Reunion Pt. 2

Clarine wasn’t wearing anything on her mouth either. Was my brain playing tricks on me?

A slow set of claps came from the back of the crowd. “Clarine, you idiot, did you really think the kid would have water powers as well? I put a mask on him after I finished his surgery. With how transparent they are, I figured you would forget to put one on him…” Lars yawned.

A mouthpiece, what was it for? Lars put one on me knowing that they would forget? That was oddly thoughtful…

“Ma’am, what is this mouthpiece?” I tried touching my face but didn’t feel anything.

Clarine sighed, “It’s basically a covering for your mouth and nose so they don’t get overwhelmed by the water pressure. Similar to the ear plugs. They’re completely transparent though… Fuck my life, I thought I killed you.”

Embarrassment. Feeling embarrassed for something that isn’t your fault is something most people can relate to. All humans socialize in a context to prove how effortless we are. You can’t cough or sneeze without covering up. Letting out a belch, fart, or even a rumble of your stomach is often considered rude. Having to very clearly use the bathroom is something people find pleasure in. They feel above you for it even if it’s only subconsciously. We all exist in a manner to prove how effortless it is to be alive in front of others… I know this, yet the shame I feel for simply being alive is too severe. Moments like this made me wish I could fall asleep and never wake up again.

“It’s okay. Thank you for taking care of me up until now. Lars, thank you for giving me my leg back and putting this mouthpiece on me. We should head into the city now,” I smiled.

As we all began to enter the door through the city, Clarine stopped me with her arm. I didn’t bother responding, it was clear she had her reasons so I waited with her. Once the majority of people walked by, Lars tried to slide past her only to get caught by her other arm. She waited for everyone to pass us before speaking.

“Lars, I don’t know what you two talked about but you cannot tell anyone about Bane’s surface capabilities. Until we brief the rest of the Scavenger Lords, that’s sensitive information, got it?”

Lars smacked her hand off his arm. “You guys are a bunch of idiots, you know that? You really thought he could come walking into the elevator without a surface-resistant uniform and I wouldn’t notice? All these idiots you have working here may be easily tricked but don’t forget who I am, got it?”

Clarine remained silent and Lars walked away whistling. I had no idea what to do so I simply followed Lars after a few seconds passed. Clarine started to follow behind. To call that awkward would be a severe understatement.

I made my way up to Lars. “Hey man, that back there was awkward as hell, haha…”

“Huh, what do you want, boy?” Lars looked at me as if I were a fly interrupting his morning walk.

Shit, part of me really wants to smack him in the face but there are so many reasons why that just isn’t an option, right now. “About my abilities… I know you’re cool. You won’t rat on me or anything, right?”

Lars started to laugh. “Didn’t I tell ya’ that we’re allies? Your secret’s safe with me. I just hate having that woman tell me what to do. In the old world, I’m sure she and I would have some realllll fun…”

One of the grossest people I’ve had the misfortune to know. Lars is an objectively smart person who’s surprisingly kind at times. Perhaps it’s a mistake to see his kindness as kindness. Everything seems somewhat conditional with him. I wonder what he was like in the old world…

…

We finally approached Ylvona after a five-minute walk through what seemed like the surface but underwater. Was the ocean normally this barren or did Ylvona make its outskirts like this?

Ylvona, to put it lightly, was beautiful. The architecture was often modeled after seashells and other oceanic features. There was a castle with conch shell spires. That was far off to the distance but the structure and the warm orange lights all around it made it stand out beyond anything else. This isn’t to discredit the other structures. A variety of giant hermit shells seemed to make up the homes of Ylvona. The blue waters existed to only complement the color palette of the city. The people walking here seemed very proper and the drivers also seemed a lot more restrained than the ones back in Milona. Jeez, maybe Milona really is a slum compared to this place.

“Sir, Ylvona’s ain’t all that bad, right?” I nudged Rocco’s shoulder.

He snorted, “Yeah, it’s pretty alright, kid. Looks ain’t everything though. Talk to some locals first and don’t come crying to me when you wanna go back home…”

An old man talking in old man ways… “Sure thing, I’ll take ya’ up on that, sir. If the locals are kind enough, you gotta buy me a ceiling UV. One of the fancy ones too. They probably got a few in that house over there.”

Rocco’s face seemed confused. “You’re the last person who needs any type of UV, kiddo. Walk out in the damn sun and you’re getting a lifetime’s worth for all of us… You lose though, and I’ll put you on laundry duty next week.”

Yikes, that was definitely not an option. It’s not like I really wanted to talk to anyone here anyway, let alone a stranger.

Where were we headed? This whole time we’ve been walking and following Clarine but nobody seemed to brief me on our destination.

I snuck up towards Clarine. “Hi, Ms. Clarine, where are we headed?”

“You know the Ms. preface doesn’t really work if you’re going to call me by my first name anyways…”

“Oh, sorry-”

“No, it’s fine. You can keep calling me that. We’re headed to that castle up there. As a Scavenger Lord, it’s my duty to report back to the mayor and let him know about everything that has happened. You won’t be in trouble by any means. Ylvona’s current elected mayor is heavily in favor of scavenger activities. Be prepared to explain yourself and everything you know about your condition, though. The more thorough you are, the easier this will be for all of us.”

“I see… Do you really live here? It’s gorgeous…”

Clarine responded with a genuine smile.

What was this feeling in my heart? It started to feel the same way I felt during the fall, during my first battle. Looking at these beautiful houses, the comforting lights, and the artistic feats of architecture, made everything melt away. A place like this really exist in this world? My heart began to flutter and a stream of thoughts flowed throughout. Was this the theme park I wanted to build so much? If a place like this already exists, does the surface really need one…?

…

The castle doors were as tall as skyscrapers. At least that’s what it looked like. The doors had unique carved art onto them almost as if they were sculpted to appear a specific way and repurposed into being doors later. The art was extremely intricate in how it portrayed many oceanic images such as fish, sharks, squid, seaweed, and other elements. The handles of the door were giant clams. They’d have likely been a much more vibrant shade of purple had this castle not existed for as long as it has.

Clarine walks up to the doors and the two guards at each side come forth to greet and salute her. The Ylvonian salute is similar to the Milonian one except that instead of all five fingers together, you put your index and middle finger together and then you also put your ring and pinky finger together. How sci-fi…

The guards opened the doors and as we all followed Clarin, the mass of people that were with us since the elevator began to dissipate in a variety of directions.

The interior of this castle was no joke. Straight ahead was an excessively huge floor with a stage at the very end. There seemed to be many large spiral staircases on all sides of the castle that led to what I imagined to be at least twenty, no, thirty more floors. With a beautiful pearl texture and color, every part of this castle looked damn near flawless.

“Follow me, boys, we’re headed to the ‘king,’” Clarine says sarcastically.

One look at Rocco and it was obvious how hard he was trying to hide his shock. It makes sense that even a hardass like him would be astonished at this sight. Still not entirely sure how I feel about him but let’s not ruin the moment now…

It took about three flights of stairs before we got off at our floor. This floor had the pearl look like the others but it also boasted an orange accent in all of its accessories from carpets, to drapes and even furniture.

Wait a minute… In the distance… The man talking to the person at his desk… Wait…

I began to sprint but no, I need to mind my leg still. I walked as fast as I could, past Clarine, past Rocco, past Lars. There’s surely no way…