26th of May 823 A.S. Cyber! :D Cortez System
Planet Curacao, CV-Hoffnungsschimmer
In the meantime, Sirius seemed to be silent. Maren did her things, Nancy stayed at the Hoffnungsschimmer and slept most of the time and Ezrael was busy playing the role of a Core captain. The day before Maren asked Ezrael about the dinner on Curacao. Maybe it was the right time to do it, just in case something goes wrong. He agreed, and they decided to drop Nancy at her home-freighter at Freeport 8 in Sigma-15, like they call Luneburg now. She didn't want to be a difficult to bear burden, and Maren and Ezrael thought it was okay to leave her on her ship for just one night. Somehow she managed it to deal with her situation, and if something would go wrong, she always could contact the Hoffnungsschimmer.
Just one night...
Trying to not worry about Nancy all the time, Ezrael asked Maren to either primp up herself or just get into very comfortable clothes, since he wanted her to feel good that evening. Everything should be fine.
As the Hoffnungsschimmer entered the Curacaoan atmosphere, it wasn't heading for the main space port, but for one of the smaller islands, kilometers away from the main resorts. OSC was everywhere, still there were some places owned by sub-companies like the one Ezrael's parents had before they died. Those smaller, less visited islands were still very luxurious and well equipped, but usually not attractive enough for the high-class VIPs, but for the people who work for them.
Some landing pads were floating on the water, kept in place by anti-gravitational fields like they are used in most ships to keep them above the ground in stations and space ports. The Hoffnungsschimmer landed on one of those, as the sun was already about to set on the horizon. A skinny white T-Shirt, black jeans and a leather jacket, Ezrael was awaiting Maren to get out of their room. He didn't know what to expect...
During the entire time they'd taken to leave the Omicrons and approach their destination, Maren had been locked in her room. Worry was clawing at the back of her mind, not because of where they were headed or what they would do, but about the future. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong if Lady Luck was feeling unkind that day, but for once, just once, she was trying to push it all aside. Everything would be fine, just fine.
She had decided not to wear anything heavy. Thanks to information available on the neuro net — and really, there was too much of it for comfort at times — she had prepared for the Curacaoan climate. Sporting a simple off shoulder t-shirt and short pants and her hair tied in a loose bun, a pair of aviator shades resting on her head like a tiara, she gave herself a last look in the mirror, attempting her best chipper smile before opening the door, almost running into Vertiga. Holy hell, he'd been waiting there?
"H- hey, Ezrael," she stammered, taken aback by Vertiga's attire that was so radically different from what he usually wore, though not an unwelcome change. Maren noted how comfortable Vertiga seemed to conduct himself in these clothes. She figured that this was probably how he'd looked like before the Core.
"Hey Maren~", he said in a unusual deep voice and with a charming smile. Being back on Curacao, he couldn't wait to smell the air with all those exotic scents nothing in space could recreate artifically. With a gesture he invited Maren to link arms with him, slowly leading her to the airlock. A minute later, they left the Corvo, finding themselves on a small promenade. The island seemed way larger once they put their feet onto it. To the left, just a plain, lonely beach of pearlwhite sand, sparkling a bit in the dusk. Palm trees all over the beach, and not the slightest amount of dirt anywhere. OSC truly turned this world into a paradise, compared to the beaches of the other worlds, filled with garbage and dead sea weed.
On the right side, a small village of OSC-stereotypical employee apartment buildings. Along the promenade were restaurants and outlet stores. Some birds chirping, hiding themselves in the trees or attempting to catch stray fishes at the beach. From somewhere, accordion music.
"I thought we visit this island. They don't have those crazy clubs I usually visit when I'm here, but, you know, I think it's the best place for a romantic dinner. Very few people around. It's like we have the beach just for us alone", he said, leading her over to the promenade. It was warm and the nights on Curacao were warm as well. The wind was cooling.
