3. Abi

IN WHICH A RITUAL, A SNACKCIDENT, AND A REVELATION CHANGE THE COURSE OF ABI'S LIFE

The next evening, Sigfinn came by early to check that everything was ready. On his way out, he stopped to talk to Abi, his iridescent scales reflecting the light of the lunula. At 19, he still hadn't grown out of some of his awkwardness, shuffling his feet.

"Hello, Abi! It seems like everything is in order. Sorry about the irregular nature of my boss's request," he said in a rush.

"It's fine," she said. "More than anything, it was just her asking for something we've never done before. If the Guard-Captain approved of it, then I'm certainly not in any place to say that she shouldn't do it ... not to mention the fact that anything she learns from her research can only benefit us."

"That's my thinking as well," he said. "Anyway, I hope you have a calm evening, otherwise. I imagine Sirin being here will shake things up a bit—she always does, but hopefully otherwise it's quiet for you."

Sigfinn waved as he exited. Abi wasn't certain what sort of disturbances Sirin and her husband, Berne might make. While she hadn't ever been the guard on duty in the Lady's chamber during a fertility ritual, she had been on duty at other posts. The only strange or awkward part of the experience was when whomever was performing the ritual arrived or left. During those times, there were just lots of blushes and people failing to meet anybody else's eyes.

An hour later, the couple in question arrived. Sirin and Berne, a polar bear shifter, paused briefly to pay their respects to the Lady before Sirin waved and dragged him off toward their cavern. Abi and Senka rarely saw many people during their shift. They only saw Sirin and Sigfinn as often as they did because the researcher usually stopped to take samples at the end of their workday.

During fertility rituals, when discretion was of utmost concern, the guards stationed at the entrance wouldn't allow anyone else in. The couple then retreated into specially designated chambers to complete their ritual in private.

The heightened security meant that Abi and Senka had a brief moment of relative calm. As such, they'd decided to take their first break together. On her next circuit, Abi spied Senka settling down in their usual spot and smiled.

Most shades lived entirely inside the mountain, and the few that ventured out did so wearing a glamour that made them appear human. Senka had explained that the glamour was itchy and confining, so most shades didn't like to wear it. Without it, however, the sun slowly evaporated their skin. They were protected inside the Lady's bubble, but if they left its confines, they needed to do so during winter.1

"Fancy seeing you here," Abi teased as she neared her friend.

"Ha! Imagine that," Senka replied, opening their wholly unnecessary lunch.

Over the last few weeks, Senka and Abi had made a habit of talking about what they were eating each day, and knowing that they didn't need to eat at all, Abi saw it in a new light.

"So have you been making food every day, different dishes, that you don't actually need to eat?" Abi tilted her head to the side, looking at her friend amusedly.

Senka's wisps waved faster, and their face emitted a glow, something Abi had come to interpret as akin to a blush.

"Maybe? Yes ... all right yes, I don't need to eat this often, we know that. So, I've been cooking just little recipes—for me. Now that I have my own place, I wanted to learn to cook anyway, but it also felt like it would be really uncomfortable if you were eating every day and I was just sitting here talking to you."

"That's why you didn't have any food on that first day!" Abi gasped. "I'd just figured that you'd already eaten your lunch. Senka, that's so sweet! Well, my mum loves having a new fan. I think she's made your favorite again."

Abi held up the package of treats, which felt distinctly like Senka's favorite lemon-lavender shortbread cookies.

"You must've really wanted to be my friend," Abi observed.

"I did ... I suppose I saw an opportunity and didn't want to miss it because I made you feel self-conscious. So, I taught myself to cook," they whispered.

Abi bumped her friend's shoulder with her own. "You're just learning? That's amazing. In that case, what have you prepared today, Chef?" she asked.

Senka unwrapped their food to showcase little greenish puffs. "They're called gougères, they are egg-based, small puffy choux pastries that I've put cheese and lunula in. Then you cut them in half and put some filling inside. In this case, it's a mousse of salmon, chives and some other ingredients."

Abi's jaw dropped. "A salmon-mousse gougère? Senka, I don't know if you realize that is not exactly easy to make. I assumed you were an experienced cook with the things you always make. Are you telling me you started cooking, for the first time ever, with these complicated dishes you've been bringing?"

Senka shrugged. "Yes? It's a book I've had since I was little, and I have most of the recipes memorized.2 I—" they cut off on a gasp, eyes widening, sitting up at attention, their wisps frozen.

