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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's almost funny how much she lets him get away with. Maybe since Duo feels like a kindred soul in a way, no matter how opposite their surface level attitudes are. Alice doesn't even bat a lash at the way he's obviously imitating her own way of speaking, despite the fact she may have given some others an earful over it.

Instead she just sits down next to him, smoothing out her clothes as she does. And making sure the parasol is still over her. Thanks, but no thanks, sun.

"If I ever have to see another crab again, it'll be too soon." In other words.. she's fine, just exasperated. "Did you run into any as well or did they just happen to send only one team down the local crab route?"

"Too too, huh?" Duo had to agree, he felt exactly the same. He'd never really been too fond of seafood as it was. Maybe fish was okay, but he didn't think he would be eating anything that came from the sea for a hell of a long time. Crabs especially.

"They were everywhere." Duo chuckled and lifted his hands to pillow them behind his head. "Should have been with us, Ali! We had to fight a giant jellyfish! But to get there we had everything from crabs to tentacles."

The instant he says 'Ali', Alice makes a face as if she just bit down on an extremely sour lemon. It's near-comical, like just hearing those three letters said out loud is enough to make her feel physically sick. She doesn't seem to verbally react to it though. Maybe she's just too tired.

"Crabs, sharks, squid, jellyfish.. Is there even anything out there in that ocean that wasn't after our lives?" Not that Alice minds fighting. She's used to it. It's good stress relief, in fact. But this was just a little too much.

She dryly continues: "I've met a turtle before who told me that all fish went to school, but he could have at least bothered to mention they also apparently form an army."

Duo caught the look and couldn't help laughing. He made a mental note that Alice did not like her name to be shortened. Which was a shame. Ali was cute.

"Oh yeah, met one of those shark guys as well. Pain in the ass to kill." He should have been riddled with wounds from his battles with those things, but Lightning's magic had healed him of everything but the muscle fatigue from pushing himself way passed his limits.

He snorted a laugh and flashed her a winning grin. "Schools of fish, huh? Makes sense though. When they grow up, why wouldn't they wanna join the army and see the world? Who knows what goes on once we leave this planet? Maybe the people are actually assholes and the sea creatures are just defending themselves? ... Think we screwed that up and murdered their King though. So the fish can go back to school and leave the fighting to the humans."

Honestly, she's noticed that Duo seems to be looking rather good for someone who's been out there fighting. And sure, it's easy to imagine the healers are to thank for that, but Alice is actually more generous than that (maybe a little too generous, honestly) and assumes it must also just be because of Duo's skills. No matter how weirdly lighthearted his attitude seems to be about things when he speaks, he's seemed capable enough.

Even when he's saying this kind of stuff with a laugh and a grin. He may just be joking, but Alice's tone is as serious as ever.

(Granted, could her tone even be anything but that?)

"That line of thinking has rather severe implications about the train. If we aren't at the very least on the good side of these conflicts, we're little more than a bunch of mercenaries who aren't even getting paid."

Duo laughed, he couldn't help it. "Alice, my dear, sweet Alice... That was basically my job before I came here. But think about it... From a different point of view, we're just some assholes who came swooping down outta nowhere and started beating up on the local wildlife. We never asked if it was wanted or needed. We just did it. Who says we're the heroes here? Or anywhere?"

It amused him, it really did, Curufin liked to call them 'Superheroes' and 'Void Warriors', but were they really?

"And what's to say that when we do go swooping in we're picking the right side to fight with? Has anyone ever stopped to ask? Or does everyone just take for granted that we're all here as heroes?" Because didn't it say that on the leaflet every new person got when they joined the train? The propaganda started the second you stepped on the train.

"My dear, sweet Duo," she repeats after him. Her hand moves towards him until she flicks his forehead. It's not even hard though, betraying the fact it's very much a playful gesture on her part - or as playful as Alice gets, anyway. He did confide his life's story in her, after all, which is why she's just going along with the banter rather than actually getting angry.

The topic is important, after all, underneath this superficial top layer of it.

"I'd agree with you on most of that, but when a crab starts attacking me out of nowhere, I'm not exactly going to stop to curtsey and ask 'oh, dear mister crab, why would you ever cruelly attack us like this!'" She's even pitching her voice slightly higher as she says it. "Of course I am going to teach it a lesson in that case."

She flicked his forehead and Duo stuck out his tongue and went cross-eyed. A moment later he was laughing. The flick had been unexpected but it had been funny nevertheless.

"Well duh, if you're attacked you attack back, it's only fair!" He said and laughed again when she put on that voice. "If seafood attacks, kick it's ass, that's the only was sushi will learn who is boss!" And clearly they were the boss since they had royally kicked all of their asses. Duo was feeling pretty damn good about that, all things considered.

His reaction makes her shake her head a little, but she doesn't seem annoyed. If anything, there's something near-fond about it, like the way a parent might shake their head at some funny antics their kids are pulling.

