Ruby can't help laugh, too, when he flops down in the water. She wades in after him, testing out the sea bottom, checking for any unexpected holes or drops--she's a very good swimmer, but still.

"Now I am the little mermaid," she announces.

And then, after a moment: "Oh, but fuck this thing."

The bandeau is a nice thought but hopelessly impractical (she'd packed it in her weekend bag to swim in a pool, but the ocean is a different experience), so it goes sailing back toward the shoreline. She'll put it back on later. For now, she's moving out far enough in the water that she can actually swim and not just wade around.