The next morning, although still feeling a little jet-lagged, I rose almost at the same time as my husband. Sadly, too late to play naughty again before heading out. I still couldn’t believe he had watched porn for me. The thought that we would watch some together and openly explore our sexuality was sinfully thrilling. Such a thought would have been deemed pure debauchery on Meterion.
Although we were still in the very early days of this marriage, things were looking quite promising after appearing hopeless and grim on the first day. The farming drama was a completely different ball game, though. We’d have to see how that would end up down the road. For now, there would be no ‘dirt digging’ for me as it was play day.
It was a little disorienting coming out of the house and not finding the plaza crowded with Crafters working on their stuff. A few clusters of people chatted away, some clearly making plans. Quite a few were walking out of the Great Hall, having just finished their breakfast. Unlike evening meal, where everyone gathered to eat at the same time, people took breakfast and lunch at varying times, according to their morning routine or tasks during the day.
I walked into the Great Hall, surprised to find large bowls of the cereal they usually ate for breakfast occupying the center of the main table where Olix and I usually sat. Next to them, bowls of fruits, nuts, and bottles of juice were spread out in a way that made it easy for people to self-serve. Olix was filling two bowls with the sweet grains when I walked up to him.
He grinned upon noticing my approach and handed me the smallest bowl, before adding some nuts and fruits in it, then pouring me a glass of that thick smoothie his people made. I loved how he took care of me, and especially how gender equality was a real thing among their people. The fact that males and females possessed an almost identical physical strength no doubt played a role in it. Either way, seeing my man fetching and preparing breakfast for me was beyond sexy.
We joined a group of clanmates eating at one of the round tables inside the Great Hall. While chowing down on our food, we discussed our options for play day. Out in the plaza, two groups were already forming—one would go swimming at the beach, the other would play a ball game that sounded like a weird mix of soccer and basketball, but with multiple baskets. You could only touch the ball with your hands when it turned black. Once it turned yellow, you had better drop it to the floor and stick to kicking it around or your hands would get a very unpleasant sting. The color of the nets also changed, alternating between the team colors. You wanted to make sure you didn’t score while it was the wrong color.
Some people would stay right here and play board games inside the Great Hall or outside on the plaza. A few of the artistically driven Andturians would seize this free day to work on new dance choreographies, composing new songs, or writing new stories to be presented after evening meal. Others chose to use that free day either to do things around their houses, to spend a romantic day alone with their partner, or go on a family outing with their spouse and offspring.
Olix and I chose to go with the swimming group. I hadn’t been to the beach in forever. As an accomplished swimmer, I couldn’t wait to show off my skills. When we finally set off, I realized that a number of the people in our group were also the ones that would be going on the fishing expedition next week.
Many children also accompanied us. They were beyond adorable with their heads that seemed too big for their bodies and their crazy long tails. It fascinated me how they could move about so gracefully without tripping on them. However, I’d also come to realize that their long tails played a major role in keeping their balance, especially with their bigger heads. Their bodies would catch up over time.
As much as Olix wearing my virgin blood as trophies had freaked me out, I couldn’t help but be both amused and touched by his grumpy reluctance to remove his accessories when we reached the beach. I removed my dress, folding it before laying it down on a big rock right at the start of the sandy area. The sand was an even darker grey color than the tree trunks of this planet, but still shone as if it had absorbed a constellation of stars.
“This ‘sand’ used to be normal soil,” Olix explained. “But it became contaminated by the pesticides and fertilizers the Vaengi forced my people to use. The soil was literally crystallizing on the fields. After each harvest, the slaves had to shovel layers of dead earth out of the fields and toss them here or in the river.”
“Is that why the sand is so dark?” I asked, bewildered by such disregard for the environment and for the plight of the slaves.
Olix nodded. “Yes. It was toxic and killed a lot of the fish, plants, and small animals in the area. We owe the United Planets Organization for cleaning the toxin. But we decided to grind that hard soil into sand and turn this place into a beach.”
My eyes widened, feeling both impressed and confused by such a decision. “Why did your people decide to do that?” I asked.
My husband’s gaze roamed over the beach, which extended on close to 500 meters, a glimmer of pride shining in his golden eyes.