Looking around everywhere, taking in the strange sights, Maren found it somewhat hard not to get lost in the foreign sensations. She was visibly glad that Vertiga had refrained from tossing her into the more zealous parts of the planet, thinking that she probably wouldn't have enjoyed that overmuch.
The sight of the sea was mesmerizing for her, having never been that near one before. From space, one could get the impression that they were small, insignificant, but standing before them, a feeling of smallness was something she couldn't not fend off.
"This is..." she trailed off, for the first time in her life truly at a loss for words. The simple beauty of the place was something that touched her deeply, even the OSC buildings somehow managed to seem unobtrusive.
"Yes, it is...", he agreed with her, smirking like a young boy fallen in love. It was a way different feeling to be here with Maren. It was way more important. And maybe it was the last chance. He tried not to think about it, watching Maren as she walked next to him in her summer outfit, her eyes sparkling of amazement. "You won't find something like this anywhere else in Sirius. ...Something you have in common with Curacao."
Small waves were breaking against the promenade's walls. There was a restaurant with a terrace, just inviting to have a dinner outside. That's what Ezrael was aiming for, but he gave Maren her time to take everything in.
For the first time, Vertiga's compliments didn't make her blush, as she was way too preoccupied with her surroundings. She signalled for Vertiga to take a few steps towards the sea.
"Nuremberg's seas are toxic and Malta's alkaline. Is it really healthy to actually go in there?" she asked innocently, feeling somewhat dumb. She squeezed Vertiga's arm somewhat, stepping a bit closer and leaning her head on his arm.
"It's one of the healthiest things one can do", he began, taking some some steps closer to the promenade's wall. "You know, I surfed here all the time when I was young. Well, the last time was literally the day before I joined Core. Also, you can dive in there, explore the reefs and such. It's like the Omicrons. Colorful, beautiful, but can be scary."
"Then let's rather not. I think we have enough of that in our lives. Though I'd give quite a bit to have seen you ride the waves as a boy. Your parents must have worried quite a lot." They continued to watch the sea for a few minutes in comfortable silence before Maren signalled that she'd like to continue. "I'd like to take a walk before or after we ate. This place is wondrous."
"Then let's walk a bit", he said smiling. It didn't matter if she wanted to eat now or later. A dream had come true, being here with her, showing her the fortunes of his homeworld. They aimed for the beach to the left, and soon the artificial heated ground become more sandy. Before the promenade wall ended, he signalised Maren to leave her shoes here, as he did too. Noone would steal them. Not on this island. The sand was warm and very fine. Not a single rock or something that could possibly feel uncomfortable at the feet. "To be honest... I don't know what to say, now that we're finally here..." Walking along with her, he mostly looked down to their feet in the sand, then to the sun in the horizon.
Quickly getting used to the sandy ground, something that Maren had never felt to this extend, she skipped ahead a bit, spreading out her arms as if wanting to encompass everything around her. "You're home, dear. If we were on Nuremberg, I'd probably tell you about culture, maybe. I always loved folk tales when I was small." She lowered her arms, wonder still written across her face clearly. "We're at the heart of things, and I still know so little about you."
Thinking of the past, Ezrael knead his lower lip with his teeth, smiling a bit ashamed. There was a double digit amount of girls he took right to this beach. It was probably the best to not talk about these kind of his own folk tales. "Well, where to start... you know, the surfing isn't that dangerous. You get a feeling for it very fast. It's like riding a bicycle." He walked over to her, embracing her from behind, supporting her head with his chest. "I could teach you. Not today, but later...", he whispered into her ear, kissing her neck once, then her shoulder once more.
She squirmed a bit at the tickling feeling of Vertiga's caress. "I'd like that. This place, you." She raised a hand, to stroke along Vertiga's cheek, lightly, as if it were made of glass. "You have to be patient with me, though. I can be quite the unruly specimen, but I think you'll manage."
"I think I've proven to be a very patient man. Otherwise, we may have had a threesome with a strange corsair girl, eh", he said, shaking her body very softly while still pulling her to himself, just enjoying the moment, feeling her all over.
