Masie sniffled and went to say where her mum and dad were staying. But she remembered that it was supposed to be secret. But Lady Ori was helping her and she said that she would keep her safe from the wrong orb… maybe if she took her to near where she stayed she wouldn’t get into trouble. But then maybe the orb would come back. She sniffled again before making up her mind.
“We’re staying at the Shel’don Embassy. Father and Mother have work there.” She said quietly, “it’s the big house near the park land and it has the pillars like home but not like home the is no crab.” She said as she buried her face into Ori’s shoulder. Waves of tiredness rolling over her replacing the fear. When she got home and after she was done being told off she was gonna…. Take a nap… she thinks as she slowly succumbs to sleep.
Orianna listened intently, and gently rubbed Masie's back. The little girl had fallen asleep quickly. She'd had a big day, and Ori knew it. There was something so beautifully sweet about a child feeling safe enough to fall asleep while you held them.
Ori hoped that one day she'd have the privilege of holding her own child like this. Hopefully in happier circumstances. A trip to the beach perhaps, with a swim out to the reef.
As she looked for the park, she thought about what Masie had said.
'...home but not like home, there is no crab.'
A crab. A city that has built itself on a crab. There were whispers of such a thing from the krakens. Something about Terra Kona. Orianna knew it existed and was aware tritons were a large part of it. She'd never seen the crabs personally, and wasn't sure she'd have the pleasure of meeting them.
If this girl was a triton, she came under her mother's protection. It was rare for Thassa to show any favouritism towards her worshippers. For her to have brought Orianna here to Masie, this girl had to be something special.
She eventually found the park, and saw the house Masie had described. So that was Terra Konan architecture. It was beautiful, and grand. She turned her head towards Masie.
"Starfish, we're almost home sweet girl. Time to wake up."
Masie stirs and yawns. She rubs at her eyes as she wakes up. She looks around and looks at and she lights up at sight at the embassy. The pillars that hold up the building tall enough to allow crabfolk and the merfolk tails to move around without being impeded. The crabfolk especially since they are bigger than her dad who was the tallest person that she new. Even uncle Hercules wasn’t as big as dad, and he wasn’t as strong as dad as he couldn’t move if he had his pet turtle Kochýli on him and dad could pick her up and so could mum. So he wasn’t as strong as dad.
The late afternoon sunlight bounces of the tiles and makes the tiles seem to glow worth the mosaic of patterns showing cities atop crabs with different types of water dwelling races around each one. Some more human than others. Mum told her when they come up to the surface that people are scared of things that don’t look human and will take them away forever. So she needs to pretend to be a human to make sure she isn’t taken away.
“LADY MASIE! YOU’RE SAFE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!” A woman in a green chiton dress runs over frantically. “WE’VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU YOUNG LADY.” She says with a stern expression her black hair matched her pretty black eyes. Masie had once seen a pretty crystal that looked like her eyes once and she wanted to get some for her Nanny because it looks like her eyes.
“Sorry Nanny, I dropped the music box and had to find it… Lady Ori helped me find it she’s my new friend and she is a good swimmer.” Masie replies with her head down showing she was truely sorry. Nanny was her very best friend and seeing her worried and upset about looking for her made her feel very upset. She didn’t want to make her friends upset. “I won’t go away again without telling someone where I’m going again. I’m sorry for making you worried.” She says solemnly.
“I’ll hold you to that promise young lady as you are- you have responsibilities and you need to make sure that you can be with your parents to do those responsibilities. Your mother and father are worried sick they are talking about sending the guards to look for you. We need to take you back to them right now.” Nanny says sternly she suddenly eyes Orianna and says, “thank you for looking out for Lady Masie I will take her to her parents right away. If you would like a reward you can come back in an hours time and the ah our delegates will be able to see you. I’ll personally escort you to them. They will need to make sure their daughter is safe and sound before allowing you into their house.”
“Lady Ori is a good person who helped me. So I should give the reward. Which is my necklace. You should have it because it will keep you safe.” Masie states and looks at Nanny and then extends her hands to be picked up by her.
