Conflicting Morals

A burst of bubbles whooshed up in front of Camellia as the barkeep lit a fire in the built-in brazier. Heat erupted in front of the four, startling her. Camellia had completely forgotten that, in addition to the supernatural breathing, they also had actual fire here. She remembered the campfire in Damos’ hideout, and almost slapped herself for letting it slip her mind.

This fire looked different, however. She hadn’t noticed it when in the Crags with Damos, but the core of the fire, centered around a single rock, was tinged deep purple. I guess that makes it magic…?

“Hell yeah. Check this out, new girl,” Phoebe said with a grin as she picked up a raw fish fillet. Next to the brazier was a small stone cup filled with many tiny sticks. Phoebe snagged one and jammed it through the fillet, creating a crude skewer which she immediately stuck into the heart of the violet flame.

That’s what this reminded Camellia of. The hole in the table with a fire in it, the raw food brought out by plate, it was just like those places her college friends loved. The all-you-can-eat yakiniku barbecue thing. Though in this world it was far less sophisticated, more akin to roasting hot dogs by a campfire. Well, it’s not like they have electricity here, so it’s gonna be more primitive.

“Ta-dah! One freshly grilled school skewer, cooked to perfection.” Phoebe presented the stick with fish to Camellia.

It was very obviously burnt to a crisp.

“You and your weird tastes, Pheebs,” Damos shook his head as he took a skewer as well, outfitting it with a different fillet. “You gotta be more careful. The sweet spot is on the outside, not directly at the core.”

Phoebe took a bite from her prize, the crunch of her blackened food audible to the whole table, if not the entire restaurant. “Mno, you’re phe weir’ one,” she said while chewing.

“Don’t speak with food in your mouth,” Lynn scolded, taking a grilling stick for herself.

Camellia stared at the fire, enraptured by its impossible flicker in the water. Noticing this, Lynn nudged her, asking, “Something the matter?”

“Well, I’m just wondering how this is possible, is all,” she replied. “Is it magic?”

Damos opened his mouth to speak, but when Lynn glared at him, he closed it and swallowed before speaking. “Hey, you know, apparently in the ancient days, they were surprised by the godfire too. Maybe you’re a time traveler or something?”

“That’s stupid, Dams,” Phoebe jabbed.

Lynn held her skewer at a careful distance from the fire, explaining, “It is true that ancient ocean dwellers were shocked by the existence of fire underwater. But she probably didn’t come from the history books.” She turned the fish over. “In short, Camellia, the goddess makes anything necessary for life possible for humans. Just as she graces us with the blessing of underwater breathing, she makes fire burn. It’s the same principle behind how we’re able to walk, too. ‘As on land, so shall it be beneath the waves.’”

Okay, this is one powerful goddess. She casually defies the laws of physics just to let some humans live underwater? Magic is amazing.

“But why? Why does she do that for you— er, us?”

This time, it was Phoebe who answered. “Well, we humans are the ones worshipping her, so of course she protects us. It’s not like the crabs are getting together and making statues or anything.”

“Oh, actually, you’d never believe it, Pheebs. I saw a statue of a tiny crab out by the Crags. Crazy stuff,” Damos nodded.

“Stuff it, fishface.”

What a crew Camellia has found for herself. Unfortunate that some more graceful people couldn’t have taken her under their wing… er, fin. Well, at least there’s Lynn.

Lynn seemed concerned. “Unrelated, but are you not hungry, Camellia?”

I was wondering the same. She hasn’t eaten for over a day. What’s the issue, Camellia?

She looked at one of the plates of raw fish, then to the backdrop of the tavern. Small groups of fish drifted lazily around the empty areas, roaming freely inside. Yellowtail snapper and… Is that Japanese horse mackerel? Common fish for human consumption, but from totally different parts of the world. That’s strange. She pushed the thought aside. Forget the ecology. That’s gotta be what’s on that plate.

Looking back at her new friends, Camellia confessed, “I feel a little weird eating them when they’re right there. They’re watching. I don’t wanna make them sad.”

In her previous life, Camellia had been fine eating fish, but only when not surrounded by them. Kind of like bringing a hamburger to a dairy farm, I guess.

“Plus,” Camellia added, “is that not sacrilegious to Tethys? These are kind of like her children, aren’t they?”

Damos leaned back. “Oooooh, that’s what it is. No, she doesn’t mind. She’s the humans’ goddess of the sea, after all. It’s kind of a natural part of the world for stuff to eat other stuff, right? Like, some fish eat other fish.”

“Yeah, we’re the same as any other inhabitants of the ocean,” Phoebe said, before tearing a hunk out of another burnt skewer.

I mean, they don’t have literal fire, though.

“Rest assured, Camellia. If the goddess had a problem with it, she would tell us.” Lynn’s reassurance was calming compared to the flippant justification given by the other two. The tension in Camellia’s shoulders eased with Lynn’s words, finally relaxing.

“Also, if the fish watching is a problem, here,” Damos said, standing up. “AAAUUUUGGGHHH!” He waved his arms frantically at the nearby fish, scaring them out of the open doors. “There you go!”

Camellia coughed. “Um, thanks, Damos.”