in the ataraxis of aftermath

velas blancas harbor

Keyla insisted on a surprise.

"For the jelly stuff," she pleaded.

"No," said Naoko.

"For the aquarium," she pleaded.

"No," said Naoko.

"Why not?" Keyla whined, slumping back against the boat's hull.

Naoko made sure to turn back and look the other girl dead in the eye as she responded.

"Because you don't 'owe' me anything."

Keyla blinked at her, stunned. Naoko turned away, face hot, regret palatable.

"If you want to surprise me, you can surprise me," She mumbled, not even sure her voice was reaching the other girl. "But don't do it because you think you have to."

Keyla was still for a moment. Then she nodded. Then beamed.

---

It was a particularly sunny day, with only the faintest bursts of cool wind - often enough to keep you from sweating, but rare enough to keep you from shivering. Naoko smiled, tilting her head back into the sunshine, feeling the pleasant warmth trickle down the curves of her nose and cheeks. She was happy, pleased, even with the knowledge the water level was rising and the spaces between the buildings were opening up all around them.

"Wait!" Keyla yelped, kicking her feet out.

Naoko started and sat up straight, alert.

"Close your eyes!" The other girl said, after a moment of thoughtful quiet.

Naoko closed her eyes, setting her hands in her lap.

"No peeking!"

"I'm not-" She could feel the accusatory look Keyla was undoubtedly giving her. "Okay."

Naoko cupped her hands over her eyes, fingertips nervously skimming along her eyebrows.

Keyla seemed content with that, and Naoko lurched a little as the boat started moving again. Keyla was quiet (focused? anxious? both?), so Naoko sat in silence until the boat slowed to a stop.

"Okay," The other girl said, maybe a minute later. "You can look now."

As Naoko peeled her hands away from her face, her heart sank. Her parents had told her that she wasn't incredibly expressive. What if Keyla didn't detect any change in emotion? What if her display of awe didn't do the trick? Would it be better to lie and over exaggerate? Or would that hurt Keyla more? Naoko didn't know, she really didn't know, but she needed to know! She needed to know and she needed to know soon because her hands were settling back on her lap and her eyelids were rising and her head was turning towards something bright, something pale, something large, something just to her right, to the side, just in her view.

And then she inhaled, sharp but silent, as the something took shape.

It was a ship, a real ship, with a broad, tan-colored hull and a large, square bow. A huge mast set right in the center.

And the sails, the sails! Huge, white things, billowing like fresh sheets on a clothesline! They were bright and clean and seemed to glow as the sun bounced right off of them. They were clear and wide and soft and to Naoko, just for a moment, they looked like wings, spread, about to take to the air.

It's beautiful, she thought. It's lovely, it's magnificent, it's gorgeous, I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it-

Naoko turned to Keyla, quickly, desperately, searching for a way to say what she meant, to express her thanks, her gratitude, her joy, her, well, anything really as long as it worked, as long as it conveyed the bubbling, weightless thing that was filling her heart.