There were very funny looking. They wore clothes, except where they didn't? Some of them had covering everywhere, some had their tops open, and others covered their tops and bottoms and left their little wriggly feetsies and hands available. It was all very odd and without rhyme nor reason that she could tell.

But they were having fun, and she wanted a piece of that. She decided she didn't need, or feel like, going up on land yet. There were plenty of them out in the water. She looked from one to the next among her potential pool of people to say hello to.

She picked one that seemed about in the middle of the spectrum. Was it a boy or girl whatever it was? She had no idea, but did it matter all that much? Nah. She cut through the water with a happy giggle, darting over to the person as they swam so slowly. They were obviously land creatures, just enjoying a taste of the sea.

She couldn't blame them for wanting to try it. The water was so fun! She brushed up against the creature before poking her head free a little just beside it. "Hello! Nice to meet you. I'm Mobile. Mobile Corral."

The person jerked in surprise at the contact and squeaked in surprise when she came up into view. It said something, but she didn't understand it. It was a boy though, she decided. A boy-whatever.

"Don't be scared. I just want to play with you and all those other creatures." She tilted her head a little. How to communicate a desire for fun... Oh! She rolled over, displaying her belly and patting it with her fin-hooves. "I don't bite, promise."

The male slowed in his panic, staring at the curious creature that was floating before him, speaking strangely in all defiance of what he knew.

"<What is that?>" called out another person who was braver for not being so close, a female. "<You alright?>"

"<I'm fine, I think? Uh... what do I do?>" He didn't feel brave enough to try giving the alien a belly rub. One does not assume aliens want their bellies rubbed! "<Uh... hi?>" He did try waving.

She squeaked with joy. He was waving. She returned the gesture eagerly. "Yes, yes! Like that. Hello!" She waved at the other person that seemed to be paying attention. "Hello to you too!"

The college-aged woman laughed at the man. "<Seems pretty harmless to me.>"

"<Easy for you to say! It didn't just pop up next to you after touching you.>" Still, he didn't want to be outdone. The musically trilling thing seemed to want to be in their presence, and he was no coward! He took a step towards it.

Mobile tensed. Part of her wanted to just close the distance. There was play to be had! But she reasoned, perhaps correctly, that rushing the thing might startle it, so she waited for him as he came closer slowly. "See?" she spoke gently. "I won't hurt you. I just want to have fun. You talk funny though, all deep and rough. Are you rough? I hope not."

"<Easy, easy...>" he spoke in his own hopes to keep the thing he was approaching calm. It had the face of... some sort of fantastical blend of a horse and a fish, like a literal sea horse. The rest of it matched that start, with hooves in the front and a big powerful fin in the back. "<You're gorgeous,>" he decided. If it didn't eat him, he was impressed with her bright shimmering colors.

He was within touching distance, so she reached, slowly. She gently ran a hoof-fin down one of his arms, slowly. "Can we be friends? Can you be friend with things you can't talk to? What am I saying? Of course you can. That's how pets happen, but you're not a pet, no. You talk funny, but you talk, so we can be friends, yes?"

"<Did it bite you yet?>" called the female that watched the interaction.

"<No...>" He wasn't sure having her as backup would help him much. "<It seems friendly.>" He couldn't place if its strange and complicated noises were boy or girl sounds. He took a brave step, returning her touching, feeling her arms first. She didn't resist, or even flinch. Soon he was up beside her, gently petting down her form, and that only seemed to make her happier. "<It's really friendly.>"

"See, we're friends now." She pointed at herself. "I'm Mobile Coral. Mobile. Coral." She pointed at him. "You?"

"<If this doesn't go viral, I'm going to be so mad...>" He looked over at her at that. She was quietly recording the two of them on a phone in thick plastic, clearly waterproofing it for sea-borne fun.

He rolled his eyes at that and looked back to the wonder before him as she made noises pointing at herself, then pointed at him and a lone utterance. "<Uh, can you do that again?>" He rolled pointed at it, hoping that would somehow work.

"Mobile. Coral," she dutifully repeated, assuming he was asking since he was pointing at her.

"<Is that your name? Holy crap, it has a name! I am talking to a literal alien.>" His body regained its tension, the gravity of the situation descending on him.

"Mobile Coral <What a funny name.>" The female, a short distance away, remained braver. She waved at the curious creature. "<Hello> Mobile Coral. <My name-->" She pointed at herself. "<--is Sandra. Sandra.>"

Mobile perked her ears, new joy brimming in her. "Hello <Sandra>! What a funny name. It's nice to meet you." She waved towards the female eagerly. "Now we can play?"

The male felt he needed to catch up, so he pointed both thumbs at himself. "<Hank.>"

"Hello to you too, <Hank>." She sank into the waters and popped up beside Sandra. "Can we play? Ooo, let me get a ball." She sank again out of sight.

