Apologies

“’Under the waves of a blue lake dwells the lost city,’” Seraï quoted to the group. “I’m all for a swim, but this looks DEEP,” Zale stated, peering over the ledge they were standing on into the abyss of Lake Docarria. “No way we can hold our breath for that long,” Valere added, trying to come up with a solution. Seraï felt her gears quicken as the group stood silent. It's true that the rest of them couldn’t hold their breath that long, but she didn’t need to do so. She knew she would have to confess her secret eventually if they were to help her save her world, yet anxiety flowed through her wires. It seemed as if they were to proceed, she didn’t have a choice. “Well,” she started, voice trembling slightly, “if it comes down to it, there’s something I’ve been meaning to-” “Hey, see that bell over there?” Garl interrupted, enthusiastically pointing northwest. “It looks similar to the hammer Moraine gave us,” Zale noted. Lost for words, Seraï merely mumbled, “Right.” “Welcome to Lake Docarria, travelers,” a temple servant greeted them as they entered the only building. “Hello!” Garl cheered. “We’re looking for the Oracle of Tides!” “Why yes, your coming has been foreseen. Solstice Warriors are always welcome here,” he said, gesturing towards Zale and Valere. “Is this the temple then?” Valere asked. “Oh no, the temple is in Docarri Village,” he explained. “It sits on the ocean floor, deep below this lake.” “But...” Zale started. “Worry not, travelers,” the servant cut him off. “You will soon become attuned to the deep. Come, the first step of the ritual is right here.” He walked towards the shelves of shells lining the back wall. “Oh this is exciting!” Garl exclaimed, bubbling with enthusiasm as the group followed him. The servant gestured to the array of shells. “Now, please pick the seashell that is most beautiful to you.” “We get to keep one?” Garl quickly moved to examine all the shells. He briefly paused to face everyone. “Oops, sorry, do you mind? This is so special!” Zale laughed at his antics, while Valere encouraged him saying, “Of course, go for it!” Seraï kept quiet, unsure what to make of this scenario, and still a tad hurt from Garl’s earlier interruption. “I think I’ll do this one!” Garl exclaimed, before continuing to peruse the shells. “Or maybe this one!” “Take your time,” the servant said with a slight chuckle. “This one is the best!” he shouted, pointing to the scallop shell with a pinkish hue close to the right edge of the display. “What do you think Seraï?” He turned to look at her, his face unreadable. He was still smiling, but there was a distinct unease and sorrow behind it. “What?” she let out in shock. She didn’t know if this was an attempt to reconcile for earlier, but it struck a chord with her either way. “Uh... sure...” she awkwardly responded. “Okay, this is the one!” he declared, picking it up. “A good pick,” the servant commended him as he took center stage. “To complete the ritual, you must now go to the Sacred Grove and let the seashell drink from its altar. Only then will its magic resonate with you.” The group gave each other quizzical looks before Zale spoke up. “What kind of magic?” “Why, the kind that will let you breathe underwater,” he proudly proclaimed. Garl let out an amazed, “Whoa!” “It is the only way for you to reach Docarri Village and meet with the oracle.” “Will it work for all of us?” Valere questioned. “Absolutely, provided you stay close to one another.” Garl’s grin faltered a bit as he mumbled to Valere, “It’s probably best if you hold onto it then.”  He quietly handed the shell off to her. “I will unlock the lake’s north gate for you. Your destination is to the northwest,” he said as he discreetly flicked a hidden lever. “Make for the sacred grove and remember to steer clear of Torment Peak!” the servant warned the group as they took their leave. Despite being given direct orders from the temple servant, Zale was insistent that the group stop at Watcher’s Pond to fish. Seraï chose to meditate instead, so she patiently sat at the edge of the pond while the other three cast their lines. The breeze was nice, and the sounds of the waterfall were relaxing when they weren’t interrupted by Zale’s grunts as he struggled to reel in a fish. Clearing her head seemed impossible, however, as a dilemma weighed on her. She was about to spill her secret to them earlier, but should she do so now? She squeezed her eyes further shut in frustration. “You sure you don’t want to join us?” she opened her eyes to see Garl staring at her, his expression the same sad look