Page 73 of Whispers of the Deep

There were so many barriers between them, and he didn’t know how to start ripping them down.

Or perhaps he did. Because he slid off the glass and underneath the dome, only to lift his head out of the water and find her waiting for him. There was no hesitation in her gaze or her words as she spun in front of him.

“What do you think?”

Up close, he could see the tiny details of the stitches. Just like his mother used to do in her tapestries. Tiny, neat rows of stitches made by a loving hand. Each stitch came together to depict waves on the hem of the skirts, rising up into little white foam near Mira’s waist. She held onto the edge of the fabric, lifting it just slightly with the movement so he could see the delicate bones of her ankles all the way up to what she called knees.

Ah, his damn gills were fluttering again.

Clearing his throat, he gave her a little nod. “You look well.”

“Well?” She shook her head at him, clearly disappointed by something he’d said. “Men. It doesn’t matter if you live underneath the sea or in the cities, you never say compliments easily. This is the first time you’ve seen me out of a wetsuit and that’s all you have to say?”

“I’ve seen you out of the silver suit,” he reminded her. “I have seen you in many different ways.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not before we could actually speak with each other. And certainly not before you knew I was a person and not just some horrible human intent on destroying the ocean.”

She had a point, but that really changed nothing. She was still an achromo, and he had seen her in clothing, as she liked to call it.

Frowning, he looked her over a little more before replying, “You are beautiful in a strange way, Mira. I have always found you to be intriguing, no matter what you wear. Although I will admit, the silver suit you wore before does make you feel a little more familiar to me.”

“Familiar?” That grin never budged from her face. “Why would you ever wish for me to be familiar, undine?”

And he supposed she was right. He didn’t want her to be familiar. He wanted her to be... her. Holding out his hand for her to take, he gestured for her to come closer. “There is more in this area that I would like to show you, kairos.”

“And ruin this dress? I just found it!”

He sighed. “Then find another, Mira. I wish for you to return to the sea with me.”

More than anything. He felt out of his element here. This strange bubble was not safe for people like him, nor did he wish for her to remain in it for too long. Some fearful part of him worried that if he let her leave the grasp of the sea, and perhaps the grasp of his arms, that he would lose her to the land and the air once again.

“Fine,” she said with a flirty grin. “Let me change, though.”

He watched her walk up to the second level where the bed was and pull curtains shut. The great swaths of fabric hid her from his gaze, or at least, she thought it did.

He couldn’t see details, but he could see the silhouette of her body. The sun blasted through the glass behind her, and he watched as she pulled that fabric off her body. The long lines she revealed were graceful in her movements, and so tempting in everything else. He moved forward slightly, leaning his arms against the edge of the pool and resting his cheek against a forearm.

The shadow of her figure shifted, and his eyes caught on the shape of her hip and the strange triangle of light between her legs. He could stay here and watch her forever. And though there was the temptation to duck underneath the water and peek at her from outside the glass of the dome, he remained steady where he was.

Someday soon, he hoped, he would see the rest of her. Perhaps she would let him discover the secrets of the differences between them. Maybe she would let him spend hours indulging himself on all the parts of her body that he so readily wished to see.

Not only because he was curious, but because he wanted to hear the sounds she would make while he lingered in soft shadows and hollows of skin.

When she finally pulled the fabric back again to reveal herself, he was treated to yet another clothing item that he’d never seen before. Pale fabric poked out from beneath a layer of brown skirt. Straps held the white fabric to her legs, weaving up her torso where she had strapped her welder, the ties of her breathing apparatus, and her goggles.

She ran her hand down her stomach where the many straps crossed and smiled. “This is called a corset. It’s an old style, so whoever used to live here must have been from a long time ago.”

Considering the state the skeletons were in, he wasn’t surprised. There had been a long time since anyone had remembered this place existed.

“Are you ready?” he asked, wanting to get away from those dark thoughts of death and destruction.

“Sure.” She marched over to him, all confidence and bravado, before pulling the device over her mouth. Her goggles she left on top of her head, and she wore strange boots on her feet.

“Why do you have those on?” he asked.

“They’ll keep my feet warm, and I won’t have to use your gills this time.” She shrugged. “I couldn’t find any fins here, unfortunately. Otherwise, I might be able to keep up with you on my own.”

All the spines down his back rose in shock that she thought she could keep up with him, but then he noticed the grin on her face and the teasing glint in her eyes. “Kairos,” he muttered, already tired of her talking. “You would never be able to keep up with the People of Water even if you had one of your devices strapped to your waist.”

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