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#anyway im a fool mermaid what else is new
winterskyfirefly · 7 months
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okay so e2 really just sucker punches the you wear fine things well scene home into your heart and so i suppose i should be ready for some REAL FEELS now
HOOOOOOLY SHIT ED PUPPYDOG BROKEN HEARTED EYES OVER STEDE IS JUST… WOW. that is some FINE acting. THE MOST DESPONDANT MAN I HAVE EVER SEEN. THE WETTEST SADDEST MOST PATHETIC MEW MEW EVER.
hes so dramatic he speaks to me on a spiritual level i love him with all my heart i protecc blackbeard get over your ass and go find stede
HES SO DRAMATIC PUSHING THE LITTLE DOLLS OFF THE EDGE I CANT WITH HIM JFC
i just noticed the one is painted as him i cant i cant im actually laughing my ass off right now this is so over the top i cannot handle him
ED ILL GIVE YOU A HUNDRED DOLLARS TO GO TO THERAPY
can i just say kristians looking fucKING GOOD
i love zheng si yao im so glad that this is a plot line already
LUCIUS!!!!!!!!
OKAY I AM 100000% ON BOARD WITH THE CUDDLE SNUGGLE ATTACK PILE EVERYONE GIVE LUCIUS HUGS NOW!!!!!!
i love how much by the way, rewatching that scene, wee john loves the fabric of things again hes so sweet i love him
BLACK PETE/LUCIUS HUG <3 <3 im just paused staring at the hug scene and oh man have i missed black pete too i didnt even talk about him on the last episode and i really just am gonna have to rewatch these tomorrow too for sure
BLACK PETE LUCIUS KISS REWATCHING THIS 2000000 TIMES
black pete lucius i cant deal with this thank you for bringing this back just kiss forever and be happy
you have impeccable balance babe
ive missed the babe
i did not realize frenchie was supposed to kill ed
OH MY GOD JIM I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU'RE AMPUTATING THIS IS AWFUL
dealers choice
LUCIUS YOU THEATER CHILD GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW AND TALK TO STEDE
i honestly love whatever the fuck the swede is whatever his plotline is its just… incoherent and also correct
did she find a new love? olivia?
oH GOD THANKS FOR THAT SHOT THAT'S DISGUSTING THE LEG
jim stop playing with the leg part
i was hoping for that kiss kinda i hope olu understands :/
love your earrings too jim
oohhhhh noooo olu you fucked up
i will repeat until the end of time when olu smiles he looks like sunshine
ohhh man more lucius drama i love it the dramatic smoking you fool you absolute fool
ed and izzy are just… i want them to have a HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP AND NOT THIS
con is such a good actor i am so glad i have now seen him i must watch more
okay i do not believe izzy shot himself at all i do not refuse to believe it it didnt happen it was something else
lmao yeah go ahead steer into an oncoming storm you are all such DRAMA CHILDREN I LOVE YOU
oh stede <3 talking about your family you love them so much
WE NEED MORE STEDES IN THE WORLD OKAY?????????
lucius what the hell these stories are horrific
BLACKBEARD. COOL YOUR FUCKING TITS. STOP DESTROYING YOUR BOAT. LOVE IS NOT DEAD YOU FUL.
oh so we're really doin a bdsm sorta joke huh
well im redefining lucius and pete's relationship now
oh okay is this where mermaids come in oh guess not that singing tho
im also not gonna talk about how hot jim bloody mouthed is
GOOD FOR YOU IZZY
So did he like… graze himself or phineus gage himself i do not understand
so anyways as someone who grew up on lotr it makes me happy to see weta still doing special effects stuff <3 <3
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Debuff Zane Build
i am tired of not seeing this build in all the zane build videos i watch so im sharing it here because its stupid fun bc u run fast and kill faster. it’s not meta, but its fun as fuck and u have a lot of damage and survivability with it. I’ve completed M4 Slaughter Shaft with it- haven’t tried on M10 yet but i have faith. p.s its 4 am pls have mercy if there’s spelling mistakes.
