When he leaned back, his eyes trailed over the way the merman's tail flicked behind him whenever he grinned at him or said any word enthusiastically, and although he knew Shiro didn't fully understand, he was still mirroring his excitement and that in itself made Keith's heart swell. It reminded him of a small puppy whenever games or food are involved, and it was endearing. He was so huge, so dangerous, yet there he was, moving rocks around and trying to know about him. A curious creature indeed. Once he looked down at the rocks, then at Shiro's gesture to his eyes, he smiled a bit. "Hah, yeah. I heard that one before," the smile didn't reach his eyes though. He heard that a lot from so many people, including Kolivan. He looked like he had the world as a burden on his shoulders, a burden he wouldn't be able to hold for much longer, but at least he was still here, a violet glint in his eyes. 

He then caught the creature staring at the rocks in silence, and he took a moment to wonder what was on his mind. He seemed to have an aura about him that was charming, attractive, and he wondered if that was why merfolk were so beautiful. To lure in victims with kind words and toned muscles, then tear them up piece by piece where they were most vulnerable. But, this Shiro seemed different, like he had a weight on his shoulders too. His eyes caught the wounds again, decorating his body, and he frowned. What kind of life did he have to be so wary, so cautious and so afraid? The re-arrangement of the rocks grabbed his attention, and he watched the rocks increase into Shiro's age once more. He understood, until the man brought 5 rocks, took the fifth and placed it in his winter side. 

"Uh.." He muttered, raising a brow, confused. He leaned forward, crossing the legs that were once dipped in the water. He began to think, thumb on cheek and the rest of his fingers covering his mouth, occasionally tapping his index finger against his lips. Say all the rocks represented cycles, or months..? Was Shiro saying his birthday was coming up? Was he asking when Keith's birthday was? He blinked a bit, trying to see things from another perspective, until it dawned on him. Five rocks, Shiro took the fifth, placed it in his collection.. Oh. If he wasn't drunk, he would have figured things out faster. He was sure of it. "You picked an awkward time to be born, huh? Leap Year and all that." He said with a breathy laugh, not expecting the other to understand but trying anyway. "1st of March. Nice." He nodded to himself, wondering if his friendship with this creature would last that long. They could celebrate.

And now it was Keith's turn. He took the rocks again, rearranged them until they showed his age. Then, he grabbed the first rock from the five rocks in a row, and placed it on his winter side. It wasn't an accurate month left for his birthday, only 24 days, but Keith didn't have a way in mind to express that. Besides, his eyes were barely open, even if his mind was buzzing with energy and curiosity at the creature. "We could celebrate, you know, start of another cycle and stuff."