Beauty in the Void

Violet was not sure what she expected of her strange, mutant plants, but she was certainly not expecting the bronze hops to produce such blood-red flowers. They looked stunning, the farmer had to admit, especially against the metallic luster of the leaves. It was almost as if they were made of oddly cut rubies, yet Violet could tell that they were plants by the way they slowly absorbed the moisture poured on by the watering can.

Grabbing a pair of gardening gloves, Violet carefully removed the hops from the vine and found some empty jars in the house to put them in. Perhaps she should show this to Maru or Demetrius. It was possible that there was a perfectly reasonable non-magical explanation for all of this, and Violet was being overly cautious for nothing. And yet, the jar seemed… warm to the touch now. Was it the strange hops? The farmer was not brave enough to try touching them with her bare hands to find out.

Setting the sample aside, Violet tended to the rest of her garden, eyeing the similarly affected blueberry bush. Though, at this point she really should call it a blood berry bush from the deep red of its leaves. The pastel-haired woman wondered if the fruit would be just as shocking as her new hops. Part of her hoped so. It was kind of exciting to see something new. Even if it might be dangerous - it was at least contained, right?

Violet's deep blue eyes glanced at the regular hops and decided she should set aside a control sample for Maru as well. That way she could make a proper comparison. In a separate jar, the farmer did just that and put both containers in her bag. Stopping by to say 'hello' to Robin before she left, Violet headed for town to sell her the crops she knew were edible before heading to the beach to try and catch something suitable for maki-making this evening.

The young woman blushed, thinking of the warm, fuzzy feeling she got when Sebastian complimented her food. Violet hoped to see his reaction this time to see if he really meant it. Violet's insecurities screamed that her friend only said so to make her feel better, but there was a part of her that believed that Sebastian was being genuine. She liked the way the crab rolls turned out, even if they were a little lumpy. Clearly, he had good taste!

Violet smiled to herself, humming a merry tune as she headed toward the beach for some fresh shellfish. She only hoped that Talla's mother was feeling generous today. The farmer decided she would have to ask the merchant more about the goddesses during their next encounter. She had so many questions, though Violet admitted that she was afraid of some of the answers.

Emily stepped outside, the warm morning air filling her lungs and invigorating her senses. "Ah…" she inhaled deeply, smiling at the sun. "Another beautiful day in Pelican Town," she breathed happily. Things had gone well getting Shane to his appointment yesterday and he came out better than when they had arrived. Things were finally starting to turn around.

She heard the call of birds coming in from the east and noticed a flock of colorful parrots flying low in the sky above her. They were stunning with their jewel-tone feathers: emerald-green wings, topaz-yellow bodies, ruby-red throats, and a crest of amethyst feathers atop their heads. Emily had spied the migratory birds flying overhead before, but never so close before. It was a rare, delightful sight.

"My friends!" she greeted the birds as they flew overhead and continued westward. The fashion-conscious woman always had an affinity for the parrots and their stunning, bold colors. Emily watched them go and as the birds disappeared beyond the horizon, the barkeep headed toward Pierre's to grab some groceries for the week. However, there was another magnificently colored flyer well behind its flock that slammed into the front window of her house. A few of its emerald feathers disbursed in an explosion of green. Stunned, Emily quickly ran to the bird, crumpled in a heap in the flower box.

"Oh no! You poor thing!" the woman cooed to calm the creature. Gingerly, she cradled the parrot in her arms to examine the damage. "Your wing's broken," the sapphire-haired woman observed, rocking the bird soothingly. "Oh, you're a bit different than the others, aren't you?" she expressed quietly, curving her lips upward in a small smile. "Just like me…"

"Don't worry. I'll nurse you back to health, little one. Everything will be alright." Emily took the bird inside and bandaged the broken wing tightly to its body so that it would mend properly. After offering the creature some water and a bowl of seeds, she quickly put together a perch for the parrot and admired her work as the bird immediately took to it. Emily made sure he had plenty of places to hop around safely, since the parrot would be unable to fly for a while.

"I think this will do nicely," she thought aloud, seeing her new companion hop from ledge to ledge to get around her room. Emily wished she could give the bird more freedom, but Haley would never agree to have a wild animal loose in their home. Emily fought the urge to name her new friend. It would be disrespectful to treat the injured bird like a pet. These parrots were not domesticated, and a once-wild bird would not be happy in captivity, especially without a flock.

