in neptune
verseandrhyme:
Danger aside, she cannot stop the barking laugh their remark draws from her. She should have expected that. That angry, bitter Shigure would be the one to boldly declare their thoughts. She does not think they are wrong, or that their feelings are not shared by most of their group, but she worries still.
Worries about the wrong person overhearing. Their words being spread to the wrong ears. What might come.
(They might simply demand they go home. They might simply treat them with derision. But considering past events, considering how readily they threw their students into the catacombs, into the forest, into everything they have seen so far, Mitama cannot help but fear there will be worse consequences.)
Shigure seems far calmer about the slumped form than Mitama’s still racing heart. She remains stiff as Shigure steps forward, ready to part at the first indication of danger. She watches with silent, held breath as Shigure reaches out and pries up a piece of rubble from the ground.
They throw it and it bounces harmlessly against the strange form. She waits a moment longer. Nothing occurs. Mitama lets out a relieved sigh.
“Dusk blessed, that fright has likely taken years from my life.” She huffs. She lets go of Shigure’s arm. The soft sound of water echoes from her footsteps as she makes her way to the slumped…thing. A closer inspection, its human form is far bigger than any person she has met.
She frowns. There appear to be connecting tubes to the head portion of the of thing. A helmet? Mitama frowns and casts a small spell. Some of the algae and moss flakes off to reveal a thin, nearly invisible seam. “It appears as though it is detachable.”
Perhaps it is a strange suit of armor. But were that the case, why did it seem to be connected to things… “Is this…this is algae, is it not? You are the ocean’s child, you are more familiar with these sorts of things.”
golden eyes follow as she steps forward, shigure falling into her step as they approach the behemoth that looks to be larger than any one individual than they’ve seen in their life. even benny, they reason, might’ve frightened at the sight of it, but for what their fears were: it does not lurch forward. even its heavy, fat fingertips do not twitch. the thought occurs to them briefly to consider stepping on it, only for shigure to immediately chastise themself for it.
then, chastise themself again for thinking this slumped form a living thing. "detachable?" they pause, glancing back at mitama. she would tell them if she could detect any malevolent magic, wouldn’t she?
settling their hands on either side of what appeared to be the helmet and hefting once, shigure snorts. "i!" well, they can't protest. they had just talked about shigure's preference for all things wet, apparently. a mage they were not, but what little magic lies in their veins likewise offers no defense. "well, you are right. that is algae, though—" the helmet doesn't budge for all that she claims it is detachable when they yank upward on the grates. shigure secures their fingers against the glass pane on the interior of the helmet, squaring their hips to make sure they're on even footing before pulling up on it again. "i'm not sure how algae even got on this."
"algae can't thrive without being in water." they reply, resting their hands on their hips as they catch their breath.
attention flicks toward the tubes connected to the head.
"it smells quite damp, but looks like it hasn't been touched in a while." securing their hands again beneath the grate, shigure gives pulling on it another try before the realization strikes them. they pause, twisting it to the left. the helmet releases with a hiss, detaching from the suit proper. it slumps forward and shigure bites their cheek to avoid screaming when it falls over onto the ground. "do you think?" they glance at the helmet and its metal interior, free inexplicably of rust even as the feeling of copper flakes off at their fingertips. they sigh, exasperated. "i do wish kiragi was here. he would've put this on without a second thought." shigure turns, then lifts the helmet over her head and drops it ( though fingertips catch at the edge to make sure it doesn't end up smacking against her head ). "you'll have to do."
the serene smile seems ill-fitting now.
















