middleofsomewhere | Under the Sea: Mission start

Entry tags:

Under the Sea: Mission start

After fleeing the strange shapes in the sky the voidtreckers are perhaps not looking forward to yet another mission and indeed the first few days of Fiddlesticks go by without any strange dreams, no warning that another mission might be nigh. Yet on the morning of day five their SCA's will glow with the colours of the void and a holographic message will appear.

Preperations

The dressing room is open once again, though the clothes this time are simple in choice. A wet suit for each void trecker as well as a pair of flippers, a helmet and a breathing pack. It at least has instructions and there will be a little bit of time for them to figure out how to use them. Apart from that there are some waterproof packs for supplies to be packed in.

They will have a couple of hours to get ready for their mission.

Arrival: Blue and Red

"We are now approaching world #7625000129523. Drop order is Red and Blue, Purple then Orange. Red and Blue team to doors. Arrival in world #7625000129523 in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train shudders and lurches as they exit the void, the view from the window goes from the ever shifting void to a beautiful deep blue sky. They fly through the air and swoop down to land on a sandy beach. The doors open allowing those who are taking part in the Blue and Red missions to debark. The doors close and the train swoops up into the air.

The beach stretches from one side to the other, in the distance as the beach turns into sloping green hills they can see a village. Beyond that there is a jungle. Any red team who check their SCA will see four points, the rock pools.

The villagers have noticed the huge train sweeping down onto their island and so contact is made quickly. They will be quite accepting of the help and explain the situation. They will help any of red team to the rockpools if asked.

Red

The rockpools are built up and indeed made so the water will reach a persons waist if they stand in them. The water is cold but not overly so. When the water shoots up anyone in them will shoot up also.

They will find themselves in a vortex of water, with anyone else who enters that rockpool. The water itself seems to be fighting them, tendrils of water reaching out of the whirlpool to try and drag them further into the chaos. It takes a whole lot of willpower to stay in the centre, the water can be fought with weapons, even with fists. They feel as if they are falling or flying, perhaps both. Surrounded by the pure chaos of the ocean.

Blue

Hopefully they spend the day helping with preparations because when night falls the monsters emerge from the sea. Terrifying twisted creatures. The villagers only have simple weapons but will tell them that fire is helpful against these water creatures.

Hold off the monsters and keep the people safe.

Purple

The doors close and the train flies off into the sky, flying over the island to the other side where it lands on a rocky bay, near tall towering cliffs.

"Purple team to doors." The doors open, allowing the purple team to disembark before flying off once again.

In the cliff face there is a large cave entrance, over the entrance there are symbols, translated by their SCA's. Clear mind, clear heart. Come those who seek to serve.

There are six people stood by the entrance, looking quite surprised at the new arrivals. One, a woman with silver hair recovers enough to speak first. "Ah. Void warriors. We are honoured by your help."

Once introductions are made the spiritual leaders will happily accept the escort and their adventure can begin.

Orange

They fly up and out across the ocean, a longer flight than before but eventually they descend and there is a slight juddering before they land, floating on the ocean.

"Orange team disembark, please use luggage or dressing carriage doors only."

They will step out onto an inflated platform that streches around the train. Down below are the depths of the water and their SCA's show them at the point of Bui. It is below them so all they need to is dive.

The dive takes a while, and depends on their swimming ability but hopefully with a bit of teamwork they arrive at the silent city of Bui.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maru blinked. Then looked down at the wet suit. He wondered if he should go and find Madoka and tell her off... He knew he hadn't needed to change.

He looked over toward the sea, then back to the barricade. "Depends on what's in there." If the creatures were small it would be fine. If they were huge...

"Uh..." The next question nearly got a smile from Maru. "... I've been around." Clearly the guy hadn't put two and two together. He had the same name as the cat he'd been playing with earlier.

Prompto followed his gaze out to the sea. "It's too bad, isn't it? This is such a beautiful place. There's a place back home we were at- Galdin Quay- that had the best beaches." He missed when they'd gone and hung out there. Noct got to fish and there was that big fancy hotel.. sigh. "Why do bad things have to happen to such nice places?"

He wondered too what was out in that water. What kind of monsters were they going to face tonight?

Either way, he was tired and he was glad this new guy was an excuse for a break. "I'm Prompto." He offered his hand.

