Welcome to Gaia! ::

PRP - -[The Spoof]- and Larisha Dragonchaser



This place was paradise.

Sitting on the shores of crater lake was a peculiar Sandpaint. Wings folded, Shuusei stared down into the depths, bright orange eyes scanning for movement. How peaceful this place was, with no noise but the gentle lapping of the water against the shoreline. The male knew, though, that there was a greater treasure lurking down there.

In this lake were jellyfish.

Now, Shuusei wasn't just any Sandpainter. You see, he has always been fascinated by the toxin-less jellies of Crater Lake. He could remember his father telling him about their beautiful, glowing bodies, and stories about dragons that had been blessed by the Jellyfish queen.

Of course, the stories weren't true, but Shuusei was interested in them nonetheless. After all...they were still glowy. And glowy was good, right? So he sat there, immobile, on the edge of the lake. The male was so engrossed in his watching that he would never have heard another coming up to him.

Suddenly, Shuusei noticed a glow down in the lake - a jellyfish! He was so entranced by its beautiful movements that he didn't notice the intruder until it was far too late. One second he was looking at the water, the next moment he was breathing it. Struggling desperately to the shore, he plopped down and hacked up a good amount of the pure, non-salted water.

Then realization struck - Who pushed me in? The male set eyes on a pastel-colored female, the only other Sandpainter in the area. He looked back towards the water, and wasn't greeted with the glow of his prey. It must've been scared away by all of his splashing. Then Shuusei turned back to her, shooting the newcomer an accusing glance as he hissed, "What was that for? Now you've scared all the jellyfish away..."

Shuusei shook himself viciously, clearing the water from his skin. He didn't find the female's reason satisfactory, but...maybe she meant well or something. Nonetheless, he was still rather annoyed already.

"Not much of a swimmer, myself. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground." Who knew what lurked in the depths of the pond, anyway? Then he thought about the jellyfish - their beautiful glow, their pastel colors...

Exceptions could be made. "But...I suppose I could try." As soon as Shuusei said those words, though, his confidence drained from him. He peered into the water for a few moments, before stepping forward and extending a long claw into it. Cool, but not too cool. Reminding himself of his quarry, he finally put one foot in, then two.

Well, fine then! He just wouldn't go alone, as had been his intention. The male almost stepped away from the lake as she shook herself, trying to avoid the water-drops. It wasn't so bad if you were completely covered, but just a few here and there were nothing but a pain.

She got him again, though, at the mention of jellyfish. Shuusei gladly followed Nerina into the water in whatever way he could - dog-paddling, swishing his tail in circles like a motor, or just flapping his wings rather uselessly. In all of his years of Jellyfish hunting, never once had he actually tried to swim to his obsession.

"Ah, I'm Shuusei." The Painter didn't really care for introduction right now - where were the jellyfish? And how exactly was he supposed to stay above water? Now, out where she was, he was struggling to keep his nose in the air.

Taking Nerina's advice, he quickly took a large gasp of air and stretched his wings out, laying them over the surface of the water. There, that was better!

It was about that time, though, that she began to swim away. Oh, now what? Shuusei began to dog-paddle after her, repeating one thought in his mind: For the Jellyfish! For the Jellyfish!

Shuusei's tangerine eyes scanned the water quickly, eager to see. Nothing...nothing...there! Not far away was a beautiful patch of glow, but still it was too far away. Now they had to go slower so as not to scare away the rare beings.

His eyes grew wider, and he let out a soft hiss of satisfaction.

Shuusei sputtered.

"D-dive?" Now, even with the enticement of all of the beautiful colors, the Painter doubted that he could dive down to them. Besides, wouldn't that just scare them off? And what if he couldn't hold his breath long enough? And what...Questions, not all of which were rational, bombarded his mind.

But...he let out a soft noise of happiness again as he peered at the jellyfish swarm. Really, would she let him die? There's some goodness in every Painter's heart, right? "I don't know how. But...I guess I'll try."

He watched as the female dived down into the beautiful jellies effortlessly. Feeling more confident now, Shuusei gave a soft flap of his wings and a nod. "Yeah, I think I can do it."

Taking a deep breath, the Painter swept down under the surface, his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he was nose-to-nose with a particularly beautiful jelly that glowed a light purple. He was surrounded!

How amazing it was, to be surrounded by such glorious creatures! He was painted a soft violet in their glow, and the male couldn't help but give a spin in the water.

Soon, though, he began to feel as though he needed...something. How odd? He didn't understand what that was.

Then it hit him - Air! Shuusei flailed, trying to reach for the surface, but unable to reach it in the disorganized state he was in. For a fleeting moment, he wondered how stupid he must look - after all, what idiot forgets he needs to breathe? Honestly. But that thought faded quickly under his body's desperate struggles.

(Take your time. :3)