endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2017-10-29 05:15 am
endless_scrolls) wrote2017-10-29 05:15 am
Still Waters Run Deep
Title: Still Waters Run Deep
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: AU!Final Fantasy XV
Word count: 1642
Character(s): Aulea Lucis Caelum, Regis Lucis Caelum CXII
Pairing(s): Hints of Regis/Aulea
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Just a little something that simply would not leave me or my headspace alone until I wrote it out.
Dedicated to: Adi. Because this is all your fault... ♥
Growing up in Altissia had made her strong.
(Not hardy, but strong. There was a difference; she knew that now.)
Her skin was not as rough as her Galadin cousins, nor her scales quite as thick. That was something that thousands of years spent living in shallow reef beds and miles of coral plains had made necessary to survive the harsh waters surrounding the Lucian Isle. And the people who hunted them. Aulea, by comparison, was of a softer make. Deep waters and open ocean made up her home. And all the better for it. The extra weight would only be a hindrance. The extra drag of the water would only slow her down.
Surrounded by tiers of constantly crashing and rushing waterways – from falls to sink holes to canals – she had spent her entire life swimming against the current. In all aspects of it. For that, the young mermaid could only be glad as she sped through the jungle of sea life towards her goal.
It was the most curious turn of events, to be sure. There she was carefully braiding plait after plait of her cousin's hair (there were drift nets and fishing lines to avoid, she was told, and clusters of coral branches that loved to snag on loose-floating strands), spending the day like any other during her visit, when a small lump of a thing had zoomed past with the undertow. Aulea thought nothing of it at first. Schools of fishes and large creatures called the Lucian Reef their home. And with the light of the noonday sun glittering overhead, there was no time better to play among ferns.
Too little too late did she realize that it had not been some wayward manta or rambunctious guppy playing a midday game of tag. No, certainly, with stubby limbs and not a single fin or or gill or webbing in sight, it could only be a land creature.
It could only be a human.
Aulea had acted on instinct, then, dropping her task with a quickly muttered apology to go barreling off towards open waters. Because, it soon became clear that the person was sinking more than they were floating. So it was with a determined resignation and unwavering resolve that she pushed forward, neither stopping nor slowing down. Even regardless of how many times her scales would scrape against the jagged rockface or her skin would scratch against the rough coral as she swam, Aulea kept going, tail pumping hard and swimming with all her might.
Catching up was no problem for her. She was among the fastest and strongest swimmers, even among the Altissian colonies with the strong currents and crashing falls that lined each level of the city. But too much time had already passed, it seemed. Because when she was finally able to come to the boy's aid – because, once she was close enough, Aulea was able to discern that it was, in fact, a boy – he was no longer moving so vigorously. The frantic flail of his arms had slowed to a near stop and a cluster of bubbles burst suddenly from his open mouth.
Where once there had been life in his eyes, she had found their light fading. Humans, after all, were incapable of breathing under water.
But she could.
Moving closer, she reached her hand out with little consideration, gripping where she could find purchase in his strange clothing and cupping his cheek in her palm to steady the bob of the boy's head in the water. And without pause, the mermaid proceeded to seal her lips tightly over his. There was a small ripple of movement at that initial touch, though she was not sure if it had been a trick of the current or some echoing consciousness in the human's body. It was momentary and passed just as quickly as it had appeared. Finally, eyes closing, she concentrated her focus in the flow of air within her body, from end to end. But more importantly, Aulea stretched out her senses to follow the ebb and flow of his.
And slowly she inhaled, pulling the water that had begun to fill the other's lungs, drawing it into her own so that there would be space for the air to filter in. Pulling back to let the pilfered seawater clear out, Aulea pressed in again, this time exhaling the air that had already gathered in her body, seeping through her very skin like they would through the gills on a fish.
Once. Twice. Three times, the mermaiden attempted to breathe life back into him.
Only after the third attempt did she feel an actual, tangible, reaction, the human's chest puffing out as he quite literally sucked the air from Aulea in desperation. It actually startled her how quickly he had revived from near death, no space of time separating the time when the boy drifted lifelessly in the water from when his hands were suddenly gripping and squeezing at her arms, drawing her in closer as if that would get the air in his lungs faster.
Aulea moved on instinct, then, the hand cradling his cheek in her palm slipping down to press against the human's chest, shoving hard to put some distance between them. And indeed, his grip loosened. But it did not completely let go, fingers still trailing down along the line of her arm as their gazes met between the wavering tendrils of her hair.
It was like staring into swirling glass, clear and sparkling.
There was fear in his eyes, to be sure. But looking beyond that, she could see so much more hidden in their depths, watching him with such scrutiny. Even as he did the same, never swaying from the stalemate of their stare. She felt the pull of the current and the swirl of the waters around them. Felt the light brush of his fingers along the curve of her jaw, and yet... The mermaid could not seem to tear herself away.
(It was some human spell, she was certain of it. There could be no other explanation.)