"This is only temporary," Emily assured her new feathered friend. She stroked the parrot's head soothingly and the creature leaned in to catch her fingernail and scratch its head in a particular spot. The red-clad woman pat the bird. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you need, but I'll be sure to set you free once your wing heals, as long as it's an appropriate time of year." It would be cruel to let it loose in the winter, after all. "So at most a year, okay?"

Whether or not the bird actually understood, it bobbed its head up and down as it tried to calculate the distance it required to hop over to the next perch. Emily grinned. "I have to go to work now, but you make yourself at home, okay?"

Squawking, the parrot stuck the landing and settled happily on the spherical top of the post on Emily's bed frame. Emily took that as a signal of understanding between them and shut the door behind her. "I bet Shane would love to hear about my new friend!" she thought out loud. Perhaps now she could contribute more to the conversation when Shane spoke about Charlie, or the new breed of chicken he hoped to obtain with the next brood. The sapphire-hair woman beamed at the idea of their next conversation.

As Penny returned home to the trailer after picking up some snacks at The Stardrop Saloon for her hangout with Maru today, she stood in the doorway, feeling a bit crestfallen at the state her mother left their dwelling. "Ughh… It's so dirty in here," the woman moaned in annoyance, eyeing the pile of dirty dishes her mother left in the sink, the clothes scattered about the floor, and the overflowing trash can in the corner. For a moment, the mess was overwhelming, but the brunette rolled up her sleeves to get to work.

A gentle rap came from the door and Maru entered the trailer, greeting Penny as she removed her shoes at the door. "Thanks for letting me come over for a bit," her best friend said appreciatively.

"Of course, it's your birthday!" Penny replied excitedly. But the mood was quickly damped when the teacher realized that Maru was now witness to the mess in her home. "Um… Sorry that it's such a mess. I was running a bit late this morning and only just now was about to clean up."

Maru brushed it off, unbothered by the clutter. "Oh, it's fine. I'll help you!" she offered.

"You'll help me? You really mean it?" Penny smiled. After brief consideration, she pointed Maru toward the table, where the mess was least offensive. "Okay, you can get started over there. I'll clean the kitchen."

Maru scooped up the clothes off the floor and put them in a neat pile on the window bench while Penny scrubbed the dishes. The bespectacled woman began to wipe down the surface of the table when the front door opened. "This isn't so bad," Maru swore to her friend. "And cleaning is usually easier with more people."

"Yes, it's nice to have company!" Penny agreed, scraping off a caked-on chunk of dried food off a particularly soiled plate. "Especially with things you don't like doing, it makes everything more pleasant than it would be alone." She beamed, setting the newly cleaned dish in the drying rack. Cleanliness made the teacher feel better about living in the trailer, even if she still felt self-conscious about the "trailer-trash" stereotype applied to her.

The two friends chatted back and forth about little things going on in their lives when they heard the door open. Immediately things began to go south. "Whaddya think you're doing?!" Pam roared angrily when she spied Maru scrubbing the tabletop. She stomped her foot. "Stop it! I had everything just the way I like it!"

The schoolteacher confronted her mother. "Mom, the house is a total mess," she insisted. "Maru and I were just trying to tidy things up a bit so we could spend some time in each other's company without having to worry about it."

Her nose wrinkled as she caught a strong whiff of alcohol. "Were you at the saloon just now? You smell like beer…" she observed with disappointment, but not surprise.

Pam threw her arms up in the air defensively. "It's none of your damn business where I go!"

"It is my business!" Penny shot back, her face flushing with frustration and tears welling up in her emerald eyes. "I don't want you destroying yourself!" Her hand flew to her chest and rested above her heart. "Don't you realize that your choices have an effect on me? Stop being so selfish!" the young woman demanded.

"Selfish?" the drunk woman spat. "I put a roof over your head and clothes on your back and you call me selfish!? You ungrateful little…" the short woman's fist balled at her side and she smacked the wall of the trailer, knocking off an old photograph from the wall.

Pam exhaled heavily, regaining some of her composure when she saw Maru's wide-eyed expression. "You'd better go," the mother told her daughter's friend. "I'm sorry you had to see this, kid."

