vatheon | All bubbles pop eventually

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All bubbles pop eventually

Yesterday was a day of celebration. For once, it seemed that the foreigners were able to affect the coral, and in a positive way at that. The coral lit back up, the barrier strengthened, and everything looked like it was back to normal again.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last.

Overnight the coral begins to dim again, flickering wildly along with the bubble itself. Those who stayed up on the island might notice the strange lights coming up through the waves if they're awake. The ones who stayed in the bubble will notice more than that. The atmosphere is tense, and every now and then there's an echoing crack, like a massive piece of glass is slowly losing its integrity.

By the time the morning arrives, the crack in the bubble is evident. After hours of threatening it, the crack finally falls open with a thundering snap, allowing the ocean to rush in. It hasn't yet given up entirely, but there's a steady stream of water pouring in to the plaza and on to the coral. The waterfall would be a pretty sight if not for the situation.

Hopefully no one stayed down there that long.

((OOC: The bubble has cracked! Feel free to use this post as a mingle log if desired. The elevator is still functioning, so anyone down in the bubble will have some time to escape.))

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[At first she didn't really know what was going on, but Ilya catches on soon enough. And... well, she feels kind of useless too. There's very little a small girl like her can do, after all, and it's taken her a while to recover from the last time she used magecraft.

After gathering up a small bag of the most basic things and going up with the rest of the crowd, she wanders the island, hoping to run into someone that she knows. She hasn't really gotten terribly close with most people here. The thought makes her a little sad, but there's not much she can do about that now anyway.

And then, a smell in the air - it's not something she's expecting, so it catches her interest. Where is it coming from?

Finally, Ilya spots Rin with the food, and runs over to him.]

Rin!

[Maybe ramming into Rin and hugging him at the waist is a more accurate description.]

ERF--!

[He certainly wasn't expecting small flying child to come out of nowhere and hug him, but luckily he didn't have anything in his hands at the time. He looks down, only needing to see white hair to recognize who this is.]

Ilya!

[YUP getting a hug in return. He even picks her up with it, happy to see that she's alright.]

I'm glad you're okay! I was really worried!

I got really worried too! But I'm glad that you're okay.

[She looks up from where she's buried herself into his side and gives him a smile before detaching herself and standing back, hands behind her back, a slightly concerned look starting to appear on her face.]

Rin, what's happening? Do you know?

[Ilya's not completely oblivious, of course, but the situation still is rather confusing to say the least.]

Well...

[Rin starts off with a faint sigh, crouching down so he's more or less eye level with her, arms draped over his knees. He doesn't see any reason to try and sugar coat it - child or not she deserves to know.]

There was somethin' goin' on with the power level on the coral. A buncha people got together and tried to heal it. But it just... overloaded it I guess? It was fine for a day, but it started crackin' right after that.

It ain't like all full of water down there yet, but the water is comin' in pretty steadily and a lotta homes and businesses aren't fit to live in right now.

[It just sounds very confusing, all of this. But of course, it's not completely impossible. And at least she knows now that the coral isn't some infinite source of energy... to be honest, that makes her feel a little safer. Unending sources of energy, from her own experience, are far too dangerous.]

So that's why everyone came up here, right? And people brought their things and set up here...

[Ilya looks over at Rin's set-up.]

What are you making here, Rin?

Yeah. We don't really know when it's gonna be fixed, so... we're here until then.

[Which sucks, but he's not going to make a bigger deal over what can't be helped than is necessary.]

Oh. Food. Lotta people we're workin' hard to help others get out so I figured they'd be hungry and tired after, y'know?

[Ilya nods. That's a smart idea.]

That'll keep them full of energy too,

[A pause.]

Can I have some?

[She had food with Rin before, but not his cooking... and he seems to know his stuff, which makes her really want to try a bit.]

Huh? ... well yeah, it's for everyone. Grab a plate!

Really? Thank you, Rin!

[And the girl takes a plate and a fork from Rin's little catering set-up and carefully takes a small portion of the food. It smells really good!

Ideally, she'd be able to sit at a table, but there isn't the luxury for that in their current situation. So Ilya just stands in front of Rin and eats the home-made cooking - as refined as she can given the situation, but definitely in a ladylike manner.

