“Zayne? Could you help me with this?” Cassie called back to him. Her bikini strap had gotten wedged between two of her dorsal plates and threatened to shear in half, and she required his assistance to pull it out while she opened the seam discreetly. “My apologies. Take care not to touch the plates themselves.”
Zayne took special pains not to brush against her plates, as he'd seen the nasty burn that Byxx had gotten before when he'd grabbed her. Fortunately, his dexterity was much higher than the archfiend’s, and he made quick work of the offending strap.
“There. You’re all set.” Zayne smirked to himself. He turned to face his watch-mate, only to find that she’d gone from beside the car. “Iris?”
Without warning, Iris had taken off running to the beach, leaving Zayne and Cassie behind in the parking lot. She was sore and tired from yesterday’s exertion, but that did little to stop her from careening towards the water, stripping off layers as she went. Iris’s shirt flew behind her, followed by shoes, socks, and a brief pause for her pants. A modest dark purple halter-top one-piece was all the barrier between herself and the waters as Iris leapt into the lake.
The chilly waters clapped against her skin like a wall of ice that was powerless to resist Iris’s dive. In an instant, she was transported to an eerie, alien landscape of underwater wonders where light skittered over sand and submersed plants danced with the churning of the lake. Iris spun around to survey her undersea kingdom before returning to the surface for air.
“IRIS!” Zayne shouted as he dove into the waters to reach her. “Are you okay!?”
“I’m fine, Zay.” Iris smiled at him as Zayne swam closer to her with his blue hair pulled back from his dive. At this angle, he looked like the slick-haired businessmen who frequented the halls of GC&S. The idea of her precious Paxoram as a corporate shark amused Iris enough for her to giggle aloud. “I’m actually a fine swimmer.”
Zayne let out a deep sigh, as if he’d worried mightily for nothing. The two watch-mates explored the depths of the lake and drifted further from shore, all while having the time of their lives together. Iris pointed out some of the local plants, while Zayne tried to hunt for fish.
“Confound it. If only I’d thought to bring my net along.” Zayne chided himself for a lack of forethought. “I won’t be able to catch much at this rate, but I might get enough that we could have some with dinner.”
“There’s no need to worry about me.” Iris smiled. “I’m happy I get to share this with you. I haven’t been in a pool in years or to a lake at all.”
“Never?” Zayne asked. “But you live so close.”
“The park costs money to enter.” Iris observed. “So does the pool. I couldn’t possibly justify spending good money on something fun, not when there’re bills to pay and food to buy. Besides, who has the time for fun these days?”
It was a foreign concept to Zayzann, not being able to afford leisure time or access to the water. On Zhalterra, he’d visited the lazy river at the basin of the valley every day to catch food and to play. He’d spent years learning to cliff dive, hunt for Zhalterran river eels, and plumb the depths of the deep waters. It was taken so completely for granted that he hadn’t considered that barriers like this existed on Earth.
For Zayzann, Earth had many enticements, novelties, and wonders that would take a lifetime to understand. Everything seemed more complicated here, and there were so many rules that it drove him to madness at the nonsensical nature of it all. At times like this, he yearned for the familiar scenery of Zhalterra, and winced at the notion of never returning there.
“Zay! Look over here!” Iris called out to him from several strokes away. Zayne snapped out of his funk and swam over to meet her. “I found more fish!”
“W-what are they?” Zayne stammered as Iris clutched his hand in hers.
“I’m not sure, but they look like bluegill.” Iris squinted to get a better look but struggled with the distance between them. “Sorry, Zay. I can’t see all that well. Maybe you can—Hey!”
Zayne dove to the depths of the lake like a wayward torpedo and snatched two fish into his clawed hands. No one would see him perform a partial shift this far from the shore, so he didn’t feel the need to conceal his abilities here. The black talons punctured the hapless fish, ensuring that there was no escape from Zayne’s clutches. He rose to the surface to rejoin Iris and show off his fresh catch.
“Wow, that’s amazing! I can’t believe you got some.” Iris marveled at Zayne’s fishing prowess. “They’re so fast, I didn’t think anyone could get them with their hands. Nice work.”
Zayne happily soaked up praise from his watch-mate with dilated eyes and an expanding grin. Though his skill was impressive, it had historically failed to garner such an excited response back home on Zhalterra. A good mate was expected to have such expertise with hunting, fishing, or scouting food, so Zayne smiled at the newness of this welcome enthusiasm. A shiver ran down his human skin, which prompted goosebumps to appear on his smooth flesh.
Iris and Zayne continued to explore the lake together, under the watchful eye of the Augment. She’d reluctantly approached the beach to retrieve Iris’s discarded clothes, and decided to settle there. Cassie had requested that the beach umbrella be set up close to the waters so she could bask on the shore. She reclined on a beach towel that was strategically placed to avoid being overwhelmed with sand and kept watch over her playful roommates from afar.
The beach was certainly the least appealing vacation choice for Cassie, as it presented uncomfortable challenges to navigate without significant precautions. She shuddered at the thought of having to do a full-body cleanout of her entire plate system, as sand was one of the worst intruders to purge from her body.
Water, too, was an unfortunate addition, as her plates were not water-tight, and would prove challenging to conceal from Curtis if he asked why she was leaking. To avoid both possibilities, Cassie kept her boots on and rested comfortably in her bikini under the shelter of the umbrella. Despite not wanting to bother with the elements themselves, Cassie couldn’t help but allow a subtle smirk to show.
