Far beneath a placid sapphire sea on the oceanic world, the Temple of Monse rises from the ocean floor like a living cathedral formed by the waves themselves. Giant coral pillars twist upwards, glowing softly with gentle bioluminescence, colors of turquoise, lavender, and silver flowing through their veins. Shimmering fish in schools flash through the arches.
The walls ripple like a living thing, made of radiant aquastone, inscribed with flowing sigils that pulse like the beat of the ocean's heart. Curtains of swaying kelp veil the languid rhythm of open windows that look out into the endless blue vastness. Gentle streams of bubbles rise through crystal vents, their melody echoing softly like distant hymns.
In the middle of the temple is a vast circular chamber, where the water grows warmer and glows with an ethereal light. Here is Monse's throne, a piece grown from living coral and mother-of-pearl, shaped like the curl of a great wave. Seashells the size of shields border its base, each one inscribed with old runes in tribute to the Elemental line.
Serpentine mosaics coil across the marble floor, their eyes made of glittering pearls. When Monse calls her sea serpents, the runes on the floor come to life, casting the room in silver-blue light as the creatures slide through the abyssal tunnel, a winding conduit of glowing algae that dwindles off into darkness.
Monse: She sat inside her underwater temple, petting and feeding the sea serpents before sending them back out into the abyss via a tunnel. "Tiffany, my dear daughter, could you lend me a hand for a moment?"
Tiffany: A pale young woman with 4 translucent blue eyes and a blue shell that spans from her forehead to her arched nose. Her face is rather round and soft with dotted red eyebrows. Her hair is a lighter blonde, with two pink water lilies growing from her head, resembling space buns. Blue stains her fingertips as they're prepared to turn to water in moments. In the same vein, water clings to her thighs, shaping her legs since she's missing them.
"Yes, mother." She set down her drawing supplies, walking over to her. "What is it you need me to do?"
Monse: "Help me brush their scales. We must make sure they are kept clean."
Tiffany: She grabbed a brush, gently rubbing it on the scales of the serpents. She listened to them purring, causing a small smile to form across her face.
Monse: "There is something else I wanted to talk to you about, my dear."
Tiffany: "What is it, Mother?"
Monse: "First, you must promise me you will not tell anyone, and I mean anyone at all. This is for our sake, especially mine."
Tiffany: A face of confusion crossed over her as she turned to face her. "Okay...?"
Monse: "Say it. Please."
Tiffany: "Okay, I promise."
Monse: She inhaled deeply, exhaling a bit before nervously speaking, "I-I have fallen in love with someone not of my race."
Tiffany: "WHAT?!" She turned fully towards her, "Who and more importantly, WHY?!"
Monse: She signaled for her to keep quiet, "Shhh! Please, keep your voice down. I do not need other people to hear our conversation."
Tiffany: "Mom, you know full well what the rules are, and you can't just- Who is it?"
Monse: "Wiliaquo."
Tiffany: "WITH THE WIND BEING?!"
Monse: "Tiffany, please keep your voice down!"
Tiffany: She put her hands on her head, stressing out, "Mom, they will kill you for that, they will kill HIM for that."
Monse: "I know, I know we just- do not care for the rules once we realized that it limits our lives, Valkun simply just wants control over us, and we want to be able to experience the true forms of creation. What we were destined to do, to love."
Tiffany: She rubbed her arm, tapping her liquid foot against the ground, "Why did you decide to tell me this then?"
Monse: "You are my daughter, of course, you are a part of this family, and you will be a part of the future. I want you to be able to meet your potential half-father."
Tiffany: She inhaled sharply, "I will need some time to reflect on this, I can't just- Immediately accept this, but I will try to remain open to it because you are my half-mother...and I won't tell anyone about this."
Monse: She pulled her into a hug, kissing Tiffany on the forehead, their bioluminecent spots glowing at the same time, "Thank you, my dear. I promise you everything will be okay."
Tiffany: She gave her a gentle hug back, trying to be accepting, "I sure hope so, for everyone's sake."
Monse: She looked over at her art supplies, "What were you drawing earlier?"
Tiffany: She looked over with her, grabbing her stuff to show Monse, "I had a dream about some type of being, a golden figure."
Monse: "Star?"
Tiffany: She raised an eyebrow, "Yeah- How did you know that?"
Monse: "Well, for one, darling, you have one of our ancient texts with you, which I wrote myself, so it was pretty easy to guess. And for two, all of us know who Star is. The golden figure of hope, it is said that if you truly need to feel the presence of positivity, all you have to do is call out his name and he shall appear. None of our kind has met him, but we have felt his beautiful presence."
Tiffany: "Maybe I can be the first of us to meet him, the future is full of mystery after all, like you always say."
Monse: She giggled, rubbing her daughter's hair, "Indeed, it does, my dear, thank you for helping me. You may head back to your drawing. I need to do a few more things before nightfall."
Tiffany: "Of course, thank you for talking to me, and for trusting me, Mom. I know I freaked out a bit, but I greatly appreciate it." She gathered all of her belongings and headed back towards her courters.
Monse: She smiled, "Oh, Wiliaquo is going to love her."