what ur gonna need is a band of sitorak, zheitseiv’s eruption, a seein’ dead, and the piss grenade. everything else is fair game, whatever u want. try to get it to have the sntl cryo anoint bc good. but u must have the 4 main items for this to work perfectly (it also somewhat works with a low level Frozen Heart bc best shield in the game but you will die a lot more)
also i need a fucking name for this build help
oh god oh fuck i forgot i was playing through the handsome jackpot dlc again
oki im ready to party
this is my current loadout
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sometimes i switch the reg Q-System for a kaoson or a nighthawkin if i need ammo (OP QSystem is... OP but not as fun as a tracking grenade QSystem so i don’t care for it) and maybe the brainstormer for a reflux if many shielded enemies (i prefer the brainstormer over the reflux atm. so try for a brainstormer!!)
3rd slot, that’s a monarch which used to be a dictator b4 it got a straight upgrade. I actually don’t use the bipod unless im in a boss fight and don’t need to move fast. usually violent momentum and violent violence cover the dps loss
ur first 3 gun slots honestly don’t matter much. I have my reasons for using them, but you can use whatever u want i think, so long as its a strong weapon (bc unfortunately a lot of weapons are not scaled for m10). u dont HAVE to use the monarch or the Q system or the brainstormer. I recommend them, cuz theyre fun, but u don’t gotta if u wanna swap em out for a a kaoson or a yellowcake or a sandhawk or smth
the last gun is my zheitsev’s eruption. This bad boy, when u reload, shoots out homing balls of debuffery. So every enemy that gets hit with these gets a debuff. I have tried this with the needler but I prefer Zheitsev’s bc it can hit more enemies and once and takes less time. this gun only goes to Blane (ur clone). 
for the skill trees we have no points in under cover even tho brainfreeze is the best skill in the gaaaaame
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explanations: 
really the hitman tree is p self explanatory, u wanna go fast as fuck boiii. My band of sitorak does not have the +15 movespeed while zoomer is active anoint (it has the break shield amp anoint, which is p okay. want movespeed, but a nice human from the reddit gave me this sitorak so i didn’t have to farm). u want drone delivery bc Blane will NOT be throwing grenades. If you try to make him throw grenades with the seein’ dead he will ONLY throw grenades and never fire his gun, meaning he’ll never reload. it’s a nightmare. anyway. u want the piss grenade (ideally with the +25% damage on thrown anoint). im not looking forward to regrinding this when they finally mayhem buff grenades.
we put one point into playing dirty because we want those extra shots and honestly with the amount of times seein’ dead can proc ur kill skills you’ll have it more often than not
we also have points in good misfortune for that sweet sweet uptime (which btw can be infinite using the brainstormer/reflux bc it is essentially a redistributor without the need for ur barrier) the monarch/dictator also does it justice
for Blane u DON’T WANT praemuntis. we want blane reloading as often as gotdamn possible. now unfortunately my seein’ dead gave me a +weapon mag size roll (im actually not sure if this affects blane, but im assuming it does) but it does have the amazing +5 donnybrook so I’m taking it anyway. I am so not looking forward to regrinding a good class mod when they finally release action skill buffs for them. i cri. i actually hear 3 points in donnybrook and 2 in violent violence is p good (or 1 in violent violence 1 in playin dirty) so maybe grinding won’t be so bad. maybe i’ll finally get a +weapon damage roll
u can grab 1 point in ducttape mod and put 4 points into borrowed time if you want. it doesn’t really matter. i current have 5 in borrowed time and 3 in pocket full of grenades (for some reason??? usually i only put 2 in.). U can do that and use those extra points for either ducttape mod or more points in playing dirty. 
u NEED quick breather. This skill has a STUPID interaction with the band of sitorak shield because of how quickly it recharges. I’m talking, the instant you swap with Blane, you have full shields and so does he. It’s dumb, I love it. Use it to get out of trouble.
so im probably gonna need to explain why i have 3 points in trick of the light: im a cryo slut. That’s it. put those wherever you want, just make sure you can get Double Barrel. i’ve seen builds where people actually go for brainfreeze, i might try that next time i respec.