“What are you smiling at?” Curtis asked as he approached from the western shore. He held out a cold can of lemonade for Cassie to take, not knowing that she was incapable of drinking it. “Want one?”
“No, thank you. I’m not thirsty.” Cassie declined. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt thirst, and the thought baffled her as Curtis sat down on the edge of her towel. “I was watching those two playing in the water. It’s been a long time since either of them laughed.”
“Cassie, can you tell me what’s going on?” Curtis asked while fidgeting with the unopened can of lemonade. It was clear by his anxious hands that this was bothering him, and Cassie narrowed her eyes at the unrivaled perceptiveness of this human.
She sighed in response to buy a few seconds to form a reply and ultimately landed on the truth. “Iris is struggling. With health, and work, and… other things.”
“W-what, uh, what can I do to help?” Curtis dropped the slippery can into the sand, coating it in powdery grit. Cassie winced at the uncomfortable prospect of sharing the same fate as the can yet she managed to stay focused on Curtis’s earnest inquiry.
“Keep being a good friend.” Cassie replied with her eyes in a fixed stare at her roommates in the distance. “She needs as much support as we can give her. Food, company, messages; everything helps.”
“Hey, Cassie?” Curtis brushed more sand off the wet can as he spoke. “I think I owe you an apology, from when we first met. I’m sorry I—”
“There’s no need.” Cassie cut him off and pulled the pair of sunglasses from his pocket to place over her own eyes. “Your instincts were good, Curtis. I know what I am. There’s no reason to apologize, especially when you were right.”
“Still, I didn’t trust you back then. But things are different now.” Curtis looked up at Cassie, who was now enjoying the view from behind his sunglasses. “And I feel better knowing that you guys can keep an eye on Iris when I’m not here to do it.”
“Hi praise, indeed.” Cassie’s smirk broadened.
“Curtis!” Byxx bellowed in the distance while brandishing a tiny plastic shovel. “Are you coming back? What about our sandcastle? Make haste, man! The battlements are crumbling!”
Cassie raised both brows at the curious display from the hulking archfiend. The tiny shovel made him look even more fearsome and impressive, yet silly at the same time.
“Duty calls, warrior.” Cassie joked at Curtis.
He stuck his tongue out at her and left the half-coated can of lemonade beside the Augment.
“In case you change your mind.” Curtis said as he trundled back to the vast sand pit Byxx was defending from seabirds and the occasional breeze.
It was long past a sensible hour when everyone gathered up at Cassie’s beach refuge. The sun was setting, and a chill nipped the night air with unseasonable coolness. Iris and Zayne had dried off and donned their respective clothing, and Cassie gathered their wet towels for the return trip home.
Byxx and Curtis had recreated an impressive scale model sandcastle of the fortress in Serpent’s Landing, which was a rumored hideaway for cutthroats and pirates near the Forgotten Wastes. They hoisted their tools aloft and cheered for the successful construction of their miniature stronghold, then took selfies in front of the finished castle through waning daylight.
“GRAWR!” Byxx roared as he stomped into the eastern castle spire with his booted foot and encouraged Curtis to join the fun. “Come now, man! Avenge the fallen with me!”
Cassie rolled her eyes as the two men cavorted in the sand, smashing their delicate castle to smithereens. “Well, now that the fallen have been avenged, shall we head home?”
“Please, can we stay a little longer?” Iris begged. “The skies are clear tonight, and I was hoping to show you the stars.”
It was a harmless enough request. Byxx and Curtis were still laughing and giggling in their sandy pit, and Cassie didn’t have anywhere pressing to go. They had snacks enough to tide everyone over for the evening, and no one seemed in a hurry to leave. Cassie bade Iris and Zayne away with a nonchalant wave of her hand. “Don’t stray too far, you two.”
Iris led the way through the open expanse of field to the north of the beach with newfound energy. She continued until they could see a perfect clearing with an unobscured view of the night sky. Zayne followed Iris to a soft, grassy patch where she laid down a blanket for them to enjoy the view.
“Here. Come rest with me.” Iris patted the blanket for Zayne to seat himself on. He tried to settle into a half-lotus position but gave up and flopped backwards onto the blanket instead. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Zayne stared curiously at the vastness before him and absorbed the splendor of the infinite skies. There wasn’t a star, constellation, or heavenly body Zayne could identify from this alien vantage point. His vision allowed him to pierce deeper into the night than Iris, yet he was unable to find anything familiar in it. For a moment, an unexpected loneliness settled on the Paxoram, who sighed as he scanned the expanse for signs of home.
“What do you think? Is it everything you hoped it would be?” Iris smiled peacefully and reached for Zayne’s hand to hold. He shuddered at their touch but didn’t pull away from her frigid hand.
“Yes, I daresay it is.” Zayne admitted. He felt the gentle touch of Iris’s hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I would have never really seen it if we hadn’t come.”
The sweet songs of night birds filled the silence between them, until Zayne turned to see the reflections of a galaxy of lights in Iris’s dark eyes.
“And to think, of all the planets you could have traveled to, you came here, and stayed with me.” Iris whispered. “I must be the luckiest lady in the universe.”
Zayne choked back the emotion that seeped into him in the moment and left a hazy glaze over his eyes. His throat flushed red, and his jaw clenched tightly between strained breaths and sighs. The pair lingered serenely under the bright gleam of billions of stars and gazed up at the impossible enormity of what lied beyond. By the full-dark of night, both had surrendered to peaceful oblivion in silence.
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