What Lies Deep Below [CLOSED] (2,002 views)

[Blue]

Residing in the depths of the ocean while he and his family has learned to adapt among the Maraquan folk, Azelf believes that they are safe and secured in their underwater home. For years he's been the only one who seldom leave the house, unlike his brothers and his sister; they either explore the world, do errands or earn a living. The faerie Shoyru would prefer babysitting the petpets instead of soaring in the skies above the surface like his species would. The only land he isn't afraid to set foot on is Meridell, the place that he remembered was his first home. However, as far as anyone knows, he never leaves the house without his cloak, so whenever it's in the laundry or is missing or some other reason for it to be unavailable, he'd rather not leave at all.

The weather seems normal today, on the count of there isn't much difference at all if there were any changes above the surface. On the agenda, Sweet is heading to Mystery Island to look after their shop, B is going exploring again and Pawkeyt's just swimming up to the surface to be picked up by his pirate friends who will arrive by ship. Once again, Azelf had been left alone. 

"I guess it's just us again, h-huh guys?" the Shoyru said absentmindedly, gazing towards the window of their house as a faerie Feepit, a Puppyblew and a Bubblebee crawled to his side. Focused at the stunning scenery of what seem to be his possible greatest adventure yet, he just sighed. "I can't leave the house. Sweet took my cloak to get it repaired. I don't even know how that giant hole got there." The Feepit and the Puppyblew stared at each other with guilt. "I can't visit the farm for now, so I'll just stay here." He paused. "Wonder what amazing things awaits us over there..."

[Maddie]

Meanwhile, while Azelf was busy brooding, Star was busy with her own dilemma. Several thousand feet above the underwater city, the surface of Maraqua was choppy with a nippy, winter breeze, typical for the season. Star, with her head just above the water, was comfortable thanks to her slick, form-fitting wet suit, which retained her body's natural warmth. Pushing her weight onto Cici's boat to keep herself afloat, she stared firmly at her brother (who was beginning to ignore her meddling completely) and wondered what her next plan of action should be.

"Come on, Cici, the water is so nice and cool today!" she sung with a voice like a bell. "You've been working all day, take a break and come swim with your little sister!" She batted her eyelashes and put on the sweetest grin she could, hoping a perkier approach would convince him to face his fears and get in the water.

The water kacheek simply coughed, sparing his sister but a second's glance before fixing his gaze back on his fishing rod. "I-I'm not leaving my boat behind to go swimming, Star. That's not... very safe. I-It could get stolen, you know-!!" he stammered nervously, dodging the real issue.

Star sighed, honestly impressed with how many excuses he could invent. "Well, we can dock your boat before we leave, then! Is that better?" she persisted, trying to maintain her sweet voice despite her growing frustrations.

"I-I'm not willing to take the chance," Cici finished resolutely, not even bothering to look in her direction this time.

Star frowned. She observed Cici's trembling hands and the excessive dripping from his watery body. The poor fellow was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, it seemed. She had obviously pestered him enough today, and with a heavy heart, she answered, "Okay. Maybe next time." The biscuit kacheek grabbed her scuba mask off the boat and paddled away to give her brother some relief from her presence, which in itself could be distressing for him.

As her distance from Cici increased, Star considered cheering herself up with a healthy dose of adventure. It wasn't like Star to let a bleak situation keep her down. Adorning the scuba mask and testing its functionality, Star dived deep down under, allowing the water to rush past her and wash away her worries. Though slightly obstructed by the diving regulator, a smile was apparent on the lively kacheek's lips as she wondered what discoveries awaited her.

[Blue]

Just as Star was about to enter the ancient city, Azelf hasn't moved from the window over the past few minutes. A multitude of sea creatures moved to and fro. The scenery from faerie Shoyru's perspective had been so peaceful, that it triggered a memory in him which made him begin reminiscing the days when he and his family first lived in Maraqua.

