Page 68 of Music of the Ocean

“A certain type of kelp produces tannins. That’s the same compound that darken sea tea and can pucker the inside of your mouth when you drink it. When the fronds of the kelp move against your skin, they release them. It strips away the oils, the dead cells. Cleans you.”

“So, it’s like a scrub.”

Indigo tilted his head, considering. “More like being scrubbed. The kelp does the work. You simply let it.”

Saxby looked down at his hands, turning them over. He was technically clean. But he guessed he could be cleaner? “Because we don’t take actual baths. Since we live in the water.”

“Correct. The water maintains you. But the kelp-sauna goes deeper. The warmth, the tannins.” Indigo’s fingers traced a slow arc through the water between them. “It is difficult to explain. You will understand when you feel it.”

“So, that’s our version of a bath.”

“Yes. This evening, if you want, I will show you.”

“I’d love that. Thank you.”

“Come, then, let us go eat.”

They used the bathing chamber, brushed their teeth, then left. Indigo led the way through palace corridors already filled with morning traffic. They approached the dining chamber, and the room was already half full.

Clusters of people sat eating at the long tables. The air carried the sharp scent of something fruity and sweet.

Indigo guided Saxby to an empty table near the back wall and left to get them something to eat. Within minutes, he returned with bowls of pale-yellow fluffy curds, cubes of iridescent fruit, and tall, narrow cups whose surface fizzled with tiny bubbles.

Indigo nudged the cup toward him. “That’s fermented juice.”

Saxby peered into the fizzing liquid. “Have I had this?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh, cool. Something new.” Saxby watched the tiny effervescent bubbles rise in slow, hypnotic streams.

“You saw the bed when we toured, remember? That is where this comes from.”

“Oh, yeah, right. I remember those.” Saxby picked up the eating implement and dug in. The food was warm and filling, the grains soft and slightly nutty, the vegetables crisp.

Around them, the dining chamber hummed with conversation. A group at the next table laughed at something one of them said. The sound echoed off the curved walls, creating a warm, communal atmosphere.

When Saxby finished, he set the bowl aside and drained the last of his juice. The fermented liquid left a pleasant tingling sensation on his tongue.

Indigo placed his own bowl on the table and stood. “Let us return to our chamber and talk. I would like to have privacy.”

Saxby raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“I would like to show you something also.” Indigo’s tentacles curled and uncurled in a pattern Saxby was beginning to recognize as nervous energy.

Saxby was so tempted to make a joke but resisted. Indigo probably wouldn’t get human humor anyhow, and it wasn’t the right time either, but gods, it was hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The jokes wrote themselves. What could he say?

“About my anatomy. And last night.”

Saxby nodded as he got serious. “Yeah. I’ve got questions.”

They left the dining chamber together, moving back through the corridors as the morning traffic thinned around them.

Saxby entered their room and immediately noticed a package sitting in front of their chamber. “You got something while we were gone.”

Indigo picked up the package and escorted Saxby inside. He opened it and showed Saxby the new clothing he’d ordered.

“Oh, good.”