Truly, she had never seen eyes like his. It was as if they were as deep as the sea, bright and nearly glowing with the light of the sun filtering in through the clear waters. Confusion. Curiosity. Awe.
Wonder.
She saw it all. And something else, as well. Something Aulea had yet to find a word for.
Something she had no chance to find a word for as the moment was quickly chased away when a shadow passed by overhead, finally breaking the lock in their gazes as the wrinkle drew both sets of eyes up towards the surface.
(But no matter how much the light wavered, it still could not hide the gleam in his coral green eyes, she noted. As if they held a magical glimmer of their own.)
It was a vessel. A boat. No doubt it was filled with people – more humans – that had set out to in search for their lost little guppy. This far past The Drop, where the reef fell off into The Beyond, the current could be treacherous. And the deep waters could hide far more dangerous mysteries. But with the Galahdin Colony being so hunted in their own shores, the last thing they needed were more men searching these waters.
Determination setting in, the mermaiden took hold of the hand floating within reach and pushed off with a kick of her tail, pulling him along with her. Because the sooner he was found and rescued by the humans, the sooner they would leave. And then the reef could go back to being a safe and peaceful haven for her own kind. Or. At least as peaceful as it could be expected.
Besides. He would run out of air, once again, soon enough.
The drag of his body was nothing for an experienced swimmer like her. In fact, it was light by comparison to the loads she had carried with her in the past. And against the currents of Altissia, the waters of Galahd were far easier to navigate through. At some point, she felt the flick and jerk of his limbs to help ease her burden. Ultimately, it would only help himself as his body burned through more and more of the captured air in his lungs. But once Aulea was close enough to count the ripples in the surface, it was a simple task of letting the momentum of their ascent and the sea salted waters carry the boy the rest of the way.
As he floated past on his way up, though, there was one brief moment where their eyes had managed to find each other again. Time slowed and the world seemed to fall away in that instance, like some clouded dream only the Astrals could have created. Not a single word had been spoken in all their exchange, and it would remain as such while his eyes seemed to linger with hers, that same look in his gaze as before. And still, she could find no word or name to perfectly describe what she saw, in them that made her feel...
That made her question...
That made her wonder...
(That made her doubt and deny.)
Logic and common sense would have had her leave the moment she had let go of his hand. There were no dangers in the surrounding waters, and even if there had been, help was only little more than an arm's reach away. However, something stilled her movements. It was not until the human boy broke through the surface of the water did the young mermaiden finally turn tail and swim away. Back into the shallow shores of the Galahdin reef.
But already, Aulea knew: Her life would never be the same again.
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: AU!Final Fantasy XV
Word count: 1642
Character(s): Aulea Lucis Caelum, Regis Lucis Caelum CXII
Pairing(s): Hints of Regis/Aulea
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Just a little something that simply would not leave me or my headspace alone until I wrote it out.
Dedicated to: Adi. Because this is all your fault... ♥
Growing up in Altissia had made her strong.
(Not hardy, but strong. There was a difference; she knew that now.)
Her skin was not as rough as her Galadin cousins, nor her scales quite as thick. That was something that thousands of years spent living in shallow reef beds and miles of coral plains had made necessary to survive the harsh waters surrounding the Lucian Isle. And the people who hunted them. Aulea, by comparison, was of a softer make. Deep waters and open ocean made up her home. And all the better for it. The extra weight would only be a hindrance. The extra drag of the water would only slow her down.
Surrounded by tiers of constantly crashing and rushing waterways – from falls to sink holes to canals – she had spent her entire life swimming against the current. In all aspects of it. For that, the young mermaid could only be glad as she sped through the jungle of sea life towards her goal.
It was the most curious turn of events, to be sure. There she was carefully braiding plait after plait of her cousin's hair (there were drift nets and fishing lines to avoid, she was told, and clusters of coral branches that loved to snag on loose-floating strands), spending the day like any other during her visit, when a small lump of a thing had zoomed past with the undertow. Aulea thought nothing of it at first. Schools of fishes and large creatures called the Lucian Reef their home. And with the light of the noonday sun glittering overhead, there was no time better to play among ferns.
Too little too late did she realize that it had not been some wayward manta or rambunctious guppy playing a midday game of tag. No, certainly, with stubby limbs and not a single fin or or gill or webbing in sight, it could only be a land creature.
It could only be a human.
Aulea had acted on instinct, then, dropping her task with a quickly muttered apology to go barreling off towards open waters. Because, it soon became clear that the person was sinking more than they were floating. So it was with a determined resignation and unwavering resolve that she pushed forward, neither stopping nor slowing down. Even regardless of how many times her scales would scrape against the jagged rockface or her skin would scratch against the rough coral as she swam, Aulea kept going, tail pumping hard and swimming with all her might.
