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On a very calm night, far away from the shores of Cera-Na and deep within the bowels of the Silver Sea, lies a idled beast, sleeping away from the raging tides that flowed from today. But this beast is not like any other. For you see, it contains halls that lead to one area to another and has rooms to accommodate just about any living soul that inhabits its innards. This creature's name is the Vassa, and it belongs to the Lord of the Silver Sea.
That lord's name is SkekSa the Mariner.
SkekSa and her crew were resting up after a very rough expedition that left many sifans injured. Fortunately for the captain, there were no casualties. Which is surprising for her given the circumstances. By sunset, every sifan that went with the Mariner had to be treated for their wounds. Even the captain herself had sustained some scars. Depending on the severity, there was a likely chance that a few would need to stay in bed, at least for a few days. As such, SkekSa announced that there will be no further expeditions until everyone is fully recovered and in good spirits. But even if this kind of attitude is encouraging to others, she wonders if something like this is good enough.
For a long trine, the Mariner contemplated about the possibility that she constantly puts her crew in danger, just so she can fulfill the need for adrenaline. Yet having to see the sifan suffer one way or the other makes it less satisfying to experience. She tries to be a good leader for the sake of the gelfling, while also not wanting to stay in one place. But even she knows that trying to have it both ways makes it directly impossible. Whenever she's invaded with such thoughts in her head, SkekSa doesn't exactly have the most healthy method of coping. It's why she resorts to binge drinking. Not wanting to deal with another hangover, the captain decides to head straight to bed in the hopes that a good night's rest will keep the negative feelings at bay.
However, when she arrived to her bedroom quarters, she finds a strange object laying on the top of her desk. It turned out to be a shell.
The Mariner heard stories about how when you put your ear next to the shell, you can hear just about anything. What made it stand out from other common sea objects is how perfect everything is in its physical features. Its shape, size, structure, sheen, lack of cracks, everything about it is flawless. Finding a shell like this requires persistence and there was only one soul capable enough to do it. That soul is UrSan, SkekSa's other half. Of course, the captain couldn't know for sure if it belonged to her. Both of them were no stranger to gifts, but SkekSa was often the one to bring gifts to the Swimmer, especially since she's very useful in providing maps. It is one of the rare instances where UrSan decides to return the favor.
SkekSa walks toward the gift on the desk and held the shell close to her head. There was only 30 seconds of silence until..........
"For you."
That voice. Those words. What she heard was a very simple message, yet it was very impactful.
The crew had dealt with a rough week, and had it not been for the waves that were causing such agitation on the last day of the expedition, things would've been fine. It's only a given that the seas were calm as the night rolled on. In fact, according to the sifans, calm skies and calm tides means good fortune. If the combination of zero casualties, the lack of binge drinking, and receiving a gift at the end of the day gives any indication, it was a sign for what's coming up ahead. And SkekSa couldn't be anymore happy for it.
After washing up, the Mariner took the shell and put it on top of the side drawer next to the bed. There was something about it that she couldn't help but gravitate towards it. The gift didn't look like much, but its simplicity, abeit perfection, felt like a necessary break from all the chaos. Before blowing out the lantern, SkekSa takes the shell closer to her face and whispered 3 words.
"Thank you, UrSan."