Aria woke as the curtains in her room slowly drew open, letting gentle morning light spill over her bed. She shuffled slightly, snuggling deeper into her warm covers. The climate control had turned down in the room shortly after she had gotten in bed last night and it was delightfully chilly in the large hotel room.
"Good Morning, Ms. Starling. I trust you slept well?" Elysia's voice gently called.
"That was the best sleep I've had in a long time, thank you. I don't remember setting a wakeup call though," Aria answered as she sat up in bed.
"At the resort, we monitor our guests sleep patterns and wake them at the best possible time balancing a restful night's sleep and the guests perceived desire to make the most of the day" Elysia explained.
"Oh, well thank you. That's a lovely way to wake up. Please continue" Aria replied.
"Will do, Ms. Starling. Have a lovely day" Elysia offered as she signed off.
Aria looked out the window. As her eyes adjusted to the morning light she was struck speechless by a blue Earth-like sky and a glittering expanse of crystal clear water that stretched all the way out to the horizon. She was simply amazed.
She flopped over onto her side and let her mind run back through the previous evening. The
dinner had been lovely, the drinks were all top notch, and the company... A delicious shiver ran through her body at the memory of being sandwiched between the hunky bi couple in the lounge's playroom. That was a real treat, she thought to herself. Maybe she would run into Mason and Isaac again.
Then, she remembered the conversation with the Omnisian couple. They had invited her to the beach, hadn't they? That sounded like a lovely way to spend the day. Plus, it would let her get back some of the tan that she was rapidly losing to the dark and cold Washington winter.
She stepped out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom, pushing her hair back out of her face as she went. She stepped into the shower and called out her desired water temperature. A steady rain-like spray of deliciously hot water fell from the ceiling blanketing her in instant steamy warmth.
Sometime later, freshly showered and scrubbed. She stood naked in front of the dresser, she pulled open the drawer and poked through the swimsuits that she had brought before settling on a coral blue tie-side bikini and her pink beach cover.
Grabbing her sunglasses and stepping into her sandals she headed out the door for breakfast. Following the directions from her access device she was brought to a little cafe that was three floors down from her room. The café was rather quiet and intimate, for being in such a sunny and cheerful environment. She sat at one of the little tables, and ordered a croissant and a bowl of fruit along with a black coffee from the passing waiter. Seemingly moments later, the food arrived at her table. She ate quietly as she flipped through the day's activities on the tabletop slate. Not seeing anything that really caught her attention she decided that it was definitely a beach day.
She finished her coffee, and wandered out into the corridor before asking her access device where the other members of her group were. She saw that Quinn and Sebastian were in their room, with a do not disturb protocol in place. Mason and Isaac were at one of the many spas, the Emberwood's were having breakfast on one of the sundecks, and Aeris and Seraph were on Aurora Beach.
Aria, followed the directions to beach in question, as she stepped out into the sun she was dumbstruck to see that it looked just like a white sand beach on earth. Crystal blue water lapped at the shore and beautiful humans and xenos wandered up and down the beach in various states of undress. This was a paradise.
She looked up and down the beach, but didn't see the Omnisians. She began to walk down the beach, enjoying the ankle deep water and looking for the couple. She had been walking for about five minutes when she felt a gentle, almost tender, push in the back of her mind followed by Aeris kind voice calling her name. She looked inland to see the pair, lounging in the sun on a pair of beach chairs. They waved at her as soon as they saw her look. Aria happily waved back as she made her way over to them.
She pulled her beach cover over her head and sat in the sand next to the couple as she though, "hi guys, thanks for the invite. This place is beautiful."
"It is. This feels just like home" she heard Seraph in her mind for the first time. They're voice was deeper and richer, like warm silk "thank you for joining us. It's very nice of you to spend time with your fans like this."
"Please, I love my fans. I'm happy to do this. I don't really think of this as a fan event, really. This is more like the sweetest, most generous present I have ever been given" Aria answered.
Just then, a shadow fell over the trio. Aria looked up as the tall, tanned, and gorgeous beach waiter cleared his throat "is there anything I can get for you Ms. Starling?" he asked.
"Oh yes, could I please get a lounger like these?" Aria asked kindly "And a Mai Tai, please" she went on.
"Of course, Ma'am. If I may, would you like sunblock? We have a sublingual film that you simply place under your tongue. It will let you tan, but keep you from burning" he offered.
"Yes, please" she answered, and the waiter offered her the film which she placed on her tongue allowing it to dissolve before she swallowed.
Within a few minutes, the waiter came back down the beach followed by a hovering lounge chair. He came to them and handed Aria her drink, before landing the lounge chair for her. As she laid back in the lounger, he took drink orders from Aeris and Seraph before departing once more.
Aria took a deep sip of the fruity cocktail, enjoying the sting of the rum and the spreading alcoholic warmth in her stomach. She looked out at the water as the warm sunlight played over her skin. She thought to herself, "this doesn't suck."
"No, it doesn't" Aeris' sweet voice played through her mind, "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. When people are this close, sometimes it's harder not to hear."
"Oh, that's ok. I'm not worried about it, although you might learn a little too much about last night," Aria thought with a wink.
"Don't tempt us, Ms. Starling. The waves coming from you three were quite impressive" Seraph's silky voice brushed through her mind.
"Oh my bonded, don't embarrass our new friend. She's blushing," Aeris mentally chided.
Aria chuckled at their playful attention, "oh, he's fine. I'm still getting used to talking like this though."
"We appreciate the effort. Speech in your language is not possible for us, and vice versa," Seraph said. "However, this also allows for better communication methods overall."
Aria could have sworn she felt a gentle touch at her shoulder as she heard Aeris in her mind, "we can convey many things telepathically. Speech, touch, sensation, it gives us so many ways to communicate. You can do this, too."
Aria reached out with her mind and touched the top of Aeris shoulder. She was happy to notice a smile dawn on the Omnisian's elegant, narrow featured face. A shadow fell across them from behind Aria as the waiter returned with Aeris and Seraph's drinks. He handed the beverages to each of them in turn before retreating back down the beach. They sat in silence for a few moments taking in the glittering sea.
"I think I'd like a swim," Seraph thought to them as he stood from his lounger.
