Diamond in the rough (open)

The sun was warm on his coils, and the water was cool on his belly scales as the pale python relaxed in the Torchline warmth. There would be few enough chances to do so in the coming days and weeks, but he had burned his magic through filling bags of oranges and breadfruit to take back to the Grounds for the townsfolk, and now he took some time to rest and recharge his mental batteries in a form he'd spent far too little time in. The pale blue cloud manta gem rested cool within his jaw, underneath his forked tongue, and had almost dozed off when a flash of color and movement nearby woke him up.

Not far off shore at all, in fact, as a flicker of colorful frills caught his eyes again and he raised his head, intrigued by the commotion. It was far too big to be one of the bright little fish that had captivated him while swimming with Deimos, but he couldn't get a clear view of it from the sand, so he slowly began to slide into the oncoming waves, uncoiling in a sinuous shrug of thick muscles down his length as he pushed his way through the thankfully calm surf and began to swim his undulating way towards the nearby rocks.

Hello? he sent out through the Attuned bond, accompanied by a tendril of his Beastmaster magic to ensure whatever it was would be peaceful (still thinking it to be one of the mysterious sea creatures rather than a person). Are you hurt?