"Would that make you happy?" she asked sincerely, turning her head to look at him from below, wondering whether there wasn't a kernel of sincerity to this, considering how frequently he mentioned it.
He sighed, looking into her widened eye suddenly turning into a something naiv-ish like. "To be honest, it /can/ be fun, but it can also be weird. So, don't bother, Maren. It's mostly just joking, and a bit of... you know, bad habits from the past." He leaned his forehead against hers, giving her a kiss on the lips. "Back then, girls were like, you know, something to enjoy for a short time, like a bar of chocolate. With you, things have changed, and it's not like I regret it. It's different. It's deep and sincere..."
Hearing this, she felt a little better. She was ashamed to admit it but she was jealous. The thought of having to share Vertiga was unsettling. "You have a talent for saying just the right thing, Handsome." She tip-toed to catch Vertiga once again as he was withdrawing his head. "You're so... open about your exploits; it is practically something that defines you. I don't know what drives you, though."
He gave it a short laugh. "That's the thing about being in the 30's. I know my flaws and can deal with them. And you? Glad to see you're not wearing a weird hat right now, sugartits..." He released her, walking by her, his head still turned to her. "Like a fez or something."
"I still think I'm a hat person. Maybe not a fez, but a Beret, don't you think?" Saying that, she thought back on her stay on Marne, where this headgear had been rather common for the older people. Somehow, that drained her enthusiasm for hats. "On second thought: maybe I'll just do my hair up more often. It's nice that it doesn't tickle my back the entire time." She stroked one stray strand of hair behind her ears.
26th of May 823 A.S. Cyber Cortez System
Planet Curacao, CV-Hoffnungsschimmer
Ahead, there was some sort of cove. Some strange trees Maren couldn't identify stood in a rather close cluster, not quite making it private, but she reckoned that this would be a nice place to be during day hours, when it would be scaldingly hot.
Talking about all those weird hats, he wasn't sure whether she was joking or for real. Sometimes, she did a really good job on not being predictable, and he liked it. It was funny. "If you ask me, you shouldn't hide your hair. It's healthy, has a nice color and you're good looking with it as it is... especially right now..."
Moving a bit further, they stood now right in the spot Maren noticed earlier. Taking her hand, he sat down in the sand, making her sit on his lap. Slowly the sun moved down.
Settling down daintly, she leaned against Vertiga's chest. When had been the last time someone had complimented her...? "I'm glad that you think so. It's not like I'm one for appearances, really. I've never had to impress someone before, thus this confuses me," she admitted softly.
The setting sun cast a feint, ephemeral shine upon the water's surface, making it seem as though ablaze, alongside the clouds, those wisps of flame frozen in time. "Does it always set like this? It seems almost too perfect, too good, too hale and too pure to be real."
"This is how things on Curacao are. Way too perfect", he said with a pleased smile, "One will get used to it after a while. A month, a year maybe... and still, I think it's a pain to leave this here behind. But...", he slowly began, laying his cheek on hers, enjoying her smell for a brief moment, "... that's nothing we shall care about today. This evening, it's just you and me and nothing else in Sirius."
"I could get used to that," she purred, enjoying the sensation of being clasped like that. She wouldn't dare admit it, but made her feel desirable, something totally alien to her. "Glimpsing it with my own eyes now, I can understand why you are so perfect, so good, so hale and so pure, Ezrael. You fit right in here, but in the Omicrons, it makes you stand out; I noticed that fairly quickly."
That was something he never heard before. Never. And he didn't expect to hear something like that ever. For a moment, he blushed, lost in thoughts, staring mindless down at chest without noticing it might be a bit inappropiate, even that he was that close with Maren. "You shouldn't say that, Maren...", he said, a bit ashamed, reinforcing his grip on her. "Usually I say something like this to the ladies without meaning it, but from you, it's weird. I don't think you lie to my. That... I don't know... it's new to me."
