#suboceansong

“Remind me once more how you play this game,” she said, rolling the solid gold dice around in her hands. The cup that came with them still had water in it when Tuyin arrived; all brought from her hoard, Maria assumed.

“C’mooon, you really need that thing to break some targets? Kikiki~” she said, holding her weapon of choice—a long, thin sword—over one of her shoulders.

“I hear they cheat if you choose a gun. Start givin’ you targets that you can’t even break with one of your bullets. It’s not too late to switch now.”

After the fog expands, it doesn’t take Barry long to set out to the new places. When he’s just had his own world’s destruction refreshed in his mind, it’s almost a relief to see new places. It makes Spirale feel like less of a place he’s trapped in, if only for a little while.

The sky over Sunset Circuit reminds him a little of home, with the purplish tints mixed across the sky. It’s not quite the right color, and there’s still only one sun, but it’s closer than the rest of the city’s sky ever has been.

By the time it’s dusk, he’s sitting out on Moon Beach. Now it’s more like home than ever, like the second sun setting. The unnatural deep green hues dancing over the water are so odd, though, that he almost doesn’t notice the way the water’s rippling, signalling something--something very big??? coming up from below.

Ah, the beach. Actually, to be perfectly honest, Keras wasn’t terrifically fond of beaches. He’d been landlocked for most his his life, and while seeing an endless expanse of water was fascinating, it was also a little... unnerving. On the other hand, beaches themselves tended to be fairly nice places overall, and you never knew what you might find washed up by the waves. Like, for example, a trail of... extremely finely sliced... cucumber. Huh. Now that was just weird. 

Keras shrugged it off and flopped down into the sand, leaning back on his hands with his head toward the sky. It wasn’t a terrible bright day today; he could probably stay out in the overcast all afternoon without the slightest hint of a tan, but it wasn’t particularly cold either. Discounting the breeze, at any rate.

 Now, Dawn... he was willing to bet that Dawn would have absolutely loved this beach. Derek probably would, too, for that matter. Maybe he’d find a beach lover out here. Somebody with a quirky personality, not-quite-human and inexplicable powers. 

Yeah, Keras thought to himself, that would fit his life more or less perfectly.

“Y’know, I never actually saw the ocean before I came here.” Kay learned to swim in the underdark-- and even then, just enough to keep her head above the water. She still hasn’t braved the water, just putting her feet in while talking to Tuyin’Asai is enough.

The Golden Ward was rapidly becoming Niko’s favorite place to visit on the island. Simply put, the beach here felt more homely than the little townhouse he currently lived in, and his nightly visits were becoming more and more common. He didn’t mind of course, he was a bit of a night owl and the saltwater did his gills some good, far better than the waters of the foggy lake in Cotes. Here he sat on the sand close to shore, idly building himself a sand castle and enjoying the peace. Sculpting was a favored pastime of his, sand was nice but it would be great if he had some company. He still had his power over sea life, he wondered if he could dredge up an octopus for company. They were always good conversational partners.

While trying to survey as much of the damage that had befallen Spirale as she could, the esper was led to the beach. A place that could be so lively was eerily desolate, despite the destruction that ended just before its sandy surface. Levitating high above the ground, Tatsumaki saw movement upon the shore; someone, or something was lurking beneath the water. Frustrated, the hero moved toward the ocean, hovering just above where bubbles reached its surface.

“Oi!”

“Come out of there!”