Another 3:30am session... let's not try and make a habit of this :P
I'm too tired to remember if I was going to say anything, so just read and enjoy the chapter :)
Everything seemed slower when we we're in mid air. The ripples of her hair being thrown around by the wind. The look of shock on her face as she looked below us. The bubbles of lava popping and fizzing underneath us. If I had the time I could've laughed, but obviously that was something I was short on as we plunged into our doom… Or so she thought.
Clank and I had this all planned out. We even got the doctors the weigh her so the timing would be perfect, rather than too early… or the other option. Possibly 4 seconds had passed and in that time I had managed to wrap myself around Talwyn, pulling her close and tight, ready for when Clank would open up his Robo-Wings and fly us to safety.
The change in direction was sudden, as was the loss of the slow motion feeling. Talwyn screamed like she was riding a roller coaster, and I new Clank would have a grin on my face just as big as mine. Up ahead was another place I knew well. We called it the Glass River, though it was actually a lake. It was the most reflective pool of water in this sector of Solana, and a massive tourist attraction. Looking at it was like looking at a mirror. Despite all the aquatic life that dwelled in the massive lake, it never rippled, not once. Swimming was prohibited, though that hadn't stopped me and some mates late at night back in our teenage years.
"So I'm guessing that was all in the plan?" The woman in my arms asked me, and I could swear I heard Clak giggle quietly over the air rushing past my ears.
"Yup. And so is this." I quickly flipped her around so she could see the water below us, earning a short sequel before the silence of yet another awe-stricken moment.
"Cool, isn't it?" I broke the silence realising we were getting close to the centre of the lake. Our next destination.
"Yeah… Is it a mirror?" She asked, and a new plan popped up in my head.
"We call it the Glass River, since it's so big." I lied without lying.
I looked up when she didn't reply straight away to see the centre in our sights. A small island in the middle of the lake marked our lunch spot, and by small I mean small. Maybe a 3 meter diameter? But the island itself wasn't the attraction.
"Right, Clank, drop us here." I said allowed, almost hoping that Talwyn didn't hear, but at the same time hoping she did. There was a quick 'No' before Clank detached himself from my harness and we plunged into the water.
When we both finally resurfaced I got a look of death from Talwyn, who was probably wondering why the hell I had decided to drop us in a surprisingly warm lake.
"All in the plan." I gave a cheery cheery smile to Talwyn. If anything her frown got bigger.
"Why did you dump us in the middle of a lake!? I'm sure there's some good reason, but I'm also sure that there was a dry way of getting there."
"Yeah, but that would've taken a much longer route, not to mention a boring one. Now C'mon, lunch is this way."
"Lunch?" I heard her say, but I had already started swimming. The water was warm, as it always is for the first 7 meters or so. Below that, I'm surprised there's no ice. The centre was less than a minutes swim away, and with Talwyn following close behind me, we soon both rested on the small island.
"So what's for lunch?" She asked as we sat on the platform catching our breath, legs in the water.
"Well, fishing here is Illegal, so is swimming technically, so when we go down the trapdoor behind us, our story is that we fell off the boat.'
"Allright…" Her voice was uncertain about everything, but I was certain that the rest of the day would be a hit.
After less than a minute of sitting around, we decided to open the metal hatch and explore the depths of the structure we were sitting on before. As the sensors detected us, lights flicked on illuminating the steel structure. We were going down a ladder inside a tube, and unbeknownst to Talwyn, we were visiting one of my all time favourite restaurants. The only underwater restaurant on Veldin.
We eventually got down to a small metal room which was fitted with massive fans, and we may have been fairly soaked before, but if you saw the two of us now you wouldn't notice. Except for maybe the few strands of hair that was out of place…
"What exactly is this place?" Talwyn asked after the doors opened and we started walking through the corridor ahead.
"And underwater restaurant." I replied with a simple answer. In fact that's precisely what it was, but you could book rooms for a day that could supply you with almost anything at the push of a button. Though it could drain your wallet with ease.
"Good food?" I stopped to look at her.
"You would not believe the quality."
And as if on cue, a robotic waiter stopped us at the entrance to the near-empty waiting room.
"Welcome to the Glass River Restaurant. Have you made a reservation?" The feminine robot asked with a smile.
"Yes, a room for two under the name of Ratchet." I smiled back.
"Yes, right this way." The bot gestured for us to follow her, and as we did I snuck my hand into Talwyns for the short walk.
We were led into a small room with a teleporter and a small interface. After a select few taps on the screen, the robot ushered us into the teleporter pad.
"Enjoy your stay!" She said in an almost too cheery voice, and before I nodded I found myself in a different room.
The new room was made almost entirely of one way glass. Fish swam through the water without a care in the world and unaware that they were being watched. The room itself sported a 50 inch HV of the latest calibre, equipped with a media player that held thousands of movies, as well as the many seasons of Lance and Janice. There was a couch to accompany the HV, which I was told could fold out into a bed if you felt like letting your legs rest which I was sure Tal and I would put to use. Up a couple of stairs at the rear end of the room was a 2 person table, and a bathroom door which was the only place not surrounded by glass.
