We have all been gender flipped!

"I'd never want this to end, Kayas."

"But remember Alexa, all good things must come to an end, to make room for great things to come. This moment may not last forever, but it'll last forever in your heart for when you need it most, just as I always will."

Because I don't trust you!

[sits down, rubbing her face with her hands]

I...I don't trust you...don't trust you to...t'really be there, t'...t' really help me.

All these talks I've had, I've thought, I've told myself, oh, man, I feel so much better—sniff—thanks so freaking much for that WORTHLESS TRITE! [starts to sob] But, but-b't-but it doesn't help! It never does!

They always tell you, oh, I'll be there for you, I'll-I'll be here if you need me, but what the hell do they know?! They don't know s**t! Like, I-I-I got proj'cts an' I don geddim done and they say, "Should'ff done't on time, here's a planner, just for f**king you!" Like, I wanna git't done, but I-I got no drive! I can't commit myself t's**t! I got ideas, I got things I wanna do, b't it just stays there, it wastes away, and I-I try to do something but—[her face then shrivels, and she starts crying]

"I know...and that's why every moment I spend with you means so much to me...time is short, so we gotta make the best of it."

He chuckles.

"What is this, the ending of Sonic and the Black Knight? No worries Alexa, we'll enjoy our time together. I promise, I'll make it worth your while."

Alexa laughs at that remark.

"I know you will, Kayas. And I'll do the same."

"So, you wanna stay down here a little longer, or shall we go back up?"

"We should go back up, and get some sleep. It's getting late anyways."

"Alright. I was gonna suggest we sleep down here, but you'd still get pruney from that. Let's head up."

Kayas rebounds off the bottom of the pool and catapults himself up and onto the edge of it.

Nicole calmly sits down next to Joanna and puts her arm around her.

"Now you listen to me, Jo; whenever I say that I'm gonna help and be there for someone. I mean it, capiche? I genuinely do wanna help you out with whatever it is that's bothering you. You want help putting your ideas into motion, then I'll see what I can do. If not, then you could always see if either Nat or Mattie could help you. Long story short, when me and the others say that we're here for our friends and that we'll do anything to help them, we're not just saying shit to try and make them feel better. And if I may add, try talking to Jean about this problem of yours sometime. There's no way in hell she'd let her girlfriend suffer like this and knowing her, she'll know just how to cheer you up."

...no...[shakes her head]...no Jean...

Alexa swims up to the top and climbs out the water, and begins drying herself off.

"This whole night's been amazing."

"And why not? Do you not trust the girl who loves you? Is that it, Jo?"

"It has been, it really has been."

Kayas changes back to his default morph, causing Alexa's gills to disappear as he dries off.

"Next time I'll share Spikey with you, I know you'd love that. But for now, we'd better rest, it's awfully late."

"Agreed."

She kisses him one last time on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Kayas."

I don—...[curls into a ball]...I don—...

[buries her head into her knees]

I don't know what I'm...what I'm doing with myself anymore. It all feels pointless...

All this ship has done is make everything worse for me, make everything duller, make every waking moment of my life an utter bore.

...sometimes...I just wish it would go up in flames.

Just so you know, pretty much half of these lines are semi-callbacks to previous things Joanna has done.

edited 30th Jul '15 9:57:48 PM by BlackMageAnolis

He kisses her forehead tenderly.

"Goodnight my queen, sweet dreams."

He picks up his scattered clothes and then heads off to his room, slipping into a pair of boxers, staring at the ceiling. Just then, Spikey decides to come out.

"So you're really gonna take her for a ride with us sometime?"

"Of course, I know you both would love that. There's nothing I would ever want to keep from her, especially the thrills that you bring to the table. Now come on, let's rest, we have work to do tomorrow. Goodnight brethren."

"'Night Kayas."

And like Batman, I am gone into the night.

Alexa happily walks to her room and goes to bed.

Nicole just gives Joanna a hug.

"Noe to self: Tell Jean about this the first chance I get."

Hm?

[feels Nicole hugging her]

She...she isn't saying anything...

[hugs Nicole back and starts crying onto her shoulder]

Nicole wordlessly holds Joanna in her embrace as the other girl cries into her shoulder.

Thank you, Nicole. Thank you.

[keeps crying]

I...I don't feel—sniff—any different from before...from before all this. It's j'st...j'st more of the same.

Megan is topside, her longcoat billowing in the wind. There's a look on her face that just screams "flashback time".

-there is a kitty and she is playin Hearthstone-

Jean emerges out of the pool.