"Fine," he says, with a little shiver, "It just surprised me." It's worth it, though, because Daneel is smiling - and not a derisive, mocking smile. Ned doubts he is even capable of one of those.

Since he's already gotten his clothes wet, Ned supposes there can't be any harm in going a little further out. The water may be bracing, but there's something thrilling in it, too. Perhaps the change has made him bolder, less careful - at least about natural things. What threat is there, in water and surf? He walks in deeper, until the water is up around his chest.

He looks down through the waves, can see (though they are distorted by the waves) the sea plants springing up around his feet - thin wisps of sea grass rocking back and forth with every wave, a carpet of dark brown, slick kelp leaves, clouds and clouds of algae. It's all mesmerizing, and for a moment Ned forgets about Daneel entirely, slipping into a kind of waking trance. He did this once, earlier in the day, sitting in his makeshift garden. Something about the plants, about the way they're growing, hypnotizes him. He can feel them drawing in the energy from the sun that filters down through the water, rooting themselves into the shifting sand, drinking in the salt water that is all around them. It's as if he's a part of them, in a way, and for a little while he loses himself.