The Tides That Bind Us [AfroFuturism]

Charm and Good Looks

Pharahdox blinked at Zaharah and set the seedling amongst its brethren. "Oh, Zaharah. I didn't see you there." She gave her a smile that was less pop star glam and more angelic and brushed a wayward coil of hair from her face. "Will you be working with us today?"

"Yep." Zaharah returned the smile, but struggled to keep her eyes on Pharah's face. Damn, the girl looked good out of her glam, comfy, as though her clothes were made specifically for her. And standing there amongst the plants, she was like a woodland queen from a fairytale.

Skorpi waved a claw at Pharah and beeped like she understood his cryptic mores code speak.

"How adorable," Pharahdox cooed.

"Yeah, Skorpi gets all the ladies. I'm jealous." Zaharah nodded at the androsia skirt. "Nice skirt. Digging the old school, Bohemian vibe."

"Thanks. It has pockets," Pharah said, and stuck her hands in them.

Damn it. No one was allowed to be this cute. Zaharah opened her mouth to speak, but another android slipped in from the opposite door carrying a stack of pots. "Pharah when you're done with the sprouts, you can help Devin in the orchard then head to the barn." He frowned at Zaharah. "Who's this?"

"This is Zaharah, and she's working with us today. Zaharah, this is Isaac, he bosses all the volunteers around."

Isaac gave Pharah a withering look, before setting his eyes on Zaharah. "You can help Pharah for now. The garlic sprouts and tomatoes need to go in the ground. Make haste. We have a lot to get done today."

"We're going. I'll grab us a cart. Zaharah, can you put the garlic and tomato plants together? Just drag the shelf over here."

"Sure." She stared at Pharah's back for a moment before grimacing at the jungle of shelves and tables.

This room alone was just as big as the whole community garden at the south shore complex. The labels served as her only guide as she wandered through. Leeks, spring onions, potatoes. The tomatoes sat on a squat shelf at the centre, lined of neat on each level. She pulled it through the jungle, again using the labels to guide her. A left at the bell peppers straight past the celery and a right at the potatoes took her back to the garlic.

At the same time, Pharah came over with a hover cart in tow—a beastly thing with shelves stacked higher than she was tall. It floated and inch off the ground, a blue glow pooling on the floor beneath it.

Pharah loaded the plants onto the cart and nodded for Zaharah to do the same. "After we plant the garlic, we'll lattice the tomatoes and hopefully get through with the Orchard and barn in time for lunch."

"Got it." Zaharah blindly reached for the last sprout, and her hand closed over something soft and warm, undercut with delicate bones. Another hand. Pharah's hand. Their eyes met, dark brown, meeting dark brown. She swallowed and broke contact, the pleasant warmth from Pharah's hand still lingering. Hers must have felt cold and clammy as snakeskin in comparison.

Pharah's face remained neutral, even as they finished loading the cart in silence. "This way." She led cart towards the door the android came from. "I got your text from earlier, by the way. I didn't get to look through your whole gallery, but everything I saw was nice. You're good."

Zaharah shrugged and stuffed her hands in her pockets to avoid more awkward mishaps. She never knew how to respond to praise. "Thanks, Pharahdox."

"Actually, it's just Pharah when I'm not working."

"Okay, just Pharah."

They exited the room into a network of halls. Androids and residents trafficked up and down with carts of seeds and crops. Zaharah hugged the wall and kept her eyes on her shoes. Her skin itched as scores of eyes lighted on her, the unfamiliar face like mosquitoes.