“So that we would never forget what had been done to us and to our lands,” he said with a fierceness that made me shiver. “This dead earth turned into a stunningly unique beach stands as a reminder that even in our darkest hour, we didn’t give up until we prevailed. We turned horror into everlasting beauty, and death into a place where our children play and enjoy their freedom.”
“Your people are fighters,” I said, my heart constricting as I once more realized what deep wounds the Vaengi had left behind.
“We are,” Olix said with a determination that hinted that his mind had now shifted to the new hardship faced by his people. “We didn’t give up then, and we won’t give up now. But today is play day. This is no time for somber thoughts. Let us see you swim, little human.”
My chuckle died in my throat, and my stomach flip-flopped when he gave me a heated once over, noticing at last my sexy burgundy bikini. My mate had a very healthy sexual appetite. If not for all the people around, including the kids, I suspected we would have set the river to boiling with our burning passion.
Olix made that rattling hissing sound that had become an auditory aphrodisiac for me, making my nipples instantly hard and causing moisture to pool between my thighs. His nostrils flared, and a smug smile stretched his lips. The fiend knew how he was affecting me. He leaned forward, his scaly lips brushing against my ear.
“Later,” Olix whispered in a deep voice filled with promise.
Feeling weak in the knees, I let him take my hand and lead me to the clearest blue water I’d ever seen. To my surprise, it was freshwater. Then again, I should have guessed since this was in fact an artificial beach.
Most of our group was already frolicking in the waves. My worries to have so many of the little ones swimming around evaporated in a blink. They might as well have been fish. They zipped through the water at incredible speeds before jumping out to make little acrobatics before diving back down. I could have stared at them for hours.
The water was so clear, I could see them swimming underneath, their arms stretched in front, their legs together moving like a mermaid’s tail. Sometimes, they would flap their arms to get a boost. They moved with incredible grace.
“How long can you hold your breath?” I asked as we entered the water, surprised by the extensive period of time some of the children remained under.
“We have gills,” Olix said, brushing his quills to the side to show a bunch of scales beneath the opening of his ear parting to reveal the gills.
“Oh wow! I’m every shade of jealous right now!” I said, dipping down to my neck into the cool water.
Olix laughed. “Still, we can’t stay indefinitely underwater. After more than thirty-minutes, we could drown. We avoid staying under for more than fifteen to twenty minutes.”
“I guess I’ll have to buy myself one of those organic breathing masks so that I can keep up,” I replied teasingly.
“Sounds like a plan,” Olix said.
We started swimming, my husband observing me at first to see how I was faring. Once reassured I could hold my own, he began playing with me, literally swimming circles around me. He always looked so grumpy, seeing this playful side of him tickled me pink.
When he realized how much I envied the kids’ acrobatics, Olix had me clinging to him, my body as flat along his as possible, so that we could do them together. Granted, we couldn’t do anything as crazy as the kids did that way, but it was still insanely thrilling. I held my breath while he raced underwater at dizzying speed before jumping out and trying to remain airborne for as long as possible before we fell back in.
After a few rounds that way, Olix made me remain as straight as possible then, holding my feet, he pushed me forward while swimming hard so that we could gain momentum. At the last minute, I curved upward so that he could propel me out of the water like a cannon shot. Each time, I shot out at least three meters above water, did a few flips, before diving back in—sometimes awkwardly splashing on the surface. But I had no time for the slight pain and embarrassment.
I’d never had so much fun.
We eventually took a breather while the adults launched a game for the children. Sadly, I could only partially see from the surface. It didn’t take me long to realize that this was in fact fishing training weaved into a game. They released hundreds of small spheres in the water that immediately scattered, some individually, others in groups of varying sizes. All of them moved at the same speed and according to the same patterns as a school of fish avoiding a predator. Swimming in pairs, each child holding one end of a narrow, rectangular net, they would try to capture as many of the spheres as possible, which would simply stick to the net.
After all this exertion, bellies clamoring for food finally drove us back to the village. Walking hand in hand with my husband while the raucous children ran past us, I realized what a paradise I had landed in. These people, their way of life, the future they were building for themselves was worth fighting for. And I would fight alongside them, with everything in me.
