Aquata Cove: Epilogue 02

"Why, were you planning on going E.T. on me with a bunch of white HAZMAT guys?"

"Ah, pff, no!" Adam scoffed.

"It's not like we'd send the pictures to the news papers, hun." Merrick conjectured, "We'd just show them to close people, Yuri, Jamal, you know. Besides, anyone else would just debunk it as Photoshop or something. Humans have been in denial for centuries about evidence like that, haven't they?"

"Yep... We suuurrre have..." And now Naomi is probably going to hate Adam for the next while for no good damn reason.

~~~

The car drives into the parking lot of a vivid and conspicuous restaurant, illuminated by red, yellow, white, and purple lights all around. Wooden statues of tikis and Hawaiian totems placed all around the building, along with depictions of various scenes drawn and carved into the wall, with large bushes of plumeria flowers in nicely decorated barrels of soil. Adam, Merrick, Jason, and Naomi get out of the car and approach the dramatic front doors illuminated by the grand bamboo-framed words of:

KAHIKO PAKU'I

BBQ

Once entered, Adam approaches the hostess at the front door, "Hi, we're joining a party reservation of seven, under the name Yuri."

"Alright, one moment sir..." She checks her book and nods at the name, "Ok, right this way sir." She said with a smile as she escorts them along the tables of bustling diners and patrons, looking around the warm and rustic decor of the establishment.

Soon, they reach a large booth with Dennis sitting next to a young Asian girl and Yuri reading the menu. She looks up and smiles as she sees the four of them, "Oh my God, you're here!" She says with zeal as she puts down her menu you and gets up. Yuri's younger daughter looks up and smiles before she scoots up out of the seat.

"Hi, Yuri! It's been freaking ages!" Merrick says as he hugs her, while Adam scoots in next to Dennis.

"Hey, man. Your leg doing ok?" Adam asked.

"Still feels like it's made of glass." Dennis says as he indicates his cast, "You know, despite having a mother who is a doctor, Gin is surprisingly unhelpful with taking care of me when I break myself."

"She's 11, Denny." Adam says with a smirk, "And frankly she has YOUR ADD."

"Uncle Merrick!" Gintatsu cheers as she comes over to him.

"Hey, Gin-Gin!" Merrick says he picks up his niece. "Rrrgh, you got so big!" He says as he scoots in next to Adam on the booth with her on his lap, followed by Jason.

"Hi Ginny~!" Naomi says sweetly to her, "Hi Uncle Dennis!" Naomi says as she comes to him, and then sees his big white cast and his crutches, "Wha, oh my God, what happened??"

"Ask your brother." Dennis said as he gives Jason a dulled leer, making him chuckle nervously.

"Wait, what?"

"Well... You know how I like to help with Uncle Dennis when he needs to do things around the house and Chloe likes to distract me by talking about stuff??"

"Wait wait wait, what exactly was she saying to make you cause... That??"

"Well, I turned to talk and by glasses slipped from my sweat, and..." Jason chuckles weakly.

"Long story short," Adam said, "Your son tipped over a very, VERY hard piece of equipment and gimped the hell out of Dennis."