Her face fell, as she realized she might have insulted Ezrael in some way. "Shouldn't say which part? I'm sorry if I offended you. I might have gotten a bit carried away."
She noticed by the way Vertiga had tensed up that she might have committed a major faux pas, but she couldn't quite place where the mistake was. She had been completely sincere with what she had said.
"You didn't offend me, Maren. In fact, you're the only one who gave me a compliment in a long time. I mean, a real compliment." He released his grip, carefully pulling her down from him but laying her into the sand, not giving a damn about it maybe being sticky. He climbed over her, sitting for a moment on her legs just to see her suprised look. Then he leaned forward to her, stemming his body against the ground using his left arm while he comforted her head with the other, followed by a long, intensive kiss.
Breaking away, panting, cheeks rosy, Maren whispered huskily: "Dangerous road you're travelling, mister." She bit into Vertiga's earlobe, softly, then breaking away before things could further escalate. One would assume that this wasn't a common occurance, even on this planet. "Messy boy. I hope you're planning on cleaning up after yourself," she added in a more level tone.
"Just a taste of what you can expect to happen after the dinner...", he said panting, giving her a second kiss, but this time catching himself. For a moment, he looked her straight into the eyes, like he already was in the future. With a very pleased smirking, he stood up, pulling Maren up with a swing and catching her to make sure she doesn't fall back to the ground. "I hope you're hungry now..."
Helping her dusting down herself and then himself, he gave her a playful look. It was like playing cat and rat, he thought.
"Oh, I am hungry, alright." She brushed off the sand that had clung to her as she got up. Ezrael helped with the parts of her back she couldn't reach while she undid her bun, shook out her hair and retied it, because it had been knocked slightly askew.
Seeing as they should probably retrieve their shoes, they headed back, Maren lost in thought; she was the first one in ages to sincerely compliment him...
"They have some awesome shrimps here. And, girl, the fruits will make you forget yourself", he promised her as he picked up her shoes at the promenade wall, kneeing down to clean her feet one by one and putting them into the princess' shoes. "Do you like fish?"
"I must admit I was never quite able to enjoy them. One cannot fish on Nuremberg. Most food was indigenous vegetation." She let Vertiga put on her shoes, secretly enjoying the attention to its fullest. "I usually don't eat meat. Call me a softie, but I can't bear the thought that something died for my sustenance."
"Well, nothing wrong with that." As he stood up again, his hands stroking her legs moving upwards up to her hips. "Then you will love the fruits. You know. Fresh fruits. Something you'll never have in space. You'll taste the difference!" Slipping into his own shoes, he took her hand and gently pulled her over. "I hope you don't mind me leading the dance all the time now?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Vertiga, I don't mind at all," she tittered, finding it humorous that the male asked whether he wanted to lead. "After all, we're in your domain here."
"And you're and independent girl loving being independent. Wouldn't mind that, tho." Reaching the terrace of the restaurant, he pulled her chair back, inviting her to sit on it with a gesture.
Accepting the seat and sitting down, she crossed her legs. "I usually am. So why does that mean I wouldn't like relinquishing control for a day?" she asked innocuously. She shifted until she'd found a comfortable position. "You seem pretty worried about me when I am off being independent."
Taking the seat in front of her, he replied: "You know, In the last days, we spent much time with each other. You're living on my ship now. I mean, it's not like we made up any rules but /enjoy the fuck out of your stay/, but, you know, I don't want to constrain you."
A smile was forming on his face as a waiter came out, greeting them and giving them the menu. The guy was dressed like a penguin.
Maren took the menu from the waiter, gawking at him with thinly veiled mirth. Was that supposed to be formal attire? Ludicrous! This guy looked ridiculous compared to the uniformed gentlemen in the Military or MND. "You don't constrain me; don't worry. I enjoy having a place I can be simply by merit of being me." She turned the menu in hand, looking lost in thought. "I mean, if you're not there, I do sometimes leave. I hope to find those people for the Hackers se we can be done with it. Nancy being on the ship definitely helped make it more lively."