Double barrel will make it so blane can use the zheitsev’s eruption and debuff your enemies for you. it’s worth it.
so the augments u want are these:
SCHADENFREUDE. because band of sitorak has such a tiny capacity, ur shield is constantly up. If its not, it’s constantly breaking from full capacity. this does have a fun effect with the amp shield break anoint, but mainly i like it for the 25% damage buff whenever it breaks. its a tradeoff for damage, ur constantly swapping between max shields and more damage, so its actually p constant survivability and damage over the long run.
i grab doppelbanger bc blane sometimes gets stuck in the floor and/or i don’t feel like running all the way back. i wouldn’t recommend getting which one’s real or digital distribution only bc u want him alive as much as possible. u can also get binary system instead of doppelbanger, its up to you
for Zoomer u want bad dose for the movement speed and (sometimes) static field (only if the enemies have shields). this is so if blane goes down or he isn’t taking damage, zoomer can refill ur shields. if the enemies won’t have shields usually i grab winter’s drone or boomsday depending on how i feel.
im actually gonna try to see if i can’t grab brain freeze. hang on. i know trick of the light is frowned upon for most people so lemme just respec. (im sorry i just love the vibes it gives me it’s like HAHA you thought that was me? no!!! boop. and then they’re ice sculptures and man i love h2o i wish emma had frozen more people the only people she really freezes are Greg and Miriam and honestly she doesn’t even kill Greg smh. (Greg is dr denman’s assistant. greg is highkey god.) I do like what she did to Mirami, the fucking implications that YES these teenage girls ARE powerful enough to instakill people, they just don’t out of the kindness of their hearts. Rikki was badass that episode too. actually i love the episode where rikki almost boils a dude alive for making a fool of her with ILLEGAL F I S H and burns people using steam from a pipe. rikki is my favorite mermaid- she knew what was u p. I wish mako mermaids was as badass as h2o was. and the cartoon. god imagine the cartoon violence. sigh. let them use their op superpowers to be SUPERHEROES. like in h2o au i have baron flynt puppeteer people to their deaths from Thor bc he has cleo’s powers like why couldn’t she do that to someone. Like dr denman “lmao bye bitch” or even charlotte (who imho wasn’t bad until cleo started being rude to her. cleo was 100% at fault that season). it wouldn’t have killed her!!! ... instantly. probably. ive never seen avatar in full but i did watch the blood bending episode as a child and as i understand it that’s frowned upon but hey. CAN BELLA TURN PEOPLE INTO JELLY?? harry potter 🅱oneless arms... my god.)
anyway, respeccing. 
there goes all my money. rip.
so i think im gonna have to live with the slower reload speed (sob) but yes u can in fact get brain freeze with this build. lemme show...
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so ye in the event u just can’t live without freezing people (i know the feeling) feel free to do this. imma play with this for a bit and see if i can live with slower reload. I actually depend on the 100% cryo with zoomer active for all my cryo damage. i also use an ice breaker so they freeze fairly easy (but only on mobs. on bosses u want the snowdrift or something else)
this build isn’t really meta and u might have trouble doing a solo run of true takedown on m10... bc its true takedown on m10, but honestly it’s fun as F U C K. you CAN do it, but it’s not no thoughts head empty like barrier-redistrubutor/yellowcake zane can be so u gotta be on TOP of ur SHIT. i love it. running around killing stuff. it’s fun. i also love teleporting. it’s my FAVORITE THING. I STILL GET GIDDY OVER IT BECAUSE IT’S SO FUN. ask my friends, they will tell you, sometimes i’ll just start gushing over how much fun it is to teleport even though i’ve played zane since release. just. GFDGHKJGDFK so much fun. i just... b o o p. god i love this game. i took a break to play assassin’s creed odyssey (fun sneaky beaky game, pretty awful dialogue) so DAMN i missed this. 
here’s a link to a video I took on athenas (my favorite area to run. it’s this game’s bloodshot stronghold!) this is the playlist i listen to while playing Zane. i keep swapping songs during play bc sometimes they don’t fit my vibe or i get tired of them lol (spotify control is hooked to my 4th and 5th mouse buttons so i don’t have to stop playing) i forgot where my shock sandhawk was in my inventory, is what i use to demolish traunt. i was so scared i threw it in my bank earlier on sanc-iii lol (also yes i still slap blane’s ass. it’s to encourage him to kill)
and here’s a link to the save + everything I had on me at the moment (including the stuff i picked up in the vid in case u want it lol) cuz im lazy and don’t feel like clearing out my inventory. some of these are only m4-9. which ones? it is a mystery. you’ll know when the new update releases ;) (no but actually im so hype for mayhem level on the item cards. finally. FINALLY!!!)
why is this video taking so long to upload. hynnnggggg
oh god is that the sun
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So the best bits of this chapter came from a conversation with Poyo and I couldn't wait to write that scene. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it.