"Oh my gosh, are you serious??" Naomi says as she turns to him.

"Hey, it was hot that day and I couldn't see!"

"Here, let me take a look." Naomi says as she kneels down to Dennis's leg.

"SSS! Hah! Careful, careful!"

"Oh, man-up you big baby." Yuri says as she lightly slaps Dennis behind the head, "It's in a CAST."

"I know, I'm just trying to get attention." Dennis snickered.

"Is there a gash in there?" Naomi asked.

"What?"

"Like... An open wound or a large cut?"

"There... Was? I don't know if it's still there." Dennis says in an oddly estranged way, "Why?"

"I can help heal it if I can get seawater into it." Naomi claims as she stands back up.

"Um. What?" Yuri asked with a quirked brow.

"Naomi, sweetie." Adam says as he pats her shoulder. "Cut is painful. Salt water bad. Lrg get worse."

"No, I know how to heal now." Naomi says as she puts her hands her hips.

"Wha- Like, seriously??" Jason asked.

"Yeah. I learned a lot from Grandma and Aunt Savarna."

"Well..." Dennis says, "Can't I like... Just drink some clean water??"

"No, I can't work with freshwater, it needs to be from the ocean. And it needs to go INTO the body directly from an outside wound."

"Are you seriously suggesting forcing seawater into a huge festering injury to rearrange my husband's leg?" Yuri asked.

"Oh my God, it's in my head now!" Jason says as he grabs his fore head and wincing horribly.

"It's for a good cause, Mother~" Naomi smiled.

"Thanks, angelfish, but uh..." Dennis says, "I think I'll just take the long way."

"I agree." Yuri nodded.

"Come on! I wanna try it out!"

"No, sweetie, it's a bad idea." Adam tells her, earning a disappointed jaw-drop.

"Daddy, back me up here!" Naomi says as she tugs on Merrick's arm, "You've seen what I can do! Remember Grandma and Auntie??"

"Naomi, that would only work if the wound is fresh - when it JUST happened. Trying to heal it now when it's been - how much time since it was broken?" Merrick asked.

"4 Weeks." Dennis answered.

"4 weeks, it would just hurt a hell of a lot more."

"Dammit. I hate you all." Naomi pouts as she crosses her arms.

"I think you should do it." Jason says with a weak and hopeful tone.

"Screw off, Jasey, you're not helping." She dismissed quickly, making everyone at the table scoff.

"Ah! The hell, sis??"

"You're fine, Jason, you're fine." Naomi smirks as she picks up a menu, "Oh wait, is Uncle Jay-Jay working tonight?"

"Yes he is, I saw him before we came in here." Yuri nodded.

"Oh, I'm gonna go say hi!" She says as she gets up.

"Me too, I haven't seen him for two weeks." Jason says as he scoots out and follows his sister.

"What about you, Merrick?" Adam says, "You want to go see him?"

"I would, but I got something heavy on my lap." Merrick says as he playfully ruffled Gintatsu's hair before starting to tickle her.

"Heeeey I'm not heavy!" She protested in a fit of giggles.

Just then, Adam's phone starts to ring, prompting him to check it. "Oh, hang on, I gotta take this." He scoots out of the booth and walks outside to get some quiet before he accepts the call. "Hey, Raja, what's up?

