Crossing an Ocean: Mutual Intrigue
"I'm Morel Mackernasey, examiner for the first phase," he announced, breaking the silence that presided over the applicants. "I'll be showing you to the next phase." Morel pointed a thumb over his shoulder, easily maintaining his pipe's balance. The horizon remained empty except for ocean and sky. "If you're not willing to risk your life, then don't bother following."
The cryptic statement and insult sent the crowd of participants into hushed panic. The mass stepped closer to the edge, Lan included, her curiosity mixing with mild dread and annoyance. Some searched for a boat, others for a path down the steep cliff. Lan, being towards the back of the mass, listened to the concerned whispers of participants as they saw no boats, no easy paths, and no sign of their destination. Lan presumed it would be an island, yet she only saw open waters for kilometers. The pit in her stomach grew.
"Try to keep up," Morel said over the nervous chatter. Casually, the man walked off the cliff, heavy pipe still in hand.
Surprise from those at the edge rang out. "How's he swimming with that thing?" "How is he conscious after falling that far?" And, Lanfen's favorite statement for its accuracy, "Are we seriously supposed to swim!? It's almost dark out and there's nothing over there!?"
The startled shouts didn't last long. Those truly invested in becoming a Hunter followed after Morel, leaping off the cliff. Some hit the water wrong, unconscious and soon-to-be-drowned bodies floating before being smashed into paste against sharp rocks. Survivors swam after Morel, who, for now, kept a rather leisurely pace. Lan lost sight of the carefree magician as he stepped over the edge to pursue Morel.
The rest had to decide if they were ready to take the risk of jumping from a cliff into dark waters to swim to an unknown destination.
Lan cursed her luck. Not the strongest swimmer to begin with, she assumed the exam would prove more than just a swim test. No, with no clear destination, with night setting in, it would be as much a physical endurance test as a mental one.
Before plunging in, she had to make some wardrobe changes. She tore off her shirt's sleeves, shredding one into a long ribbon. Thankfully, she had a skin-tight undershirt; thousands of jellyfish stings she didn't notice until on shore again would be very troublesome- she missed Nemmi, dear second set of eyes he was. Next, with her makeshift hair-tie, she pulled her hair back, tightly securing it in a ridiculously large bun. She could only hope saltwater didn't ruin the dye. That makeup had better live up to the 'forever waterproof' claim too. Finally, she removed her shoes, cramming them into the small bag at her hip.
After shoving a few apprehensive remainders aside, she stood at the edge, staring at the barely visible heads bobbing below. Instead of jumping down blindly, she noted where the bodies were, where a few stray rocks jutted from the water, and where the people leaping beside her were likely to land. Then she took a few hesitant steps back, ran forward with reckless abandon, held her breath, and threw herself off the ledge in a rush of air.
She hit the water with a splash. Everything grew dark as her head dipped below the water, blue overwhelming and disturbingly serene as she sank. She began swimming upwards. The water felt pleasantly warm until her head popped above the surface into the chilly breeze. It would only worsen as the night dragged on. During the next phase, they would all be wearing soaked clothes on a cold night.
What a miserable way to start the exam…
The sun had set a few hours ago. In the dark, many people failed the exam. Some chose to turn back while they still had the energy. A decent number drowned as exhaustion set in, or as pain overcame them after brushing past the stray jellyfish. Even as an island's shadow loomed in the distance, complaints about the grueling test were said between spitting out ocean water and tired breaths.
Lanfen fixated on Morel to distract herself from the boredom of swimming in an empty, dark ocean while knowing she would smell like a salty fish the rest of the exam. The examiner fascinated her. Morel effortlessly held that large pipe, swimming with his face below the water for ridiculously long stretches of time. His lung capacity was incredible. She wondered what sort of Hunter he was, since he neglected to mention it. Something involving water, surely, otherwise his lung capacity would be a waste. Unless, of course, his Nen abilities involved breathing. And smoke, perhaps, considering the pipe. Fighting him would also be fun, she decided. He did not intimidate and intrigue her in the way the magician did, but Morel was clearly strong too. She felt he deserved to be judging the potential of hopeful Hunters, herself included.
The water burst with neon lights.
