Chapter Text
Crash after crash, went the turbulent tide below Etho. He stood there silently, each roaring wave beckoning him to inch closer to the cliffside. His coffee mug sat abandoned in his hand; instead, he drank in the erratic dance of the tide. Thin wisps of fog veiled him. Anywhere, anything, any entity other than the ocean were just misty outlines, fading memories. For in this moment, the ocean was omniscient, all knowing. Neither time nor place had authority over it.
A strong gale of wind tossed Etho’s long hair in a vortex and threatened to knock him off his feet. The coffee had already managed to escape its mug, yet Etho paid it no mind. Here, the ocean ruled all. Rocks crumbled beneath his feet and tumbled into the hungry waves below. The ocean was so close. Just one more step, how he longed to break the water’s surface— and now he’s falling, plummeting. Darkness, then Etho discovered a whole new soundscape under the waves. Muffled, almost a lullaby, shuffles, echoes, groans of ancient beasts and long lost treasure. The ice cold water enveloped him, filling in the gaps left behind by silver bubbles. He forced his eyes open, only to see his hand uselessly grasp at the weak rays and refractions of light above him that grew weaker and further, and his last breath bubbling away. Etho did not know how to swim. This thought suddenly sobered him up as he sank deeper into the blue, but soon any coherent thoughts turned to a cloudy haze, until there was nothing at all.
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
The mysterious peninsula slowly came into view, seemingly emerging from nothing at all. Wind had come and gone, taking with it the morning mist as it bid adieu. And my, was it a sight to behold. Bdubs swept his eyes from left to right, drinking in the view: a towering old lighthouse shone weakly on the hill where sea broke land, a blocky cliff of dark stone explained the need of the lighthouse, then the land bended forward then back again into an inlet where he could just about make out a smattering of small homes–all without lights or smoke from their chimneys– and, a lopsided dock. Further, a long stretch of hilly windswept meadow before it disappeared into the mainland–so far away he could hardly differentiate it from the sea or sky. He steered the creaky wooden sailboat towards the inlet; the closer he got the more confident he felt that he had found his muse. He looked towards the small cabinet which held his precious paints and brushes in, eager to immerse himself in this foggy world with each brushstroke. Forget about his family’s fishing business!
There was a small thud heard at the bow of the sailboat, loud enough to cause concern; a peek into the water revealed a terrific sight! A siren…yes it must be a siren was being tossed between the waves, rocked like a baby, was it asleep? Do sirens sleep? Bdubs felt victorious for coming across a creature only heard in fairy tales, and eagerly fished it out the water, not without some struggle. Critical thinking was not his strong suit, but he was rather proud when the idea of bounding its hands and…legs? together popped into his head…you never know what it might be capable of (martial arts?).
Bdubs stood there examining the creature propped against the railing. He bloated one of his cheeks with air, then passed it to the other as he often did when he was deep in thought. Long flowing hair? Check. Pretty face? Check. Alluring singing voice? Inconclusive. Fishy tail? Never seen legs that looked so leg-like before. High-visability safety vest? Somehow, check. The more Bdubs observed his catch, the more unsure he was that it was a siren. Just then, the probably-not-siren-but-you-never-know started to cough up water, then met Bdub’s eyes with a dazed expression. “Sing me a song!” Bdubs exclaimed.
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
Etho came to. There was burning in his lungs, but the rest of him was so cold. He opened his eyes. After some adjustment, he saw sails, a wooden deck and a man scrutinizing him. This was no normal person, he wore a red bandana on his forehead whose tail ends billowed behind him and dangling earrings in the shape of crescent moons. When he opened his mouth to speak, a tooth was missing. Etho tried to move his arms and legs but they were bound together with rope…a pirate! Etho had been kidnaped by a pirate! The adrenaline rush he had from this conclusion cast his thoughts away from his recent drowning accident; he was a little terrified but also a little excited–isn’t this part of the whole ocean experience?
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
Three weeks ago, Etho had never been kidnapped by a pirate before. In fact, he had never even properly visited the ocean! There he was, wiring a redstone contraption for a client when his communicator buzzed.
<GeminiTay> Etho! Wanna go to the ocean?
<Etho> ?
