Wingwoman

 She was angelic, with that gorgeous white-and-blue dress and those radiant golden wings. Simply stunning.

Camellia took a moment to get used to the feeling of floating in the air of her own will. Tentatively leaning this way and that, she slowly learned the exact ways she could control her flight. Her wings needed to flap, here and there, but they did so automatically, just as she breathed or blinked.

She pushed the limit. If she could hover or adjust slightly, could she fully fly? Taking a breath, Camellia leaned all the way forward and allowed her body to fall, tucking her wings in behind her. The ocean’s surface, now only a dozen or so meters below, taunted her — how low can you go?

Sweeping down, she opened her wings and angled them upward, turning the fall into a burst of horizontal speed, skimming the surface of the water.

Camellia laughed, a hearty, joyous cry that bounced off the surface of the waves like the sunlight above her. Weightless, unburdened, she soared over the water, relishing in her freedom.

As she let a sandal graze the foam, trailing over top of it, she remembered her friends beneath it. Oh! They’re probably worried.

She looked at the sky above her one last time, then towards the island. “Be seeing you soon. Count on it,” she muttered, before letting herself sink once more beneath the sea.

The moment her head dipped beneath the waves, she heard a shout from below. “There she is! Over there!” Damos’ voice echoed over the plains.

As Camellia took her first breath of water, the dreadful, encumbered feeling returned. This was the wrong place. So, too, did she realize her aching back would not let her keep her wings active for much longer. Like an arm holding a weight for too long, the muscles that exercised her magic were sorely undertrained. Wait, just until I get to the ground, please.

Her friends ran over as she strained to keep her wings out, controlling her descent. “Camellia! Hold on!” Phoebe yelled.

Camellia couldn’t keep it going. Her vision wavered. With some twenty meters or so to go, the wings shimmered out of existence, and she dropped like a rock. “Quickly, Phoebe!” Lynn screamed, her shrill tone more panicked than Camellia had ever heard. As she fell, this was her last thought: she really is worried.

And then she blacked out.

~~~~~~

When Camellia awoke, the first thing she saw was Phoebe and Damos, both leaning over her face and staring intently into her eyes.

“She’s awake! Oh, thank Tethys!” Damos cheered, directly into her face.

Wincing, Camellia groaned, “Agh, volume, man. My ears are right here.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Disoriented and still slightly woozy from passing out, Camellia leaned up to get a look at her surroundings. A hand supported her back, and Lynn’s voice came from behind her. “Easy, Camellia. We’re in no rush.”

Sitting on the other old bed that Phoebe had brought, Camellia blinked as her surroundings came into focus. They were still in the plains, around where they had executed the plan. “Wh… What happened?”

Phoebe hopped on the bed and sat next to her. “Well, after we sent the Camellia-pad up, we waited. It was really weird. It didn’t come down for at least 5 minutes.”

“Yeah. We were super worried that you, like, exploded or something!” Damos joined.

“And then, of course, when it came down without a Cammy on top… That freaked us out.” Phoebe jammed her thumb at Lynn. “‘Specially her.”

“Phoebe!” Lynn hissed.

Camellia turned red. She hadn’t thought about how that would look to her friends below, flying around alone. “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t think of that.”

Pointing up to the surface above, Damos recounted, “And then you finally came down with those weird things on your back. That was amazing.”

“What exactly happened?” Lynn sat down on Camellia’s other side.

Camellia told the three of them everything from her time above the surface, including the mysterious minor deity that had talked to her.

“So those,” Lynn said, pausing. “Those were wings on your back? That’s incredible.”

Camellia nodded. “They looked and felt exactly like how your aspects manifest.” She turned to Phoebe. “Does it hurt like that every time?”

“Nah, just the first few. It goes away eventually. If it hurts, though, that’s a good sign. Means yours is like mine.” Phoebe brought her own aspect out and coiled a tentacle around Camellia in a hug. “Sisters.”

Lynn, on the other hand, wasn’t as excited. She rested her chin on her hands, elbows on her knees, and sighed. “I don’t understand. I’ve heard legends about birds before, but there’s never been anything about aspects.” Her judgmental gaze settled on Camellia. “What is it about you? It’s always some strange, surprising thing.”

Heart rate spiking, Camellia jumped up off the sponge mattress. “Super weird, right? Haha! Anyway, we should probably head back home now, right? I’ve got to talk to Tethys, after all.”

Lynn looked unsure, scowling at Camellia, who couldn’t look her in the eye. Right as Lynn opened her mouth to respond, Damos interrupted, proposing that they go back home with their mission now accomplished. Luckily for Camellia, Phoebe was not nearly as interrogating, either. And so the three of them, ramshackle platform in tow, began the hike back to The Bed. Silently, Lynn stood up and followed the three, hesitant and reserved. She made no conversation on the journey back, instead studying Camellia with a dubious frown.