The rest of the night was uneventful. Once our shift was over, Cobalt escorted me home.

“You don’t have to do-” I started.

“I’m going to stop you right there,” She interrupted. “How likely do you think that anything you say will make me change my mind?”

“Fair enough.”

We rode the waves across the surface of the lake (I don’t feel like going into detail about that. You get how it works). We chattered back and forth, going on about this and that. (What? Do I have to describe every little detail? Give me a fucking break!). Cobalt was telling me a story when-

“Excuse me,” a voice said beside me, almost scaring me shitless! A Luc-Luc around my age had snuck up on us while we were talking. I don’t know when he started following us, but he was suddenly a foot away. He didn’t even flinch when I jumped. I was about to punch his fucking face when he said, “Here you go.”

He held out his hand, which had a Spew Algae Pod Puff in a nest of paper. “What the fuck is this for?” I hissed at him, completely bewildered. “Who the fuck are you?”

“My uncle asked me to give this to you,” he replied calmly.

“Your uncle?”

He pointed over his shoulder at the bakery I had passed without even realizing. “He’s the Naiad you met yesterday; the owner of Tidepool.” I saw the sign written above the door, navy letters with illustrations of crabs and fish underlined with kelp. “His name is Ripple and he wanted me to give this to you.”

“Oh, thanks,” I took the puff from him, still skeptical. “I didn’t see you walk out of the bakery.”

His head tilted a little bit. “I didn’t come out of the bakery. I’ve been walking beside you for the past five minutes.”

“What the fuck!” Is he joking? I turned to Cobalt, who just shrugged. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I tried to get your attention, but I guess you didn’t hear me,” He continued without any sign of shame. “When my uncle told me you worked at the Deep Crawler and that you took this path on your way back, I figured that you would just cut across the lake. I was right.”

I honestly don’t know whether I should call this guy a stalker or just stupid. “How did you know I was the right person?”

“Hardly anyone is out at this time of night, and your friend doesn’t fit the way my uncle described your appearance,” He stated matter-of-factly. “Hello, Cobalt.”

“Heya, Bassi~” Cobalt chimed.

I turned to her. “You know him?”

She nodded. “Ripple’s bakery is one of the best. Bassi here is always around, so we know each other.”

I was surprised, which I shouldn’t be. It would be faster to list the people Cobalt wasn’t friends with in town than name the ones she was. It’s just the way she is.

This ‘Bassi’ waved vaguely over his shoulder. “I finished some muffins before I went looking for her. Would you like some?”

Cobalt’s eyes flashed. “Fresh muffins? Of course! Come on!” She grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the Tidepool.

“What the fuck is happening? Slow down!” How is she so fucking strong?

Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was at a seat on the patio, a basket of muffins in front of me, Cobalt chewing happily, and the Luc-Luc boy pouring two cups of tea. He set the kettle on the table and moved back towards the inside of the bakery. Cobalt flapped her arm, swallowed what appeared to be painfully, and said with tears in her eyes, “Come sit with us! We could use the company!”

Why? Why the fuck? I don’t know this guy, and I didn’t exactly like talking to his uncle! All I’ve figured so far is that he’s strange, and I really didn’t want to get to know him.

The Luc-Luc hesitated at the door. Cobalt continued to wave him over, her radiant smile bright in the early morning. Apparently, he couldn’t say no to her either. He took a seat and started eating a muffin. We sat there in silence, besides the chewing of muffins. I felt a jab from under the table and caught Cobalt giving me a sideways glance.

Great, she wants me to talk. Fucking fantastic. I don’t know what to say to him! Cobalt jabbed me again. Fine! What to say? Okay, here goes.

“How is your uncle a Naiad where you’re clearly a pure Luc-Luc?” I asked. Cobalt covered her eyes with her hands and sunk in her chair.

“My mom and dad were Luc-Luc. My mom died and my dad married a Naiad. Ripple’s actually my step-uncle, but he insists I call him uncle,” He said as if stating a simple fact.

I was getting the sense that this guy is rather bland. His tones didn’t hold any real expressive emotions. And he had this air of constant exhaustion: his eyes were a little sunken, making it seem that they were in shadows; shaggy, black hair hung just above his eyes; he didn’t move with any energy, as if he was just going through the motions. Another aspect of his face bothered me: it hardly changed. Whenever he spoke, his mouth was the only thing that moved. His eyes didn’t shift, his eyebrows were still, he didn’t move his body. I also don’t think I’ve seen him blink since he sat down, which disturbed me. For whatever reason, he was wearing gloves and a shirt with sleeves too long, even though it was the warm season. It was like he was a doll being operated by strings from behind the scene.

