Adventure 3- Back to Zero

[weakahoshi]

[Shirahoshi's been having bad dreams. Scary dreams. Dreams of being hurt and people talking and doing things to her and it makes her feel sick to her stomach. In the dreams, she wonders if she's losing something of herself, or betraying some sort of trust she'd been given. But now, waking up, she isn't sure what that trust would even be, or why she's even wondering about it.

The feeling lingers though. It makes her uncomfortable even as she blinks open her eyes.

And the world around her is HUGE. She must have been taken somewhere else again, because Luceti did not tower over her like this even though it was intimidating at first. There are massive houses, bigger than the castle in some ways. And the people! They must be giants! Some of them even tower over her, and no one has ever done that before.

But if she's been moved, that means she isn't where Luffy-sama and the others are anymore either. Even the new friends she met, who knows where they'd be? She's all alone again, though she has her journal and the bubbly coral. Shirahoshi doesn't think to check on them yet. She's too busy panicking to notice that the fountain behind her looks just the same as the one in Luceti, or that the buildings have exactly the same facades.

Someone please come comfort her as she breaks down in normal, human-sized mermaid tears.]

Comments

[savedtheworld]

[Aang hears the crying sound and runs over, seeing her only from behind at the moment]

Hey! Are you okay?

[runawayhoshi]

[Shirahoshi looks at him over her shoulder, a mix of surprise and relief and latent fear all registering across her face.]

Aang-sama! I thought the Malnosso-sama had taken me away!

[As she turns toward him, she bursts into tears anew, grateful to see a friendly face.]

[savedtheworld]

Shirahoshi?!

[You're so... normal-sized!]

[cryinghoshi]

[It takes her all of about two seconds and a giant splash to launch herself out of the fountain and latch on to Aang, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging to him as if he were the only thing keeping her alive.]

P- please don't let them take me away again.

[savedtheworld]

[Aang is definitely taken by surprise and nearly falls over, but he stands his ground and returns the hug, giving a pat to her wet back. It's easy to put the twos together now. It was a few months ago that Sabriel had been left by the fountain after a kidnapping in a shrunken down state. Now, it seems like it was Shirahoshi's turn. ...Except that her tiny was his normal size.]

It's okay, Shirahoshi. Whatever happened is... over. You're safe now.

[weakahoshi]

Aang-sama.

[She is just. So very glad to see him. She can't even remember what happened, or if she was really taken away at all. But he seemed to accept it, and that said something.

Shirahoshi's shivering pretty hard, but she lifts her head to ask a very important question.]

Do they do this... a lot?

[savedtheworld]

It's... it's hard to say. The way they do this, it's... It's completely random. You can't tell when or who will be kidnapped. I've been here for months now and they never came for me. [Pause and he tries to tighten the hug a bit.] I'm sorry they did this to you, Shirahoshi.

[cryinghoshi]

It isn't your fault, Aang-sama.

[She settles her fin on the ground and stands a little awkwardly on it. The bones won't be strong enough to fully support her for another 14 years or so, when the fin will split naturally.]

I- I guess still being me just smaller is better than being turned into something else...

[savedtheworld]

Y-yeah. [And some back-pats.] It could always be worse, Shirahoshi. It shouldn't last for long. With these things, you eventually go back to normal. And - you're not in pain, are you?

[weakahoshi]

N- no. Just. My body won't stop shaking. Is that normal?

[savedtheworld]

I - I don't know! Are you nervous?