Wavering beginnings

So Selena has washed up in another world. Literally. Like, at first she thought that this was just an old school fishing village. Then she entertained the thought of time travel.

But turns out witches are a thing. Or more broadly, magic. At Selena's blank face, Bryn had shooed the other two out and ordered her to rest and recover more. For a split moment Selena thought that the woman had just been entertaining the rambles of an old man.

But then she had pulled out literal potions.

As in, glass bottles filled with glowing and bubbling liquids. Holding the flask to Selena's lips ever so kindly and telling her to take small sips, while rambling about how they'd aid recovery. At Selena's dumfounded face, which Bryn promptly misunderstood, she assured that she knew what she was doing. Beginning to explain the source and process.

Some flowers and methods Selena certainly never heard of before, so magical in description that she had to stare at the offending glowing and sparkling liquid in front in order to assure herself. Only listening with half an ear as she stared at the liquid with the same light blue colour as the described flowers.

“-and those are imported from some secluded island. In order to enhance the recovery effects, I added a couple petals and heated the mixture until-”

This had to be a dream. Selena ignored the fact that she never dreamt this vividly or had aches in her dreams, and instead knocked back the potion. Bryn didn't look or seem like an evil witch. Her mind was hazy, her throat burned and whole body still ached. She could see faint bruises forming on her right hand, and she just closed her eyes and gave into the gentle darkness, not wanting to think right now.

But then she woke up on the cot again. Feeling a bit better, though Bryn seemed surprised that she wasn't fully recovered. Fretting. The woman really was kind.

Days have passed since then.

Selena fell into her researcher mode, and with a clearer mind now, began analysing everything around her. She was indeed in a fishing village in what she assumed was in the times of the equivalent of the 17th century. But there were objects and items Selena had never seen before. Besides literally magic liquids, there were eternally glowing fairy lights that kept her company in the evening and night. Though at question, Bryn had assured her that there were no real fairies inside. Which implies that fairies are real. With every new answer, Selena only got more questions.

At Solades' repeated inquiries of her past and Selena's lack of knowledge, she quickly came up with the excuse of amnesia. Explaining how she remembered falling from a trades ship, but not much afterwards. Almost drowning must have messed up her memories. The old man had looked suspicious, but Bryn had immediately been more than happy to answer Selena's questions. She tried being subtly, acting as if her thoughts were just a tad hazy and memories jumbled.

Still, she learned a lot. Even more when she was finally allowed to leave and wander the fishing village, even if Bryn still told her to be careful since the potions hadn't been as effective as she expected.

When Selena inquired about payment, Bryn had waved it away. But at Selena's insistence and overall lack of belongings, she did offer buying off the fancy dress Selena had washed ashore within. It was slightly torn now, and Selena had lost her shoes in the unwanted trip. But the fabric of bright blue was expensive nonetheless. Something to get Selena started with in this strange new world.

(She's glad to see the dress gone. Elio and her bought their clothing together in order to match. Because… she didn't want to think about it. It was easier- more important to spend her energy on figuring out the current situation.)

Now Selena wore a simple cotton shirt and trousers, and old boots. It kind of felt like dressing up, but she definitely fit in better now.

Stepping out had been like stepping into a fantasy world. The “quaint” fishing village was actually more of a bustling harbour. Rows of houses constructed of stone and wood, in styles both vaguely familiar and so foreign. Large, old but not actually old ships in the distance. Selena walked down the stony paths, taking in the large wooden ships with sails in awe.

She just walked for a while, taking everything in. Listening to snippets of conversation with half an ear. People shouting to each other across decks. Selena was glad that she understood at least one language. Many carried different accents, and she was pretty sure she heard something that sounded vaguely like French and Spanish. With every step she took the bustling crowd shifted. Both fancy and basic clothing forming splashes of colors in front of the endless ocean.

Any doubt that this wasn't her world were however erased as she saw a literal lizard person on the street. She did her best not to stare, but what.

That was a bipedal lizard. Scaled tail and everything. And everyone worked around them like normal, picking up and transporting cargo. Selena paid even closer attention after that. A lot of folk had pointy ears, or other ears in general. She counted what must be foxes, cats and wolves. A small crew also had wings that reminded her of seagulls. The bustling harbour welcoming and sending off a variety of people.

Selena wondered, since most were humanoid and the animals still existed (she had seen rather a lot of adorable cats employed to keep rats away), was this divergent or convergent evolution? Did the human or the animal features come first? Or something else entirely?

Because magic was a thing.

A reality difficult to wrap her mind around, even as she saw a group of what must be mages in robes levitating boxes from and onto a ship.

So yeah. Selena is in a literally different world. One with grand magic and other species.

And did she mention pirates? It seems like this world was right at the pirates golden age, with history that vaguely mirrored her own worlds. Just with more magic. Bryn and Herbert had both warned her that pirate crews had been getting more bold recently.

Perhaps Selena should be pondering more about that. Should be trying to figure out what happened, what's going on, what she should do. If there's a way to return.

But then, while walking at the beach one morning, she had stumbled over it.

The sun is at the middle of the sky now, and she's still crouched over a specific patch of sand. Because there, in-between stones, is a crab.

But not just any crab! No, Selena has absolutely no idea what kind of crab this one is. And sure, she doesn't know every species, but she had certainly never seen this kind before. Because it for sure doesn't exist in her world. A blue-yellow crab, with a pretty gradient. Sprinkles of dots. Nothing too odd.

But it also has strange spikes which had caught her eyes. Glinting in rising sun. And the dots formed patterns of swirls that look painted on. Selena wonders what kind of reason, what kind of use they have. Oh how she yearns for a notebook. For a camera to document. How her fingertips itch to just sketch the creature and note down observations.

So yeah, she has washed up on a new world. One with magic and pirates and different species. Most importantly, even more sea creatures than Selena could have ever dreamed about. Tearing her gaze away from the crab, her eyes drift to the ocean, waves gently lapping at the beach.

Endless blue to the end of the horizon.

Selena wasn't sure where she is or what she is supposed to do. But she does know one thing now. That there are innumerable animals out there, just waiting to be discovered and studied. And that is something Selena’s deeply familiar with. This new world just brought new opportunities.

She can do this.

All she needs is a small stable job at this fishing village, perhaps helping out Bryn or even Herbert, and using every free second and left over penny in order to document these wondrous beings. The faint bruises shaped with fingertips on her wrist beginning to fade.

Yes. She can do this. The past left behind in literally another world, unreachable but also where it can't reach her. If she can just study sea life like she always did, then Selena will be alright and happy in this new world.

Perfectly content researching, building a new small life and making new friends.

Selena smiles as the sun begins setting, colouring the new world and sea in beautiful shades. Crab long having escaped her inquiring gaze, but as she looks at the water, she knows that there's a future there.

The sea is familiar enough that it didn't matter that there was no one familiar. Eliot and Lucy no longer mattered. Selena would live well, live well without them.

A simple life of peace and research. At least she probably didn't need permission slips here. (Va’rera, was it? She should really pay more attention.)