Rhodoreef

4. The Casa Bava

Thick coconut milk drizzled into the soup, and the pitcher's motion created a swirl of white cream on the red.

"Perfect." Hima's tongue poked out as she aimed the ogi to capture the spectacle. "Dalla's going to like this one."

"You're good with this digital marketing." Dea grinned, holding the pitcher above the bowl of tomato soup. "Done?"

"Yep."

She set the bowl on the conveyor belt, which whisked it away in a graceful arc to a far corner of the restaurant. "So, you wanna tell me what you talked about with Oomie?"

"Before that," Hima whispered back, craning her neck to check if the coast was clear, "you wanna tell me about this crazy plan of yours?"

Dea leaned against the counter, lost in thought. They were at the central island in the restaurant's indoor lagoon—a pool of turquoise hemmed in with chiseled white rock. Conveyor belts extended out like curving tentacles, their meditative glide adding movement to the largely still picture—a stark contrast to the dinner rush.

"Dea?" Hima peered at her. "Having second thoughts?"

"No, I'm just thinking." She frowned. "Serendiva is way too far for me to just swim. I'm gonna have to rent a vehicle and sneak out."

"I'm coming with you!"

Dea just blinked at her friend while excitement ballooned up like a pufferfish at the prospect of exploring the human city with Hima, but other considerations jostled it aside. "Nah, I need you to cover for me. Plus, the cow—"

"Seriously?"

"I don't wanna bring you down if I get caught. I'm the one trying to meet this human. I won't get you in trouble—no way."

"Dea—"

"Look, I'm only going for a quick look-see, okay? If I can't figure out the place or find my way, I'm coming right back."

"Um, you make it sound as if this is all settled." Hima shook her head. "First, you getting flushed out into the wild in a cyclone is one thing. But you can't just go out in a rented vehicle—you'd need a permit. Second, what I said before—how are you going to get around on land!"

"I can get the permit from school," Dea said with a determined nod. "My FYP proposal included some stuff I can tweak to warrant a field trip. They won't suspect I'd use it to visit a human city."

"Hm..." The other girl's forehead puckered into a frown while her deft fingers tapped on the ogi. "Filter looking okay?"

Dea leaned sideways for a better look. "Make it more pinkish. Looks good with the black bowl."

"Trying to give this a pastel goth makeover?" She chuckled.

"Hmph."

Hima proceeded to post it online with the air of a photographer showcasing their work. Her pearl hair, secured into a high bun, shone silver in the surrounding whiteness—as did the turtle logo emblazoned on the uniform that hugged her fit physique.

"That second thing is the biggest problem," Dea said slowly. "I can get the holiday gear at the cays, but those are just transporter boards."

"Definitely not gonna work."

"Imagine me zipping through their city, splayed out on one of those."

A laugh broke out of Hima. "Well, you'd need something more sophisticated then—a mobility device that would cover your tail."

"Mhmm." Dea made a drumming motion on the countertop.

"Except, such a thing doesn't exist in the market—unless you go ask the government or the humanology division at MerTech. And assuming they'd entertain the whims of a high school girl—"