Penny scowled pointedly at her mother, but the corners of her mouth softened sadly at her guest. "I'll meet up with you again later, Maru," she promised her best friend. "I know this isn't how you wanted to spend your birthday." Penny shot her mother another glare and felt a little justified when her mother cringed at her words. At least her mother had some sense of shame.

Once the two made plans for later that afternoon and Maru was safely escorted outside, Penny returned inside to continue her argument with her mother in private. But before she could begin, Pam started. "She's a nice young lady…" Penny's mother stated quietly, her brown eyes not leaving the floor. "But I don't want you tellin' others to clean up my house! It's embarrassing!" the woman exclaimed. Momentarily, Penny thought her mother might feel a bit ashamed of their living situation as well. "You understand?"

"...Yes, mother," Penny rejoined meekly. The teacher felt a bit guilty for being angry at her mother, the woman who stuck around to raise her. Her father just up and left, after all. Perhaps it really made things more difficult for her mother now that her brunette hair reminded Pam of the man that abandoned her. But, even still, it was not as if Penny had been a bad daughter. She nursed her mother's hangovers and contributed to their finances all the time. The teacher sighed and retreated to her room to read for a bit before heading over to Maru's house. At least on Mountain Road, no parents would be yelling at their daughters today.

Violet had been grateful that her crab pots yielded both a crab and a lobster today. In fact, when she opened the last one and found trash, she could not even be mad about it. She had her fresh seafood to make maki today. The farmer just hoped that Sebastian liked it as much as he claimed he did via text the night before.

"Maybe I should invite him over a little early to hang out?" she asked herself. Violet was positive he had finished the manga she lent him by now. They could sit and read together.

Or Sebastián could stay over a little later… a familiar voice teased in her ear. She reddened, though luckily only the shellfish were around to witness her embarrassment at her own thoughts. Of course, the voice of bad influence in her head would be Bex! The farmer huffed indignantly and shoved bait into the traps before sinking them back into the shallows. With the crustaceans on-hand, the young woman made her way back toward the farmhouse.

"There's really no harm in inviting a friend over," she assured herself, fishing her phone out of her pocket. *Hey, I got lucky today. Both a crab and a lobster!*

*All for me, right?*

Violet scoffed at his audacity even if she was confident Sebastian was only teasing her. *You wish!* She continued. *Anyway, I'm probably going to make some food for snacks tonight. You're welcome to hang out and keep me company.* The pastel-haired woman sent an immediate follow-up. She did not want to seem clingy. *Or read. Reading is fine, too*

*I may take you up on that. It'll take me a little longer to get to your place with the synth, though.*

Right, he had to lug an instrument all the way out to the farm. *You're welcome to keep it here so you don't have to keep carrying it around for band practice. I have a feeling we'll be having them at my place more often anyway.* That part was more influenced by Sam's mom. Jodi seemed to love the idea of us being well away from her house for jam sessions and Sam's trying to stay on her good side.

*That would be awesome.* Violet did not expect the next sentence, however. *Though I guess that means you'll have to see me fumbling a bit more during practices. I won't look nearly as cool*

"Pft!" Violet stifled a giggle, remembering how easily Sebastian mimicked the tune Sam played from her phone the last time he came to practice. *Oh, please. Your hands are very talented!*

Violet paled when she realized she had already sent the message. "Oh, no… that could totally be a dirty joke!" she screamed in horror. The farmer tapped her head on her wall repeatedly in angst. She closed her eyes, waiting for the worst possible response. Her phone beeped, indicating a reply.

Gritting her teeth, she opened one eye to read what Sebastian sent. *I hope they live up to your expectations tonight.* Winking face. *I'll see you soon.*

Violet became crimson, her fingers gently touching her lips as she exhaled slowly. "Oh…"

Sebastian cursed at himself for being so flirty, but Violet had started it. He just returned the gesture in kind, right? "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," he chanted to himself like a mantra, gathering up his bag and his synth. Then again… He glanced at his phone. While Violet had not responded to continue the flirty, she had not condemned it, either. The programmer gritted his teeth, preparing himself for the worst as he headed for Fairy Rose Farm.

When he arrived, however, he found Violet in her kitchen wearing an apron and wielding an axe. "What the hell?"

