Chapter four of the 'Alignments' arc; I took too long with this one.
Enjoy the story.
Jasmine sighed as she rubbed her wrists, observing the scene around them. Well, we did quite a number on the area, she thought, rolling her eyes sardonically as she clicked her tongue.
"So what now?" Mask-Face asked. He was surveying the area much like she was, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was likely thinking something along the same lines as she was, that was to say, That was messy.
The girl silently surveyed the destruction caused by the battle some more before she shook her head. "We clean up and apologize to Luna," she muttered. "Least we can do to make it up for damaging her place in the chaos." The mercenary headed to a room in the back and got a broom and dustpan from inside. "Catch," she called over, tossing the items over to the man as she returned.
"Damn, that was eventful," Jasmine heard Shelia comment as the demon looked outside, maybe searching to see if Aqua Regina was still around. "Well, the glowing sea bitch is gone!" the orange-haired demon yelled, her lisp getting stronger at the 's' sounds in her sentence.
"Hey, don't say that about Her Majesty!" Helen protested, the blonde mermaid next to young Lila as she tried to ease her up and off the ground.
Luna had come out from behind the doors she had been hiding behind, and the white-haired mermaid was helping Helen lift Lila up and onto the sofa, where the unconscious child could rest until she woke up.
The masked man caught the items that she threw over with relative ease with one hand. With his other, he tapped the end of his silver staff on the ground, causing a ray of golden-tinged light to spill forth. The faintly glowing light repaired much of the broken coral in Luna's home, not even leaving behind cracks, much less any indicator that it had been broken before.
As the light worked to repair most of the damage, he started sweeping up the dust that had ended up gathering from the attacks. "How are we even sweeping underwater?" he asked bemusedly.
Jasmine shrugged as the girl picked up a shard of broken china, careful not to let it cut herself as she tossed it into the dustpan, where it landed with a soft 'chink'. "Trying to hand a lampshade?" she asked, raising a dark brow. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Shelia heading outside, but the dark-haired girl didn't say a word about it just yet. "You'd be better off asking how magic works," she continued offhandedly to the man.
"I did ask that once," the white-haired man replied, stopping in the middle of his work to give her a glance. "Took me seven years to figure out what the guy had said." He resumed his work, occasionally moving the dustpan around so it caught the shards that she tossed to it.
Jasmine chuckled in amusement as she picked up a couple of shattered ornaments and tossed them over to the pile. "A wise man once told me to question everything," she quipped. "When I asked him why, he told me not to question that. So the lesson was apparently 'question everything unquestioningly."
"I could teach you to use some of the powers our kind have," he said conversationally, continuing the sweeping.
Jasmine paused and glanced down at a shard before the girl tossed it in the direction of the dustpan. "I… that would be nice," the girl admitted. "I never quite got the chance to learn how."
"I can teach you after this," the man replied, and she could see the barest hint of a smile from under his mask. "We can meet up in my home on the surface where we can train."
Jasmine stopped what she was doing to stare up at the ceiling, as if she could see through the coral and up into the sky that was above the sea. "The surface world, huh?" she mumbled to herself before she sighed, exhaling slowly and looking back down. "I've been there before. Never went too far into the area, but it's a quaint place. Of course, from my awful luck, something's going to happen soon that forces all of us onto land —" she abruptly paused, "— and I hope I didn't just jinx us by saying that."
"I have a nice house by the sea," the man replied to her, also stopping his work. "But I try not to venture into the underwater kingdoms for too long, due to the animosities about our kin."
Jasmine muttered a harsh curse and flinched at the reminder of the deeply-ingrained hatred of Panthalassans in many of the kingdoms. Her fists clenched, thankfully not around a sharp shard, and the vaguest memory of something that happened over ten years ago resurfaced to the front of her mind. Her teeth grit as she bit back her anger. "Let's not talk about that," she managed to force out through her grit teeth. "It's… not something I want to remember."
"Nor I," the man agreed in a sombre tone. He reached for his white mask and removed it. The white mask vanished, and with an aside glance at the silver staff he held in his other hand, it returned back to a silver pendant that settled onto a chain around his neck. Briefly, the golden cross that Jasmine recognized at the mark of the Panthalassa Clan gleamed on his brow before it faded away.
"Looks like Mask-Face got tired of the mask," Jasmine jabbed, though her tone was light-hearted and rather joking despite her dark mood. She managed a little chuckle, but then frowned deeply. "I have the feeling that it's not going to be easy for us," the girl said, the solemnity in her tone obvious. "Between you, me, and Shelia, we're already hated by half the population." The dark-haired girl shook her head with not a little dismay, and her voice was spiteful when she spoke next. "Our history is set in stone, no thanks to the actions of those in the Rebellion."