Catching up was no problem for her. She was among the fastest and strongest swimmers, even among the Altissian colonies with the strong currents and crashing falls that lined each level of the city. But too much time had already passed, it seemed. Because when she was finally able to come to the boy's aid – because, once she was close enough, Aulea was able to discern that it was, in fact, a boy – he was no longer moving so vigorously. The frantic flail of his arms had slowed to a near stop and a cluster of bubbles burst suddenly from his open mouth.
Where once there had been life in his eyes, she had found their light fading. Humans, after all, were incapable of breathing under water.
But she could.
Moving closer, she reached her hand out with little consideration, gripping where she could find purchase in his strange clothing and cupping his cheek in her palm to steady the bob of the boy's head in the water. And without pause, the mermaid proceeded to seal her lips tightly over his. There was a small ripple of movement at that initial touch, though she was not sure if it had been a trick of the current or some echoing consciousness in the human's body. It was momentary and passed just as quickly as it had appeared. Finally, eyes closing, she concentrated her focus in the flow of air within her body, from end to end. But more importantly, Aulea stretched out her senses to follow the ebb and flow of his.
And slowly she inhaled, pulling the water that had begun to fill the other's lungs, drawing it into her own so that there would be space for the air to filter in. Pulling back to let the pilfered seawater clear out, Aulea pressed in again, this time exhaling the air that had already gathered in her body, seeping through her very skin like they would through the gills on a fish.
Once. Twice. Three times, the mermaiden attempted to breathe life back into him.
Only after the third attempt did she feel an actual, tangible, reaction, the human's chest puffing out as he quite literally sucked the air from Aulea in desperation. It actually startled her how quickly he had revived from near death, no space of time separating the time when the boy drifted lifelessly in the water from when his hands were suddenly gripping and squeezing at her arms, drawing her in closer as if that would get the air in his lungs faster.
Aulea moved on instinct, then, the hand cradling his cheek in her palm slipping down to press against the human's chest, shoving hard to put some distance between them. And indeed, his grip loosened. But it did not completely let go, fingers still trailing down along the line of her arm as their gazes met between the wavering tendrils of her hair.
It was like staring into swirling glass, clear and sparkling.
There was fear in his eyes, to be sure. But looking beyond that, she could see so much more hidden in their depths, watching him with such scrutiny. Even as he did the same, never swaying from the stalemate of their stare. She felt the pull of the current and the swirl of the waters around them. Felt the light brush of his fingers along the curve of her jaw, and yet... The mermaid could not seem to tear herself away.
(It was some human spell, she was certain of it. There could be no other explanation.)
Truly, she had never seen eyes like his. It was as if they were as deep as the sea, bright and nearly glowing with the light of the sun filtering in through the clear waters. Confusion. Curiosity. Awe.
Wonder.
She saw it all. And something else, as well. Something Aulea had yet to find a word for.
Something she had no chance to find a word for as the moment was quickly chased away when a shadow passed by overhead, finally breaking the lock in their gazes as the wrinkle drew both sets of eyes up towards the surface.
(But no matter how much the light wavered, it still could not hide the gleam in his coral green eyes, she noted. As if they held a magical glimmer of their own.)
It was a vessel. A boat. No doubt it was filled with people – more humans – that had set out to in search for their lost little guppy. This far past The Drop, where the reef fell off into The Beyond, the current could be treacherous. And the deep waters could hide far more dangerous mysteries. But with the Galahdin Colony being so hunted in their own shores, the last thing they needed were more men searching these waters.
Determination setting in, the mermaiden took hold of the hand floating within reach and pushed off with a kick of her tail, pulling him along with her. Because the sooner he was found and rescued by the humans, the sooner they would leave. And then the reef could go back to being a safe and peaceful haven for her own kind. Or. At least as peaceful as it could be expected.
Besides. He would run out of air, once again, soon enough.
The drag of his body was nothing for an experienced swimmer like her. In fact, it was light by comparison to the loads she had carried with her in the past. And against the currents of Altissia, the waters of Galahd were far easier to navigate through. At some point, she felt the flick and jerk of his limbs to help ease her burden. Ultimately, it would only help himself as his body burned through more and more of the captured air in his lungs. But once Aulea was close enough to count the ripples in the surface, it was a simple task of letting the momentum of their ascent and the sea salted waters carry the boy the rest of the way.
As he floated past on his way up, though, there was one brief moment where their eyes had managed to find each other again. Time slowed and the world seemed to fall away in that instance, like some clouded dream only the Astrals could have created. Not a single word had been spoken in all their exchange, and it would remain as such while his eyes seemed to linger with hers, that same look in his gaze as before. And still, she could find no word or name to perfectly describe what she saw, in them that made her feel...
That made her question...
That made her wonder...
(That made her doubt and deny.)
Logic and common sense would have had her leave the moment she had let go of his hand. There were no dangers in the surrounding waters, and even if there had been, help was only little more than an arm's reach away. However, something stilled her movements. It was not until the human boy broke through the surface of the water did the young mermaiden finally turn tail and swim away. Back into the shallow shores of the Galahdin reef.
But already, Aulea knew: Her life would never be the same again.