Saumon Fumé

Once things had settled in the dining hall, everyone continued to have their meal. Maya stayed with Mira in the corner, and the two had struck up more casual conversation. Caleb looked on and hoped that with this behind them, perhaps whatever was eating at the lottery winner would be taken care of. He carefully glanced over to Eliza to gauge her reaction. Outside of taking great care to present an air of nonchalance, he couldn’t get a read. However, it seemed like the outright belligerence that she normally directed at Mira was not present, or at the very least was holding itself back.

Caleb couldn't blame her for being upset, and even if things got patched over, it would take more than a few days for her to remotely trust the agent again; but, if for the moment they could function in the same space, it was likely best for the group not to have volatile components that could combust at any time. Still, the fact that Stella hadn’t shown up at all had him worried.

“Hey, Caleb!” Noemi’s voice cut through the monologue in his mind as she leaned over and gave him her brightest smile.

Facing her, Caleb leaned on an arm over his completed breakfast plate. “Hey, Noemi.” He gave a smile back, looking past Lily, who was between them and engaged in conversation with Maddy.

Noemi closed her eyes, and her smile grew broader. “Do you have plans for the day? I thought maybe, before board game night, we could get together and hang out or maybe…you know…” She pushed her fingers together, “have some private time?”

Feeling his face grow crimson, Caleb scratched his cheek, “I mean, that sounds really nice, Noemi, but I was actually thinking of looking through the books in the collection today and on the one island. I figure I won’t get much chance to do that the rest of the week, and if one had the rules for the rooms, there might be other information out there that could be useful.” Seeing her face look crestfallen, he quickly added, “I wouldn’t say no to company though, if you feel like joining.”

Noemi gave a heavy sigh, “While spending the day with you sounds great, the idea of staring at books until nightfall makes me exhausted just thinking about it.” She gave an exaggerated groan and then winked, “Just make it up to me on our date by getting me nice and stuffed then.”

The remark sent Caleb **** on his own spittle, and Amy looked over at Noemi, “I know you have a transformation that makes getting pregnant sound appealing, but maybe you should be a bit more considerate of our situation. We don’t even know if you’ll be in any condition to take care of a child by the time we leave here.”

Noemi pouted, “Jeez, way to be a spoilsport about all this.”

The oni frowned, “I’m just pointing out we don’t know what transformations you’re liable to get going forward, if they’re genetic, what our living situation is going to be. Bringing a kid into that is just irresponsible.”

Noemi’s face flushed red as her temper flared, “Even so, If I want to have a kid with the man I love, that’s my business, not yours! Besides, it’s not like we’re not all gonna be at that point eventually. Caleb’s marrying all of us, right?”

“Noemi- I” Caleb started but was cut off by Amy.

“Maybe some of us don’t want to be married, or to have kids!” She shot back at Noemi

Lily reached out and grasped at Noemi’s arm, trying to pull the Chilean woman back into her chair as she launched herself up from her seat, “Ok? So what, you’re just gonna sleep with him all your life and never do anything about it? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

It was Maddy’s turn to grab Amy, who rose from her seat and leaned in to get into Noemi’s face in an uncharacteristic display of anger, “You vapid bimbo! Can’t you think of anyone besides yourself?”

Caleb rose and tried to put himself between the two, “Hey, let's all calm down-”

“I am! How do you think Caleb is gonna feel being used as a sex toy by someone who doesn’t even care about him? You robot!” Noemi lashed out, and it looked for a moment like Amy was about to reach out and strike her before turning on her heels and storming out of the room.

As her back went out of view, Lily and Maddy relaxed as Noemi’s own posture did, but Lily leaned in, “That was going a bit far, don’t you think?”

Noemi crossed her arms, “She picked the fight with me! You saw her; it wasn’t her place to butt in like that!”

Maddy made a pleading gesture with her hands, “Ok, s-she…was out of line too, but the t-things she said weren’t wrong either.”

Caleb went over, quietly thanked Lily, putting his hand on her shoulder before giving a light hug to Noemi, “I appreciate you looking out for me.” He then pulled away, “But we all have to live together, ok? Not just now; we’re stuck together for the rest of our lives. We’re gonna have disagreements but…we can’t attack each other like this.”