<GeminiTay> I need an assistant for my research project
<GeminiTay> Looking at monuments and creatures close to the deep ocean
<Etho> I don’t know anything about that stuff x_X
<Etho> Never been to ocean before doubt I’ll be much help, soz
<GeminiTay> Ever wanted to see a guardian? :D
<Etho> …
<GeminiTay> Get ready
<GeminiTay> Picking you up in 2 weeks
<GeminiTay> Redstone can wait this is much more exciting!
<Etho> …Ocean here I come XD
<Geminitay> Best cousin ever :D
<Etho> Anything for Gem
<Geminitay> <3
The next two weeks were spent frantically finishing projects for clients and thinking about the upcoming trip. It’s been far too long since he and his cousin had time to spend together, and although it was still for her work, he was confident they would have time to relax, catch up, and have fun. Although he was more than half a decade older than Gem, they had always got along well. As kids, they sparred with wooden swords, invented games to play together, explored the wilderness together, dreamt of becoming pirates together…But soon enough, Etho had gone to learn redstone wiring and Gem later immersed herself in marine research; both were engrossed in their own work. They had met up on occasions to catch up, but it was never enough time to spar, to go on adventures, and to make new memories. And the ocean! Etho was…not jealous of Gem, but how lucky she was to be immersed in the ocean everyday. He was inspired, perhaps. Now that he finally had the opportunity to go, he was ecstatic.
Gem had set up a week prior in the rusty old light house since it was the only place in the whole ‘town’ that was large enough for Gem’s equipment, and as a bonus, it allowed for a 360 degree uninterrupted view of the sea below. Gem had given her cousin a stack of notes to read through; Etho had felt a little underprepared but Gem reassured him: “Don’t worry Etho, all the important stuff I’m doing. You just have to sketch and write down what I describe…make me breakfast, lunch, dinner, maybe wrestle a couple drowned, bring me milk if the Elder Guardian curses me…fish me outta the water if I die to it…” Gem had nonchalance like no other. Just hearing this made Etho a little nervous, but he never doubted his cousin’s abilities. One thing was certain, he was in for a treat.
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
And there he was, drenched and cold since he didn’t care to remember that he never learned how to swim. The pirate had just asked him to sing a song, but he rebutted with his own question:
“Hey Pirate Guy! Where’ya taking me? I’m so cold I might die, you wouldn’t want a dead guy on your boat right? That's gotta be illegal, you’ll have to spend the rest of your days locked up in the Stronghold prisons…” Etho had a tendency to babble on and on when he was cold. Was he cold in this moment? Very.
“Pirate Guy? I am not a pirate I’ll have you know,” Bdubs retorted. Admittedly, he did feel a little bad, but he was stubborn and didn’t want to release his catch just yet. He also didn’t want to admit that he had no plan whatsoever with him, can’t just throw him back in the ocean…
His catch shivered dramatically: “so…cold…”
He did look worse for wear. When he had touched his skin, it was icy cold. “Fine! I’ll get you a blanket but only cause I don’t want to go to court, Mr. Siren-But-Prolly-Not.” Bdubs shuffled to the cabin of the boat.
Etho just sat there, teeth chattering, dumbfounded and a little numb, until the pirate returned with a lush green cloak and draped it over him. Slowly, Etho de-thawed and his mind began to work again as Bdubs worked the sails.
“Pirate Guy…I’ve always dreamed of becoming a pirate. How’d you do it? Does it have to run in the family or something?…But I don’t really want to anymore. You're kinda lame–no offence– and I’m not a siren! How dumb do you have to be? My legs are right here if you untie m–”
“Aha! It’s just a prank I pranked you. You fell for it! I was pretending to be a pirate to intimidate you. Cause everyone knows sirens are famously afraid of pirates.”
“Uh-huh. And I’m totally a siren and not some guy who almost drowned cause he doesn't know how to swim.”
“Yes, you passed the test! It was a test cause you can never be too sure, the ocean is a dangerous place. I tested you and you passed. Now we can be friends. See? I’ll untie you now.”
After, there was silence. At first Etho wanted to intimidate the not-a-pirate by immediately grabbing his collar and demanding he return Etho to the shore, but he decided against it, totally not because he was weak from his drowning. As absurd as it was, there seemed to be no hard feelings between the two despite their previous accusations about each other, and Etho began to be intrigued by the short man (observed when Etho stood up and instantly loomed over him). Besides, he did save Etho’s life just now.
