fish.

Nina is a little surprised by that revelation. "Wow, I never would have thought it would be possible to talk to a tuna or something like that, and can understand how that might make some question whether it's okay to eat them, but yeah, in the ocean it does seem like there's always a bigger fish and they don't tend to ask questions about gobbling up any smaller creature they can fit in their mouth. What's this about a Sublime Beastar?" She asks with a curious tone despite that Tama said they were scary, only to blink and turn toward the bloop near one of the mailboxes.

"You know.  The Beastar?  Yahya?"  It sounds as if the name is a different thick pronunciation of Joshua.  Tama, being incredibly dense as he is, doesn't even catch on for a good ten seconds that Nina has no idea who the Beastar even is or what the position is. 
 
The tiger's eyes widen and he suddenly scrambles in place.  "O-oh!  Uh.  You don't know about the Beastar.  Of course you don't know about the Beastar.  Of ''course''.  Stupid me.  Uh, um.  Okay, so...there was a war between the Carnivores and Herbivores a hundred years ago.  Most of the country was devastated and many parts operate without law or with disregard.  The only way for society to be repaired was to establish some animal to become the Sublime Beastar to help steer us all in a positive direction.  Of course, devourings have become more and more of a problem, eheh, and that lead up to the riots on abolishing Black Markets.  That's around the time that fish showed up and animals started fishing on their own.  Um-  The Sublime Beastar is usually elected by the All-Organism Council, but ever since Yahya retired we haven't had a new one appointed yet.  Rumors went around for a while that Mister Louis turned down the job in order to run his father's company, but I don't see why you couldn't do both at the same time.  It'd be nice to have that kind of power and money."  Such subjects always seem to bring out just how poor and lower-class Tamamoru and family are.

Nina stares at Tama a bit, the talk of a relatively recent war, devourings, and riots for closing the black market, which considering the setting it doesn't take a genius to guess that if eating herbivores is not acceptable, that there might be illicitly begotten meat on this black market, it's a lot to take in. 
 
"Oh... just a hundred years ago? There have been such fights where I'm from, but it's been much longer than that I think... Anima city seems pretty safe, though I guess if it were totally safe my dad wouldn't think I needed a bodyguard." She proposes with a shrug, being rather naive to the true underbelly of her home city. "Kinda surprised herbivores and carnivores are getting along as well as they are here... though I guess if there are still devourings then it could certainly still be better..." She says with a shudder, realizing there are certainly predators here that would likely have little trouble overpowering her, even once she's an adult. 
 
She is happy to change the subject to that of Louis. "Isn't Louis taking classes for university on top of running the company? Guess adding a third responsibility on top of that is more than he wants to bear."

"Uh.  University?  Maybe?  I mean, he wouldn't have a problem affording it."  There's some longing in Tamamoru's voice as he says this, turning away to head down a side path while stuffing his hands into his shorts pockets.  "I don't know much about Mister Louis other than what the news likes talking about."  After all, Tama wasn't even aware that was Louis at the beach that night.  Television and media shots always seem to look different than real life.  "I guess he's kinda my boss now.  Or, uh, boss' boss' boss?  Or something?" 
 
A little seaside snack shack sits ahead.  It's a small thing run by only one person, but they offer at least six popular things on the chalkboard menu.  This time, however, there's a different smell in the air drifting from the little snackery.  Tama seems to perk up in curiosity when the smell drifts by, but Nina likely already knows the scent or some variant:  flame-grilled fish.  "That's strange.  Usually it smells like noodles."  The tiger doesn't even realize he's wiping some drool from the corner of his mouth.

Nina catches the way Tama speaks in a longing tone and looks away after speaking of being able to afford going to a university. She reaches up to attempt a gentle pat on his back and smiles if he looks at her. Despite the fact that she's from a fairly wealthy family, she knows she is in an even worse financial situation than Tama, and will have to make do as best she can, her best hope on the subject of higher education likely being given a scholarship of some sort because she's a sea animal. 
 
The smell of grilled fish does indeed catch her attention, and she feels her mouth watering as well, and he stomach growls. "Mmm, smells like grilled mahi-mahi, one of my favorites." She comments and quickens her pace towards the shack.

"Really?" voices Tama as he finds himself suddenly lagging behind the young lady.  "Oh, neat!" he adds in, before he relents, "What's mahi-mahi?"  
 
The snack shack has a single occupant working -- some kind of weasel -- and thankfully no huge lines.  One individual walks away with something, but only their back is visible while they nom away in departure.  In addition to a grill for tofu and noodles, there's a new addition:  A small open-flame grill with a rack for skewered fish to rest over it. 
 