Sandra blinked at the spot that once held a hippocampus. "<That was fast. Do you think it'll come back?>"

He took a few slow steps towards her. "<Uh, part of me is hoping so, and part of me is hoping not.>"

She gave him a shove, almost knocking him over. "<Don't be like that. It's adorable, and friendly. I wish I knew what it was saying though.>"

With a splash, she reappears, surfacing with her hooves holding a ball she found nearby. "Ta da!"

Hank burst out into laughter, his worry's defused like a popped balloon. "<It wants to play ball.>"

So they did just that, passing it back and forth, sometimes arcing through the air, other times skidding across the water, but their playtime would not go unnoticed. Other humans noticed the strange third player they had in the water. The braver of them approached to join, expanding the game. Soon a net was set up and water volleyball commenced. As it turned out, the alien knew how to play, to the surprise of everyone involved, even Coral, who was dumbfounded that the crazy aliens that didn't know how to speak her language knew that game.

It was all the more reason to have fun though, and she laughed and played eagerly. The game had started timidly at first, the humans unsure how to proceed, but when she emerged from the water, breaching it like a dolphin to power-spike the ball with a swat of her tail, it became clear that she was not only knowledgeable in the sport, but pretty decent at it.

Play became serious.

But all good things had to come to an end. The humans eventually got tired, as was the nature of their forms in the waves. One by one, they started to wander back towards the sands. "What, are we done already?" She watched them go, many giving friendly little waves at her that she eagerly returned. "Oh, are you just tired of being in the water? We can fix that." She darted for the land and hit the edge of the water just right, skidding up onto the sand as her body transitioned, landing perfectly on all fours. "Ta da!"

Mobile Coral's forehooves split and stretched out into proper talons, while her back limbs terminated in the hooves her forehooves once were. She was a hippogriff, dripping with water that was running from her, glistening in the sun. "We can still play!"

The humans were of mixed feelings. Amazement and surprise running through those that had seen the strange creature just casually shapeshift. "<That was the coolest thing ever,>" declared one of them, breaking the tension. "<Hey! Want a drink?>" He offered up a can of soda towards the strange creature.

"For me?" She ambled up to him and reached out, accepting what seemed to be being offered. "Ooo, cold." She held it against her face, enjoying the chill.

"<No, no.>" He was laughing at her mistake, looking far more amused than annoyed. He reached for the can and she let him take it. With a deft motion and a pop and hiss, the can was opened. He made a slow demonstration of taking a sip from it, then offered it again.

"Ohhhh!" She took the can back and peered into the hole a moment before trying a sip. "Ooooo, sweet!" It was sweeter than almost anything else she had tried. Which meant she wanted more of it. "This means we're friends, right?"

Red and blue lights began to strobe from up in the parking lot of the beach with the sound of a siren played for a hot moment.

Hank suddenly grabbed Mobile's shoulder. "Mobile Coral, <Go!>" He pointed out into the water.

She got confused. She hadn't even finished her drink. "What's wrong?" More of the funny bipeds were rushing in, and other bipeds were shying out of their path. They were all fully dressed and looked serious. "Are they bullies?" She didn't feel equipped to get involved in the social structure of her new friends. "Uh, I'll come back, promise! <Hank>, take care." She put the can right in his hand. No reason he couldn't finish it. "Bye!"

A loud bang made her ears fold back, ringing. Sand near her exploded upwards. What was going on?! She fled into the water, vanishing in a color streak into the waves.

"Mr. President, we have a confirmed sighting of an alien lifeform off a beach in California, near Santa Cruz. There was civilian contact."

The president looked up from the clipboard he had been reading. "Was anyone hurt? Any casualties?"

Technically one of those would give the answer for the other, but the agent didn't correct the president on that one. "No casualties. The civilians were interviewed. It was a peaceful contact."

The president brightened a little at that. "Well, that's good news. Was it the same creatures as the ones Alaska's dealing with?"

The agent pulled free a piece of paper from a folder he was holding. "Speaking of that, we have pictures, of both." He presented the two.

The president accepted them. The image of the one on the beach was quite clear. It had the front of a bird, and the back of a horse. It was brightly colored like a sea and, despite having a beak, had a very obvious smile. It was surrounded by people who didn't seem upset to have it there.

The other was a great shaggy beast with enormous horns. A yak, but it wore clothing, or armor depending on how you looked at it. It was also dead, collapsed on the ground in the snow where that picture had been taken and sent. The picture was fuzzy and low resolution, denying him any fine details. "We have to get communication back..."

It was very clear that the two creatures were not the same. "We're dealing with multiple forces, but they're not all hostile. I'll take that as a positive sign. Interrogate the civilians that had contact with it. We need to know everything they know." He held up a hand. "Don't break any laws doing it."

"Of course, Sir." He bowed a little before slipping quietly from the room.

Author's Notes:

In this chapter, we spend more time with one story instead of hop-hopping constantly. Like it? Prefer the bigger-picture hopping around? Was this a typo?!

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