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The Cohen Loop Carver and Max V copyright comidacomida 2015

Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director waited until absolutely every last student had exited the auditorium before speaking up again and, Max noticed, every single one of the faculty members was still in place. What he said was very direct. "You will report to F-3 tomorrow morning to clear off your work surface and turn in your tablets."

The announcement wasn't a particular surprise him, nor did Carver seem shocked at the order. Truth be told, Max was expecting that precise decree since he had seen how Angel and Seraph had been dismissed from it after Angel's miscarriage. It wasn't until the echoes from the Phin's announcement died down that the Human responded. "Yes, sir."

Carver was just as obliging, but not without his questions. "Yes, Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director. Are we to return to our previous class then?"

The Director's response was nothing if not succinct. "No."

Max was caught off guard by that and, for a moment he was beside himself with fear. Were they being dismissed? Angel and Seraph hadn't been dismissed. They were both still enrolled at the Unity Centre, and that's how he voiced his next statement. "Seraph and Angel are still here... didn't they go back to their general class?"

Gray Doctor took the opportunity to address that question. "What happened to Angel and Seraph has no basis in this review, Max Snyder, but to answer your question: no. Angel and Seraph have been reporting to a special class, and that is where you will be assigned as well, starting tomorrow."

The young man glanced to the Amplus by his side; Carver was looking back at him with an optimistic glint in his eye. The large Phin looked back to the faculty board. "We are going to be attending classes with them?"

To anyone unfamiliar with formal Phin discussion it would seem like a needless question but, then again, the exact meaning of the words weren't precisely the same to Humans as they were to Phins, so the clarification spelled it all out. When the Director confirmed Carver's question with a "Yes." it indicated that the four of them would be class mates rather than just occupying the same status onboard the Unity Centre.

It was Striped Instructor that spoke up next. "Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director has informed the board that you are to be attending advanced schooling. This places you and your class mates in a specially designated area on board the Unity Centre. You will be joined by Jackson Robberts and Tailor."

The thought of being in the same class as a university student seemed entirely foreign to Max. He'd heard of seniors in high school taking Advanced Placement classes but as far as he knew Jackson was somewhere in the four-year college student range, and that meant that he was far beyond anything in Max's study level. It was a positive thing, Max realized, but it didn't stop him from immediately stressing at the different possible results of being pushed ahead so far in his learning.

Before he had a chance to say anything, however, the board continued its announcement, and it was Spotted Professor who spoke next. "This class does not cover standard curriculum for Humans or Phins. It is not offered on any regular schedule and has, in the past several decades, only been held on six occasions; this will be the seventh."

The announcement made Max's thoughts screech to a halt; either the class they were being placed into was a great honor or something so mind-blowingly horrible that he might have wished that they'd dropped him from the Unity Centre. Shuddering silently, he took a moment to gather his thoughts and give himself a mental slap in the face: no-- nothing would be worse than being ejected from the Programme. He would face whatever the new class involved with the same dedication and devotion to learning he had at any other time.

Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director continued after the echoes of Spotted Professor's announcement fell off. "This class always has one dozen students-- no more, and no less. In addition to joining Angel and Seraph and being accompanied by Jackson and Tailor, you will also have three more pairings of students with whom to share your lessons."

At that point the board's discussion dropped to the faintest of vibrations as they conversed among themselves. Max glanced toward Carver out of the corner of his eye and saw that the Amplus was looking back at him. In the lowest of audible tones, the Phin spoke quietly with him, apparently able to identify the young man's distress. "This is a GOOD thing, Max... I'm sure of it."

It was nearly two minutes before the board addressed them again and, when they did, it was one of the Tertiary Class Professors that spoke to them, a regal looking Album with a leopard-spotted pattern along his sides. "The board has not determined all of the students that will be joining the class but final selection will be done by the end of the term. In the mean time, we will dispatch a message to one of the pairings tonight so they can join up with you tomorrow."

Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director nodded to the professor that had spoken while looking to Max and Carver. "Warm Shallows Drifter has been chosen to preside over the Tier Six study group while you remain on the Unity Center. Tomorrow, you will--"

Both Max and his partner interrupted the Director, Carver with a squealing chirp and Max with the human word equivalent, "SIX?"

The Album didn't so much as pause, "--meet up with Swimmer. She is staying with her parents as it was not deemed suitable to move her into F-3 at this time. Her mate will join all of you at the apartments which are being furnished specifically to serve as open dorms for your class. I assume you have questions?"

