middleofsomewhere | Under the Sea: Conclusion and aftermath

Ritual

The jellyfish is no more and as red team take stock of their injuries, or collapse from exhaustion the lights zip around them, singing their song of joy. They gather around the light that had been inside the jellyfish and now that it has been released it is obvious this light is different. Stronger. They surround it and the song gets even louder as they begin to move towards the plinth.

In the caverns where the purple and orange team are there is a stillness. For those in orange team still in the cavern they can only hope that the instructions they gave out had been followed. Luckily for them they have been, Purple team have done a remarkable job of defeating the crabs and cleaning the temple. The priests gather around the shell on the alter, arms linked together in prayer as they seek to re-sanctify their temple. As their prayer begins they will invite the voidtreckers to join them, though no one is forced into taking part in the ritual. They suggest that they use their strange wrist jewellery to open communication with their friends in Bui.

The monster on the beach is defeated and though the fight is still raging against the crabs, a beacon has been built and lit. The islanders who are not fighting gather around it, linking arms, drawing any voidtreckers who don't object to joining them into the circle.

The song begins hesitantly, almost as if everyone has forgotten the words and only half remembers the tune. The SCA translates, the prayer is simple, a blessing on the land and its people, deliverance from the darkness and hope for the future.

The light from the jellyfish reaches the plinth and is set upon it. The song heightens and the light shoots upwards, blinding in its brilliance.

Through the dark storm clouds a light streams towards the island, most of it towards the beacon on the island though there is a break away light that goes towards the train, where some of orange team have set up a second beacon. It swirls around those on the train roof, singing a song of happiness and bounces back towards the island.

The light reaches the main beacon and hits it with a strength that lights up the whole sky. The light splits more solidly into two and speeds off over the ocean. Light pours into the underground caverns, not caring about the ocean and rock in the way, the light pools into the shells, the caverns glow warmly.

Outside the storm calms, clouds roll back, the sun shines. The sea stills. The wind stops. The sun is rising, a beautiful dawn. Any monsters left scuttle away, vanishing into the ocean, away from Bui.

Those with any powers that they couldn't reach before find them returned in a rush. Those who can sense life find this world teeming with it. A song that dances between every plant and creature.

Some of red may have evacuated to the train but those who stayed to see the ritual through, the world around them seems to melt away and they find themselves back next to the rock pools. Among their number there are some confused looking islanders who intrinsically draw closer to those who helped free the lights.

Orange and Purple

Down underwater there's noise and a babble of voices as the citizens of Bui wake up. There's a shimmering around the city now, like a shield though they can pass through easily. Parents scramble to locate their children and all check on loved ones and friends.

The familiar voice of train announcements is heard through Orange team's SCAs. Orange return to the VoidTrecker Express. Once everyone is on board it flies low over the ocean, skimming the waves.

In the underwater temple the priests finish sealing the ritual and then it is time to begin the return trek. There are no monsters this time and after a few hours, as they emerge onto the first of the sandbanks they will find the VoidTrecker Express is waiting for them.

Red and Blue

The monsters gone, those of the island gather everyone from the rock pools and for a few hours everyone sleeps.

At about noon the islanders begin to stir, begin putting things to rights. Wood is moved from the strategic points to more communal campfires on the beach. Any dead monsters that haven't been gathered for food have been washed out to sea, disappeared into the depths. They begin to prepare food and won't turn away any helpers. Though those who have been fighting are encouraged to rest.

The islanders bring blankets and start to gather. Everyone is exhausted but the children, in the way of children find the energy to play in the sea and the sand.

Beach Day

Early afternoon the train lands on the beach and everyone gets a holographic message to their SCA.

Mission successful. Well done Voidtreckers. Enjoy the rest of your day. You will find suitable clothing in the dressing room. A new recipe has been added to the kitchen information points.

The dressing room is indeed open once more, this time it holds swimsuits of every style, shorts, t shirts, wraps and beach skirts. Sun hats and sunglasses can also be found. It's a bit of a mush mash but they should be able to cobble together something other than their uniform wet suits.