Abi followed their eyes out onto the surface of the lake. She launched herself to standing, tumbling her lunch onto the ground in front of her.

"Abi did you—did you see that?" they asked, eyes locked on where the Lady floated.

"No, what is it?" she hissed, eyes searching for the disturbance. She readied her lunula, prepared to shift into her owl at a moment's notice.

"She—she moved." Senka breathed. "I don't think there is anyone here, the Lady simply twitched—her whole right arm."

When Abi looked at the surface of the lake, there were ripples extending from the Lady's right arm, ripples that were just now lapping against the shore at their feet. She turned to meet Senka's gaze, the awe on their face matching her own.

"Go get reinforcements! I'll search the room," Senka whispered.3

Abi nodded, barely able to process what was happening. In moments, tingles covered her body, signaling the lunula converting mass to energy. As it did so, she felt herself shrinking, not even consciously in control of the process. Her lips hardened into a wicked beak, her toes sprouted sharp talons, and soft feathers grew to cover her body. Her clothing crumpled away around her as she shrank, piling on the floor.

Seconds later, she was off like an arrow, her strong wings lifting her from the ground and propelling her across the cavern toward the nearest guard post. She zipped down corridors, her wingtips grazing the walls in her haste. When she reached the first guard station, Abi shifted her mouth just enough to speak.

"We need reinforcements! The Lady moved her arm!" she screeched.

The pair of guards, a shade and an otter shifter, frowned at her before sharing a look and nodding. The shade backed into a shadow and melded away. The otter shifter, Gufi, grabbed a jar from his belt and poured its contents on the ground before tossing it to Abi. She caught it in her talons and as he launched himself into the air, shifting mid-fall to land on his belly.

Abi took off back toward the chamber, pouring the viscous liquid on the ground to speed his way. Otters often slid along their bellies to travel at high speed, but because the cavern floors weren't slippery by default, he kept jars of the specially designed lubricant for such occasions. Gufi slid along just behind her, paddling with his arms to keep up momentum.4

They arrived back in the Lady's chamber not even two minutes after Abi left to fetch them. Abi shot out of the opening to the Lady's Sepulcher and flew over the lake, her keen eyes cataloging first every inch of her Goddess. Next, she scanned the walls, honing in on the movement of her comrades as they searched the room.

In the water below, Gufi swam up next to the Lady. He, like other guards with an aquatic shifter form, was trained to monitor her vital signs against years of records. Abi shifted her attention back to the room, confident he would alert them if anything was amiss.

They searched for a half hour before the senior shade gave the all-clear. Abi landed on the shore, nestled herself into the pile of her clothing, and shifted back. Senka looked at her, their large eyes tight with worry and their chest heaving.

"Not a single sign?" their Shift-Captain asked.

"No, Captain," they answered in unison, Gufi's voice sounding discordant with Senka and Abi's.

"Well, Senka, I'm inclined to believe you saw a ripple from a drop of water. There isn't any evidence that the Lady moved, Gufi reports that her vitals are entirely normal—textbook even. Maybe you need to make sure you are getting enough rest. I've smelled you cooking during the day. Maybe that time would be better spent resting." Their glowing eyes narrowed at Senka. "Regardless, I'm going to need all of you to file a report, and we will see what Guard-Captain Aaberg makes of it. Return to your posts."

Senka opened and closed their mouth and their shoulders fell. Their entire being seemed to shrink as the Shift-Captain and Gufi retreated.

Abi rushed to stand next to Senka, pulling their shrinking form in for a hug, holding them against her and squeezing, hoping they could feel her reassurance. "I know as well as you do that what we saw wasn't a water ripple. The shape was all wrong. We know what you saw, what I saw. We'll file our reports, and they'll investigate. We are going to figure out what is going on, I promise."

Senka melded partially into Abi, and she hoped that she was providing some small amount of comfort to her friend. She'd only had Senka meld into her hand before, and that was only for a moment. This melding covered her entire torso. Where Senka sank in, Abi felt a slight pressure, a slowing, as if part of her now operated in a different time, and a pervasive warmth.

