Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Shadow Stephanie carefully lifts up the grate a bit, looking around inside the room.


"Oh, that's Fia. She's an AI I created to assist me. Fia, come here!" Praecantatia calls.

"Yes, Praecantatia?" Fia says, teleporting over and nervously glancing at Petunia. Fia's long blue pigtails are moved slightly by the breeze across Praecantatia's islands. She seems to be wearing a short sleeved black shirt with deep blue lines around it's edges, and a teal skirt; white tights covering most of her legs. Oddly, Fia's blue eyes look a little bigger than normal, and her nose a little smaller.

"This is Petunia, daughter of the Hive Master. I believe she could be a great help to us, and she has been already." Praecantatia says.

"Hello." Fia says with a wave, trying to smile.


Gaia looks a little guilty, before swimming closer to Xlentia and giving her a hug; hair falling across her face and dripping as her head enters the air bubble. Xlentia notices a few gills either side of Gaia's neck, and her fish-scaled top looks to be a rather tight fit, like a wetsuit.

"I'd never send you to hell. I know you'd never intentionally kill one of my children." Gaia says as she hugs Xlentia.

 

"Definitely."

 

That would be a cart filled with furs and fabrics, stacks of the former and rolls of the latter on display.
“Good afternoon, can I help you?” A man asks from behind the counter, counting gold and silver coins.

“Well, you’ve got a few hours left. I’ll let you know when we’re there.”

It seems to be an office, dried blood on the ground and nobody within.
The rat hops out of her pocket, climbs up the desk, then sits next to a sheet that keeps track of wagers.


Petunia waves back, one half of her face with scars that seal her mouth and the other smiling with signs of cheerful youth.
“It’s nice to meet you.”


“I must admit, I would like to meet Mortius someday... but hell doesn’t sound like a great place for birdwatching. Then again... I doubt there are birds here. Oh... also, I’m too heavy to swim, so, uh... help?”

 

"You betcha."
He lays down, arms behind his head, and enjoys the view of the afternoon sky.

 

Shadow Stephanie silently climbs out, looking at the desk.


"It's nice to meet you too." Fia says, a little confused by Petunia's appearance.


"I could arrange a meeting with him if you would like." Gaia says happily as she grabs a large handful of sand and silt from the sea floor. Gaia compresses the sand and silt, seeming to struggle a bit as a slight magical glow lights up the depths. Eventually, Gaia stops compressing and removes her hands. A large mage crystal briefly sinks before Gaia grabs it, charging it with magic that turns it blue, runes appearing on it's faces.

Gaia pulls at one of the scales of her top, the scale yanking off and falling to the sand. Gaia then pulls at the string keeping most of the scales connected and secure on her top. Most of the fish scales pop off from the string, revealing more of Gaia's already visible upper body. Gaia stops as her breasts just start to become visible, cutting the thread and fashioning the cut string into a necklace for the mage crystal, offering it to Xlentia.

"This should let you swim, just fly through the water as you would the sky and the currents will carry you." Gaia says happily, seeming unaffected by the area above her stomach now being much more visible.

 

It has a dagger stuck in it, pinning a particularly large bet that wound up losing to the desk.
There’s no audible footsteps from the hall, she has time to look around.


Petunia’s scarred half rolls its eye back, turning to show the youthful appearance the other half did.


“Oh, thanks. Maybe we can hold off hell until I spend some time back home?” Xlentia asks, using her horn-tentacles to get the necklace on.

The sun’s tucked partially behind clouds, but the calming sound of waves against the Leviathan’s scales makes you start to drift off, a slight breeze highlighting the peaceful conditions.

 

I tug on my dirty, bloody, and worn shirt a bit, looking at it, then I look back up and answer.
“Yes. I was wondering how much it was for some fabric.”

 

Shadow Stephanie inspects the dried blood, tasting some of it.


Fia looks a little disturbed by this, but tries to remain cheery.


"Oh right, Temporus was going to send you back. Ask past-me to arrange a meeting with Mortius then." Gaia says happily.

A few of the blind water guardians swim by silently, staying close to the sea floor. Gaia sings a few notes to them, to which they reply by continuing the melody.

 

"Zzzz.."
Snore

 

"Depends on what material or pattern you're looking for. Any preferences?"

You sleep so soundly, you don't even dream.

After what feels like just a few minutes, Anne hops on your face.

It tastes days old, albeit heavy in dirt and rodent waste.
"How's it going in there? You find your companion yet?" Lenka asks, voice echoing in her head.


"Is something wrong?" Petunia asks, glancing at herself.


"Are my few months up?"

 

“Not really.”
I look over their wares.

 

"Hey!"
He grunts.

 

"We're here." She retorts. "We've been here for, like, ten minutes."

Their fabrics are all green, blue, and orange (or some combination thereof).

 

"Companion?" Shadow Stephanie asks.


"Uh...there's two of you." Fia says.


"No, Temporus will come and tell you when that is." Gaia says, smiling sweetly.

 

I check how much stock he has.
“How much for the blue?”

 

“Yes, each class gets a pet of sorts. Yours happens to be a sewer rat. The alternative was a bat.”


“Two halves of a whole.”


“Oh, okay. What all is there to see here?”

Plenty.
“One gold or silver per square sheet. How much do you need?” He asks, taking out a measuring stick the same size as the width of the roll.

 

I open my pouch and feel around in it.
“About twenty five.”

 

"A bat would have been more fitting." Shadow Stephanie says, sighing.


"Why?" Fia asks, cocking her head slightly.


"Well, there's societies of water guardians all over the ocean floor further up. If you head far enough, you'll reach the end of the ocean and you should be at a beach where a lot of guardians go to relax," Gaia says happily, "Go explore!"

 

“You’re going to appreciate the sewer rat soon, if you don’t already.”


“That’s a silly question.”


“Oh, I was told that a beach is a nice place to visit. Which direction is it?”

“Geez are you making a tent?”

 

"Why?" Shadow Stephanie asks.


Fia looks confused.


Gaia turns around a bit, before pointing.

"That way." Gaia says.