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“Nope. So where do you want me to put the stuff?”
Her brother came in with a grin and set the food on the table. They were grilling meat and tubers in an effort to feel like home. She enjoyed a nice grill as much as the next person.
They did the prep, and her family let her handle the grill. When everyone was eating, they discussed their week. When the conversation got to her, Cloudy smiled. “I met the guardians. They came by the stall after they had some kind of mission over open ocean.”
Her family stared. Sunny asked, “What were they like?”
“Tired, grimy, curious, hungry. One was particularly nosey.”
Sunny groaned. “You did the brain thing.”
She smirked. “I did the brain thing. He jerked back like I hit him with cold water.”
Her father smiled. “Are you sure that was wise?”
“Wise or not, he was being nosey.”
Her mother sighed. “How are you and Emgoth getting along?”
“Pretty good. He’s accepted the partnership and really likes taking the time off. We have enough to start a new stall in a better area, but we sort of like the docks. The folks there like us.”
Her brother said, “And you and him aren’t...”
“Ew. No. He has kids older than me. His wife is amazing. Don’t be gross. He taught me how to cook local stuff, and I made the sauces that keep our loyal clients coming back every single day.”
Her father smiled. “You also are the face of the stall.”
“That is true. Everyone was so excited when I got the pigment change. They don’t even know about the gills.”
Her mother’s fork clattered. “Gills? I didn’t know you went for gills.”
“Mom, I work fifteen feet from the ocean, which is about two hundred feet deep. If I fall in, I am not getting out fast.”
They looked concerned. Her mother said, “Is it safe?”
“Now? Yes. Well, I think it is. I haven’t done more than a lab test of the gills.”
Her father. “Who did you use?”
“Nikcaro Adaptations.”
“Oh, he’s good.”
“Yup. His sister-in-law works at the docks, and she got me in before the eighteen-month waiting list. It’s increased my income dramatically.”
Her brother asked, “Why?”
“Because I am no longer different, exceptional, or remarkable. I am only worth the kindness in my voice, the efficiency of my hands, and the reliability of the food at the stall. I am relatively invisible.” She grinned. “Which, as you all know, is how I like it.”
Conversation wound down to Sunny’s scheduled interviews the following month. He had finished his education and was ready to step out into the world on his own.
When the family meal was done, Cloudy got up, hugged everyone, and headed back to her apartment. Being independent was her goal. She had spent the time after the world ended stretching a handful of food to feed twelve people, and she had been good at it. No one knew where she had kept her supplies, and she liked it that way. She added more meat when they needed more meat and more vegetables when they needed more. Flat cakes made of oats were common, and keeping the grains and dried meat cool and dry was her goal. She had been successful. Anytime someone tried to follow her to the supplies, she didn’t cook for two days. It had gotten the point across. Even her family didn’t get fed, and that drove the severity home. She had a plan, and no one was allowed to cross her. Her family was used to her intensity and just waited for her to resume food preparation.
She walked the twenty minutes and up the two sets of stairs.
Cloudy didn’t have her family over. They would be appalled at the sheer amount of exercise equipment she had. Since she had been renovated and made over, she had a lot more energy, and she needed to burn it off in a controlled way. There was nothing to be disturbed over; she was just strong enough to use the ice shaver now, but she couldn’t tell Emgoth. This was her thing.
Cloudy smiled, changed, and started working out. She had an hour of workout to get in before she could sleep. Her body needed it now.
