Buyan had decided to take a break from getting her butt kicked on earth. Something was calling to her, and she had to find out what it was. Something hummed a little in the back of her mind as she sat on the rooftop of her apartment complex.
I pledge my life and loyalty to Neptune, and to Buyan.
I humbly request your aid, so that in return I may give you mine.
I humbly request your aid, so that in return I may give you mine.
As Buyan sat there she slowly closed her eyes thinking about those two simple lines. She wasn’t sure how it happened or why, but when she opened her eyes she found herself within a glass chamber, outside of that chamber was lots of water and fish. Buyan couldn’t help but look bewildered around the chamber. It looked as if it was someone’s home. Though you could see through the walls you couldn’t see through other places, it almost like a one way mirror. There was a bed some nice furniture that looked like it’d been sitting there for thousands of years, covered with cobwebs.
Buayn’s head tilted a little as she looked around eventually locating a stairway. She continued up the stairway watching the world of fish swim around her. When she finally found the top of the stairs she realized that this was a whole city, with different levels. Where she emerged at, was a small shop that housed lots of instruments; they all looked rather graceful. Each was carefully made, Buyan walked as she looked at each.
“Impressed with what you see?”
Buyan jumped at the voice, startled. “W-who are you?” She asked, looking at the other. She certainly didn’t recognize the seemingly only person on this planet.
Her Ancestor laughed, “I’m your Predecessor, Buyan you can call me Nitra” She said, as she placed her hands on her hips. Past Buyan’s outfit was much more elegant and a little longer. “Hm, looks like fashion’s changed a lot.” She mused before shrugging.
“Uh… o-okay.” Buyan looked a little confused, as she stood there watching the other woman about her age. “So… where is this?” She asked moving a bit as she tried to figure out how she managed to get here, not realizing that her thinking about those two lines actually sent her to Neptune.
“You’re on Neptune.” The simple answer came right before her Ancestor wondered off.
Buyan looked startled, “Wait wait wait, Neptune!?”
Nitra sighed, “Yes, Neptune you’re wonder; that you’re named after is on Neptune.” She shook her head as she passed through the door, having disappeared.
“Hey wait.” Buyan ran after her, pausing to take off her shoes, heels weren’t the best thing to run in. She placed her shoes on the counter where the money box was. Pausing to look at the quaint little shell that was marked sales. She ran after the lady, “Nitra wait!” She called running after the Dirty Blonde. Of course when she walked outside she blinked looking around, Nitra was nowhere to be seen, she hadn’t opened the door and… it was like she was a ghost.
“…Nitra?” She looked around, there were glass walls here too, keeping the water out and the fish. A Small fountain stood in the center of the square, there was obviously plumbing but how it kept from being over pressured from the water outside she wasn’t sure how that really worked. Nor was she really sure why this was so surreal, you could’ve live under water. Granted there were grandiose stair cases at each of the four corners and the further up she traveled the more she noticed it seemed there was another landing area. She felt compelled to move up the stairs to see what was there, despite the fact that there were nearly a ton of them.
When she got to the middle landing Buyan paused to look around the area, it was so vast, ornate columns keeping the floors from crushing on each other. The area spanned further than the square, little shops and houses dotting as far as she could see before the shine from what she thought was the sun on the glass.
That was when Nitra appeared again, “Pretty isn’t it?” Causing Buyan to jump, “This was once a grander place full of life, bustling with lots of people; I know it looks pretty now, but just think about what it could’ve been back in its day.”
Buyan looked to Nitra, “What happened here?” She asked tilting her head looking curiously, there were small boughts of destroyed buildings, window panes missing or missing doors, some were crumbled completely.
“That’s for you to find out my dear.” Nitra answered as she smiled, “You’ll learn in time. Let’s take it one step at a time.” The knight standing there was watching the buildings and sighed. “So you’re curious about what’s above?”
Buyan nodded, as she glanced up the stair case. “Yeah a little, the whole world is so artistic….” She couldn’t really fathom a reason she wouldn’t want to know.
Nitra seemed to ponder, “We can see if there’s anything there.” She shrugged softly as they walked up the stairs.
When Buyan got there she noticed how pod-like in structure the whole city was, smaller towns branched off the epicenter and then the top. Buyan looked impressed as she turned around looking at the ceiling and walls. “It… looks like some sort of station.” There were a few old vessels still on the Deck, though she didn’t know how they worked. With a small frown, “There’s no out doors?”
“Huh, no of course not;” Nitra answered, “We’re underwater; I don’t know what the air is outside. There’s no way we’d go out there when we can stay in here. It’s life under the Neptune Sea for us.”
Buyan frowned as she listened to Nitra’s answer. There was a small shrug as the Page walked back down the stairs, “Wait don’t you love it here? I mean we have everything a civilization would that lives outdoors. We have farms and flowers, you saw the flowers right? We have an awesome water system; you can’t tell me you don’t like it here. It’s full of art!” Nitra was trying to make a point and still be as articulate and mature as she could.
“I just don’t think I’m cut out for this.” She answered as she continued to walk down the stairs and stopped to look at the flowers; they had over grown their beds and were trying to take over what was left of some of the buildings. “I’m surprised they still grow without anyone tending them.”
