Page 47 of Citrine

It makes me bolder, and I lift both hands, pleased that I've gained back movement in my broken one, toward his torso.

His eyes are still locked onto my movement as he sinks down. I'm not even sure he's conscious of the movement, mesmerized as he is by something as simple as a light, gentle touch.

It makes my heart hurt for him. Makes me want this to be something special. Maybe even something life-altering.

How did he even survive? Human children die without touch. What kind of childhood did he endure?

I move my hands and hover them over his chest, just in case he wants me to stop. After a moment, he moves himself forward, bringing himself into contact with my hands. I stop worrying about the issue of questionable consent if he doesn't even understand the concept of gentleness. His movement let's me know he likes it, even if I doubt he will ever admit it.

His skin is softer than I expected. Blue on his torso and transitioning to green for his six tentacles.

I move my fingers down his boneless arms, lingering on the shark-like fins jutting out the back of them. His arms feel rigid, but also flexible. Like another form of tentacle, but with a couple of fingers at the end of each.

I move lower as his torso transitions to tentacles, noting the lack of genitalia, but avoiding the area just in case. I look up at him. His shark-like eyes are staring intently at where my hands are, but his face doesn't reveal any emotion.

Just an intense focus.

I keep feeling along the thick muscles of his tentacles, the bumps on the tops and sides, around the suckers on the bottom, letting some catch my hand. I feel a shiver pass through him, and I know I've got him.

I look up with a smirk, but he's still just frozen, with his eyes riveted to my hands. I continue to stroke along him, my ever-present, unexplainable arousal surging. As I continue tosensuously trail my fingers along a tentacle, I get the urge to ask him how it feels.

"Wouldn't you do your part to live together with people if you had access to that?"

He doesn't respond. Just shakes himself, his eyes darting up to mine, looking far less arrogant. Maybe even… lost.

He slips back into the water and disappears. It's getting too dark for me to see if he has stayed around or if monsters… other monsters… lurk instead. In the end, I go back up into the cove and curl up under my tree.

In my bid to find the humanity in him, did I push him too far?

I'll find out soon enough. He doesn't stay away for long.

Evenings are way too dark in this place and my shelter is too revealing for me to harbor any confidence about my own preservation. I suppose, hanging out with him earlier was against my own preservation.

Despite my deep-rooted fear, I tried being friendly. It felt right and I wonder what he's thinking right now.

Laying on my woven-out bed, I laugh to myself. It's so funny, how far I've come. Lightyears, it seems, and now I am trying to explain the concept of kindness to an alien.

The weirdest days of my life, for sure.

I move my arm around a few times and feel nothing besides a slight cramp. The mystery thickens, with no one to provide answers. At first I assumed he knew more than I did, but something tells me that with Wroahk it really is awhat you see is what you getsituation.

He's from a primitive planet, with a primitive culture. I have far more to teach him than he even realizes.

It's crazy, but I'm looking forward it.

The grass blanket I tried to make for myself with leaves does barely anything to protect my body from the constant wind that flows through this place. I've only just noticed it now, since I have continually collapsed with exhaustion, but the birds don't stop chirping at night.

There's a constant cacophony of noises. I'm grateful, though, since it makes me feel less alone and far from home.

I toss around, staring at the entrance of the cove from where I am. After walking through this place for a while, I've created a trodden path for myself so I can always see my entry and exit, plus the additional bonus of finding myself a suitable hiding place.

Humans really are the destroyers of nature. I've only been here a few days, but I've already altered the natural state and ecosystem of this place.

My thoughts keep me from sleeping right away, but I eventually drift off to thoughts about Wroahk. He's the only one of his kind I've seen since getting here.

I did ask him if this was his home, but he said it wasn't. Still. Are there more under the lake? Do they all look as spectacular as Wroahk?

I feel ridiculous for just thinking about it, but his broad chest and wide shoulders are more impressive than human men. It's like finally seeing a man after flirting and talking to only boys all my life.

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