Too many questions, in fact... and they all jumbled together in Max's mind. Carver, thankfully, had much better luck in articulating one. "The Unity Centre only offers classes up to Tier Three. I thought after that Phin students enter into an exchange program to learn at a Land Earth University."

Warm Shallows Drifter was the instructor to respond. "Correct, Carver. Humans refer to Tier Four Education with one of their levels of degrees. Tier Five education likewise has its own degree. You will not be engaged in any of those studies, being selected specifically for Tier Six."

Max finally forced his thoughts into a reasonable enough form to blurt out one of the many questions that had been pushing against the inside of his skull. Or, rather, the questions came out in a stream, all mostly related. "Uh... Swimmer? Is she a student here? Her parents live here? They have an apartment?"

Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director was courteous enough to humor the shotgun flow of inquiries with an answer... or, more specifically, answers. "Yes. Swimmer is currently aboard the Unity Centre, as are her parents. Like many students such as with your partner Carver, Swimmer's parents are employed here as members of the permanent staff. Directions to their apartment will be provided to you by Spotted Professor when you arrive at F-3 tomorrow morning."

Silence prevailed for several seconds as Max and Carver exchanged glances. Gray Doctor was the next to speak. "It should not need to be said, but we will insist that you do not discuss F-3 with any students outside F-3 or your new class itself."

It was Carver's turn to get flustered, but he recovered quickly. "Jackson Robberts is going to be in our new class... he is going to learn about Angel and Max being pregnant. That isn't a problem?"

Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director stood up, joined by the rest of the faculty; it was a dead giveaway that the conference was nearing an end. "It is not. The Tier Six class will spend the rest of its time aboard the Unity Centre stationed behind and above the faculty apartments-- you will be separated from the rest of the students so you can continue your studies until the time of your departure."

Max picked up on the final word fast enough. "Departure? You mean we're leaving the Unity Programme?"

Gray Doctor let out a trilling click of contention. "No, Max Snyder... you will still be a part of the Unity Programme, but you will no longer be serving aboard the Unity Centre. As it has already been stated, the Centre only handles Tier Three and lower classes, and you are being moved to Tier Six."

The Director interrupted any further discussion with a slap of his fluke against the water. "There will be further time to explain. Over the next several months you will remain aboard the Unity Centre so as to prepare you for the transition to Professor Cohen's private tutelage."

Everything suddenly stopped as surely as if someone had pressed the PAUSE button on life. The words dribbled out of Max's stunned lips. "Professor Cohen? You mean... like... Nathan Cohen?"

Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director held a faintly distasteful look at the question. "I do not mean LIKE, Max Snyder... I mean PRECISELY Professor Nathan Cohen."

No more explanation was given, and, frankly, Max was too stunned to ask for any.

* * * * * *

Insomnia was not a problem Max had considered normal for him until Water Earth. Originally he figured it might have been due to atmospheric differences or maybe the fact that he had water lapping at the base of his sleeping ledge all night long. The physicians on board the Unity Centre assured him that it was the hormone shift in his body and that everything would return to normal since he was returning to a more "normal" condition. Considering the events of that day regarding his change in education, however, "normal" wasn't something he think he'd see in a long time.

All of the changes, and not just the physical ones had left him reeling, both mentally and emotionally. Max was starting to find it difficult to differentiate between the times he should be happy or sad-- scared or reassured-- energized or exhausted-- angry or-- the sound of Carver wading through the archway into his room stopped his thoughts; at least there was ONE think that didn't cause any confusion. The Amplus approached slowly, speaking quietly in his deep vocals. "Still can't sleep?"

Max sat up, holding his arms out to his lover. "I'm pretty sure my brain was wanting me to wait for you."

Carver crossed the final few feet to stand beside the ledge and accepted the embrace, clasping his hands down atop Max's shoulders as the Human slid his arms around the Phin's hips. The young man let out a deep breath, pressing his cheek against Carver's abdomen and closed his eyes. The Amplus disengaged, and knelt down so the two could be face-to-face. "You've been through a lot lately, Max. It's okay."

"WE'VE been through a lot, Carver. I'm just glad we could be together for it."

The Phin's smile was soft and encouraging as he reached a hand up and caressed the side of Max's face before rubbing his head against the other side. "I don't know what's coming next, but I wouldn't want to face it with anyone else."