from earlier. “I’m sure,” she said, choosing to shrug it off this time and returning to her meditation. “I don’t think she knows how to fish,” Zale explained to Garl. “I can,” Seraï quickly defended herself, her eyes darting back open to glare at him. “I just don’t find it very fun.” “I don’t think you can,” he decided to egg her on. “You just don’t want to embarrass yourself.” Not wanting to put up with Zale, Seraï cut a portal to snag his rod from his hand. She stood up from where she was and cast the line. All the line as a matter of fact, since she didn’t know how to stop it. Zale’s laughter pierced her ears as she fumbled with the rod, trying to secure the line. A large pair of hands quickly met hers, managing to stop the reel before it fully unraveled. “You actually can’t fish!” Zale managed to shout in surprise as his laughing fit was dying down. “Well, she’s about to learn!” Garl dismissed him and smiled at Seraï, still holding the rod with her. She weakly nodded, regretting her decision to try and show off. Garl helped her reel in the line she cast, and once it had been fully recovered, started explaining the parts of a fishing rod. A lot of the information went over her head, but his enthusiasm kept her listening. She never realized that there was this much to fishing. “...And so, to stop the line from unravelling as you cast it, you want to keep your hand like this and press a finger against the line,” he continued as he moved her hands into position. “Why don’t you try casting again?” he encouraged her, letting go of the fishing pole himself. Seraï was still nervous but tried casting anyways. Once the hook looked far enough, she pressed on the line, keeping it from extending farther. Looking to Garl for approval, she could tell she did it right before he said a word. “That’s great!” he beamed at her, giving her a pat on the back as well. She nearly dropped the rod from the unexpected force, barely managing to keep her hold on it. Another sudden jerk caused her grip to slip, but this one was from the other end of the line. “You got something!” Garl shouted. “Reel it in!” Once Seraï had a firm grasp on the fishing pole, she started reeling.  “Be careful not to reel when the fish is tugging the line too harshly, or it might snap,” he guided her. Her eyes tracked the fish, and she kept focused on the strength of its pull. She felt like she was getting the hang of it, when it suddenly leaped out of the water. “Oo! It’s a piranha!” Garl said in admiration. “What do I do?” Seraï quickly shouted at him. “Tug as hard as you can at the peak of its next jump.” She stayed quiet as she focused on reeling again. Fishing was much harder than she thought it would be. “Now!” Garl yelled when the piranha leaped once more. Seraï yanked the fishing rod as far back as she could. When she opened her eyes to see the results, the fish appeared motionless, and was much easier to reel in. “Did I kill it?” she asked in disbelief. Garl laughed. “No, it just stuns them. He’ll be just fine.” With the fish knocked out, she was able to reel it all the way in. Garl grabbed the line close to the piranha and brought it to Seraï’s face.  “Awesome!” he smiled at her. She couldn’t help but smile back at him, proud of her accomplishment. Valere could be heard clapping from her fishing spot, while Zale merely huffed. “See? I can fish,” she bragged to Zale. “Because of Garl,” he stated.  “She did that by herself,” Garl said. “I just told her what to do.” “That’s not doing it by herself.” “Yes, it is,” Garl declared, “and she deserves her praise for it.” Seraï felt herself blush a bit at his comment. Once they dehooked the piranha, she handed Zale’s fishing rod back to him and tried to return to her meditation. As she was about to sit down, Garl grabbed her upper arm. “Did that help?” he whispered. She was taken aback not only by his question, but by the expression that came with it. His eye seemed full of worry and almost watery. While he was smiling as he always did, there was something off about it. It appeared far more anxious and fake. “Yeah, of course you were,” she reassured him. “Thank you.” His smile grew but still faltered a bit. “No problem,” he replied with a faux cheer. To close out the morning, Seraï finally resumed her meditation, this time with two things clogging her mind. The group decided to stop for lunch near the entrance of the sacred grove. Waterfalls cascaded into the pool they made camp next to. This place seems to have a lot of those doesn’t it? Seraï tried to count how many she could spot from her perch but was interrupted by a greeting from her left. “Watcha doing?” Zale asked, having climbed the decorative pillar next to hers.  “Just looking around,” she answered, slightly annoyed that he made her lose her place. “Would you get off of those?” Valere shouted from the campfire where Garl was hard at work frying fish. “They could be sacred.” “Then they’re doing a bad job of showing that,” Zale reasoned. “You could get hurt,” she tried again. “But I’m not going to,” he bragged, “I can handle myself just fine thank you.” Seraï was not going to subject herself to his antics, so she discreetly made a portal for her leg and kicked him. This caused him to lose his balance, and he screamed as he fell to the ground. “Zale!” Valere shouted as she rushed to his aid.  Garl looked up from his cooking, but didn’t say anything. “I’m fine,” he mumbled, feeling for bumps on the back of his head. “I know you did that,” he glared at Seraï. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she flatly said. He pouted at her as Valere asked, “Did you seriously?” “Maybe,” she cheekily answered as she looked back toward the water. Valere grunted in annoyance. She helped Zale to his feet before remarking, “Don’t be surprised if it happens to you too.” “Good luck with that,” she replied absent-mindedly, perceiving it as a mock threat. “The food’s ready,” Garl proclaimed, turning all heads his way. Zale cheered as he and Valere took their spots around the campfire. Seraï chose to stay seated on her pillar, enjoying the spot more than she thought she would. “Hey, Seraï,” Garl called out from under her. She looked down to see the same unnerving face from earlier. “I cooked up the piranha you caught earlier. I think it came out really good.” “Thanks. I’ll eat it later,” she happily responded, appreciative that he specifically gave her the fish she caught. “Alright, I’ll leave it by the campfire,” he said, sounding a tad dejected. Seraï started to feel guilty hearing him. He knows that she prefers to eat after them, so why was he upset? Did she sound uninterested? She hoped he knew she wasn’t ignoring him. Something was wrong, but she had no way of telling what it was.  When she was content with her relaxation time, she hopped down and took her food into the woods. The group payed her no mind as they finished cleaning up their lunches, already well aware of her routine. When she felt she was far enough from the camp, Seraï sat on a stone and lowered her mask. A familiar sadness covered her when she looked at her meal. Garl always took the time to cook delicious and healthy meals for everyone, yet all his efforts were wasted on her. She tilted her head back and opened her jaw, then dumped the fish into her now gaping mouth. The grinder at the top of her throat made quick work of it, humming as it did its job, and leaving nothing but shreds to fall down her gullet. All she had left to do was wait a reasonable time before returning to camp. Drumming her fingers on her thighs, she pondered her earlier dilemma. She wouldn’t have to sit around waiting like this if she just told them. Whether they would accept her, well, quirk , was another matter. Her fingers felt numb as she thought about their reaction. All three of them staring at her, horrified at the freak who had been following them around; leaving her alone with no hope of ever saving her world.  Seraï stood up, deciding that enough time had passed for them not to question her. Upon her arrival, the group gathered their things to continue their trek to the altar. The way forward had many cliffs to climb and many wet rocks to jump across. Despite her impeccable balance, Seraï almost slipped into the water a few times. It came to no one’s surprise when Garl was the first to fully fall. “Garl!” the two Solstice Warriors shouted. “I’m fine!” he yelled back once he breached the surface. “Do you need help getting back up?” Seraï offered, brandishing her blades. “No, I’ll be alright,” he replied before getting distracted, “Just a second.” The group finished crossing the water while he swam under a nearby waterfall. He came out shortly after, leaving the group confused as to what his intentions were. Seraï cut him a portal just above the water, letting him climb onto the same ledge as the rest of the group.  “Thanks,” he shyly muttered as he stood up, wringing out his ponytail. “What was that about?” Valere asked, wiping his face off with her sash. “I fell,” he answered confused. “No, the waterfall,” she clarified. “Oh, nothing,” he replied, marching forward. The group climbed the cliff in front of them, but Garl hung back to help Seraï up. “I lied,” he whispered to her as she rose to her feet. “Huh?” “Surprise!” he cheered, though still in a more hushed tone. He held out a pair of daggers made from coral. The droplets that clung to them glistened in the sunlight and moonlight the Solstice Warriors kept flipping between. Seraï snatched them, overjoyed to have new daggers after so long. She met his gaze to thank him, only to be hit with the same pained expression he kept having. It made her self-conscious over how she took her gift, so she straightened up and tried to be as polite as possible. “Thanks, Garl,” she said, forcing herself to sound just an extra bit happier. “Yeah,” he awkwardly responded, turning to see what Zale and Valere were up to. Seraï knew she messed up that interaction but wasn’t sure how to fix things. She grabbed his shoulder to at least try. “I really mean it when I say that,” she explained. Garl seemed surprised, “Ah, alright,” he responded, still looking uncomfortable, but a bit of light returned to his eye. “Hurry up!” Valere suddenly yelled at them, jumping across platforms they managed to raise out the water. The two rushed over, unsure why they needed to be quick, but following their lead. Garl made the last jump, and Seraï was about to as well, but the platform rumbled and began to fall underneath her, causing her to stumble. She made a leap for it after briefly steadying herself, but didn’t have enough height to make it across. Readying her daggers, she prepared herself to cut a portal, only to suddenly stop falling. Garl managed to catch her under her arms, her weight nearly taking him down with her. After a bit of struggle, he managed to hoist her onto the cliff, falling backwards as he did. “Are you okay?” she asked, pushing herself off his chest. “I should be asking you,” he chuckled. Seraï got off of him and helped him to his feet. “I’m fine. Is your back okay?”  “A bit sore, but I’ll live,” he smiled. That stupid face. She hated that he kept looking at her like that. What did she do to make him like this? Garl jogged to catch up to Zale and Valere. After a brief fight with some Prapras, they came upon a ruin sitting over a lake with paths splitting left and right. The walkways were narrow, and they had to jump over a few holes, but they were able to make it across. “That’s definitely the altar,” Garl stated, resting a hand on one of the statues that flanked it. “So the seashell goes here and...” Valere muttered as she placed it on the altar. The ground began to rumble, causing the group to grab hold of whatever they could to steady themselves. Looking to the center of the lake, they saw the first bridge they had crossed retract into the cliff, and a whirlpool form underneath where it was. Once they all stabilized themselves, Seraï watched the other three exchange glances. “That did it, I can feel the magic!” Garl exclaimed. “Let’s give it a try,” Valere said, picking the seashell back up.  The group walked towards the edge, but Seraï stayed put.  “Come on,” Zale encouraged her. “I’ll pass,” she started, trying not to stumble over her words. “I’ll meet you back at the entrance.” She quickly cut a portal and walked through, not waiting to hear a response. Climbing the pole she sat on earlier, her gears spun wildly. If they were going underwater, she definitely had to tell them she was a cyborg. There was no other way to explain her sinking like a rock in the water. She could barely swim with how much effort it took to propel herself, and she especially couldn’t hide herself casually walking on the ocean floor. All the excuses she could think of had obvious holes in them. There really was no way out of this. All she could do was hope they’d accept her. Splashing broke out in the center of the pool, so she readied her daggers to face whatever it was. Giggling erupted from the site, causing her to relax. Zale stuck his head out of the water, laughing as something pulled him back under. “Would you two sto-Agh!” Valere tried to complain before being dragged under with a shout. Seraï watched the water wrestling unfold, amused by their shenanigans. After a while, Valere was able to get a full sentence out, though she was still chuckling alongside them.  “It’s getting late, we’re gonna catch colds and need to eat,” she reasoned. “Yeah,” Zale pouted, making his way to the edge of the pond. Garl finally surfaced and seemed to be the only one to notice Seraï. He smiled at her, though it was just as pained as earlier. She was getting annoyed with him, but voicing her grievances would probably make things worse. She smiled back, but with the growing darkness and distance between them, she wasn’t sure if he could tell. Flames caught the corner of her eye, and she turned to see that Zale had already lit the campfire. She leapt off her perch and joined the group by the fire. “Oh, hey Seraï,” Valere greeted her, though she sounded a tad nervous. “Hey,” she flatly said, sitting on a log. “When’d you get here?” Zale asked. “I’ve been here the whole time. You guys were too busy wrestling to notice,” she explained. “I did say I would meet you here.” Garl had just arrived at the campfire, so Seraï subtly patted the spot next to her. He perked up seeing that and quickly snagged the seat. It was weird for Seraï to sit so close to anyone, usually opting to sit on the end, but maybe this could get him back to normal.  “Any dinner plans?” Valere asked him. “I want to use some of the shrimp we were able to grab, but I got nothing past that,” Garl answered. He got up but used his backpack to save his seat as he started digging through it. “Is there something you would want?” he asked Seraï. She wanted to punch him for constantly looking at her like that, but that was obviously ill-advised. “No, not really,” she replied before trying to backpedal, worried he might take offense to that with how he's been acting, “though I guess some yakitori shrimp might be nice,” she added. “Yakitori shrimp it is!” he declared. Seraï chatted with the group as they ate. Well, Zale and Valere were. Garl held off for some unknown reason, choosing to just sit with them instead. They were put off by Seraï conversing with them at first but quickly warmed up to her behavior. It felt weird to her as well, but she pushed through the uneasiness. Noticing that Zale cleaned his skewers, Seraï took that as her cue to leave. When she stood up, it looked like Garl wanted to say something, but he kept his peace. She wandered east like she had prior but paid no attention to her surroundings. If that didn’t fix whatever was going on with Garl, she didn’t know what to do. And if Garl of all people was still acting like that towards her, there was no way the group would accept her “condition”. The building anxiety felt like constant shocks to her system, making everything go haywire.  Seraï nearly slipped into a lake she was so lost in her thoughts. Finding her balance, she looked around, and deemed it a pretty location. The moon was big and bright, illuminating the still waters that were surrounded by strong trees and brush. She sat at the edge, deciding to eat her dinner there. Staring at the lovingly made plate in her lap didn’t help her worries.  “Hey,” a voice softly called out from behind her. She whipped her head around, to see Garl standing a few feet away, facing the other direction.  “Uh,” he stammered, “I know you eat alone, but, um, I wanted to see if I could join you.” Her face fell at his words. Did this man seriously follow her through the woods just to try to eat with her? Wasn’t he upset with her or something? Mechanics began working overdrive, matching the frenzy her mind was in. She was horrified at the thought of him watching her eat, unprepared to deal with the worst that could come from it.  “Answer me something,” she stated. Garl straightened himself. “You can turn around first,” she awkwardly said, not wanting to talk to his backpack. He turned around, making the fear and worry plastered on his face evident. It made her heart start to melt. “Why have you been acting weird?” Seraï asked him concerned. Garl stared at her confused, “What do you mean?” he nervously asked. “You keep staring at me weirdly, like a... a wet puppy,” she tried to explain, embarrassed that that was the best comparison she could come up with. “Did I do something?” “No,” he blurted out. After some hesitation, he continued, “you haven’t done anything. I-” he froze up again. “I’ve been trying to make it up to you for interrupting earlier,” he explained. “This morning?” she questioned, surprised at his response. “Yeah,” he admitted, “I felt really bad about it, so I wanted to make it up to you.” “You’ve been doing things all day to try to make up for cutting me off once?” she asked in disbelief. He nodded, staring at the ground to his left. “Did you try saying sorry?” She was tempted to laugh at his backwards logic, but didn’t want him to feel worse than he already did. He flexed his empty fist and rocked on his toes but still kept quiet. Seraï let a chuckle escape, causing him to turn further away. Walking into his vision, she got him to finally look at