The first thing Alicia did after waking up was buy a bed. Despite Katrina’s insistence that the couch was comfortable, Alicia suspected she was only being polite. Besides, they were dating now! Shouldn’t two girlfriends have a nice, comfy bed all to themselves?
A fancy, plush, Queen-size bed; complete with bamboo linens, a thick down comforter, two fluffy pillows, and silk cases to dress them in. She was so excited she almost forgot to measure the free space in her bedroom. Her Heart Tree took up much of the floor, as it had grown around her the night of the Change, but thankfully there was enough space for the mattress.
She clicked the option for expedited delivery, giggling happily to herself, and immediately started daydreaming.
Above all else, she wanted to keep her expectations in check. Kat had requested that they take things slow, after all, and Alicia was more than happy to oblige. She could still barely believe that someone as gorgeous as Kat was even interested in her. Granted, if Kat had said the word, Alicia would have jumped her without hesitation, but she’d also been truthful about being willing to wait.
In all honesty, Alicia was still processing everything Kat had told her. The Change had been terrible for her, and she had done so many things she regretted, but Alicia had focused on the attacks, the hunting, the feeding. Without Kat mentioning anything, Alicia would never have pieced together that her experiences had also distorted her feelings about sex.
I’m going to do this right. It’s not about sex, it’s about her. It’s about giving her a reliable partner, one that understands what she’s been through and sticks around to help her heal.
Of course, now we’ll have a place to cuddle and fall asleep. That certainly won’t hurt.
After finalizing her order, Alicia checked her email and was surprised to find an unread message. Before opening it, memories from last night returned to her. She’d woken up in the middle of night, wandered outside to grab a drink, and responded to a text. Katrina had told her that she’d run home to grab some things, and might not be back until the next night. The conversation had continued briefly, and Kat had asked if she could share Alicia’s contact information with the other delvers that hadn’t been able to join their expedition.
Alicia had been confused initially, but Kat had explained that it might be a good idea for them both to make some friends. It seemed like such a simple solution, Alicia was almost mad she hadn’t thought about it herself.
As such, the unread message sitting in her mailbox was from the Geomancer Mermaid, Elias.
It was very well written. He shared his regrets that his Race precluded him from assisting with the Key Dungeon, and expressed his sympathies that Alicia had been forced into this situation. He mentioned that he’d quite enjoyed meeting with Katrina the other night, and that he was interested in keeping in touch as she had suggested.
Surprisingly, the thought of having more people to talk to made Alicia so excited she almost stopped thinking about Kat. Almost.
She responded with a message of her own, sharing her contact information and her general hours of availability. She wasn’t sure what the protocol was for meeting new friends after the Change, but she always included her hours when she signed off work emails; so many people had strange schedules now, it made communication much easier.
After hitting send, Alicia finally shut down her computer. She grew a pocket for her phone, then had to stop herself from merging with her Heart Tree to leave the house. She knew from experience that the phone wouldn’t come with her, so she instead walked down the stairs to use the front entrance.
Thankfully, after having stayed up so late last night, she’d slept in quite a bit today. She was trying to push her schedule as late as possible, despite the protests of her body, so that her schedule could align with Katrina’s as closely as possible.
It was refreshing to be out in the sunlight again. Its warmth filled her body, and the calm summer air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath. Grabbing her watering can, she took off towards the river for a morning drink. Though it was strange taking this walk later in the day, rather than the crack of dawn, she quickly found her stride as she began visiting all of her plant neighbors.
She noticed that, compared to everything that had been happening in her life recently, the various flowers, trees, and bushes around her house seemed to be growing slower than usual.
Is that because I’m living a more human-standard life now? Thinking back on it, everything before last week is kind of a blur. Like, I know it happened, but I just did the same thing, all day every day, for years. I always knew that time was weird for me, but it’s strange seeing it so clearly. Being a plant is weird.
When Alicia reached the river, she happily sat on the bank and sank her feet into the riverbed. She felt strong roots extend from her feet, slowly beginning to absorb all the water she needed so she could continue her day.
She’d only just gotten started when her phone went off. Her first instinct was that Katrina was texting her, but it was barely noon; no way the Vampire was up yet. Checking her phone, she found a text message from an unknown number, though reading it quickly dispersed her confusion.