"W-we... We... used to be land dwellers." He told the petpets, as if they were little children paying close attention to him. "Pawkeyt can breathe in both land and water, so there wasn't a problem for him moving here. That... that's pretty neat." Azelf smiled shyly. "The only way for the rest of us to live here is to wear these seaweed necklaces..." He tucked the necklace he was wearing. "...and or drink that magical potion B brewed up to help us breathe underwater, though it's only temporary." His smile slowly faded away when he remembered uttering the term 'magical'. "I-I can make one of those too once in a while, but I-I might mess up or something--"

Azelf noticed an unfamiliar figure floating very far in the distance. "H-have you guys seen that before?" All the petpets shook their heads, looking to the direction where he was pointing. "Me neither. M-must be another visitor. Y-you think..." A realization came into his mind, which directed him to a negative reaction. "N-no, no it can't be." The Shoyru began to quiver. He quickly left the window as the petpets followed him. "I hope that isn't... him." He pleaded, swimming up to his room and wrapped himself in his bed-sheet. "This place is already hidden, uhm... He can't--Should we check who it is? What if--maybe we should check, huh?" The petpets remained puzzled yet obedient to what Azelf was about to do.

The faerie Shoyru came to the front door, still wearing the bed-sheet around him and warily went outside. The figure was nowhere to be seen. Azelf turned to the petpets behind him. "I think I overacted." He felt the waves made by the sea dwellers drifting by his area. They waved hello to him, with welcoming faces. The Shoyru smiled back nervously. "I guess I'll stay out here for a little while... and then let's get back inside." He stood close to the front door to secure himself as he continued to gaze upon the city's magnificent seascape.

[Maddie]

Star did not rush her downward descent, simply allowing gravity to do its work; she didn't want to miss a moment of Maraqua's beauty. As she observed the coral reefs and algae, she lamented for a moment how unfortunate Cici's fear was. He had always wanted to see Maraqua. This thought, however, only made her all the more determined to take in her surroundings, so she could describe them to her brother later. Maybe that would cheer him up.

The deeper she dived, the more undersea locals she encountered. Star understood this meant the city was drawing near. Soon the ancient architecture came into focus, and her heart quickened with excitement. Though this was not her first visit, the city's beauty always captivated her.

Eventually her feet met the ocean floor, and her body eased with the familiarity of walking on solid ground. She had landed in a residential city, which was just fine by her. The neohomes were lovely, and the locals seemed to be friendly for the most part. She only felt guilty that she could not say hello back when she was greeted - the diving regulator harshly muffled speech. Even still, Star continued her expedition.

She took long, heavy steps through the city, readjusting to the reduced gravity, when she noticed a faerie shoyru standing outside his home. She was shocked to see a land-dweller underwater without the proper gear, and curiosity drove her towards him. She approached slowly, not wanting to startle what she believed to be a stranger, and hoped to get just a quick look to see if the shoyru was wearing anything to aid his breathing.

[Blue]

Azelf remained standing and motionless by their front door. He had been thinking deeply to himself while the petpets were playing and chasing after each other right behind him. Out of nowhere, the Bubblebee accidentally bumped onto him that he lost focus on what he was previously thinking.

"Huh? W-wha...?" The petpets suddenly stopped playing, staring at something which appeared to be coming from far away. "W-what is it guys?" Azelf looked their way and saw another unfamiliar figure coming towards him at a slow pace. The Shoyru trembled, thinking once again that it was someone who was after him. Steadily reaching for the doorknob without offending the approaching stranger, he was stopped by a flashback from this morning:

"You sure it's alright to leave you here again?" B asked, as he, Pawkeyt and Sweet were about to leave the house.

Azelf nodded. "I-it's cool guys, really." He put on an anxious grin, trying to encourage his siblings that it was okay.

