How long ?
Adele and Neil both slept peacefully and deeply.
Under normal circumstances, which usually represent the lacking sleeping space, lacking food and lacking water, they would have gotten up long ago and started working.
Only, today they had enough to eat.
There is a kitchen where they can toast their bread, albeit very ancient, all the same, it existed.
There is a perfectly private toilet, even if it's a little too eco conscious, it existed, and functioned well.
Then, there's a properly cool water, which has accumulated overnight in the copper barrel.
They are almost content.
If only they could feel that contentment after an hour.
There is really nothing to do after an hour.
Adele could open her heart gem and monitor the chat, but she was a little miffed with Neil for his lacklustre response after their kiss.
Neil just did not want to step in that minefield where a girl can turn anything into an argument.
As they finished breakfast, their eyes met.
Both of them froze, then, Neil excused himself first.
"I will go see if I can catch some fish." Neil said, running away to the opposite side of the raft.
Usually, Adele will store away the life raft into the inventory.
However, today, she just let it be.
Thankfully, the wind is mild, otherwise, it would have flown away long ago.
Neil settled on the other side, hoping at least a barrel will pass by.
Only, it did not.
He concentrated all his effort on fishing. He caught a fish, if it's truly a good fish, he kept it, otherwise, he threw it away.
[ Mackerel: a common saltwater fish found everywhere.]
[ As long as you throw a fishing line, you can catch a mackerel. ]
Fine. since you say that, all the more better.
Even so, Neil kept the mackerel in the wooden pail, continued to fish.
[ Snook: don't look at the name, and think this fish is meek. ]
[ It will snap your fingers, slap your face and runaway with your bait if you are not alert. ]
Neil placed it in the bucket.
As the morning sun brightened, the fog slowly lifted from the sea.
It was only then Neil could see.
There's a barrel on the water.
In fact, there are plenty of barrels coming in passing by in all directions from themselves.
However, these barrels are small.
They measured a meter in height and a little over half meter in width.
All the same, the barrels are there, so Neil is all too happy to catch them instead of the fish. He turned back, and the life raft which acted as a divider till now vanished from his sight.
What the?!!
Adele looked at him determinedly from the other end.
"We need to talk." she told him.
It seems she's restraining herself from erupting, so Neil went to her obediently.
Adele sat down in a seiza.
If he were a kid who grew up in a southern home with no one ever needing to know other countries or cultures in daily life, then, he would have happily skipped over to her.
Only, he grew up in a university district in Boston, where half the people are students belonging to various countries.
More than that, he is a netflix and iphone generation, thus - he knew. This action which the entire youtube will tell you is a polite way of interacting, is in reality not so.
When this kind of action is done by a zen-x, there is only one reason. She is pissed off.
She is pissed off, and is blocking his mouth early with etiquette. Their parents themselves will use this kind of etiquette only for the most serious situations.
The asian children, even the ones on the periphery of asian'ness were usually trained to shut up and listen when sitting like this.
Neil sat in front of her equally politely.
"Please commence with the talking." he told her, his tone half serious, and half amused.
Adele seemed even more pissed at his answer.
"Why did you kiss me?" she asked him directly.
"I wanted you to stop laughing." Neil answered.
"Is that all?" she asked.
"You were pretty?" he tried.
"Is that a question or answer?" Adele's cheeks are beginning to become red with a blush.
"Answer." Neil insisted.
"Is that all?" Adele continued.
"I always wanted to do it." Neil added.
"Is that all?" Adele seems to be on auto repeat.
"Is there a specific answer you are looking for?" Neil asked.
This is vaguely starting to resemble what his parents do when his mom is pissed.
"Is that all?" yep, Adele is definitely on auto repeat, Neil concluded.
"So I kissed you. What are you going to do? Sue me for sexual harassment?"
"Is that all?" Adele repeated.
"What in the world are you waiting for? Why don't you tell me, then I will just say the damn thing." Neil groused.
"Is that all?" Adele repeated.
"Adele young? Did you get a repeater's syndrome or something? Just say what you want." Neil yelled at her.
"Is that all?"
"Fine. You win." Neil accepted his defeat.
"Is that all?" This time, Adele seems to find amusement in his replies.
"I like you. You were very beautiful, and I always wanted to kiss you. So I did." Neil gave in.
"Is that all?" Adele asked with a smile.
"That's all." Neil answered.
"I like you too." Adele confessed, getting out of the seiza slowly.
Neil was happy, but he was also skeptical.
"You do? Why? Since when? Before or after you left me for dead?" Neil said.
It took a moment for him to realize what he had said.
"I .." - didn't mean it . is what he wanted to say, but Adele stopped him before.
"I understand you didn't mean it. Before, for your information." she answered him.
"But that would mean you liked me in school." he said confusedly.
Neil thought back on his encounters with Adele.
"Sasha Anderson's bikini walk!" Neil realized all of a sudden. That's like four months ago.
"Really? You have liked me for that long?" Neil was shocked.
"So, when did you start liking me?" Adele asked curiously.
"The first day. You were speaking on stage after winning the science exhibit of the year. They were loud, and demeaning, but you kept your composure. Then, you rejected Robert."Neil answered her.
"Actually, I wanted to ask you for a midwinter dance. That's why I was waiting there. Not to peep on girls." Neil assured her.
"I know. Only, Sasha made a bet, and I did not like losing or being a second choice, for that matter." Adele answered.
"I .. Well, I can't say sorry." Neil finished awkwardly.
Adele huffed at him and walked away.
Neil waited for some time for her to turn around and look at him, but she did not.
"Are you mad at me?" Neil asked her.
"Not any more." Adele answered, getting a fishing pole out.
"Let's get em barrels." she answered.
Neil agreed, and they started collecting barrels.
However, the barrels usually wander and appear slowly, like one every hour or more.
Sometimes, they even split away from the channel and enter still waters.
It's almost as if they have something at the bottom directing their direction.
While they were not looking at the barrels, Adele gave him basic education about the world.
The Sage system could very well be a highschool teacher.
Endless ocean is a water bubble the size of earth's orbit. Water, as a liquid, is very affected by the magnetic field. The atmosphere is only a mile high, and the bubble is not all solid and enclosed.
Places exist in the endless ocean where the water directly opens into outer space, best represented by the little starry rivers they see in the sky at night.
It's not as if land does not exist. After all, many asteroids still crash into the ocean. The giants among these asteroids form islands.
However, that is where the geography lesson ends.
All endless ocean denizens are born with a mana stone, for humans, it is the heart gem.
More intelligent the animal, the more complex it's mana stone.
That's the basics.
The next level is that the ocean is divided into rings.
Right now, their compatriots are passing through the first ring. They are placed at least a week of sailing away from each other.
Currently, Neil and Adele were in the channel that flows at the border of the first ring.
Their destination is at least a few months away from them, calculating at this speed.
Neil walked to the center of the raft and kneeled down in a praying position.
"To all gods who are listening to me. Please, pretty please, pretty pretty please make sure that a portal exists somewhere in this world.
I will kneel and pray, kowtow and pray or even roll around and pray like indians. Please, let a portal exist, if not a portal, at least a portal's blueprint!" Neil prayed quite loudly.
Adele laughed from the side.
"It exists, you idiot. It's a tier 4 blueprint." Adele informed him.