Chapter Theme Music: Deep and Massive ~ Aquascape {Underwater Stranger}
<11/08/2018 - 20:00 | Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA>
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Motivated by the many promises I made to myself and Lumina, my next great journey brought me all the way out here in the middle of Atlanta, reaching the entrance of the famous Georgia Aquarium.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQSXTeDaCU
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Fish can be an interesting species to look at, especially when neither one of us are used to seeing them. This goes double for Lumina, someone who has never had the opportunity to see most aquatic life up close and personal, even when she did have her clairvoyance. The closest we ever got so far was watching those videos in the nature documentaries on Netflix, which are fascinating in their own right. Even with that said, nothing beats the real deal.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKRWvA8Mhj
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After making it inside with Lumina in tow and a strong connection to support, I thought back to the last time I was here at the aquarium. I was here once as a kid, a very long time ago shortly after the completion of my purge.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86Jyxmda7I
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Why did I not mention it before? Obviously, I didn't think highly of my last visit to the aquarium. It was fascinating even back then, but ultimately uninteresting in the overall matrix that was my life. Of course, Lumina was never with me that time either, so I categorized the event as too boring to think back to.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPw1k4WHN2
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It wasn't hard to come up with the idea though. After all, I was actually in Atlanta only about a month ago from now, though I'll save that story for the next chapter. You might be wondering why I keep jumping back and forward on the timestamps often, but it's not really intentional. It's important to keep in mind that we don't remember days and timestamps. We remember moments, moments we make special for ourselves.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00W2OVGZFq
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Anyway, now that I'm here all over again, this entire visit means so much more; it's an entirely different experience despite the place not changing even a little, and unlike before, my senses were sharpened by the reason for us being here, my heart pounding despite my attempts to keep myself calm. After all, I'm not here with anyone but myself and Lumina, just the two of us.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXujm2JAECa
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"Where should we start? How long do you think we'll be here? It's so awesome you got to come out this way Reed."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHJZKQm8hk
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This is the reason I came to the Aquarium. I wasn't all too interested in seeing a few fish, but after learning that Lumina knew so little about marine life, combined with the idea that just bringing her here without my family can technically count as a romantic date, nothing could stop me from putting the gears into motion. Though, unlike how I normally feel at the start of our many dates, even I knew I was a little bit nervous. "I'm going to play it by ear... Just give me a minute." I tried to level my breathing some more, taking nice and slow breaths, synchronizing my senses with her. Although, the very attempt reveled my current emotions to her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsghYZ6PE8V
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"What? Are you really all nervous right now? I don't know whether to be surprised or flattered."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXZVmJ65J1
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"Can't say I understand why." Even with today, I was confident I wasn't doing anything wrong. Maybe it was because I worried that I wouldn't be able to create enough magic to our loving moment as I would want to, or maybe it was because I was more self-conscious today about how I looked than any other day. Understanding why I was nervous even a little wasn't possible right now. What I didn't expect was how sweet Lumina was about it.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnQF5gV74V
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"Awh! It's so cute that you still get nervous around me... Time to get over it though. I already told you a thousand times that you look amazing. You clean up real nice when taking me out to places. Plus, I want to see some fish! Pick a direction! Onward march!"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLtIKk91cy
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The excitement in her voice instantly soothed what tiny concerns I had. Seeing Lumina this full of spirit and energy proved I was doing or saying all the right things. Even I looked at myself and thought it was cute, but she's right; I can't let it slow me down. It's freezing cold outside, making the connection strong. But at any moment, our connection can be ruined by other factors, such as a surprise headache. Every moment counts. "Right. Let's get to it then."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkNtN7Ws7R
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Going to the aquarium to sight see fish with Lumina was the best idea I've had in a long time, and so we both spent hours together doing just that. It would be easier for me to simply summarize and say everything went well, that the sights were amazing. However, if I left it off there, one would easily miss the beauty of this place. Thoughttography isn't a real ability I have, but for the purpose of our story, as an author, I'll have the ability to share some of its visual wonders with you.
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Lumina was most amazed in the moment, since she was seeing these fish up close and personal, not hiding her excitement for even a moment. She begged me to slow down and stop, observing more closely the lionfish secured in the dark tank. I thought just the water alone was intriguing, since humans don't live with so much submersion under the pressure of water.