The weasel joyfully greets the girl. "You're here for the noodles?  We can make noodles with no salt, salt, and extra salt.  Guaranteed to fill the belly with rich umami and happiness.  Ah, but you don't want noodles.  Do you?"  
 
Tamamoru's thick build (with a little bit of chub) is slow to catch up as the path follows up a little bit of an incline.  "Oof, wow, you sure can move fast when you wanna.  I'm a much faster swimmer, I swear."

"It's an ocean fish common in warmer waters, coincidentally also called a dolphin fish, they're yellow to green on the sides and blue along the top and dorsal fin. Like tuna, they also grow very fast and can get pretty big. As far as eating goes, they have a mild flavor, a little on the sweet side for a fish." Nina explains as she looks back to Tama, waiting for him to catch up as she nears the shack. After listening to the weasel she looks back to Tama. "I kind of want to try both, maybe a little of the noodles and the fish?" She asks as she looks between them, wondering if that's even an option, or perhaps they could have an order of both and split half of each.

Of course Nina knows about eating fish.  She's a dolphin.  Sometimes.  It's not until he arrives and sees the cooking fish along with Nina's musings over what to order that he puts it all together.  One of his favorite street stands is now serving fish.  All he can do for a moment is stand there, staring, jaw hanging loosely.  He doesn't shake from it until a bit of drool drips from his jaws.  He startles and brushes at his face and turns away in embarrassment. 
 
"They sell fish.  I-"  There's some internal struggling to be had before the tiger starts digging his wallet out of his shorts' back pocket, but opens it to find that he just doesn't have enough money to spend on fish and noodles for both.  Conflicted, he tugs the yen note free that he has and hands it over for an order of noodles and grilled fish.  The cooked fish smell is overpowering so close, however, and Tama has to hide his face away so Nina doesn't see his exposed fangs that he can't help but bare.  "You go ahead!" he says, turned away. 
 
"Wait, you want the noodles salt or extra salt?" asks the weasel of either.  Wasn't no salt also a choice?

Nina_Flip wonders for a moment if the extra salt was something for helping sea animals here keep their salt content up even if they can't spend as much time in the ocean, but she decides to ask Tama. "Um, what would you recommend as far as salt? Do you think the noodles need salt to be good?" Of course she was also planning on sharing as she could tell that Tama was hungry despite his attempts to hid it, that drooling was not missed by her. "On a different note, is there anything else you want to teach me today or talk about? Stuff about how school here is, or tips on living around here?"

While all of this is going on and being said with questions concerning the saltiness of the noodles while ignoring the crispy open flame-grilled fish hiding no doubt unimaginable juiciness inside, Tamamoru rubs his hands over his face as he remains turned away in an effort to regain his composure and not look like a desperately hungry Carnivore in public.  One might not be able to tell from a glance, but the general pudginess accentuating Tama's out-of-shape figure -- despite his skill in swimming and water rescue -- isn't due to frequent snacking.  He doesn't get to snack all that much due to not earning his own money...but he's getting there. 
 
Tamamoru turns and rushes over to the kiosk, zipping right past the human Nina, before firmly planting his hands on the amazingly narrow serving counter.  "You can't just give somebody extra salted noodles until they've worked up to it with regular salted noodles.  That's being irresponsible.  You might overload some animal's sense of taste forever with an explosive combination of salty and umami with perfectly undercooked noodles dropped into steaming hot broth with delicious tofu and vegetables.  For as many times as I've shopped here, you've never asked me if I wanted extra salt noodles, so give the young girl a break if you want repeat business.  Flavor blowouts help nobody!" 
 
The kiosk worker stares in silence, tongs in hand holding some noodles over a bowl of broth.  It would seem that Nina's questions have to wait a moment longer.

Nina blinks as Tama doesn't seem to hear her question, or at least is too worked up by the guy running the shack having the audacity to offer her extra salt as a new customer and what horrible crimes against flavor that could bring. She eventually recovers from being stunned by the outburst, and nods. "Yeah... I'll have regular salt I guess, was leaning that way anyway..."

"Then you'll be surprised to know that I've been giving you the extra salt noodles instead of regular salt noodles the past three times you've ordered it."  At this, the weasel punctuates this fact bomb by plopping the noodles into the regularly-salted broth-filled bowl.  Tama recoils as if burned. 
 
While the weasel hands over the paper bowl of noodles (with bamboo chopsticks) and a fried fish on a stick for Nina to collect, a rather defeated-looking Tama with slumped shoulders and loosely hanging arms walks away.  "Extra salt?  The whole time...?" he mutters to himself.  He doesn't wander very quickly.  Nina should have little trouble catching up.  "How come I couldn't tell?  My mastery of salt-tasting must have advanced without my knowing."

