Close Nemesis

Chapter Forty-Eight: Party Fever

LAIVA:

"So, you want some blue marshgrass tea?" Xalir asks, as he stands in front of the kitchen counter on the opposite end of the party room;.

"Yes," I reply shakily, staring at my fiery hands.

"I thought you destroyed all superpowers."

"I thought so too," I mumble, staring at the glossy finish of the orange countertop.

The glow of Xalir's tie dye holocrete shirt reflects onto the bench. He smiles happily as he pours blue grass tea into a silver teacup. As I sip the tea, I feel the frosty draft behind me.

"What happened, Xalir? I thought I could get away from this life for good. I mean, I'm still struggling, but it was such a relief to not have any powers. It lifted a lot of my stress, but not all of it."

Xalir acknowledges me with a clumsy nod, indicating that he's slightly tipsy. His species have excellent focus, so it takes a while for alcohol to fully affect his judgement.

"Should we tell Mr Television?"

I smile at Xalir's tipsiness. "You mean TeleVisore? He probably knows. But we should definitely meet up with him in costume. I still have mine. What about you?"

"I kept mine. Wait, you're not Laiva. You're just a stranger."

I roll my eyes, before raising my palm and manipulating Xalir's airflow so that he may fall unconscious.

Once he falls asleep, I go upstairs and bring the quilt to him. Then, I wrap it over his body, and walk away.

After finishing my tea, I step through the hole in the wall, before using my earth powers to repair it.

I must still have his powers. I don't know how. Maybe I kept his powers when I unleashed the energy. But I heard the commotion downstairs, and from what I heard, someone else had powers.

This puzzle is just baffling.

But I'm not drunk. I don't drink alcohol. So, I have a clearer head than Xalir.

By the time he wakes up, I should have some more answers.

But, first, I need my suit.

LYGOR:

Saying goodbye to Nygyl was fun. I wasn't sad at all. I mean, Nygyl and I weren't even friends. We were acquaintances at best. Equaaz was also grateful that Nygyl was leaving, although I did notice him shed a tear as Nygyl left.

Though, he said that was because he would be stuck with me and Laiva. Equaaz likes his alone time. That's why he spends most of his time in the bowels of the ship doing repairs and stuff.

I need a bigger crew, however. When Laiva departed my ship and left me with her suit, I have decided to wait in a shady bar in the outskirts of Entrek City. Equaaz dropped Laiva and I off by the outskirts before leaving for the marshes, where he could hide my baby, the Void's Marauder.

As Laiva ventured to a party hosted by Rotcetorp's civilian identity, I walked along to the bar at the edge of town. Of course, I told her to find me at the bar if Xalir didn't want to speak with her.

Now, I drink rum at the marble bar top. Rum is like water for other humanoid species. It doesn't cause me any harmful intoxication, while still giving me that 'kick'.

As I sip my glass of rum, I contemplate my next move.

I could go to Air, the neon gas giant. It would be a nice change of pace. I can hang low there while I look for a new crew. I guess there's also Islatopia. I would kill for some real rum from my homeworld.