"I think I'll take the chick' di mare. I love chicks." Returning the menu to the waiter, he turned his head back to Maren. "I'm glad you're okay with that. With all of it. Especially with her weird behavior. I mean, she wasn't herself that time, but, my god."
Deciding for a salad consisting of various vegetables she'd never heard of (hopefully that wouldn't bite her later) as well as some carbonated water, she returned the menu as well. "Well, it's at least entertaining albeit exhausting." Thinking back to what Vertiga had said about Nancy trying to get in his pants, she suppressed a frown. "She is ill. I can't hold that against her. I've dealt with such issues before."
"That honors you. Other girls would have been mad at her, or simply impatient." The waiter went back inside. Ezrael took her hands and stroked them softly as he looked at her eyes.
Being thankful that Vertiga had learnt not to touch her hands roughly, she actually enjoyed the feeling of his hand on hers. "I am not other girls, it seems. Of course, I don't like the idea, but she is ill, not quite herself." She reciprocated his look. There was something in his eyes she could not quite place, but made her blush slightly.
"Let's not talk about Nancy right now. Instead, tell me...", he began, turning her hand around to stroke it from the other side as well. For a moment, he found it funny that he, her and Nancy are literally scarred. His face, her hand, Nancy's shoulder. A weird constellation on the Hoffnungsschimmer. "... how would you like to name your kids?" His look was straight into her eyes, still combined with a calming smile.
The question caught her off guard. Being at a loss for words, she remained calm for several moments. She hadn't really given the issue much thought. The evident problem with actually getting there... Averting her eyes, a wide, uncontrolled smile on her face; she was thankful for the wind that cooled it somewhat. "I- I've played with the thought but couldn't decide. It's difficult."
"Do you want it right now? I mean, I didn't use protection when we had sex, but, do want to it to be a thing right now? Or later, when things are done? You know, after the VWA, Core and what not. It's not like I suddenly have doubts, at least not about that topic."
"I... don't think it makes that much of a difference. Let's keep things as they are," she muttered, still feeling somewhat off talking so plainly. It also wasn't really something that she felt quite comfortable with, as it reminded her of her fertility problem. Still, the lengths to which Vertiga was willing to go to appease her was heartwarming, although it did make her feel like a leech? What could she even offer him? Nothing, that's what. "I wish I had some way of helping with breaking your chains. I feel powerless."
"Seriously, Maren, you're already helping my very much", he said, looking at her scarred hand, touching it, holding it. "Honestly. Without you, I guess I already would have lost my mind. Literally. The Omicrons and it's inhabitants are draining sanity. But knowing you're waiting for me when duty is over, I feel like I don't do this just because it's about a 2,5 billion investition. With you, it's more about doing my part in making Sirius a bit safer and better. Sounds weird, eh?"
The waiter came back with two big plates, one filled with chicken legs, decorated with curacaoan fruits and clams. The other plate was a rainbow of salads, almost like a mandala. One glass of water, one glass of sweet wine...
Maren cocked her head. "Weird? No, not at all. It sounds oh so believable coming from you." At least Vertiga had managed to steer her mind away from a treacherous slippery slope.
The food itself looked quite appealing to her. Thanking the waiter, she took the cutlery in hand, wishing Vertiga bon Appetit. Ever since he spoke, she had tried to come up with a way to convey how she felt, but in the end, her mind drew a blank. "I wish I could find words to express how happy you make me, with this, with everything, but I fear language doesn't do it justice." She cringed inwardly. Stupid Maren. You're so verbose normally. What is wrong with you?
The clams were already opened, cut into easy to pick up slices and spiced. "Here. Clams. Since people don't want to make themselves dirty eating clams, most of the Curacaoan restaurants prepare them. They are fresh, smell like the ocean and taste like... chicken", he said, picking one slice up with the fork and ate it, eyerolling of enjoyment. "Mh... they spice it with a bit lemon, tabasco and pepper. It's unbelievable." And then... "Maren, I think I know how you feel and what you're wish to say. The fact that you literally would kill for me, it was crushing the few doubts I had about you."
