Snippets of Tales (Multifandom)

Splatoon Splatroad(?): The Second Stormcoming

Story: Splatoon???

Creator: Me and Opal

(A fic I wrote for OpalInkling last night because I couldn't sleep and we got full on thunder and lightning with rain)

They'd booked a place at that new, Japanese-style hotel, but they didn't think it would rain of all things.

But yet here they were. Everyone had gone to bed in their rooms, sliding their doors closed to lay on the bed mats on the floor because it was one of those places...and then the rain came. It started as soft pitter patter that then turned into the sound of rice sliding down something...and then it started hitting hard. Loud drops hitting the roof and outside, almost sounding like hail in the winter. Of course, this didn't really affect the others, and if anything they drifted off to sleep thanks to it.

However, there was one person they were traveling with pretty extreme astraphobia. And at the moment, they were walking through the hallways of the place, trying to get back. She'd gone for a glass of water and to use the restroom, but as she was walking back, the storm picked up. Her stress level escalated, though she hoped it wasn't going to be the storm she thought it would be.

Suddenly, lightning flashed outside, and she could see it from the corner of her vision.

Opal jumped, and started jogging down the halls as a loud rumble was heard after it. Nononononono, this wasn't good! She had to make it back before it got worse, she FEARED these kinds of storms. She did NOT want to be stuck out in the hallway, trembling under some decoration because her fear immobilized her. Lightning flashed again, briefly illuminating the whole place a bit...

And then the power went out, leaving everyone in darkness.

Opal straight up PANICKED, and full on sprinted down the halls. She didn't care if her footsteps woke up others nearby, she was just focused on getting back to her room with what little light remained thanks to the covered windows showing the gray skies outside. God, why did the bathrooms have to be so far away?! The signs to each room weren't that readable, and there was no back-up energy source here. Opal just hoped those staff people running this place were working on it...

She ran into something solid, but by the sound of the quiet "oof" and the feel of the clothes, she could definitely tell it was a person. As much as she wanted to simply go around them and try to navigate back to her room with Hail and Izuzu, another flash of lightning immediately had her clinging on to them like a poor little bat afraid it would drop to the ground. She waited for them to shove her off or ask her to move...but that never came. Instead, two large hands hugged her back and rubbed her in a calming manner, the person saying nothing. Opal just stood there and shook as the rain continued to fall, sniffling a little and trying not to cry.

"Shhh....it'll be over soon....shhh...."

The voice was low, but because it was a whisper, she couldn't tell whose voice it was. The scents of water clashing with the air filled her nose, but it was probably just the rain outside making the indoors damp and cold. Opal kept sniffling, not sure what to do.

"I h-hate this....I just...I just want to sleep....I don't know wh-where my room is, but..but I can't m-move..." she managed.

"We'll stay here until you're better, okay?" came the whispered reply.

Opal just nodded into the person's shirt, hoping they'd understand. They didn't let go, and for a while the two only heard rain. Then the lightning outside crashed, followed by a loud rumble and crackle that shook the place. Opal broke into full on sobbing.

"I d-don't want to be h-h-here, I want t-to go...to go h-home!!" she sniffled in-between sobs. "What i-if lightning st-strikes a...a-a tree and it falls...falls down and b-b-breaks the roof, and...and...and people g-get hurt?! What if-?! What if...what if...."

The figure held her tight against their body as she cried against them.

"I don't want to die here..." she cried, muffled by their shirt.

"You won't. You're going to live. Nothing dangerous will happen," the voice whispered back.

"H-how do you...you kn-know?" she stuttered.

"...Because I...I've had that fear before. That anything could happen to me because I was not the one in control. But it's been a long time, and I don't have that fear anymore because I KNOW that nothing like that will happen any time soon."

Opal remained silent for a while before shifting her head to breathe better.

"But...you can't p-predict the future...what if...what if something like that happens h-here and n-now? My throat's tightening and...and I don't f-feel good...I don't w-want something to h-happen while I sleep..." she whimpered, sobbing slowing to sniffles again.

"Nothing will. This is a normal thing that happens when you're stressed. Just take deep breaths and it'll loosen up. You don't have any sort of genetic thing with your health, right?" the voice whisper-asked.

"....n...no?"

"Then you're going to be fine. Has this happened before?"

"...yes."

"But you're still here, aren't you?"

".....yes," Opal peeped.

"See what I mean?" the voice replied, still a whisper. "I'll stand here until you're okay, anyway. This place is sturdy enough to have survived centuries of generations without taking massive damage, but if I have to tank a falling tree...I will."

"..........okay...."

Opal listened and took in some deep breaths, staring at the wall and only jolting when lightning flashed again or thunder rumbled. Over time however, it was clear that the storm was moving further and further away. She slowly closed her eyes, and let all the sounds around her disappear into nothing. She felt herself being picked up and carried somewhere, though she couldn't really tell where. Everything became a blur as she heard muffled voices talking and felt herself being lowered into something soft.

The last thing she remembered seeing was a taller figure closing the door to the room she was in, and small lights glistening as they faded out of sight.

-----

When she woke up the next morning, the lights were back on and it was sunny outside, like nothing had happened. Was that all a dream? She didn't know. If it was, what did it mean, and why did she keep having these kinds of things happen to her? If not...well....

Who was that person?