... Interesting reaction. Ford's not great with social cues, but he can read defensiveness just fine. Still, he can't place why it's there, so he'll elect to just pretend it isn't.

"It does. I'd say newcomers are close to a daily experience. But this place is dangerous - and if sharks with legs sounds absurd to you, it's dangerous in ways you probably aren't familiar with."

There's a reason why there there's constantly Wakers patrolling the beaches, though this kid apparently left before he got much in the way of an explanation. That just means it's up to Ford to fill in the gaps, though there's one gap in particular that needs filling first. He tucks his journal under one arm and gestures to himself.

"Stanford Pines. I'm a researcher, and I've been in Trench for about a yaar now."