The now-unmasked man's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Panthalassan Rebellion and a frown etched itself onto his features. "My name is Kazi, by the way," he stated smoothly, voice even, "though I personally prefer the name Z. I was a young lord in the kingdom," he continued grimly, and Jasmine was aware that she was the only one who was hearing this. "I watched my people destroy themselves, and with this new development, I know that we'll have to stick together to finish this."
The younger of the two Panthalassans nodded, no less grim. "Jasmine, she replied curtly to him. "Born after the First Ocean War," she added. As Jasmine glanced back around at the mostly cleaned up floor, she noted that Lila seemed to be stirring awake. The girl looked back at Kazi with a frown. "We'll have to. I have a feeling that we're in big trouble."
"Agreed." Kazi extended his hand in a gesture, and a slight smile appeared on his face. "But we can succeed."
Jasmine's eyes, narrowed, quickly found something out of the ordinary — the word 'Fourth' written on his hand with a neat, formal-looking script in white. She nodded, giving her own arm, with the black cursive writing that spelt out 'First' another glance. "Welcome to the team, Fourth," she commented dryly.
It seemed as if Kazi only noticed the mark then, as he blinked in confusion as to what she was saying, before he saw the writing on his hand. "What?" he asked, brow furrowed together. "When did this get here?"
All her suspicions confirmed, Jasmine nodded to herself. "You grabbed my hand earlier," she stated matter-of-factly, holding her arm out and tapping the black mark for emphasis. "All we're missing now is Second and Seventh. Luna should be either one of them," she said, blue eyes darting over to the white-tailed mermaid.
Kazi nodded. "Then in that case, we are most certainly chosen by the Fates for this task that lies ahead. I will be sure to teach you to fight with your powers, so that we won't need rescuing next time."
The mercenary made a sound of agreement, crossing her arms over her chest. She silently glanced around the room — everything was just about done, it seemed. The Panthalassan could find no more shards on the ground, which was most definitely a good thing. "That would be one thing I'd appreciate," she muttered. "I don't like having to be weak. It's a blow to my pride and makes me feel inferior."
"Indeed," Kazi agreed, setting the equipment aside as he finished up. "Now," he glanced around and then at her, "shall we take our leave?"
Jasmine raised a brow. "To train?" There was a part of her that was eager to learn — as she usually was, in fact. Then there was another part… not so much. That part of her was still working out the finer details of her new assignment for her, and it was failing to get past 'I have to save the world'. For some reason, that disturbed her less than 'a bunch of people are trying to kill me because of who I am'.
For good reason, of course. Being what she was, she was already on a hit list that comprised of half the mermaid populace.
Kazi gave a curt nod of his head. "The sooner we start, the better," he told her. "You've touched the power within, so now, you need to harness it." That was the end of his explanation, it seemed, as he then moved towards the exit of the house, giving Luna and Helen a short nod of acknowledgement as he passed them.
Jasmine mumbled a curse, inhaling sharply as she tossed her bare hands a glance. The memory of a sharp spark of lightning filled her mind — the sheer power she could feel from it was… empowering, to say the least. Flexing the fingers of her left hand, she exhaled. "Right. Let's get started them."
The man gave her a nod, and went outside, presumably heading for the surface.
Jasmine gave the other three a glance that said 'don't do anything stupid with no one around' and gave the sleeping Lila a gesture, trying to tell the group to head up if needed. Then, she walked out the door, gently closing the repaired item behind her, and took off to follow the older Panthalassan, and for once, she was actually feeling positive about everything.
It was after a good while of swimming that Jasmine could see that the man was leading her towards a small cove. Without a word, the girl followed behind, though she did examine the cove rather acutely, taking in small details she was sure wouldn't be useful in the future. It seemed like the cove was rather new, she noted to herself, but she said nothing on it. Glancing back forward, she saw Kazi move into another cave and finally, after following him, she surfaced in a small pool, inside what could only be the basement of a house — likely his.
Seeing that he had already gone onto land, she followed suit, and quickly followed up with a sharp inhale of air, getting used to the feeling of breathing in air rather than water for a brief moment. It wasn't as unpleasant as it was the first time around, so thank goodness for how she often dropped by the surface while she was in school to pick up materials. "So," she started casually, "this is your home."