~~~

"We have your delivery, Adam. But the doors are locked." Rajani says as she looks over at Chloe and Tracy, her wife and foster daughter trying to pick and jimmy their way into the doors.

"[There should be a key inside one of the fish statues.]" Adam says.

"We checked, but there's no key."

"[What? But I... Ah damn, that's right, I lost my main key and I have the spare on me.]"

"So, what do you want to do?"

"[Uuumm... Agghh, just leave the-]"

Rajani gasps and covers her mouth as she hears something break and crash.

"I got it!" Chloe says after busting a window while Tracy reaches in to pull at the door knob.

"[What was that?? What's going on?]" Adam asked.

"A-Ah, I'll have to call you back, Adam." Rajani says before she ends the call, "You two!! What the hell are you thinking?!" She runs forward to them.

~~~

Jamal types at a computer at the desk, imputing several numbers before getting up and sorts out a few books and items. "Aight, looks good... Oh wait, forgot to check next week's schedule-"

-Clck-ck-cck-

"Ah- dammit," He frowns as he squats down and pics up a very worn out name tag - the brass paint is faded off of the edges of his [MANAGER] badge, and the attachment piece on its back has broken off, "Keep forgetting to get a new one."

"Hey, Jamal?" Says an effeminate male voice opening the door to the office, "We're getting swamped in the kitchen! It's turning into a mess out there."

"Shit, come on, Gary! What do I pay you guys for??" He smirks as he puts down his broken nametag into the pocket of his long-sleeve shirt, and then picked up his chef jacket to put it on. Jamal follows Gary to the kitchen and checks out the long line of meal tickets posted up, "Dayum, is this the shelf or a parade float?"

"I'm sorry, Jamal," A frantic lady says as she tries to keep up with the food. Jamal glances at the scarce assortment of ingredients around.

"... Hold up, is this the stuff from last week?? Why is this still here, and where's the fresh stuff?" Jamal asked.

"We can't find the key to the freezer, and I don't believe in wasting food, sir!" She says as she tends to a smoking pan of burning food.

"Fuck, this again..." Jamal rolled his eyes, "Fo the last time, Hill, when I say throw out the old stuff, throw out the old stuff!"

"I know, I just-"

"And look'it what I just found." Jamal says as he bends over and picks of a lanyard with a small key attached at the end, "Gary, I keep tellin ya, either wear the key or give it to me! C'mon, people! This ain't the first craze night we've had!"

"Yes, sorry, we're,"

"Aight, just keep calm, I'll get you guys up to speed, just gimme some space. Gary, start unloading the freezer," He instructed as he tossed the key to the young assistant manager, "Hillary, start throwing out the old food, now."

"But Jamal-"

"What'd I say, Hills?!" Jamal snapped, "Now! Don't argue wit me!" He takes an order and starts on a few preparations while Hillary begrudgingly started to pick up tubs of musty herbs.

-Several Orders Later-

"Aight, aight, this one's comin's out hot, get ready, hey! There we go." Jamal calls out as a platter is placed on the metal shelf in front of the station. With a metal pair of tongs, he takes a rack of ribs and places it over the plating "Aight, number 113 up!"

DING

He rings the bell before he looks at the next meal ticket before going to season up a steak right next to the flaring grill. He takes it with a different pair of tongs and places it onto the raging metal grill.

"WOO! Hey now," He says as he wipes his shiny head with a hand towel as the steak sizzles like mad.

"Uncle Jay!" Jamal's head turns upon hearing a familiar girl's voice. He breaks into a bright smile as he sees Naomi and Jason come his way through the kitchen.

"Oh mah God! Hoh shit, gurl, when did YOU get back?!" Jamal beams as he slaps the towel over the shoulder of his chef coat and gives Naomi a big hug, hoisting her up for a moment before letting her back down.

"Rrrggh! Me and Dad just got back today!"

"Shit, I wish I knew you guys were coming, I woulda traded a shift!" He says with a big smile as he talks and cooks the steak. He turns and grabs a handful of mozzarella sticks and puts it into a container of flour and seasoning. "And hey Jase-man! Where YOU been??" He tosses the cheese sticks up and about in the batter before he puts them into the deep-fryer.

"Busy with work and school." Jason answered with a smile as Jamal works, pouring the steak with another ingredient. "Dad and Olivia are still playing tug-of-war with my shifts."

"Shit, what a bitch." Jamal smirked as he picks the sizzling fryer cage with the mozzarella "I think she likes you, man."

"She's 34, Jamal! I'm not really interested older women!"

"Hey, don't knock it, man." Jamal says with a provocative point of his finger, "Some cougars know what they doing in the sack. Some of my best nights were with ladies who had like 30 years on me."

"Oh my gosh, Jay-Jay." Naomi giggles.

"Thanks, Jamal, but I'm not really interested in grave robbing."

"Hah! Nice." Jamal snickers as he grills and flares the steak before turning back to the fryer, "You look skinny, honeypot, you doin ok??"

"I've pretty much been eating nothing but half charred or raw fish all year. Remind me NEVER to go anywhere outside the grid again."