Max smiled and leaned over, reaching for a small figurine. He took it off of its place of honor on the shelf next to his sleeping ledge. It was strange to think that it had been the better part of a year since Carver had first given it to him, but he always kept it close at hand. The Human jumped in surprise when he felt the Amplus' hand on his chest, pushing him back down to the sleeping ledge, and that surprise grew when Carver's fingers gripped the zipper on his wetsuit and pulled it down. "Carver, I--"

The big Phin silenced him with a rolling trill followed by a vocal, "Shush."

Although Max wanted to object to being stripped, all of that argument was washed clean out of his mind the moment he felt Carver's tongue caress his groin, pressing up under his testicles and licking upward until it had his penis pinned against his pelvis. From there Carver's tongue slackened its pressure just enough to let Max's suddenly erect member stand up of its own volition... and that's when the Phin closed his mouth down around it.

The Human jumped in surprise at the sensation of the Phin's mouth as Carver began to gently suckle on him. "Oh... wow..."

The Phin's hard palette ridges rubbed against the top of his member contrasting with the smooth, strong tongue on its underside. With barely more than Carver's gentle hand pressing against his chest, Max obediently laid back onto the ledge, legs spread as his lover continued to work his flesh, the tactility of being given head by a Phin so far from any experience he'd ever had. The Human let out a groan, hands going to the top of the Amplus' head as it bobbed in his lap. That only seemed to spur Carver on.

Max flexed and clenched his toes, squirming beneath the ministrations of his lover. His legs began to twitch in sympathetic euphoria, quadriceps flexing with barely restrained energy. He moaned as Carver's tongue slipped out and caressed his testicles again, and he responded by sliding his feet up to stroke the insides of the Phin's thighs. It didn't take long before he felt Carver's member respond by rubbing against the sole of his right foot.

Keeping hold of the Amplus' head with his hands, Max copied the gesture with his feet against Carver's shaft by pinning it between his two feet. The Phin's body was significantly larger than the Human's, but with Carver hunched over, kneeling in the water the range was perfect, and Max was able to caress and stroke his lover's squirming member with little difficulty... and it was having a distinct affect on the Amplus.

Carver's tail began to undulate in the water, fluke occasionally rising to the surface before submerging again, resulting in a faint rocking of his hips in time with the motion of his head in Max's lap. For the most part the young man managed to keep pace with the rhythm of it, using his feet to stroke his lover's smooth shaft. He almost giggled reflexively once or twice as the Amplus' squirming, semi-prehensile member tickled the soles of his feet but, for the most part his attention was awash in the bliss of a Phin tongue tip stroking his perineum even as his penis and testicles were firmly engulfed by Carver's maw.

Max had no idea how long they were at it but, as he felt himself drawing closer he saw no indication in Carver that the Phin was interested in slowing down... if anything, he sped up. Groaning, Max gripped his lover's head tightly in his lap, legs taught against the Phin's groin as he exploded into Carver's maw. The Phin opened up to gasp, taking each shot down his gullet even as Max felt the surging pulse of the Amplus' shaft between the soles of his feet. Carver's mouth returned to the Human's flesh, sucking him dry and licking him clean even as he whistled out approval of his own release.

They were both panting hard by the time Carver joined him on the sleeping ledge. Thanks to both the physical exertion and the close proximity of his lover, Max was finally able to let out a long, sleepy yawn. "You always know what I need... you know that?"

The Amplus pulled him close and rubbed the side of his face against Max's. "The feeling's mutual, Max. Thank you for being my partner."

The Human smiled, leaning against his lover's chest and he rested his cheek against Carver's shoulder. "Whatever this Tier Six education thing is, I'm glad I have you here... no matter what it is as long as you're with me I know we can handle it."

Carver issued a soft series of chittering clicks and let out a deep breath. "That's what I was hoping I'd hear you say."

* * * * * *

Max wasn't surprised that the following morning wasn't different than usual, per se, but it was the first day he had returned to class... and that meant facing everyone at F-3. The whole affair lasted a handful of minutes and it went far better than he'd expected it to. Everyone was, of course, sorry to see the two of them go, offering best wishes along with fond farewells. Max did notice that Tailor wasn't in class, but thought better than to ask about it since he was pretty confident that he and Carver knew more about what was going on with her than any of the other students did.

