Clair de Lune

42. Warm waters

My hand dipped along with the wind, tracing the shapes of the currents as we drove through town. I had a big grin on my face; my teeth were getting cold from the whiplash and I was too busy trying to enjoy myself to notice. Osiris could only laugh at me while Necro relaxed with his hands behind his head.

I was starting to think about what all of this would be like after we completed the mission. We'd run off and disappear into the depths of civilization for the rest of our lives, or eternity in some cases. I wondered if any of us would ever cross paths again. My eyes met with Osiris' for a split second and her lips twitched up into a smile before she looked back out at the landscape, and I knew I'd see her again. If not once, but maybe even multiple times. Maybe she'd even stick by my side for a while before she left us on our own. I was sort of hoping she would.

I hadn't noticed the scenery change while I was lost in my thoughts and soon enough we jilted to a stop, the edge of a beach within sight. Lily pretty much flung herself from the cab of the truck and took off running, leaping into the water from a small cliff in shorts and a tank top. While I laughed I commended her enthusiasm, jumping out onto the packed dirt road to join her. Doors slammed shut behind me and I was followed by everyone else.

When Murmur got to the shore he pulled off his shirt and his jeans, revealing plaid boxers and more scars. I averted my gaze and did my best to hide my blush as he jumped in, turning only to see him attempting to beckon us over. I just shook my head and padded onto the beach, loving the feel of the sand between my toes as I dropped my shoes at my side.

"Are we heading in?" Necro asked, and I nodded before speaking.

"Yeah, ready to see some half naked people?" I snorted teasingly, and he only rolled his eyes at me before tugging his shirt off.

"When are you going to stop with the blind jokes?"

"When you do."

"Touché." He grinned, pulling his jeans off and tossing them aside before walking towards the water.

"Do most people these days bathe with clothes on?" Osiris asked, approaching my side.

"We usually have bathing suits for when we're out in public, like a bra and underwear set just for swimming," I explained, "we're just improvising today."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I prefer not to have my clothing sticking to places where it shouldn't." She said evenly, pulling her shirt over her head with ease while her assets spilled out. I looked away, catching Sergei's eyes as he mimicked me. Marshall on the other hand whistled, and she made a face of fake disgust at the man before stripping the rest of her clothes off and walking in.

"That woman has no shame." Thamyris snorted, crossing her arms over her ribs.

"I wouldn't either if I were her," I sighed longingly, looking down at myself with distaste, "or you for that matter."

"What? Is she as endowed as I am in the womanly department?" Thamyris flaunted herself, causing me to roll my eyes uncomfortably.

"You're both plenty more endowed than I am..."

"I bet you're gorgeous," she smiled, "I wish I could see you. Your voice is so mellow and gray, I can picture you with a melancholy beauty."

"Gray?" I asked, my interested peaked at the use of the word.

"When you're unable to see, sometimes you start to attribute things to something they wouldn't normally imagine them with. Gray for instance, its calm and still a little sad, like dust. I guess untouched might be a good synonym."

"Except I'm more of an average daisy than a dusty dragon snap." I said suddenly, shaking my head, "Whatever sense of beauty that was ever about me is gone anyway, it got burnt away with my cheeks and my sense of humanity."