Blue Drop: Angel's Home: Chapter 8

Healing Vacation

The skimmer-taxi dropped down and landed in front Lover's Bay Hotel. Mari'il got out and inhaled deeply of the fresh salt air blowing in off the ocean, realizing how she missed this smell; it brought back memories of her time in Japan. She retrieved her luggage and walked through the inviting arched entrance into the main lobby. Raphael had told her that now was the off season for this resort, so she was not surprised to find the lobby practically empty. One quick transaction later, and Mari'il was directed towards her room.

She headed up and found her room on the third floor. It was spacious, featuring a round, comfortable bed, bigger than she was used to in the Fleet, and had a large window opening onto a small balcony overlooking the bay, as did most of this hotel's rooms. She unpacked the few things she brought with her and sat down at the room's table to review the welcome info and instructions as she had been instructed when checking-in. She was relieved to find that though the resort catered to couples, others were welcomed, even lone visitors. It focused on strengthening existing relationships rather than trying to find new ones, and asked consideration from guests in this regard. Mari was surprised to find this explicitly stated, but both she and Ekaril found it reassuring.

.

With her unpacking and reading completed, Mari'il put on her new swimsuit and headed out from the hotel to the beach. The sun was still climbing toward noon, warming the white sand and striking dazzling sparkles from the waves as they rolled in.

[[ Ekaril, this is even more beautiful than you told me. I can see why it's famous. I'm so glad we came here. ]]

[[ So am I. This is my first time here as well, and I agree it is much better in reality than by report. ]]

As they walked, they saw a few other couples also walking down the beach or just lying on the sand, relaxing in the sun. Glancing at some of these, Mari asked Ekaril, [[ Could you take over our right hand for a bit? ]]

[[ Sure, ]] agreed Ekaril, uncertain of why until Mari reached over and clasped this hand with her left. They realized that each of them controlling one of their clasped hands was a way they could still hold hands, even though they only had one body.

[[ Oh Mari, my love, ]] said Ekaril, her voice full of emotion. [[ You knew this was part of my dream, to walk hand-in-hand down the beach here. Thank you. ]]

[[ Ekaril, you know I love you too, ]] replied Mari, giving her hand a squeeze. [[ And also remember you literally did dream of this in some that we shared back on Earth. ]]

Neither was sure which of their thoughts and emotions brought the blush and smile to their face, but they fully agreed that they were both very, very happy.

ooo OOO ooo

Halfway down the beach, in the other direction from Mari'il's first walk, a small pier jutted out into the bay. Vacationers would come down here and use it to get to water deep enough for diving or fishing. A couple days after arriving here, Mari'il paused in her stroll this way down the beach and walked out to the end of the pier. She looked down into the water. Little fish swam to and fro, nibbling seaweed off the pilings supporting the pier and sometimes picking a morsel from the sandy bottom, clearly visible through the crystal water.

[[ The water here is as clear as at Funatsumaru-san's home, ]] Ekaril observed.

Mari laughed in agreement. She looked out over the bay. [[ This does remind me of the bay by her home. Look, there's even a buoy out there about where that rock was. You wanna try swimming out to it? ]]

The buoy marked the edge of the channel leading up to the pier for the occasional boat which would come dock here. It also held a navigational beacon which cruise ships could use when landing in the bay.

[[ Yes, lets, ]] agreed Ekaril, laughing. [[ Though a race there will end in a tie this time. We also need not fear being separated on the swim there. ]]

[[ Kicking off my shoes and splashing in would be fun, ]] commented Mari, [[ but I'd rather you taught me that graceful dive you did. ]]

Ekaril agreed to, touched that Mari remembered her dive, and Mari's appreciation of her grace and beauty colored her cheeks.

So Mari'il slipped off her shoes and cape, folding it and laying them all in an neat pile near the edge of the pier. Following Ekaril's promptings, she leapt forward and up from the pier's edge. Supported by the barest touch of her gravity control she arced cleanly toward the water's surface where her outstretched arms smoothly parted the water ahead of her.

As they dove below the surface, Mari thanked Ekaril for her help. Their past days of playing and swimming in the surf and the shallows had helped Mari'il's coordination using her nanomachines. She was able to call upon Ekaril's memories and skills with her nanomachines, so she learned much faster than she might have. It was almost more a remembering of skills once well known than actual learning.

