“I was lost in the beauty of space. Don’t you ever want to stop and just look at the stars?” My cheeks heated inembarrassment—both at my absentminded absorption in the view and the feel of his tentacles wrapped around my stomach.
He tilted his head up to the dome, and I followed his gaze.
We stayed that way, staring up at the stars, for several moments.
“I come here often to relax and swim, floating on my back and looking up at the stars. Getting lost in my thoughts... It has been a favorite pastime of mine since we started this journey. It never gets old,” he confessed.
Odelm stiffened and looked down. Startled, he tried to jerk away as he realized the position we were in—we were thoroughly entwined. He stared at his tentacles in shocked betrayal and hastily unwrapped them from my waist, then took a few unsteady steps back. His tentacles wrapped tight around his torso as he turned away from me. Taking a few deep breaths, he stood, head down.
“I brought you in here to see the pond. I thought you might enjoy it since it is one of my favorite places.”
He paused, and I thought I heard him mutter,‘especially since the Ulax nestqueens are rarely here’—but I wasn’t sure.
He continued, his voice stiff. “I thought perhaps you would like to go for a swim?”
“I don’t know how to swim,” I murmured, unsure why he’d closed himself off, just when we seemed to be relaxing around one another.
“It is okay. Wudox cannot swim either,” he tossed over his shoulder as he walked toward the pond.
I hurried to catch up.
“What do you mean Wudox can’t swim?”
“You know how leaves float? Buoyancy?” He avoided looking at me, focusing on the pond in front of us.
“Yeah, I’ve read the basics, but what does that have to do with the Wudox?”
We reached the pond's black sand beach. The sand felt warm under my feet, and the air held an odd tang. I dug my toes in the soft sand and looked at Odelm, waiting for an answer. He stared out at the still pond. There was no one in the pond at the moment, though we were not the only ones in the terrarium.
“In many ways, they are a lot like plants, just as the Ulax bear many similarities to fish. Wudox cannot swim. Their bodies force them to float. The petals on their backs act like leaves and prevent them from diving. It is a funny sight to see them try.” His voice brimmed with laughter.
“Why is that so funny?”
“Because we like to drag them around the pond. Sometimes, someone will leave them in the middle of the pond just to watch them try and get back to the beaches. It is possible with a lot of effort and flopping,” Odelm chuckled, before sobering. “We would never do such a thing to a nestqueen. They would likely retaliate, and it would not be pleasant.”
Odelm took off without any further explanation, splashing into the water. When the water reached his knees, he dove in, barely causing a splash.
Excitement rushed through me as I stepped into the water, enjoying the feel of the liquid on my skin and the sand under my feet. The warm water felt divine. I paused, a peal of laughter escaping me as I spun in circles along the water’s edge, my face and arms raised to the sky. I had never felt so free, so alive. I sent another prayer of thanks to the Stars, the Fates, or whomever was watching over me.
I grabbed the hem of my gown and pulled it over my head, tossing it onto the grass. I turned back to the pond with a smile on my face. Odelm had moved farther out into the pond, bobbing in the water. His violet ombre hair waved about his head, flicking drops that splashed against the surface of the water.
“Is it safe to come in?” I called to get his attention, hands on my hips.
He turned, his mouth open in shock. He simply stared for a moment before shaking his head to clear some thought.
“Yes... let me come get you.”
I watched as he dove, reappearing a few seconds later a short distance in front of me. He stood, wrapping his tentacles back around his torso as he approached.
“I am not going to let you go deeper than your chest, not without knowing how to swim. That would be irresponsible, especially in your condition,” Odelm scowled. “I still cannot believe Master Scholar Xylo is not by your side where he belongs. He clearly does not value what he has if he is so cavalier with your safety. A bonded male always remains at his nestqueen’s side.”
I stepped closer, my feet splashing in the water. Tilting my head up, I looked into his light green eyes with fury... and shoved him.
Odelm stumbled backward, his tentacles unwinding to flail in the air as he regained his balance. He crouched warily as if preparing to defend himself from me.
“Let’s get this straight. I wanted to get to know you and maybe one day become friends, but I guess I was wrong to believe you wanted the same. I get you distrust females, that there’s some history I’m unaware of. Whether you ever want to tell me is up to you, but don’t judge me based solely on that. I amnotthem,” I said, my voice steadily growing in volume as my anger grew. “And don’t denigrate Xylo. He has a job, and from what I can tell, loves it. I refuse to take him away from it just because I accidentally court-bonded with him. When we figure out whether to make our bond permanent, how we live and how much time we spend apart for work can be decided, but I am not ever going to be the reason he stops. Most importantly, whatever’s between Xyloand me is between us. Got it? It’s none of your business. He trusted me enough to give me freedom I’ve never had. To let me roam the ship by myself. To make my own decisions. He is this ship’s Master Scholar, so you should trust he is capable of evaluating the situation.”
He just stood there watching me, shocked.
