01.23 - Cuddle-Fish

After a short drive, Vega, Merope, and Kass approached a side entrance of the waterpark just as Mary and Luc arrived from the opposite direction. The sound of distant water slides and faint echoes of splashing water echoed in the distance.

“Never late, nor early, huh?” Vega asked while carrying one of the baskets.

“Seems like we have arrived precisely when we meant to,” said Mary.

“Seems like it,” Vega said, as the three of them placed their baskets on the ground for a moment. “Hi, Luc.” She said as she went for a short hug. “Ready for the big night?”

“I… Ehm.” Luc blushed. “Oh! You mean the fireworks… Sure am! Ready as can be.”

Merope, who was a head shorter than Luc, patted his head after witnessing the scene before her, while Kass simply grinned from the sidelines.

“We practiced and perfected the flare spells all week,” Luc said, after getting a grip on himself again. “Uriah and Gabe will help too. They’ll be here later with two Thrones and a couple of Aura batteries.”

“Great! I’ve watched some of your practice work,” Vega said.

“Really?” asked Luc. “What do you think?”

“The earliest attempts weren’t that great, to be honest,” Vega said. “But the last two or three nights looked really good.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Luc said. “It’s gonna be a bit of a gamble, but you can look forward to tonight's grand finale.”

“I am looking forward to it,” Vega said. “Anyway, we brought some treats. Could you lend us a hand or two?”

As they walked closer to the waterpark, the scent of chlorine and sea breeze from the nearby ocean mingled in the air.

The sound of trickling fountains grew louder as Aqua appeared to greet them. The older woman, with her flowing white hair streaked with silvery wavy fins and cuttlefish-like mantle, shimmered faintly as she welcomed them with a smile.

The group trailed Aqua into a group of spacious side buildings. A huge skylight above cast light onto the central pool, with smaller ponds, small water slides, and underwater tunnels connected to it. A couple of holographic displays were incorporated into the walls, and a snack bar kitchen combo area was connected to another side room door that Aqua approached. The group put down their baskets near the kitchen area and followed behind her. She signaled them to be quiet as she opened the door into a dimly lit room with another pool.

Nestled inside, like fluffy white clouds, were five little Cuddle-Fish. Their bodies, shaped like sweet, elongated drops, were dotted with charming brown freckles. Their eight former cuttlefish arms had changed into tiny little feet that peeked out from beneath their bellies, and two delicate hands, remnants of their former tentacles, were sweetly intertwined.

They floated in a peaceful circle, their little hands clasped together in slumber.

“Aw,” Merope said. “They’re adorable.”

The sound of the door opening stirred the Cuddle-Fish. The first opened its large, expressive eyes with a yawn that turned into a soft chirrup. One by one, the others awoke, their bodies glowing faintly with bioluminescent patterns that flickered like warm candlelight as they noticed the visitors.

“Ohai Vega!” exclaimed Cuddles, the first to leap out of the water. The soft plop of his landing was followed by a delighted squeal as he wrapped his arms around her, who caught him with practiced ease.

“Ohai Mero!” Snuggles said, bouncing toward her.

“Ohai Kass!” Wiggles said, while waving cheerfully.

“Ohai everyone!” said Puddles and Bubbles in unison.

Vega chuckled, shifting Cuddles to a more comfortable position in her arms. “You’re as excitable as ever.”

“Ohai Luc,” Cuddles said. “Long time no see!”

“Yeah…” said Luc. “It’s been a while.”

Luc patted Cuddles. His skin was cool to the touch, smooth, and soft like satin. “Has it been a year already?” asked Luc.

Cuddles nodded.

“Sorry,” said Luc. “I’ve been kinda busy with…”

“Training?” asked Cuddles.

Luc looked surprised.

“Mary has been keeping us up to date,” said Cuddles. “You are still trying to catch up to your sister, right?”

“Right.” Luc nodded with a hint of disappointment. “So Mom’s been telling you all about it.”

“Well,” said Cuddles. “You shouldn’t worry about it. You are here now, and it looks like your diligence is going to save the night.”

“I hope so,” said Luc. “At least the practice flares have worked well so far.”

“And I hope all of you have recovered from last night’s patrol,” said Aqua, addressing the Cuddle-Fish. “We’ll have our first visitors in about an hour.”

“Perfect timing,” Vega said as she set down her basket. “We brought some berry-filled pastries. If I haven't miscalculated, we should have brought enough flavors to suit everyone's tastes.”

“Yay!” said Wiggles while spinning in the water.

“Treats!” Bubbles said while clapping.

“Thank you!” Cuddles said while bouncing with excitement.

The group moved back to the central room and began distributing the pastries. The Cuddle-Fish gathered eagerly, their wide eyes sparkling as they reached for the treats, the powdered sugar on the brown crusts glinting under the skylight.

Vega handed the first raspberry, honey, and almond treats to Cuddles and Luc, while Aqua, Merope, and Kass distributed the other flavored fillings to the rest of the group.

“This one smells amazing!” Puddles said, inhaling deeply before taking a bite from a strawberry-filled treat. “And it tastes great too!” he said with a muffled voice.

“Is that cinnamon?” asked Bubbles as she took a big bite from a mixed berry-filled pastry, chomping down with pleasure.

Luc and Mary enjoyed their treat in silence.

“So sweet!” said Cuddles after half-finishing his first treat. “I could eat a whole basket full of these.”