"Alright, Azelf." the baby Kacheek placed his hands on his hips. He had a worried look on his face. "But remember, there's nothing to be afraid of outside. You can't always be hiding forever. Honestly, visiting Meridell would've already been such a huge giveaway, though I respect that the place means to you a lot, but you still haven't been caught!" He approached the faerie Shoyru and patted him on the shoulder. "It's been 5 years. You've changed so much. He's not going to find you." B reassured.

As the flashback ended, Azelf shook his head, reminding himself of his brother's words that it may be possible that whoever the stranger is isn't who he thought it was. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out who was underneath the scuba gear. "Well... this may spell doom for me..." He slowly raised his hand and waved at the stranger. "U-uh... h-hi there!" He greeted cautiously, hiding most of himself with his bed sheet.

[Maddie]

Star was surprised to see that the had shoyru noticed and waved to her. She did not want it to seem like she was trying to approach him directly, but the faerie seemed to have interpreted it as exactly that. She shrugged and figured it'd be easier to inspect him once she was closer anyway, and continued her approach with a friendly wave.

Upon meeting the shoyru face-to-face, however, Star's friendly smile fell in awe. Those purple eyes, coupled with the resemblance of a cloak, provoked a sense déjà vu so intense that she nearly reeled back in surprise, slightly floating away. A cloud of bubbles rose from her mouth as she gasped his name in muffled obscurity, "Azelf? Is that you?"

[Blue]

Startled and didn't exactly know how to respond because he barely understood what was just said, yet took him only a second to recognize that who was right in front of him is actually his longtime friend, Azelf's face beamed with delight. Probably not too long ago, but he felt like it was ages since they first met. N-no way, it can't be! He stood firmly, while still holding onto his bed sheet, trying to calm himself from his excitement. "Star?"

There was a moment of silence. Watching the bubbles coming out from the diving regulator, the faerie Shoyru realized that it was difficult to communicate with each other. "Oops! O-oh wait! I uhm--I-I have a spare... uh... extra seaweed necklaces i-if you'd like to borrow them... They, uh, help us breathe underwater..." He cleared his throat. "Oh and welcome to our house...!" He gestured towards their abode with a hint of blush coming from his cheeks. "W-would you like to come in?" The shoyru puts on a nervous grin. Of course she'd like to--Wait, a-am I supposed--of course you should invite a guest inside your home--that's the polite thing to do...! He thought, doubting himself as usual.

[Maddie]

Star nodded vigorously to confirm that it was, indeed, her. Their encounter was so unlikely that it felt like an adventure just meeting him again. She was glad she decided to explore to sea. Cici was going to love hearing about this!

Once the shoyru motioned to his seaweed necklace, Star was immediately gripped with fascination. This was precisely why she approached him in the first place. How on Neopia did it work? She brought her hand to it and felt the leaves, which felt no different from regular seaweed. It must have been magic. She beamed at it with wonder.

Preoccupied with these thoughts, Star was only paying half attention when Azelf invited her into his house. It wasn't difficult to catch on, however, given that he was motioning his hands towards the door. She nodded her head once again with a humbled grin, and pointed to her neck to indicate that she also wanted a necklace.

[Blue]

"O-oh! A-alright then..." Azelf grinned, as he lead Star inside their house. "This way..." The faerie Feepit hovered next to him, tugging Azelf's bed sheet with its worried face. "It's alright, Winter. Star's a friend." The other petpets cautiously followed, running into one another as if they were frantic about something.

From the outside, it would look like the house was entirely aquatic-themed, but as they enter, however, it seemed like a regular household of a surface dweller, as if outside was merely an aquarium. The wallpaper was plain beige, yet the light passing through the windows caused silver ripples reflecting on the walls and gave the interior a colorful hue of blue and green. It was evident that all they owned had come from freebies from their adventures on all parts of Neopia. Simple and cheap furniture as far as the eyes can see, but it was enough for the 4 siblings.