His benevolence was paid off when he asked where the not pirate’s destination was.
“To the cove, right there by those spooky houses, I see there’s a dock over there, all thanks to my observation prowess.”
“Oh good, I was heading there too, I was, uh, swimming there when you…interrupted me so rudely.”
“Yeah right,” Bdubs scoffed, unamused by Etho’s joke, “then I’m going to explore that mysterious lighthouse. What a subject, a perfect lighthouse for my perfect painting.” His eyes were almost sparkly as he struck a pose and pointed his index to the tower.
“You mean my home?” Etho asked languidly. Well, for the time being that is.
Bdubs was in front of Etho, and with this information he whipped his head back at the speed of light. “You live there? Why didn’t ‘cha tell me sooner, pal? My best friend who wants to invite me so much to his lighthouse, ____”
“Etho.”
“Ah yes! Etro my beloved friend. Bdubs’ buddy,” Bdubs sang, one hand on his chest, the other, reaching out, inviting Etho in.
Bdubs, huh. Any initial ice Etho felt had more or less melted. He had been thoroughly disoriented throughout this whole interaction, but he was curious– was his head filled with water? And when Etho was curious, undoubtedly, he would play along. He can be quirky too.
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
Bdubs tied the boat to the dock, “with ease!” and helped the still-soggy Etho out of it too.
“By the way, what are you wearing that hideous neon vest for?” Bdubs blathered as they started strolling towards the lighthouse.
“Oh this old thing? It’s so if something like that happens, Gem’ll be able to save me… Got lost in the fog on the first day…Gem’s my cousin by the way,” Etho said rather sheepishly, ignoring the part where he tripped, fell in a hole, and Gem had to come dig him out while lecturing him about safety rules and all that.
As Etho led the way through the abandoned village, Bdubs honed his senses on little details he perceived. In order to paint his muse, he would have to familiarize himself with all its quirks first. It was eerily quiet. The lapping of the water and the crunch of both their boots was muffled by some unknown force to the point Bdubs could hear his own heart beat. Peering into the dark windows of some houses, Bdubs deduced that most villagers had evacuated their home, not chosen to leave willingly. It was like each interior was stuck in time: open books on desks, unwashed dishes in sinks, crab traps and ropes piled up on porches. How curious. Bdubs’ mind began to swim with explanations, some realistic, some outlandish, but all the same, it was the mystery that made him itch to pick up his brushes.
The sound of crashing waves were heard again as soon as the two walked past the last straggling houses before the cliff. They reached the lighthouse, and Etho paused briefly before opening the door: “Based on your talk about painting, I assume you’re an artist?”
Bdubs nodded: “That’s right.”
“I’ll let you in and do whatever, but my boss, my cousin Gem might not be so kind and forgiving– she’s got a lot of fragile, expensive equipment in there…wait here I’ll talk to her first.” Etho disappeared into the light house, leaving Bdubs to sit with his thoughts.
Bdubs pictured a tall, serious, severe, strict…scary older woman schooling him. What for, he did not know, all he knew was that she forced Etho to wear a hideous vest (bad fashion sense), and that the two of them seemed to be the only residents of the peninsula. Researchers, maybe? Or some sort of gravedigger looter type people. Cursed to stay here? Ghosts? Whatever she might be, Bdubs decided that he ought to be humble and abide by her rules.
Abruptly, the door flew open and a younger woman stood there eying him suspiciously. She was short but held a powerful stance, seemingly looming over Bdubs. Her auburn hair was tied into two buns, a pair of glasses and goggles framed her squinting eyes, and she was engulfed in a large lab coat. She was wearing white rubber gloves which she used to point at him. “Bit scrappy but you’ll do. Need a test subject, Etho’s too much of a scaredy cat.” She said as she pulled him into the entrance.
Many oddities came into view as Bdubs adjusted his eyes. Large mildew covered pipes hanging from the ceiling fed into several vats of liquid. In them, mysterious creatures were suspended; some seemed to twitch and follow them around the room with their cube eyes. Piles of notes were sprawled across two desks, and a ladder drew Bdubs’ eyes up to the sky where it reached the access room to the lights. Before that there was a larger tank, suspended higher than all other ones, and in it, a small group of guardians swished their tails dangerously. Bdubs gulped.
