Surface R: Reunion

Part 04.1

PART 04

::TREY::

"Please Trey?"

"No,"

"Please Trey."

"No,"

"Pretty please with your Kytes debt on top?"

"Corrin!" I snapped. "You guys gotta stop using that against me."

Corrin stared innocently with his cloudy, gray eyes.

"Ugh. Now don't use that look against me," I turned flushed, even though he had no idea why it also got me to go with his whims, he still goes ahead and use it to his advantage. "I'm not gonna say yes every single time you do that."

Corrin chuckled, shaking his head. "Whatever 'that' is, anyway. Still don't get how it works. Am I doing it wrong now?" He teased, poking my sides. I try not to flinch. "Come on man, it's not like it will take that long." He's taking a break and left Lori with Meeko and Jenny.

Although he found a new thing to do: helping the children get washed. Apparently, it means I had to help... For him at least. I told him to just give them a regular wash, but he insisted that it'll be faster if their form of washing will be bathing in the pool, so I'd have to warm the water for them not to freeze. It gets real chilly at night.

"It's not like you're doing anything now." Corrin added.

I huffed, crossing my arms. "I happen to be thinki—"

"—sulking over your third strike yesterday that you think is why Lori's in his current state," Corrin quickly cuts in, alarmingly accurate. "And no, I haven't been in your head. You'd feel it if I had. It's obvious even to the little kids you're upset. Besides, Rhys does the thinking around here." He turned me around so I could see where the kids are playing, under the watch of a Wanderer named Kihiro. Corrin's right, they did seem to be more listless than usual. "Come on Trey," he held my hands. "It'll cheer them up, I'll get a decent bath, and it might make you feel better." I allowed him to pull me to my feet.

I gave a resigned sigh. "Oh all right." I could never refuse him anything, anyway. What would Thomas say?

Who could function in the face of that persistence?

It doesn't help that I have a secret crush on him, either.

"Yay!" The kids cheered when I come over, and Kiriho looks relieved.

I get to work.

The hotel had a large swimming pool, in an outdoor courtyard. When we found it, it had been pretty disgusting—all overgrown with weeds and junk. But Rhys and Meeko, between themselves, had found chemicals needed to clean it out—Eliot, a Batch one guy with a power similar to mine, except it's water, helped Rhys come up with a way to fill it out with purified water, water from a nearby stream purified by Eliot's influence. The result was an obvious success. I pulled off my shirt and dumped it by the side of the pool. I had an audience of children and one teenage girl, so I keep my shorts on.

I grumbled a bit, but just for show. I actually relished opportunities such as these in which I can use my powers without having to worry about hurting anyone.