Nina asks for an extra bowl as she moves to take her food and smiles to the weasel. "Thank you!" She offers before turning to catch up with Tama, shrugging at the question of his salt-tasting mastery. "Maybe you eased into it so you didn't notice?" She offers her theory as she comes up beside him. 
 
"Still kind of scummy that he didn't tell you about it. What if you had some health condition and were trying to cut back on your salt?" She shakes her head and takes a seat as she finds an empty picnic table to eat at. "So uh, any advice on school and living here, like I asked about before?"

"He probably meant well.  If I couldn't handle the salt, I would be ordering without, right?"  Head in his hands, Tamamoru wanders on along the path until they reach an overlook of the ocean where animals can sit and enjoy the view and breeze. 
 
"Oh.  Sorry.  We're still on the clock.  Don't tell Mister Louis about any of this, okay?"  The big tiger collapses onto a wooden bench with a sigh.  "Stay in school and work hard so that you can go to university so you don't wind up like Tama-sensei," he jokes, but there's sincerity there nonetheless.  "If you're going to academy, you don't have to worry too much about a place to live and they cover your meals and most animal needs.  Make lots of friends and see which doors those experiences open for you."  The striped cat rubs one upper arm.  "You're a Sea Animal.  Mostly.  Kinda.  Companies will want to hire you up in a hurry.  It makes places look progressive.  At least that's what they say on the news.  You don't have to worry about being considered lower class just because of your family, so you have a pretty good chance no matter what you do."

Nina nods, again feeling bad for Tama that she would apparently have an easier time getting into university as long as she studied hard, and a good job, even though she didn't have a family to support her, just because being a sea animal made her rather special around here. But on the other hand, she was glad to hear that she had a good chance of avoiding the fate of living on the streets with barely any money because she has no family to support her here. 
 
She pulls the extra bowl out and puts half the noodles in, then breaks the skewer of fish in half and places it in the bowl as well, resting atop the noodles as she slides it over to Tama with a smile. "I will only tell Louis about the good stuff, and that you're being a big help. I appreciate what you're doing for me, I know it's kind of your job, but I'm glad to have someone nice to show me the ways of being a sea animal here."

"Well, I'm not very smart.  I can't run much without getting out of breath.  Nobody wanted to hire me because my, uh...  My family has a bad reputation.  All I know is that I really love the ocean.  I spend hours just watching the water or the sunlight dancing over the surface, or the fish leaping from the water to catch insects.  I paid extra attention to Sea Speak lessons in school, but I pretty much bombed everything else.  Just wasn't interested.  Saved up my money for months just to take a certification class on basic first aid and rescue.  I'm not actually a real lifeguard.  I'm just kinda sorta one." 
 
Tama is so lost in his thoughts as he speaks, staring out at the water, that he doesn't even really notice Nina do the things she does.  When she pushes over a bowl to offer part of the food, the tiger looks down at the bowl in shock.  "...oh!"

Nina takes a few bites of the food as she listens to Tama talk. Tama probably doesn't notice this either, at least at first, but it's clear by the look on her face and the fact that she keeps eating but savors each bite while also keeping a pace that will finish the food before it gets cold, that she likes it a lot. When he notices the food she gave him, she smiles. 
 
"I'm sure you're hungry too, and I don't need to eat it all. I think it's cool though that you have a passion for the ocean, you just got to work with that I guess. Like, I'm not sure you're going to make a living teaching sea speak unless you find a lot of others to teach besides me... But, what would it take for you to become a real lifeguard? If you're feeling a little out of shape maybe we can go swimming together and do some running on the beach."

"Well.  It-  It's not that simple," says Tama and he carefully picks up the bowl.  "Getting in shape or, or working with Seas is one thing, but-  I'm a Carnivore.  No Herbivore is going to want me sitting in a chair at the beach watching them and their children playing.  It's, well, it's different when we're all just young animals hanging out at the beach.  It's different when it's actually your job." 
 
Beast society is a lot more complicated than it might look from the outside.  Lacking chopsticks, Tamamoru uses the fish half while tipping the bowl up to eat.  He's a big cat, even for his age, so it's likely no surprise that he can eat very quickly.  The shared portion doesn't last long at all in the tiger's hands and, in the end, Nina is left with a tiger tutor with a fried fish sticking from his mouth.