She impaled a small cocktail tomato on her fork, staring at another couple sitting some ways behind Vertiga. The man sat with his back facing towards Maren, but the woman seemed to be quite enjoying herself, giggling quietly. The motion made the bright red feather that adorned the woman's head bob slightly. "If I had to, I would do it. If I needed to do it again, I would. I have let things I wanted slip through my feeble fingers often enough." The fork stopped halfway to her mouth before it burst out of her. "Let me be on the Apahanta when it happens!"
His happy smile suddenly turned down for a moment. "Pfff...", he made, gaining back his smile in thought of her bravery, "I can't have another person with a death wish on the ship..."
Cutting a slice off of the chicken leg and impaling it with his fork, he held it over the plate, staring at it. "That's not just chicken. It's a bird like a Kiwi, just bigger, like a chicken. The meat is a bit sweeter than normal chicken from Liberty or Bretonia."
Maren sighed disheartenedly at Vertiga's response. Did he think she was doing this for laughs? Continuing to eat for a few moments, she dropped the issue, though. Maren was sure Vertiga wouldn't be persuaded to her point of view. "Why are you talking about that bird all of a sudden?"
26th of May 823 A.S.
Cortez System
Planet Curacao, CV-Hoffnungsschimmer
"You wanted to hear about Curacaoan cultural lore", he said jokingly. Putting the cutlery down, he gave her a serious look to his slightly disappearing smile. "Maren, I know you want to be helpful and have your set of skills. But no, I can't allow that. If something would happen to you in a situation I initiated, I couldn't take it. No. There is no arguing about that. I'll have to get rid off over 150 Core loyal guys, and some of them are enhanced, having more punch than a horsekick. They can crush a head with their hands, like in that one movie remake from the guy who destroyed the franchise. What was his name... doesn't matter. No, Maren. Forget about it. There are so many other ways you can help me with this, without standing in the line of fire."
That gave her pause. Vertiga was right. She would be of no help in that situation, as annoying as that was for her to admit. At least she found solace in the thought that Vertiga wanted her out of harm's way. "I understand." She finished one of the salads. "Let's not dwell on these things for now, okay? Say, you must have a lot of funny stories to tell about this place," she said, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Rebuilding his smile, he nodded. "Uhm, I guess some of them aren't what you would like to hear, but let me think..." He noticed how Maren then and when looked over behind him to the couple. Taking a little peek, he turned around again, looking to Maren, then looking at the cut chicken leg. "THIS SUSTENANCE IS VERY APPEALING TO MY HUMAN SENSES", he said in an awkward loud but not shouting voice and began to list them. "TASTE, SMELL, SIGHT, BLOERG AND VROIK."
Maren blinked, not really minding his raised voice. "I'm afraid I don't understand." Her mind was abuzz, trying to decipher what Vertiga was trying to convey as if it were some sort of elaborate riddle. /Human senses/... insinuating that he is human? Why'd it need to be mentioned, though. Also, the word /sustenance/ was not really something that she really would expect to hear out of Vertiga's mouth. It was way too long a word if the alternative would be simply /food/. The change in tone... the pitch suggested some sort of urgency, as if the point was in some way important but...
"DON'T YOU AGREE WITH ME, HUMA- I MEAN, /FELLOW/ HUMAN?", he added, noticing her questioning look but inviting to join that way of behavior with his own crazy look, crossing his eyes for a second.
It clicked. "Oh, uhm, yes, Har'ky-, err, I meant Ezrael Vertiga, my boyfriend! These mattertools are also quite wieldy to ingest it, though I don't understand why they- I mean /we/ don't use these appendages!" She raised her arm in a clunky, mechanical manner, as if she was not used to having them. She couldn't hold her countenance for long, though, and she burst out in quite unladylike laughter.