The white-haired man nodded as he walked up a flight of stairs that presumably led up to the ground floor. "It's where I live," he confirmed. "I built the pool so I could return to the sea on occasion. Of course, I expect to be doing that far more often now." His clothes had changed, Jasmine noted to herself, into something more similar to casual human wear.
The girl processed the statement, nodding in agreement. "Very smart. Seeing someone dive headfirst into the water and not come back would have prompted quite a few people to call the cops on you." She took the chance to remove her cloak, folding it neatly and tucking it under her arm. Meanwhile, she busied herself with looking around, mildly intrigued. They did say how a house was decorated could tell much about a person, after all.
Kazi led her into a decently-sized house — one with two floors, judging by the height of the staircase she could see — with well-furnished rooms. It wasn't plain by any means, but it wasn't opulent either. Still, it looked quite personal, like someone did live there. There were paintings hung on the wall, with items in glass showcases carefully attached to the wall. The most impressive thing, though, had to be the large library he led her into. The room was filled with books, mostly old tomes from the worn covers and faded letterings along the spines.
It was someplace she'd like to lock herself into and read until she got bored, which was unlikely.
"I'm assuming you work a well-paying job," Jasmine said offhandedly, looking around the library while telling herself to mind her manners and not grab the first book that caught her attention in the room. It was quite the temptation, but she was good at resisting those, as far as she knew. The girl didn't look like the bookworm-type, but she was most definitely a book-lover.
He shrugged, waving the question off. "A decent job," he said in response. "Most of the money comes from jewels and such that I brought to the surface." Which could technically mean that he didn't even need to work much at all — jewels, gold, silver and the like were very viable currency in the marine world, above the mermaid government-issued shell-based currency.
The girl didn't feel like prying, so she didn't. "I see." Her gaze roved over the impressive collection of titles in the library, dark blue eyes practically sparkling at the vast range of books. Not comparable to the Academy's library, but the range of topics was certainly broader. "You certainly have quite the impressive collection there," she noted, glancing around with not a little awe.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him smile briefly. Kazi waved one of his hands in the air, and just like that, several old tomes appeared on a shelf that she hadn't seen when she entered the room. It was as if they had been there the whole time, but she had simply refused to register their presence in the room. Still, it was undeniable that those books were now, in fact, there and in the room.
She physically jumped a little when she saw the shelf and the books, and rubbed her eyes, blinking a few times to confirm what she had seen. "How did I not notice that?" she asked, looking at the shelf once more to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. "That's impressive," she muttered.
There was a hint of mirth in his voice. "Just one of the things I've learned I can do with my powers," the man said, reaching over to the shelf and pulling out a dusty old tome. The crest of the Panthalassa Clan — which, while not too familiar, was not a completely new sight to her eyes — was emblazoned boldly onto the surface.
"Looks like it's been around for a couple hundred years at the least," Jasmine noted, letting her fascination show. She hadn't been allowed to handle books like that back in school, as they were rather fragile.
"It's one of the old spell books of our people," Kazi told her, handing the heavy-looking book over to her. "Few are left in existence, as they were lost when the nobility died after the Rebellion."
Jasmine paused, quickly amending her statement as she inspected the yellowed parchment that made up the pages of the thick, leather-bound tome. "Okay, really old." Her gaze lightly skimmed over minute writing in the pages, detailing things she barely understood and which she wasn't sure she'd understand anytime soon. Skimming causally over yet another page, she saw something that caught her eye and made her double back to read it in more detail. "Cursed twins?" she read aloud, sounding sceptical. "And that is supposed to mean…"
The man picked up another book from the shelf, heading over to one of the comfortable-looking armchairs in the library. "Not quite sure about that part. I'm still working through reading through all these books."
"There's quite a lot of them," the dark-haired girl remarked as she glanced across the shelf. "Depending on how much you read, and how fast, that could take from a year to six months for you to finish the whole lot."
The man smiled, sitting down and cracking the book open. "Care to lend a set of eyes then? It will help you to advance faster."
"I'd love to."
"Pick a book," Kazi told her, gesturing at the shelves. "We'll work on the practical side of things later."
The girl looked over the tomes and selected one that seemed the least likely to hold information that she would have no chance of understanding. It was a bit thinner than the rest, and the canvas-bound cover looked just a tad more worn. Without even waiting to sit down, she had already started reading through the contents. The girl sat down in the other chair, immersed into the book already.
