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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtj4wghYUSg
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoPsxQjCFX
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrdMCLhplj
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRqENjFla5
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KWHOdgS5l
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5unBzkqQfc
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1cZPFro0e
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZiGMRBcJX
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"What? Are you really all nervous right now? I don't know whether to be surprised or flattered."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3tKwEYQd0
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXfZQags3I
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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!"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEK06qMsTT
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMNACUosYC
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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?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyA4kg5h5N
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"Oh nothing. Just that sometimes, you're easily amazed by things. Remember that vegetable sprayer in Walmart?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQk0NqfcheE
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9duBIJCCdD
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKGwgPruQC
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8ux0hJ2fs
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZ7JcGtF1Y
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"Obviously, they're not made out of jelly, right?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByLdnhipS8
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrsBd9azec
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"Of course not... But why would they name it that way?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSqjtUTnV4
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeagio2rqG
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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?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEefTGUh92
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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?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcDunMZrUS
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I could hear the muffled chuckle in her voice, Lumina trying her best not to laugh at my casual silliness.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKLFazwMsI
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"You really almost laughed at that?" I remarked. "It's easy for me to entertain you tonight."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwlsYZDRYh
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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?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs06Jn54HXi
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeRpiULuRY
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"Ooh! You should take a picture of us together too!"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKLhChy7Lw
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"You realize you would never show up in the picture, right?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSh6QPWJ3lX
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QN260iXOi
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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?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtkxRGZmtJ
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQalMPfnv6
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUlYG4gU58
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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...44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpT3iEmhKt
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrSFhkeGOb
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"What did I tell ya? Handsome as ever."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxeFNUkJmi
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"It's no fair," I reminded. "I don't get to have one of you."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfG7dddjCk
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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!"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFDQ8Ycy3S
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBETKiS0LmL
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"Exactly. Didn't you say you liked to feel hot and sweaty in public?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAbDeNiYol
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"Okay, moving on!"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRw0O0V4eSX
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXxCyfja9d
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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?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9agIA8RcR
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhD6xLfGGB
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64T0XD1tjw
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"Fine, but it better be a nice surprise when we get back home."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCm1FP4GmC
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0TIQjCCyD
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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!44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvbMpGzb65
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"What is it?"44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucn7zSHtru
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGjfzyWhYm
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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.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCE3QPx7b2P
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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."44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpi4DqrLTh
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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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