World Tree MUSH

    Vine activity has been pretty worrying in Athena's world lately. It could just be coincidence, or it could be a sign of something bigger. Athena doesn't know, and it worries her. She's used to knowing things, but the Tree makes that hard, not to mention her incomplete awakening! And most especially, after the encounter where it was seen that Echidna had reawakened, she was very worried by any Vines showing up in aquatic areas.

    Off the coast of the Yucatan, things were getting pretty bad, because small Vines had been popping open repeatedly. One of them had disgorged a mess of polluted water, which even the environmentally-careless megacorps had thought needed cleaned up. That was some distance away, now, and was what Athena was watching through binoculars, on a small rented fishing boat.

One moment he had been spearing through the poison-fouled waters of Man's Nightmare, searching high and low for any sign of the glowing orbs that would heal the breach in the planet's dysfunctional chronology. In the span of a breath he had broken the surface, arched down, and dove deep amidst a cloud of bubbles. A gate lay far below, a construct of Man, which would lead to the caverns that the few casted dolphins left lived in.

The next thing he knew, he was in air, and falling.

With a squeal of distress edging towards primal terror -- every one of his kind suffered nightmares of stranding -- something gray and sleek is dumped through the air as a vine opens above the coast of the Yucatán. Thankfully, it's not too high up, maybe a foot or so off the ground at best.

Something is dumped on the beach amidst another torrent of incredibly toxic water, which steams when it splashes against the sand. Then, the vine closes itself as suddenly as it had appeared.

The gray thing moves a little, but no matter how hard he might try, Ecco can't seem to rouse himself from the shore. It's not too far from water. He can almost make it. It's so close.

Over on the fishing boat, the binoculars might reveal that the shape is a dolphin, and that the creature is thrashing pitifully on the shore, trying to get itself closer to the water. Even this far out, she might hear the animal squalling and squealing in terror, begging for help.

It's not that interesting, because stuff like this probably happens when vines decide to do their own thing.

What's interesting is that the creature is using language, and while it's not English, it does sound an awful lot like it, if one makes accomodations for the much higher pitch of a dolphin's acoustic range.

It goes something like...

"OH IFNI, WHY?!" There's also a bit of "HELP ME!" interspersed, all overlaid the mad, almost manic clicking of sonar, audible even in the air. It's pure primal squalling. Every dolphin has nightmares of being stranded. Ecco, trapped on the beach of the Yucatán, is no exception. The squealing and squalling eventually resolve into a more structured whistling, its piercing notes carrying much better. He looks a bit like an ordinary bottlenose dolphin, maybe a bit more of a blue tint to his skin than may be normal, but a spangling of white marks on his forehead are not too dissimilar to the placement of stars in the constellation Delphinus.

His whistling takes on a little less structure than the not-English he'd been using.

    # dry is, is, is! #
    # air is--as--is--as--is! #
    # help -- where -- where help is? where-- #

It's pure terrified, animal squalling, and the sophistication and syntax are devolving the longer the dolphin is out of the water and trapped on the sand. He's still thrashing in an effort to roll his body closer to the water, but a shallow line of smooth-worn stones keep him from being able to move.

    # dry is, is, is! #
    # dry is--as--is-- air -- #
    # where help is -- where -- is -- where help--? #

Finally, with a great effort of thrashing, the dolphin manages to... get himself stuck against a smooth rock, unable to roll further. His whistling takes on an even more panicky note.

But there was, for a brief moment, language.

No mere animal, this, even if terror seems to be reducing him to that.

    That's... unusual, but not horribly so. Unfortunate for the sea creatures. Usually Vines open a little closer to actual water, Athena thought, but it doesn't surprise her that sometimes there are slight offsets like... this. She grimaces. Poseidon and Athena had a complex relationship, but seeing a creature suffer wasn't pleasant for her host, and needless for Athena herself.