This dive also reminded both of them of their very first encounter where Ekaril saved the drowning Mari during the Kamioki Island incident when Blue's Emil-Force drive exploded.

[[ Thank you again for saving me, ]] said Mari, her love and gratitude obvious to Ekaril.

[[ But you were the only one I could save, ]] replied a downcast Ekaril. [[ I was responsible for so many deaths that day—like your parents ...and Onomil. ]]

[[ Don't say that, dear, ]] chided Mari. [[ We now know that it was Shivariel who sabotaged Blue's drive, and that she is responsible for those deaths, not you. You've carried that guilt for too many years. Please, don't blame yourself. ...Also remember that incident is what set us on our path to meet, so even it did have some good effects. ]]

Ekaril thanked her and promised to try not to be so hard on herself. Sharing Mari's head did make it easier for them to reassure each other.

Mari'il reached the buoy and tread water next to it for a bit, then floated up out of the water to sit next to the framework supporting the navigational beacon. It was good practice for her to get up this way rather than by climbing.

After sitting here for a bit, Mari'il decided to head back after diving down to investigate the buoy's mooring. Standing up, she again leapt up and dove into the sea and swam down along the anchoring chain. Her gravity control allowed her to increase her weight this time, helping her to dive easier and deeper. Mari'il found a conch shell on the sea-floor here and is able to pick it up.

[[ At least this time it wasn't guarded by a moray eel, ]] commented Ekaril, referring back to the shell she picked up at Funatsumaru's for Mari, but which she ended up giving to Tsubael.

Mari had to smile at the memory and reassured Ekaril that she doesn't at all mind her giving the shell to Tsubael. [[ You were able to make Tsubael very happy with that, and I have the knowledge of what you did for me. That's worth more than any shell. ]]

Mari'il surfaced with the shell in hand. Taking a look, she found that it was still inhabited, unlike Tsubael's, which had presumably just fed the moray. Not wanting to harm even this small creature, she dropped it back into the water to take up its life among the anchoring rocks once more, then swam back to the pier where she again practiced floating up out of the water to sit on the pier's edge.

As Mari'il sat there, she mused on how swimming with her new nanomachines felt different to Mari. In addition to the gravity control the nanomachines offered, they helped store extra oxygen which let her hold her breath longer. They also made that initial dive much easier to do gracefully and let her control her buoyancy so she can easily float or dive as she wishes.

She was able to use some of Ekaril's reflexes, or her memory of those reflexes, and understanding to help control her floating, both in and out of the water. This twining of their subconscious help mesh their minds even more closely, and further solidified Mari'il as her own personality.

ooo OOO ooo

Another day, as Mari'il again walked down the far beach enjoying the solitude away from the crowds near the hotels, one of the terns broke off from the seaside flock, flew up and circled around her. Instinctively, she held out here hands, and the tern came in and landed on them. It looked up at her and spoke. ``Mari'il, this is Loriel. I hope I'm not surprising you too much by using a communications remote like this.''

Mari'il smiled back. ``No, we're actually rather used to it.'' Memory softened and deepened her smile. ``And thank you for choosing a tern as the remote.''

``They're common enough around here, and your log said you might be most used to them in this form.'' The tern looked around, again confirming they were alone. ``I also chose this way to contact you as I believe you still want to avoid Zephrael's attention, and she won't be looking at this communication path. I found she discovered your nanomachine treatments and departure from the hospital. She's making some trouble about them, which makes your being away from Fleet Hospital now more convenient as well.''

``I understand. Thanks. Do you have any other news?''

``I've got a couple things. First, I was wondering if you might be ready for Ariel and Raphael to come out and visit you. They don't want to intrude upon your private time, but do want to make sure you're all right.''

``Yes, please let them know we'd be happy to see them.'' Mari'il paused for a bit, thinking. ``So I should continue to stay? I am enjoying it here.''

``That would be good. It might also help to extend your stay for a bit. Anyway, I'll ask Ariel and Raphael to meet you at the hotel.''

``Thanks. That'll be fine. You said, `a couple' of things...''

``Yes, this second is somewhat related. I was wondering if I might interest you in a job here at Admiralty House? I found an opening in the Bureau of Ships. It's not really a commander's assignment, more of an administrative position. I don't want to offend you by this `low ranking' position, but since we were talking about what you might do...''

