⛆ XENIAL ⛫ at ECHO SHORE ⛆

[SHIVERS]

"Well, part of me wants to go off the rails,"



You begin listing off on your claws.



"Part of me wants to say 'let's FUCKIN GO!',
part of me reaaally wants to discuss it first, 
but this is a spur of the moment decision,
part of me also-"

Murmur is fidgeting on her feet, 
switching between looking through the open door and you, as you talk.

"-thinks that this is a rare opportunity, so--"

"Vess." 
Model clamps a giant hand on your arm.
"Decide, now. 
Please."





You look at the ceiling as you do some math.








"That PROBABLY averages into a Yes. 
I think-" "Fantastic, wonderful- we HAVE to go now,
I'm sorry!"

The OBJ takes off running through the open door.



You hesitate for barely a moment.



"Off we go, then!" 
Model starts pulling you along. 
"Cmon, champ! 
We've gotta make good time on this!"





You go with the flow,

and take off sprinting past Model in an instant,
catching up with Murmur in mere moments.

You slide up next to them as they run,
keeping pace without much difficulty, thanks to your elongated legs.
"BUT-!"
"W-
VESS, I AM BEGGING YOU-"
"I've got to insist we discuss it on the way!"

"W-what do you want to discuss?!" 

Model manages to catch back up, 
her expression scrunched up a little. 

"I'll field it! 
Whatever!"























The three of you pass a casual area of sorts;
couch, TV and a small cafeteria just beyond it;
empty entirely safe for one person in the kitchen who looks out from the cafeteria window as you pass.











"I- I suppose I Can if it will alleviate-" "Cool! 
One sec, though."

You turn to Model.

"Okay you first then:

I'm holding you all to what Jimmie promised.
Are you going to be good for that?
My personal crises can't stay bottled-up forever."



Murmur rounds a corner,
the rest of you following.



"Jimmie's a man of his word, 
I'm a gal of mine!" 

Model gives you a big thumbs up- 
as big as she can while running, anyway. 

"You c-can call me Jenkins, 
I'm just as game!"



"Cool.

Good.

So, Murm-" 

The OBJ skids on tile as you all take a second turn.
 
"...ur,
I need to talk over some things."

"Please, please be brief is at all possible-"












































You all hit a lab section labeled '[WEATHER CENTER]' 
and speed through its halls.

The halls are mostly cleared out,
though a masque peeks out from a door.

"Estimating a little under three minutes, Murmur!" 

"THANK YOU ZOE-" 
she calls back as you pass.













"So:

How dangerous is this going to be?
Is this potentially super lethal?
What's the worst that HAS happened?
Could I have a basic run-down of all potential dangers we might experience in-"

"Nobody's died, 
if that's what you're scared of! 
We've only got our year we did to go off of, 
but even with, yknow, some magic bullshit going down thanks to Jimmie, 
nobody actually got hurt in the end. 

Disoriented, yes. 
Hurt, no."



"Yes, the-"

Murmur is beginning to pant from running,
interrupting their speech at points.

"Typically, no injuries--of any kind occur.
Mild injuries - 
bruises, 
small cuts, 
that sort of-
-those are... uncommon, 
but they have occurred, on average--"



Murmur misses a turn,

trying to correct last-minute only to skid and slam into a nearby door.



She recovers rather quickly, but looks sore.

"-ON-

ON AVERAGE-

...W-

ONCE--EVERY...
F-FOUR TO SIX... YEARS."











The next hallway is short,

the three of you having to make a turn within only about twenty feet,
Murmur hardly slowing down before taking it.



"More severe injuries are VERY rare. 
Occurrence-
...hh-f-" 

She looks light-headed, 
but picks back up.

"-ten to twelve years, 
on average occurrence,
and at worst are--typically broken arms, or legs, 

--fffrom... 
provocation and fights between individuals within--the xenial."




























This new hallway catches your attention.

The section name reads '[AQUA CENTER]'.
Various fish tanks and other tubes of water, displaying various creatures - all colors and shapes - 
in recreated natural habitats.



Apparently,
word had not yet reached this part of the labs,
as you have to dodge around the occasional lab employee,
several narrowly missing you,
or having to duck back into doorways to let you through.











By now,
Murmur looks ready to collapse,
heaving as she tries to finish answering your questions.



"Th-hH--w... Worst that has happened--

is--

is whe--

is when Timber, 

our--the... 

god of--the god who built, 

all--hH--TH... THIS, 

dis--

disap-ppeared a-ab--out... 

hf--

eight--een years... 

ago."







"But...that's not gonna happen again." 

Jenkins seems to be having a much easier time keeping up, 
likely due to her construct body. 

"No way in hell."

"Got it."

























One last section sign hanging in front of a wall:

'[FOUNTAIN LOW CHAMBER]
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT! '





Murmur pulls out a keycard you didn't even realize they had and slams it against the nearby card reader,

a little chime sounds and the wall opens before your eyes,

leading to a set of stairs going down.





The OBJ practically flies down the stairs,

only to slip near the bottom,
managing to catch the railing but still fall on her ass,

groaning as they pull themself up and keep moving.









At the bottom of the steps,

you can hear water flowing.





The black walls around you are fairly short, 
but you have enough room to maneuver.



It doesn't take you long to realize that all the walls are actually windows,
housing relatively dark water.

Your eyes are adjusting, though, allowing you to see the greens, blues, 

and... a deep violet at points,

all comprising the water.



It's all lighter towards the top, as well.







There's a fairly large chamber at the middle,
with two smaller ones at the sides,
all of them circular, 
and arranged together in a half circle of sorts.







Murmur motions for Jenkins to move into the smaller chamber on the left.

She tries to speak,

but is panting too heavily.









Jenkins gives her a thumbs up before darting over.











The helmeted OBJ hastens you along into the central chamber,


pointing Up.




















There,

a few feet above you in the chamber,

is... water.



Not... through any sort of window,
simply within the chamber you're already in,

hanging - defying gravity -
with swaying motions above you,

within reach.



A horizontal surface of that glistening water,
the light from above shining through.



You can see the upper surface of the water, too,
though it's too blurry to see through; 

obscured by raindrops falling across it in scattering ripples.











Murmur makes sure to speak this next sentence Emphatically, and Without Pause.



"When I say Go,

place your hand up into the water,

and do not remove it until the process is over.

Understood?"



You nod.



She nods back as she exhaustedly jogs around to her chamber,
making her way up onto a small platform as Jenkins does the same.















































It's all quiet.

















































Gentle sloshing of the fountain water around and above you.

Filling space in the otherwise-soundless air








































Murmur is looking straight up.





Watching for something.






































You look up, too.


























You spot, what looks like 

tiny, white and black sparks of electricity,

jolting through the water in random patterns.














Murmur yells -

the first time you've heard them do so.

"GO!"