“What is she doing?” Mimi whispered when the stranger was making gestures in the water. 

“I have no idea,” Roe stated softly. Their written words were logograms, a drawn character would represent an idea or proper name. The whole race had a similar base structure on the writing language and the passage of time the characters evolved with the family becoming their own dialect. 

“Perhaps she is mute?” Shine said, touching her head. “Can’t speak with her mind.” The idea was absurd, if the girl could think, she could communicate. It was clear the guest was understanding them.

Xuan lips tugged downward as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea. Her gesture before tickled his mind for a while until he figured what it meant. “Wait,” he said and moved toward the new arrival, the mermaid seemed to be lost in her own frantic thoughts. A gentle hand rested on her arm until he had her attention. He pointed to the character on his chest that represented his name. “This is my name written. This is the only way we write.” He backed away to give her more space, his sisters hated when men came to close to their space when they were upset. “So, I don’t know how your family talks. We do it a little differently here.” He tapped his temple, he didn’t move his mouth at all when he communicated the rest of the idea to show her what he was trying to convey. “What you do is, think of what you want to say clearly in your mind. Then,” he put his finger tips against his brow and moved it away opening his fingers toward her. “Project it. Think it at the person you want to talk to,” he chuckled, his dark eyes twinkling and a grin spread over his lips. “Only louder.”

Around them most of the cave worms lights were fading while others in the sleeping rooms illuminated. “Is it that late already,” Shine cried turning to the five youngest. “Time to sleep,” the little ones protested. With her insistence, play things were put away and they all moved to the larger sleeping chamber. Roe excused himself to help with the brood. “Don’t stay up to late, Xuan. You too, Luna, your mother will be needing help when she visits Pieth.” The old woman was half crazy with her delusions, talking about humans all the time. She had been to the surface several times and tried to get everyone to believe humans exist.

“I won’t, Father.”

Mimi returned to her braiding near her basket and still listening to the stranger and her brother. She couldn’t think of a better way to explain how they spoke, it was a learned thing when growing up. Natural as breathing.