He was so far from the sea, so removed from his home. The lagoon, with its salt water and the humans that milled around - if he couldn't find food, he could just eat one of them - was a paltry comparison to the real ocean. It wasn't deep enough, there was no pressure pushing down on him, and it was too loud and light. Still, it was the best he'd had in the years that had passed since he'd first washed up on shore, and he luxuriated in the feeling of salt water drying on his skin as he walked toward the scent of food.
Maybe, if the food was good, he would stay. Maybe, if the people were nice, he would stay. It was certainly better than living on land, working night jobs when he could to get enough money to buy fish to eat and maybe find somewhere dark to sleep. His life had been hard since he'd come ashore and Eric thought that this life could be easier.
He heard a squeal, a familiar voice even though he was used to hearing it underwater, and he spun, seeking out the source of it. Eric called out to her, in their language, called out her true name, a sound that would just sound like guttural screeching to those who did not speak Deep Ocean Mermish, and came forward, immediately wrapping her up in his arms, holding her tightly. "I've been looking for you for years." He said to her in their language, that screeching, warbling tongue that he hadn't had the chance to speak for quite some time. "Where did you go?"