Before he could say anything, or run as he usually did when met with anything remotely dangerous, Gem flicked a leaver and pressed some buttons, which swiftly lowered the tank down by a series of rusty chains whose groans echoed ominously through the lab. She promptly shoved a shield in his hands and climbed up the ladder until she was well above the ground, when she began to shout. “They’ll try to zap you with lasers! Just try your best to block them with your shield!”
Bdubs was in full panic. What had that scoundrel Etho brought him into? Clearly this was Etho’s job! Where was he anyway? Bdubs looked around and spotted him tentatively peering out from behind a pillar, that coward!
Bdubs didn’t have much time to come up with a smart insult to Etho as he had already been pinned by a bright, twisting laser. And he did what he was best at. He ran straight towards a pillar he could hide behind. He could feel the laser growing hotter as he ran, and only in the nick of time, managed to block the hit with his shield. The force of it knocked him towards Etho’s pillar. The shield had been severely damaged, smoking angrily. He felt another laser on him, this time closer to his head, and he moved to run behind the pillar. Before he could do so, long, steady arms reached for him, and lasers no longer clouded his vision.
Above, Gem had begun fiercely scribbling notes down with a feaverish glint in her eye. She muttered to herself: “…o’course the laser loses its focus when the subject moves behind an object that completely conceals them! …I’ll have to set up a series of pillars at the monument…”
When Bdubs looked down at his chest, there was no longer a laser pointed there. Well, he couldn’t exactly see his chest as he was completely shielded from the world, squeezed comfortably by Etho who was looking down at him wearily. “Ah!…are you okay?” Were the only words Etho could think of. After scanning Bdubs’ eyes for an answer, which he refused to give, Etho continued: “I didn’t know what Gem was gonna do, I promise!” Another glare from Bdubs: this is all your fault, I hate you, let me go. Etho did just that. Bdubs stormed out the lighthouse with a huff and made sure to slam the door, leaving only an echo for Etho.
Etho sighed and looked up to search for Gem. Seemed like Bdubs really didn’t like that, considering the man usually unable to shut his mouth went stark quiet after the incident. “Gem?” He yelled up. “Why’d you make him do that? Y’know he’s kind of the reason why I’m not currently dead at sea right now. Probably should’ve been nicer to him.”
“Hmm?” Gem replied a moment later when she had her fill of jotting notes. “Oh. Was just testing him. Could’ve been a drowned or something you never know.”
Etho decided to bask in the irony for a minute before he spoke: “And? You think he is one?”
“Nah. Go make friends with him or something. Tell him Gems sorry.”
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
It was sunset when Etho decided enough moping, and set off towards the pier to look for Bdubs. The sky was painted in vivid hues, and looking down into the village Etho understood at once why Bdubs had been so adamant on painting this scenery. Once he made it to the creaking wood sail boat, he gently tapped on the door. With no answer, he tapped again, this time a little louder. When there was nothing still, Etho opened the door to the cabin, only to find it devoid of the energetic painter. Instead, there were several opened drawers, half empty of paint tubes and brushes. Etho carefully closed the door behind him and strolled through the village, hoping to find Bdubs.
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
Bdubs brought his brush up, flush with the lighthouse. It was important to work with haste as these vibrant, warm colours were fleeting. He tried not to think about the days events, but that was easier said than done when his subject was the very setting of said events. Oh well, that just made the piece more interesting and personal, Bdubs tried to to think on the positive.
Brushstroke 1– a long, flamboyant gesture with his largest brush to colour the sky and blend with the underpainting. “Take that stupid freaking Etho”, putting him in danger!
Brushstroke 2– not one brushstroke, but a series of long, jagged, passionate lines silhouetting the cliff side. “I thought we were friends—oh you—then you fed me to the dogs!”
Brushstroke 50– blocky shapes formed the rough sketch of the lighthouse, focusing less on form, more on the transient colours. “If you didn’t have such a pretty face, I would have slapped you silly right then and there!”
They were right. Art is therapy. With every stage of the painting, Bdubs felt better. He was hurt not physically from the guardian’s laser but emotionally, from his endangerment by the stranger he had just met, his future best friend. But that was all behind him now. Now, the hue of dusk was his entire world.
