Page 48 of Where the Current Takes Him
“So, you must be Beau,” she said with an easy smile. “I’m Oiwen. Nice to meet you.”
Beau took the proffered hand. “Nice to meet you too. The falafel smells amazing.”
It really did. The scent of cumin had his stomach snarling.
“Thanks!” Oiwen seemed genuinely pleased. “My roommate taught me how to make it and I’ve been kind of obsessed since.”
“Roommate?” Beau probed.
“Oiwen is attending the University of Florida’s fine arts college in Gainesville,” Loriun supplied. “She spends most of her time surrounded by humans.”
Beau noticed the female Alpha was sporting a nose ring. “That explains… a lot.”
Oiwen laughed. “What can I say, human fashion is way more interesting than Mer.”
Zicoi rolled her eyes. “I will never understand the human need to prioritize appeal over comfort.”
Beau allowed himself to be ushered to the large dining table at the other end of the kitchen. It sat atop a glass floor, and its legs seemed to extend through the glass, into the pool of water below.
“The dining area is usually submerged,” Fauos explained, gesturing to a seam in the glass. “But it can be raised to floor level. We thought you might be more comfortable eating on dry land.”
Beau flushed. “That’s very kind of you.”
Fauos waved him off. “You are not the first human to visit our home.”
“Yes, Oiwen keeps bringing them back here on weekends and summer vacation,” Zicoi added. “Very interesting people.”
Oiwen snickered. “They keep asking me how I got security clearance for so many humans, but a magician never reveals her secrets.”
By the time everyone sat down, the surface of the dining table was barely visible. Grilled tuna steaks, expertly sliced sashimi, tangy seaweed salad, salted kelp chips, Oiwen’s falafel, and a few violet-colored vegetables Beau eyed with suspicion.
“They are safe for humans,” Loriun said, depositing a spoonful of the Usoi tubers onto his overloaded plate. Beau picked up his fork and prodded them. They seemed to have the texture of a potato, but wetter, which did little to add to their appeal. Just as Beau was gearing up to stick a chunk of the alien vegetable in his mouth, he realized that none of the Mer had begun eating. He hastily set his fork back down.
Zicoi cleared her throat.“Yusivo’sa Agith,”she said in a low, reverent tone.
“Yusivo’sa Agith,”the rest of her family murmured. Everyone then picked up their utensils and got to work on the feast before them.
Beau’s eyes darted around the table, utterly bemused. As far as he knew, the Mer no longer practiced any form of religion, but that had felt awfully like saying grace at a southern table.
Loriun looked down at him. “Eat,luae. Myriueis just a little superstitious.”
“What were you all saying?” Beau asked, retrieving his fork.
“Yusivo’sa Agith.It means ‘Thanks to Agith,’ the old goddess of life.” The Alpha shot his mother a look. “The old religions have mostly died out, but some cling to old habits.”
“You listen to me, Loriun,” Zicoi retorted, leveling a fork of tuna in his direction. “It hurts nobody to thank the goddess for our bounty, but it just might hurt if I don’t.”
“What happens if you don’t thank her?” Beau asked. Without thinking, he popped a piece of purple tuber into his mouth. It tasted like a waterlogged carrot, fished out of the ocean after several months of stewing in the depths. Beau fought to keep his face neutral.
Oiwen, sitting across from him, was watching him with amusement.
“You can spit it out,” she said, grinning. “Humans aren’t usually big fans of the flavor.” She handed him a napkin, which he snatched and held to his face, spitting the mystery vegetable inside.
Loriun tilted his head. “You do not like it?”
Beau coughed. “Um. I think… Maybe it’s an acquired taste.”
“Good luck acquiring it.” Oiwin held up a forkful of the sea-carrot in a toast and tossed it into her mouth.
