Chapter Text
Marine stood on the starboard of her pirate ship, and stared where the sky met the ocean. The wind pleasantly teased her by pulling at her clothes and ruffling her hair, beneath her large pirate hat. Yet marine couldn’t shake the feeling that the wind was blowing from the wrong direction.
Something had changed. But what? She leaned forward, while holding onto one of the ropes, trying to get as close to the horizon as possible. Not for the first time, Marine cursed her human eye, her human senses. Their limitations and flaws. Meanwhile, the girls already knew, without even trying. Both what they needed to do and where to go. While Marine? Despite her efforts, despite her experience, she only ever got glimpses. Like trying to see colours her human eye couldn’t see.
Ina and Gura emerged from the water below. Just the sight of them was enough to banish all of Marine’s frustration. She had them, she didn’t need to see it herself. And, even better, they’d brought back something that Marine could see very clearly.
Bae, who had emerged between Ina and Gura, spat out sea water, like a living fountain. She looked up at Marine, smiled and waved. “Ahoy! Permission to come aboard, captain.”
Marine stared down at her. “What if I say 'no'?”
Bae, who had already began to swim towards the ship, stopped and stared up at Marine, unsure of what to say.
Meanwhile, Gura dived beneath the surface of the water and, almost instantly, jumped out of the water and onto the ship. Gura herself, as well as her oversized shark-themed hoodie, was completely dry. She padded up the steps to the captain’s cabin, her shark tail trailing behind her.
Marine's crimson eye studied Bae and twinkled with amusement. “Normally, I don't like having rats on my ship. But I'll make an exception for you.”
“Yay!” Bae reversed the gravity of her body and lifted herself onto the deck. She shook her head and body, in an attempt to dry herself, and switched from her bathing suit to her black and red outfit, which also included an eyepatch. Unlike Marine, Bae’s eyepatch covered her left eye. Her outfit immediately became damp, since she was still wet.
Marine smiled politely, but wasn’t particularly amused by Bae’s choice of clothes.
Below, a large, purple tentacle broke through the surface of the water and curled around Ina’s body. It lifted her up, and gently lay her on the deck. Not on her feet, but on her back. The tentacle dived out of sight. Ina spread her arms and legs, and smiled up at the sky. “Wah.” A small puddle quickly formed around her, as her purple hair and outfit remained completely drenched. The yellow tips of her hair were plastered against her shoulders.
Marine approached Bae. “I believe a small feast is in order, to welcome our rodent guest.”
Bae smiled again, revealing her sharp teeth. “Yay! It’s been a while since I've eaten.”
Marine continued. “And, while we eat, you can entertain us with a tale. For example, how and why did the embodiment of Chaos end up underwater?”
Remembering Kronii, Bae’s smile slowly faded. “Actually…I’d rather not talk about that.”
Marine leaned closer, her crimson eye piercing Bae, her voice suddenly harsh. “And I'd rather you did.” She smiled sweetly, and her voice also took on a sweeter tone. “Please? I'm very curious.”
Bae became aware that both Ina and Gura were staring at her.
Gura had exited the captain’s cabin and was munching on something, while leaning on the balustrade. She stared down, with an expression that reminded Bae of a cat staring at a goldfish.
Ina was still lying on the deck, with her head turned towards Bae. But her friendly smile was negated by the intensity of her stare. Somehow, Bae knew that if she didn’t do as Marine asked, Ina wouldn’t like it.
Whether consciously or not, Bae switched to her blue and yellow outfit. Which also became damp. Her eyes returned to Marine. “Yeah…Ok.”
Marine’s smile broadened. “Excellent.” She rewarded Bae with a brief pat on the head.