Page 69 of Song of the Abyss

“I am not moping.” Daios did his best to keep the emotion out of his words, but he knew that Maketes could see right through him.

His brother grinned, the expression one of utter triumph. “Not mopey at all? Not when you’ve been dragging yourself around the sea like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders? I’ve never had such trouble getting you to leave our pod. Not since the achromos found our first home. Do you know what that makes me think?”

He didn’t care. He didn’t want to know what his brother thought, and he certainly did not care what Maketes had told himself. There was no story. There was nothing at all.

Grunting, he pushed past Maketes and off into an area of this graveyard they had not searched yet. But he knew that his brother wouldn’t give up this teasing. Not when he was so certain that he had something to tear into.

“Daios,” Maketes called, drawing out each sound of his name. “You like the woman! Far more than any other achromo we’ve met before.”

“I do not.”

“You think I haven’t seen you watching her? Mira’s home is glass. I can see your eyes are on her all the time. Not just when she’s looking at you.” Maketes floated by him again, his arms behind his head as though he didn’t have a care in the world. “She doesn’t watch you nearly as much. I wonder why that is?”

“She is an achromo. She is unaware of her surroundings and does not have our natural ability to see far in the water.” At least, that’s what he’d been telling himself.

Because he had noticed she didn’t look at him as much as he wanted her to. Daios had been swimming by the glass dome multiple times a day in the hopes that he would catch a glimpse of her lovely eyes. But no, he was not so lucky. If she looked at him every other day, that was a surprise.

“Arges said she’s settling in well, but seems a little off herself. I wonder if you’re both mopey for the same reason.”

“We are not,” Daios snapped. “That is ridiculous.”

“Are you so sure? You were alone together for an awfully long time.” Maketes pressed both of his hands to either side of his face, squishing his cheeks forward. “I can only imagine all the things you got into! So much... conversation.”

He knew what Maketes meant, and he did not mean that they were conversing. But still, there was a part of him that thrust forward to say, “I do not know how to speak with her.”

“You...” Maketes frowned, twisting his body so he was upright in the water. “What do you mean?”

“I...” Exasperated, he gestured toward his face. “This.”

“That ugly face of yours is why you can’t talk?”

Snarling, he turned away to start searching again. “Forget I said it.”

“No, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of the situation. I’ve just never seen you all tongue tied over a woman before.” Maketes rushed forward, careful not to touch Daios and make him even angrier, but clearly wanting to show support. “You can’t talk with her? You seemed fine when you brought her here. I’m certain I saw you speaking with her.”

“That was different.”

When it was just the two of them, it was easier. He didn’t think about all the things her people had done to his. He barely even noticed their differences when she was laughing or locking his gaze on hers. She had a way about her that made him forget to be uncomfortable.

But here? All of that was different.

Everyone looked at him all the time. Like they were just waiting for him to explode and murder her. And he didn’t like that. He didn’t want people to think that he could ever hurt her, let alone that he’d thought about it.

Yes, he hated the achromos. Her people were a plague upon this sea and he would gladly see them all dead. Just not... her. And that was a strange emotion to even get through on his own, regardless of everyone judging him while he did it.

“Well,” Maketes said, his voice low and slow. “Why don’t we... practice?”

“What?”

“Pretend I’m the lovely Miss Anya.” He fluttered his lashes, gills flapping flat against his neck as though he were trying to make himself look more like a female. “Oh, Daios, I haven’t seen you in weeks!”

He blinked at Maketes once, twice, then just grunted, “No.”

Again, his brother swam in front of him, flaring all his fins out to the side as though that might stop Daios from swimming away. “I’m taking this seriously. You need to practice how you’re going to talk to her if that’s what you want to do. I’m good at conversing.”

“No.”

“I’m better than you.” Maketes even stretched his arms out, forcing Daios to remain where he was. “You need me, Daios. Let me help.”

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