After surviving a bank robbery, with much thanks to Aquaman, Camille decides to complete her training to join the police force; to help people like he did and to redeem herself from a gruesome death that she was too petrified to stop. After being as...
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Lex was understandably irritated after being framed for murder. He was used to it, of course, but not while stuck in a city where he held no influence. He spent almost an hour pacing around the embassy, pondering who would have the motive to blame him. While Luthor stressed over the entire situation, Jimmy was in the corner flicking through the photos he'd taken with a proud grin. The camera must have been advanced beyond comprehension to withstand the high pressures this far underwater.
Inky had insisted upon burying himself beneath Camille's curls again, but this time it wasn't simply because he enjoyed it. Something told her that the small squid could sense the tension in the air and was trying desperately to hide from it. He shivered whenever Lex came too close, then would tug on Camille's hair as if urging her away from the scene. It was a difficult time for all of them...which was why it was a relief when a distraction appeared at their doorway.
R'atlu peered into the human building, eyes wide with wonder at the sight. There was no water inside...and they all stood firmly on the ground like something was weighing them down; their hair stayed flat against their heads and their loose-fitting clothes didn't ride upward. Even with all the magic in Xebel, she had never witnessed anything like this before.
The frills on either side of her head twitched as she reached a hand towards the entry. She allowed her index finger to push through the barrier, and though it felt heavier and colder, she saw that it remained intact. This was enough encouragement for her to step completely through the forcefield, but when she did a load felt like it dropped ontop of her and she fell to the ground.
The world was suddenly too heavy for her to bare. She was no longer weightless, and the atmosphere was so dry that she thought she might suffocate. Someone's hand glided reassuringly against her back but R'atlu was too overwhelmed to react to it. She wheezed, trembled, and struggled to breathe in the new form of oxygen. She had never been on land before and so her body was simply unaccustomed to filtering air into her lungs. Gravity was another concern altogether. Even with Camille helping her up it felt like there was a giant hand threatening to squash her against the floor.
"Are you alright?" She heard Camille ask, but her mind was so hazy that she couldn't identify exactly where it was coming from. "It's okay. Just breathe...in and out...in and out. Pretend it's like water, but let it pass through your nose not your gills."
Surprisingly enough, the human's voice soothed R'atlu's panic. She followed her instructions, allowing the oxygen to sift through her body until it started to feel natural. R'atlu inhaled sharply, then exhaled in relief. After figuring out how to breathe on land it quickly switched into pure instinct. This wasn't a surprise, after all, there had been a time when every merperson lived on the surface.
"Feeling better?" Camille enquired with obvious concern, hand still rubbing the Xebel princess' back.
"Y-Yes..." R'atlu gasped, shivering at the odd tingling sensation that pricked against her skin. Her hair stuck oddly to her shoulders now, and droplets from the ocean spilled off her clothing to soak the flooring. It was her first experience outside of the water. At first it seemed like she was dehydrating because the water covering her body started to dry away, but then she noticed that the same had happened to everyone else inside the barrier as well. "Is every place on land this...incredible?"