"Eh, I prefer it at night..." It was easier for him to move around. He didn't feel as wiped out. Somehow he didn't think he would enjoy this Galdin place.

A hand was extended to him then and Maru took a second to look at it before he reached back. His grip was kind of weak, as tired and bored seeming as apparently the rest of him was. Though there was a almost imperceptible little twitch of his lips before he spoke. "Maru."

Prompto gave him a funny look. "How do you know? We haven't been here overnight yet." And isn't that when the monsters were coming?

The name had the blonde's eyebrows rising sharply. "Really? Hey that's so weird, dude! My friend's cat's name is Maru too! What are the odds? Is Maru a common name where you're from?"

"In general..." The day made him feel weak after all.

And then he wasn't too sure if he was being made fun of or not. Either this guy was teasing him or he was just that dumb. It was hard to tell. Maru blinked at him and wished Madoka was here to deal with this. This guy had far too much energy than was normal.

"Funny, that..." Maru murmured, still unsure. "I was given my name... By Madoka."

"Oh, so just a night owl kinda guy?" That was kind of an odd thing to mention. He'd get it if this was morning and the fellow was complaining about being up early but why mention the night owl thing now? Some people were just weird.

He tilted his head to the side, frowning with confusion. "What?" That comment hadn't made any sense. His name was something Madoka- oh! He drew back startled and gave the guy a once over. "Uh.. are you messing with me?" That would be such a weird thing to lie about though. "You're a.. how?"

Maru shrugged... And then decided to hell with it. In a poof of odourless dark blue smoke, the human form of Maru vanished and in it's place sat a small, black cat atop the barricade.

"... Guess Madoka didn't tell you about me, huh?" Maru said. In this form he sounded much younger than he did as a human. He sat on his haunches and looked up at the guy with way too much energy.

"I'm a Servamp. I'm a vampire... and a cat... kind of. This is just how I was made." It was weird explaining it and he normally wouldn't bother, but he knew this one was someone important to Madoka. That was the only reason he hadn't walked away.

"AH!!" Prompto jerked back and nearly fell off the barricade (which was only a few feet anyway). He stared in shock as a cat was in the place of the guy who had just been here.

He shook his head and gaped at him. "A serva-what-a? A v- but.. why a cat? A- and are you like uh.. are you.." He looked around but didn't see Madoka. "Does she know?"

Another puff of smoke and he was back to being human, only this time he was sat with his legs crossed and looking a little more uncomfortable. He kind of wished Madoka was there to help him with this...

"She knows..." Of course she knew. She was his Eve. Not that this guy knew that.

"... Why a cat. Why not a cat?" What was wrong with a cat?

"Oh.. okay." Well, that made him feel better at least. Madoka knew and he must be treating her well for her to be so happy with him. He might ask her later just to make sure, but he was going to trust his gut for now on that one.

He had to shrug with a slowly growing smile at that last question. "I don't know. I just never thought of vampires and cats being connected. There are some old stories about them and bats. You're awfully cute as a cat." Something else clicked in his head. "Oooooooooooohhh, is this why you like it at night? Hey what about the blood thing?"

Maru looked away and sighed, muttering under his breath about how bothersome this all was, and again wishing for Madoka to come and help him explain this.

But since she wasn't there he was on his own to deal with too many questions.

"... This was how I was created." He answered with a shrug. "My siblings are different animals... One is a bat." If that helped. Old Child was definitely a bat.

Though the next two questions, he didn't have to answer the night one because the guy seemed to get it. The next had his eyes narrowing. "... I don't like it." He hated it, in fact. If he could go without drinking blood for the rest of his eternal life he would. Though he knew that wasn't possible, now he had an Eve who wanted him to fight with her.

"Cool, how many siblings did you have?" He asked. If he were a vampire who turned into animals, he'd want to be a chocobo. "Are any of them birds?" A hawk would be cool! Or maybe an eagle like the one on Gladio's back!

He was getting distracted but that answer about the blood brought him right back. He was surprised at the confession. "Really? Have you been drinking that stuff that's in the refrigerator?"

He thought about Tsubaki... He thought about him and the others. "Seven..." He replied slowly and then just as slowly he shook his head. There were no birds, unless their creator had made more he wasn't aware of... But he was pretty sure that was only Tsubaki. And there was no chance of the man making any more. Not now...