Anyways, here’s chapter 3 of ‘Til the Tide Takes My Soul’.
____________________________________
After the first day she swam with Caleb, Jester spent the rest of the night texting back and forth with Caleb and every night for the next week and a half. She was starting to get the strong suspicion that he was the smartest person that she had ever met. His messages were always short and direct, but if Jester could get him started on the right subject, then he would go on poetically for hours. He told her all about sea otters and river otters and the differences between them, but the subject Caleb really loved was octopuses.
-They're at least as smart as humans and have great maneuverability. If for some reason the octopuses had to fight the dolphins, the octopuses would win.-
Jester laughed when she got that text. -why would the dolphins fight the octopuss?-
-I don't know, but if it were to happen, the octopuses would win.-
Jester and Caleb would text and talk even on the days that Jester came to visit. She would sometimes swim with him, but sometimes Jester would just sit next to the pool, and she and Caleb would talk and text and discuss anything and nothing at all. It was a surprisingly natural friendship between the two of them.
"Caleb," Jester said leaning down towards the water. "I've got a surprise to show you."
"What?" Caleb signed. Jester was learning sign language, but it hadn't even been two weeks yet and it was a slow learning process, so Caleb was being patient with her.
Jester grinned. "It's a surprise for tomorrow."
Caleb grabbed his cell phone. -You're coming over tomorrow?-
"Veth said I could. I mean unless you have a problem with that."
Caleb shook his head. "You can come over every day if you want."
"I don't want you to get tired of me," Jester said.
-I don't think it's possible to get tired of you.-
Fjord certainly did. A frown crossed Jester's face, and she banished it quickly. "You're too sweet, Caleb."
A blush crossed his cheeks. -It's true. Veth, Luke and Yeza like you too."
Jester rolled her eyes. "They just like that I play with you."
-I like that too.-
"Thanks Caleb. So, I have a surprise tomorrow, but then I won't be here the day after and I won't be able to talk to you until late."
Caleb looked hurt at that. -Why not?-
"I'm going to a party on Friday. Oh! You should come," Jester said full of excitement. "Yeah, I'll put makeup on your scales and you'll be in your wheelchair and people won't notice that there's anything weird about you since it'll be super dark."
-I don't know it that's a good idea.-
Jester tugged on Caleb's arm. "It'll be fun and I'll introduce you to my friends. Oh man, wait until you meet Beau and Molly. They'll-" she was about to say 'love', but then remembered that this was Beau and Molly she was talking about, "tolerate you, but that’s just because they're slow to warm up to people sometimes. And we can dance together."
Caleb frowned. -I don't know how to dance.-
"I'll show you then," Jester said. "It's mainly moving to the music and having fun even if you look silly. And there's a lot of people at parties, so no one's going to look at you."
-It doesn't sound very safe- Caleb texted. -I'll pass on your offer.-
Jester couldn't entirely blame Caleb, but it didn't stop her from being disappointed. "Okay, but I'll tell you all about it, okay? Full report including how much more fun it would've been without you."
Caleb smiled sadly. -I'll look forward to your report then.-
*********************
The next day Jester practically was vibrating with excitement. She had a bulky bag with her along with her swimming bag. Caleb was going to love her surprise. Jester bounced up and down as she knocked on the Brenatto's front door.
Veth opened the door with a sad look on her face. "Oh, hello Jester. I'm sorry, but today's a bad day to visit Caleb. I should've texted you."
"What happened? Is Caleb sick?" Worries race through Jester's head.
"No, it's not like that. It's just a tank day."
"What’s a tank day?" Jester asked.
