middleofsomewhere | Under the Sea: Conclusion and aftermath

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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.

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Rapunzel soon turned to look through what there was. There were quite a large number of choices to go through to find something to wear. But it was hard to really figure what one would look the best.

She would need an opinion right? "Thank you, though can you help me find one that would be comfortable and suits me?"

"W.. Why, of course! Is that not a simple thing one friend can do for another?" He easily agrees, desperate to move on from his dumb foot-in-mouth moment just now.

Except it doesn't hit him until a few moments later that it means he's going to have to imagine Rapunzel wearing any of this in his head.. Nope! Can't do that! It's wrong! But it's already too late to back out!

"Um, maybe you should pick a colour you like first..?"

Colours are good. Colours are safe.

"Oh, colors is a good start~" She had started to make her way looking at what colors there were first. There was such a huge number that it was pretty impressive, but she soon found herself stopping on front of the selection of purples ones.

She was sort of use to wearing purple, so she figured it was the best color to wear.

"I like purple, so lets go with it."

Phew, he saved himself there!

"Purple, huh?" He strolls after her, curiously glancing at the purple section of the clothes. "Guess they put you in the wrong team then."

It's just a light joke.

"Any special reason you like purple?"

"I'm not sure if they did or not since I don't know the meaning of the teams in the first place." So she had no way of knowing if she thought she was in the wrong team or not.

"As for the reason... I don't know, I'm just used to wearing it really."

"So no special reason? Well, that's totally possible. Sometimes you just like what you like, without there being any real reason, right?" Inigo smiles at her. "Besides, I like purple too. Also for no particular reason. It's just a nice colour, right?"

Inigo looks through the clothes, but decidedly tries to ignore the swimsuits and bikinis in favour of other stuff. Like a big sunhat that's lying among the other stuff. He reaches for it and once he's grabbed it, he puts it down over on Rapunzel's head.

"What do you think about this then? It looks good on you!"

"Not really. I mean are there special reasons to wear a certain color?" She now wondered if that was the case, but she smiled at kno0wing she wasn't the only one to like the color.

Rapunzel had come across a light purple number she thought was interesting when the hat came down onto her head. She was surprised for a moment before her hands moved to the hat.

"A hat? Is this to protect people from the sun?"

He grins as she asks him about the hat. "Yup."

Or.. at least, that's what he thinks it's for? He's not an expert, considering he's never had to wear any of this stuff himself. But there's got to be some reason as to why these hats are so big, right?

"You should be careful, after all! Having fun on the beach is great, but you got to watch out you don't get burned. Better safe than sorry, right?" Says the guy who's constantly doing dumb things.. but look, Inigo is good at giving advice, not at following it himself!

"Okay." She adjusted the hat slightly. If it was to keep her safe from the sun then it's something she had to wear. She was going to keep that to mind.

But she soon went to look over the choice she had made before turning around "Okay, I am going to try one on now. So... just stay here, I suppose okay?"

"Wha.."

The instant she mentions the words 'try on' Inigo's face grows as red as a tomato. He may be able to shove down his natural shyness in a lot of other social situations, but when it comes to this sort of thing? Nope, that's not even the slightest chance. For a moment it looks like the guy is choking on something before quickly turning around.

"I-- A-Ah, sure, of course! I.. I promise I won't look!" Is he aware he won't be able to see anything even if he wouldn't turn around, considering there's dressing rooms? Yes, but apparently even just looking at the dressing room curtains is too much for his shy little heart.

Rapunzel didn't take too long in the dressing room before she finally stepped out. But when she did she couldn't help but feel awkward and quite naked wearing so little. She was used to always covering up after all.

"At least it fits, but I never knew one could feel weird wearing one."

The blush is still there when she steps out. In fact, her stepping out only solidifies the fact that the blush is staying. She really is wearing a lot less than usually, after all, and Inigo sure isn't used to seeing girls in swimsuits.

"Ah.. I.. Is it weird..?"

Sweet Naga, he really has to focus his mind on speaking instead of just completely flustered staring.

"I.. I think you l-look really nice, though!" Despite how awkward he's acting all of a sudden.