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Of course, upon remembering something else, I couldn't hold back my laughter for a moment, which set her off slightly. "What's so funny?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX617TYRZW9
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"Oh nothing. Just that sometimes, you're easily amazed by things. Remember that vegetable sprayer in Walmart?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGriWNx3o7
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"How can you blame me for that? I've never seen something like it before." Though she was getting a little bit embarrassed, I didn't feel bad about it since she was usually the one dishing it onto me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUqI7wPmtQ
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Apparently, Lumina had yet to witness the vegetable spraying machine they have in superstores, where they store fresh produce and use the shelve sprinklers to spray and refresh the vegetables with water in a mist. Most everyday people like you and me are very much used to seeing them. The other week, when I took Lumina in with me to Walmart and our timing allowed her to see the mist spraying for the first time, she thought it was the most fascinating thing in the world.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQPAaiP5rJ
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It simply got me to imagine; what if she were there with me in person when she was so captivated by it? Me, just standing there while my girlfriend is fully entertained by a vegetable sprayer in a store? What kind of looks would we get from other customers? How would I ever explain to others that Lumina has never seen one before? In some strange way, I found it funny later on, but just as much fascinating from my own point of view. For Lumina, it was a device she's never seen in a store before, something truly alien to her. I'm used to seeing or hearing about concepts or items in her world that give me the same reaction, but it's sometimes common for Lumina to be fascinated by strange devices or sciences of the human world, something that I shouldn't let surprise me, though sometimes it does. Sometimes I easily forget that - to her, I'm the alien, and this planet is a foreign mysterious world.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshUeOrj6NG
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Anyway, the reason I bring it up, humor aside, is because that's about the same sensation she keeps having right now, to all of these amazing displays of aquatic life in a perfect aquatic garden. A zone so hostile and inhospitable to humans and Altiri is so rich and nurturing to other life, to many oceanic species. In some strange perspective, fish are a lot like aliens to both humans and to the Altiri. I wonder if I'm the only person who thinks about these things.
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"Then there's the jellyfish," I illustrated.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3eKb7rqqw
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"Obviously, they're not made out of jelly, right?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzg8qw3Uhz
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"Right, just like baby oil isn't really made out of babies. Did you seriously think they were made out of jelly?" Just this once, I wasn't sure if she was sarcastic or not.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0EKvlx5zG
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"Of course not... But why would they name it that way?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1XUSdq1MW
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"I'm not the one who names marine life, so I'm the wrong guy to ask. Either way, I don't let it bother me."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TZS0tIrGp
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"It's just a little confusing sometimes. Like, why is a catfish called a catfish when it has nothing to do with a cat?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SjdjVQnsC
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"Maybe some people just want to imagine it that way. Every time someone mentions a shooting star, I don't ask which version of it they mean, because it's still obvious. It would be cool if a star had a cartoon face decked out with sunglasses, two arms, and two Uzis going all out. Gives a whole new meaning to a shooting star. How have I not seen something like that on Futurama?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6fyZS8a6W
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I could hear the muffled chuckle in her voice, Lumina trying her best not to laugh at my casual silliness.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSB3qiyGDs
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"You really almost laughed at that?" I remarked. "It's easy for me to entertain you tonight."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlkDO33V0s
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"Just shut up and find more fish..." It really has become a constant side quest for us both, trying to make each other laugh at the stupidest things, or trying to humiliate each other however possible. I don't question why it works; I'm just happy that it does. "Wow! They have a water tunnel?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsh3jkuvwX
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Right. Lumina never saw this before either. They have this crazy awesome tunnel where we could look up, left, or right to see a massive tank around us... Wait, why am I trying to describe it? It's better to just show you.