"I can't say I've been on many of these missions so far, but on the ones I've been on it did seem like others were attacking us first." Hence why Alice just retaliated. It's not like she's just going to sit there and take it! "Although you're right that there is no way for us to tell whether the people that are getting attacked didn't do something to deserve it in the first place."

They're not exactly dropped off in these places with a whole lot of context, after all.

"I must admit though that I honestly didn't care about that on the first mission I went on. I didn't even stop to consider it. I just needed to vent my rage, and those spaceships trying to attack us happened to be the unlucky volunteers for that."

"Technically this is my first here." That one to the dead planet didn't really count since it had been aborted before they'd completed their mission. But that one... No one had attacked them. They'd gone in and been informed they were to relocate people and fight giant boars that were generally wandering around minding their own business. They hadn't attacked the city.

"Hey, beating on some idiots who deserve it is a valid way to vent some anger. I've done it myself a time or two." Though he'd been in a Gundam at the time... and his anger had usually been a crap tonne of mobile dolls trying to turn him into scrap. But it was kind of the same thing. "All we can really do is what we're told to. That's the problem with orders from someone you can't see or question. You only get half the story. So you can be a good little Perfect Solider and follow blindly... Or you can be like me." Duo grinned. "And screw the rules. Do what feels right."

"I'm not a soldier." That reply comes quickly. For all her fighting abilities, Alice would never think of herself in such a way. "Nor someone who follows the rules, typically."

But after saying that, she goes quiet for a moment. Not in the kind of way that she has nothing more to say - no, if anything, Alice seems a little sunken away in her thoughts.

"But doing what feels right is quite.. difficult for me," she then slowly admits. She's trying to make herself feel less vulnerable even while doing so by trying to keep her tone even, but it's still hard for Alice to talk about. Duo did confide in her about his past though, so maybe she ought to put at least a tiny bit of trust in him as well. "I've never been too sure of my own feelings. My mind is a stranger to me half of the time. Most of the time I have absolutely no idea what I want or want to do."

"Just a turn of phrase." He assured her. He wasn't calling her a solider, if anything he was actually throwing shade at a guy he knew who wasn't around to defend himself. But that didn't really matter and Alice didn't need to know that.

Duo turned his head to watch Alice then. He was quiet as well, waiting patiently for her to speak. And when she had he smiled. "Then you just take each say as it comes. Maybe take the time to get to know that stranger so it feels more comfortable? But there's nothing wrong with doing nothing at all, y'know? You don't have to know what you want all the time. Me? I just go with the flow until something interests me. What I want doesn't seem that important. Just do whatever the hell catches your interest."

She looks right back at him, though she's frowning rather than smiling. She doesn't seem angry though, not necessarily - if anything, something seems a lot more thoughtful about the frown, like she's not too sure what to think of his words. She's been thrust around for all her life, constantly being told by others - even as they contradicted each other - what was best for her.

She's never been in a situation like this. Sure, the train is practically doing the same as the people back home did, still trying to guide her path, but there is a lot more freedom here still than back in the hospital or the asylum or the orphanage. She's never had the time to spend however she wanted to spend it like this.

"I'm not even sure what would catch my interest." Or what her interests even are, honestly. "It feels like such a waste spending my life doing nothing when I've fought to hard to have that life in the first place. It feels like I ought to be doing something more."

"Then just do little bits at a time. Do one new thing a day. Doesn't matter what it is so long as it's something you've never done before. Maybe you'll find something you enjoy?"

Duo grinned as he levered himself up and then scooted around to face Alice. His legs were crossed and he pointed to the sand in front of him. "I don't have my buckets with me. But we can still pile it up. Ever made a sandcastle before?"

Alice knows what he's about to say the moment he points at the sand - and looks rather surprised about it. Just for a moment or two, before it's shiftly replaced by some rather forced-looking exasperation. Like she feels she has to react that way, yet kind of does want to do this with him deep down. Letting that show is dangerous though! That's a no-go zone!

"You have got to be kidding me, Duo."

"I never kid about sandcastles." Duo said with a very serious expression, gaze steady when he looked up at Alice. "Should have seen the kingdom I made earlier... It was magnificent..." And then he suddenly grinned and lifted a hand full of sand and let it filter through his fingers. "This stuff is kinda dry though... Think you can wait here and I'll run and get my buckets and stuff and we can have a bit of harmless fun?"

"This is ridiculous."

But despite her saying that, she continues on, practically in the same breath still:

"Yes, I can wait."

It might be seen as a way too odd and quick flip-flop, but no, both of those statements can be true at the same time! The idea of her doing something as mundane as building a sandcastle (or Duo doing that, for that matter!) is ridiculous, but at the same time, she doesn't hate it.

So yes, she will make a sandcastle with him. And not take her chance to run off while he's grabbing the supplies.

It was really ridiculous, but he was happy as he jumped to his feet and went running to find where he'd left his buckets and spades. Honestly, he'd expected Alice to huff and stalk off, deciding he was a lost cause and she wasn't going to deal with his stupidity any longer. So he was happy as a clam that she was willing to indulge him.