``That sounds interesting.'' replied a curious Mari'il. ``What would I be doing? And just as importantly, how do we handle Mari'il not having a service record and clearances?'' [[ Ekaril, I think you'll be doing most all of this job. I hope I won't get in your way. ]]

[[ Don't worry. I know you can help me with whatever it is. Let's do this together. ]]

``For your second question,'' answered Loriel, ``if you're interested I think we can work something out, but I'll need to look deeper into exactly how to set up your records. The position I found is coordinating several projects in the Bureau of Ships. Tadael was impressed by your insights into the experimental ship types sent on the Forime Expedition and asked if you could join her department. This job isn't going to have anything like the challenge and responsibility of an independent command like you had, Ekaril. On the other hand, having less responsibility also means your application won't be scrutinized quite as closely. It's also a desk job that would be typical for someone just discharged from the Hospital here.'' The tern paused and peered intently at Mari'il. ``And I'll also keep my eyes open for any other positions which open up.''

``If you would, please look into how we could work those records...''

``Certainly.''

``One other question I have is how Zephrael might affect this. Would I have to work with or near her?''

``No, not at all. I checked on that before even suggesting this. I promised to try to keep her away form you.'' The tern bobbed its head in emphasis. ``And I intend to. While she is doing some research related with the Fleet, it's with an entirely different bureau. Your bureau deals with Fleet sponsored equipment development, whereas Zephrael is just getting some Fleet assistance with her independent medical research.''

``That sounds `safe enough.' Thanks.'' She thought for a moment. ``It sounds like there's not a big rush with this, but I'd appreciate it if you could start working on what's needed so I could qualify for the job. Would it be possible for you to send the rest of the information on this, including what you find out later, out with Ariel and Raphael?''

``Sure. I'll do that. That will also let you look over it in detail at your leisure before making a final decision.''

After confirming a few more details they said goodbye, Mari'il held up her hands and the tern spread it's wings and took off, circling her once before heading off down the coast on strong wings. She watched it go, hoping that Loriel's job will work out as that would mean she would no longer have to rely on the generosity of Fleet Medical care.

ooo OOO ooo

The next day Ariel and Raphael arrived at Lover's Bay Hotel. Mari'il met them in the lobby, and they moved to a table on the hotel balcony overlooking the bay where they could talk.

``This really is a nice place to be,'' began Ariel, ``I can see why you wanted to come here. ...beyond the name, of course,'' she added with a smile.

This brought a blush to Mari'il's cheeks, but she agreed that it was a lovely spot.

``I did have a couple reasons to come and see you, beyond making you blush,'' continued Ariel with a laugh. ``First, I wanted to make sure that you're still doing all right. Loriel said you sounded fine, but I wanted to see for myself, as did Raphael.'' She inclined her head toward the nurse who smiled and nodded. ``We also wondered if this might be a good time to start talking about where you might go next. I'm guessing that you don't want to spend the rest of your life in the Fleet Hospital. Now that you're practically done with treatments, you should be able to move out and function normally in society. I'd still like it if you could come in for some periodic tests to make sure things continue to go well, but I don't think you'll object to getting farther away from Zephrael, especially with the new ruckus she's been causing.''

Mari'il winced at the reminder of Zephrael, then smiled and agreed. ``You're right. While I've spent some enjoyable times there with the two of you, but it still is a hospital. And I have to admit that not all memories of that room have been good.'' She winced again, remembering Zephrael's humiliating treatment. ``Of course, where else to go is the question, isn't it. I assume you have an idea.''

Raphael smiled and leaned forward. ``Yes, you could say that. I just found that my next-door neighbor will be moving out in a week or two. That means the apartment will be available, so I wondered if you might be interested in it.'' She looked down, hesitant. ``I understand if you might not want to. After all, I wasn't as polite to you as I should have been at first. And maybe there's somewhere else you already have in mind, but...'' She trailed off and continued in a hushed tone, ``I'd like to have you as a friend and would love you as a neighbor as well.''

``Thank you, Raphael. I'm really glad to have found a friend in you, too.'' Raphael blushed at this. Mari'il looked over at Ariel. ``But I do have a few questions. First, will I be able to afford this? Did Admiral Loriel tell you she's trying to find a job for me? I wonder if that would be sufficient to pay for this apartment.''

``I would think so,'' replied Ariel. ``She did tell us about that, and here is something she asked us to bring to you.'' She pushed a data-chip across the table to Mari'il.