Nina continues to eat, lamenting a moment that she forgot to ask for an extra set of chopsticks for Tama, but he seems to manage well enough without them. She does frown though at the given reason why he's not an actual lifeguard, as it's certainly not something with an easy fix, or any fix that Nina could think of for that matter. "So the distrust still runs that deep huh? Doesn't matter that you're nice and would never hurt anyone, they view you for what you are, not who you are..." 
 
She assumes she will likely face a bit less stigma judging from the other advantages already mentioned for her being a sea animal, and even though dolphins can certainly be dangerous, where she's from people don't seem to view them as a threat as much as other carnivores. She decides not to ask directly, fearing it might make Tama feel worse about it.

"I, er, well, yeah..." Tama mumbles with the fish still hanging from his mouth.  The stick is tugged away and the big cat is left chewing on juicy grilled fish meat.  It's absolutely delicious and very fulfilling up until a voice is heard from the path as a gazelle and her young child walk by, the mother pushing a carriage with another baby inside. 
 
"Look, mama.  He's eating a ''fishy'' like from Finding Minnow."  A small finger is pointing acutely.  The mother reaches out to take the young animal's other hand before hurrying their wheeled pace away, even if she has to pull the little gazelle along.  Tama's ears tip backward and he ashamedly looks over to Nina.  He doesn't say anything.  He did mention that fish-eating was still controversial, yet here he is. He quietly sits the remainder of the fish in the empty bowl, chews and swallows what's in his mouth, and then quietly speaks. 
 
"Udabibe buuiao tsubibi.  It, uh, means 'I want to use Land Speak'.  Not many Seas know Land Speak, but any animal that wants to try talking to you in Sea Speak will have to honor your request..."

"Uda..bibee buuiiao tssu..bibi." Nina does her best to sound her way though and mimic what Tama said, doing her best to move past the encounter with the gazelle mother and child so Tama doesn't feel even more awkward than he already does. She hopes that things will change, and maybe she can be a part of that change, but expecting sunshine and rainbows with carnivores and herbivores holding hands in song anytime soon is a bit too naive to expect, even for her. "How will they honor my request if they don't know Land Speak?"

"Oo dah bee bay.  Boo ee ow.  Soo bee bee," clarifies and corrects the tiger.  "Nina, um, this is just so you can go to school and all, right?  You know, you probably won't run into any other Seas, but they, uh, teach Sea Speak as part of the core curriculum.  Other kids will probably try to talk to you the same way I did when we saw you swim up onto the beach that night."  Tama might feel bad about the eating fish thing, but once the Herbivores are out of sight he hurried pulls the remaining fish off the stick and scarfs it down.  He doesn't have the money to waste food and it's not like he killed the fish in the first place. 
 
"I can still teach you the basics, you know."  He tries to discreetly pick between his teeth with a claw.  "I mean, that's what Mister Louis hired me to do and I'm thankful for the job, but I'm not sure I understand why.  There are professional classes you can take outside of school to learn it and nobody would ever think you're a Sea Animal when you look like that, but many Herbivores will probably think you're a Carnivore even if you're not.  Ape species and all.  I don't...really understand how you do that, but that's what some animals might think, and, uh, there's a lot of bias that comes with it." 
 
"Maybe I just answered my own question."

Nina nods as Tama mentions that this is so she can go to school, and agrees he's probably right considering what else he's told her, and how big a deal this is that she's going to the school in the first place, that she's unlikely to run into other Seas. She's happy to learn the basics though, even if she doesn't fully understand what Louis had planned 'down the road' so to speak. The comment about her being viewed as a carnivore even if she's not gets a blink though. 
 
"Wait, I'm not? Are Seas viewed as something entirely separate? I mean, even if I stayed in my dolphin form forever more, I still eat fish, and other meat sometimes, I certainly don't have herbivore teeth even if they aren't as... impressive as yours." She says trying to make it a compliment rather than say they were scary.

"Um.  Well, yeah.  Sea Animals aren't Land Animals.  They have a different society; a different, um, philosophy.  I don't understand your confusion...  They're a different culture entirely, just like Carnivores and Herbivores.  I don't remember much from history.  Just that we had a big falling out about a hundred years ago and the Carnivores won and we've been paying for it ever since."  Tamamoru offers to take the garbage and carry it over to a nearby bin. 
 
"You might be an ape sometimes, or a dolphin sometimes, but it sounds to me like you probably fit in more with the Seas than the Carnis, right?"  This kind of thing isn't Tama's strongest suit to work by, but he's trying.  "So, that's why you want to learn more about Sea Speak so that you can learn more about Beast Culture.  Right?  I'll play my part to get you there.  At least with some money that's mine my dad can't get so upset that I like to hang out on the beach.  Win-win."

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