"I suppose we must follow suit," Marian said, playfully put upon, to Merry far more than Caspian and Merry's giggling sister.

She leaned down, beginning to undo her boots with a deftness that was instilled by doing just this at the lakeside in Milliways. "I shall be depending upon you, Merry, to help me."

This was said with a smile, as shoes were cast off in a pile at the blanket edges, and hands were retaken. "I've never picked shells before, and I haven't any idea how to pick the right kind yet."

Milliways was a lake first, after all, that had only just become part ocean.