Battle Royale Pichi Pichi Pitch
Helen blinked, once, twice, thrice, and an infinite number of times as she tried to take in what just happened. One second, they were arguing with Aqua Regina, the next, there was this weird guy — even weirder than some of the members of her group — casually standing in the middle of the room, and in another second, he was gone, thanks to the efforts made by Jasmine, the masked man, and Aqua Regina herself. Furthermore, Jasmine and the masked man, now known as Kazi, cleaned the mess they made and disappeared off to somewhere.
The mermaid shook her head, swimming away from Lila's side. "I guess I'll follow my instinct," the strawberry blonde mumbled quietly, leaving the house as well. She followed the trail left by the two and entered a cave, questioning for a second why she was doing all of this after involuntarily signing her own death before she went any further.
She surfaced and breathed in the familiar oxygen while she took the chance to look around. The blonde noticed that she was in the basement of a house, probably Kazi's from their discussion earlier. She pulled herself out of the water, and in a matter of seconds, her skin was dry and she had assumed her human form. Her hair shortened into a wavy bob cut, and her tail changed to a pair of legs. Thankfully, she wasn't naked like last time, and she had on the clothes she had found the last time she had went to the human world, consisting of a pink shirt and jean shorts, though she still lacked socks and was walking in sandals.
The girl took a few shaky steps to some stairs, trying to get herself used to having legs again and not her tail. Fortunately enough, her shorts allowed her to move quicker and her shirt wasn't so long that it hindered her movement. When she was walking without a potential trip every other step, the girl practically ran up the stairs to look for the duo. "Anyone home?" she called out, looking around curiously.
After a while, a door down the hall to her left was opened and Jasmine walked outside, stopping when she saw the girl. The taller of the two closed the door gently, saying something to Kazi, who was presumably inside, and she strode over. "Helen?" she asked, raising a fine black brow. "Did you follow us here?"
Ignoring the rhetorical tone of the question, the pink mermaid came up with a sarcastic jab. "No, I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop by." The girl was very proud of the sarcasm dripping from her answer, pleasantly surprised by how well she had pulled it off, and smiled to herself.
The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes. "At least you have clothes on," she said, voice deadpan, quickly reminding Helen that while she was not quite one to make sarcastic quips, others were. "Why exactly did you come up here too, Sixth?"
Sixth, right, that was her name, wasn't it?
Helen shot her shoulder a quick glance and turned back to Jasmine. "I got these when I was up here last time," she said, twirling around in place to show off all sides of the simple human outfit. How typical of her. "Anyway," she said, blatantly ignoring the rest of the asked questions, "it seems like you two know a lot of things." She hoped she had made it obvious that she had a question or two she wanted to be answered.
The other girl seemed bright, right?
Helen held her breath for a while, waiting for her response.
Jasmine blinked once, looking at her, then spoke. "About what?"
The strawberry blonde mermaid sighed — no going back now, she supposed — and shifted her gaze elsewhere, somewhere other than the tall, and perhaps a little intimidating girl in front of her. She wasn't trusting the other girl, she reminded herself, she just needed this information to keep herself alive. Yeah, that was right. She bolstered her courage up, then asked her question to the taller girl. "What if a mermaid is born without a pearl? Is there a way for her to have one later one?" she asked, and after a moment of pause, finally looked back at the other, meeting the dark blue, somewhat confused gaze boldly.
The taller girl seemed to be playing with the given scenario in her mind for a while, as her gaze was focused not on Helen, but something else in the hallway. "I've… heard of a case like this before," she said slowly. "It was something a colleague mentioned, so I'm not completely sure." She paused, staring down Helen, brow furrowed together, either in thought or confusion. "She mentioned something about the Ocean Queen, but I wasn't paying much attention." She shrugged her shoulders a little. "In all likelihood, Aqua Regina could probably provide one to said mermaid anyway." The Panthalassan girl folded her arms over her chest. "Why do you ask? And don't give me the 'I was just wondering' bull. I've heard it before."
Helen clicked her tongue, annoyed by how quickly the other girl had sealed her only way of backing out of the conversation. She narrowed her eyes and exhaled sharply, keeping her voice firm. "This is something no one knows, and I don't want it being spread about," she said sternly. She had made herself clear, the blonde was certain, that whatever she was going to say had to remain between the two of them, and if Kazi was listening in somewhere, he was to keep it a secret as well.
She paused for a beat, then started to explain. "I was born without a pearl because I'm half-human," the mermaid said. "I was born on the surface, and then my mother took me underwater, so I lacked a pearl from birth." The blonde looked up at the other girl, her features schooled into a serious expression, but her blue eyes were deeply saddened, sorrow clear in the irises.