Veth frowned trying to think of the right words. "A tank day is, well, when you brought Caleb back from the ren faire was a tank day. He has bad days sometimes and feels the tank's safer."
"Did something happen?"
"A plane flew low and spooked him, but there's not always a reason," Veth said.
Jester heart sunk at this. "But he's okay though right?"
Veth shrugged. "Yes, but it just takes him a while to feel better."
"Can I still visit him anyways?" Jester said. "I did tell him that I was going to be stopping by."
"I don't see why not. But he'll probably not be up for much company," Veth said.
Veth led Jester down to the basement. After seeing the pool, the tank felt even smaller. Caleb huddled in the corner with some stacking cups that small children would play with. He'd put them in each other and take them out over and over again.
"Caleb," Veth said gently, "you've got a visitor. Jester's here to see you."
Caleb stayed at the bottom of the tank and press his side against the glass. A small wave was all the greeting that Jester got from him.
"Hi Caleb. I wanted to show you something, but if now's not a good time that's okay,” Jester said.
Caleb didn’t turn, but he signed something anyways.
Veth sighed. “Caleb, I can’t read what you’re saying if you don’t face me.”
Frowning, Caleb finally turned towards them and signed again, but it was too fast for Jester to catch a word of it.
“He says he wants to know what your surprise is,” Veth said.
Jester reached into her bigger bag and pulled out a fake mermaid tail for swimming in. “So that I can swim with you. I mean only if you want to of course.” Caleb looked at her blankly. “Sorry, this was probably a stupid idea.” He probably thought that she was making fun of him.
“I think it’s a fun idea,” Veth said. “But maybe Caleb wants to be the only mermaid here.” Caleb shook his head and signed quickly. “Oh, he says that he thinks you’d make a great mermaid and wants to swim with you on a safe day.”
“Not today?” Jester said trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
Caleb shook his head again and turned to his side again.
Veth placed a gentle hand on Jester’s arm. “I think Caleb’s had enough today.”
“Bye then Caleb! I’ll see you Saturday,” Jester said.
“We have guests on Saturday, so Caleb will be lying low,” Veth said as she took Jester back upstairs. “But Sunday should be good.”
Jester nodded. “Sounds good to me. Um, is Caleb okay?”
“That was actually really good for Caleb on a tank day. Usual he won’t talk that much. Before he met you, he’d have 3 tank days a week, but this is the first since you’ve started coming. You’ve done a lot of good for him.”
Jester took a step back in surprise. “Really? Me? I haven’t really done that much except for hang out with him.”
Veth nodded. “Sometimes that’s all a person needs.” She paused and pulled something out of her pocket. “You know, Caleb goes in for the night on most weekend nights at 11 o’clock.”
“Okay?” Caleb had mentioned that to Jester before when he had to stop typing for a while at night.
Veth handed Jester a key. “It’s to the fence to the backyard. If Caleb’s okay with it, you can visit him anytime you want.”
Jester’s jaw dropped. “You’re giving me a key?”
“Caleb likes you and it’d be easier than having you come through the house after Luke’s bed time,” Veth said.
“Thank you,” Jester said. “It means a lot to me.”
Veth smiled at her. “It means a lot to Caleb too.”
*******************
Tears streamed down Jester’s face as she got into her car. How could she be so stupid? It didn’t even cross her mind that Fjord was of course going to be at the party, and when Jester saw him, she went and made a fool of herself again. There was just something about the handsome sailor that turned Jester’s knees into mush and left her tongue tied. And since Fjord was there, so was his new girlfriend Avantika. A fresh batch of tears formed in Jester’s eyes as she thought about it.
It was all Jester’s fault. She should’ve known better than to flirt with Fjord. But no, Jester just had to tease and stroke his ego right in front of his girlfriend. Jester didn’t know that Avantika was there, but really, she should’ve known. Luck was the only reason why Jester didn’t get hit by the punch Avantika threw at her. Instead it hit Fjord and Jester ran out before he could say anything about how dumb she was. Now, Jester was the laughingstock of the party and everywhere, and she was crying in her car like an idiot.
