Submission (#7808) Approved

Misery wasn’t sure why, but lately she had been feeling restless and anxious, which she supposed considering her general demeanor, wasn’t completely out of the norm, but it felt a bit more intense than usual.

Afraid that her adoptive sister would just brush it off and say that it was in her head, Misery refrained from mentioning it, but it seemed the pink-hued nin to pick up on it regardless. When inquired, rather than ridiculing her for it, Echo merely tilted her head, not sure why Misery would think she would be teased. Instead, Echo ruffled the young undine’s head, a soft smile on her face.

She told Misery of a time when she had felt a fluctuation in her mana, though she hadn’t realized it at the time. It made her feel more intune with her surroundings, almost as if she could perceive things that weren’t there. It happened after she sang a song, and by its end, it felt as if she saw a vision, a small floating creature, fey-like in nature. It had a human-like upper body with an aquatic lower body.

When Echo described the apparition, Misery couldn’t help but gasp, which Echo caught with a knowing smile. Being an undine, Misery had the ability to shapeshift her body, with her gijinka form carrying features similar to her elnin form, while her lower body was closer to that of a fish. However… considering Misery was already able to shift into something similar to the vision, would she still be able to witness such a thing? The two brainstormed ideas, and while Echo suggested maybe Misery trying singing to see if she could achieve the same effect, the white kittom frantically shook her head, face flushing. Her voice was nowhere near as refined as Echo’s, and the thought of singing out loud, with her sister right next to her…

After some back and forth, Echo decided that if Misery was still struggling in managing her mana fluctuation, perhaps it would be best to seek outside help instead.

While the number of royal elnins were few and far in between, and the fact of locating one was often more trouble than it’s worth, Echo knew of one that was often always available to help elnin in balancing out their mana, and didn’t request any additional payment for her time. In fact, the method she used probably would fit Misery well.

With this in mind, the two decided to visit the Sylvan Queen, and while Misery was nervous about meeting someone of such high stature, Echo assured her that Sunleth was not as scary as the young nin was making her out to be. In fact, she might not even be awake at the time of visit.

Still, Echo accompanied her along the way, only parting once the area where teal nin slumbered was in sight. She assured Misery that she would be close by, but that the undine would need to undergo this process herself. Misery supposed in a way, Echo was inferring that she couldn’t always rely on, though her sister would never say so outright. She knew it was something she would learn to have to accept someday, but the thought of not having her nearby terrified her.

Still, she had to be brave. Echo had her own life and family, and Misery had to learn to be able to take care of herself. Taking a deep breath, she started to walk closer to the royal elnin, heart pounding in her chest. What should she say when she saw her? Should she have brought a gift? What if she was too busy to help? What if-

The soft sound of snoring jolted her out of her worries, and Misery blinked. Before her was the renown Sylvan Queen, apparently deep in slumber. Strangely enough, she didn’t look to be much bigger that Misery herself, though she supposed that was due to her elfin stature? While she herself didn’t carry the mutation, she was aware other undine ranged in size, some large and some quite small. That said, her tail was another matter, easily dwarfing both her and the royal several times over. In fact, Sunleth was using said tail as a pillow of sorts, as it wrapped around her, almost like a cocoon.

Even as Misery drew close, assured that the sound of her heart pounding was probably loud enough to be heard by those nearby, the Sylvan Queen did not stir at all. Misery took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Her own mana fluctuation and fear was starting to make her dizzy, but then it almost felt like there was a voice speaking to her, telling her to take a deep breath, and calm down. 

Misery put a paw over her chest, taking several gulps of air. She was still nervous as could be, but with each breath, she gradually slowed her heart beat, and strangely enough, began to feel drowsy.

Hoping it wasn’t impolite to do so, she laid her head down against Sunleth’s tail, steadying her breathing as she slowly closed her eyes. She tried to think of soothing thoughts, such as the cool glacial wind of Strynhalde brushing against her fur, the soft crunch of snow as her paws pressed against them. The icy waters she enjoyed swimming in, and Echo’s song lilting as she sung a lullaby to help her sleep.

With time, Misery no longer felt fear, her heart and mind calm as she drifted off to peaceful slumber.