The Mysterious Phoebe

I’ll be honest with you: it was over before it even began.

Frankly, I was embarrassed for Damos. A few well-placed smacks with the sword tentacle, a few parries with the buckler, and he was toast. Phoebe didn’t even move her feet.

Lynn and Camellia rushed over as soon as he was on the ground. Leaning down to him, Lynn checked him over, and he gave a weak thumbs up.

Phoebe strolled over to them. “Oh, hey. Who are you?”

Camellia looked up from the man lying in the sand. Before her stood a young woman, shorter up close than Camellia had thought. She wore a similar outfit to Lynn, a creamy-white deep V-neck top with no sleeves, accented with a little gold bangle here or there. Compared to Lynn’s long ponytail, however, Phoebe’s hair stopped just below the ear in a short bob. She flashed an impish grin and sported a devilish twinkle in her eye.

“Sheesh, at least tell a girl your name before gazing into her eyes like that,” Phoebe said as she stuck out her tongue.

Camellia stumbled back, unaware that her observation had been so intent. “Sorry! I’ve just heard your name a few times from these two, and I wasn’t sure what I expected.”

Phoebe put her arms out and shrugged, her magic tentacles moving with her shoulders. It made her silhouette much larger than her tiny body actually was. “Hope I’m not disappointing ya.” Realizing her deity-born power was still active, she waved her hand, and the tentacles dissipated into mist as if the water itself had dissolved them. “Sorry ‘bout that. He okay?”

Still on the ground, Damos groaned, “Mmmmfine.”

“What a champ.” She looked back up to Camellia. “Anyway, you have a name, or what?”

“Camellia. It’s Camellia.”

Another groan drifted up from the sand below them. Lynn pulled Damos up and propped him in a seated position on the ground. Glancing up, she noticed the small crowd of other trainees that had built up, concerned for Damos’ safety. “He’s fine, everyone.”

Phoebe chimed in. “Yeah, get back to training. I need some harder opponents!” she cackled.

In an exasperated tone, Lynn chided, “Quiet, Phoebe. Stop causing trouble and help me get him out of the way.”

Phoebe took a deep, exaggerated bow. “Yes, Ser Lynn, as you command.”

Bringing out her extra set of arms once more, Phoebe used the ghostly tentacles to grab Damos beneath the armpits, while Lynn grabbed his feet, shuffling him out of the center of the training grounds. As they leaned him up against the sloped wall, he came to his senses further. “Pheebs, you cheater.”

“Me? I would never. You need a little more work before the Trials if we want to make it up together. I’m just whipping you into shape.” Phoebe leaned back, stretching her arms and tentacles behind her head. “Camellia, was it? You can sit with this guy, right? I wanna get in a round against Lynn.”

Camellia slowly nodded. “Sure.”

“Here.” Damos patted the ground next to him. “We can watch. It’ll be fun.”

I guess, but I’d much rather be the one fighting. I want to learn more about how I could do that kind of thing, too.

Well, Camellia, observation is a part of the learning process. You ought to know that, as a scientist yourself.

Begrudgingly, she sat down next to Damos, leaning back against the packed sand and mud slope marking the edge of the training grounds. Phoebe dragged Lynn by the arm back out to center stage, while Lynn looked at Camellia over her shoulder apologetically.

She’s a little eccentric, but man, that magic was cool. Is all the magic here inspired by marine life? Does that mean I really could learn some magic, too?

“Damos?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay, I’m okay,” he sighed.

“Not what I was gonna ask.”

Damos paused his groaning to peer at Camellia. “You’re a lot like Lynn, you know that?”

She blushed. “You think so?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “What were you gonna ask?

“How can I learn to use aspect magic like you guys?”

Damos leaned forward. “You really wanna learn? And join us? That’d be so cool! We need a fourth for the team trials, too, so it’s actually perfect. I wonder what kind of aspect you’ll be blessed with? I bet it’ll be something really pretty, just like you— Sorry, not in a weird way! You’re just very—”

I’ll cut him off there. This man does not know when to shut his mouth, does he?

As Damos yammered, Camellia realized she still didn’t know what she actually looked like. She made a mental note to ask for a mirror when they got back into town.

Ah, looks like he’s getting to the point. Let’s listen back in.