Spotted Professor waited until they said their final goodbyes before he gave the class an assignment and followed them out under the pretense that he needed to see them situated. Once the three of them were out of the archway and into the hall the Longos handed a data pad to Max since Carver was carrying all of their personal effects. He spoke in English using a quiet tone. "You will find directions to the employee deck and an address for the household you need. You are there to collect a Longos using the name Swimmer. She and her Partner will be joining your class."

Max looked down at the data pad without turning it on. "So... uh... that's her parents' place, right? The Director mentioned she'd be staying with them."

The older Phin let out a double-click of confirmation, followed by more quietly spoken English. "Correct. Dark Ring Astute Overseer High Director had Swimmer moved out of her class as soon as her pregnancy was discovered. Her Partner, and the child's father has been responsible for helping her maintain her studies. You will have a chance to meet with her this morning... I believe her parents plan on you staying for brunch. You will meet with the rest of your class mates once Warm Shallows Drifter organizes you according to his wishes."

Max wanted to ask more questions but he realized that Spotted Professor needed to return to his class. "Alright... Thank you, Spotted Professor."

The Phin only replied by holding out a hand in a very human-like way, going so far as to offering a smile as they shook hands. "You can thank me by doing well in your studies and succeeding in your new class, Max Snyder."

The friendly gesture caught Max by surprise, and made him smile. "I'll try-- I mean... I will."

Spotted Professor took his hand back and acknowledged the comment with a confirming trill. "I would not have supported the board's decision to have you in it if I did not think you could do well. And you as well, Carver."

With nothing else to say, the Phin about-faced, lowered himself down into the standing water, and swam back through the archway into his class. Max watched him go, smile widening as he spoke aside to his partner. "You're right, Carver... this is a good thing."

The Amplus nodded beside him. "Did you take a look at the address? Is it a high deck or a low deck in the employee apartments?"

Max remembered hearing something about the floor level of the apartment being based on the social standing of the employee. Considering Carver's mother lived one floor down from the top deck he figured it fair to assume that lower floors meant higher ranks. He was surprised when he looked at the directions. "Wow... they're pretty far down."

Carver peered over his shoulder. "Scientists... the only lower floor in the crew quarters are for the administrators and instructors."

The two followed the directions to the employee apartments, starting with one of the large water tubes before using two separate, smaller tubes. Since they were in no particular hurry they kept a slow-but-constant pace, using the trip to generally just enjoy the time they had together. It wasn't until they turned a corner and saw a distinctive difference in the coloration of the cement-like surface of the walls that Carver fell silent. "These apartments belong to project leads and head researchers."

The Human felt immediately humbled; all scientists, Phin and Human alike were all the best of the best in their fields. Apparently one of the parents of a future class mate was the best of the best of the best. "So... you think it's her mom or dad that works for the Centre?"

Carver glanced down at him, using that subtle instructional tone that the young man had come to be familiar with after the months they had spent together. "Which do you think, Max?"

It was a challenge, Max realized, and he felt up to it. "I'd say the father, since he'd be the one who spends so much time doing research that he wouldn't willingly become pregnant."

His partner smiled. "Good. I would agree."

As with most of the apartments aboard the Unity Centre, the employee quarters had front doors, and their destination was no exception. Each of the doors had a plaque written in Phin but, far different than the rest of the entryways, the door to their destination, Apartment --*/!oX also had what looked like a hand-crafted sign. The sign had lettering that was distinctly Human. It read "Aloha".

Shrugging, Max defaulted to his native custom and knocked quietly on the door. He exchanged glances with Carver and then realized that he'd made a social slip. He was just about to correct his error when the door opened, causing the slightly higher level of water in the hall to fill the apartment's entryway where a smiling Longos stood. He was far more animated than most Phin Max had met. "Ho-- get choke vistahs dis week!"

At first Max didn't know if the Longos was speaking some strange dialect of Phin but when he glanced to Carver he saw that his partner was just as confused. Max looked back to the Longos, "Hi... I'm... uh... Max. This is Carver."

The Longos stepped aside, motioning into the apartment in a surprisingly human gesture. "Ah yah! Dey said ya'd be comin. Com'mon'in."

Max stepped in slowly, glancing at their host as he passed. Everything about his physiology suggested normal Phin, but his mannerisms and words were peculiar... and the markings on his right forearm looked less like naturally occurring spots and more like-- the young man stopped in place. "Are those tattoos?"

