Rhodoreef

38. The Human Boy

"Anuk!" Dea clasped his hand, careful not to disturb the IV catheter. "How are you feeling?"

He watched the point where their hands met as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. "Suddenly...I'm much better."

She hastened to swipe at her eyes and muttered, "You brine pool jerk."

"Are you...smiling at me?" he whispered.

"I'm just happy I could..." Her trembling lips stretched wider. "I have so much to tell you."

"I got that feeling the moment you woke up and started talking."

"What!"

Anuk's hand shifted under hers, and his thumb drew circles on her skin. "Isn't it good that I heard that?"

Dea said nothing, part of her marveling at the calming effect the simple gesture had on her.

"I wish I could ease the weight on your shoulders." A frown eclipsed his face to match the semidarkness around them. "And I hate to see you put yourself in danger. Not just you—Nadie, Muda and the others. I can't even be there."

"Anuk..."

"At least," he said, keen eyes fixed on her, "the others have way better fighting skills and military training."

She blinked at him. "Thank you for that vote of confidence in my battle prowess. My shooting isn't bad at all."

"You're obviously a quick learner." He let out a quiet chuckle. "And you might have good aim. But..."

"I'm not a tank?"

He raised his eyebrows. "A gamer mermaid..."

"I play the occasional FPS," she said, trying to sound less indignant. "I have a VR headset at home, and I used to go to the arcade at the mall."

"Ah." He appeared to mull it over. "Well, I do have something that would help keep you safe."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say I upgraded a Cypod with another prototype I was experimenting with. It's a hidden card I didn't reveal to your city-state—it's a bit too complicated and costly to mass produce in a short time anyways."

"Oh..." Her eyes widened. "Where is it?"

"Kelp will be here with it soon."

The gravity of the situation pressed on her again, and Dea shook her head, pale pink waves jiggling with the motion. "Anuk, I just don't understand how your brain works. You're going through this, but you're busy worrying about me. I—I thought you'd..."

"I'd what?"

"Why do you do all this?" She regarded him. "What you do down in the deep with the Callian exiles and the nomad community—well, everything you do."

"I'm just bored."

He maintained a straight face. Her lips twitched, though exasperation made her want to bonk him on the head. Are you trying to lighten up the mood or is this your way of distracting yourself from...

"Is that why you took that bullet for me?" she asked quietly. "Someone who forced you to make weapons?"

He watched her, brow furrowing again. Dea hung her head, and her stare fixated on their joined hands. The sound of waves swelled to fill the quiet. She suddenly wished she could disappear beneath them, dissolve into foam and cease to exist.

"Behind the pain and anger, I could still see the mermaid I first saw in the high seas." He closed his eyes as if to relive the moment. "I can't imagine what you've been through, but I can relate to the anger and despair when you come face to face with what's happening to the oceans. I've been there. I still do—I just channel it into my work."