It was as if he was in a horror movie. He saw it underneath him; the top of a head, floating in the water. It stayed still for a few seconds, perhaps stunned to make eye contact too, and Keith initially thought it was a dead body for a moment, with terror singing through him, but it soon became obvious that it wasn't. There was fear, maybe some curiosity in those unforgettable eyes, and before he could further analyze this creature it moved slowly, and actually [i]gasped[/i]? In the few seconds it was still underneath the wood, he could tell it looked like a man with oil-sheen eyes and pale skin. He had short slick-dark hair that looked like it was shorn off. The silver strands at the front stick across his face and then Keith realized with horror that what he just saw wasn't even human—not close. 

The creature darted across the water, and turbulent waves formed at its motion. Keith had nothing else to do than to lean back against the hands resting on the wood in shock, watching as his tail moved like a spring behind him, a momentary shimmer in the moonlight of light black scales and silver lacing. The sight looked [i]beautiful[/i], but also terrible. Keith couldn't form thoughts past the fear freezing him to the dock. The man—the creature—had disappeared like he'd been a figment of his imagination. And he was /massive/. Bigger than any kind of fish he ever studied. He should be running by now—he should be gone. The primal part of him not mesmerized was screaming at him to get away from the water. Leave and never come back. But he still didn't make any movement to leave.

Instead, he approaches the water, knees scraping against the wood so hard they could burn. "I didn't mean to scare you!" he yells at the water, shocked at how desperately he's apologizing for something he didn't even mean to do, to a damn sea creature he wasn't even sure understood basic English language or not. Maybe it was his body's way of telling him he yearned for company, even if it was the most unusual kind. His shoulders slumped, though, when seconds became minutes, and the water stilled once more. He can see birds out in the surf in the distance, a tiny sailboat miles and miles out, but nothing else. But then he got an idea. Looking down at the shells he'd gathered in his shirt, he slowly placed them back one by one, overcoming his inexplainable fear of being too close to the water.

Maybe.. as a silent apology.
He'll find other shells for himself later. He'd obviously summoned this creature because he'd stolen something dear to him, and even if that would keep the creature at bay, perhaps that was best for him at the moment.
Slowly, he got back up on his feet, a sigh escaping his lips as he watched the sea and turned, about to walk up the stairs and back to his shack.