Down by the coast, a blisteringly hot summer day, Danny Phillips splashes in his swimming trunks, happy for a day off from the unrelenting tedium of work. At twenty two years old he's tired enough of his time at the local seafood restaurant to savor every day off. He's always been a good cook, but feels underappreciated, the work long and arduous, and definitely underpaid. He just wants to get away from all that. Preferably for a few months, but that's just a dream!
Laying in a tide pool among the rocks he splashes his feet idly. He at least managed a couple of days off for once, even if he can't afford a trip outside his local area. This is a barely ten minute bus ride from his home, but it is a nice seaside resort. He stayed away from the more typical beach scenes, not liking crowds. Instead this area is pretty barren, but he's happy. A bit of shade, the soft, well worn rocks rather comfortable, and the splashing of the water sloshing through the tide pools at this time of day making a soothing noise.
Relaxing back he rests his lanky frame further in the water, this little pool not quite having the sea reach it yet, and had sat all day soaking up the sun. The warm water very satisfying to rest in. With his arms out to the side he rests, feet kicking idly in the relatively shallow pool. He'd already checked to see if there were any sharp protrusions down there. Didn't want to hurt himself after all, and just was drifting on the warm water, legs gently going back and forth as if swimming, eyes closed.
In a nearby tide pool a splash of ocean foam gave a flurry of tentacles, as a weird looking, tiny octopus found itself in the enclosed space, washed ashore. It slipped fully into the tide pool but found it constricting. Oddly it seemed to be faintly glowing, but difficult to tell in the mid-day sun. Another splash of foam surges into the slightly lower tidepool and the octopus shies away from the abrupt sensations. It reaches up, slipping out of the water in a way most octopi can't, remaining solid as it lifts out of the tide pool, it's tentacles reaching into the warmer water where Danny rests, almost asleep.
Slipping into the safer water it seems distracted, uncoordinated, and floats underwater till a tentacle gently bumps Danny's foot. He twitches, but just blearily opens his eyes, glances down, and seeing nothing rests back again, too drowsy to care. The octopus seems to spasm a little, it's glow getting a little flickery, and it drifts up a bit. Two tentacles reach for Danny's right thigh, and gently take hold. He stirs shaking his head, but when nothing untoward happens he drifts once more.
The octopus' body is gently pressed closer, drawn to his body heat, and it settles slowly on his thigh, twitching in an unhealthy looking manner. The twitching tentacles do get Danny's attention, and he blearily sits up and starts to reach down to scratch that leg... when it bites.
"YAARGH!" He jerks, driving himself against the wall, his legs thrashing from the brief stab of pain. The octopus is startled, and squirts a jet of milky looking ink, also glowing faintly, into the wound, and then jerks away, skittering to the far side of the tide pool.
Abruptly awake Danny clutches his leg, feeling the slickness of blood on his hand. He stumbles out of the water, seeing a faint glow from the other side.
"Shit, jellyfish?" He mutters, then brings his hand up and sees the blood. "Yikes! Er, no. That wasn't a sting!"
Nervously he retreats from the water, chilled by the air compared to the warmth of the pool, and grabs his towel and bag of supplies. Thankfully the wound seems shallow as he doesn't have any bandaids to hand with him. Wincing at the pain he heads up a ways, going to sit on a rock a few feet away from the water.
"Damn it, what the hell was that?" He mutters, holding the wound. Blood trickles, but seems to be slowing so it doesn't seem too serious, but Danny does worry. What if that was poisonous? Nervously he lifts his fingers and licks. The blood doesn't taste acidic or anything. Isn't that a sign of poison? He isn't sure. But out here he's a little ways from any help if he needs it.
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