???: Good morning, Alicia, this is Elias. We recently exchanged contact information, and I wanted to reach out to confirm that I have the right number.
Goodness, he’s so professional!
Alicia: Hi Elias! Yes, this is Alicia :) How are you? What are up to today?
Elias: Whew, thank goodness. Always paranoid about getting the number wrong XD
Elias: I did a bunch of work this morning, and now I’m just kind of hanging around. Random question, but would you be open to video chatting? My phone isn’t 100% waterproof.
Alicia: Of course! Just call whenever you’re ready
Her phone started ringing a moment later, and just before answering, Alicia remembered to cover her body with an appropriate amount of clothing. With a swipe of her finger, she picked up the call.
On her screen, after several seconds of pixelated, buffering video feed, appeared a younger man with short brown hair. It was clearly soaking wet, and water dripped down his face, running over the beginnings of some facial hair before landing in the water. His entire body, save for his head and shoulders, seemed to be immersed in a body of water of some kind, though Alicia couldn’t tell what from this angle.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“Alicia! Hi there!” Elias said.
Alicia quickly grew a small collection of sticks and bark, forming a makeshift phone stand on the opposite side of the small river. She put her phone down, adjusting the bark slightly, before responding. “Hey Elias! Sorry for the wait there, I haven’t video called anyone in… four years? Honestly, probably closer to five at this point. I had to make myself a little phone stand, can you see everything alright?”
“Everything’s good on my end. I’ve already got a phone stand mounted to my wall here.”
“Oh, are you inside?”
“Yeah, my house is mostly water. There’s a small floor and some furniture for guests, but obviously I don’t use that much. Getting settled in a house is a strange process when you’re an aquatic Race.”
“I can imagine! I got pretty lucky, I already had a home, and my Heart Tree just took over a corner of it. I can still like, walk around and everything, so nothing too much had to change for me.” Alicia paused for a moment, not entirely used to small talk. “So, um, what inspired you to reach out? I can’t imagine it’s very lonely out in Lake Michigan. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but it seems like we’re in pretty different situations.”
Elias paused for a moment, thinking about Alicia’s words before responding. “It’s not that I’m lonely, but I guess I just fell into a rut? Even though I have a bunch in common with other aquatic races, it’s not like the Change magically erased my fear of approaching strangers. I was just going to work, coming home, killing time, I think it had all gotten a little old and I hadn’t realized it. When Katrina reached out about the Dungeon thing, I got really excited about a change of pace, though it’s a bit of a bummer I can’t actually help out. Still, she emailed me basically saying that you two were interested in staying in touch, and she seemed really nice!”
“She’s pretty great, isn’t she?” Alicia said, blushing.
“How long have you two known each other?”
“Like, a week. She flew into my tree without realizing it was a Heart Tree. We got to talking, found out we have a lot in common, and I decided to show her the Key Dungeon ‘cuz I realized she really liked delving. That’s when she explained that, if we didn’t do something, every Guild in the city would be hunting for it.”
“And you two are…?” Elias didn’t finish his question, but Alicia knew what he meant.
“Oh! We’re together. Like, partners, I mean. As of last night, actually!”
“Omigosh! Girl, that’s so exciting! How did it happen? Who asked who?” Elias swam closer to the camera, resting his arms on a small ledge.
Alicia was more than happy to share what had happened between her and Kat. She left out quite a few details, glossing over most of the more personal stuff, but Elias didn’t seem to mind. Strangely, Alicia noticed that talking with him felt incredibly easy, as if they’d already been friends for years. Each hour they talked passed in the blink of an eye, and it seemed like they had no shortage of things to talk about.
They talked about their daily lives, about their Classes and Races, and swapped funny stories about their strange physiologies. They also talked about what happened the night of the Change, and Alicia learned that Elias had initially spent several weeks in a bathtub. Afterwards, a friend had helped him move to a local pool, and that had been his home for the better part of a year. He’d eventually moved into Lake Michigan proper, but he didn’t have an actual home until the city government regained control.
Alicia had already known that Chicago had committed huge swathes of resources to overhaul the city and make it more Race friendly, but sometimes the extent of their actions still caught her off guard. Elias’ current home, and entire neighborhood, had been the result of a concentrated effort to create a network of housing for aquatic Races and communities. Several elected officials were even trying to push the aquatic renovations further, and were hoping to build canals all through the city, but Elias said that those ideas weren’t very likely to come to fruition any time soon.