Holding them, Abi brushed their wisps, letting them twine through her fingers. Even though it was a terrible moment for Senka, they were obviously upset, Abi was struck by how right it felt. Her eyes widened and her pulse quickened as suddenly she saw Senka in an entirely new light. Thoughts of Senka sinking into her suffused her thoughts, and she could feel herself growing flushed at the thought, a light but insistent pulsing beginning between her legs. She wanted to stay here with them forever, in what felt like their secret fortress, holding them until they were so close that they couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

What was she doing? Senka was becoming—had become—her best friend, and here she was, in their time of despair, twisting their interaction into something arousing? Disgusted with herself, she loosened her grip on them, letting her friend determine how close they wanted to hug. Abi wanted to pull away, to rid her friend of her touch, but they deserved as much comfort as they wanted. Just like they deserved to have a friend, a partner, that didn't think of them in such ways. Especially when they'd done nothing to indicate they'd want it.

Senka pulled back, their forehead furrowed, and glowing eyes narrowed.

"Abi, are you all right? Your pulse is faster than normal, and your face is all red like when you are embarrassed," they asked, concern deepening their voice.

"Oh, yes, I'm just, flustered from," she waved her hand around in the air, "everything. And I'm worried about you."

Senka smiled, squeezing her hand as they pulled away. "Look at the pair of us. We'd tie in some sort of worrying competition, at least as long as you had to worry about your opponent."

"I think you are probably right," Abi said, hoping Senka couldn't hear how breathless she was. "I'm getting quite good at worrying about you."

A cough interrupted Senka as they opened their mouth to speak. Across the lake, Berne carried his wife, who seemed barely conscious, though she smiled lazily in his arms.

"I was, uh, hoping we could get some of the Lady's water? To anoint her head?" he said, tilting his toward the limp woman he carried.5

"Oh! Of course!" Senka said, floating over to them, dipping their thumb into the water, before spreading it over Sirin's forehead.

"I hope you have a favorable outcome!" Abi called from their original spot.

The large man chuckled, kissing the top of his wife's head sweetly. "If that doesn't do it, nothing will."

In his arms, Sirin mumbled something, though Abi hadn't any idea what it could have been. Berne gave a small wave with the hand supporting his wife and carried Sirin out, whispering in her ear.

Senka floated back to Abi, the corners of their mouth turned up, and hidden behind their hand, suppressing a giggle. "I completely forgot they were in there. I can't believe we had all of this commotion out here, and they didn't even notice!" they said.

"Well, we did go to great lengths to make sure we were being quiet," Abi noted. "I can't see how they would've had any idea. Especially considering what they were getting up to in there ..."

"That's a good point, I certainly hope if I'm having intercourse, I'm not paying attention to what's going on in another room," they mused.

Abi's mind immediately returned to her earlier thoughts, her blush creeping up her neck once more. She turned away from Senka, wiping her hands on her uniform pants. "Well, I would like to make another circuit, just in case we've missed anything."

"If you're sure you're all right? Your face is all red again," they said, placing a hand on Abi's shoulder.

"It's just been an odd day," Abi assured them. "I feel like everything I knew to be true this morning has since been turned on its ear."

"Oh no!" Senka gasped, running over to the water.

Abi ran forward. "What is it? Did she move again?"

"The cookies! I think ..." they said, pointing down at the surface of the lake, where the cookies had scattered, their soggy bits floating out toward their Goddess. "I think there was a snackcident. I hope she likes lemon-lavender ..." they said, smirking back at Abi and bumping her elbow.

"We'll just call this an offering, eh? Or maybe your snackcident will make her move again, some cookies all she needs! At least—" they cut off, giggling too hard to speak. "At least you didn't spit in her bathwater again ... this is a minor snackcident in comparison!"

They collapsed against Abi, laughing at their own joke. Abi threw her head back and joined, clutching to Senka as they giggled themselves breathless.

1.While the sun inside Sanctuary's bubble doesn't evaporate their form like it would in the rest of the world, Senka has shared that it is still quite uncomfortable without a glamour. The feeling seems akin to having sun shine on a sunburn.

2.The book in question is "An Exuberance of Culinary Pursuits" by Jules Enfant.

3.The Lady's Guard didn't have a protocol for the Lady moving of her own volition, only for suspected intrusions. Considering the Lady hadn't made any provisions at all for her waking, they all assumed that She meant to sleep forever. The most likely possibility in this instance was interference.

4.This is now commercially available as "Gufi's GoGo Juice," available at most fine retailers. (Yes, Gufi made me write that).

5.Berne's accent, which one might remember from my previous works, is not present. Berne's language is accented when he speaks to me in my own tongue, but when he speaks his native tongue, he lacks an accent.