﹏﹏﹏𓊝﹏﹏﹏
He didn’t know how long he stood there on the boardwalk, frozen, observing, learning, listening to the murmurs of a true artistic visionary. What he said aloud, though, was that of much personal interest to Etho. Seriously, the man was slandering him with every brush stroke! Still, he couldn’t bring himself to disrupt this sacred flow of creativity, even feigning nonchalance when Bdubs remarked on his face. Not that it’s moral, but Etho was already thinking of several ways to leverage this information to his advantage, mainly, his apology. So only when Bdubs stood up for a stretch break did Etho make himself known, with a small clear of his throat.
Bdubs spun around, arms still stretched over his head, and his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Etho the treacherous. “You Screw! What’re you doing here for?” He grumbled, arms crossing.
“Thought I’d, uh, apologize,” Etho smiled in what he hoped would come off as a sincere tone. “For putting you in danger. Gem… says she’s sorry too. She’s really into her work, and—sometimes—focuses so much she forgets…people have feelings?” What a terrible explanation. If Gem had heard what he just spewed she’d be furious.
Bdubs’ brows were still furrowed.
“And, for what it’s worth, thank you for saving my life today. The paintings nice too” Etho added, starting to sweat. Seriously, this guy hasn’t said a single word back yet!
He went on: “It really…captures the uh, atmosphere.”
Bdubs was no longer scowling. Just straight-faced. Etho interpreted this as ‘give me more compliments.’
“Really accentuates the ruggedness of the cliff side.”
No improvement to Bdubs’ expression.
“It was really cool when you were painting, just with a few brushstrokes the canvas came to life?” Etho tried.
Bdubs nodded.
“Not to mention your cool outfit, I mean, the green really suits you.”
A small smug smile.
This was fun. Etho decided to get creative. “And how you fished me outta the water? How strong.”
Bdubs puffed out his chest.
“The way you insult me is very— unique and inspirational.”
“That’s right.” Bdubs responded.
“Especially with your comment on my pretty face—“
“HEY!” Bdubs yelled, clearly flustered. Don’t act all smug eavesdropping on ol’ Bdubs. I suggest you get your ears cleaned. Clearly you missheard me.”
“Okay red ears.” Etho was amused. After he had gotten his fill of laughter, he continued. “Oh, by the way, do you have a place to store your art stuff? Seems like you like to paint outside but don‘tcha need a studio or something? He knew the answer, but the boats‘ cabin was so small, and acted as his living quarters too… he was sleeping in there, wasn’t he? What a recipe for getting poisoned by paint fumes.
“Yeah, on my boat. Why?”
“Well…I can’t help feeling like you need a bigger place here, like a studio of sorts?”
“…hmm. So you admit you like me around and you want me to stay.”
“Huh? You’re twisting my words!” But Etho guessed he was right.
“Am not.”
“Anyways—come with me. I wanna show you something.” Etho started walking away, expecting Bdubs to follow, but when he heard no shuffling behind him, he swiftly marched back, grabbed Bdubs’ arm, and began to drag him along.
“What’s the hold up? You’ll like this, trust me, Bdubs,” Etho said jovially. Only he didn’t actually know, Bdubs was unpredictable. That much was guaranteed.
They arrived at a humble building closer to the lighthouse, tucked behind a small alleyway. Etho tried the door knob once or twice, then proceeded to kick down the door. He gestured Bdubs to enter, pretending to bow.
Bdubs stepped into what must have been the studio of an old master. Rolls of raw canvas hung from the ceiling, cascading down like a waterfall stuck in time, some mildew grew from the side close to a broken window. Bits of dried paint littered the floor, and palettes were strewn about on an old wooden table. A pile of unfinished paintings lay in a corner, the rest hung askew on the walls. A layer of dust covered everything, Bdubs could smell it just as much as he could see it.
“It’s in pretty bad shape, but I thought it would be a shame if you didn’t know about this place,” Etho said quietly. “I’ll even help you fix it up! If you like it, that is.”
“Are you kidding me? This studio is awesome!” Bdubs shouted, breaking the quietness and stagnancy of the room. “Look at those vines creeping in! One with nature is always better, I say.”
Etho smiled. Just with Bdubs, the village seemed to spring with life, which in Etho’s opinion, was much needed.