Her phone buzzed and Jester wiped the tears off her face. It was Caleb. -How’s the party?-
-Super lame and boring you are missing nothing- Jester typed back. -Im leaving early-
Her phone indicated that Caleb was typing, but it stayed that way for several minutes. Finally Jester received a text. -Ah. So, you’re going home then?-
-Might as well i have nowhere else to go- Jester texted back.
-You can come over here. Veth said that you have a key to the gate, and I don’t go to bed until 11.-
Jester checked the time and it was only 9:30. It would only take ten minutes to get to Veth’s most likely and she could touch up her makeup in the car and no one would know that she had been crying. -sure ill be right over-
**************
Caleb swam in circles waiting for Jester. She had never came that late before, so it made it all the more intriguing. He tried to stay calm, but Caleb couldn’t help it. Jester was coming. His stomach felt all weird and funny at the thought of Jester coming, but it was in a good way and not like he was going to be sick. Veth and Yeza were inside and he didn't want to bother them, and part of Caleb didn't want them to know. They whispered and exchanged knowing glances whenever Caleb mentioned Jester or if he got excited when Jester came over.
His phone buzzed and he scrambled to go get get it. -hi caleb its jester im like here and just want you to not panic when i open the gate- Caleb swam over holding his cell in the air to the other side of the pool to be as close to the gate as possible. When the gate opened, he nearly dropped his phone with nerves. It was Jester.
She was wearing a black top with a white skirt that had colorful blotches all over it. A red wide belt divided it. Her hair was all done up and her face was brightly made up(but not blue which always disappointed Caleb a little). It was the prettiest that Caleb had ever seen Jester, but there was something wrong. Despite her big smile, there was an overhanging sadness to her.
"Caleb!" Jester called out eagerly. She hurried over to the pool. "Oh man, the party was so lame."
That must've been it. Jester was just disappointed that she wasn't having a fun night like she had planned. -I'm sorry to hear that.- Caleb texted.
"It's alright. The music was dumb, the snacks were stale, and there wasn't even anyone fun there," Jester said with a sigh. "I should've just skipped it all together and hung out with you instead."
Caleb's heart jumped at that. -Really? You'd rather be with me?-
Jester nodded. "Yeah, you're the funnest person I know." But there was still that sadness hiding behind her smile.
He wanted to ask her why she was sad and how could he fix it, but it didn't feel like his place. -Well, at least you got to dance, right? That was what you were most excited for.-
"Nah, the music really hadn't gotten to anything good yet when I left," Jester said.
-Can you dance here?- Caleb asked.
"What?"
Caleb ducked down a little. -You said you wanted to dance. You can do that here on the grass.- He knew it was a stupid idea as soon as he typed it, but he sent it to Jester anyways.
A small gasp came out of Jester. "Cayleb! I've got an even better idea." She lowered herself into the pool still in her party clothes.
-What are you doing?- Caleb asked.
Jester looked at her phone before setting it by the pool. "I'm going to dance with you. Here." She grabbed her phone and music started to play from it. Her skirt billowed in the water and it looked better than it did on land in Caleb's opinion.
His cheek burned red at the sight of her in the water with him. From the phone came an upbeat poppy song. -What do I do?-
"You move with the music however it makes you feel," Jester said treading the water. "Now, put your phone down and dance me." She led the way moving her hips rhythmically but not quite in time with the music. With her arms, she made huge movements and motions.
Caleb tried it, but it didn't feel right and Jester must've sensed it. "You gotta move your feet or, well, tail in your case. Come on." She dove down and danced under the water her movements slower and a little more awkward, but Caleb couldn't take his eyes off of her. It was beautiful to watch her. He mirrored her moves still uncertain what to do, but it earned him a smile and thumbs up from Jester. The song ended and Jester went up for a breath of air. "I don't know how you can keep your head out of water for so long all the time."
Caleb shrugged. He had a lot of practice with it. A new song began to play. This one was much slower than the last one and had a smooth feeling to it.
"Oh, this is a slow dance. I can skip it if you'd like," Jester said starting to swim away.
Gently, Caleb grabbed her hand and shook his head. It was a good song, and he wanted to see how Jester would dance to this one.
