"Alright, are you two ready?", English, one of Harley's cousins, asked, as he fussed over Rose's microphone set. Rose didn't see the need for one, but alas, the general had said they needed some kind of device to communicate, since Jade wasn't a mermaid too and as such, could not breath or speak underwater. At least the helmet looked sort of cute on her, with the metallic dog ears and all.
"Sure", Harley answered as Rose put her feet on the water, the transformation sticking her legs together as she slipped in, letting her cute bikini top be the only part of her outfit that remained on her body. She moved her heavy, dark purple tail experimentally around as Jade entered the submarine device that would only let her go so far before she'd have to go out to help her collect the samples the general was asking for AND help her evade Them.
"Alright, then go, and have fun!", English called out, and Rose heard a sigh coming from the Strider with ponty shades before diving in to her home.
The trip was supposed to be three hours to go, three hours collecting samples, three hours to come back, if They let the two of them alone. Rose liked the sea, if she was to answer the question. What she didn't enjoy, what made her and many of her own kind run away to become refugees on land, was the fight between the two underwater gods that ravaged homes and ended many lives. If she could, she'd live the rest of her life underwater. Alas…
The microphone crackled on her ear, and Rose made a humming noise to let Harley know she was hearing.
"So, Rose, right? Do you mind if I call you Rose? You can call me Jade!", Harley chirped, and Rose wondered how it was to never see Them in flesh.
"No, not at all.", she answered. "Do you need something?"
"I was just wondering if you wanted to hear music, since the ocean is so, you know, quiet and all. I think I could pick up a radio down here, if you want! Sure, if you don't wanna, let me know!"
Rose blinked, surprise washing over her for a moment. She had thought this would be a silent trip to her homeland where she didn't speak and neither would Harley, and instead, Harley proposed… That.
"If you wish to hear music, do it so. As long as it is something calm and that doesn't attract Their attention, it is alright with me.", she answered, and Harley said something affirmative, before turning up some odd happy music that somehow matched the way the currents around the two of them went. Rose smiled to herself, and kept her pace to what humans called the Mariana Trench, also known as her home.w matched the way the currents around the two of them went. Rose smiled to herself, and kept her pace to what humans called the Mariana Trench, also known as her home./p