“I’m glad I could help,” Perian told her. “But don’t underestimate yourself. I’m really proud of you.”
Renny leaned in and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Perian.”
The doctor had indicated that they should have an indoor picnic tomorrow to give time to observe and ensure that there were no negative effects to this outing. Renny had frowned but hadn’t actually tried to argue.
“We’re going to prove that these are the most decorous, most fun picnics ever and that you should be able to come out here as often as you want, aren’t we?” Perian said.
And Renny had smiled. “I’m not sure how you can make it sound so boring and yet pleasant at the same time.”
Truly, though, with the exception of the picnic that lived on in infamy where he’d taught Renny how to knee someone in the groin, their lunches really weren’t particularly physically energetic.
Itwasnice to sit out in the sun again, as it shone through the gap at the top of the bushes where they'd been shaped to almost meet above their heads. The days were starting to get shorter as they headed towards the end of summer, and the harvest was abundant. Perian would never tire of fresh fruit and berries and good things to eat. Sitting out underthe sun, it maybe felt a little bit to him liketheywere getting the chance to grow, as silly as that seemed. He knew humans grew whether there was sunlight or not, but experiencing that bright warmth had to be beneficial, too.
“Can you feel the sun on your face, Kee?” Perian asked.
There was silence for a moment, and then Renny answered, “He can’t feel anything. Just like we can’t touch him, he can’t touch anything else.”
Not even the light of the sun. That felt unbearably sad to Perian.
“But then,” Renny added, “he doesn’t need to eat or drink or go pee or anything like that. Imagine how awkward that could be.”
Being eternally hungry and not being able to touch anything, never being able to eat? Perian shivered. Oh, that would definitely be worse.
“I’m so glad about that, at least,” he said fervently.
Renny nodded.
They flopped back on the blanket once they finished their meal and looked up at the clouds. They argued about what animals they were seeing, just like they always did. Renny insisted that she and Kee were seeing the same thing, and Perian accused her of cheating and just saying that Kee was seeing the same as her, because clearly, that innoway resembled a fox.
“It looks nothing like a fox, and I refuse to believe that you are both delusional!”
Renny laughed and laughed and insisted that he was the one who was wrong, and it was the perfect afternoon.
They packed everything up reluctantly, but Renny agreed that it wouldn’t help their cause if they stayed so long that she really was overtired and the doctor thought she shouldn’t do this again. They made sure that she sat up first from looking at the clouds, and then Perian offered an arm as she rose, to make extra sure that she was all right.
She smiled when she was back on her feet.
“No dizzy spell, I promise.”
She hugged him, and Perian hugged her back. She certainly seemed entirely steady, and he didn’t think that she could hide a dizzy spell. She’d told him it was like all the energy being drained right out of her, and she often couldn’t even hold herself up.
She didn’t want to have the picnic inside tomorrow, but Perian pointed out that it was better to be safe than sorry, and maybe she’d be tired after this.
“After someone carries me back to my room and I basically haven’t movedat all?”
Perian shrugged. “The sun is really bright?”
She shot him an unimpressed look. “Do I look like I melt in the sunshine?”
So then, of course, Perian had to do his best impression of melting in the sunshine, which at least made Renny laugh, and then he was able to fold up the blankets, and she was able to walk out of their secret spot under her own power, head held high.
She sighed at the fact that she was then scooped up by Molun—Perian was glad that it was Molun—but she put up with it.
“I don’t know,” Perian told her with a grin. “Iwouldn’t complain if Molun were carrying me around all the time.”
Molun laughed, and Renny rolled her eyes.
“That’s because you’re ridiculous.”