her. “I'm not upset about it,” she assured him. “You could’ve just apologized.” “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “And all is forgiven,” she replied, walking back towards the lake. Her systems were still frantic, but they were starting to calm down. She was relieved that she hadn’t hurt him somehow, and it was just a misunderstanding. Weighing his initial request, she looked back at him. He was still standing there, dinner in hand. “You’re welcome to join me.” She patted the grass next to her, and he sat there. He placed his plate in his lap, but she quickly took it, setting it down on the other side of her. “I have to tell you something first,” she said, her voice quivering as she moved her hand towards her face. Garl stared at her intently with a soft smile. A genuine, loving smile that hushed her fears. Feeling her face beneath her mask spiked her anxiety again, but Seraï was determined, and pulled it down anyways. Her metallic jaw shone in the moonlight, preventing the darkness from obscuring any of her features. He continued staring at her, his face now unreadable, but it certainly wasn’t positive. His hand reached for her face before flinching back, now hovering between them. “Does it hurt?” he asked concerned. Having that be his first question surprised her, but it was so. very. Garl . Tears welled up in her eyes as she mumbled, “No.” “It doesn’t sound like it,” he gently pointed out hearing her voice break. She grabbed his hand and pressed it to the side of her jaw. “This is just what I look like,” she disclosed. He took control of his own hand, feeling the side of her mouth. Seraï trembled from nerves and the unusual touch. When she felt him touch her teeth, she hoped he didn’t cut himself. “How did this happen?” he asked under his breath. Seraï braced herself for the long explanation ahead. “To keep things simple, I’m going to ask you to save questions till the end,” she started, and he nodded in reply. “I’m from another world that was taken over by the Fleshmancer. All our Solstice Warriors were killed, and he covered the sun with clouds and sunk the moon into the sea to prevent any more from being born. He built a castle of sorts for himself, and later used a machine called ‘The Catalyst’ to turn me and my people into cyborgs. Everything was left to rot, and everyone had lost hope, so I fled across the Sea of Stars to get help.” She looked him right in the eye. “I need Zale and Valere to help me save my home.” Garl was clearly overwhelmed by the information but was trying his best to process it.  “I-I can’t even begin with all the questions I have,” he admitted, “but one thing’s for sure...” He rested a hand on her thigh. “...I will do everything I can to help you.” Seraï cried. She felt simultaneously overwhelmed and like a massive weight had been lifted off her chest. She didn’t deserve this, especially not after lying to them for so long. Her thigh felt cold before Garl pulled her into a hug. Burying her face in his shoulder, she let the tears flow. He held her there until she broke away. His compassionate smile helped to slow her remaining tears.  “Thank you,” she muttered, barely above a whisper. “Of course,” he replied, wiping the last of her tears himself. “Should we eat?” she awkwardly ended the moment. “Yeah,” he grinned, reaching to take the plate she handed him. The way she ate always felt inhuman to her, but having Garl right next to her just made things worse. After fierce mental debate on whether to go through with this, Seraï picked a piece of shrimp off her skewer, tilted her head back, and dropped into her grinder. The whirring of her throat caught Garl’s attention. “Sorry,” she apologized as it finished, “it can be kinda loud.” “Oh, no - you’re fine,” he reassured her. “I was just surprised. Your throat grinds food?” “Y-yeah,” she stuttered, feeling self-conscious, “it basically chews for me.” “That’s so cool!” he exclaimed. “Is it alright if I watch it this time?” Seraï briefly glanced away, embarrassed that he was taking such an interest in her eating process.  “If you really want to,” she shyly replied, handing him a shrimp and tilting her head back. “Just be careful not to touch the grinder – it's automatic and doesn’t know what is and isn’t food.” Garl looked excited that he got to be more hands on with it before pausing, staring at her quizzically. Seraï was about to ask what was wrong when he cut her off with another question. “Sorry, I just thought about it - how do you talk like that?” She let out a relieved laugh. “My voice box is completely separate from my digestive system. There’s a small speaker near the grinder that projects my voice,” she explained. When he moved the shrimp towards the back of her mouth, he cautiously felt for the speaker. Seraï could see him grin when he found it. He gently touched the shrimp to the grinder, which promptly snatched it out of his hand. She let out a chuckle at his flinch.  “Why do you have teeth if you don’t actually chew things?” “I dunno. Intimidation?” she suggested. “I only ever use them for crushing things.” “Like what?” “Rocks and stuff,” she continued explaining. “If I don’t have any normal food or am missing vitamins my system needs to function, I can eat other things.” “You eat rocks?” Garl exclaimed. Seraï couldn’t tell if he was amazed or disgusted, but he quickly cleared that up. “Can I watch you eat a rock?” he excitedly asked. After a short fit of laughter, she answered, “Sure. Go find a big one.” He sprinted into the woods, nearly making her laugh again. Despite the slightly tense atmosphere, Seraï felt that things were going well. The awkwardness was probably just in her head anyways. While she still felt scared to tell the others, knowing someone had her back helped immensely. “This should be good!” Garl shouted as he approached, carrying a stone as large as his head. “Just plop it in,” she giggled. He followed her command, looking a tad disappointed when nothing happened. Seraï then shut her jaw, violently crushing the rock into smaller fragments. Her grinder could be heard whirring, already consuming a few pieces that fell in it. Amazement had washed over his face, making Seraï smile. She kept watching his reaction as she finished breaking and eating the rock, amused by his fascination. Once everything was gone, she faced him. “How was that for a demonstration?” she teased. “Pretty good, but looks like you missed a few pieces,” Garl joked, picking up one of the chunks that flew in her initial bite. “Gotta save some for everyone else.” She jabbed his arm. He giggled, making Seraï’s smile grow even wider – just enough that he could probably tell. She watched him grab his plate, seemingly content with his questioning.  “We should finish eating before it gets too late,” he suggested. She merely nodded in response. As the two ate, he began conversing with her – the same way he would chat with everyone at the campfire. Seraï found herself getting sucked into his stories, and even making non-sarcastic comments and sharing tales of her own.  Picking up her last shrimp, she felt a deep sadness. She really missed having this sort of connection with people. She realized that - throughout all her years in this world - she never felt this close to anyone. Her mask never faltered, except for now. She was showing her true self, and it felt amazing. When she noticed that he had finished eating as well, anxiety flooded her mind. She didn’t want this to end. What if she never got to have this intimacy again? Would the others be as accepting of her as Garl has been? “Are you alright?”  Seraï looked up to see Garl standing next to her, offering a hand to help her up. His face was full of concern. She took his hand, nerves making her squeeze it more than she meant to, but she decided to lead into it. Continuing to hold his hand, she mustered the courage to speak. “I can’t swim,” she muttered. He stared at her in bewilderment before she elaborated. “My body just sinks in water, and I can’t swim, so it will be really obvious something’s wrong with me when we go to Docarri Village.” “Can’t we just tell the others?” It felt like her wires were twisting themselves into a ball as she froze up. The thought sent her mind into a panicked frenzy. His face fell, her lack of response serving as one. “I know I should, but,” she paused, “I’m still scared what they would think.” She cut Garl off as soon as she saw him open his mouth. “I know you think everything will be fine, but you can’t know for sure. Not everyone is as stupidly kind and understanding as you.” He frowned but kept silent, piling on the guilt she felt. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, refusing to look at him. A sigh escaped his lips. “I would be lying if I said I agreed with you, but it’s your choice. I can help you hide it.” Seraï’s eyes darted back to him. “I’m not sure how yet, but we can come up with something.” Turning her head to fully face him, Seraï felt relieved. Garl gently took her other hand, holding them both tightly. “I just want you to know this: when you’re ready to reveal yourself to everyone, I’ll be there to help you. I promise.”