Inside & Out! Ch 3: Shower Time, Job Of The Crimson Guard!

I let out a slow sigh, tilting my head back as the warm water cascaded over me, drenching my hair and running down my skin in soothing rivul

I let out a slow sigh, tilting my head back as the warm water cascaded over me, drenching my hair and running down my skin in soothing rivulets.

My eyes stayed closed, my hands lazily rubbing over my arms and shoulders, working the heat into my muscles. Mornings like this were the best—just a moment to breathe before the craziness of the day took over.

And today was going to be long.

I had three classes: Entrepreneurial Strategies, Financial Management, and Organizational Behavior—all back to back, because apparently, I liked making my life difficult. Then, after spending half the day filling my brain with business theories and numbers I'd probably forget the second I graduated, I had a full shift at The Aurelius Grand, the fancy hotel where I worked the front desk.

Ugh.

I rubbed my hands through my hair, massaging my scalp, letting the water wash away the last bits of sleep still clinging to me. As much as I wanted to stand here forever, just melting under the spray, I had to get moving.

Still, a tiny part of me always worried when I showered.

I knew the Zeyvaris were fine. They were always fine. They had survived living on us for generations, adapting in ways I couldn't even begin to understand. They were durable, ridiculously so, and they knew how to work around my body's natural movements.

But I still wondered.

As I ran my hands over my skin, feeling the smooth surface of my arms and stomach, I couldn't help but think about the millions of them scurrying around, working, maintaining, doing whatever it was they needed to do. Did the water make their job harder? Did they have some high-tech little umbrellas to shield themselves?

Or were they just... used to it?

Probably that last one, I thought, shaking my head.

I stood under the water for another minute before finally forcing myself to turn off the shower. The bathroom was filled with warm steam, the mirror fogged up as I stepped out and grabbed a towel from the rack. Wrapping it around myself, I padded over to the sink, wiping my hand across the mirror to clear a section of glass.

My reflection stared back at me—hair dripping, cheeks slightly flushed from the heat, eyes still a little heavy from sleep.

I took a deep breath and smiled.

"Let's start this day off with a smile."

Even if it was going to be a long one.

***

The massive, cavernous pores of the goddess stretched deep into the white landscape of her flesh, dark recesses forming a vast network of living tunnels. Within these sacred chambers, the Crimson Guard stood, their figures rigid, their bodies secured by steel-like wires that hooked into the very flesh of the goddess herself.

They were the watchers, the enforcers, the protectors—tasked with upholding the law and ensuring that the Blues, the lowest caste of Zeyvaris, did not fall victim to the goddess's unconscious whims.

At the edge of a massive pore, one of the Crimson Guards, his armor gleaming under the bioluminescent glow of embedded dermal fungi, scanned the vast expanse of skin below. From up here, the rolling white landscape stretched for miles, undulating with the slow, rhythmic movements of the goddess as she went about her morning routine.

Then, movement caught his eye.

"I found one. Eight o'clock."

His voice was sharp, precise. The others turned their gazes, following his sightline.

Below, clinging desperately to the smooth, flesh-like ground, was a Blue—a worker Zeyvaris who had been caught in the storm. Massive, meteor-sized drops of water rained down all around him, crashing into the terrain with enough force to send shockwaves through the surface.

The Blue had lost his footing. His grip was slipping.

"I'm going in."

Without hesitation, the Crimson Guard leapt from the edge of the pore, his steel wire unspooling behind him as he dove headfirst into the chaos below. Wind whipped against his form as he plummeted, his eyes locked onto the falling Blue.

Just as the worker lost his grip entirely, the Crimson Guard reached out—snatching him midair.

The impact was sharp, but his grip was unyielding. The wire pulled taut, snapping them both upward as it retracted toward the safety of the pore's edge.

The Blue, panting, clung to the guard's arm, his wide eyes filled with sheer disbelief and relief.

"I—I almost—"

"You're safe now." The Crimson Guard's voice was firm but reassuring as they soared upward.

As they ascended, he caught sight of his brothers—other Crimson Guards diving into the fray, intercepting Blues before they could be swept away by the massive water droplets cascading across the landscape.

But not all would make it.

Some Blues were already lost, their bodies torn from the goddess's flesh, helplessly carried away by the massive currents of water rolling over the land. Some were too far to reach in time. Others simply vanished beneath the waves.

The Crimson Guard gritted his teeth.

It was their duty to protect, but they could not save them all.

Reaching the edge once more, the wire mechanism reeled him in. He set the worker down onto stable ground, but there was no time to rest.

More Blues were still out there.

With a final nod to his rescued charge, the Crimson Guard turned—and dove once more into the storm.