"I… see." Jasmine seemed to be eyeing her warily, though she didn't seem to be regarding her with disdain, fortunately enough. "I won't say anything," she continued, the promise very much made clear. She paused, dark blue eyes leaving Helen, likely thinking about something else. "You know, aside from a myth or two, you could just be the first mermaid-human hybrid involved in a world-saving prophecy." A slight smirk curled her lips.
"That doesn't exactly make me happy, being the first and all," the strawberry blonde retorted. She was fed up with what she was, being inferior to both species, for she was neither a mermaid, nor a human, a hybrid with no place that she belonged to. A mermaid who had no pearl, and a human with a tail. What a joke.
She sighed; perhaps it was better to put the topic aside.
Battle Royale Pichi Pichi Pitch
Luna was done with all of this, she was sure. She blamed herself for not even trying to get away. Stretching, the pale purple mermaid got up with a pained frown, the stinging from her shoulder a dull nuisance in her side. "If I'm one of them… I guess, then, I'll have to follow." The mermaid glanced back at her house and sighed upon seeing the cleaned living room. "This is what you get, Luna," she muttered, "what you get for thinking of being kind. Stupid, stupid girl…" Her mind went back to the battle that had nearly been lost, had it not been for the goddess Aqua Regina, and Luna pursed her lips. "I can't be hiding forever," she murmured, making her mind up to follow behind Helen too.
The pale mermaid swam for the door, freezing when she reached it. "The others…" she reminded herself. Reaching out for a piece of parchment and a quill from a tabletop in the room, she jotted down a simple, to the point note for the others and then set it down, proceeding to swim off. She made small signals as she followed behind Helen so the others could follow, then as she swam after the petite-looking mermaid, she realized to herself, "You're being kind now. You're actually caring!"
Despite herself, Luna smiled. "It feels nice, though."
The mermaid continued to swim after Helen, only slowing down when she reached a cove. Luna poked her head over the surface of the water, looking around, then surfacing completely to turn to her human form. With her hair now in a pale braid over her shoulder as well as wearing a long-sleeved black turtleneck and jean shorts, the mermaid headed up the stairs after Helen. Opening the door, Luna spotted both Helen and Jasmine standing in the hallway, likely in the middle of a conversation.
"—calm down," the taller of the two girls was saying, her expression irritated and her voice no better. She turned slightly, raising her gaze from the strawberry blonde in front of her to make eye contact with Luna, dark blue eyes relaxing a little from the annoyed expression they were set it. "You finally came out of hiding, Frosty," she said idly, voice casual, like she wasn't just annoyed and irritated.
"Frosty?" Luna echoed, raising a thin brow at the unexpected nickname. "Sorry I was hiding," she followed up, her retort sharpened by the anger she felt at the implication of cowardice. She glared elsewhere, lowering her voice to a mumble. "Just when I thought—" She cut herself off. "Never mind." She turned her dark purple glare onto Jasmine, raising her voice. "Where are we heading?"
The dark-haired girl shrugged. "I was about to head inside. Though… I do wonder." Her dark blue eyes met Luna's glare without even a flinch, casual and calm. "Are you one of us, or not?" A dark brow was arched in the direction of the pale purple mermaid, almost like she was daring the Antarctic mermaid.
Said mermaid instantly became defensive, stepping back and away from the taller girl, glaring hard at her. She was aware that Helen was looking between the 'argument' with a measure of curiosity, but she couldn't bother with it just yet. "Why would you care?" she hissed, her eyes narrowed as she stood back defensively. "Hopefully," she spat, "I'm not. You did punch me in my stomach, and therefore you made contact with me, and yet I felt nothing. And if you dare touch me again—" Luna hissed at her, cutting off her unspoken threat before it was even made.
Am I that scared of them? Of letting myself have friends again? Just a few seconds ago, she was rejoicing at the thoughts of having people who would actually care about her, about having friends, but now she was trying to break away from them. Was she scared of getting hurt again? Like… like she was hurt by… by them? She sighed to herself, disappointed.
Jasmine seemed to have brushed off her confrontational attitude with ease. "You need to touch me for it to work," she corrected brusquely, and then the other girl promptly leaned in, so close that their noses were barely touching. A hand gripped Luna's upper arm to stop her from moving away. "A chat, Luna, if you would," she said crisply, her Eastern Atlantic accent coming clear across in her statements. "I know you're hiding something, and to be quite frank, I don't care what it is. I don't care if you can't tolerate met. I don't care if you hate me. We're in this together, like it or not, and you just have to bite down and take it."
The dark-haired girl cleared her throat and straightened back up, releasing her grip on Luna, much to Helen's apparent bewilderment. "Well now," she said calmly, adjusting her shirt, "that's out of the way…" She offered a pale hand to the mermaid, unfazed by the sudden changes in her attitude or the turns of the conversation.
The pale purple mermaid flinched away from the offered hand, grimacing unconsciously. "You don't need to know anything," she hissed violently. "I prefer being alone!" Even though I've been alone for years now. Those were the words that wanted to come out, but the mermaid wasn't about to let them. The girl took a few more steps back, defensively raising her hands. Did she want something else? Luna didn't know; she couldn't help it! She was always in disbelief, always cautious and fearful — that came with the territory of losing everything and everyone she loved within mere moments of each other.
The Panthalassan girl lowered her hand, raising a brow at Luna, making the mermaid glare once more. "And I said," she repeated brusquely, "that I don't care about any of that." She pinned a frosty glance on the mermaid — one that Luna didn't flinch at — and continued speaking. "Look," she said solemnly, "you heard what the Fates said. You head what the bloody Ocean Queen said. They called us 'champions', the Fates' champions. They want us to save the entire bleeding world, and we all agreed to it. You too, if you don't remember."
Her voice dropped again, just enough for Luna to head, and her following sentence was much softer than her hard tone moments earlier. "If you don't want to talk, then fine, but know that when you do, then at least one of us will be willing to lend you an ear."
Luna hissed, reluctant and torn between her decisions. What should she do? She heard someone speak up behind her — was that the girl with the wings, what was her name, Lila? — and saw Jasmine's eyes briefly flicker off her and onto the person behind her, giving the pale mermaid some time to think over her possible choices. She pressed her lips together into a thin line. Half of her wanted to accept the taller girl's offer and take her hand, to believe in what the girl had promised and explain what was wrong; the other half just wanted to go back to her home, glare at the people that stubbornly refused to let go, and shut herself off again… just like she had been doing for the past few years since… since it happened.
Feeling a gaze on her again, the purple mermaid turned her gaze back onto Jasmine, tilting her head up to meet the dark blue gaze as audaciously as she dared. She inhaled deeply, steadying her breath as she pulled herself straight up. "Fine," she finally said, "I'll listen this time. But if something happens, and if either I have to talk, or you all have to listen, then… then promise me… promise me you won't judge." She was scared, scared they'd reject her for the stigma she carried, scared she'd be hauled back… Her eyes darted nervously to Helen, and to small Lila, who were both watching with a measure of curiosity.
The Panthalassan nodded. "We're a team, yes?" Her voice wasn't as harsh as it was moments ago, much lighter and optimistic. She extended a hand to Luna again, the slender black mark on the inside of her left elbow peeking out at the mermaid under her rolled-up sleeves, teasing the pale mermaid cheekily. "We're in this together, like it or not, so I promise."
The purple-eyed mermaid looked at her, hesitant. Did she believe the Panthalassan girl? She was only ever told that they were no more than lying, backstabbing bastards, after all, so did she dare? Her hand reached out, hovering inches above Jasmine's, and then she made her decision, reaching out to clasp the proffered hand as firmly as she could. A sharp, stinging burn made itself present on the back of her neck, and the girl hissed softly in pain. Her eyes widened in pain, and she looked up at Jasmine, worried.
The small smile that had only been vaguely there didn't falter on the taller girl's face. "It will be fine, Luna," she assured calmly, her voice soft and warm. Gently, the dark-haired girl squeezed the mermaid's hand in a comforting manner, not yet letting go.
Luna nodded, pushing all her anxieties away. She could trust her — she would trust her. It would be alright if she showed weakness, because they wouldn't take her back. She was safe, and she wanted to be safe. She wanted to be that girl she used to be like, the cheerful, optimistic child that loved to have fun and play around, not the fearful, cautious, and anti-social shell she was right now. Purple eyes closed, and her shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you."
Was it a figment of her imagination, or did Jasmine smile wider? And was that her saying 'You're welcome'?
Shaking it off, Luna looked around, smoothing the excitement she felt under her usual frown and blankness, not an easy feat with her current joy. The girl leaned on a wall, curiously sweeping the living room with a purple gaze. So, this is what a human house looks like? She looked over at Helen and Lila as the petite duo walked over, both looking positively tiny next to Jasmine's tall frame.
"Now, why exactly did you lot follow Kazi and I up here?" the dark-haired girl asked. "Not to say that I don't appreciate the concern." Despite the sarcastic tone of her voice, it seemed almost as if the Panthalassan truly did feel some measure of gratitude towards them.
Luna blinked, not hearing the others' answer, and replied with the first excuse she could think of. "I heard some talk about fighting and I thought it would be interesting," she said.
"It was less fighting and more about training," she corrected. "I never knew that the Panthalassa Clan's history dates back so far." She sounded almost in awe, Luna noted. Perhaps she loved learning?
Then, the mermaid caught sight of Helen and Jasmine sharing a few glances, and she frowned. "Don't linger on the thought," she said hastily. "I didn't hear your precious conversation." She cringed at herself — she was trying to help… not that she was good at it anyway. Her face burning in embarrassment at her slip-up. Aqua Regina help her, let the blonde not take offense!
Said blonde looked over at her and nodded, apparently satisfied and not taking offense. "Not that I don't like you two," the strawberry blonde explained. "Just as there are things you don't want others to know, I don't want people knowing of that." She offered a shy smile over at the pale purple mermaid.
"You're not the only one…" Luna looked down, knowing that her face was getting redder.
"You remember what the Ocean Queen mentioned earlier, yeah?" Jasmine interjected after a pause, drawing Luna's line of sight back towards her. Helen was nodding, while Lila was just looking blank. "About the Arctic?" the girl clarified, though it still drew a blank from the smallest of the four.
The Arctic? No, no, no, no, she was not going back there! If she did, they'd haul her back to the Antarctic, and she'd be back in that cell, behind those bars, back in that terrifying place… Her shiver wasn't entirely masked — she didn't want to go back to prison. The mermaid swallowed down a harsh retort, and glared harshly at the Panthalassan. "I refuse to go to the Arctic," she practically hissed.
"Well," the black-haired girl muttered, "we could… always let the problem come to us. And kill a couple dozen more people in its wake, if that Sloth bloke was any indication."
Guilt trip? Was she trying to guilt Luna into going? Not if she had a say in it!
The mermaid grunted disapprovingly. "I see what you're trying to do, but I will say this. I don't want to get near any of the Poles. When I get nervous, I shut down and all that's left of me is someone who can't function properly. I'm not going to go mindlessly into the Arctic. If you were me, you'd know why."
Jasmine shrugged, muttering, "I can hazard a guess or two. Your parents died there. Someone you knew died there. You broke up with your girlfriend and wanted a new start. You got run out of town. You broke out of prison and are a wanted fugitive…" she trailed off, ticking off each idea on one of her fingers.
"You should write a book," Helen commented from the side. "It could make up a good story."
"When you're working as a merc-for-hire, kid," the dark-haired girl mentioned, "you see scenarios like that every other day. 'I want them dead because they were involved in my parents murder', 'I hate her so much because she cheated on me'," she mimed in a deadpan tone that was completely at odds with the content of her speech. "It's not much of a surprise," she concluded.
She was right. She was right.
Luna was taken aback, shocked to her core, and at the same time, deeply hurt that the issues were brought up by someone who didn't even know her aside from a few inconsequential pieces of information like her name. "More or less," she said with a bitter smile. "But half of those details are wrong. Your sources should be a bit more thorough." Her head hurt — all those painful memories were sweeping back into the front of her mind after so long of locking them up. Her cold smile stayed, unmoving and frozen on her features. "I like that you know almost everything. Almost."
The purple-eyed mermaid stalked right up to Jasmine, lips curling back into a disdainful sneer. "You should be careful where you place your feet," the mermaid spat. "Some people don't like to revisit their past, or speak of it. Don't put yourself where you don't belong. I'm going out for a walk." She wanted to slap the girl badly, but she kept it in, delivering one final, stone cold glare at the Panthalassan girl, who was looking at her with an expression of deadpan indifference.
She spun on her heel, tossing her long, pale purple braid over her shoulder. "Don't worry," she sneered, not looking back as she walked towards the front door, glowering in anger. "I'll come back. I've gotten too soft," she practically spat. Of course, she sneered to herself, I thought I made new friends, I always do, and they always hurt me. Always. A scowl twisted her expression further. Just like they did. They always hurt me! She stormed out, slamming the door on her way.
When she stormed out, a little part of her started to regret it, but Luna was still incensed by the casual way Jasmine had managed to hit her where it hurt. She sighed, walking along the raised gravel pavement that had been made to resemble a cliff, bordering the ocean, and inhaling the fresh ocean air, the salty scent clearing her mind and reminding her of the ocean. Pressing her lips together, she finally allowed her mind to drift towards the others. Would they have followed her? Well, it didn't matter… or did it?
The mermaid shook her head, finally sighing as she stopped a good way away from the house, staring out at the calm surface of the ocean. I should head back now, darn it…They'll be worrie— I mean, I might miss out on important things… Nodding, she repeated her thoughts to convince herself, and cast the house a worried glance. But this time, I need to control my actions better. People… we get distracted by emotions too easily. She shook her head in dismay.
By the time Luna finally decided to walk back, someone was calling her name. A raise of her head showed the Panthalassan girl outside, raising a hand at her. "Hey, Moony!" she shouted. "You alright?"
Luna was silent for a few beats, then responded. "… Jasmine." She walked over to the dark-haired girl, not wanting to meet her eyes. "Why are you out here?" she asked, blinking. The pale purple-haired girl turned her gaze onto the calm ocean, watching the moonlight play over the rippling water.
"Waiting for you." Her voice was slightly deadpan, but there was the barest hint of a smile on the taller girl's face. She whistled as she looked at the full moon, her hands clasping behind her back. Her face was highlighted by the silver beams of the moonlight, and this time, the smile was much more prominent. "It's a real beautiful sight, isn't it, Moon Face?"
The purple mermaid followed her gaze and looked up at the moon too. "You sure like calling me names." She pursed her lips, eyes narrowing. "I don't like it," she admitted. "It reminds me of the colors of jail. You could say… that it was the moon's fault for giving me away; the sun's for always giving me hope." She shook her head, snorting scornfully. "Either way, it's too painful once you reach them. The moon gives no life, the sun burns with light."
"Nicknames come and they go," Jasmine said with a careless shrug of her shoulders. "I do that because I don't interact with people for as long as I've done with the rest of you, strange as it may sound." In the corner of Luna's eyes, the Panthalassan turned to look at her. "So, I really did get a jackpot there. How… coincidental." She shook her head, exhaling slowly. "You know, there's a song from the Atlantic, berating the sun for its cruelty and praising the moon."
The mermaid frowned. "Well… you got some parts of it right. I'll tell you the rest if I feel like it. And… I don't like songs. They can be boring."
"Hey!" The door suddenly slammed, and the short-haired strawberry blonde that was Helen raced up, huffing in indignation with a red face. "Why did you leave me behind?!" she complained.
"Sorry about that," Luna said bluntly, not sorry at all. "I needed time to cool off."
"Why not jump into the water?"
Jasmine snorted as soon as the pink mermaid said that. "Did you take that literally, kid?"
The mermaid smirked, an idea finding its way to the forefront of her mind. "Why not?" she echoed. "Jasmine will go in first." Her smirk widening, she used her body as well as her hands to shove the Panthalassan face first into the waves that were crashing onto the side of the gravel pavement, watching with a delightedly wicked grin as the girl was caught off guard, sent into the rising tide.
"I was trying to be helpful," Helen was saying, pouting. A grin lit up her face when the Panthalassan was sent into the sea, and she turned to beam cheerily at Luna. "You, I like you," the blonde mermaid said quickly, amused.
"Oi!" Two pale hands shot out of the surface of the water, closing around their ankles , and giving a sharp yank, pulling both Luna and Helen back first into the water.
Luna yelped in surprise when she was suddenly soaked and she turned back into her mermaid form, but as quickly as it came, she started laughing, doubling over with giggles and chuckles while she contented herself with laughing at Jasmine's expense. The corner of her purple eyes were creased in laughter, the smile that curved her lips almost hurting. The mermaid turned to Jasmine, snickering.
"That was uncalled for!" Helen protested furiously, arms by her side and hands in fists. Her cheeks were blown out, and she looked positively indignant. She continued shouting at the Panthalassan with a huff, and finally folding her arms over her chest.
The purple mermaid looked at the two, smiling until two figures changed before her eyes. Jasmine was replaced by a slender mermaid with long orchid hair, and Helen with curly mulberry hair, making her do a double take to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She shook her head, rubbing at her eyes. I didn't kill Rachael, I didn't, I didn't… I can have friends now, I want to have friends. I don't care what they say, I didn't do it!
"Something the matter?" Jasmine asked, looking slightly worried.
Luna put on a false smile, shaking her head once more. "Nothing," she dismissed. "Next time, I'll get you for what you did." She smiled, and there was a sincere spark of amusement in her eyes. Yeah, I can have friends now. They're my friends. They are my friends. I already have friends.
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