Ā Ā š„ ---- Clawing her way out of the ocean toward the surface was no easy task,
Ā Ā but thankfully there was one upside. Doing that had been enough to break the fusion,
Ā Ā so that Malachite no longer existed.
Ā Ā Of course, now Jasper was completely ( alone ) and virtually defenseless, just lying
Ā Ā on the beach. She was lucky nobody else had come along yet, because she couldn't
Ā Ā even MOVE. Being fused into that monster, especially for longer than she would have
Ā Ā liked and struggling to break free of the chains, took a toll on her energy ---- to the point
Ā Ā where she barely had any now.
Ā Ā It wasn't even a sure thing that she'd be able to run if there happened to be a threat.
Ā Ā So when she heard footsteps, it took all the strength that she had left and a loud grunt
Ā Ā to roll over and see who it was. And the person who met her eyes didn't exactly fill her
Ā Ā up with hope.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā Oh, great. It's the defective Pearl.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Did you come to kill me, or just brag
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā about your victory while you kick
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā sand in my face? ā