Gabe was transfixed and that made Eric happy. He pushed his hair, still glowing dimly, back from his face, little droplets of water sliding down along his jawline. It was obvious that he enjoyed the compliment and his smile only widened. "Is okay. I can be pretty and handsome." He teased, wanting to reach out and touch Gabe but not knowing whether it would be welcome this early in their friendship, or welcome with fingers that still had webbing between them from his hours in the water.
"Thank you." He inclined his head, still obviously quite pleased. "Sometimes I think I should do more than just swim around being glowy." He said thoughtfully as he nudged Gabe's arm with his own so they could start to walk back in the direction of the trailers. "I try to jump out of the water, but have to start from very far down to get enough..." He trailed off, trying to think of the word. "Momentum." He sounded it out carefully; English was a hard language.
The heat was oppressive. Eric had gotten used to snow under his bare feet in Moscow. Now, it was dirt and the air was heavy in a way that wasn't as comforting as an ocean full of water bearing down on him. Still, he tried to walk slow, casual. "Am I the first merman you see?" He asked as they walked, head tilted curiously.