Lan slowed, treading water. With every move, the water glowed a beautiful, eerie blue. Bioluminescent algae… She'd never seen it in person. The glow twinkled with the stars above, pale moonlight blending with soft blue. It was mesmerizing to watch the trails of light forming in every movement's wake. She couldn't help making a few extra strokes, a genuine smile creeping onto her face. Such tiny creatures making such a beautiful display… It almost made swimming worthwhile.
People around her mirrored her awe. A few splashed to make brilliant glows around them, water shimmering brightly in the night. For a few moments, they forgot they were in the middle of an exam noted for its fatalities and its difficulty. They were children experiencing the wonder of the world.
A strangled scream at her side pulled her away from the hypnotic lights. Cruel reality returned. Lan and the people beside her looked around for the source, finding nothing, not remembering who swam by them in the dark, if someone had disappeared. It was then that Lan noticed another dim glow under the water. She watched as it moved, heading towards a frightened man flailing in his haste, the algae glaringly bright around him.
Giant jaws broke the surface, teeth snapping onto the man's arm. Lan stopped swimming entirely as she watched the man disappear, only a trail of bubbles and blood left behind. She didn't recognize the fish by name, but committed the sail-like fin on its back and dark body covered with light, dimly glowing stripes to memory to identify later. More fish snapped up participants desperately trying to swim towards the shoreline in the distance.
Lan considered using Zetsu to hide, thinking better of it when she realized it would be pointlessly dangerous. The fish attacked the bright flashes of algae; Zetsu would just leave her entirely defenseless.
She looked to Morel. He continued swimming, face in the water, not even glancing at the carnage. For the first time in a while, she caught sight of red hair. The magician also ignored the fish, completely calm as those around him screeched before being dragged under. A moments' comparison between Morel and the magician to those being eaten revealed splashing to be the deciding factor.
Carefully, Lan took a few cautious strokes, checking the brightness of the algae. She kept going when no fish darted for her. Agitating the water too much would mean death. Those too panicked or foolish to see that weren't worthy of becoming a Hunter, she learned. What a ruthlessly effective way of weeding out the weak, this exam.
They reached the shore as the first rays of sunlight made it over the horizon and through the gathering clouds. Morel bid them farewell, leaving them to wait for the second phase examiner- and, after a few pointed words from suspicious participants, Morel assured them that this wasn't some trick. He then proceeded to walk back into the ocean and swim off, not appearing exhausted at all. An amazing man indeed.
The island itself had a decently sized, sandy beach that gradually became rough terrain. A single, formidable mountain was at the center of the island: rocky, dry, and sparsely vegetated. It could be assumed, at some point, they would be scaling said mountain. Lan didn't mind that prospect, but the clouds overhead were growing ominous, hinting at a storm. Being soaked again didn't rate high on her list of enjoyable things.
Taking advantage of the small break became Lanfen's priority. She ignored the complaints of injured participants- some wailing in apparent pain.
Instead, she pulled off the remains of her outer shirt, squeezing out as much seawater as possible before putting the uncomfortably damp and cold cloth back on. Standing in the cool morning air while sopping wet felt truly miserable and almost demotivating. The best she could do without stripping down, which could wait until she found seclusion, would be to attempt to wring out her water-logged hair.
Hisoka ran a hand through his hair, fixing it back into place, as his clothes finished dripping seawater onto the sand.
The first phase had been… entertaining enough. Nothing too difficult, but the fish devouring screaming fools were a nice addition. The examiner, though, had been his true interest. Morel seemed like he'd make for a decent fight. The man flawlessly ignored Hisoka's every attempt to instigate some fun, after all.
His eyes shifted from the rock the next examiner had hidden themselves behind, returning to his curious new toy. The girl's face scrunched in slight disgust as she wrung out her long black hair. She didn't appear to be paying attention to her surroundings; this disappointed him. His eyes slid down her body, taking in her appearance, deciding if she still held his interest. A decently pretty face marked with three small moles -one under her left eye, two on her right cheek, average height, and average frame -musculature hidden beneath layers of clothes. Rather unremarkable looking without her aura and expression, he decided. She failed to notice his leering stare, further disappointing him.
But what do we have here? His eyes narrowed with renewed interest, smile reappearing. Attached to her leg was a large leech. And, from how engorged the creature appeared, it had been on her since their arrival on shore.
