Page 121 of Citrine

Eli

Waiting for them to return is terrible, but it gives me more time to think over how Ree looked. I was so excited about people, and convincing them to stay, that I didn't really properly think through just how different she was.

For one, she had a tail, and I am ridiculously jealous. Surely everyone has wanted a tail since they were a kid, and all I got were hair tentacles.

It's not right.

Little suckers that taste things under the water are not a substitute for being fluffy, though I suppose I don't know that I would have been on board with the black scales. Not that they don't look great on her, or anything, but…

Not that it matters. I have the body I have, and I wouldn't want any of those furry males. If I became like them, how could I possibly be with Wroahk?

He drives me crazy, sure, but he's changed so much. I look over at him, and as always, he's watching me. Letting me know with his eyes that I matter to him. No longer a nobody.

I'm proud of all the ways he's changed. My own changes have been hard, but it's mostly been my body. He's had to work against an entire upbringing to embrace any part of the things that are important to me. Hell, to even stop himself from killing me.

Who else can say someone cares for them so much they would do that?

The yellow tentacles, the gills, this skin, these changes are the only reason we work. A memory of just how well we fit together sends heat surging through me, making the water pump faster through my gills.

Then I remember my new responsibilities and glance back to the cove.

I should probably check on Rannek, but if I do, it won't be without a terrifying octo-shadow, so he'd probably prefer if I just left him alone to guard Amethyst. I also barely looked at her, and now I'm feeling guilty about it.

Well, I can change that when Ree and Thivoll get back from gathering their supplies. I'm bouncing in the water, filled with glee to be listing such a long list of people, as Wroahk makes his grumbling clicks.

He wanted to wait in our cave, but I gave him a verbal lashing along with some tentacles whips, and so here we are, floatingnear the opposite shore, with no real sense of how long it will be before they arrive.

Surely it can't be too long? I settle back into making plans, cataloging where I know useful resources are, even though some of them I can't eat anymore, and shelter above ground isn't something I can use.

My shoulders sink, the reminder of my changes a harsh juxtaposition to my earlier glee. Wroahk has become surprisingly attuned to my mood, and he reaches up a tentacle to stroke it along my cheek.

It's a reminder I needed. We'll make it work.

I open my mouth to thank him but snap it back closed when I hear movement. A moment later, Ree calls out my name. I try to swim to the shore, but tentacles hold me back.

I narrow my eyes at him, then remember that I have to meet a couple more people and give them a Wroahk-can't-kill-you community pass.

When I look back up, Thivoll has moved onto the shore, Ree grinning on top of his back, surrounded by a bunch of bags, weapons, and who knows what else.

From behind her comes… a dragon.

Well, sort of. Big, blue, spikey, and looking at me with amber eyes. That must be Drasuk.

He's adorable.

My eyes dart up to the shock of pink and black on top of him and my eyes widen. She's beautiful, and also one of the strangest people I've ever seen. She's got some of Thivoll's traits, plenty of Drasuk's, but also a lot more I don't recognize, most notably the white spikes coming out of her skull.

She's holding a gun in her hands, scanning around, and looking at Wroahk dubiously.

"You must be Drasuk and Kira. I'm Eli, and this is Wroahk."

"Hello Eli," Kira calls back. "Nice wiggly threads you've got there."

I move up a hand to my over-excited tentacles, feeling self-conscious.

Ree snorts. "Says the woman posing as a bloodthirsty Statue of Liberty."

I dart my eyes back to Kira, just in time for her to let out a guffaw.

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