"So... uh... this... this is it. There isn't much..." Azelf looked around. "Y-yeah..." He sighed, embarrassed. "Could be worse; there's uhm, light, a sofa... oh and TV. You can sit right over there. I-I'll uhm... just get the extra necklace... C-could I get you anything else? I mean--I-I'll be right back." He dashes into his room as the petpets continued to follow.

[Maddie]

Star seemed to observe the interior thoughtfully (although that may have only appeared so because she currently could not speak). Before he left, Star smiled at Azelf's apparent agitation, flattered by his humble attempt at hosting. She paddled towards the sofa he indicated and pushed all her weight onto the seat, but inevitably she floated just a few inches above it. She sighed quietly to herself. It felt weird, to say the least, to be surrounded by objects and furniture reminiscent of the surface, yet simultaneously experience the strange effects of underwater's gravity.

Star folded her hands and placed them under her chin. She took a second to inspect all of the elements of the room while she waited. Azelf seemed embarrassed by the interior, but she honestly found the decor charming. She was a simple girl who preferred to live by the bare minimum, and the house achieved that. Perfect ten in her book.

[Blue]

"Ugh! Where is it again?"

The room had been filled with piles of clothes. Azelf, now without the bed-sheet over his head, rummaged through his drawer, as the three petpets watched him. "I know it's in here somewhere... oh wait... here..." From the deep corners of the drawer under a few folded clothes, the shoyru takes out 3 seaweed necklaces. "Oh... uh, Sweet and B didn't use theirs? Probably only used a potion that lets them breathe here for a couple of minutes until they get to the surface... Hmm... Sweet bought another extra? I thought these were expensive..." Suddenly, the Bubblebee swims over to Azelf and starts nibbling on his arm. "Oh, Bumble... you hungry?" Azelf turns to the other petpets, as the Feepit opens its mouth and points at it. "Hold on, guys. I better give Star this necklace first." He looks at the clothes surrounding them and sighs.

After getting his room fixed, which didn't take too long, he went back over to Star who seem to be floating over their sofa. "I'm back... Sorry to keep you waiting..." He hands her the necklace. "Y-you may remove your suit now... if you like." He cleared his throat. "E-excuse me again but, I uhm, I'm just going to feed our pets... B-be righ--" Together, the petpets brought their bowls with them in their mouths. Azelf's face became flushed. "G-g-guys! You didn't have to bring them here... O-okay, uh..." The shoyru hastily turns to Star and back to the petpets repeatedly. "I still need to get that special petpet food for Winter and Poochini. Bumble doesn't need the special type one since he can breathe down here." The Bubblebee shoots bubbles out of its mouth and swims around swiftly. "And it's better to eat in the kitchen though... than here... Oh and Star, w-when you're done, you can come with us to the kitchen and I'll.. uh... cook something up for us. Now, I-I gotta tend to these hungry fellas..." He faced the petpets, trying to hide his nervousness. "C'mon, kitchen. Let's go... please..." He commanded, as the petpets took their bowls and scurried along to the kitchen with Azelf following behind them.

[Maddie]

Before equipping the necklace, Star giggled in a muffled tone, finding the petpet's impatient behavior cute. She nodded to Azelf when he addressed her to indicate that it was alright to leave and take care of his hungry pets. Once the shoyru departed, Star took just a moment to inspect the seaweed necklace once again. She was enamored by the way it glistened and swayed from the ocean's rhythmic motions. Gardening underwater really must have been a treat, if just to watch the plants dance in such a way.

Then, without further interruption, Star slipped the necklace over her head. She was hesitant to remove her diving regulator, for she was not a firm believer in magic, but trusted Azelf enough to go through with it. A large plume of bubbles rose from the mask as she torn it from her face, and her immediate response was to gasp for breath. And lo and behold - she could actually breathe! She was utterly captivated. "Well I'll be," Star whispered to herself, rubbing the necklace thoughtfully.

