A hand grasps at you, yanking you away from the gently undulating shapes that float through the air. You don't even think you were that close, but you also don't know these floating jellyfish very well. Maybe they were about to leap at you or something.
Stumbling, your comedy mask pops off your face, because of course it does. It falls to the ground with a pathetic cracking sound, and you moan in disappointment.
The girl who pulled you away sucks in her breath. "Shoot, sorry! You were just a lot lighter than I thought you'd be. Do you need me to, uh..."
She looks at your broken mask with a frown. "I think I got some glue. I could-"
"No, that's fine," you say, shaking your head as you gather the remains. "I have more at home... But, uh, why did you do that?"
The jellyfish continue to bob in midair, their bodies gently pulsing with multicolored light. It's an entrancing display, and peaceful in an odd way. The rather moist-looking girl steps up beside you, grinning.
"They're aux cord nettles," she says. "Real pretty, but they still sting! Just didn't want you to get poked or anything."
"Oh, well... thank you," you say, unsure if you can even get poisoned in this body. "Being in midair is just... normal for them?"
The girl nods. "Yep! They're attracted to noise, and you know how people here in the Sunset Circuit like to play music and be loud. Jellies come in, cause trouble, makes more noise, so more jellies show up, and so on."
The swirling colors remind you of something you don't care to think about. Neon lights, drifting to and fro, but potentially dangerous if you touch them. It makes a knot form in your stomach even as you admire them.
You're not sure if the girl beside you notices your mood, or if she just wants to show off a bit, but she takes out her phone, swiping through screens.
"Here, check this out. Play some music and you can make 'em dance," she says as a song begins to pour through the speakers.
You don't know how to describe the music genre. It sounds... moist, like something you'd hear underwater. It's not bad, just not anything you're used to. But the nettles seem to enjoy it, bobbing up and down and fluorescing to the beat as you watch.
"It's... nice," you say, a smile creeping across your face. "Really peaceful. Reminds me of a lava lamp or something."
She changes the music to something more upbeat, and the jellyfish respond in turn. They dance to the unintelligible lyrics, and you find yourself swaying from side to side in turn.
"What kind music is this?" you say, still watching the jellies. "I don't think I've heard anything like this before."
The girl grins up at you. "It's a Deep Cut original! Which means it's my original. Or at least one-third my original. Name's Frye, and if you like, we're on Spiralfy."
"Gangle. And I guess I can try it... It's something I wouldn't be able to listen to back home," you reply. How have you met so many musicians on this island?
The two of you continue to watch the jellies for a while as they sway to the music. It's pretty, but it gives you mixed feelings.
"They put a lot of work into this stuff, huh?" you say. "We're trapped here, but do they... want us to be happy?"
"I think they just want us to be distracted. You know? Give us lots of stuff to do so we don't go stir-crazy and try to tear the place down. They could make it really suck if they wanted to, right?" says Frye. "But if you make it... I dunno, peaceful, then people get acclimated. And they stop lookin' for a way out."
You can't help but keep comparing it all to Caine. You thought of his adventures the same way; something to do to keep you from getting too fixated on the fact that you were trapped. He could create some pretty amazing stuff, but it was all just to keep you occupied and to show off how proud he was of his work. You don't think he really cared about your wellbeing, the same way the Stars don't.
Kaufmo was talking about an exit before he abstracted, and sometimes you wonder if that's what he meant. Maybe he did find a way out, in the end.
"What if the way out is worse than being here?" you murmur.
Frye looks up at you. "You say somethin'?"
"No, just... just thinking," you say, shaking your head. "I guess sometimes you just need to appreciate what you have. Even if it sucks."
"Nice way of putting it. But hey, an aquatic light show doesn't suck, right? Way worse things in this place."
Worse things and worse people, you think. There's probably no harm in relaxing for a little bit, so you close your eyes. Even through your porcelain eyelids, you can see smudges of colors, and the foreign beats fill your ears. Even if it's just for a few moments, you let the sights and sounds overtake you, and you don't worry about anything at all.
