The Shell and the Star - Part 7

 In Part 7 of The Shell and the Star, the differences between Jinn's and Trey's cultures (other than the obvious) start to become more apparent. 

If you're just tuning in to this serialized "aquatic SFR" book, you can catch up on all the parts posted to date at this link:  

The Shell and the Star  

For those reading along, here's a refresher how Part 6 ended after Trey showed Jinn how he plays in the waterfall.

“Do you want to try it?”

Jinn harrumphed and rolled her eyes, reaching out to tap the inner surface of her envirosphere. “I think not. If my bubble were to hit the rocks…”

“I understand why you need to be cautious. All of this is outside your experience. Outside your comfort zone.” Trey swam back and hovered near her sphere, moving his footfins back and forth in a slow tempo that kept him vertical in the water. When she finally made eye contact, his smile eased away. “Jinn, if you—” Trey stopped, his gaze narrowing on a point beyond her bubble.

Jinn looked back over her shoulder to see a large form had trespassed into Trey’s Garden and was swimming toward them at a fast clip. She grabbed for her controls in alarm, until the shape took the form of someone she recognized—Trey’s brash older sibling, Tardem.

 

 “Hey, Runt, I figured I’d find you here. We need a Middler for Boggy Ball,” Tardem’s voice emitted as a shout through her translator. “Come out to the courts.”

“I’m entertaining my guest,” Trey countered.

“Bring her along. You can play a game in her honor.” Tardem sneered. “And she can witness you getting crushed.”

“Crushed?” Jinn questioned, grappling with a flare of concern for Trey. “This sounds like a truly dangerous game.”

“He only means defeated,” Trey clarified, with a sly glance at his brother that was clearly a challenge. “Care to watch a game while you’re here, Jinn? Boggy Ball is our favorite sport.”

While you’re here?

So it seemed he didn’t expect her to stay. Well, had she changed her mind about that? Everything here was just so…fascinating. Still, it wasn’t like she’d given him any reason to think otherwise. Yet his words did….sting a bit.

No harm in prolonging her stay here a few more hours, she decided. At least it would appear to her father that she’d made an attempt. She could see Trey wanted to play this game. And besides, she was curious to see how he might fare against his taller, older and not nearly so likable sibling. “Where are these courts?”

“In the waters near the strait,” Trey said. “I don’t think it would be far for your bubble to travel.”

On Talstar, Jinn loved to play Squarecourt in the half gravity rec-cubes. It was one of her few pleasures, and she was quite good at it. Much to the chagrin of her much taller opponents. How would games be played in this aquatic world? And what sort of athlete might Trey be?

Jinn gave a nod, smiling back at Trey for the first time. “I think I would like to see this game.”

***

Jinn maneuvered her bubble as Trey swam beside her, answering her many questions about the city, the structures, the fish, the vegetation, and the sea. He seemed pleased with her interest in his world of the Shell. Before long, they’d arrived at their destination.

When the Talstar males all stripped down to their skin, discarding their swimkilts in preparation for the game, Jinn blanched. There was a profound difference in attitude toward nudity in her more chaste Talstar society.

Her eyes went wide and the heat flared on her cheeks as the boys swam into the ring of buoys at the surface, their physical attributes on full display. She’d never seen a naked male, and couldn’t help but stare at Trey any more than she could control the flood of heat that surged to her cheeks at the sight of his solid, muscled, bare form.

Despite his mutant proportions, he had a masculine elegance and a quiet confidence that Jinn found rather…captivating. She’d known such flustery stirrings for other males, but most only tolerated her because she was the commander’s daughter and none had been engaging and attentive toward her.

Or ever naked in her presence.

The object of her fascination suddenly appeared beside her bubble looking concerned and completely unabashed about his state of undress. “Jinn, you looked distressed. Are you feeling all right? Is your envirosphere operating as it should?”

“Y-yes,” Jinn managed, her eyes drinking in all the planes, contours and—well, differences!—of his male body with reticent fascination. Her own unfamiliar and potent response plucked at her nerves and made her heartbeat quicken. What was this strange sensation? Was it the same mystery that her older sisters giggled and gossiped about? Her mother had schooled her about the dynamics of male/female relationships, but clearly she’d left a few important parts out. Jinn had never experienced such feelings before.

When Trey swam closer, she shifted to the back of her bubble.

“Jinn, what’s wrong?” he asked, concern coloring his tone.

“You’re…” She made a sweeping motion with her hand, grasping for words. “You’re unclothed.”

Trey glanced at his body before meeting her eyes, his lips quirking down at her puzzling statement. “My game attire makes you uncomfortable?”

“No,” she answered, struggling for breath. “Your lack of it.”

His brows arched in surprise. “I didn’t realize. Apologies.” He swam to the spot where he’d left his swimkilt on a branch of dead coral and slipped it back on, glancing her way with a respectful nod.

She gave him a shy answering nod of thanks, but soon wished she’d said nothing at all. His still-naked brother and companions were ruthless in their mockery, giving him looks of contempt. Trey weathered their abuse without complaint, but Jinn knew she’d brought this on him. Yet easing her discomfort seemed more important to him than his pride.

My feelings matter to him?

Her heart swelled with new appreciation as she watched him prep for the game. Other than her family, no one on Talstar had ever shown concern over her feelings before. She was a mutant. Who cared how she felt? Who cared if she was uncomfortable or embarrassed or fearful? She didn’t matter.

_______________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this week's installment. I'll be back next week with Part 8 of the story. Have a good week.