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These pictures didn't just spawn out of thin air either. I had to be the one to take them when I came here, which was in the same moment Lumina and I were hanging out like this. Part of our date included my constant messing with the camera system, ensuring I get good photos. Anyway, it led to an interesting request from my wife.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrKNHMVoNS
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"Ooh! You should take a picture of us together too!"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fqMmx9KPV
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"You realize you would never show up in the picture, right?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdccUPcMUfy
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"I know that... But it would be nice for me to look back at your album one day and see your cute face. I'll always get to know how happy we both were later. It's worth a picture Reed! Go and take it."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbs77ZsirbJ
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She certainly has an interesting way to convince me to get a photo of myself for her. Somehow, being called cute by her was still something I wasn't totally used to, not that I mind. It feels so amazing and embarrassing at the same time to hear her tell me anything good about my appearance. Although... "Wouldn't that look weird though, me just standing somewhere randomly taking a picture of myself like that?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrs8fCoL4Tw
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"Is that really more important than me admiring this moment together? Besides, if anyone asks, it wouldn't really be a lie to say it's for your girlfriend."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOdOZ1WPtl
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She has me there. There wasn't any way I could say no. Though I still needed a moment to prepare. Taking a picture of myself is one of the most difficult things I could do. I can never fake a smile, so self-pictures usually don't turn out so great. I don't think I'd have to fake one today, but it still reminds me how hard it is to get it exactly right. Smiling for someone, or for a picture, instantly makes someone ten times more attractive. The catch is, the smile has to be natural, not forced.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yFxvqtW8S
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I did promise her I would though, so here goes. After carefully getting the camera right and several takes after, I now had a photo to share with myself and Lumina later on...74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOX3H0Ylw2
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Of course there is no photo here. Sharing it now would risk doxxing myself, revealing my actual identity. Maybe I will one day, if that time ever comes. It can't be right now. There's a good reason why I changed up everybody's names and identities for the purpose of our story. The true identity of Reed must stay secret for a little longer.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZ4kluyRZT
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"What did I tell ya? Handsome as ever."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrBXso29vv
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"It's no fair," I reminded. "I don't get to have one of you."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZ4rk3xRss
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"I try to focus on what we can do... You know, after we get back from the aquarium, you and I could try to do something a little extra for the night. Maybe trace on each other's skin again? Maybe try mental synch? Or maybe we can whisper naughty things into each other's ears!"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqs6knON3q
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Happy as I was that Lumina could trust me so well, I still felt that getting too frisky so soon was a crazy idea. "Come on Lumina! Not now... We're in public after all." I could fell it already, my face burning with love and passion meant to be private to only one person.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0VGEG7Qr1
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"Exactly. Didn't you say you liked to feel hot and sweaty in public?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcbDSryRIN
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"Okay, moving on!"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgV20LC8i9
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"Ha-ha! You're blushing so hard right now, aren't you?" Once again, Lumina revealed her craving of seeing my personal embarrassment.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnmHJaoMvo
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"Why do you do that anyway? I mean, why do you love making me blush like that when I'm around other people?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1bGfuRA06
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"Around other people or not has nothing to do with it Reed. You're simply cuter this way, when you get all nervous or dodgy about doing something naughty with me."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWc4AqPcFy
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It's finally happened. Even without showing Lumina much of the online material I normally consume, she's found ways to become lewd all on her own, needing nobody's help... It was impossible for me to shut her down for it either, since enough of me was liking it so much. Still, I don't like being seen as a cute and cliché clueless boy who flakes at anything sexual. I'll get her back for this later. "If you want extra after the aquarium, you have to behave yourself and enjoy the moment to its fullest."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHnajWlLBz
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"Fine, but it better be a nice surprise when we get back home."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQmqBjsAr5
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I at least had plenty in mind for us both. I still think it's too weird to show that much of my personal side to her, but there are feelings I have for Lumina that I don't hide from her. One of the new ways we've been spending our time together involves both of us passionately whispering things into each other's ears when we're alone.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbUyftC6Sn
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I know it isn't physically possible for Lumina and I to do most physical things together, but it doesn't mean we have to hide those desires. How much I want our steamy breaths to exchange with our tongues massaging each other, our hands interlocking while our faces brush each other! How much I want to hold Lumina in my arms, feeling around every corner of her body as I tell her how much I love her! Just feeling the cold grasp of her hand on mine would be pure bliss!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcH03a8LldP
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"What is it?"74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsvh2chDgQ
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"Oh, nothing." I think I just spaced out for a second there, long enough for anyone to notice... I'm supposed to be focusing on the aquarium tonight, but now Lumina has stolen all of my attention. It's impressive, considering how many thought processes I have each second. All of them are totally focused on her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6sURzqMA6
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"Oh yeah! Don't they have that live show thing starting soon?" Lumina only knew of it because I tried to remind her earlier to remind me in return.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TjgXBFzLN
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"Right. It should be starting soon!" I have to ensure I don't miss their infamous dolphin show. The aquariums puts on a live performance show with dolphins every day they operate, but it's been so long since I've seen it that the experience would be new to me as well. "Let's go check it out."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgNyy8qsFp
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One of the last two things we did that night was see the dolphin show. It took up plenty of time, but it was an experience Lumina and I are never going to forget. If anyone ever wanted another reason to visit the aquarium, here is a good one right here.
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<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOP3-EUQM8E>
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Amazing, isn't it? Between all of the photos and video I've taken today, it won't be hard to remember and refer back to this moment. This was a wonderful idea for a date, and I would certainly like to come up with more ideas just like this one. Maybe I can treat Lumina to our favorite Longhorn meal after today. Whatever she wants to do, I'll let her pick the place next time.
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