Tails of Alpherion

Tails of Alpherion: #007 Hidden Agenda

SEVEN

The first activity the young couple experience together is a concert on one of the piers. At first, Samantha is a bit jumpy and tentative to her surroundings. Vaughn notices this and tries to find a place less crowded for them to stand and enjoy the music. The songs sound jubilant and festive, perfect for a warm, spring evening on the beach. Vaughn sees a small crowd in front of the stage dancing to the music, without a care on their faces, and the two dare each other to join in. Once that is over, the two decide to start sampling the different food stations that line the sidewalks. First, they try a sample of fish tacos that are bursting with flavor. Then, they find a station that sells a variety of seafood like crab cake fritters, eel, and fried squid on a stick.

Vaughn tries them all, trying to wear a fearless expression while forcing down each one. Though it is impressive to Samantha, it doesn't convince her enough to follow suit. For their next stop, Vaughn leads her to the beach's aquarium. There, Samantha is fascinated by all the live exotic sea life that she never got a chance to see unless it was on TV or in books. Vaughn then takes her to an exhibit where they can touch or hold some of the sea creatures for themselves. They both take turns holding a sea star and tiny hermit crabs that fearfully tuck themselves within their shells. An instructor then guides them into a darkened room where they keep a collection of deep-sea creatures that thrive in the darkest parts of the ocean.

"Wow! I didn't know that some sea creatures never see the light of day!" Samantha says as she skims over the bio of an angler fish.

"Yeah, that's crazy, right?" Vaughn agrees.

"You would think it must be frightening being surrounded by darkness your entire life, never knowing what's lurking right in front of you. Living life inches away from danger while being completely oblivious." Sam shivers as she crosses her arms to give herself a sense of security.

"When you look at the world from their perspective, the darkness to them is no different from the light that we bask in. For them, danger is always surrounding them, but if they never know it's there, maybe to them, that is what the definition of peace is? Just...not knowing," Vaughn replies. "But I guess those who walk in the light like us aren't exactly safe either," he adds after sighing somberly.

"I suppose so..." Samantha turns to face Vaughn, gauging the expression on his face. "From what I can tell, the Divinity remains committed towards helping all faunians across the nation of Alpherion. However, I've recently found out that things aren't so good up north," Samantha reveals to Vaughn, referring to what Najera told her after visiting the diner.

Vaughn awkwardly rubs his neck as he tries to come up with a reasonable response. He is uncertain as to what he can say about the subject; there are some matters in the Northern Territories that are even unknown to him, but he doesn't want to make her feel as though the Divinity isn't addressing them. For now, Vaughn chooses to be open with Sam and tries to shed light on the subject without sounding incompetent at their duties, especially since his Aunt Jennifur currently serves as the Archbishop of the Northern Territories.

"Yeah, you could say that things are a little shaky between Divinity and the citizens of the north. Despite the many services that the Congress of Ministries and Divinity provide, there are some disgruntled faunians out there who don't receive the enlightenment or help they deserve," Vaughn tells her as they begin to leave the deep-sea exhibit. "Unfortunately, those who distrust us rely on their own means to salvation...or worse," he informs her before letting out a gloomy sigh.

Samantha feels a bit guilty after bringing up the subject. She didn't mean to make him upset, so she tries to cling to his arm tightly to console his glum disposition.