"It's to kill them humanely before I stick them in the pot!" Violet explained, trying to take aim at the wriggling lobster on the countertop. Sebastian spied the already halved crab on a separate plate. "But this bastard won't stop squirming even after being in the freezer for a bit!" she complained about the large lobster that thrust its tail to propel itself every which way.

Sebastian grabbed a fork and pinned the creature down as best he could. "There, now go for it," he ordered. Violet swung decisively at the cross on its head, killing it instantly. The farmer sighed with relief while the synth player stared in horror. "Who knew you were so metal to kill your own crustaceans, Violet," he joked with a nervous laugh. It was a little unnerving to see her wield a lethal weapon, even if it was against their food.

Violet wiped her brow with her apron. "Well, they don't just magically come that way," she replied. "Besides, it always tastes best fresh!"

The black-clad man could not argue that logic and rolled up his sleeves. "What can I do?" he asked.

Her dark blue eyes stared at his arms for a moment, wide and focused. "Are… they too blindingly pale?" he asked uneasily, holding his forearms in front of his body self-consciously.

Violet cleared her throat and her cheeks colored slightly. "No, I just…" Her face contorted slightly in an adorable way as her mouth twitched from smile to frown and back again. "I appreciate the offer to help, okay?" she shouted, shutting her eyes, and handing him the sheets of nori, a bamboo mat, and a bowl of pre-made rice. "I-I'm falling a bit behind on getting ready for everyone to be here. I wanted to feed everyone something delicious!"

Sebastian nodded and Violet walked him through the instructions to prepare the outer portion of the maki while she boiled, extracted, and then added a few secret ingredients to the mixture of crab and lobster meat. He smiled at how natural it felt to be cooking together and to hear the gentle hum Violet produced as she worked intently on the food.

The farmer filled him in on the details from the day before. "Between Abigail and Sam making sickening eyes at each other, we actually got a fair bit done," she clarified, dolloping the shellfish meat in its proper place so that Sebastian could roll it. "Keep it tight," she encouraged him. The young man corrected his near-mistake and kept the tension as he tucked one side beneath the other and began to form the proper shape.

She beamed at him. "It's gorgeous!" she praised with a happy hoot. "I'll slice it up for you," she offered, grabbing a well-sharpened knife from a drawer. The blade cut through the layers like butter and Violet served up the maki to her friend.

"I'll wait to eat these until after we've made the rest of them," he said, much to Violet's chagrin.

"Yeah, okay," she relented, the disappointment in her voice obvious. "You have a point."

Together, the duo quickly churned out another five maki rolls. They decided to test the extra two before Sam and Abigail arrived. Sebastian took a bite and his mouth instantly filled with saliva and he tasted the heavenly dish. "Oh, fuck," he moaned. "That's so damn good."

Violet popped a piece into her mouth as well, her cheeks full like a chipmunk. She covered her mouth with her hand, slightly embarrassed. The sounds that came from her mouth were like his, Sebastian imagined, but for some reason he found it incredibly sexy. "Oh, yeah, we did awesome…" she agreed once she had swallowed the mouthful, offering her hand in a high-five. It produced a solid, satisfying sound. "We are on a roll today!" Violet giggled. "And you're right, you are good with your hands!" she exclaimed in awe.

"Well, well, well," Sam cackled from the doorway, Abigail simpering behind him with a large bag to carry the largest of her drums awkwardly fastened to her back. "And here we were thinking we had just walked in on some pillow talk." He shrugged, feigning disappointment. "It's just food porn, apparently."

Abigail had to twist herself at an odd angle to get the drums through the door. "At least we know the snacks are good, right?"

Sebastian and Violet both blushed profusely, but Sebastian was more used to his best friend's teasing and recovered more quickly. "No need to be so jealous," he stated proudly. "Come join us!"

It was then Violet chimed in unexpectedly. "We committed murder and hid the bodies in the food," she added with an unnervingly saccharine voice.

"Ugh, I'm suddenly not hungry…" Abigail's face greened slightly at the way Violet phrased things. Intellectually, she knew it meant there was some sort of meat in the maki, but the nature of the words churned her stomach at the vague implication of cannibalism. "No meat pies for me, thanks."

"It's only maki," Violet grinned innocently, picking up a piece with her chopsticks and offering it to Abigail. "You like spicy food, right?"

The amethyst-haired woman appeared doubtful. "I already ate, thanks," Abigail answered, declining the food with a suspicious eyebrow still raised. "Besides, there are other snacks that are specifically vegetarian, just in case," she reasoned, playing along with the joke.