Carver was just as interested. "Where did you get tattoos?"

The Longos was all smiles, clasping both Max and Carver on a shoulder, "Hawaii! Lived more'n a decade studyin' Kilaueau.... spent lotsa time on Oahu... it got da kine a beaches foa surfin."

It took Max a few moments for him to realize that their host was speaking English.... but with a very strong accent of some sort. "Uh... where's that accent from?"

Their host let out a full bellied laugh, and the inflection to his voice completely changed, any sense of 'island slang' leaving it completely. "From Hawaii, of course. The most beautiful place on Land Earth I ever had the opportunity to visit. It felt as much my home as where I was from, and it would be safe to say that it left its mark on me in a lot of ways."

Max didn't miss the way he motioned to the tattoo in good humor... the play-on-words was also very humanlike. "The way you talk and sound you'd almost pass for a human if nobody saw you were a Phin. And all that after living on Land Earth for ten years?"

The Longos shook his head. "Almost twenty... but then, I've also had a chance to learn from my wife."

Carver let out a curious chirp. "Your... wife?"

Max froze in place when he saw a middle-aged human woman come around the corner to join them in the living room. She had blue eyes and a noticeable tan, with close cut chestnut brown hair. "Surfer... don't you think you should invite them in? I'm sure our Human guest would probably like to sit down somewhere dry."

The Longos' response went right back into its dialect. "Try wait, eh, JoAnn? Ain't even gave up some names yet. We'll come in bumbye."

Carver was the first to put a word to the dialect. "Is that Hawiian pidgin?"

The Phin's wife leaned against the archway leading further into the apartment. "It's something Surfer picked up and it stuck... and I don't mind... it reminds me of home."

Surfer waded through the water toward where the woman stood; the floor was angled so that she was in much shallower water, and slightly higher up than the level of the ground in the entryway. He brushed his beak across her cheek before looking back to Max and Carver. "I know it's not something all Humans have a taste for. If you prefer I can survive controlling myself during your visit if it... boddah you."

The Human woman gave a light tug on the Phins arm then gave him a playful push off in another direction, "Go make sure Swimmer is getting ready."

The Longos smiled again, brushing his beak against her cheek one more time, "Kay den... u no need da stink eye... I'm goin, tita... I'm goin."

Once the colorful Phin was out of the way, the Human woman turned to address the two of them. "So... why don't you two come in. Surfer and I have lived in this apartment for years... it took some time to get it remodeled to suit all of our needs. We can sit in the kitchen if you prefer less water, or in the study if you want more."

Max's head was spinning with all of the oddity in the situation that he relied on Carver to help direct things. "The kitchen will be fine, thank you."

She showed them down the hall and sat them both at a very human-looking dining table with some undeniably Land Earth chairs. The woman was all smiles just like the Longos as she took a seat herself. "My name is JoAnn, and I assume you're the two students the board sent to pick up our daughter."

Max nodded, introducing himself, and Carver did the same. JoAnn greeted them properly and provided everyone a cup of tea. "So... I assume you two probably have just as many questions about us as Surfer and I have about this 'special class'."

Max shrugged. "Well... we have a lot of questions about the class too... they haven't really said much... but... uh... Surfer... he--"

The Woman's smile widened. "Surfer is one of the Centre's lead Geologists, and my background is in biology. We met twenty five years ago and got married twenty two years ago... this coming March."

The conversation came to a sudden stop when Max felt something splash in the two-inch-deep water at his feet, and he almost fell backwards in his chair. All attention turned on him as he stood up, backpedaling away as the culprit of the sound emerged: a small gray-with-black-dots seal. "A... seal?"

JoAnn snapped her fingers and the animal about faced and wriggled back across the floor to her. She reached down and picked the seal up, setting it in her lap. "Duke has been part of the family ever since we moved to Water Earth... I had a dog years ago and Surfer promised we could be a pet friendly household here too."

Max remembered that seals and otters were kept as pets by Phins just like Humans kept dogs and cats. He wondered idly if the Phins had to deal with a never-ending fight between 'seal people' and 'otter people'. There was a more pressing question on his mind, however. "So... did... did you two adopt... I mean... is... is Swimmer... a--"

Their hostess cleared her throat. "No... Swimmer is biologically ours."

Max nodded thoughtfully. He still didn't know all of the specifics about it, but it wasn't as much of a surprise as it would have been before his own experience. Carver was just as casual. "That must have been hard for you."

