To the Bottom

Day 27 of the FFXIV Writing Challenge 2021!

Shadows clung to the sides of the worn oceanic cliffs. Water dripped off of the dark stone. Puddles lay scattered across the ocean floor. A shoebill stared from a nearby rock. 

"Is that a shoebill?" Gaia tilted her head to the side. 

"Oh yes! I've seen him down here before!" Ryne scuttled towards the shoebill. It stayed firmly put as she gave it a pet. Gaia squinted at the staring bird. 

"Right. A bird at the bottom of the ocean. That makes sense," she sighed. Ryne hurried back Gaia and reached for her hand. The pair delved deeper into the Tempest. Their gloomy, if still, pleasant jaunt was taking them to the Ondo Cups. The Ondo there were growing increasingly worried as the water had yet to return to the ocean floor. Ryne was also starting to get worried.

"So do you like the Tempest so far? I think it's kind of pretty down here!" Ryne turned to Gaia. 

"It's very gloomy and dull. I quite like it," Gaia smiled. She looked around herself. The pale glow from above was hardly enough to illuminate the Tempest. It gave the whole realm a cool, almost eerie glow. The darkness of ocean floor was perfectly comfortable for Gaia. 

"I figured you would! I'm so glad you wanted to join me on my mission!" Ryne giggled. Gaia squeezed her hand and rolled her eyes. 

"Of course I wanted to join. I wasn't about to let you wander down here alone. You need you to have someone watching your back," she shrugged. Ryne wrapped herself around her arm and squeezed. 

"Aww you were worried about me!" Ryne chirped. A slight red tinge appeared on Gaia's face. She looked away and sighed. 

"Pfft. Whatever you say," Gaia continued to trudge along with Ryne attached. The pair made their way through the Tempest. They stopped occasionally to examine coral, a stray creature, or even some wreckage. Gaia stopped at a particularly interesting starfish-like creature. She gave it a poke and it sprayed out a jet of water. It struck her in the face and made Ryne cackle. After her brief humbling, they made it to the Cups.

"That damn sea cucumber! It messed up my eyeliner," Gaia hissed as she tried to fix her smudged makeup. 

"It was kind of funny, though," Ryne giggled. 

"Ugh. You're lucky you're cute," she rolled her eyes. "Besides, it looked like a starfish! Starfish aren't sea cucumbers!" 

"But they could be! I think. I don't know much about sea creatures," Ryne tapped her chin as she thought. Gaia shrugged. 

"Well. We can ponder that later. But that Ondo has been eyeing us. Might that be your contact?" Gaia pointed at an Ondo who had been watching their approach to the cups. 

"Oh yes! I think that's him!" Ryne waved wildly. The Ondo gave her a small wave back. Then the pair went towards their underwater friend to ease their woes.