Maru's eyes widened a bit and another shake of his head. How... Why? Were there other vampires on the train? Why would they allow more monsters on the train? "... Never..." There was the slightest of growls to Maru's voice then. He wasn't too happy with this line of questioning...

There's the sudden sound of footsteps rapidly coming closer, and a moment later there's Madoka, already attaching herself to the blue-haired guy with a hug and a giggle. "Maru, there you are!"

It seems she did manage to pick up the last bit of the conversation the two of them were having, since she turns her head to look at Prompto (though not relinquishing her hold on her not-so-kitty bodyguard, thank you very much) with a half-pout. "Uncle Prompto, don't you know that Maru is a good kitty? He wouldn't just drink blood like that!"

.. okay. Well, technically Maru has had her blood already, but that was a tiny bit, so Madoka isn't going to count that.

"What were the rest of them?" He asked, trying to think up what kind of animals the others were. There was probably a fox or wolf, right? Then uh.. maybe a.. um.. rabbit? Did vampires and rabbits go together?

He frowned as he saw the reaction to his question, but it brightened a bit with Madoka joining them. Still she picked right up on the conversation and he was suddenly getting scolded! Oh no! Cute niece was scolding him!

"Wha- no! I wasn't.. I didn't mean anything by that," he looked at Maru, shaking his head and holding up his hands. "I've never met a vampire before! I didn't know that was a bad question! I'm sorry!"

As if somehow she's sensed his discomfort, Madoka was at his side. And better than that, arms had gone around him. Immediately he could feel himself begin to relax, though his head was lowered and he couldn't quite look at either of them.

How could they easily talk about things like that? Didn't they know...? He was a monster. Though sometimes, when Madoka was there and defending him like that, sometimes he didn't feel so monstrous.

He leaned into her embrace just a little.

It's not a surprise to find Maru comfortable with her hugs. He's never put up a fight about them, despite her having hugged him an awful lot ever since their made that contract.. But him leaning into it while looking downwards and not saying anything does feel the slightest bit off - just enough for Madoka to keep holding onto him with one hand and use the other (with a bit of reaching) to gently pat his head, like she'd do if he was in his cat form too, hoping it'll relax him a bit.

Her head turns to look at Prompto though, giving him what she hopes is a reassuring smile.

"I-- It's okay, uncle Prompto. You couldn't know! I know you're a really sweet person who wouldn't want to say anything mean to someone." That much Madoka is absolutely certain of. There's no hesitation in her voice at those last words. "It's just.. well.. um, maybe it's a little hard for us to imagine since we're just regular people.. but it's got to be tough when you're different from everyone else, you know? It might make you feel strange, or there might be some things about your nature that you don't like, but can't change because it's just who you are.."

It's not like Madoka knows everything about Maru's issues (or Prompto.. actually not really being a regular human, for that matter), but considering his dislike for the whole drinking blood thing, she can guess a little bit.

"But.. I think it doesn't matter what you are. Just that you're a good person regardless. Don't you think so too, uncle Prompto?"

Huh, he kind of acted like a cat even in this form. That was pretty cute! It was sweet how Madoka was doting on him too. He'd be really happy for them both if he wasn't feeling awkward and maybe a little guilty about what he'd asked. He listened as she explained and started nodding along that yes, of course, he'd never intend to be mean to someone! That wasn't who he was.

However, the rest of it had his breath catch in his chest and he stared at her. For a few brief seconds, he forgot the cat-man-boy-guy was even there and just.. stared. Did she know? Had Glads told her? No, he quickly dismissed that thought as preposterous. But then how..

He realized belatedly she'd stopped talking and his cheeks colored. "Uh.. right." It was hard to know what to even say to that, but he knew she was waiting. His tunnel vision widened enough for him to recall Maru. Oh! Right. That's why- it didn't have anything to do with him. Yep. His different-ness was still a secret.

"I mean, yeah. I didn't want you to feel bad, I just was worried if you'd need some help. You might be wearing orange and spend your time being a kitty, but you're here with the blue team which makes you a teammate. If you were a vegetarian and the only food around here was steak, it'd be the same thing. You might need some help to get what you need and that's okay. That doesn't make you a bad different, just.. you know, sort of different." He frowned, unsure if that had really come out how he'd wanted it. "But you can be a good person and be different. Nothing wrong with that!"