Time to laze around on the beach or for those who still have energy swim or play. A few hours later a ripple across the water brings some of those from Bui and they swim or lounge on rocks to talk.

Food and stories

Food is cooked and shared, the islanders will happily try the voidtreckers' offerings and share their own. As the sun begins to set they gather around the fires. Stories and songs are shared and there's even some dancing for the brave.

Voidtreckers can choose whether to sleep in their own beds or spend one last night on the island before the train flies off into the sunrise and into the void.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Misa had finally found a swimsuit and had done her hair in twin braids that fell to her hips. While she would not swim, Misa is a child that loves the sun. She loves being in it. The House necessitates that she be up late, but she gets up at noon, glad to be able to walk in the sunlight some days.

She laughs, seeing Dread putting together a... building of some sort. finds a spot, and stretches out on the sand, letting the heat soak into her. She hasn't been truly warm since the maze and just being able to not be moving is wonderful. She rolls up on her hip, seeing Joss hiding. "Joss! What are you doing?" She asks, propping her head on her hand.

“Hiding,” he replies, pulling down the brim of his hat. He looks rather ridiculous in it, the top half of his face mostly covered except for the freckled tip of his nose. “I don’t do well in sunlight. It will burn me to ashes if I let it.”

He seems to have forgotten that he’s not a vampire anymore.

Misa frowns, watching him. "Then how did you get out here?" She asks, confused. "The train's not that close, and you're not completely covered."

She's not sure that the sun will burn him to a crisp. It hasn't so far.

"I..."

Joscelin sees the error in what he said, and sighs.

"...I keep forgetting I'm human."

She smiles, and pats his hand. "That's why you have friends, to remind of you silly little things like that." Misa happily stretches out in the sun, closing her eyes, and putting an arm behind her head.

"So, are you going to come out, or are you just going to hide?" She teases, without opening her eyes.

"I..."

He's wearing sunscreen. And a shirt. And a hat. He should be protected, right?

"Misa, I-I need you to do something for me."

He reaches under his shirt and pulls out a large gold ring, set with a faintly glowing red stone. It hangs on a long chain around his neck. With slightly shaking hands, the boy unclasps the chain and hands it all to Misa.

"If I start to..." Burn up. "Seem injured, please get this ring around my finger as quickly as you can." He folds her fingers around the ring and, taking a deep, shaky breath, steps into the sunlight.

Nothing happens.

Joscelin feels his knees go weak with shock and relief. "I'm. I'm okay."

She takes the ring solemnly and sits up, watching as he steps into the sun. There's nothing to indicate that things are going wrong. "Are you... sure?" She finally asks, after a few moments. She toys with the ring, wondering if she should put it on him.

She puts out a hand to steady him. "Here, why don't you sit down with me?" She asks, scooting over on her beach blanket.

Joscelin could use a bit of a sit down. He shakily lowers himself onto the blanket, still in the sunlight, and still without his ring. "I've worn that ring for hundreds of years." With one notable interlude, damn it all. "It belonged to my...er, well, my creator. The woman who made me a vampire and made me call her Mother. I took it off her corpse after she was executed." He says it without emotion; his feelings for Aurelia are complicated, to say the least. "Now it's useless. Just a trinket. I really am human, aren't I?"

She frowns, watching him. She understands it's shocking for him, she can feel that. But she wonders at it. "But isn't being human, alright?" She asks, tentatively. She doesn't know how he's going to feel about just being human like the rest of them.

"In some ways," Joss replies truthfully. "But it's so strange in others. I never realized how much humans need sleep; as a vampire it was just something I did to pass the time, and not really because I needed to. I passed out, you know. On the mission. Got so exhausted I just keeled over and spent the rest of the way back to the train being carried on some stranger's back. Children are weak. I'm not used to it."

"But you have all those years of knowledge to draw on." She says, gently. "No, your body isn't up for everything right now, but that will come in time." She points out. "And think of it this way: you have time to gain more knowledge, to be put to use as you grow." She shrugs.

Under the Sea: Conclusion and aftermath

BEACH

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