“How did your mom die?” Cobalt kicked my foot. I didn’t care; I just wanted to get a reaction out of this fucker.

“She was a soldier and died in a border scuffle when I was young,” He said in that fucking emotionless tone.

“A border scuffle? Really? How did she really die?”

“Lily!” Cobalt gasped.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no way she died in a ‘border scuffle’ like he said,” I leaned back in my chair, one arm hanging free off the back. “The worst it gets between the tribes is an occasional disagreement on trade routes. Somehow, this unheard of violence took his mother’s life? Bullshit.”

“You can’t just say stuff like that!” Her voice was rising, a sign that I had really pissed her off.

“If he can’t show the guts to admit the truth, I’m going to call his crap! It’s his mother! Aren’t we all supposed to be proud of our mom’s?”

Cobalt’s eyes widened, her complaint freezing on her tongue. It was something I hadn’t meant to say, but I let it slip out. It’s something that I never let Cobalt her me speak about. Since the night I had stayed in her home, tears dripping on her floor, neither of us had brought up the topic. I hope it would be gone, withered away like a plant left unattended. I had just watered its pot.

Our argument ground to a halt, both of us lapsing into silence. It was only a few seconds, but the sudden shift was clear. Which one of us would speak first?

Apparently, neither of us.

“She was part of the elite guard, a fighter through and through,” Bassi’s lusterless voice drew us back, putting the unintentional comment to rest in the heat of the moment. “She was tasked to escort an envoy for the Luc-Luc to meet with the Gleameyes before they both attended an event. There were… complications. She wasn’t able to return home, and she got caught up in the aftermath trying to protect the Gleameye border. That was a few months after I was born.”

A few months after… Oh.

I’m a fucking terrible person.

“I’m sorry,” I say, an audible sigh from Cobalt’s direction.

Bassi shrugged. “It was a long time ago. It’s fine.”

Just like that, he’s fine? What’s his deal?

“At least you had the rest of your family! They’re all so wonderful,” Cobalt added soothingly, trying to comfort someone who didn’t seem distressed.

“Yeah, I guess,” was all Bassi said.

“You mean his uncle?” I asked. “The Naiad?”

Cobalt shook her head, apparently glad for the change in conversation. “Ripple wasn’t his uncle at the time. I mean his father and siblings. How are they, by the way?”

“They’re great,” He put in.

“Would you mind telling me who you’re talking about?”

Cobalt took a quick sip of her tea before saying “Well, Bassi’s family is pretty well-known around here. You know Chasm, that young Luc-Luc that was just appointed as a relation advisor? That’s Bassi’s older brother.”

“Really?” I looked Bassi up and down, not seeing any sign that he might be related to anyone of that status. Said Luc-Luc was looking gloomier than a minute ago, rolling a pod precariously across the table with his fingertip.

“Oh yes!” Cobalt chirped. “And his sister is a renowned fighter, just like their mother! Her skills are incredible, and she has the makings to become part of the elite guard!”

“Uh. What about you?” I directed my question at Bassi, who lifted his eyes up slowly. “You got any remarkable skills, too? Or are you just some lowly baker?”

Cobalt swatted my arm, making my skin stinging. “That’s enough of that! And for the record, Bassi is a great student, just like his siblings! One day, you’ll end up just like them, won’t you Bassi?”

He pressed down on the pod to nearly its bursting point. He turned his eyes away, answering the question with a nod.

“I don’t see it,” I said honestly. “He doesn’t seem like a fighter or advisor to me. He just seems like a baker.”

“Lily, that’s enough!” Cobalt snapped.

I just shrugged, but I didn’t feel the bite behind her words. My attention was on the Luc-Luc now. He was looking at me, the pod stopped. He stared at me as if it was the first time he really processed my existence. It kind of pissed me off.

“No matter what, I’m sure you’ll follow your family’s footsteps. I’m looking forward to the day I hear you meet a nice girl, or that you’ve got some prestigious job.” Cobalt flashed her winning smile, that one that won over the hardest of characters.

“Sure, I won’t disappoint you,” Bassi said. This time, I picked up on something on the undertone of his voice; I couldn’t place what it was. He picked up his cup, stood, and went back into the bakery without another word.

A little taken back by his abrupt exit, I collected myself and took another bite of my puff. Cobalt turned to me with some meaningful expression that I didn’t recognize. “What,” I asked with a full mouth.

