Page 57 of Mated on Live

They passed close to one that, while not very deep, was wide enough to fit four comfortably. She stared into it as they passed, the family ahead and behind her and Serval, chatting happily. They had been around the nesting pools all their life; it wasn’t anything special to them.

“It’s the wii.”

She turned at Serval’s words, looking at him. “The wii?”

“The glow.” He smiled at the pools. “The glow means the wii are healthy and they’re thriving. When they’re wet like that, they glow.”

“Oh…” She breathed, turning back, staring in amazement.

“The big one is where we host our mating and coming of age ceremonies,” Serval said, pointing. “That one over there is where the young play. That one is where the young are given their first beads. And that one is the birthing pool.”

They didn’t pass close enough for her to see what was in the birthing pool, but she definitely saw something moving around under the surface.

“Those are the rei,” Serval said as one of the males broke off to go to the edge of the pool. He knelt down and dipped his hands into the water. Something splashed as though playing with him. “The newborns are too young to be exposed to the air.”

“I thought you guys couldn’t breathe in water.”

“We can’t. They have to swim to the surface frequently to breathe, but they can’t leave the pool. Someone is almost always by the rei pool, making sure they’re all swimming up frequently enough.”

“Is it just me, or are the males the ones who seem to be the baby-… I mean, the rei caretakers.”

Serval nodded. “Females birth the young, and they feed them. But males are the primary caretakers. Traditionally, of course. There’s no hard rule.”

Sophie made a thoughtful sound as they passed the last of the pools and reached the short steps that led into the communal area. It was a very simple place, a roof on columns built on a deck that stretched out over the water. There was a square in the middle cut out completely, letting people jump into the ocean, and there seemed to be something down there, but on top of the deck were tables and benches and an outdoor kitchen that was currently busy with multiple people who were preparing large trays of food for the long banquet table.

Something absolutely delectable titillated her senses, making her tilt her head back, sniffing at the air, trying to catch the scent.

“What… What is that?” She asked, eyes closed, trying to define the fragrance but not having the right words to describe it.

Serval chuckled. “That’s ovili.”

Sophie sniffed more as he directed her to a bench in the middle of the long, ‘U’ shaped table everyone was finding seats at wherever they wanted. They were all chatting, blending together in a wild mash of people. Serval sat at one side of her, Ellow on the other, while Valorei quickly threw herself down across from them, beaming at her and Serval.

The table was already laden with food. Nothing that she recognized, but there were lots of plates and platters. All of it smelled spicy. Mouthwatering. There was something that looked like seaweed salad, dark green and slimy like nopales. A seriously huge fish, roasted and steamed and wrapped in more seaweed, was spread out like a roasted pig. Small bowls of oils in different colors – black, red, green, yellow – were set out for dipping. Something crispy and fried, like little tortilla chips but thicker, were set out around a dense bowl of something fluffy and purple speckled with yellow.

No one was touching any of the food yet, so she didn’t either. She wasn’t sure what they were waiting for, but Serval served her something out of a dark pitcher into an equally dark glass.

“Dark wine,” he said. “It’s aged at the bottom of the sea, never seeing the light. It gives it a strong flavor.”

He called it wine, but it burned like whiskey. It didn’t have a briny taste, like she would expect from something submerged in water, but instead was rich and almost creamy, spiced like eggnog, but it was a heat kind of spice. It was good, but she just sipped at it as everyone still in the kitchen came walking in, all of them bearing trays.

Woll was among them. He came up to her and picked up a small bowl, only big enough to fit in the palm of one hand. He set it in front of her with a smile before serving another bowl to Ellow, then Serval, then the others, down the line. Everyone was getting the little bowls.

And in the bowls…

Sophie took in a deep breath, because that was the elusive fragrance she had detected before. She didn’t know how to describe it. The scent wasn’t earthy or floral or savory or sweet. It was just… ovili. Not salty or briny, despite looking like oysters out of their shell, fried up and doused in chili oil. But unlike the rest of the food, it didn’t smell spicy. She really couldn’t think of anything it smelled like, and describing it seemed difficult somehow.

“First bite is yours,” Ellow said, whispering to her softly.

Sophie was distracted from ovili to find everyone staring at her. She smiled before looking for some kind of fork or something, but when she saw none, she glanced at Serval. He mimed picking up the food with his fingers.

Salivating, starving for this new, unknown food, she obligingly picked up one of the small pieces and pushed it past her lips.

Her eyes widened as she chewed, and the flavor overwhelmed her. The rest of the commu laughed at the expression on her face, at the way she reacted, eyes rolling back, covering her mouth as though there might be a chance someone might take it from her.

It was so good. Like what she imagined sunlight tasted like – if one could taste a concept. Bright and airy, not really sparkling but definitely glowing somehow. There was a hint of spice in it, but it wasn’t painful on the tongue. It was just… ovili.

“Aye, dio,” she groaned, looking at Serval. “Are you kidding me, right now?”

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