Was he a good person? Maru wasn't too sure about that... For a moment he seemed to shrink in on himself a little more, as if he were trying to hide away from the whole conversation. He was tempted to just become a cat and take off. But Madoka had come to his aid, she was doing her best, the least he could do was stay and listen.

"... I don't... drink blood..." Maru managed to get out, understanding that the guy who was Madoka's uncle was going to harp on this. So he needed to make himself clear. "... And now I can't, even if I wanted..." Because he had an Eve now. It was only her blood he could drink. And even then it was the small amount needed to fight for her, to feed on her resolve, her will to fight. The stronger that was, the stronger he would become. But at any other time he hated to do it. Maru hated being a monster...

It's a good thing Madoka is so oblivious. The fact that Prompto just nearly misunderstood what she was talking about goes about fifteen miles over her head. Instead she just smiles at his words as he agrees with her. That sounds like Prompto the way she's gotten to know him. He always tries so hard to be sweet!

Although it doesn't seem to fully help Maru, which is worrying. Madoka is totally fussing over the other here, which probably looks ridiculous since Maru definitely is the taller and older-looking one here. But Madoka looks up at him with a tiny, but very serious-looking worrying frown, making sure to keep holding the other to hopefully provide him some comfort.

"Hmm, Maru doesn't drink blood to live." And honestly, even if he did, Madoka wouldn't judge him. It's like Prompto said, people should get the help they need. But since Maru seems to be trying to explain this to Prompto, Madoka figures she can help out as the one with more energy here. "He can eat just like us! He really likes snacks. Like chips."

She gives Prompto a small smile at that, despite the hints of worry left in her face, to try and make things a bit lighter.

Prompto couldn't say he wouldn't have a little problem with Maru drinking blood. On the train it was no big deal since the train supplied blood- which he never really thought about till now (where did it come from??)- but here? How was he going to get that? Prompto wouldn't want him hurting anyone. Although one look at this shy boy made him think he probably wasn't going to be doing that.

"Cool! I ordered some of those on board and got crab flavor. It was a lot better than you might think it would be." He dug in the pocket on his leg and fished out a couple random pieces of hard candy. He held it out to Maru. "Would you like some? I bought a whole bag of candy too."

Maru might have been taller and he might have been older, much older, but in a lot of ways he was a lot more fragile than he cared to admit. While he might have been physically strong, mentally he wasn't at all. But he knew he needed to try, for Madoka's sake if nothing else.

He made himself sit up so as to stop leaning against her, but he was able to give her a small smile of thanks.

Then to the other guy he nodded and reached out to take one of the hard candies. "Thanks..." As peace offerings went it wasn't a bad one.

Don't worry, uncle Prompto, Madoka sure wouldn't mind being a living blood bag!

Thankfully for either of them it's not a subject that has to be breached right now though. Madoka is way too happy at seeing Maru smile, even if it's just a tiny bit. Her worry about him hasn't entirely faded, but that's exactly while she'll be sticking this close to his side until he's feeling better.

.. except her thoughts are completely distracted the moment Prompto pulls out that candy and gives one to Maru. Oh gosh, that looks so good. But with Madoka being Madoka, of course she can't just ask if she can have one too! It'd be too selfish!

Instead she's just staring at the candy with really obvious yearning puppy eyes.

Iggy might skin him alive if he found out Madoka was a living blood bag and didn't stop it. Fortunately, he didn't think that was going on. If she said he didn't do that, then Prompto believed her.

He waited a moment with his hand out with the candy in it and noticed Madoka staring at them. He gave her a smile. "You too! I have more. I bought a whole bag of them." He made sure Madoka got two and Maru got another piece before he was done dishing out treats. He took the last piece and ate it himself. "So,.. can I ask you something?" He looked at Maru curiously. "If you're both a cat and a guy, do you prefer being one or the other? Is it weird if people pet you?"

He'd already popped one of the sweets in his mouth, though the second one was given to Madoka because he was a kitty with little kitty paws and holding them was not the easiest thing.

Maru cocked his head a little when the guy asked about a question, and then went and asked it before he could say anything. Then he shrugged. "... Being a cat is easier." He spoke around the sweet in his mouth. "I don't mind people petting me." Though it was still odd when those same people felt the need to pet him even when he was human. Madoka had taken to doing it. Shiny Guy as well.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

slides in ;)

Yay Madoka!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject