8:47 a.m. Port of Veracruz, Mexico...
Just outside the city of Veracruz, Mexico, the harbor was bustling with excitement as the sun was coming up over the horizon to begin a new day. From fishermen reining in their catches of the day to its local market merchants setting up their tents to sell their fruits, vegetables, and various types of meat, to jewelry and trinkets, and other intriguing goods, to its local citizens' opening shops. The streets were filled with voices, laughter, and livestock as this great city began another beautiful day just a mile or so from its equally gorgeous harbor. It was lined with more boats along its docks than far as the eye can see. Most were fishermen's boats, others yachts, and a few pleasure cruise ships ready to set sail.
It was turning out to be a promising day for the Port of Veracruz with little rain and mostly sunshine; the birds were flying and singing their good mornings. Not far from the sea's docks stood a series of tents, each bearing a stall with a friendly and competitive fisherman eager to sell their fresh catch for the day. Others were selling shrimp, lobsters, crabs, shark fins, you name it, and many more.
With the cool morning breeze filling the mid-summer's air with the salty promise of fresh seafood, it was no surprise as crowds began drawing near from traveling tourists to eager locals. There was one particular customer who was drawn in by the sweet salty scent, and it had her feline-like senses in a tizzy. Crinkling her nose in delight, she hurried forward like a kid in an ice cream shop.
This young girl stood just barely over five feet as she eagerly floated from stall to stall, practically flickering her tail...tails?...as she let her nose be her guide. Her bright red-rose-coloured sleeveless summer dress whipped around her calves revealing a pair of white baggy shorts underneath.
With a skip and a hop, on a pair of two white opened-toe sandals, she came to a halt just a few yards away from a red snapper stand as her rose-red coloured ribboned white sunhat nearly flew from her deep auburn shoulder-length locks. Out of reflex, the auburn-haired girl snatches her sunhat back before it got more than a foot from her head while anxiously checking to make sure no one saw. After realizing the coast was clear, a sly cat-like grin stretches across her heart-framed face reaching her yellow almond-shaped gaze.
Her pupils narrowed in on the prize before her, however, she was knocked off her game when a sudden burst of laughter and clapping startled her. If you could imagine it, her whole body froze up like hair on a feline standing up on all ends.
"Just like a cat," A deep male voice boomed cheeringly. "That was a great save, Miss!"
With an ill-controlled motion, the girl held back a most desired hissy fit before narrowing end on the idiot who would dare get in the way of her most beloved snack- the red snapper.
A pair of dark caramel-brown eyes locked onto her yellow-amber ones.
"You," She hisses, emphasizing the word "you" causing her pupils to increase in size turning black. (I don't know about you, but when a cat's eyes start getting bigger/blacker, you should run!)
Before her, stood a rather tall young guy about her age with a tanned complexion; medium to be exact or so the sunhat girl took in. How he managed to sneak up on her without her picking up on it so quickly, was quite impressive in her mind. He was nearly a whole foot taller than she, herself at that, and from the looks of things, a lot more muscle.
His crisp white t-shirt had stood out amongst his darker-coloured clothing which consisted of a black denim jacket he wore unbuttoned along with his brown baggy pants and black sneakers. Like her and most tourists she had spotted, she noticed he also carried a good-sized travel pack on his shoulder.
"Akane, my dear, me thinks that you have competition." She humored herself after making further scrutiny while taking into account the difference in their sizes. His body frame was pretty well toned and his biceps muscles were even noticeable without making show of it. Overall, this fellow seemed to be ship-shape.
Seeing that he may have stepped over some toes, the young man extended his hand and sheepishly apologized, "I'm terribly sorry for spooking you just now, miss...miss?...um..."
Admittedly, he was usually a bit more reserved than this most times. Though after observing this girl's character, there was something about her that brought out the inner child in him. For some unseen reason or another, it made him feel lighter and unburdened.
"Akane. Akane Adabashi." She said in an even tone, accepting the handshake. Though slightly intrigued to see where this was going, she could tell right away that he wasn't your average Joe. "But my friends call me Aka-chan."
"Miss Aka-chan." He parroted taking note of her soft features and foreign accent. "Would you by any chance come from the Eastern Continent?"
"Just Aka-chan, if you don't mind." She replied with a Cheshire cat toothy grin. "And yes, I am from across many seas."
"Ah, I see." He said adding it to his notes with a kind smile. "My mistake, then. Aka-chan it is."
He made a curt, polite bow as he continued, " The name is Burak Kartal, but you may call me Burak. I hope you can forgive me for surprising you earlier. The thing is I was just taken back at how fast your reflexes were a moment ago- you're quite fast!"
Akane smirked pretending to wave off the compliment and snorted, "Quite charming, but I'm not letting you off the hook that easily." She was never one to forget nor forgive as quickly as most.
Burak half-heartedly chuckled in defense running his fingers through his dark chocolate wavy tresses; he typically liked to keep it no shorter than where his neck and ears would join.
Akane cut in, "Do I also hear a hint of Turkish dialect on your tongue just now?"
Burak smiled, "You're very observant, and yes, it's my native land."
"Hey! Move, you're blocking the street!" Someone suddenly called.
Both swiftly moved aside to let the noisy crowd pass by which their pushiness had annoyed Akane little more than it should have. Be that as it may, it wasn't every day that she came across someone of her 'kind' either, so their rudeness would not go unpunished.
Not a full minute passed before, one of the rowdy males of the group bellowed loudly about stepping into a big pile of cow dung which sounded like music to Akane's ears. With a small snicker of delight, she could help but feel rather proud of herself. She folded her arms up and behind the base of her neck as she started casually walking toward her beloved red snappers once more.
Burak caught the look of satisfaction on the girl's face next to him strolling forward without a care in the world, and knew without a doubt.
"Pfft!... You did that just now, didn't you?" Burak exclaimed adding it up and chuckled.
Akane looked slightly alarmed dropping her arms and bouncing back, "I don't know what you're talking about!... You have no proof!"
This caused Burak to laugh once more, and he grabbed his upper legs for support from laughing so hard. By this point, one of Akane's eyes was twitching and she could feel her claws threatening to come out.
She sputtered back in anger, "You better stop right now or so help me, something even worse will befall you than stepping into cow dung,...you laughing baboon!"
One looked at each other and they both fell silent a moment before Burak, pointed and cried out, "Ah huh!... I knew it!"
Just as Akane was about to have a meltdown and wring this fool's neck, a new voice joined the conversation, "Two snappers for the price of one only for today!... Would you like to try some, Miss?"
Before she knew it, she and the tall idiot were standing in front of the stall she was trying to get to before she was distracted. How the sweet savory scent of her beloved fishies got past her was a mystery...or was it?
The other gentleman behind the booth held out two fried fish each on a stick right before them. Without hesitation, Akane took them and nearly swallowed them in one go.
Burak blinked and they were gone!...he watched in disbelief as she began to stroll away unphased just like that.
Before the gentleman at the booth had a fit, Burak offered his apologies by paying for an order of two more which Akane decided to accept as a means as an apology for earlier once he caught back up with her. Under normal circumstances, Burak had to admit that he probably wouldn't have come out of his shell so easily if it weren't for the fact that he could tell Aka-chan wasn't your average girl. Something about her 'uniqueness' and being different than most like himself had set his mind at ease for the first time in many years. Like finding an old lost friend.
Several stalls down the street just to the left-hand side not far from the feline-like female and tall, dark gentleman, stood a light-silvered hair girl who was leaning against a soda machine enjoying a doubled-dipped churro-flavored ice cream cone. Their ruckus had carried over in her direction.
"What an unusual pair..." She mused out loud with a knowing grin. Flipping her ponytail over her shoulder, she could certainly tell right away that they were not human. "...' Wonder if I can get a moment with them for my notes."
9:03 a.m. Same Port, just outside the city walls towards the docks...
The sea was a beautiful crystal blue-green hue as the sun glistened over its waters in the bay with boats and vessels of every kind imaginable stood lining the city's docking areas. Seagulls could be seen out on the docks squawking; trying to steal a meal from some of the nearby fishing vessels as people onboard reeled in their nets.
From the land, more of the locals were eagerly drawing near the Port's docking areas readily welcoming in family and friends from their hard morning's toils from at sea. Some were simply tourists getting ready for a pleasure cruise on some of the finer ships while others were locals on yachts out enjoying time spent with loved ones. Further down the line were others curiously looking on while continuing going on about their business with their daily errands. Among them was one particular young man who also had special plans of his own to fulfill that cheery morning in the Port of Veracruz.
His long white lab coat whipped around his ankles in the cool morning breeze. Under it, he wore, a dark grey sweater vest and a white dress shirt tucked in his dark pants that went well with his black boots. The wind felt rather nice as it ruffled through his unkempt, wild white locks making his bangs that normally sat framing his face dance over his brow. The sensation mildly tickled his face. The gust of air here was so fresh and crisp despite the salty fishy smell that whiffed heavily in the breeze towards the docks.
"What a magnificent vessel!" Proclaimed, the young man with excitement. He, like our previous trio, was also a very peculiar individual of his own making. He stood at a good height of 5'9'' with a gangly stature, however, he was differently built than most. His arms were not of the same length; with his right arm slightly bulkier than the left and just a few inches longer. Even more curious, this strange young man also had screws coming out of his neck along with stitching all over his body connecting parts to other parts holding him together.
To any curious passerby, this young fellow most likely appeared to be the type who dressed overboard for a costume party of some sort.
Nearly twenty meters long and seven stories high, stood a large midnight blue submarine with faded silver lettering painted on the side labeled "The Sea Witch" in the Veracruz, Mexico bay. It was preparing to submerge for its daily adventure cruise. Coming out of the top, a few crew members could be seen emerging; bringing out a good-sized step ladder to connect it to the loading docks below.
"Thank you, sir, you're much too kind!" An average-height older man with a pot belly in his late forties called back in broken English warmly. He was the first among many slowly making their way down the ladder onto the shore.
Once on the dock, the lab-coated fellow rushed up to the older man to greet him and give him a firm-welcoming handshake.
"Would you so happen to be the captain of this marvelous specimen?" The young man eagerly inquired, looking on in awe he continues, "What does she run on?... How do you keep this one afloat?... And underwater at the same time?..."
Before the curious young man in the lab coat could continue on his excited rampage, the older gentlemen managed to cut in, "Si...Si...er...Yes...I am the one in charge of the Sea Witch, the captain of this vessel..."
"Captain Jorge Cortez." The older fellow added clearing his throat, getting his sea legs while taking in the young man's German accent. "It's a pleasure seeing young folks interested in technology of the deep."
"But of course, the pleasure is all mine, " The younger lad beamed with pride. "Levin Von Edelstein, and you may call me, Levin...or the doctor if you will."
"Good to know," The captain said as both withdrew from the handshake and took a gander at the sea vessel before them. "...' pleased to meet you, sir."
Up close, the Spanish captain was a little taken aback by the young man's appearance at first, but quickly brushed it off. He was used to seeing similar such folks in the area, so it didn't spook him by much; not with the local culture festivals and other shindigs they were having throughout the month thus far. However, he did find the young man's eyes rather unique, they were heterochromia; one was completely pale and the other was a vibrant blue. Under further scrutiny, he noticed the young lad's skin tone was a differing smatter of green, grey, white, and blue. It differed from body part to body part; half of his face was slightly tan, while the other half was an almost ghostly blue. His right forearm was a sickly green while his left leg obviously was a darker green.
"Tell me, Captain, will we be taking this lovely creature for a spin soon? I certainly can't wait to climb aboard and see how she works...so many fascinating gadgets and thingamabobs to study..." Levin went on while reaching for his ticket pass from the compartments of his tanned-shaded satchel bag to hand over to the older man.
"Looks like I've arrived just in the nick of time." A slightly tired female voice announced quickly.
Both men turned their heads at the same time to see who the newcomer was while still in the process of checking boarding tickets.
Before them several feet away, stood a tall lean-built young lady in black pumps dressed to kill in a yellow suit and dark-coloured skirt to match. With her long silver tresses swept back into a neat ponytail and her sharp almond-shaped brown eyes framed by her heart-shaped face which was flattered by her porcelain complexion, she certainly looked like a young lady who knew what she was here for.
"Is there still room aboard for me, Sir?" She asked politely once she caught her breath properly. Using a hand to shade her eyes from the sun, she squinted while gazing up at the monster-sized vessel before them.
"This can't be right..," She began while thinking out loud before looking back down and checking her dark blue duffle bag on her.
After glancing over both the young lady's and Levin's tickets before him, the captain smiled and cleared his throat, "Ah!... Looks like you are two of the young ones to board little Chula Duppy there."
He pointed gesturing over at the smaller sub on the right-hand side of the loading docks, it was less than half the size of the Sea Witch. It stood only a mere 9 ft tall and 2.5 meters long in comparison and was of a bright silvery-steele colouerd vessel with lettering painted in dark blue, Little Chulo Duppy.
"It appears, I was mistaken," Levin announced slightly confused for a moment before dramatically swapping himself on the head with his paperwork and laughing. "I suppose I should have paid more mind to my boarding pass. How silly of me!"
He eagerly shifted his attention to the newcomer among them. He had never in his life seen a lady as tall as the one standing before him. Scientifically, he wanted to start rambling on and off every question he could possibly muster imaginable, however, some small part of his subconscious told him that; that may not be a wise idea- nor considered gentlemanly. Skipping over the obvious, Levin instead decided to jump into another series of inquiries to satisfy his thirst and curious mind.
With a gentlemen's bow, Levin smiled brightly and extended his hand towards the silver-haired lady, "Levin Von Edelstein, ma'am, and you are?"
"Danielle, Danielle Bergin, but please just call me Danielle if you will." She replied with a smile while taking his hand in hers and gave him a firm handshake. "Mister...Er...Levin?"
"Levin or you can refer to me as the doctor if you like." The white-haired young man stated.
Danielle smirked and started to suppress her laughter while adding, "I'm not going to find a tardis around the corner, am I? Doctor?"
Levin saw where she was headed with the reference and began to laugh as well.
"That was a good one!... I saw what you did there!...," He wiped a tear from the corner of his left eye, and with a twinkle in his other one, he winked and added, "But you never know! Huh?!"
Not one to miss a beat, Danielle withdrew a bright red snazzy envelope from her bag and waved it towards Levin. "You wouldn't by any chance be carrying one of these on you, would you?"
She could tell right away that Levin wasn't human; at least not all human from where she was standing. Judging by the cork-size screws coming out of his neck and the stitchwork crisscrossing throughout different patches of his flesh that was visible, she would bet her money on him being here for the same reason she was.
"Ah!... You have an invitation as well!" He cried excitedly as Levin began to dig around his bag now.
As the two became more acquainted, the captain wasted no time.
From just taking into account the young lady's visage, Captain Cortez was certain that she was one of his few passengers to be departing soon within the hour. He quickly pulled out his handheld tablet wanting to confirm his current clients as he started pouring over his daily dive schedule listed for the day. Seeing the young woman's face appear listed under three other clients' passport profiles, he smiled and quickly returned his attention to his guests.
"Ms. Danielle Bergin," Captain Cortez began as he presented the tablet to the silver-haired lady before him. "Would you sign here, please?"
Drawn out of their full-on introduction discussion, Danielle smiled as she accepted the tablet and proceeded to provide her signature. She only managed to sign part of her first name when a new voice suddenly joined in.
"Where do I sign?" A familiar-looking short girl in a summer hat and dress called out. She was being followed by the fellow Danielle had seen her with earlier from before. However, Danielle never found a chance to learn their names.
"I know you two," Danielle began finishing up her signature and handing the tablet over to Captain Cortez. "You were the ones making a scene in front of one of the fish stands some time ago. "
"Is that right?" Levin inquired curiously. He loved to meet a new face and was never one to turn the opportunity to do so.
"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. What's it to ya, anyway?" The shorter girl shot back while looking away filing her nails.
"Nothing really, if I'm being honest," Danielle said while revealing the red envelope she started to show Levin a moment ago. "I was just curious to see if you might have one of these too."
"Wow, how'd you know?" The tall dark guy trailing behind the shorter exclaimed as his eyes widened. He began to shuffle through his bag excitedly causing a similar red-coloured envelope to fly out and land at the feet of Levin.
Seeing the name "Burak Kartal" neatly handwritten on the card, Levin scooped up the envelope reading the name out loud as he handed it back. "Nice to meet you, Burak."
Taking his card back and shaking Levin's hand, Burak smiled warmly.
"What an honor it is to meet some of the cast beforehand," Levin added while trying to figure out what being Burak was without asking. "I can't wait to learn more about everyone once the show begins to commence."
"The same," Burak piped in. "I can honestly say that I've been thrilled with learning that there will be more of those like 'us' on the show this year!"
"...' Whole-heartedly agree!" Danielle beamed giving Burak a firm handshake. "...and let's not forget to mention, along with a whole new twist on things being added in this time around as well!"
She started making lists off her fingers. "Like more money!...Harder challenges!...More locations and places to go!..."
"I don't care," Aka-chan shrugged now picking at the dirt under her nails. "Just as long as there's sushi and provided at least a few good hours of sleepy-sleep time then I'm good- all for it."
"And just who might this lovely creature be?!" Levin belted out with joy grasping Aka-chan's hands in his- clearly over the moon with excitement at meeting yet another new face all in one day. "What strikingly beautiful irises you have!"
Annoyed by the sudden outburst of ruckus being made, but satisfied at the same time for 'the said-maker of ruckus" to notice how obviously true it was that she was indeed a creature of beauty to be admired...Akane decided to let this one slide.
"Why...thank you for taking notice." Akane smiled slyly while withdrawing in a cat-like motion before adding, "Consider this you're lucky day, doctor."
"Oh,...and you may call me Aka-chan." She concluded as she gave her attention over to the captain.
Burak said with a surprised whistle, "I think she might like you."
"You think?" Levin asked with enthusiasm.
"PFFT!..." Danielle snorted. She let loose a laugh while adjusting the weight of her bag to her opposite shoulder and deadpanned, "I doubt it."
Levin didn't hear Danielle comment as he continued seriously, "Well, with that being out of the way, do you think it would be considered admirable to inquire about one's anatomy since we're all of differentiating beings?... I'm just dying to find out everything I can on how each species functions and why?"
Burak, for once in his life, was at a loss for words. He looked to Danielle for help, who then just bursted out laughing nearly dropping her duffle bag onto Burak.
Akane had quickly lost interest in the social gathering while stepping off to the side to refocus her energy on why she came this way in the first place. She suddenly recalled that she was still carrying her fishy snack from earlier and began to revel in its deliciousness all the while making her way over towards the captain in charge. With the utmost satisfaction, she had popped the red snapper in her mouth like a piece of chocolate. And just as swiftly removed it revealing nothing but bones tossing them to the side as though it was nothing more but a stick from a corndog!
With a quick pair of snazzy-silver spectacles and an old-timey recording camera, Levin wasted no time taking footage while mumbling to himself 'fantastic'.
After a short moment fumbling around with the tablet, it had taken Captain Cortez a good few minutes to pull up the company's site once more so that he could finish retrieving the remaining passengers' signatures.
"Whatcha doing?" Akane probed leaning over the older man's shoulder and poking at the screen.
Aka-chan's voice suddenly popping up out of the blue had caught the older captain off guard and slightly startled him causing him to twitch a little. He laughed it off nervously before adding quickly, "You must be the other little chica!"
He quickly pulled up her information on the tablet's screen and had her sign as well. The others weren't far behind as they soon caught on and followed suit getting theirs signed next.
Within minutes, everyone was onboard scoping out the close quarter-surroundings to find a perfect spot to sit and call theirs until they arrived at their next designated stop. From the outside view, there were up to six visible bubble-shaped glass-like windows for passengers to look out of; three each on both sides of the vessel. Then there was the main one, which was by far the largest designed at the submarine's front tip for its navigator's view. The inside was lined similar to that of a bus with leathered-cushion seats that rested just a foot's space from the captain's chair itself.
Levin had taken ownership of the seat left side of the submarine right behind the captain's as Danielle took the seat from just across from his opposite side. Burak sat his belongings done in the seat behind Danielle's while Akane plumped done in the last seat on the left leaving an empty seat between her and the scientist.
Once Captain Cortez climbed in, he leaned back checking to see if everyone was situated and ready to go; everyone gave the 'thumbs-up sign'. Just like that, in a matter of minutes, they were taking the plunge.
Everyone held onto their seats tightly preparing for the dive.
Soon they were all enclosed in a world of endless blue with fish of every kind and colour that one could dream of gliding in and out of view. Everyone was in awe at the sight and enthralled by the undersea decor from the fish to the coral to even how deep this tiny sub could dive.
"They're so beautiful," Burak breathed out loud in awe to no one in general. A school of vibrant blue parrotfish had swam by his bubble view followed by a small group of flame angelfish who weren't far behind.
"Yes, they are," Akane replied with her face pressed up against the glass bubble behind him. Her pupils were fully dilated and completely in a trance. Unable to keep still, she had darted back and forth from her seat to the empty one behind Burak's.
"Truly amazing...," Danielle had chipped in with a satisfied sigh. This was the most relaxing part of her trip thus far, even so, she knew what lay ahead and what make for a much more bumpy experience in the days and weeks to come. Be it so, she wouldn't trade it for the world!
"Just you wait Chris McLean, you better put your money where your mouth is, because this'll be a season of Total Drama you'll never forget!" Danielle smirked to herself. She was soon brought out of her thoughts by the sound of voices from across the seat.
Danielle couldn't help but try to hide a small grin as Levin began to pester their captain about the workings in and out of the small sub they were currently on. She could tell right away that he was making the captain a bit nervous.
"...and that button there, what exactly does it go to?" Levin inquired excitedly as he leaned over his seat peering over Captain Cortez's shoulder. He had never in his life seen quite a fabulous machine and it simply irked him not knowing how managed to stay underwater and zip around as it did.
"...er...T-That would be the ac unit, sir." The older man said trying to remain calm and operate the vessel.
"Really?...and that one there?" Levin said in an almost surprised tone as though he was certain it should be something else entirely.
"Yes, and...uh...that's radio." The captain nearly deadpanned. Before Levin could put his hands on one of the switches, the older man stopped and said, "And that is the kill switch, please don't press it."
"No, let's say we don't do that." Levin looked appalled withdrawing immediately. "The murder and destruction of marine life is not something to take lightly. Why would you even consider having that switch in the first place?... In case of pirates this deep?"
Captain Cortez stared into the space before him forcing himself to just breathe before responding with a smile. "Sure, let's go with that."
"PFFT!" Danielle snorted as she reached forward tapping Levin's shoulder and pulling him away from the captain so he could navigate in peace. "Okay Doctor, you're done."
The captain gave her a silent thankful look before returning his focus to the wheel which Danielle returned with a small wink. The rest of the ride went smoothly, well...mostly.
Levin would passionately prattle on and off from subject to subject mainly his scientific studies and research he was looking forward to enhancing, broadening if you will. This new adventure, for him, was just the beginning! It added fuel to the fire quenching his ever-growing thirst for knowledge and new experiments to try out.
Nodding his head in admirable acknowledgment, Burak sat listening quietly with great interest and utmost respect. It always warmed his soul hearing from another who also craved knowledge of the world and unknown; the supernatural even.
Curled up almost in a human-like cinnamon roll, Akane had passed out in her seat using her bag as a body pillow and leaned up against her bubbled window.
Danielle smiled softened at the sight while half-listening to the others and watching the aquatic life from out her window's view. Before she knew it, she, herself soon dozed off.
Hey there guys, how have you been? Good, I hope. 'Any-who, I hope this new chapter will better brighten your day.
Yes, I know it's been a while, and I promise I'm still alive, but sometimes these things take time.
Honestly, I didn't mean to spend so much time on this chapter, but the more I work on it, the more I ended up pouring into it. I'm guilty of being a perfectionist- it's a curse, I swear! XD lol
However, I really want to capture the essence of everyone's character. So if you feel anything is off about them, don't be afraid to let me know or PM me, if you notice anything else needed correcting. I'm a little rusty, but once I get into it, I really get into it! lol
Enjoy peeps! :)