    Hearing /language/ though? That gets her moving. She starts the little motor, puttering toward shore very quickly... mostly because she wasn't far from it. Kicking the anchor over easily thanks to her extra strength, she leaps onto shore and dashes toward the dolphin, stopping just a few meters away. "Easy, calm down. I'll see what I can do." He may not be an animal intelligence, but soothing tones are still good for a panicked being. "Let's get you back in the water."

Thrash, thrash. The panicky creature sends up a spray of wet sand with a mighty blow from his flukes, but all the movement does is succeed in getting him further entrenched. He doesn't have the traction to actually move across the strand; he's too heavy, and the sand, oversaturated beneath the surface this close to the water line, has too much give.

    # where -- where help is -- where #

There. He can hear the voice, although sound carries differently above the water. He at least has the presence of mind to stop thrashing when Athena gets closer; she may be superhuman and able to tough out being smacked by powerful flukes, but he doesn't know that. Humans are usually pretty squishy.

He gives another high-frequency whistle, but this time it's a tired sound, as though to acknowledge that she's there. It's a few long, concentrated seconds before he can actually manage something approaching language again.

    * The ocean is--as--is--as--is--
    an endless sigh of dreaming--
    * Of other seas that--are--that--are--
    and others in them, dreaming-- *

A calming rhyme, as the dolphin tries to stop panicking at his own predicament, although some of the sounds are just a hair above the range of the human ear. Some of it is still audible; enough to know it isn't just panicky whistling.

Ecco moves his head, just enough to fix an eye on Athena. His eyes are wide in his still-present fear, enough to display boat-shaped pupils and the whites of them. "Into the wat-t-ter." His voice is tremulous and reedy, warbling unsteadily over certain consonants, but that could be forgiven by the predicament he finds himself in.

It's still clear, still lanugage, and he is clearly more than just a wild animal. For the moment all he can do is wait, even if the revulsion and horror of being stuck above the water instead of under it is enough to make him tremble.

    The initial question of how to carry the dolphin is still there, but as the thrashing calms, Athena dares to approach. She isn't heavily armored this time, because she had intended on swimming, so wore lightweight clothes. The youthful goddess considers the dolphin's pleas thoughtfully. This isn't the first time she's run into an intelligent aquatic, thankfully. Miwa, especially, was far from human.

    Being an offworld one was definitely interesting.

    "You're probably confused and wondering where you are," she reasons as she kneels by Ecco. With some care she slides arms under the body and... lifts. Ecco is much larger and heavier than a woman her size should be able to lift, but though it isn't a casual lift for her, Athena definitely hoists with confidence and walks toward the ocean. "I hope you can understand me better than I, you. My translation gift doesn't work well on nonhumans. Here, this should do..."

    She wants to dump him deep enough in to cover him completely.

"This is not-t Earth." Ecco stumbles over certain consonants, but his words are clear enough to understand. Underlying the syllables is a compulsive clicking, high-pitched and repetitive. Some of his words are a little slurred, but they're definitely audible to a human, speaking a human-artificed language -- it's not English, but some kind of murky equivalent. "This water t-tastes wrong. T-too clean. And the air t-tastes wrong, too."

Oh. There are arms around him. Arms sliding around as though searching for fulcrum and balance. Ecco's eyes snap wide in shock as he grasps what Athena's about to do. He splutters. "You can't-t-t do that! You're not-t strong enough to lift-t-t--"

Ecco squalls as he's lifted into the air, but as much out of surprise and shock. There isn't actually a whole lot of protest as the pressure of the rocks is eased. He sighs, tremulous and tired.

"Thank you." He tries very hard not to move, but to make up for it, he's clicking compulsively. "Just-t-t drop me in anywhere. I don't-t want to hurt you for lifting so much. How can this be? How can you lift-t-t so much...? What-t are you?"

    While the term 'dump' was used mentally, Athena doesn't do that. She does kneel down to let Ecco slide into the water, letting it soak her clothing fully now. That is hardly an inconvenience. She doesn't answer until she's sure he's in the water well enough to support him.

    "Not your Earth, but an Earth," she clarifies. "You fell through a Vine... you're in another world now. A different place similar but not the same. You don't have any implants like the uplifted dolphins here, and can talk coherently, so you are definitely from a different place." She smiles wrily.