"Dayum, girl, that's fuckin off." Jamal says as he puts the fried mozzarella onto a basket with a sheet of paper and putting a pair of plastic cups of marinara sauce with it too, "Here, chew on some of this, kids."

"Oh my God, I love you Jay-Jay." Naomi says as she takes the basket and took a shrimp.

"I'm starving, all I had to eat today was an old hot pocket." Jason says as he takes one of the piping hot cheese. "AHHH! Awoh! Awoh! Awoh my gawd!" Jason yelps as he quickly grabs the nearest cup and chugs down some cold water.

"Blow on yo food, Jase." Jamal laughed as he cooks the steak, flipping it and putting it up on the plate on the shelf, "Number 114, up!"

DING

"So where's Uncle Nick and Auntie Sasha?" Naomi asked after eating a very stretchy line of cheese. "I was kind of hoping to go to Midnight Lane tonight with you guys."

"Lil Nicky is actually in California on vacation." Jamal answers as he takes the next ticket, "But if Sasha's up for it, I could give her a quick-"

"Whoa!" A coworker slips and hits Jamal on the back. He lurches forward, his right hand landing RIGHT on the searing grill!

"FUCK! GOD FUCK IT!!"

"AH!" They jump and scream as Jamal writhes on the floor, almost screaming as his hand shakes, rigid with agony.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Jamal! I'm sorry!"

"GOD! GET ME SOME ICE!" Jamal howls out.

"Holy shit! Hang on!" Jason quickly kneels down, and helps Jamal up to his feet.

"Ssss! By the Sea Mother..." Naomi looks in shock at the horrible burn melted into Jamal's flesh.

"GOD FUCKIN!" Jamal clenches his eyes as he slams his fist into the nears counter.

"N-Naomi, can you fix it?" Jason asked hastily?

"Fix it??"

"Yeah, what you said to Uncle Dennis and stuff??"

"I-I can try, I never did a burn before!" Naomi says.

"I'm fucking dying here!! Where's the fuckin ICE?!!" Jamal yells out. A couple of coworkers come in with a bucket of ice water, before Jamal dunks his hand in.

"Holy fuck, I think I actually heard it hiss." Jason says. "Naomi!"

"Ok ok, Jamal, come on, come on," She said hastily as she and Jason push Jamal through the kitchen, "We need to get to the crab tank!"

"What chu going on about??!"

"Just go with it, hurry!" Jason says as the kids rush him through the back room where they keep stock and bulk items, including a couple of tanks containing crabs, lobsters, clams, and other sea food specimens.

"What the hell we doing here??? The first aid's in the breakroom!" Jamal whines out loud.

"Here, I know how to help, it's uh, mermaid stuff, Uncle Jay." Naomi says as they go to a tank. "Ok, put your hand in the tank."

Jamal gives a very crazy look, "Are you freaking INSANE??!"

"I can't work with the ice water, it's fresh, I only know how to use seawater."

"What are you talkin about??"

"J-Just do it, Jamal, do it." Jason says.

"Fuckin Christ, kids." Jamal says, almost on the verge of fearful tears as he lifts his mangled, shaking hand out of the ice bucket, and into the tank. "SSSSSS! FFFFFFFuck!" He hisses and clenches his eyes shut hard - the serious burn in his hand feeling like a glowing firepoker is carving into his hand.

"Ok ok, here goes." Naomi says as she takes off her waterproof bracelet, and puts her hands into the tank as well, her flesh instantly turning into the color of white pearl. Her eyes glimmer as does her hands as she holds and rubs around Jamal's hand.

"FFFFFFFFFFSSSSHHHHHIT!" Jamal hushes very, very painfully as the seawater starts to enter the severely damaged skin. Naomi bites her lip as she tries to direct the water to not only enter and reform what was mutilated, but actually reverse the changed and altered flesh.

"A-Ah, Naomi? Are you sure this is helping??" Jason says as he looks about.

"I... Think... It's like trying to make fresh taffy stay in one place." She works her power into the water and into the hand, the borders of the burn actually starting to shrink and cover itself as the water breaks itself down and becomes apart of Jamal's injury.

"Ok, ok ok ok ok," Jamal huffs and blows a few times in deep, hurried breaths, "I think it's starting to git better. FFFFFuck, it fuckin stings!"

"Bear with it..." Naomi says as she continues with her luminous hands. Jamal's hand opens and turns as it spreads, the wound still visible, but looking more like a new scar than the atrocious molten mess it was a few minutes ago. Jamal takes his hand out of the tank as Naomi takes her hands away, opening and closing his hand a few times, his palm still tingling with residual pain inside and on the surface, but not as mind-numbing right now.

"Wow, ok." Jason says with his eyebrows raised, "Now that was impressive."

"I can't get any further." Naomi says, "The water's not responding anymore, that's the best I can get."

"It's cool, it's cool, hun." Jamal says as he turns his hand around, very much astounded "Dayum, that's... Yeah, that's kinda freaky, gurl, thanks."

"Hang on, I got a first aid on me." Jason says as Naomi takes her bracelet back, and puts it on to turn her white hands into human-colored ones again. Jason opens up a small box-like pouch on the side of his pants and took out a packet of gauze and a roll of bandage.