JoAnn nodded. "When we first married Surfer and I didn't know if we'd be able to have children but, a few years later we conceived. Back then there hadn't been much study done on cross species fertilization... not like now, anyway."

Max fidgeted. "Which people outside the Unity Programme still don't know about."

Their hostess smiled, and skipped that portion of the discussion. "There are cases every year among the Programme where a Human woman becomes pregnant with their Phin lover's child. Those children grow up as perfectly healthy young human men, and nobody--"

Max interrupted. "But... I thought Swimmer is a she... and that she's pregnant."

JoAnn smiled. "Do you two know much about sexual determination based on chromosomes?"

Carver spoke up first. "Human fathers carry both X and Y chromosomes. Among Phins, the equivalent chromosome pairing doesn't exist... we only have Y chromosomes like human females have two X."

Their hostess scratched Duke under his left flipper in what Max would have equated to an armpit and she nodded. "Very good. Well, when a Phin impregnates a Human then no matter which of the chromosome pairings he provides it will always be a Y... so all babies born thus far to mixed couples have been human boys."

Max had trouble wrapping his brain around it. "But... Swimmer IS a Phin, right? I mean... you wouldn't name a human baby--"

JoAnn hend up a hand to stop him. "Yes... SWIMMER is a Phin... when our son started going through pregnancy we changed his--"

Carver let out a surprised blurt in Phin. "He became a Phin when he got pregnant!"

She nodded, "...and became a female... like any other Phin. It may have been a latent protein in the DNA... possibly some recumbent coding. Up until now he's been a normal human teenager, but this... this is an amazing turn of events."

Max was out-and-out surprised at JoAnn's choice of words... then again, if she was a biologist by trade her interest in her son's (daughter's!) pregnancy made sense. Personally, Max would have expected his mother to respond far differently if he were to-- and he sat back in his chair, sighing... he HAD been pregnant.

He saw Carver glance his way out of the corner of his eye, and felt a wave of comfort wash over him as the Amplus' fingers found their way to his hand. JoAnn didn't miss the motion either, and she was too smart to not make sense of it. "You were one of the boys who got pregnant, weren't you?"

Max didn't have a chance to respond; Surfer was not subtle as he sloshed through the water of the living room, making his way from down the hall across to join everyone in the kitchen. "Swimmer's comin, an' you stayin fer brunch, yeah? What you like grind? JoAnn's tombo ahi so ono, brok da mout."

JoAnn took hold of Surfer's arm and pulled him down into a seat at the table. "I was just telling our guests about Swimmer, and how she was born a human."

The Longos' smile became a little more subdued, and much more nostalgic. He nodded thoughtfully, "Ass why we hadda come back... easy foa him."

JoAnn elaborated. "With a Human mother and a Phin father he was practically guaranteed a place in the Programme. We stayed on Land Earth until he turned eight, and then my parents took legal guardianship of him until he was able to join up. Oh, my god... I don't think there was anything I'd ever done in my life that was harder than leaving him."

Surfer rested a hand on hers and rubbed the side of his beak against her cheek. "Eh, we got our Swimmer hana hou, right, Mama?"

She nodded, placing her other hand atop his. "Right." The discussion could have gone on from there but, at that time, their daughter finally made herself known. She lingered at the archway leading into the kitchen; upon seeing Max she was instantly self-conscious.

Swimmer turned out to be rather tall for a female, which Max assumed was probably due to her being so early in her pregnancy. Unlike Tailor, Swimmer wasn't even showing in any way and, if not for the fact that he had been informed that she was pregnant she was completely, unspectacularly, male-looking. She remained half-hidden until her father waved in her direction, "Ey, Swimmah. Dey kno u hapai.. Com'mon'in."

The young Longos' skin was very light gray in color and she had a blushing glow to her that almost gave the impression of being pink-ish. The most noticeable thing otherwise was the fact that she was wearing a wetsuit-- Tailor hadn't put one on until her calf-curve started showing but Swimmer already had hers on. Swimmer rubbed her arm, obviously bashful about being seen, but what she said next made Max pause. "Hey, Snyder."

The affectation of the use of his last name was as much a dead give-away as the voice that spoke, but Max couldn't believe his ears... Was that-- "ANDY?!?!"

Swimmer offered up a sheepish grin. "So... funny story..."