"So what do you think?" I asked Talwyn whilst preparing the fold out bed. Instead of answering, she walked around the room, looking out at the fish that almost fully surrounded us.
"What adjective havet I used today?" was her minute late response, and I let out a small chuckle.
"I dunno, but my best guess is that you love the place?" I had finished with the couch and moved closer to her. She nodded without breaking eye contact from a shark that was in the distance.
"And you made me swim with that?" She had finally turned around to look at me, a giant smile plastered across her face and I considered my job well done. Before I could do, or say anything else, she had pulled me into a hug. A nice, romantic, underwater hug, and we both savoured the moment, leaning into each other.
After our hug, we quickly spread out on the couch, still in eachothers arms, and I flicked on a movie for Talwyn. 'The Stunner games'. The movie itself wasn't my cup of tea,but I couldn't complain. as I eventually felt myself slipping away into a dream while still being held by Talwyn and I couldn't think of a better way to take a nap.
I got up slowly, dreams of Alister and the Great Clock burning through my head and I couldn't help but wonder why at a time like this those dreams decided to show up.
"Hey sleeping beauty." Talwyn spoke softly as I lifted up head up. The movie was finished, replaced with black and white as the credits scrolled past us.
"Hey." I somehow responded, rubbing my eyes, doing anything to help me wake up or at least get the image of Alister out of my head.
"Good sleep?" She grinned at me. I gave her a half-asleep smile back.
"Yeah. Food here yet?" I asked, my mind slowly beginning to function properly as I was dragged out of my slumber. I suddenly wondered how long it had actually been.
"Yeah. They stopped the movie and played this message about 5 minutes ago, so I decided to wake you up." A proper look at the screen showed me that it had only been half an hour at the most, and our food would ready at the push of a button. My stomach grumbled at the thought.
"You sleep like a baby by the way." she gave me a quick kiss on the forehead, before pulling me up off the couch with her.
We made it to the dining area and I only just realised how big the table actually was. It looked like it could hold a feast for 10! I just hoped that they didn't overflow the table with food…
We eventually felt like pushing the button as was amazed by the gourmet food that was teleported onto the table, which was not stocked with eating utensils too. Almost immediately we dug in, going for all the meats and fishes I could see - I wasn't really the salad type of guy. Talwyn on the other hand decided to keep a fair amount of everything, tasting most of the different dishes on the table before us
After 20 minutes of small talk and eating, I was as full as a bull. My insides were ready to explode as I leant back in the chair I had been sitting on. 'That was definitely the nicest most gourmet lunch I have ever had' I thought to myself.
On the other end of the table, Talwyn was just finishing off her salad, the expression on her face showing how much she was enjoying the meal. I couldn't help but smile.
Just one more surprise for the day…
I fished in my pocket for the small box that had been digging into my leg for the entire day. The small box that held the final surprise - a 10,000 bolt necklace made from the finest raritanium of the Krell Canyon. I wasn't just thinking of Clank back in polaris…
She finished her salad after a minute or two of waiting and the box was in both my hands underneath the table.
As soon as Talwyn said 'I'm full' the entire platter of food disappeared. We were left alone in this room again, and that made it slightly better for what was coming next I guess.
"Are you enjoying your day?" I asked her. A vibrant smile came across her face, and without hesitation she responded.
"This has been the best date ever."
"Good. Are you aware that there is one more surprise for you?" I teased.
"No…" Was all she could muster up as a response, and I decided to just do it.
I revealed the small box in my hand passed it over the table to her. She grabbed it as it reached her, and opened it none too quickly.
Her mouth widened as she saw the Raritanium jewel hang of the silver necklace, gleaming in the light. She looked up at me, and down at the necklace a couple of times before I gave her a small nod, unable to hide my gift of giving was probably the best gift of all.
She quickly had it around her neck, and she stood up to see if there was a mirror in the room, which there wasn't.
"You look beautiful" I broke the silence with my calm statement, and I think Talwyn was just lost for words. The brilliant silence almost seemed to last an eternity, but it was only a matter of time before we were together again and what started out as a nice hug ended up being possibly our most romantic kiss that words can not explain.
"Thanks" the words finally escaped her lips. And with that we decided to gaze into eachothers eyes for just a bit more. Savouring the moment. My most favourite moment yet.
Eventually we found ourselves drawn to the fold out couch. There was still a movie to watch, and relaxing to do, and since we had another 4 hours here maximum, I couldn't' think of a better way to spend them.
"Hey, Tal?" I almost whispered in her ear before the movie started. It was almost like everything had been tied down.
"Yeah?" She whispered back. I enjoyed the quiet.
"I love you."
"I love you too"
And with that, the movie preceded to play.
And that's that. Did you enjoy it? :)