True to my word, I ended up hiking and making my way to the marsh about half an hour after we’d hung up. The only thing I’d done before leaving the apartment was putting on sunscreen and changing into swimming trunks. I had opted to wear a lime green tank top as to try and get some sun on my arms. I was determined to rid myself of my usual paleness as much as I could.
Already in the water, leisurely spreading water over his skin with his eyes closed, Qwill stood in the marsh. Goddamn, he was fucking attractive. With the water moving over him like he was made of sparkles didn’t hurt either. I willed my dick to keep it the fuck together, but I was instantly riled by thoughts of Qwill taking me in the water.
“Damn,” I hissed, making his eyes lock on me lazily. “I should’ve taken a picture of that right there.”
Qwill shook his head, sauntering toward the edge of themarsh as I pried off my tank top. I was left in my matching lime green swimming trunks, eager to be close to Qwill. He must have thought the same thing because he swept me into his arms and launched me into the water without warning. My outcry was swallowed by the water as I went under, my feet kicking hurriedly before finding the bottom and launching myself. By the time I broke through the surface of the water and wiped my face, Qwill was trying to get his laughter under control.
“Asshole!” I said with a laugh, launching my hand in the water to splash him. He evaded it but kept the chuckle in the air. I still thought Qwill’s laughter deserved its own standing ovation every time I was lucky enough to indulge in it.
I waded over to him, noticing that he was still wearing that jeweled necklace. As much as I stared at the thing, I was relatively stunned that Qwill hadn’t brought it up already. It looked as it always did, beautiful but mysterious. The sun caught the jewel whenever he moved, casting blue hues across the water from the color of the stained glass it appeared to be made of. But inside was still that curious looking cyan liquid.
More than anything, I wanted to know about it. I wanted to know more about Qwill in general, of course, but this one piece of jewelry that dangled from him held most of my curiosity.
But instead of bombarding him with questions about the jewel, I decided to go an easier route. For now.
“I’m glad you didn’t have to work when I called.” I told him, sinking lower in the water to savor its warmth. Qwill did the same, smiling at me with that lopsided grin he wore when he was content. “What is it you do for work?”
“Oh right, I never told you, did I?” He said as if it’d been slipping his mind for ages now and my inquiry had brought it to light again. “I work at the Piper Marine Museum, across the street from the art museum?” When I nodded, remembering the little artistic district on the other end of the city, he pressed forward with more conversation. “I’m one of the tour guides forthe Orb section of the marine museum, so I get to inform people about virces and eamesr all day. It’s a simple job, but I enjoy the notion of educating people about us water-centric Orbs.”
Beaming at him, I nodded my head. The fact that Qwill was doing something to educate people about virces and eamesr was nothing short of amazing to me. It might have been simple on paper, but that felt like important work. The more knowledge was given, in any aspect of life, the less space we as a society had for ignorance.
“That’s amazing, Qwill.”
“Thanks.” He nodded with a smile. “You’d be surprised the amount of Orbs that come and don’t realize the difference between virces and eamesr.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I don’t expect humans to know the difference, that’s what the Orb guided tour at the museum is all about. But it’s wild to me when other creatures like us don’t know much more than we’re both associated with water and can’t tell the difference between us.”
“Is there much difference?” Realizing how ignorant that sounded, I added, “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Of course not,” Qwill leaned over so our noses we’re almost touching. “You should know more about the man longing to be in your bed again.”
Heat wrapped around my stomach and sent tendrils of pleasure straight to my cock. If he kept talking like that, I was about to lose another sexual first to him in this damn water.
He seemed a little too delighted by the state he’d put me in with his remark, but he kept talking. “We can both breathe air and water, that much we share. But only virces have visible gills.” He lifted his hand to gesture toward the gills that decorated his neck. “Eamesr have them, but their skin can only produce gills once they’re submerged in the water.”
“Ahh, so they can in a sense blend in more.”
“Correct. Eamesr might have atypical skin color in comparison to humans, but they’re not covered in scales like virces either.”
“I’m sure that makes virces feel…some type of way.”
Qwill chuckled. “Some, sure. Insecure virces, definitely. I’m not one of those.”
“So I’ve noticed.” I laughed back, reaching through the water and grabbing his hand.
The squeeze I felt back made my stomach burrow itself deeper into the pit of adoration I was already feeling.
“Virces’ bodies don’t transform in water, we just are what we are. Eamesr grow webbed hands and feet, even develop fins in some cases, once they’re in the water. And from what I know, eamesr are more solitary than virces.”
“What do you mean? They don’t stick together?”
“More or less.” Qwill shrugged. “Eamesr have family and friends like everyone else, but they tend to keep to themselves out in the wild whereas virces will have tribes that they form to stick together.” Something troubling scrawled across Qwill’s usually uniform face. “Especially lately.”
Curiosity was biting at my ankles. Or maybe it was the curious tiny fish in the marsh, but I refused to be distracted when I was learning so much. “Meaning?”
“After the incidents at the blood centers,” He paused to gauge my reaction, and I nodded. Being best friend’s with Bas, I was more than up to date about the horrible riots that had been incited at the blood centers up and down the east coast a couple months back. “More virces started to join a tribe or even form their own out of fear that humans would decide to turn their hatred toward us next. All Orbs are on high alert after that, and after the petrylle kidnappings that are currently going on in D.C.”