``Thank you, Ariel.'' Turning her head, she continued, ``Also, Raphael, where do you live? This sounds interesting, but I hope you'll forgive my curiosity. What's this apartment like?''

Raphael took out a small recorder and set it on the table. She turned it on and indicated a spot on the map it displayed. ``Here's where it is. You should even be able to see the bay from your window; I can. And this is what my apartment looks like.'' She touched a couple buttons switching the image from the map to pictures of an apartment interior. ``It should be similar to the one we're talking about for you. You can see they're not really large, but it would offer you a place of your own that's larger than your current hospital room. I also like the neighborhood, but I don't have pictures of that. Of course, you're welcome to come visit to see what things are like.''

``Oh Raphael, Ariel,'' said Mari'il. ``this is certainly a surprise. I would like to move out of the hospital, and this looks good. And having a friend next door who can show me around the neighborhood will be terrific. But, what do I do? I'm not too familiar with this as Ekaril only lived in Fleet housing after leaving home.''

``Well, if you'd like,'' replied Ariel, ``we can look into the details for renting the apartment and even start arranging things for you. Of course, we wouldn't commit you to anything without checking with you first, and we'll also let you know whatever we find out.''

``Thank you,'' replied Mari'il. ``Please do.'' She grinned. ``And you probably have a much better idea of when I'll be able to leave the hospital than I do.''

All three shared a laugh at this.

ooo OOO ooo

That after lunch together on the balcony Mari'il invited Ariel and Raphael to come out and enjoy sunning and swimming at the beach.

They agreed that would be fun. ``You were right, Raphael,'' Ariel admitted, laughing. ``I'm glad you talked me into bringing my swimsuit along too.''

The others joined Ariel in her laughter and Mari'il added, ``Then come on up to my room and we can change.''

While floating off the ground to ease changing into her swimsuit, Mari'il commented, ``This makes changing so much easier. I remember hopping around on one foot to trying to keep my balance while pulling on my other sock in the rush to get ready for school.''

``That would be awkward,'' Raphael agreed as they join her in laughing that the memory.

``Normally,'' explains Mari'il, ``I sat down to put on my socks, but of course when I was in a hurry, trying to do too much at once...''

[[ True, ]] comments Ekaril. [[ I had to learn a whole new set of habits as Hagino. ]]

Ariel also agreed that sounded awkward, and they all shared reminiscences of their school days.

.

After changing into their beach-wear, the three stroll down the beach and stop at the swimming pier. ``Shall we go for a swim,'' Raphael suggested.

The others agreed, and they all walked out to the end of the pier.

``Let's race out to that buoy,'' suggested Mari'il, pointing to the same one she swam to earlier.

Ariel hesitated, but agreed to go along after Raphael did. Seeing her reluctance, Raphael asked her to call the start after they line up on the end of the pier.

``Ready. Set. Go!'' Ariel called out, and the three women sprang from the edge, dove into the water, and swam for the buoy as fast as they could.

Mari'il managed to tag the buoy moments after Raphael. They then both turned to see Ariel come up behind them and arrive, a distant third in the race.

The three floated next to the buoy. ``Sorry,'' said Ariel, after catching her breath. ``I'm not very good at swimming.''

``You're still better than I was back on Forime,'' said Mari'il, laughing. ``Ekaril taught me a lot, and the nanomachines also help.''

``Then she has taught you well,'' answered Ariel. ``And it looks like you've really improved your fine control over your nanomachines too.'' She winked at Mari'il who blushed, remembering their experience the first time she tried using them. ``Would you mind trying a few things to show me?''

``Sure. What should I do?''

Ariel floated up out of the water and reached out. ``Here, take my hand.'' As Mari'il followed her up, Ariel dodged around for a bit before letting her grab hold. ``Now, hold on and pull me under water.'' When Mari'il did, she resisted, seeing how hard she could pull. They did the same again, except with Mari'il pulling up. When Ariel suddenly let go, Mari'il was able to react before she flew up too far above the water.

Raphael smiled and nodded in appreciation of Mari'il's progress, and Ariel congratulated her on how far she's come. ``It looks like you're adapting very well to the nanomachines. Given that, you're likely to get the benefits we weren't sure about like a longer lifespan.''

.

The three spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach and playing in the water. ``After all,'' said Mari'il, ``just because you came here because of work doesn't mean that you can't have fun as well.''

The other two agreed and joined in her laughter.