~~~

"Like, not even joking." Adam says as they finish what's left of their meals, "Debbie just kept trying to pick up the octopi just over and over again, even when I kept telling her to just, 'chill out, calm down, we can't sell them now anyway'."

"Well it sees kind of wasteful don't you think?" Dennis asked, "They just fell on the floor, couldn't you just rinse them off?"

"Doesn't work like that." Adam answers, "And she just, she freaked out after the whole thing just fell apart and walked out on the job."

"Are you serious??" Yuri asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I gave her a call, but she says she can't handle working at the Fish House," Adam shrugged.

"Hey, everybody!" Jamal says as he walks up to the booth wearing his casual clothing instead of his chef's coat, pulling up a chair, with his previously injured hand now wrapped in bandages.

"Oh hi!"

"Mmm! Wow, Jamal!" Merrick says as he gets up and hugs Jamal, "Great to see you!"

"Shit, man, freakin missed you, man!" He responds before settling back down.

"Oh hey, is karaoke on tonight?" Yuri asked.

"Sure, we just gotta head to the Party Room's all." Jamal says.

"Ooh Naomi, you and Adam should do a song!" Yuri suggests eagerly

"What?" Adam scoffed, "Nooo, it's too sudden, she just got here."

"Mmmhh!" Naomi says after taking a drink from her glass, "Yes! Come on, Papa, lets do it!"

"Naw, I just, I don't feel like it, come on." Adam whined with a smirk as he's tugged and pushed forward.

"Come on, just do it."

"Go on."

"Just one, just on." They insisted as he chuckles and pulled up to his feet.

"No, I'm not gonna." Adam protests pointlessly while smiling and lazily lets himself get pulled up, "I want ice cream. I don't wanna sing. I don't feel like it. This is a form of vocal abuse." He jokes as Naomi takes him. Adam picks things up and walks with her into a partially empty hall in the restaurant - the Party Room, as they call it, is mostly reserved for catered and special occasions such as birthday parties, meetings, etc.

The rest of them walk through the restaurant to join in on the room while Adam and Naomi go to the idle D.J. booth. Jamal walks to it, and accesses it with his employee code number.

"What're you up for, honey?" Adam asked as he rubs her arm.

"Um... I dunno, same as usual?"

"I don't know what that is."

"Ok um... Make It Shine? Wanna go for that?"

"Hang on, which..." Adam thought for a moment as he tries to recall the lyrics of the song, "Deh dah dah... Yeah, I think I remember, from Victorious, right?"

"Yeah!" She nods before turning Jamal, "We're going for Make It Shine, by Victoria Justice, Uncle Jay-Jay."

"Aight, you got it..." Jamal says as he looked a few things up on the computer attached to the speakers and other equipment, "All set!"

"Awesome." Adam smiles as he takes a stool, as well as a microphone and a Psytar - a pseudo toy of an advanced-looking guitar that plays various kinds of tones and sounds. It has a sleek and fantasy-sort of look to it, curved as to look like a cross between a harp, a piano, and a guitar. They're relatively easy to operate, though enough practice and interest can make it into a great addition to any sort of music. Naomi takes another mic with her, before she stands next to Adam, letting her hair loose, and the small plasma screen placed at the front of the stage prepares the lyrics.