by Aer-ki Jyr
“Finally,” she said through the translator in Paul’s breath mask. The Elarioni swam over to him and locked him up in a big hug. “Why do you do this to me? I’ve missed you so much. You could at least stop by every 5 years or so,” she said with a touch of sarcasm.
“Bad guys to kill, ships to build, systems to conquer…I’m a busy guy,” he said, hugging her back.
“I know, I know,” she said, finally releasing him and looking him in the eyes that weren’t covered by the small, compact mask that gave him his Elarioni voice. “And you did just bring me some new friends, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much.”
“I would have found you sooner, but you’ve been out and about.”
“Yes, things are absolutely crazy right now…but a good crazy. There’s no room to put everyone so we’re camping out in free water and that is something I haven’t done for such a long time. They haven’t either, so it’s a new experience, but one that they’re loving. They really like Atlantica, and your cities, by the way. I think this is going to work out beautifully.”
“Well, you did help design most of our stuff,” Paul pointed out as she pulled him all the way inside her quarters by the wrist, with him letting her propel him forward given that she was the far better swimmer.
“Some,” she corrected. “Kyler knows the water almost as well as I do now.”
“High praise.”
“And well deserved,” she said, finally letting go of him for a moment, then swinging around behind him and pressing on his lower back. “Let’s see what progress you’ve made.”
Paul laughed, then assumed an old position and let Ariel test his flexibility and kick strength as he went through several motions while she held him in place.
“Not much better,” she commented dryly. “But no worse. You haven’t been doing much practicing.”
“Actually I have, you just forget how bad I was.”
“No I don’t,” she said humorously.
“That and I’ve picked up a new trick. I’m still not as fast as you, but I’m much quicker.”
“Oh? Then why aren’t you showing me.”
Paul’s face tightened up in a smirk, but more from effort than amusement as he formed bioshield fins over his legs and kicked in a very similar way to how Ariel moved.
The water behind him moved in such a way that, despite not being able to see the shields, Ariel instantly could feel the difference…and the power that he now had.
“What is this?” she asked, curious and excited.
“A new ability,” he said, grabbing her wrist to get her to let him go, then he righted himself parallel to her and held up his bare hands, forming a shield bubble in between them that pushed back the water and formed a small vacuum, which him altering the shield so it became partially visible. “I can create energy shields and use them in multiple ways, including giving me a tail, more or less.”
“Come on,” she said, grabbing his wrist again and pulling him back towards the door. “You’re going to show me on the course.”
Paul smiled underneath his mask and let her drag him out and across the watery tunnels within the city to one of the obstacle courses that Ariel trained on to maintain her self-sufficiency…something that she’d be teaching her own people to achieve, given that she was far older than them all, but none the less younger than when he’d found her on the lizard jumpship, which her grip testified to.
He enjoyed the ride over, then swam the last few meters to the starting position near the pedestal as Ariel took up position on the other side of it and stared at him with her glowing golden eyes.
“Ready?”
“Always,” he said, putting his hand on the start button.
“Impress me,” she taunted, smashing his hand down and activating the timer in the friendly method of starting the courses they’d developed whenever running one in tandem.
Pushing off the pedestal for a bit of momentum, Paul leveled out and began the intricate kick that she’d taught him long ago, summoning up shield enhancements and finding himself still outpaced by Ariel, with her looking back at him and smiling…but with her tail kicking harder than it normally did to stay ahead of him.
She was still the better swimmer, but he wasn’t so inferior now…and judging by her smile he guessed that he’d advanced to the point of being a peer. Maybe a slower little brother, but still a peer rather than a student.
Which Paul’s mind immediately corrected into Star Wars metaphor. No longer was he a youngling, for in that satisfied expression of hers he’d just been promoted to Apprentice.
The Force is strong with this one, Paul thought, trying to goose a little more speed out of his body.
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