Any other time, and a little wriggling leech would have been utterly boring. Right now, though, as a dozen or so others screeched at the top of their lungs about the pain said leech caused, her lack of reaction fascinated him. She showed no acknowledgement to the creature; her visible discomfort only appeared as she squeezed water out of her hair. Either her pain tolerance was incredible or she couldn't physically feel the leech. Both possibilities had him enthralled in the strange girl once more.
So much so that he couldn't help messing with her, if only a bit. It wouldn't be satisfying to play her to death so soon.
A hand landed on her shoulder.
Her heart rocketed while her body froze. She even kept hold of her hair, arms raised, torso defenseless. From the corner of her eye, she saw pale skin and neatly pointed nails. While his grip didn't quite reach crushing, she wouldn't go as far as to say it was gentle. The weight of his hand felt like a pallet of bricks considering her vulnerable state; she doubted her reaction time would outdo his. She didn't dare glance at his face as his mouth lingered much too near her ear. He had taken the time to show her just how outmatched she was by sneaking up on her, invading her personal space.
She cursed herself for dropping her guard in the name of comfort and vanity.
"I find you worth humoring. For now," the magician said, voice a low purr, somehow bridging a gap between playful and threatening. It made her want to sputter in fear as much as shake in excitement. Danger truly brought out the worst side of her...
His hand slipped from her shoulder after an agonizing silence, releasing her, sparing her from death. For now, she reminded. Whatever she had initiated earlier would come back to haunt her. She could hear it in that mischievous tone of his.
"It'd be a shame if you broke before I had the chance to play with you," he continued, voice nearly a dramatic sigh as he stepped away. The wicked smile on his face made her heart skip, her aura trying to flare defensively despite her resistance. Her reaction seemed to amuse him, creepy grin somehow growing wider. For someone caked in ridiculous makeup, star and teardrop painted on his cheeks, he knew how to intimidate and terrify through demeanor alone. "So… Do something about your leg, won't you? It'd be dreadfully boring if you can't fight back," he said, already slinking away, words a warning as much as a promise.
In one final taunt, he raised his hand, flashing the face of a card towards her. Seven of spades. The same card that he'd thrown at her earlier. The card she had in her bag until moments ago when he magically stole it back.
Her eyes shot downward once she returned from her fear-and-awe daze. A lamprey the size of her forearm wriggled on her right calf, guzzling blood. Immediately she sat down, hands wrapping around the slippery creature as she tried to pry it off. She didn't recognize the particular species, but now that she'd been reminded to always pay attention to everything around her, even her own limbs, she heard it. The people screaming in pain also incorrectly screeched out the word leech. She hoped it wasn't venomous, that it was just the razor-edged teeth lining its mouth causing the suffering. Having her leg rot off didn't sound very pleasant considering how difficult finishing the exam would be. Superficial cuts she could at least deal with.
An indignant toss sent the creature back into the ocean.
This sort of thing was exactly why she missed Nemmi. When she failed to notice something, Nemmi would noisily complain until she took care of the issue. That lamprey would have been gone the second she left the water instead of ten minutes later when the magician pitied her enough to tell her about it- all to presumably kill her while she remained entertaining based on what he had said. Nemmi constituted much of her impulse control too.
Nemmi would never let her live this down… Having a lamprey on her was one thing, but she doubted the magician missed such an oddity. Not with his ever-judging gaze. He would have a lot of fun cutting her up.
Way to go, Lanfen. Way. To. Go. She couldn't hold back from sighing at her own stupidity.
Much like her Hatsu, she'd rather avoid having the Association know this too. This would just further connect her to her sister, possibly eliciting more suspicion, and then involve her in her sister's bullshit again. She was never going back to that.
"HELLO!" A shrill voice shouted, everyone's eyes going to an odd woman yelling from atop a sizable boulder. She wore an excessive amount of flower-print clothing, chrysanthemum hairpins clipped in cotton candy hair. While petite and rather… child-like… in behavior, she appeared in her twenties. Maybe. "Naptime's over everybody! And congratulations on passing the first phase!" Pep radiated off her almost nauseatingly. "We're going to start the second phase right away, with me as your examiner!"
A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank you to Audley Moore, guest, and Hoh, for leaving reviews!
