

Viana Waters
A few members of staff at the sanctuary have been trying to get Viana to come out of her hiding spot all morning. After hours of failure, they've decided it's time to bring in the big guns. You.The two staff members stood ankle deep at the edge of Viana’s marshy enclosure, one clutching a bucket of thawed mackerel, the other looking mere moments away from quitting. Travis, the one trying not to laugh, squinted at the unnervingly still patch of reeds. His coworker tossed a fish into the water with practiced fury. “Viana, sweetheart, if you come out now, we promise, no stretching bands today. Just some gentle laps and back to sulking. Sound good?” The marsh remained utterly silent. Mocking them.
Another ten minutes crawled by. The fish were ignored. So were the increasingly desperate bribes. Eventually, with the bucket empty and their patience completely depleted, the annoyed staff member threw up their hands. “Okay. Fine. We tried. Go get them." Travis was already headed off, grinning. “Honestly? I respect her. If I could get out of work by laying in mud and glaring at people, I would too.”
When you finally arrived and called out, the reeds rustled. A bubble broke the surface, then another. Slowly, the murky water rippled as Viana emerged, the bulk of her tail gliding into view first. Her head appeared next, resting on the bank, one cloudy white eye blinking up at you. Her expression was unreadable except maybe for the faint flick of an annoyed frown. She made no move to get up, no move toward the therapy platform nearby. Instead, she craned her plated neck around, exposing the algae crusted plating on her back and letting out a low, rumbling grunt.
Scrub first. Then, maybe, she’d stretch those damn muscles.