Cobalt gave me a look that I took as being half annoyed and half ‘are you kidding me?’ “You don’t see anything wrong with what just happened?”

“What does it matter?” I replied. “It seemed like he didn’t really want to be out here anyway.”

Cobalt sighed. “You’re hopeless sometimes.”

“What?” Cobalt rarely insulted me, unless we were joking with each other. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Cobalt met my eyes, a steely glint in her gaze. “I don’t know what to make of that kid. And you weren't helping!” She said with a sudden snap.

“What did I do?”

“For starters, how about questioning how his mother died? It’s a personal dilemma that you shouldn’t take lightly, and you acted so rudely!”

“They were just questions! I didn’t believe him, and I don’t like being lied to! I wanted an honest answer!”

“And what would you do if someone pressed you about your mother?”

Oh…

Fuck.

Cobalt sighed and picked up her muffin. “I don’t know a lot about him personally. I don’t think anyone does. Whenever I see him, he’s working here or reading. I’ve never seen him with other kids or even outside all that much. I’ve tried to connect with him about his family because I know a lot about them, so I thought it would be easy. It hasn’t worked. He’s…” She paused, thinking of what to say next. “Unexpressive, yes. He’s hard to figure out. When he popped up earlier, I thought it would be a good idea for you to bond with him. I think… that by letting you try to frustrate him, Bassi was trying to see if you would accept him. I honestly don’t know. Was I wrong to think that you could be friends?”

I didn’t say anything. Cobalt… couldn’t figure him out? The girl was a natural at getting anyone to open up to her. I know from experience! Just being around her, being close to her friendly personality, was enough to bring down most walls. If Cobalt couldn’t connect with him, I don’t know how I could.

“Why would it matter if I did become friends with him? It would just be a fucking waste of time!”

Cobalt sighed again. “If you say so, Lily.”

-----------------------------------------------------

“Here you go.”

It was the next day and I had finished my shift a short time ago. Cobalt only walked me to the pier today, since the rest of the way to the inn was through the safest part of Wake. When I passed the bakery, Basilisk was waiting for me. He handed me another paper wrapped Spew Puff.

“My uncle said to keep giving them to you,” With that, he turned back towards the bakery and entered without a backward glance.

That continued for two weeks. Every day, I would be walking after work and he would be waiting with a puff. He never said anything besides ‘Here you go.’ After that, he just returned to the bakery. It was weird; he’s just doing this because his uncle said so, but something about this seems… different. I don’t know, but it started to become something I looked forward to after a long day.

One time, I couldn’t fall asleep, so I wandered the streets of Wake until I would wear myself out. While doing this, I came across the older Naiad baker, Ripple, coming out of a shop with several bags strapped across his back. After a few seconds, I caught up to him and tapped his shoulder.

“Hm? Oh, it’s you, young lady!” He gave me his jolly smile I remembered from a little over two weeks ago. “How have you been?”

“I’m okay,” I replied quickly. I just wanted to say this fast. “Thank you for the Algae Puffs, but your nephew doesn’t need to stand outside every day like that. It’s more than enough already.”

Ripple face showed his puzzlement. “I don’t know what you mean. I only asked him to do that once, and that was weeks ago.”

---------------------------------------

Later that day, I stomped into the Tidepool with a bag dangling from my wrist. Basilisk was placing a loaf of bread on a shelf behind the counter. I walked up to him and held the bag over the dividing surface. “Here.”

Basilisk looked at me with that empty expression. “What’s that?”

“It’s a thank you gift, dumbass,” I stated. “For the puffs; you’ve been giving me even though your uncle didn’t tell you to. And…” I had to brace myself for the next part. “...it’s an apology for the way I acted a couple of weeks ago.”

He examined me like I was a poisonous insect that would sting him if he approached. Hesitantly, he took the bag and looked inside. For twenty seconds, all he did was look inside. Eventually, he set the bag aside and said, “That seemed like it was painful to say.”

Was that… a joke? “It was,” I admitted. “It felt like shit on my tongue. I’m done now.” I moved to the exit.

“Thank you.”

I froze and turned. His face was different. Warmer. It was only a half smile, but it completely rearranged his expression. His eyes seemed brighter, not nearly as blank and his hair not shading them. The smile caused his face to seem rounder, kinder than the passive look he usually had.

It was weird, but I thought I cracked a shell that Cobalt couldn’t scratch. It felt… strange.

Something about his expression made me return the smile. “You’re welcome.” I left. As I started to return to the inn, an image of Cobalt with a cocky smirk appeared in my head.

Damn it!