“They’re aquatic as long as they have a water source they’ll grow.” Nitra shrugged as if that was common knowledge. “You should look around a little more see what there is to see. Maybe your next visit we can go over some basics.”
Buyan paused and looked at Nitra, “Basics? Who says I’m coming back?”
Nitra, “Because you’re here now. You won’t stay away for long.” She added with another shrug and a stretch before wondering off elsewhere. She was leaving Buyan to her own vices. “Have fun.”
Buyan blinked as Nitra left her there. Well that was great, the page frowned as she shrugged and decided to wonder a little before calling it a night… or day… did time pass the same here as on earth? She wasn’t sure, and she didn’t want to spend too long here, not that she didn’t like the visual aspects of it… it just wasn’t… what she was use to. Buyan walked along as she thought glancing occasionally at buildings and in windows. There was a dress shop, and a café; it looked like a pretty regular town if you didn’t think about it being under the water, which was probably what freaked Buyan out the most. Well being underwater and her ancestor just kind of popping up out of nowhere Buyan thought that was really odd too.
She stopped when she found what looked like a theater, now Buyan wasn’t a drama teacher back on earth, but something compelled her to go inside and investigate what kind of theater it was. As she walked from the lobby to the main area she noticed the ornate looking carvings in the columns and the trim detail. Everything had some sort of artistic touch and it appeared to have been cherished at some point because a lot of the sculptures that now were crumbled on the floor were made of marble and some coral. Buyan found this fascinating as she stooped down to inspect the pieces that had broken.
“Hm… wonder if I could fix this…” She glanced at the marble; she’d never tried any marble work, only clay and a little homemade porcelain; that didn’t turn out so well. She shrugged and carefully set the broken pieces back on the floor, she’d have to do some research back home on that. Afterwards continuing into the main area of the theater, staring when she noticed the balcony above her and how high the ceiling was. Everything was decorated in greens and blues with some silvers and whites; the curtains or what was left of them, the chairs and their upholstery. Few remained intact where she could see the ornate details and gold stitching with the symbol of Neptune upon the seats. Wondering further she noticed how plush the carpets were on her stocking feet, the rest of the floors hadn’t felt rough either but this was different, it was nice.
There were curtains over the sides of the walls, and Buyan walked over to pull one open. She didn’t notice how dark it was until she had, shielding her eyes as the light from outside the pod came in, showing the room now brighter and it looked as if water reflections were dancing on the floor. Buyan stared at the room and the difference one curtain made; there was a place for an orchestra in front of the stage and it sunk down. While the stage itself was grandiose and a great place for a mass production or show casing just one person; Buyan climbed into the pit when she noticed some papers on the floor.
“Huh I can’t read them.” She hadn’t picked them up for fear they might crumple in her hands.
“Well of course Silly, you’re not supposed to be able to read them.” The sudden voice made Buyan jump, Nitra shook her head; “Honestly you’re so jumpy. This was one of my favorite places to be, such lovely musicals put on here and dance recitals. Oh I just miss organizing those, they were the best ones to be seen in my part.”
Buyan stared at Nitra, “Really?”
“Yes really! Everyone was so amazing, the music was spot on and no one was ever off key.” Nitra’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. “You would’ve been impressed, I know you would have.”
Buyan shrugged softly, “So what does it say?”
Nitra laughed, “Oh now you can’t be fishing for clues, you either know it or you don’t. Looks like you don’t know it sorry~.” The knight had to keep some secrets from her protégé, “I’m sure you’ll learn it in due time. If you’re meant to that is.” The smile just stayed right there and never faltered.
Buyan sighed and shook her head as she pulled herself out of the pit. “So were you a conductor or a musician or what did you do for this place?”
Nitra smiled, “Well I supplied the instruments and I did help organize a few, it wasn’t like I was completely out of the loop. I knew every show that was going to be here.” Her chest was puffing out and a smile on her face as she spoke. “I also sat in on rehearsals when I was here, they were very fascinating, and really they were. Everyone working together and hitting the notes they were supposed to. On occasion we’d get a dry note here or there. It wasn’t horrible though.” There was a small shrug from the page’s ancestor.
“I see…” Buyan was starting to feel a little overwhelmed as she caught herself watching the water dance. “I think I should probably head back home. I need some rest before dealing with tomorrow.” She looked at Nitra.
“Sure, sure, abandon me now; we just were starting to be friends!” Nitra put on a little dramatics.
“Okay…” Buyan said lofting a brow before working on figuring out how to get back home, “I might be back… eventually.” Though Buyan was thinking possibly never, if she could help it; it didn’t seem like her Ancestor was going to be much help to her after all.
Buyan closed her eyes and tried to focus on the world back home. Eventually opening one eye when she heard the noise of horns blowing from down below. She glanced over the side of the roof to see traffic. She was home! Buyan powered down quickly and headed inside. She needed a cup of hot tea and a nice Soap Opera, forget that it was morning time and rush hour had started. Alexis was planning on taking a nice long nap after she finished her tea, everything she’d been through had been extremely tiring. Not only the fights with the negaverse agents and youma were tiresome; but the trip to her planet for some reason wore at her too. Though she didn’t understand why she felt like she traveled thousands of miles when it took a blink of an eye to go there.