"So, somewhen in my 20's this got a running thing. You know, back then the nomads became more and more a thing and when me and some other people had a little too much vino, we made up how they would look like and how they tried to integrate themselves as undercover-aliens." Taking a sip from the sweet wine, he gently licked his lips to catch the aroma. "JUST LIKE THE LAKES OF PERXION X THREE POINT ONE ZERO ONE", he began, suddenly changing his face expression like he just uncovered himself, "I MEAN, MANHATTAN."
Maren placed her hand on her chest in faux elation. "Don't scare me like that, dear; you startled me." Somehow the idea of boys playing with the notion of alien infiltration struck her as mildly humorous. Kids, in their innocent minds, coping with things they couldn't understand. "I imagine that there'd been people who weren't too fond of that?"
"Oh, of course, and we annoyed the shit out of them, pulling that thing off for hours. You know, drunk people. Better that way than beating the shit out of others. People called it stupid. I still call it hilarious!" There were several cut apricot-like fruit slices on his plate left. Chicken, apricots, clams... iron-rich diet. Maren would definitely notice it in bed or where ever they end up later. He ate a slice, looking at Maren with a nearly stupid smile with that in mind. "Times were easier back then. At least here."
"I hear people say that quite often," she replied, taking another bite from the second salad, something that consisted of small, corn-like things. "I'm pretty sure you're not nearly old enough to be talking like that already, Ezrael. It doesn't quite fit that youthful energy of yours." Placing the cutlery on the table, she raised her glass of water to her lips.
"You know what I mean, Maren. Back then, I wasn't trapped by Core and Lane Hackers and didn't had to deal with nomads and harvesters and such. Back then, my biggest worries were like 'I don't remember her name' or 'I wonder if there is enough wax on the board'. And now it's 'How do I get out of all of this alive without loosing a ship I payed 2,5 billion credits for and not endangering my beloved sugartits'." He leaned back, noticing the blue sun of Cortez already vanished behind the horizon. "But, you know what? At least I remember your name, sweetheart."
"I know what you mean. Worries grow with distance from home, it seems." She drank deeply from her glass. "The Omicrons held some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, yet it feels like everything has a price tag attached to it — not credits, but it seems to drain you. There's an enervation that permeates us, claws at our souls. Just look at who dwells there. They deteriorate, become less human, more predator." Taking a final bite, she places her cutlery horizontally on her place, sighing contently. "I'm being too dramatic again, ain't I?" She shook her head. "I guess I'm a hopeless case in that regard," she added humorously.
His left foot took some pokes at her feet under the table, combined with a playful smile above the table. "I like it when you're dramatic. Maybe I can make you an actress, hum?"
She started a bit at something touching her legs before noticing what it was and giving Vertiga a flat look. "I've been in theatre class during elementary and middle school." She laughed wistfully, smiling at the memory. "I recall vividly how badly I wanted to perform for an interpretation for Der Fiedler im Grünen-" at Vertiga's questioning look, she elaborated. "The Fiddler in the Green. Nobody of us could play a string instrument, though, but I did play C Flute, thus we just changed Fiddler to Piper; was fun."
"Hm, that's good enough, I think. We could make a movie where you will be the main role, and you could show how good you are on the flute. I think you would be a great actress, in that genre. From what I've seen so far." He bit his lower lip with a smirk, blew her a kiss and pushed the plate away from him. "What do you think? Another walk on the beach? I'd love to hear more about your school time."
"Don't you need to pay?" she asked, pushing her own plate away and only afterwards noticing that it was somewhat redundant. "I mean, there isn't much to say, really. Most of it I don't actually remember anymore; do you feel the same?"
"Of course I need to pay. Just asking what do you want to do next." Moving the plate a bit more aside, he put his right elbow on the table and supported his head with the hand, looking at Maren's hair.
She smiled at his antics. "Let's take another walk, then, during which I will annoy you with Mini-Maren's school adventures. I'd like to see a bit more before we have to go."