    "You're right that I'm stronger than I look, but explaining what I am might be a little harder," she adds. "I'm not unique, but more than I appear. My question is if you are all right. I can answer yours if you're in no danger..." she looks toward the distant boat. "I don't think the cleanup crew will be here for a while, so we have time."

Sweet, blessed relief! Ecco straightens his torso as he's slid into the water, spearing into the surf with undeniable glee. No sooner is he into the surf than he lances straight up again, breaking the surface in a mighty leap, landing sideways with a tremendous splash.

He pokes his head up out of the water once he's settled somewhat, fixing Athena with one dark eye, considering her words. Not his Earth, but an Earth. That doesn't explain things very well. He's trying to bear with her, here, but he has to think about the problem very intensely. His jaw falls open just a little, enough to bare needle-sharp teeth; the tip of his lower jaw rotating in tiny circles. It's the same as a human rubbing their chin in thought, maybe.

Fortunately, the unique problem facing his Earth does prepare him for further non-linear problems. Like this one. Ecco narrows his eyes in thought.

"A Vine. I guesss you aren't-t-t talking about a plant-t." The dolphin moves his head to fix Athena with his other eye. "Yesss," he answers, to her question on whether or not he's alright. "Nothing broken, no cut-tsss... oh. No. I have no implantsss. Some choose to t-take them, especially those who want-t to pilot, but I didn't need them. It's expensssive and painful..."

He tilts his head a little bit at her wry smile, and while he can't frown, he can still tread water and look vaguely puzzled. "You look human. You sound human. But you can lift-t too much for a human... let's t-talk. I think I need to know more."

    Athena shakes her head, squatting down to end up more in the water. "No, definitely not a plant. More like a gate or portal. This is my world, but I've been to others. At least you seem to know about implants and technology..." She taps her forehead. "I have some in here, too. A lot of people do, in this place."

    Ah, Ecco seems all right. "As for what I am... that's complicated. I'm not sure you'd understand if I told you, and if you did understand it might sound crazy. Just think of me as an enhanced human, I'm stronger than most. Maybe not superpowered, but enough to carry you at least." She smiles, then realizes that this creature can't mimic that. "You can call me Athena. Though I am not sure what to do about your situation. If you want to get home, most of the Vines are on land, and that could be a problem."

"A gate...?" Ecco doesn't frown, but he tilts his head the other way again. His lower jaw is still making those small, subtle circles, as though he were thinking furiously to put the pieces of everything together. "Yesss. I don't-t know how you do things here, but in my world, dolphin and man live together. We have for centuriesss, until the Foe arrived."

"Now my Earth is shattered, and its timessstream is split into t-two. Man is gone. And dolphin isss... altered. Except me." Ecco flips his head, although it seems less and affirmative nod and more like a shrug, the way he uses the gesture. "I have to fix it. While there'sss still time. But the pieces are missing, and now I know why." He rears up in the water; claps his jaw shut in percussive affirmation. "If thessse Vines have been opening here... then maybe they're here."

What those pieces are, he doesn't elabourate. At least, not yet. "Implants are just the beginning, in my Earth. We have t-technology, too... but t-try me. I may not be 'uplifted,' but I'm no mere animal." He narrows his eyes just a little at her name, absently clicking those needle-teeth together. "Athena. Like the goddessss? I wasss a student of hist-tory, of the stories men told each other before our two people met-t, but it was more of a hobby for me..."

His flukes droop a little when she comments that most of the Vines are strictly overland phenomena. "Oh. Are you sssure about that? Why would they open from water in one place, and then let-t out on land? That makesss no sense. And none of them go the other way? Open on land, and let-t out in water? Why? That-t seems stupid." Grumble, grumble. He thrashes the water with his flukes; a mighty blow of frustration that churns the surf into froth. "I'm sssorry, but I have to get-t back. I'm the only one who can fix it... the only one left who can fix it. If I don't-t, I won't ever see anybody I know again. No friendsss, no family. Gone."

