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 Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:59 pm
"I don't know," Dari admitted, "How can I know if it's different than what you see? All I see is stars and the night sky the same way they've always appeared." As for other planets, he knew it was possible. He was living proof. Humanity just hadn't gotten quite so far yet.
A smile spread across his face.
"Like butterflies?" Had his silent predictions come true? Had he been right? Between the blondes all day he had seen little sparks and flirting that went just a bit beyond the norm. Ever since that necklace he had seen something different in Maia's eyes.
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:21 pm
"Same as me. I like it when all the lights are out and you can see them so brightly. I haven't gone out to look here yet. When we come here, we could look at them together."
Maia considered his suggestion. She hesitated. Why was he smiling? "I suppose," she said. "How do I make it stop? It's been going on for a day or so. But today's the worst."
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:24 pm
"Out here, the stars are very striking." They were a bit out there, not surrounded by city lights or even an especially large town. It was kind of... romantic, no?
"It's not all bad, is it? Isn't it kind of exciting?" he asked. "I don't think you should worry. It sounds like a very common, harmless sort of affliction. Do you feel it in particular during any activities or sorts of contact?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 10:16 pm
"Maybe Toby will watch them with us," Maia mused. "I saw a shooting star once. But it was faint."
Maia opened her mouth to protest that no, it was awful and she wanted it gone, when she realized he was right. It was a little exciting. It made her feel giddy. Hopeful, but for what she wasn't certain. "When I'm around Toby," she admited. She gasped. "You don't think I'm allergic to him, do you? That'd be awful..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:09 am
Dari's smile broadened.
"No, no, it's not an allergic reaction. It's a human body's reaction to a certain kind of affection toward another. It's nothing to worry about, I promise you." Not for her health, anyway. For her sanity, for her happiness, maybe.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:19 am
Maia seemed to be pretty worried. Her eyes went wide in realization, and she looked back towards Toby. She quickly looked back to Dari. "I like him?" she asked in a whisper. "But I like you just as much and those things don't happen around you."
"What do I do? Do I tell him?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:27 am
"No, no," Dari replied quickly, his own voice lowered so as to not reach the man at the controls. "Tobias can be somewhat sensitive to such subjects, and not in the way one might hope. I like you very much as well, Maia, but our 'like' is friendly. Platonic. These squirming fish, as you put it, are more a sign of romantic interest."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:33 am
"So we keep it a secret," Maia nodded. "I won't tell. You won't, and maybe someday he'll be less sensitive." And they could tell him. "I don't really understand romance," she mused. "I've seen quite a bit of it on the beach. But I've never felt this way."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:07 am
Dari nodded seriously. "Yes, I think that'd be the best idea." It might take some working to get Toby there, but maybe it could be done. They'd just have to be careful about it.
"I've never experienced it personally, but I have seen such things. I have memory of it. Perhaps it's a function of your human form?" Either way, selkie love was up for question, but did it really matter? Surely they'd be able to figure it out if it was.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:24 am
"Maybe. But you'd think it would've already happened," she considered. She thought it must have been lonely, to be able to remember love but not to have experienced it. She reached for Dari's hand. "Well. I love you. You're my best friend."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:31 am
"Maybe, but 'love works in mysterious ways,' so who knows? Maybe you just hadn't met the right person." Rarely did lonely people go to the beach alone. That was why sailors used to be such good partners for selkie love. Nothing quite made a man lonely like month out at sea with nothing but other men.
He allowed Maia to take his hand and nodded. "I love you too, Maia."
"Hey!" A shout from behind them. "What are you two lovebirds up to?!"
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:39 am
Love worked in mysterious ways? Hm. Maybe that was it. "Maybe," Maia said. She gave him a smile, but looked up at the shout. She turned to look at Toby. "We're admiring the water!" she called back to him, sticking out her tongue. Lovebirds indeed.
"You could come sit with us, if you're tired of manning the wheel."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:48 am
"Uh-huh. Sure!" Toby teased. They were out far enough, though. They weren't going to get snagged by anyone's fishing hooks or bumped by any other boats. The lake was pleasantly unattended. He'd wanted to be far enough away from the nearest boat so Dari could talk openly, and they seemed to be there just now. He killed the engine and came up to the front of the boat with a sign, collapsing over Dari and Maia both, an arm around each set of shoulders.
"So when's the wedding?"
Dari just shook his head, grinning.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:54 am
Maia grinned. "Tomorrow," she said. "At eight. I could've sworn I sent you an invite..." She shook her head and moved slightly so Toby could sit between them. "We were talking about stars. Dari says they're brighter out here than in Oregon. When we come to the lake again, can we watch them?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:57 am
"Well, it all depends on where you are," Toby explained, sidling in between them. "If you're near a big city or a ton with streetlights, they're harder to see. Places like out here they seem brighter." He shrugged then and smiled to Maia. "Sure, I don't see why not."
His attention shifted then to a school of little fish swimming by. Dari watched them too with a slightly tilted head.
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