Turning Tides

Chapter Thirteen: Hidden Treasures

Malia didn't actually intend for Beatrice to take her promise seriously. It's not that she doubted Beatrice's sincerity; quite the opposite, in fact. Rather, Malia didn't think that her naive desire to "find the meaning of happiness" was worth wasting time over.

Evidently, Beatrice thought differently.

After their run-in with Malia's immortal enemy, their journey back to Okeanos, now with a furry new water spirit, was quiet. For Malia, her weary mind was empty, solely focused on recovering after the day's tumultuous events. Beatrice, however, was mentally planning, a fact that Malia only realized when they returned to the city.

"You want to do what?" Malia asked, temporarily distracted from the healer's ministrations across her injured back.

"Go on an excursion," Beatrice repeated as she floated before Malia, her eyes watching the dog excitedly zoom around the infirmary. "I've worked out a general plan already, so you don't have to do much—aside from being present, of course."

Malia could only give Beatrice a blank stare, too tired to think of anything else; that is, until she felt a sharp pain at her back.

"Don't move," the healer muttered when Malia flinched, not caring about her yelp of discomfort.

"Where are we going?" Malia asked, hoping to distract herself from the ache. "When?"

Beatrice raised her eyebrows. "Do you have other plans?"

Malia knew she couldn't lie about that, but she still didn't want to answer. "No."

"Then it's settled," Beatrice said smugly. "Don't worry, we can bring the dog too."

"'The dog,' huh?" the healer asked, moving to work on Malia's shoulder. "You two should probably think of a better name for him."

"Him?"

The healer eyed the dog swimming overhead. "Looks like it, yeah."

Malia and Beatrice were likely both exhausted because after a second of exchanging glances, they burst into giggles.

"I'll leave that decision to you," Beatrice said, her smile still wide.

Malia scoured her memory for ocean-related names; she didn't have many. "How about... Sebastian?"

"Sebastian," Beatrice repeated, pondering the suggestion. "That's a very noble name. Is that after a hero of your time?"

"Uh..." Was an animated red crab considered a hero? "Something like that."

Once their important tasks were completed—that is, Malia was healed, Sebastian was named, and Beatrice requested their vacation time—there was nothing for Malia to do but wait and go with the flow of Beatrice's plans. Part of her was nervous to spend time without a clear purpose. Another part was curious about what Beatrice had in mind and was eager to see what they would do.

Malia knew which side she preferred.

About a week later, they headed out in the middle of the night, taking their time swimming through the dark waters with small orbs of light to guide them. Occasionally, Sebastian would prance freely into the shadows, only returning after letting Malia panic for half a minute. Each time, Malia would gently chide him with a tight hug, which Sebastian would return with kisses and Beatrice would observe with unhelpful chuckles.

The journey apparently took hours, but it didn't feel like a chore. Even though Malia had worried about spending time with no purpose, she realized she didn't mind their impromptu races to the nearest seamounts, watching Sebastian chase down thrown orbs of light, or just swimming slowly in silence.