    That sounds pretty serious, as Athena begins to put together that the strange dolphin is from a world in crisis. Not that her own isn't in crisis, but it's not the same kind at all. She's also very surprised when a dolphin speaks of her that way, though... Ecco did say humanity worked with them?

    "Yes, like the goddess," she confirms. "You might call me her heir, or her reincarnation. It's hard to explain in brief. More than human." She almost says 'but less than a god' but her vanity kicks in and she leaves it at that.

    She has to admit though, "I'm sure some do open in the water, but I only know of the ones on land," she makes clear. "I do know some creatures who are aquatic. I will need to find them, if you want to go home. Or you can look for help here..." She trails off. "People in my world are rarely helpful though. We should get you offworld soon. I don't have the money to shuttle you around easily, and I doubt you have any yourself, but if we can get you closer to a city I can try to find something to make things easier. And maybe we can find a Gardener office to see if your world has merged nearby."

"Reincarnation." The term is not one that comes naturally to a cetacean, but Ecco's repetition of the term seems more skeptical than questioning. He doe seem to grasp the notion. It took a very long time for his kind to understand certain abstractions of men, especially the things like that, which could be neither proven nor disproven by science and demonstration. "I hear you, though it-t makes no sense how this could be."

Then again, it doesn't make any sense that a human-sized and human-shaped woman could put her arms around a bottlenose dolphin and lift the creature up, being in the neighborhood of several hundred pounds.

Curiouser and curiouser.

He's still clicking to himself, although the sound is thin and difficult to hear outside the water. It isn't for sonar, since it seems he can see above the surface; maybe it's just a compulsive ritual of his in such unfamiliar territory. "No, of course you wouldn't-t know the ones in water. I'll have to search. If I can't-t-t get out of here, Earth is finished."

Ecco tilts his head again, fixing the demigoddess with his other eye, scrutinizing. He directs another series of clicks at Athena; stronger, and most likely felt. A curious sweep of sonar, to paint a sound-picture. It's true he can see her, but the two senses work in tandem more often than not.

"I'd appreciate the help. I doubt-t I can offer much in return, though." He considers. "What-t kind of technology do you have here? In your citiesss? What-t do you think would make thingsss easier...?"

    The 'scan' of Athena can possibly pick up that she has cybernetic implants of her own. Not as many as some of the Reborn like Ryuunosuke or Kore, but some small amount. The fact that she carries an energy pistol is also a clue. So she can speak with some confidence when she answers, "I'm not sure what your standard is. Some space travel, energy weapons, cybernetic enhancements... we are a lot more advanced than many worlds, but you're obviously familiar with science more than magic yourself. Getting you some kind of life support harness will be easy, with a little help putting it together. Something to get you mobile might be a little trickier..."

    She chuckles, "Now I'm getting interested though. I'm not sure exactly how it happened either, so don't worry about it being confusing... but I know I am Athena in many ways, including her knack for technology. I can get you set up with something, if you in return show me your world when we find it."

    She straightens up to stand, dripping water and wringing it out of her dark hair. "And of course, if we're lucky we might find some Reborn who can do even more. Unfortunately I've only run into a few... and neither Ares, nor Persephone, nor Echidna would be much help. And the ones from other pantheons I know even less about. But a talking dolphin is curious enough to help you on the house."

Apparently the implants are enough to warrant a second look. Ecco focuses another spate of clicking over the goddess, examining her a little more closely. Apparently, what she said is enough. The pistol's acoustics, too, is enough to suggest that it's an energy weapon and not a ballistic weapon. Its technologly wouldn't be entirely out of place on his Earth, although less as a weapon and more as mining technology.

That part, at least, wasn't completely wrong in Man's Nightmare. Some dolphins did choose to become metallurgists, and work closely with the earth. But they did it on their own terms, and not as enslaved labor. They did it for the pursuit of science. Personal choice.

Ecco churns his flukes thoughtfully.

