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

"Exactly!" Oblivious to any sign that she might not be 100% serious, Zetta nudged forward slightly like he was trying to nod. "They made it so Switches can just undock, for Magog's sake! Take the damn console and go play in your room! You don't need to hog the TV when SOME of us have freaking pure consoles to use!"

"I'll admit, I don't understand a word of that. Is this about some kind of game? I've never gotten to play the kind on televisions." She tilts her head, "But I think it's nice they stay with you."

"You're just using that word to get my goat," Zetta grumbled -- before the first part of her comments sank in, and he reared back in horror. "You've missed out on video games?! This -- this can't be allowed! Tell me you've at least used the VR stuff in the train!"

Her sly little smile definitely says she's doing something on purpose, that's for sure. It fades just a touch as she glances off to the side and shrugs.

"I uh...I don't really know how to use any of that. I grew up without using a computer very often. Let alone whatever that is."

"Oh, hold on, I won't stand for this." Zetta drew himself up, trying to get her attention back on him. "Once we go back, we're hitting the game car and I'm gonna show you the ropes."

Zetta it was considered polite to ask. Sorry, Persephone, this WAS Zetta...

"It's a waste of time, isn't it? I mean, I could be doing productive things. I have the greenhouse and the chores, I really want to find some books to keep up my studies, I need to figure out how to string up shells by my bunk. I'm going to see about ear piercing and--I shouldn't just waste my time."

There's a bullet journal list in her notebook back on the train.

Edited (Wrong button) 2020-06-01 17:45 (UTC)

"Having fun is never a waste of time," Zetta said archly. "Aside from the fact that there's so damn little to do on the train day after freaking day... Why are you out here sitting and talking with me if not doing something Big and Important is a waste of time?"

"Well 1. You're my friend and talking to you is important." Yes, she is ticking these off on her fingers, "And 2. I came out here because the last five days have been a sea sick nightmare and if I didn't get on solid ground for a while, I would cry. Also 3. I can't decorate my room with shells if I don't have shells."

Zetta began to make the inevitable protest about the use of the 'f' word, but stopped. A sly look slowly crossed his face, as a few interactions in the past came to mind. Maybe Elfnein and Romeo had taught him well.

"Then spending time with friends is important. And here I am saying we should do this."

Oh she expected a protest. What she gets instead is a blatant twisting of her words! Rude! She narrows her eyes. To be annoyed at his manipulation of her words or happy he's actually using the word friend. Though, him using it in this way isn't actually calling her a friend.

"Uh huh. You agree. Spending time with your friends is important, right?"

"Everybody says so!" Zetta agreed. Well, not everybody. Hibiki had the right idea on this score, if nothing else... but damned if he didn't hear that sort of thing from Romeo and Elfnein all the time.

"And would you consider this a mutual relationship?"

She's still staring very deliberately at him.

"Uh, how do we factor in the fact that I'm trying to hit on you? Because that's definitely something that's depressingly not mutual."

Zetta wasn't even stalling with that one, he legitimately was getting confused about how that affected this talk.

Oh man, how does that affect things? She was just trying to trick him into calling her a friend for her own nefarious purposes. It makes her laugh, short and sudden.

"Gods, I don't know. I'm not sure. I'm not even supposed to hit on people, not that I haven't--I was just supposed to end up an eternal maiden goddess. Which kind of makes hitting on people a futile effort." And she suddenly remembers, "I shouldn't even be around men without a chaperone. Not that it had anything to do with this--you're a book right now and I don't know exactly how that counts for those rules."

Zetta's eyes boggled so dramatically that somewhere, a Tex Avery wolf felt emasculated. "Wait, what? Is -- hold on, you're the goddess of the horniest season of the year and you're supposed to be an eternal maiden? If being an Overlord meant never getting some action, they'd be calling me the most badass freaking non-Overlord in the entire cosmos!"

It's an odd feeling, being so torn between so many reactions. Laughing or defensiveness or annoyance and the feelings between. It's kind of like how everyone insists she's a fertility goddess except in the most crass form of it, making a joke of something that still stings. She flops back on the sand dramatically, arms sprawled above her head.

"It's not like it was my idea--and it's not the--okay it kind of is, but- UGH! It was all my mom's idea and it felt like the only way to get out from under her thumb! And then she ruined that too and I probably ruined it so it's not like I'll end up an eternal maiden anyways. I just haven't actually like--left it yet. Or told them. Or paid them back for my scholarship."

She pauses, "Am I your friend or not, you coward."

Uh.

Crap.

Zetta quickly mulled over his options, as nervous sweat trickled blatantly down his cover. Okay, first off, demons didn't have friends. She knew that, so she wouldn't take offense if he said no, right? But right now she seemed like she might even knowing that. But if he said yes, he'd be a laughingstock to every other demon! But if he didn't say yes, she might take off, and he didn't WANT that!

...unless. He could say yes and just tell other demons he was manipulating her to get in her pants! Yes, the perfect answer.

"...I like hanging out with you, and you're fun to be around, and interesting. So if that makes you a friend... yeah, I guess you are."

The idea that he was telling the truth never occurred to him, despite not one word of it being a lie.

Honestly, she expected an argument. She expected the usual blustery bluff about weakness and demons not showing any and even if they did, thats for weaker demons or something about him being too evil or badass for weaknesses or something. She turns over on her side to look at him, slightly stunned.

"...Wow I really thought that I would have to force you into saying that. Or like come at it from the side until I had you trapped with saying something that technically could be friend affirming." She props her head up on her arm and smiles.

Totally unrelated to her smile, a flower crown appears, draping half on and half off his book head. It's definitely falling in one of his eyes.

"THAT WOULD HAVE WORKED?!"

Zetta barely even noticed the flower crown, even as he went utterly rigid and nearly fell over with it in his face.

"You were being all serious and making me calculate if I should say that or not and if you'd just take off if I didn't and I could've just answered it the same way I always do?!"

Making angry noises, the book hopped around a couple of times, at which the crown slipped down further and blinded him some more, causing him to tumbled fade-first into the sand. Somewhere beneath him some innocent sand crabs were now getting an earful of incoherent ranting.

Bursting into immediate giggles, she curls up on her side, head resting on her arm. Oh is she going to be covered in sand but worth it.

"Doesn't it feel better, to have it out in the open?" She asks innocently, as if he didn't get totally played. "Hey--you're ruining my flowers you know."

Angrish. The sand beneath him might be turning to glass. But the book finally tipped back upright, wobbling slowly as Zetta tried to get it together.

"Damn," he finally growled. "And here I was the one trying to trick you!"

She reaches out, perhaps not far enough to touch him, but far enough to perk up the string of daisies looped around his head. Smooshing her gift is rude.

"Serves you right, doesn't it?"

Edited 2020-06-02 14:56 (UTC)

Well it's not like he can help the whole book thing too much!

"No it doesn't! I'm a badass freaking Overlord. I don't deserve indignities like this!"

Yeah right, Zetta.

"I'll deceive you into going on a date with me yet, you know."

"Maybe don't fall for them then."

She sits up and begins the dusting off process.

"I wish you the best of luck. May the best being win."

Zetta may be many things, all negative, but he hadn't lost sight of what started this in the first place.

"After all that you should at least agree to come play the damn game with me!"

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