Over the course of their conversation, Alicia also learned far more than she expected about Lake Michigan. As a Mermaid, and a Geomancer, Elias had stumbled into a very fitting career as a Marine Biologist. He spent most of the day researching Lake Michigan, trying to understand its ecosystem and what the city could do to keep the Lake happy and healthy. What interested Alicia the most was that, despite how transformative the Change had been, the biggest threats to Lake Michigan were actually completely unrelated. Most professionals were worried about an encroaching population of mussels; they looked nice at first glance, as the water in Lake Michigan was getting clearer by the day, but that same process had significant risks to the local ecosystem.
“—and a lot of people think the monsters have an effect, but… shoot. I should probably stop rambling about work, shouldn’t I?” Elias said sheepishly.
“Not at all! I think it’s really interesting, especially since I learned so much about plant life since the Change.” As Alicia spoke, she pulled her feet out of the river and began to shake the water off them.
“Wait, is that water?” Elias asked. “Where are you right now?”
“This? It’s a small river I made for myself. There’s a lake kinda close to my neighborhood, and I needed easy access to water. I can show you, actually!” Alicia grabbed her phone, then switched which camera she was using so she could show off her handiwork to Elias. “It’s not very big, but it gets the job done.”
Elias went quiet for a moment. “How far away is the lake? Would you mind showing it to me?”
“Sure! I’ve got nothing going on today. ORC is really accommodating with their attendance policies, so I’ve got a lot of flexibility. What are you curious about?”
“Um, just what it all looks like. I’ve got an idea, but I’m not sure if it makes sense.”
“Well, I’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of me, so I’m all ears!” Alicia took off towards the lake, wondering what Elias might be thinking about.
“Well, it’s absolutely certain that I’m not going to be able to help with tackling the Dungeon directly. It’s not underwater, and there’s nothing we can do about that. But, I’m a Geomancer, and it wouldn’t be very difficult for me to reshape the terrain to expand that little river of yours. With enough water, I could comfortably set up a little home away from home.”
“That would be so cool! We could be neighbors!” Alicia said, grinning from ear to ear. “Though, please don’t take this the wrong way, how would that help with the Key Dungeon? I’ll admit I don’t see the connection.”
“Most Geomancers build themselves to be offensive casters, but the Class is actually pretty flexible. Personally, my spells are more supportive in nature, and I’ve got some healing abilities. If I were to set up in that river, then I’d be able to help everyone recover from their injuries after each Dungeon run!”
“Elias! That’s such a good idea!” Alicia started jumping up and down in excitement, and she saw Elias do the same. Well, more accurately, he leapt a few feet out of the water, then fell backwards and made a big splash, but the energy was the same.
Another few hours passed, this time occupied by Alicia and Elias trying to plan out how to create a temporary base of operations for the Mermaid. They likely could have continued for several more hours, but they were forced to cut the conversation short when the sun began to set. Alicia was shocked so much time had passed, but her surprise quickly gave way to elation when she remembered that the setting sun meant Katrina would be waking up soon.
“So, are we actually doing this?” Elias asked.
“Absolutely! I’m so glad you reached out, and I can’t believe we found a way for you to come help!” Alicia had just returned home, and flicked on the lights before settling onto her couch. “When Kat gets here, I’ll fill her in about all the details. We still have to meet up with Tabitha to discuss our plan for tackling the Dungeon, and that will probably affect our timetable.”
“Sounds good to me!” Elias said, smiling. “Oh, and Alicia? Thanks for talking with me. This was really nice, I can’t believe we spent, like, an entire day on the phone.”
“Please, I should be thanking you. I only realized a week ago that I’d shut myself off from civilization, and that I desperately needed to find myself a social life. Now I get to have a neighbor!”
“Alright, well, keep me updated, okay?”
“Can do! See ya!”
Alicia finally hung up the phone, after hours and hours of talking, and immediately began giggling to herself. As much as she hated to admit it, the Dungeon that posed an imminent threat to her life was also turning into one of the best things that had ever happened to her. She had friends! And a girlfriend!
All that was left was a series of bloody fights to the death with Dungeon monsters. Nothing to be scared of, right?