"Sssome space travel," he confirms. "Energy weapons, or at least the t-technology for them. Cybernetic enhancement. Sssome dolphins choose for implantsss that help them in their work. So do sssome humans. Magic... fffsssss." It's a bizarre little hiss of air through the blowhole, like a sigh, but with a little more force behind it. It seems like a cynical sort of sound. "Ssstories men told each other. Like I sssaid."

He lets himself bob in the surf, tossing his head and flipping some of the water high overhead. "A harnessss. Yesss. Some of us wear -- wore -- harnesses. Things with arms. Handsss. Tool-users. But to get around on land, that'sss a little harder. We use walkersss, but they're big, and uncomfortable. We lie on a sssling. The walker'sss cockpit keeps us fitted with life support, but they only lassst for so long before they need to be recharged."

"That'sss it?" Ecco turns his head again, a sharp sideways tilt that looks unsettlingly human. "Well, if that'sss all you want, it's all yours. There isn't much to sssee. At-t this point, there are two. I call them Man's Nightmare and Dolphin'sss Nightmare. Because they are like nightmaresss. Dolphin'sss Nightmare is dangerous. Even to sssomeone like you. The dolphinsss living there, they're cold and cruel and they don't care about anyone but themselves. The dolphinsss in Man's Nightmare... they're more friendly..."

"...But they're dumb as a sssea-sssponge," he sighs, fluting the words. It seems he must have had some kind of genetic modification -- he's not talking through his jaws, but through some kind of modifications to the blowhole mechanism. "They probably won't hurt you. They might worship you though. Man went extinct-t in that particular flavor of Earth, destroying himself with his weapons, but-t not before enslaving dolphins and exploiting them. They were his ssslaves, bred into three castesss depending on the work they did."

He rears back up in the water, 'walking' on his tail, surf churning as he fixes a calculating eye on the goddess. "Ssso, there are more of you. And if you do corressspond to your counterparts... well, I wish I'd paid a little more attention to thossse lessons. If you can help me, though, maybe I can help you." Ecco tosses his head again, spraying water just shy of where Athena stands. "What-tever it isss I can help with."

    Athena spreads her hands. "I'm a goddess. The problems I have to solve are beyond the mortal realm..." She pauses. "And, well, I have no idea how to solve them right now. You don't seem to believe in magic, so I doubt you could help with our soul problem. I'm not sure even I understand it. So I try to see other worlds so I can see another perspective."

    She frowns. "Two... now I really am curious," she murmurs and taps her chin. "This world sounds much different from most of the human-dominated ones, but not as bizarre as that pokemon world... yes, I think I can get something working, or started on."

"I'll believe it when I sssee it. We don't have anything like that-t where I come from," Ecco points out, a little wryly. "Not-t exactly like the ssstories, anyway. We have science and t-technology and the laws of the natural world. I guess there are alwaysss things that can't-t be explained, though."

He hikes himself a little bit higher in the water, the better to tilt his head and regard Athena from one dark eye. "T-two," he confirms, fluting the word out as a sigh. "One wasn't-t bad enough." It's another problem for another day, though, and he contents himself with dipping under the waves, only to come up a foot or so off to one side, along with a pillar of spume. Not as mighty as a whale's blow, but visible enough.

"I'm probably better off not-t asking about that," he comments, as much to himself as to Athena, on the matter of Pokemon worlds. "You think-k? I'd be grateful. Maybe I'd just better stay in this bay here until you have something that-t works. I guess I should probably go rest-t. I'm tired. And I ache. And this water t-tastes so clear."

What's not to like? It beats the polluted hellscape of an ocean he just came from. "And..." He rises up again, fixing Athena with one dark eye, jaw falling open to chatter. It almost sounds like laughter. "Thanksss. If you need me, just drop into the water and call for me. I'm sssure I'll hear you. Oh... and my name's Ecco. The one you can pronounce, anyway," he adds, in typically smart-aleck dolphin manner. There's just a hint of playful tease in his tone.

With a shove of his flukes, he performs a high, tidy backflip, spearing back into the water with a tremendous splash. The showoff maneuver is enough to suggest that the dolphins of his world are probably just as smart-alecky as they may or may not be here.