Turning her head to the side, Noemi bit her lip, “She started it.”

Caleb sighed, “I’m going to go see if I can talk to her; I haven’t seen Amy get upset like that before.”

Eliza raised a hand, “Do you mind if I join you? I also would like to have a look at the books around here, and I know a thing or two about the pressures of this place winding people up.”

Expression softening, the Master nodded, “Please, I’ll take any and all help I can get.”

Eliza nodded and rose from her seat, and took off with Caleb to follow after Amy.

As they departed, Noemi fell backwards into her chair and picked a carrot off her plate and nibbled on it, “No, it’s fine, I’m fine. No need to check in on me.” She muttered quietly under her breath as the others began to clean things up.

Stella hadn’t had a destination in mind when she went out to the docks, just telling the faundolier to take her as far out as they could. As the water lapped at the side of the boat, she wondered how deep the water here actually was, if there were fish in it, if those fish were edible, and what would be the best way to eat them. She knew it was likely a pointless thought experiment. This place was magic; it existed in a way that it had to. If it needed fish, it would have them even if the biome in the water didn’t make sense to have fish. Hell, she could see that bastard Lucian having them chased by sharks.

Eventually the boat came to a stop on a small little island. As far as Stella could see, it was a beach in all directions with a few trees to block the shade. In the grassy centre, with a ring of pavement around it. She looked out to the horizon and saw how distant the rest of the islands were, with their reflections bouncing with the sunlight off the crystal-clear waters.

“Ah, this must be where Mads took Caleb on their date,” she noted to herself as she stepped off the boat. She immediately kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes in the hot sand, “Yeah, doubt anyone will find me here…Oh, you've got to be kidding.”

As she had made a move to walk further in she noticed her, lounging in a beach chair just under the shade was Andrea. Her arm was raised above her head as if she had just finished yawning, and she was looking out at Stella with casual interest. Her serpent was coiled around her lowered arm, and she was dressed in a one-piece swimsuit that had an open centre, with only crisscrossing ribbon hiding her stomach and chest from view. Her body glistened lightly where the sun hit it, showing off her trim figure.

Stella frowned for a moment before it warped to a wry grin. “Well, I’ll give the bastard this: he has every right to be downbad when the teacher has a body like that.”

Andrea gave a light laugh as she lowered her hand in front of her mouth “Thank you for the compliment, young one, though perhaps when one can control exactly what they appear as, beauty shouldn't be complimented.”

Making a squeezing motion with her hands, Stella tilted her head to the side, “Hey, if I can touch em, then they’re real enough for me.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, do contain yourself. There is no one you need to be performing for right now.” Andrea leaned back and the snake coiled up to her shoulder as she kept her gaze on Stella appraisingly.

The imp flinched under the scrutiny, “Think you’re clever?”

“Oh, I know I’m clever, but seeing through your bluster is not the result of that.” She pointed towards her eye, “It’s written all over your soul.”

“Oooh, ominous” Stella made a move forward while waving her hands dramatically. “How does that work exactly? You got mood vision or something? Like what colour is it right now?”

Andrea chuckled, “No, it's more like…seeing the scratches in a record and knowing how it will sound when you put a needle down on it.”

Stella frowned at that, “What are you even doing here? Here to psyche me out? Did Lucian send you?”

Blinking a few times, Andrea then burst out laughing, reaching down, she pulled a brightly coloured drink in a hurricane glass from nowhere and took a sip before responding, “Deary, I’m on vacation! I’m enjoying the sun, relaxing, as I hear that’s what you’re supposed to do.”

“Didn’t know Demons did relaxation.” Stella walked to lean against a tree.

“Devil, dear. Lucian is a demon. I am a Devil.” Andrea leaned against the back of her chair and took another sip of her drink.

“So you’re lawful, and he’s chaotic?” Stella took a stab in the dark.

“Aha…no. In hell, we use the terms to distinguish those who are former celestials who fell from grace, such as myself and those other beings that serve their role in hell, such as my boy.” She offered her drink towards the serpent, which lapped at it with its forked tongue.

