Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Yeah, kinda.” Marissa looked down at her hands curiously. This was the first time since the incident happened that she had actually tried to use this glamour ability. It felt strange knowing that this was just a simple illusion and behind this false appearance of her old self, her skin was still, in fact, blue and there was webbing between her fingers.

Even though she appeared normal, Lavendulan knew that this was just a lie and like Cinderalla, once the time ran out she would revert back to the half youma she truly was. It had been a hard pill to swallow when she first saw her reflection and for a moment let herself believe that this could be reversed.

“I think, unless you’re going to let me teach you to scuba dive this summer, you should probably stick to the snorkeling gear near the entrance; at least until I can confirm there are pockets of air or places where you can catch your breath.” She glanced over at Samir and smiled in return.

Seeing him out of uniform was a bit strange and would take some getting used to, just as she was sure it was a bit odd for him to see her without blue tinted hands or horns. Truth be told his hair was actually quite a bit more curly than she had imagined since he normally had it hidden behind the head garb; kind of at that length where he should consider at least pulling it back into a ponytail before jumping in the water.

Marissa hummed thoughtfully as she considered spoiling the surprise she had brought along with her. It was a set of earrings she had found while in the Rift. One was a silver cuff with a small chain that could be attached to a stud. The other was just a simple cuff of identical make as the other without the added decorative piece, easily removable so she could let someone else wear it. The piece of metal had tiny engraved embellishments on the surface which may or may not be what made these special.

Upon picking up the little unique treasure she had some vague idea on how it worked but not entirely which is why she brought it along seeing as this might be a prime opportunity to finally test it out. “I might have a way for you to see for yourself.” She teased. “We can test out my theory once we get to the caves.”

“But if you’re truly interested in learning how to dive, perhaps we could see if the Dark Kingdom has a large pool we could use so I can teach you the basics.” A safe place where she didn’t have to expend energy on glamour and he could learn how to properly put on the gear and care for it. It would at least offer a controlled environment so Samir could learn how to equalize while ascending and descending safely so he didn’t destroy his eardrums from the pressure. Or how to retrieve his regulator underwater in the event it got knocked out of his mouth.

It seemed kind of odd to her that he would be nervous, if not fearful, about what inhabited the Dark Kingdom, especially since she was expected to live there now. Then again, if it was creatures he was wary of then she had to kind of wonder if she fell into that category too. She may appear different on the outside, but Marissa was still herself… or at least she felt like it anyway.

There were dreams she had often as of late. Standing in a dome-shaped room staring through a thick wall of glass into nothing but darkness. Though unseen she could feel something watching her in return. The chilled waters would soon cause the temperature to drop suddenly so that each exhale came as a wisp of white air fogging up the glass with each breath. But before she could reach up to wipe the glass clean with her sleve she would wake up in bed staring up at her ceiling in a cold sweat.

Marissa worried her lower lip then looked over at Samir just in time to see that playful wink and boyish grin. A fierce blush swept across her face seeing his excitement. No, if he was scared of her she would know it, he’s too kind-hearted to put on such a front.

“I was feeling kind of antsy last week and needed to get out of the barracks. So I decided to explore some of the old neighborhoods around the Dark Kingdom.” It was unreasonable of her to expect him to hold her hand and be with her every waking moment. But she also didn’t feel comfortable reaching out to other officers either. “Many were falling apart at the foundation but there were a few in the area that were still standing.”

“Um,” She reached up to tuck some stray strands of hair behind her ear, nervous that she would be reprimanded for going out on her own. “I found these in one of the rooms.” She removed the silver cuff from her right ear and handed it to him. The other earring had a cuff with a thin chain that connected to a simple silver stud. “It got me thinking that, if you’re not comfortable diving, then maybe you could just let me go down there and we could use these so you can see what I’m seeing.”

“I’ll be honest, I only have a vague understanding of how they work. You’ll kind of be the first person I test them with. But, if we both wear one, then you should be able to see what I see.” It was a bit of a stretch of the mind to consider but it was worth a try at least.

“When I picked them up it was kind of like I somehow knew how to make the magic in the work but you are kind of the first person I test them with,” Marissa admitted with a wary look on her face. To her knowledge, they weren’t dangerous in any way especially since she had been wearing them for the last few days without incident which Marissa considered being a good sign. Then again magic itself was a new enough concept that she didn’t quite understand completely so who was she to judge if it was safe to use. “If you’d rather not, I understand.”

“I just thought that, if you wanted to see the caves but aren’t comfortable swimming in them I could be the one to show you them instead.”

“Maybe just a teensy bit,” In response to his comment about being a guinea pig Marissa held up her index and finger and thumb so that they barely touch.

When he got his earring settled into place, she felt as if something settled against her consciousness. It was different than what lied beneath currents where monsters swam.

Often there were reoccurring dreams where she was in a deep-sea aquarium, a large underwater glass dome and while the light from the room penetrated the darkness for several feet it did not reach out far enough to allow her to see what watched her carefully from the dark shadows. Curious yet patient, it observed her as she placed her hand against the wall between them, struggled to only catch a glimpse of it. And yet, despite her own interest Lavendulan was terrified of making it stir if she so much as tapped the glass that separated them.

How to make this work… she thought as her gaze settled on an incident unfolding behind Samir. A dog, some kind of retriever it seemed, had pulled its leash free from its owner's hand and was running amok kicking up sand on other visitors towels that had just been lain out. “Riley, get back here!” the young man with black hair shouted with a stern voice and the dog, shockingly, obeyed.

“It works?” Her voice sounded genuinely surprised as she then turned her attention over to the reservoir. In doing so she stopped thinking about what she wanted him to see and just glanced about at the other visitors.

It felt nice being around people again. With the warm sun against her skin, she smiled and tilted her head up to the sky then drew in a breath of fresh air. The Dark Kingdom was a dimly lit dismal place to live and living in the barracks didn’t make her time there any better. Other guests came and went as they pleased during all hours of the day and while some did at least try to be quiet, there were others that were careless and woke her up without so much as an apology for being rude.

Freedom… the single clear thought and feeling that went along with it were clearly transmitted through the earring.

“You should try,” Marissa glanced at Samir from the corner of her eyes. “I’ll close my eyes and you look at something and I’ll tell you what I see.”

Marissa could feel the heat rise in her cheeks when the image of herself came through with such clarity that it was almost as if she was looking at her reflection in a slanted mirror and for once she couldn’t blame it on the sun. He could have easily focused on a cloud, the long line at the food stand or even the group of people playing volleyball but instead, it was her in this glamoured form that most resembled what she looked like before the attack had happened.

She remained still as Samir approached, eyes closed while he focused on the grain of sand. However, when she felt his thumb lightly sweep across her cheek Marissa’s heart fluttered against her chest and so she opened her eyes and looked up at him with a shy yet amused look on her face. “Good to know it works both ways,” Reaching up, she held onto his hand for a long moment before finally letting go and taking a step away.

He had been there since the beginning, holding her hand so to speak, while helping her through the difficult times. But she had to remind herself that he was still her captain, Lopezite, and although she tried to keep her thoughts private, Marissa couldn’t help but wonder if he only truly felt comfortable around her, or confident enough to touch, her when she looked more like everyone else around them.

But she wasn’t human, not anymore and he was the only one who knew it. Going forward Laven would always be a monster walking around in sheep's skin. It pained her heart to consider that someday he may leave her too. Samir’s kindness and time were what made the next day worth living, without it, there wasn’t anything for her to look forward to.