Sam did not seem to share Abigail's cautionary self-preservation. "I'll take that bite, V!" the blond shouted, swooping in with his mouth to snatch the tasty morsel. He bit into an empty chopstick, however. Confused, the guitarist scanned the room to find that Sebastian had stolen it with his own chopsticks.

"Dude!" the denim-wearing musician complained. Violet offered the blond his own plate, so the injustice did not last long.

Sebastian shoulders rose, not feeling at all guilty. "Too slow, fam," he uttered nonchalantly. Violet observed the synth player silently for a time and he wondered what she could be thinking.

Abigail rolled her light blue eyes as she did the last part of set-up for her drums. "Let's just get started, I want to make sure we get that bridge part in the middle right this time," she insisted. "It's a little tricky on my end and I need to get it right if we're ever going to play in front of a crowd."

The Saiyan-haired guitarist shoved a few chips into his mouth a took a swig of Joja Cola before joining his girlfriend. "Ready when you are!" he proclaimed, strumming a power chord.

Maru stood outside on the patio of the house, setting up her telescope under the starry canopy of the night sky. The young scientist was surprised to hear footsteps approaching and looked up to see Alex jogging up the mountainside toward her. "Alex! I'm surprised to see you here so late."

"Well, granny refused to let me leave until she finished the cake when she found out I planned on coming here to wish you a happy birthday," he spiky-haired brunet chuckled guilty, holding up a decorated cardboard box to reveal the treat. "It's a strawberry rhubarb cake."

The young scientist grinned with delight. "Oh, I'll be sure to thank her at dinner next week!" Maru exclaimed, accepting the dessert, and scooping a small sample of the icing with her pinky. "It's delicious!" the woman praised. "It's a little late to enjoy it this evening, but I'll be sure to have some tomorrow." Maru set the cake inside her room quickly before coming back out to the patio.

"The night sky looks amazing right now," the bespectacled woman sighed dreamily.

Alex craned his neck to admire the view as well. "Yeah, I guess they are," he admitted with a shrug. "I don't really stargaze all that often." He leaned against the house, "It kinda makes you feel… small. They're so far away."

The astronomical enthusiast smiled, as if she had a secret. "I can fix that." After making a few adjustments with her telescope she waved him toward her. "Come over here, I want to show you something."

Sauntering over, Alex stood beside Maru. She tapped on the eyepiece lightly to indicate to her friend where to place himself. "Here, take a peek," she instructed. "What do you see?"

Even with the tripod, the jock had to bend down significantly. He was silent for a time, then said. "I dunno, but it's really cool!"

"It's Saturn!" Maru reported excitedly. "You can tell by the rings of ice that surround the planet," she told him, pointing them out. She continued, "It's named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture and where the word 'Saturday' comes from - 'Saturni dies,' or 'Saturn's day.'"

Alex snorted. "You sure know a lot about everything, Glasses. It's kind of impressive."

"I have a thirst for knowledge, what can I say?" Maru countered smoothly. She grabbed her telescope and redirected it toward the south. "I've decided what to call you, by the way."

Alex seemed puzzled. "What to call me?" he echoed.

"Your nickname, I mean," Maru clarified, adjusting the focus of the telescope, and testing the view in the eyepiece. "I'm going to call you Sirius…" she announced confidently.

"Serious?"

Maru nodded and gestured for Alex to use the eyepiece of the instrument again. "After Sirius A. The brightest star in the sky and half of my favorite binary star system…"

Alex peered into the eyepiece like his friend showed him, "Yeah, that is really bright," he concurred, seeing the light emanating from the star in question. He stood up and gazed at the sky without the aid of the telescope. "You can see it normally up in the sky - no telescope needed."

His companion's smile widened. "I figured if I'm going to know someone famous, he ought to have a cool nickname, right?" Maru teased the jock, elbowing his ribs gently.

He tugged at his letter jacket self-consciously. "Well, yeah, but people might not think of the star first, you know." Maru could tell that he was cognizant about his own misunderstanding.

The woman paused for a while. "How about Sir, short for Sirius? That way people will probably ask what it means, and you can explain without people making the wrong assumption." Maru pondered for a moment. "Besides, it sounds the same as 'sear' and you can make your own jokes about it."