“...that is to say, basically, we just need to get you to actually meet her, which should be easy enough, and then you can get started on getting blessed.”

Wait, I missed something! Who am I meeting? Cursing herself for zoning out, Camellia snapped back to attention.

“Honestly, I bet we could even get you started by lunch tomorrow. There’s still plenty of time before the Trials, too, so you could train with us,” Damos mused

Camellia considered the offer. Yeah. Why not? I can make a new life for myself here. Forget all that painful stuff from before for now.

Go for it.

“I would really like that, actually. Could we?”

As if he hadn’t been walloped mere minutes before, Damos hopped up off the wall onto his feet, almost trembling with excitement. “Yeah! We can do it tomorrow. Oh, hell yes, I’m getting pumped up now,” he shouted, closing both fists and pulling them inwards.

“He- Hey! Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Camellia looked around, grabbing his arm to pull him back down to a seated position, hoping he hadn’t drawn the attention of the entire yard to the two of them. Thankfully, the other trainees were evidently used to these sorts of outbursts — not a single person turned their head, save for Lynn.

Her opponent, however, had not been so easily distracted. With Lynn looking sideways, Phoebe had an opening. She readily took advantage of it, using one of her tentacles to smack her from the side outside her field of view, sending her to the ground. Phoebe whined, “Come on, Lynn, pull out the real firepower.”

As she got up off the ground, Camellia noticed that, while Phoebe freely used her aspect, Lynn sported no magical glow whatsoever.

“Not today, Phoebe.”

“Aww, but—“

“Don’t push it.” Lynn’s voice was stern, a stark change in tone causing Phoebe to shrink back. After a moment, Lynn relaxed her face and sighed. “Let’s stop here for now. I’m famished.”

Phoebe obliged, and the two returned to the sidelines where Camellia and Damos awaited. After checking that Damos was truly fine — physically, at least — they began the hike back up out of the basin.

“No memories, like, at all? That’s crazy!” Phoebe excitedly chattered.

“Yes, it’s strange. Lynn has been very helpful in getting me reoriented, though.” Camellia walked side by side with Phoebe, though her aura still intimidated her.

Damos turned around, walking backwards up the path as he complained, “Hey! I’ve been super helpful too. Right, Lynn?”

“Oh, I’ll bet. Real helpful in showing Camellia what not to do,” Phoebe snickered.

Damos playfully sneered at her, “I didn’t ask you, short stuff.”

That incensed the young woman, who was, admittedly, the most diminutive of the bunch. “You want round two, buster? I’ll teach you who comes up short!” Phoebe leapt forward at Damos. Camellia surmised that perhaps this sort of thing happened often, as Damos had anticipated the response and was already three steps back, ready to run away. Phoebe jumped to chase after him, and the two raced up the trail. The burst of action scared away a school of nearby fish above them, which quickly swam away.

A deep sigh came from Camellia's left. “Those two are such a handful. Hard to believe they aren’t siblings.”

It’s a lot quieter without the two of them here, isn’t it?

Upon reaching the city proper once more, the four decided it was a good time for a mid-afternoon lunch. Camellia realized she hadn’t eaten a single thing since her arrival in this world, having been so focused on avoiding death and adjusting to her surroundings. Phoebe begged for something called “school skewers,” and so they headed to a local favorite spot close to the training grounds.

The tavern was much like the rest of the city: a foreboding, black-stone exterior that concealed a warm and inviting room inside. The four sat at a table together. Camellia noticed there was a small pit in the center of the table with some sort of rock inside it.

She had been too focused on it, not listening to the other three chat as she wondered what exactly it was — it seemed so familiar — that when the food arrived, it startled her.

A few plates of— fish? They eat fish here? Is that not… sacrilegious to the sea goddess, or something?

Well, it only makes sense, really. If you live underwater, what else are you supposed to eat? Certainly not sand, I hope. Though maybe Damos does.

…What?

Alright, I apologize, Obbie. That was uncalled for. He’s a fine young man, if a little overbearing.

“You look a little frightened. Is everything alright, Camellia?” Lynn’s voice snapped Camellia back to attention.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine. I was just wondering why… well—”

“Hey, they forgot to set the brazier!” Phoebe complained. She stood up out of her wooden chair, cupping her hands around her mouth to shout, “Oi, barkeep! We need a light.”

A light?