"I'm use to being covered." She paused before she spotted something and quickly went over to check it out "Oh, they seem to have dresses here."

She didn't know what sundresses were, but hey it was something at least, right? But as she looks through what was on offer she glanced over with a smile.

"Thank you, though I think for the better of both of us I'll look for a dress that helps."

"B.. both of us..?"

Inigo sounds so surprised. As if he isn't aware of just how obvious he's being over here with all the stuttering and blushing.

"You r-really don't have to think about me though! I'm truly fine with whatever makes you the happiest to wear."

Rapunzel had already gone to try on one of the sound dressed. It was much better than just wearing the swimsuit at least if she wad going to do things where she didn't need to swim anyway.

"Much better and still purple." It wasn't as long as her usual dresses, but hey it still covered her up a bit and that was good in her mind.

"I will say this was also for me. I am not used to wearing too little, so wearing a sundress makes sense."

That makes two of them that aren't used to wearing little. Or seeing others wear little. Thankfully the sundress makes it a lot easier to actually look at her without looking like a totally flustered idiot.

"It seems the places we come from share yet another thing in common then. People wouldn't wander around in my world wearing these kinds of things either.. Or, well, I haven't seen it at all, anyway."

"I think for me it's more I had no reason to either. I don't know how little where I was from would wear." but she could at least take a guess from the fact it was never something that was needed even in the tower really.

"But it does, make me wonder about why so little for something like swimming."

"I mean.. I don't know how to swim." He's willing to admit that to Rapunzel. She doesn't seem like the type who would make fun of him for it, nor would she just go around telling anyone, he's sure. Even though he still feels more than just a little embarrassed about it.

"But even so I assume the reason for little clothing is that clothes must weigh you down in the water..? I can imagine they make it harder to swim, especially when your clothes are particularly heavy."

"I didn't either until this mission. Then I just decided to dive right in and see what happened." Self taught and it was a swim or drown type of thing, she just decided to swim.

"Swimming is amazing by the way so if you ever decide to learn, you'll find that out too." No teasing, her answer was honest and truthful. She figured the other had a reason they might not want to, but the offer was there.

"But then you had those suits for diving though? They pretty much covered most of our body."

Inigo gives her a rather impressed look. It's not as if he was underestimating Rapunzel, but still.. the thought of her being bold enough to just jump into the water despite not knowing how to swim is a lot. She's got to be even braver than he assumed. He avoided the water like the plague all this time, after all.

"Well, I guess it's since those suits weren't exactly fashionable.." Even in Inigo's world they wouldn't really have been fashionable, which is saying.. a lot. Honestly. For as much skin as these things show off (way too much of it!) at least they kind of look nice with the colours and all.. "But I didn't know you really went into the water that easily though. You weren't scared or worried at all?"

"So it's a fashion thing basically. It's fashionable to wear very little?" Fashion was not something that she honestly understood. If it was practical that was all that mattered right? What does how it looks have anything to do with practicality?

It just baffled the young woman, but she soon focused on other things instead. At least for the time being.

"I mean yes, I was scared, but that is what made me swim. The fear of what could happen and just arms and legs just seemed to know what to do next."

I'll take $100 in the category of 'questions Inigo never wants to consider or answer'...

Thank Naga there's another topic to talk about. Because if that question had been hanging in the air by itself, Inigo might just have died on the spot. It would have been a very unfortunate start to this beach day. But no, now he can instead focus on what Rapunzel says.

And give her a smile.

".. Have I told you yet today that you're very cool?"

He says 'cool' like he's some grandpa trying to be hip with the kids, but thankfully Rapunzel is similarly unused to modern things enough that it might not stand out as much to her as it might to anyone else..

Rapunzel at least had remembered what cool meant since they had talked about it. So she at least understood what he was saying, but she didn't think that cool was something she was. Adventurous was probably the better word in her mind.

"I wouldn't say cool. I think a lot more people fall under that than I do."

"No way, you are most definitely cool!"

Apparently he's not going to budge on that. He seemed utterly convinced as Inigo says it with a big smile on his face.

"Being able to do things despite being scared definitely falls under that."

"Wouldn't that be the word brave?" Being able to do something despite being scared she thought that was what it was.

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