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To say today is the same as any other would suggest the Void has a sense of time. No; this place stretches infinitely. Not just in counting, but in the space, too.

Space is what it closely resembles. At least, the layman's idea of what space looks like. Dark and empty, with billions of little blinking lights always off in the distance no matter the direction and movement.

There exists a single being within this place. An alien creature. With it's humanoid body and conglomerate of animal parts, it wouldn't be incorrect to call it a chimera-- her a chimera.

Not that the use of a pronoun matters. Nothing really matters, she's just aware of it all. Most of it. She has an approximate knowledge of many things.

One of the things she doesn't know is if and when someone will show up. She can only hope someone will show up soon.

Boredom is an ailment. A curse. One that she, Stardust, is sick of having. All she does during moments like these is lean back and let the anti-gravity cradle her.

There is no cure to this condition, but there are little remedies. Sleep is her greatest ally, though how ironic she would find peace in a place just as empty and desolate as this.

Manipulating the space is also an option. It's not something she's fond of doing by herself. Her own creativity lacks; and the magic of such a trick has died out long ago.

So she waits. Stardust waits, reclined, arms folded and legs crossed as if on some invisible seat. Hoping for a little bit of company to pass the time.

Or, well. Lack thereof.

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1/29

After a long day, Kaminari finally was able going to sleep. She and her friends had a long journey across the ocean, but now they were able to finally find an undersea cave to sleep in. As soon as she fell asleep, the ray mermaid found herself drifting across the ocean of dreams. Then much to her surprise, she found herself in the void. The void, which stretched all across her vision, around her without any scource of light, as if she was in the very bottom of the ocean.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Kaminari called out.

At the sound of the voice, Stardust's eyes snap open. She rises from her lean to look out over the expanse of space she has come to known.

Sure enough-- and it wasn't just her mind playing tricks-- there is someone nearby. Something? The head is that of a human. (What she has come to know as human.) The body is something else entirely. In a flash, her mind produces the appropriate term as to what to call this: A mermaid.

A mermaid! Fascinating. Never met a mermaid before. Surely she should fit right at home in this anti-gravity space. It is not entirely unlike the ocean, after all.

With her usual smarmy grin, Stardust makes herself known to her new guest. Despite the look on her face, she somehow manages to exude a comforting aura. One of the perks of running The Void, she supposed.

"Why, hello there." Stardust greets in a warm voice, and soft like velvet. "Aren't you a curious one. Welcome to my home. You may call me Stardust." The alien gives a slight bow. "What is your name?"

Kaminari was startled by Stardust's appearance, but then she had a feeling despite its chimeric nature, the creature would not hurt her. She took a deep breath, collecting all of her courage, then swam forward to greet her.

"Umm. my name is Kaminari. Nice... to meet you." she said, still a bit shyly.

Even though Kaminari wasn't as shy compared to the moment she met her friends for the first time, but she was still a bit of a shrinking violet when it came to interact strangers.

"Kaminari. Beautiful name." Says Stardust. "There's no need to be scared, Kaminari. I know this is a lot to take in, but please, bear with me.

"Welcome to The Void." Stardust stretches out her arms. "No harm will come to you while you are here. Soon enough, you will certainly return from whence you came. So why not enjoy yourself while you are visiting?"

Stardust then floats slightly forward towards the mermaid. Not close enough to get into her space and cause discomfort. She simply wants to get a good look into her eyes.

"I was wondering, if you don't mind my asking. How is it you arrived here?" She says. "What is the last thing you recall before finding yourself here, in The Void?"

Kaminari listened as Stardust revealed to her this place was the Void. For her, this sounded ominous, but Stardust's presence somehow caled her initial nervousnes. Maybe its a dream world? Maybe its an another dimension, who knows...

"Well... I have just fell asleep after a hard day, then found myself here in my dream." Kaminari said and looked around. "This void place indeed looks like the deep abyss of the ocean..."

Stardust's face falls and a second passes. "Hm." She says, then clicks her tongue. "Yes. That's... a common one. But I can assure you, this is not a dream!"

If only this place were, though. For Kaminari, it's like a dream, and she'll most likely believe it to be when she returns to her life. For Stardust, this is no dream, nor is it a nightmare. It is simply reality.

Stardust is back to her smile in an instant and clapping her paws together. "This place is better than a dream." She continues. "Imagine, for a moment, your wildest dream. Your greatest fantasy. Your deepest wish! I can make that come true...! Well, within reason." She waves the afterthought away with a hand.

"So, let's have some fun, shall we? If you could be anywhere, anywhere at all... where would you want to be?"

"Wow..." Kaminari's eyes went big when she heard it. So the in the Void she could live her wildest dreams and fantasies? It sounded unbeliavable, but she decided to give it a go.

"Well, while I can swim freely in the ocean, I would like to feel what is it like flying across the endless sky, alongside the birds, among the clouds." she said. Having ray-fins attached to her arms and body would give her the appearance of having wings, so this would be fitting.

"Flying is a common request." She notes. "But, in your case... I can see why such a dream would be important to you."

Stardust flips around, sweeping her arm in her turn. The space of The Void begins to ripple, gently at first, like the wake of a pond. Then they increase, vibrating from some intense but silent beat. Until eventually, the ripples give way to tiles which flip swiftly, the backside revealing a pretty blue color.

Clouds and birds appear along with it. The imagery looks so real it might as well be. A cool wind blows at Stardusts hair. Her wings extend to feel the artificial breeze through their membrane. Artificial to her simply because she knows the truth. To visitors, the wind should feel natural, unless they have good intuition.

Stardust looks back at Kaminari, offering an open palm to the mermaid. "Shall we?"

"Wow..." Kaminari gasped as the Void around her shifted into that of a beautiful skyscape. She also felt the breeze on the membranes of her ray fins, which felt really good. Somewat different from the one which she would commonly feel while swimming underwater.

"Yes..." she reached out and grabbed Stardust's hand.

With a tender grip, Stardust pulls Kaminari along to soar through the sky. Occasional clouds pass by; from above, from the sides, and from below, their shadows cast dark upon fluffy white. Birds, as per Kaminari's request, join them in their flight. Beautiful birds; the kind Kaminari would picture in her mind when flying there.

"Tell me about yourself." Stardust suddenly says, her voice carrying clearly from over the wind. "I know it's a vague ask. I have questions for you, if you don't mind an impromptu interview."

Sango looked around and was smiling, enjoying the flight with Stardust. When asked about herself, she thought for a bit, then responded:

"You know, I was originally a human more specifically a priestess in a shrine located on a beautiful island. I have always wanted to travel the world, so one day I left the island and sailed out onto the ocean, but was caught in a storm and almost drowned. Luckily, a couple of mermaids saved my life by turning me into one of their kind. I was scared at first, but they were very nice and kind, helping me to realize that being a mermaid isn't that bad."

"Is that so!"

Stardust has a mature voice that may, on accident, come across as snide. But that's often not the case, such as right now. She's truly intrigued by Kaminari's story.

"It must have been a shock to become a mermaid. And such a unique mermaid at that! The adjustment period must have taken a long time."

Her expression shifts into something more pitying, though her smile does not falter. "To be confined to one space only to trade it for another. It can't be easy."

"Well, yes it was a shock, and Petra didn't make it easier..." Kaminari said, remembering how her overly bubbly and upbeat friend got to her nerves sometimes, only to be calmed by Amethyst. "However, I came to like being a mermaid, since I got to see a whole new world and gain new friends."

"Do you ever miss your time as a human?" Asks Stardust suddenly. "Do you ever miss your island? Your friends and family?"

She looks over to Kaminari with a soft smile and softer eyes. Saccharine voice aside, she seems to care for her plight. Kaminari's hand still in Stardust's is held gently as they fly.

"I... never saw my real family." Kaminari said. "I was found by the shrine as a baby, and priests raised me. Plus, I can actually visit them if I want to., because... my friends taught me how to take on a human form. I feel myself really lucky to have them."

When Stardust's eyes widen, a peculiar emotion flashes briefly in them. The corners of her lips twitch upwards into a disbelieving smile, but it quickly fades back to normal.

"Oh!" She says, voice pitched slightly higher. "Isn't that nice! The best of both worlds!"

Stardust clears her throat. "In that case, do you plan on ever attempting to travel the world again?"

"Well, yes." Kaminari said. "We are planning to go on a new journey. Together."

She then looked below them, looking at the clouds and the birds flying by, feeling the breeze underneath her ray fin membranes.

"Maybe one day I could experience what real life flight really feels like... but this is so awesome." she sported a wide smile.

The breeze is nice and calming. It helps Stardust to collect her bearings. She takes a breath, then releases.

"You sound very lucky." She says then, and she admires Kaminari's smile. "Lucky and happy. I must admit I am a bit envious."

Stardust also looks down at the closed passing below them. Merely a fantasy, a dream Kaminari will surely wake up from soon, leaving Stardust alone once more.

"Perhaps you will be able to truly fly someday. I hope you do."

"Thanks Stardust." Kaminari smiled. Though they have just met, she felt that this conversation have already brought her close enough to Stardust to consider her a friend. The mermaid looked at Stardust and smiled: "I hope we would meet again someday..."