Jester blushed. "Oh, okay. I guess I can show you how to slow dance. Here." She grabbed his right hand and set it right above her hip and rested her arm on his and held his left hand in her right. "And you just kind of sway with the music."
Caleb could feel his face turn red again, but he didn't try to move away from Jester. Instead, he kept her in his arms. They swayed awkwardly turning in a slow circle. Sinking gradually, the water surrounded them, and Jester's hair floated in the water. It was perfect, and Caleb felt - he didn't quite have the words to say how he felt. He never wanted to let go of Jester, but hold her closer to himself, but he didn't know if she would want him to. Probably not, but he could imagine what it would feel like if she would let him.
Jester smiled at him squinting through the water. It was an easy sincere smile, not the one she was using to hide how she was feeling. Caleb took them both up so her head could break out of the water and she could finally get another breath of air. The song ended and Jester grinned at him. "Are you sure you've never danced before, Cayleb? Cause you're very light on your feet." She giggled, and Caleb guessed it was a joke but he wasn't certain.
Caleb stared at Jester her hair plastered to her wet face. There was something that he needed to tell her, and he wasn't even sure what it was but he had to tell her. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. She gasped and stared at it. There was something in his heart for her, he just knew it, and he wanted her to know it.
"Your heartbeat?" Jester asked. "Oh!" She grabbed his other hand and placed it over her heart. "Yeah, they beat the same, don't they. We're not that different." Jester's heart was soft and fluttery under Caleb's hand, but he couldn't tell if it was really saying the same thing as his.
He left his hand there for a long moment and Jester didn't move hers either. It meant something. But what was the question.
"I think you have a good heart Cayleb," Jester said. "I hope you know that."
Caleb wanted to say the same thing to Jester, but that would mean moving his hand away from her. So, he just kept his hand there resting on her chest. And he hoped that this moment would never end.
But time was not timeless, and Jester moved away from him. "I love this song!" She swam to her phone and turned up the volume. "Dance with me, Cayleb!" Jester grabbed both of his hands and plunged into the water pulling him with her. They twirled in a circle and Caleb laughed despite himself. If this was all there was to him and Jester, even then he would be a very happy man.
******
Jester collapsed next to the pool after dancing with Caleb for over an hour. Caleb floated just under the surface of the water. The door opened to the house and Yeza stepped out. "Oh, I didn't realize that you were here Jester."
"Yeah, the party was a bust, but Caleb and I had good time tonight," Jester said.
Caleb popped his head out of the water and nodded.
"It's nearly 11. Do you mind helping me getting Caleb into his tank?" Yeza asked.
Jester nodded with a grin. "Sure! I don't mind at all." It was easy to get Caleb out of the pool. He wrapped his arms around her, and she could feel her stomach flip flop at his closeness.
Yeza had an odd half smile on his face and led them down the stairs. Caleb was reluctant to let go of Jester when they got to the tank, but eventually he did. -Can you come visit on Sunday?-
"Heck yeah I can!" Jester's only plan was face painting at the farmers' market and then finishing up a mural that weekend.
Caleb smiled the widest that Jester had ever seen and her heart melted at the sight. She was lucky to have met him. Jester waved at him one last time and left.
Yeza messed with his phone as he took Jester up to the front door.
"What's that?" Jester asked.
"Oh my wallpaper? Here." Yeza brought up the picture. It was selfie of all the Brenattos and Caleb. Everyone was smiling though Caleb's was a lot quieter. "The whole family."
"That's cute," Jester said.
Yeza shrugged with a smile. “Thanks.” He paused at the door. "You know, I used to work at a zoo. There was a polar bear that reminds me a lot of Caleb."
"Was he all orange and stuff?" Jester asked.
"Not like that. But sad and melancholic. He'd just swim in circles and had no interest in anything. We tried all sort of things for that bear, but nothing seemed to work," Yeza said. "Eventually, after months of trying, we landed on the right solution."
"And what was it?"
Yeza grinned. "We got the polar bear a girlfriend." He opened the front door. "You have a good night, Jester."
Jester nodded. "You too." What Yeza said stuck in her mind as she got into her car. Was she a polar bear’s girlfriend? If Caleb was the polar bear, then Jester wouldn’t complain.
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