"Like I sear the competition!" Alex replied with a wide, enthusiastic grin. "Or searing hot!" Maru noticed his demeanor change drastically and she returned the smile. At least she knew how to make Alex feel more confident in himself. She was proud of him for not outright rejecting the nickname despite its "nerdy" origin, either.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Maru sighed wistfully, turning her attention toward the heavens. "By the time any of these stars are visited, you and I will be long gone…"

Alex tilted his head upward. "It takes that long to get there, huh?"

"Well, if our galaxy were a gridball field…" she began to explain, using a NASA-approved scale that Alex would best understand. "The sun would be a dime in the end zone, and our planet would be a grain of sand on the 2-yard line. Saturn, for example, would be a little thicker than the width of a dime at the 19-yard line."

The future gridball star considered the comparison. "We're just a grain of sand?" he reacted in both awe and horror.

"If you're talking about people, we're less than that, since we live on the planet," Maru explained. "I guess that's the trouble with being human, huh?"

"That's kind of scary to think about…" Alex acknowledged anxiously. "It's like we don't matter."

Maru shrugged, messing with the settings on her telescope. "That's one way of looking at it." Her warm eyes rested on the man standing beside her. "Instead, I choose to think that being such a tiny speck in the universe gives us the infinite possibility to learn and grow. Our boundaries are practically limitless!" She rested a hand on Alex's shoulder. "And that's why I respect your drive and determination so much. You're not afraid to reach for the stars!"

If the scientist did not know better, she could have sworn she saw a brief expression of bashfulness on his face. "Thanks, Maru. It's nice to know someone other than my granny believes in me," he responded appreciatively.

"I would not have started working with you if I didn't believe in your ability," she confessed casually. Whether it was imagined or real, the overall-clad was confident that Alex appreciated the help and support she provided. There was something she wanted to know, however.

"Alex, um…" Maru averted her gaze briefly to both signal and hide some of her nervousness, the light from the stars reflecting off her red-rimmed glasses.

When Alex's eyes finally met hers, something about the softness of his contemplative stare caught her off-guard. "Never mind…" she stated, backpedaling from her initial plan. Now was not a good time to do something like this. She changed the subject immediately. "Here, let me show you something else…"

"Sure, thing," Alex consented, but he held out a hand to cover the eyepiece of the telescope for a moment. "But before that, I wanna give you your birthday present."

Maru blinked behind her glasses. "My birthday present?" she repeated questioningly.

The jock laughed. "Yeah, you know, those gifts your friends give you on the day that celebrates you were born," he told her sarcastically, handing her a small box. It was beautifully wrapped in a shade of decorative purple paper that matched the shirts she always wore. "Happy birthday," he added as Maru accepted the gift and opened it.

"It's an electrician's tool kit!" she announced excitedly. "How did you know I needed a new wire stripper?"

Alex shuffled his feet on the stones of the patio. "I uh…" his hand reached for the back of his neck, rubbing the apprehensive tension out of his muscles. "I asked your dad."

Maru tried to withhold her smirk but was unsuccessful. "Oh, no…" she chuckled. "What did he do to you?"

Alex frowned and shoved his hands in the pockets of his letter jacket. "I just wanted to make sure I got something you wanted, and he acted super weird - like I knocked you up or something. Jeez!" He removed one hand from his outerwear and ran it through his gelled hair in agitation. "Can't everyone see that I'm focused right now! I don't have time for that kind of stuff anyway!"

Maru could not explain why she felt some pang of relief when she heard those words. Perhaps because they - at least in part - answered the question she planned on asking him earlier. "Don't worry about my dad, he's just really over-protective." The tinkerer pulled her friend into a hug. "Thanks for the birthday present, I love it!"

Alex flushed slightly at the unexpected physical contact but returned the hug. "It's the least I can do with all the help you've been giving me…" he confessed. "I mean, I've even noticed a bit of an improvement in my stamina," he added with an over-exaggerated flirty wink.

The woman broke away from the hug to laugh. "Don't let my dad overhear jokes like that," Maru warned. "He'll get the wrong idea!"

"Who said I was joking?" the athlete countered with a flash of his pearly whites. "You've seen my running times!" Maru noticed something change in Alex's face, but she could not quite determine what. Perhaps it was just the starlight overhead.