Now, with the freedom to speak, Star became acutely aware of her situation. She pushed herself from the sofa in an excited haste and quickly glided into the kitchen, where Azelf was busying himself with the petpets. Without giving the shoyru a moment to react, she squealed delightedly, "You're a faerie now!!" with a large grin. "I'm so happy for you! Changing your color is a big deal! Also, thank you so much for inviting me here. You decor is lovely, don't talk yourself down about it. Oh, and cooking for me? You're really too kind! Such maturity and politeness for someone as young as you are!" She stopped abruptly and inhaled for breathe, having said everything she wanted to but previously could not. She laughed slightly in spite of herself, with an apologetic grin for startling him.

[Blue]

Azelf slowly turned around, still a bit shaken from Star's sudden exclamation. "Y-yeah... uh... it's... well... I-I've always wanted to be a faerie before--" The shoyru paused, with a realization in mind. "I-I'm not saying 'cause I'm a boy and it implies anything--nevermind." He placed his hand on his face, embarrassed. "I have learned to cooked at a very young age, s-so I'm used to it... A-a-and thanks..." He put away the empty petpet food cans while the three petpets continued eating.

"Oh! By the way... I forgot to introduce you to our pets!" Azelf gestured to the petpets adorably eating their meal. "This is Winter... Poochini... and Bumble!" He pointed at the Feepit, the Puppyblew and the Bumblebee respectively. "Oh yeah! Uh... so... w-what will you have?" The shoyru opened the fridge. It was filled with Maraquan delicacies, but only a few foods which were bought from Neopia Central's food shop. "Hmm... let's see..." His eyes grew big in shock. Uhhh... I wonder if she'll like these... He thought to himself, worriedly. "We have... uh... some sea...food...?" He forced his face a little more into the fridge to find more of its contents. "...some meat, veggies and fruits... You'll be surprised how we're able to cook down here..."

[Maddie]

Star quickly took a liking to the feepit, delivering a brief pat to its head before returning her focus to Azelf. "Yes, I bet I will be," she replied with an amused grin as Azelf babbled on, walking up behind him and peering into the fridge. "And now that I think about it, I can't even imagine how the fridge works underwater!" She reached out her paw and swatted the water near the fridge's open door. "Is the water inside just colder than the water on the outside?" She laughed.

"I guess that would make sense. Anyway, back on topic, I'd really be interested in anything you serve me." With her body floating quite a few inches above his, she had to make an effort to meet his eyes. "I do think I'd prefer a dish that's Maraquan-based, though," she thought aloud, tapping her finger to her chin. "Just to experience the type of cuisine the general populace enjoys." She smiled. "And I'd love to help you with it. I do some cooking myself! Mostly veggie dishes, though." She grinned and shrugged, recognizing that this was probably obvious given her occupation.

[Blue]

"O-oh cool! That's really neat..." Azelf takes out a few ingredients from the fridge. Seen from one of the ingredients is the infamous kelp plant. "That reminds me... there is such a thing called sea vegetation around here, so I've heard. I-is that similar from farming? Or... I'm not sure." The shoyru places the ingredients on the table. "It's really cool how living here, food is everywhere..." He gives a glance to the petpets who now have empty food bowls. The Bubblebee froze for a moment, giving Azelf a frightened stare. "Uh, n-no, Bumble! I-I didn't mean you..." Azelf turns back to Star. "Considering that he's a fish too, he has a fear of getting eaten... well, I don't blame him. But, I'm a vegetarian... my brothers and sister... well... I believe they're omnivores..."

The shoyru approached the empty bowls as the petpets left the spot. "Sure! O-of course you can help, Star... That... that would be great!" He shook the bowls and placed them on the corner. "Heh. What's the point in washing when we're underwater?" He giggled a little. "Okay..." He went back to the table. "I-I guess we should start uhm... cooking then..." He rubbed his hands together, yet looking quite nervous. "N-no one usually helps me around in the kitchen. I-I dunno, it's just... new to me... I appreciate the offer. Really, I do. T-thanks..." He grinned shyly.