Once he found what he was looking for, he darted to the waters edge to fill one of the buckets mostly with water, and brought it back to where Alice was waiting for him.

Still grinning he set everything down and dropped down with them.

"So you've never done this before, right?" He asked as he placed a red bucket in front of her, the blue one with the water was set aside, and he had a green and red one of his own. There were a few smaller ones and a couple of small shovels to scoop the sand into the buckets. "I've never done it myself till today."

With him being happy, it's a good thing she did just keep on sitting there instead of leaving. No matter how callous acts towards other people, she cares more about their feelings than she lets on to - or at least, she does when it comes down to the feelings of people she actually likes to some extent. She would definitely feel guilty on the inside if she let Duo down, no matter what parts of that would or wouldn't show.

She even picks the red bucket up after he puts it down for her, giving it a curious glance as she speaks.

"No. My father was always very busy when he was still alive, so we didn't exactly have many beach outings." Not to mention that it would take a while to get to the sea from Oxford anyway without modern transportation methods.. And in the asylum she was locked up in a room for years and years, so that kind of shoots down the chances of any outings, let alone to the beach. "And I assume most people would say I'm too old for this sort of thing by now."

Duo was scooping sand into one of the buckets as Alice spoke and laughed softly. "You're never too old, if you've never done it before..." He finished filling the bucket up and glances over at Alice. "... I came close to this once. When I was a kid. I..."

He tipped the bucket over and patted the end, giving himself a few seconds to organise his thoughts before he continued. "I ran with these group of kids. Orphans like me. Our leader, he was a few years older than me. He was obsessed in swings but he'd never been on one. We broke into one of the fancy playgrounds on night. He got to swing. I did too. There was a sand pit, I just didn't know what the hell to do with it. Couldn't have been there more'n 20 minutes before we were found and run out."

Delicately he pulled the bucket up and in it's place was an almost perfectly formed sand castle. One of the little turrets hadn't worked out and he pouted. "Ah, damn. Dunno why that always happens, no matter how much I pack it in!"

Alice takes a glance at his near-whole sandcastle before letting out a slight breath. "I suppose that is what happens when you're not a sandcastle expert."

But after she says that, she does go to work on starting on one of her own. Even as Alice is speaking, she's busy filling up her own bucket with sand.

"Was it worth it? Breaking in there and having to flee just to have been able to get to swing for a little while?"

"It made Solo happy..." Duo said, not looking up as he tried to fix the corner of his castle... Trying to be all nonchalant about the name he'd just said so carelessly, even though it was the first time in months the name has slipped from his lips.

Duo didn't talk about him. Had never mentioned him to anyone.

But it was his own fault for talking about the playground.

"... It was like that a lot when I was a kid. We'd have to move around a lot, hidin in abandoned buildings and stuff. He did is best to keep the little ones safe. Breakin into that playground seemed a small thing just ta hear him laugh."

Of course she doesn't recognize the name. She can't recall Duo having brought it up before, but from context it sounds like it must have been one of his friends from back when he was younger. And if Duo is saying he kept the little ones safe.. Maybe a little like a leader of the pack, or just one of the older children? She'd ask Duo what happened to him if it wasn't for the fact that she's sure the answer wouldn't be too pleasant. And in that case she wouldn't want to remind him of it when the playground part clearly seems like a better memory.

Alice puts the filled up bucket upside down on the sand, but rather than just lifting it up, she suddenly summons an odd-looking tea pot into her hands out of the blue, smashing it down hard on top of the bucket before making it vanish again.

She just talks on calmly too as she does so, like it's just no big deal. Random violence, totally normal.

"It sounds like all of you did manage to get by though." She lifts the bucket - and apparently that smash was the way to go, since her turret comes out perfectly whole. "Even though it was in your own way."

No, she wouldn't know the name, and that was a story for another time... If he bothered to tell it at all. Sometimes it was better to keep his ghosts to himself, instead of sharing them around.

Luckily for him Alice was on hand to shock him out of his thoughts and have him laughing once more. Smacking the bucket with a teapot was just so amazingly random that Duo was, for a split second, shocked, and then he threw his head back and laughed loudly.

Yes, random violence with teapots was perfectly normal!

"Yeah... yeah for the most part." He finally said once he'd calmed down enough to just grin over at Alice. "But that's the past. Now I can make sandcastles without worrying about bein kicked out!" And so, he did. He filled his bucket, packed it tight and tipped it. And then waved at Alice and gestured to the bucket. "My turn!"

There's definitely a Gaze aimed at Duo when he starts laughing like that. Though for once it's not judging - not by Alice terms, at least, considering how easily her facial expression turns towards that! No, she just seems.. kind of confused? Like she has no idea why he's laughing, despite the fact that it would be obvious to any normal person.

Then again, Alice is far from normal.

At least the laughter seems to fade after a moment, and the thing he says is at least a lot more understandable to her.

"What, are you sure you can get it out of there in one piece this time?"

There may even be the slightest hint of teasing in her tone.

Under the Sea: Conclusion and aftermath

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