Helping Umi Train

The sound of a shrill, high pitched shriek pierces the air surrounding the otherwise calm artificial sea created within the burrowgatory caverns. It comes from just off the shore where a blue bun is untying their boat from the dock. Currently… they are soaked. Their fur lies flat to their body, the blue flowers that sprout from their head and ears hang limply, and their sailor’s hat and collar droops just the same, dripping down the ends. They drop their hooves off of the rope to turn around and face the source of their sudden wetness - ANOTHER blue bun. He has a water gun tucked under his arm and a grin plastered across his face.

“U M I!!!!!!” Siren whines, stopping one hoof on the ground like an angry rabbit thumping the earth. “I s-said… you can only come on my boat… if I didn’t get w e t!” Despite the bun being tall in their doll form, the angry nose scrunch and fin swish that Siren attempts to aim at Umi doesn’t look anywhere near as intimidating when it comes on their bun form. Then again… Given their general disposition, anyone that would claim Siren is intimidating has likely only seen them from a distance at nighttime and mistaken their fins for an underwater beast. Siren as they are is… very quiet, very shy, and very easy to miss. They squeak more than they yell.

Because of this - Umi can’t help but laugh. He steps up to the drenched bun and uses the tip of his water gun to flip the soggy edge of Siren’s hat back. Siren whines in response, smacking the offensive object away from them. “You really think a captain is going to let his crewmates get away without getting in on the summer fun?”

“I think he should,” Siren pouts. They turn around to grab the chain for the anchor to pull it up and release their boat into the sea. Halfway through they stop, turn around, and pout even deeper at Umi. “Wait a minute… Captain? This is MY boat!”

“Ah, boat shmote…” Umi shrugs it off. “I’m just practicing anyway. If I don’t use the title it won’t be familiar to me when I finally get to my own position! You know the story by now, right? I need all the people I can get to help me best my sister… if she’s out there being captain before I get the chance, then what was all of this for!”

“A… nice day on the ocean looking at the devish…?” Siren offers, pressing their front hooves together at the tips like they might press two fingers together, shy and hopeful that Umi will accept the less active offer for a day out here instead of looping Siren into… sister defeating practice? Siren doesn’t particularly understand to begin with. “Anyway… what does that have to do with shooting me with water? I’m cold now too. Ahu…”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Umi asks. “What’s a captain if he isn’t best at ALL of his skills. I need to hone my marksman ship… I could take you out from the shore from here. You’d be soaked worse than a rainshower.”

“Then you didn’t need to take me out from point blank!!!” Siren sniffles, tipping their head up to the shimmery sky above and thumping once more for really, really good measure.