"Oh. Well, land whale, that sort of makes sense. Water whales don't like being beached on ground, maybe she feels that way when she's out of it." Though if she doesn't dart away, Cliff would reach out to run gentle fingers up Ballet's dorsal fin, briefly.

By now, the marble sphere was clearly sulking, arms crossed in what could only be its front. Cliff sighed, and nodded.

"I mean, I have no idea why, I think he's cool. I try to treat him well and not overwork him--he can carry things inside himself! But I don't want to overburden him. Maybe he feels offended by that? I don't know if he was made for me, or what. Like if he wasn't, was his old owner mean to him? It's hard to say."

He wanted to be a nice master, darn it!