"Here is our bell and platform, for when the ship fish need to communicate with us," she says, waving her hand at a slung bell which dangles over the water. There are obviously dolphins out in the inlet, but they are not coming very close right now.
"You must remember that taking on a life with a ship fish is just that: a LIFE TIME! The dolphins live nearly as long as we do, barring accidents. They are just as smart too, so don't think they are pets."
She calls out a sharp, hard noise with her throat. Three of the local dolphins arrive shortly, chittering quietly. You think you recognize human words in their talk.
"Yes," Archeria says, "they speak a combination of their own language and ours. I know of other places around the world where they have all but been forgotten on land, but they remembered us in the seas and we here at Enclave have certainly remembered them!"
She bends down and scratches on of the dolphins noses. "This is Gold Eye. She's well known for spotting under water treasures and her eyesight is excellent for a ship fish. She is the alpha of one of our Pods, the Sunrise pod." She turns to Gold Eye. "Do you have any calves that will bond this season?"
The dolphin squeeks and chitters, then says in somewhat broken Pernese, "haaave two! They seeee youuuuu!!" She dives below the surface and two smaller heads appear out of the water some distance away. They chitter.
Then Archeria pushes her hand at one of the other dolphins, a male with dark markings. He splashes at her once, and then gives off a laugh, followed shortly with a disappearing act. He returns to your vision moments later by leaping out of the water into the sky! He goes so high! You hadn't known that ship fish could leap so far!
"That's our resident show off, Farover. You can tell, he's named because of his ability to get far over the water..." Archeria calls him back to the pier, and they chat for a moment. "He says there is only one calf in the Sweet Tooth pod right now, but she'll be available if you need her."
Then she turns to a mottled old looking dolphin. There is a tooth stuck in his dorsal fin, along with many long scars which might equally be from Thread as much as sea battles.
"With The Tooth here says there are two calves in his pod, that's the Prow Sight pod. He's eager to see them bonded away too."