It's good. Really good. Ilya wants to think it's surprisingly good, but for some reason she's not surprised any more that guys can cook really well. Maybe it's the previous experience with male cooks. Still, she's impressed... after all, Rin is probably only using rations, right?

It's not good manners to talk with her mouth full, so she gives Rin a smile and hopes that her approval gets through before she finishes swallowing.]

[The smile is plenty, and he smiles back happily, glad that it's going over well with the meager supplies he's been allowed to use.

While she eats he gets back to setting up a couple more dishes, changing out the ones that have run out in the meantime.]

[Ilya finishes up with her food, wipes her mouth with a handkerchief from her bag - because that's a necessity - and neatly piles up the plate and utensils where the rest of them seem to be accumulating.]

That was really good, Rin!

[A pause.]

Can I help you?

[This isn't the first time she's been caught in a situation where the fate of the world as they know it may or may not be at stake, and she's been fairly powerless to change anything about that. Last time, she basically told someone to die...

... as long as she doesn't have to do that this time, she'll be happier. Although maybe she shouldn't be cooking, either.]

[He seems to be getting a lot of offers lately, which surprises him since he's usually left to his own devices in the Villa kitchen and even at Golden Victory whenever Fai wasn't around, but he's not bothered by it.]

If you want to.

Yay!

[She's really happy that he said yes, but beyond the willingness to help she really doesn't know what she could help with...]

... what should I do?

[Her voice is a little quieter, almost sheepish.]

Oh uhmmm... well I could probably stand to get some of these dishes cleaned up, if you don't mind?

[There's a couple of plastic basins for just that, set up off to the side of his work station.]

[Well, there isn't really a job that would let her remain clean, is there... nonetheless, she gives an enthusiastic nod.]

Okay!

[And she looks for the closest body of water where she can scoop out some into one of the basins. Luckily, that's not far. Before she leaves, though, a question:]

Do you have a towel for the dishes?

Yeah, there's a bunch on the shelf underneath the basins.

[It wasn't a bad set up, for being temporary. Rin seemed to have mostly everything he needed there.]

[Nodding, Ilya reaches for one of the cloths there and puts on top of the shelf before taking one of the basins over to the waterside. She tries to fill the bucket with water before taking it out... but the basin is way too heavy for her now, and she falls onto the ground from trying. The basin, though, flips onto its side, and the water in it spills all over her feet.

Luckily, she's wearing her boots.

So she tries again, filling the basin with much less water and then tugging it back to Rin's set-up. Still, by the time she comes back, she looks rather worn out. Considering that she never does manual labour, this wasn't such a bad try, was it?

Anyways, a few moments of rest for her small, tired body...]

[Rin was about to ask if she wanted help with that, but she's stubborn enough to keep at it even after tossing the water all over the first time.

When she stops to rest, he can't help but smile a little. He was like that when he was younger, too. Lord knows Shiro tells the stories enough times for him to be reminded of it constantly.]

[Phew! And this is definitely not work for a refined lady.

But... her world has now become full of so many more people, and she's tired of feeling hopeless. Compared to herself just a few months ago, something feels different. Whether that's a good thing or not, she's not too sure yet.

She picks up the towel - still a little grossed out by the sight of the dirty dishes, to be honest - and begins to carefully wipe off the tiny remaining bits of sauce on the plates. It's definitely not the most rewarding task, but now that she's committed to it, she wants to do it properly.

After powering through a few of the dishes, thinking as little of the gunk as possible to make it through without being too disgusted, Ilya takes a break and looks over at Rin.]

Am I... doing okay?

[Rin makes sure to keep an eye on her as she works, glancing away from his own tasks or peering over her shoulder from time to time. When she asks, he nods with a smile.]

Yeah, you're doin' great!

[Ilya smiles happily at Rin's approval, and just continues to work hard at the dishes. It's a small job, and her hands are getting ugly from being soaked in water for so long and there's gross stuff in the basin and on her hands and -

- and yet, she's not... so discomforted by it now. That kind of makes her happy.]

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All bubbles pop eventually

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should we just end it here?