Stella smirked, “As an imp, where do I fall?”

The Devil smiled back as she set down her drink, “Were you in hell, had you been a cherub that had fallen, you’d be a devil; as you are human-born, you would be a demon.”

“So there are demons that are more powerful than devils?” Stella raised an eyebrow.

“There are, but the most powerful demon will be nothing against the most powerful Devil; there are limits to the strength that can be accumulated,” Andrea stated plainly.

“And it’s not a problem telling me any of this? None of this is knowledge not meant for mortals?” The imp mused.

“You’re only asking because you’re seeking the stimulus that will finally subside the aching hole inside you, and none of the answers I have will do so.” Andrea’s words were said with the same patience as a parent explaining that a child’s dog went to live on a farm.

Stella frowned, but it was quickly replaced with a grin as she stepped back, “Ah, I see, didn’t take long. Even on vacation you can’t help yourself. Torturing is just what you do, right? What going to tell me how my parents don’t love me? Nothing you got could sting me.”

Andrea raised an eyebrow, “Sure, you want to go this route? I assure you there are more pleasant methods of self-destruction available for you.”

Stepping forward, Stella looked down on the demon, “You’re acting like I don’t know all the things that are awful about me. I know Lucian brought you on as an intimidation tactic, to put the heat under all of us. I’m just letting you know it won’t work.”

Giving a beleaguered sigh, Andrea sat up, “Last warning, enjoy the beach, have a drink…”

Stella bit her lip, but stood her ground, “Oh please, I know I’m alone, I know no one wants me around, you can’t say anything that would-”

Suddenly, Andrea was in Stella’s face; her emerald eyes, pupils like slits, stared into Stella’s own hazel. “Your parents love you.”

“W-what are you-” Stella started before being cut off

“The reason you had to separate yourself from them is that they believed in you, made you feel special, like you were capable of doing great things, and the pressure of that made you feel like you had to run away.” She stared unblinking into Stella’s eyes

“You- wait, no, I-”

Andrea pressed forward, the snake wrapping around and hissing into Stella’s ear, “You had to run, because you decided already you were nothing, and that you didn’t want to be anything.”

“I never did-what the fuck are you talking-” The imp stuttered; the words- none of this is what she had expected. Stella knew she was an asshole; what was this other shit this woman was spouting? Where did it come from, and why did every word hit like a freight train

Then Andrea lifted a hand and gently tapped Stella’s forehead and…the beach was gone. She was in class in the planetarium. Astronomy 101, a write-off class, easy science credit. The only downside was that it took place so early in the morning. Well, Stella was up anyway, so it didn’t bother her.

The teacher droned on and then hit the button for the next slide, and Stella felt her stomach drop. It was an image, nothing graphic, a simple image of the crab supernova by the Hubble Space Telescope. What had been a star in the sky had changed and had been visible in the night sky, and now, almost a thousand years later, the remnants of that explosion were still visible. A star that had likely been older than the planet she was currently on, gone and now visible for longer than she was alive.

She felt something coalesce inside her as her stomach twisted into knots as the professor droned on, as a singular thought came to her mind and crystallised.

“I am nothing…compared to any of this…my life has no meaning. So why am I wasting it here instead of enjoying myself?” She grabbed her backpack and left, and the next week went by in a blur, scenes that she could barely remember, faces, bodies, powders, liquors. She woke up in a bathtub covered in her own sick.

Her girlfriend was so worried, so she broke up with her; she didn’t need that in her life. Her parents started complaining. She didn’t need that. She left school. Got a job, started finding sex where she could get it, high where she could get it. If it didn’t feel good. What was the point?

She lurched forward and vomited onto the sand as Andrea leaned in a pat her on the shoulder, “There there, you got through it. A nice easy trial to see that it can be worse. So enjoy yourself. That’s what you do best, right?”

She patted Stella’s shoulder. “I’m going for a swim” She then ran out to the water. Stella slowly rose up and looked out to the water, her eyes unfocused as she felt the weight of everything on her, “What the fuck was that?” she half chuckled to herself.