[PRP] stateless (Shiloh & Jamie)

[Melancholies]

He hit the water and it caught him in a cradle. Further and further he sank again like the start of the dream, but this time he kept his eyes open, watched the colorful schools of fish swim by. Some looked like they were made of the earth; covered in vines and plants and flowers. Briefly, he remembered why he jumped back into the swell of the sea in the first place.

Come find me.

His vision flickered slightly, but not in a bad way, just... like there was something knocking against the side of his head. Come find me. He managed to roll his body over in the lull of the water, feet flailing uselessly for momentum. He never learned how to swim, anyway.

I'm here.

He wasn't sure who he was saying it to, but the medium of the ocean made his thoughts feel palpable to whoever would listen.

Where are you?

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

The ocean was bubbles as far as Jamie could see before the distance turned to blackness. They glistened in the sun from the surface, a reflection of light sliding in tandem over each and every surface as he swam past. Occasionally, one popped.

Come find me.

There was nothing particularly urgent about the pull, but it stayed with him and kept him moving forward. He knew exactly what he was looking for. Above, the sun seemed to shift across the entirety of the sky in the blink of an eye. The reflections in the bubbles shifted, too, no longer his own face, but a face he recognized nonetheless.

Where are you?

Jamie heard it and replied, his voice making the bubbles waver even though he didn't open his mouth.

I'm here.

In that instant, a mass of bubbles popped. Formed in the sea foam they left behind was Shiloh. Smooth-scaled hands reached out to brush each cheek, his movements slow and hazy like he wasn't totally there.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Was he actually there? Shiloh couldn't really feel it—didn't really feel it—only became numbly aware that there was a smooth pressure against his face. Even with his eyes open he felt like he couldn't see anything in the depths of the gloam ; and then they focused and his eyes cleared and the water seemed to part.

It was Jamie, all iridescent scales and flowing hair and delicate fins. His own hands reached up to touch Jamie's, and suddenly they felt remarkably like bark; his skin was rough and weathered with a proverbial sort of age that came from maturing through experience rather than years. His hair was golden brown like wheat and the seams of his clothes gave way to blades of grass and soft colored flowers.

"I found you..." He said slowly. His tongue felt like lead. It felt difficult to articulate anything. "Hey."

And he smiled, his exhale tasting sweet and fresh like pure oxygen.

I told you you'd be a pretty mermaid; he didn't say it aloud, but rather the thought seemed to appear in a string of glowing words that passed around them in a loop. Hey, those are my thoughts? bubbled after soon after. Dreams are weird.

Oh, right. They were dreaming.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

When Shiloh exhaled, all fresh and clean, it was like he breathed life into Jamie. The haziness of his existence somewhere between his own half of the dream and Shiloh's seemed to fade and they were within one realm again, wholly and without a doubt. They'd found each other.

One hand pulled gently away from a mossy cheek, instead claiming Shiloh's hand. It felt bark-rough to the touch, but it was something strong and comforting that Jamie was happy to experience.

Dreams are weird, he agreed, his own thoughts mingling with the ones already floating through the water around them.

You really do think I'm pretty, though? A faint purple-pink blush tinged his opalescent cheeks. I feel pretty. Too bad we have to wake up. The water rippled like laughter.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Of course I do! He thought right back, the effect immediate. Exclamation marks cropped up in dozens around them, each emitting a soft glow that lit the space up with a soft orange. After a moment they started to wiggle and waver before splitting off into thousands of tiny little threads. It took Shiloh a moment to realize they were morphing into squids, some into jellyfish.

"I think I'm ready to wake up, though..." He admitted aloud, bubbles escaping from his mouth as he talked. But we can stay longer if you want. The afterthought was immediate and genuine.

Seaweed and kelp was reaching up from the depths to greet them.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

It was impossible to stay too bashful when the world around them lit up with their colorful thoughts, weaving them into lovely creatures Jamie admired. All it took was the ocean and its inhabitants to really bring a light to Jamie's eyes. Well, that, and Shiloh. Honestly, Shiloh barely had to try.

"No," he said out loud this time, shaking his head and letting his hair billow even more around him. "I'm ready to go home, too."

The sun beckoned them from the surface just beyond the sea, Jamie could feel it warm on his face. That was where they needed to go. With Shiloh's hand in his, he began to swim, tugging him gently upwards.

The seaweed and kelp that came to greet them weren't ready for them to go. They caught Shiloh's ankle, wrapped Jamie's fins. At first it seemed harmless, playful. Jamie even smiled.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh couldn't swim, but Jamie could. Up and up they went—not that it mattered because he knew the surface was just an illusion anyway. He could still breathe here, he still had Jamie here. The adventure was fantastic and a little strange and sort of heart-wrenching there at times, but it hadn't been bad. Hell, he'd do it all over again if he had the chance. He'd experience anything with Jamie.

He kicked playfully at the seaweed, just as lighthearted and content as Jamie had been. When one strand released him, another strand sought to grab him.

"You'd think having control over plants—" he was caught off guard when one of the kelp strands gave a tug, releasing a stream of bubbles from his throat as he suddenly lost a foot or so downwards, "—that it'd extend to aquatic plants too. Hey!"

The kelp gave another awkward tug. Shiloh tugged away, feeling the tension subside as the long tendril snapped somewhere down the line. As they floated here in subspace, the flora seemed satiated. The second he tried to bounce himself back up towards the surface with Jamie—

It seemed like for every single strand of kelp that tried to claim him, ten took its place. His hand was still clasped around Jamie's when it yanked him near violently towards the depths.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

The sudden downward jolt startled Jamie, a bubbling gasp escaping, a similar breath to the one Shiloh lost. What was a game a moment ago turned serious, the thought that this was just a dream being swallowed up by fear. This was what a nightmare felt like, all too real and suffocating.

There hadn't been as much time as he would've liked practicing with his tail, but it was powerful, pure muscle, and Jamie tried to use that to free them both from the creeping grip of the kelp. More strands snapped and went floating free in the undertow as he thrashed, cautious of Shiloh just below him, but sure that if he didn't swim—and swim hard—they'd be claimed by the depths. Unfortunately, he was right.

Whatever possessed the seaweed to want them, it was was stronger than Jamie's lovely dream tail. The one final, violent yank was enough to fold him in on himself, his hand still grasped tightly in Shiloh's, as they were dragged so far below that when he looked up through the rush of bubbles, he could no longer see the sun.

It was dark. It was darker than dark. If Jamie could name what he saw it would be nothing, nothing but him and Shiloh and blackness for what felt like an eternity. And yet, it wasn't.

Beneath them, a faint pinprick of white appeared, growing and growing until it too began to threaten swallowing them whole.

Melancholies