One overpriced payment and some minutes later, Maren and Ezrael were back at the beach again, already past the little group of palms where it was about to escalate earlier. It was night already, and the stars and the great barrier nebula were still powerful enough to enlighten Curacao's dark side of the planet. Even in the night, it felt like 25°C all around with a very refreshing wind blowing through Maren's hair. Her head leaning on his shoulder, his arm slung around her hips, both walked down the beach slowly, just enjoying the moments as they are, and yet it seemed possible to not worry about what will may happen in the near future.
"Let's just lie down a bit. Don't worry, doing nothing you wouldn't want", he said, stretching out the plain white blanket he asked for at the restaurant. As she patiently looked at him, he sat down, pulling her to him. Laying on him, she got caressed from him from behind while both of them watched the big shiny stars. Cortez was very close to a cluster of stars, fortuning Curacao with an incredible nightsky. "Thanks, Maren", with a nearly whispering voice he began, "it's cool that we're finally here now. There was a time when I was about to loose hope we would have this date."
"I hope this encourages you to live so we may have more in the future," she joked, staring upwards into the sky.
Turning her head to Vertiga, she found that it was way better looking at him rather than the stars above. "What I actually wanted to say, what I couldn't say earlier... I mean..." she trailed off. Taking one of his hands in her own, she gave its back a small kiss before pressing it to her forehead, cursing her sudden lack of words to express herself.
"Say it." His expression was a mix of wondering and enjoyment. "Take your time, but say it. I won't go anywhere now, especially not without you." Lifting his head, he kissed her lips, pulling her head down to his this way.
"I feel conflicted like this, because I thought such things would take longer," she said, her head above Vertiga's. The stars above shone dimly, yet no light reached Maren's face in this position. "You always manage to cheer me up; you were there for me when I was unwell. I was content with dying, but through you I learnt to fear it again." She stroked hair out of her face, the motion illuminating her face for the briefest of moments. "I always felt like the odd one out, but not with you. I want to stay with you, want to grow old with you." She traced Vertiga's cheek with her fingers gently.
"When things happen, they happen, Maren. And we really should enjoy everything we can as long as it is possible..." Loosing himself in her sparkling eyes, he gave her another long lasting kiss. With a weird smile, he added "But growing old, Maren? My plan for the two of us was to stay young forever. We could do the Golanski-thing and become gods. And you could wear a stupid hat. I would be okay with that."
She shook her head, finding the idea rather humorous. "Gods are cruel, for they favour the strong and disregard the weak," she said. "But for want of a hat, I'd have little problem with that, I believe." Her countenance yielded to an amused expression. "It really is impossible to stay serious around you." Lowering her head until her forehead touched Vertiga's, she whispered. "Three words."
"Say it...", he said without voice, a bit astonished by what she was going to do. Everything has lead to this exact point.
She kissed him once, tenderly, as if afraid to break him. "I love you." Another one. "You are everything I ever wanted. I don't need us to be gods, because this is our apotheosis." It occured dimly to her that she might be talking too much in this moment, but it didn't matter.
He felt her heart beating like wild. It was a very special moment, and as he kissed her for what seemed like ages to both of them, he continued with her neck, whispering his response. "I won't anyone allow to harm you anymore, Maren. I promise it... I love you, too..."
With the sound of the waves in the background, this continued for a while. No more words. No more worries. No more opportunities untaken. It was his happiest moment in a long time, and this moment was about to last hours.
![[Image: apm13_by_rhulaner-da4fuea.png]](http://orig07.deviantart.net/1f6f/f/2016/151/9/8/apm13_by_rhulaner-da4fuea.png)
![[Image: apm11_by_rhulaner-da4g1eh.png]](http://orig15.deviantart.net/ec64/f/2016/151/a/4/apm11_by_rhulaner-da4g1eh.png)
![[Image: apm10_by_rhulaner-da4g1ep.png]](http://orig09.deviantart.net/3bbc/f/2016/151/4/6/apm10_by_rhulaner-da4g1ep.png)