Start of an Era

by Rawesome

Summary:

After hearing the many atrocities the Convocation of Elders have committed, Candy Diver takes it into their own hands to anonymously expose them. Pearl begrudgingly helps them with this task late one night, and, as she is traveling back to the Duskgloom Sea, she encounters Candy Diver. They have a little chat and drink in a dinghy boat, spending the night together.

Notes:

Credits to @SanicPluushy and @Spicyr on tumblr for the AU, it’s theirs lol. And it’s preeeeetty swag ngl

A sigh of relief left her mouth, and—as she pulled up the hood of her dark brown cloak—she began her trek back to the shoreline. Mud clung to her bare scaled feet with each step, and her walk a staggered hobble as she was unused to traversing land for such a long distance.

The roars and chatter of the lower city sounded as loud as ever despite the absence of the sun. The laughing and chatters from bars ,the singing and roars from inns, the screaming and moaning from brothels stewed throughout the city. An almost suffocating humidity clung in the air, causing perspiration to drip down her forehead.

Clenching her jaw angrily, Black Pearl couldn’t be more glad to get back to her dark abyssal home. As she slowly approached the shoreline, she saw a silhouette. The black outline of a figure sitting in a small boat not too far from shore. The moon casted the figure in a cold silver glow, yet they were still obscured by the darkness. It wasn’t until a pair of two-toned colored eyes stared back at her—dimly glowing in the darkness— that she knew exactly who was waiting for her.

“What a surprise,” she said sarcastically. She narrowed her eyes at Candy Diver, who smiled back at her with their eyes. Black Pearl clawed into her cloak tighter; her lips pinching into a tight grimace. She continued, annoyance laced into her words, “ Might I ask what you’re doing here?”

Diver started to bubble something out be she cut them off, and scolded, “it had better not be to,” she air quoted, “‘help me’. Your help is unnecessary and too stupid to even suggest.” She glared at them, but Diver continued to gaze at her gleefully.

They both continued to lock gazes— her glare as piercing and menacing as ever—yet her gaze had no effect on Diver: a pleasantly content glint hung in their eyes. They leaned on the side of the old dinghy, propping up their head with their hands as they continued to just…gaze at Pearl.

Stamping her foot as though she were a child, she groaned loudly, “UUUUUGH FINE!” She stomped towards the dinghy and placed her hands on its brim, “I’ll get in.”

Candy Diver beamed with delight, bubbling softly in a way similar to giggling. They offered their hand to Pearl; she took it, climbing into the small boat with their aid. The boat rocked for a moment, adjusting to the added weight as Pearl settled in. Candy diver grabbed the paddles of the boat and started to row out to the sea.

Water swished and swashed in rhythm to Diver’s rows, and silence sat between the two sea creatures. A methodic, comfortable silence, a silence only found out at sea in the darkest of nights. As the moon finally got hidden behind dusty coal cloudy, Pearl spoke, “The task you assigned to me was pitifully easy. You know that.”

Diver bubbled lightly, “ that’s what you wanna talk about?” Giving Pearl a quizzical look.

She groaned once more in annoyance, slumping back sharply, leaning on her end of the boat. She spat, “ Then why,” she elongated the ‘y’ sound in why, “ are you here!? You don’t need to take me back to the Duskgloom, I’m perfectly capable of doing such on my own!” Her face held a harden grimace and glare towards the diver.

They seemed to slightly deflate at Pearl’s remarks— their rhythmic rowing slowing immensely— but then lightened up again. Their rowing pace continued back to a similar pace as it was before, though slightly slowed. “ And what if I wanted to?”

Her face morphed from anger to confusion; she looked away from them, crossing her arms. “Well you didn’t need to.”

“But I wanted to.” They stopped rowing all together, leaning forward towards Pearl. The bubbles softly,“ I really appreciate you helping me earlier. I can’t do what I’m trying to do without you. At least not without getting myself or…” They paused. A tiny metal clicking sound could only be heard. This was a common sound they made when trying to collect their thoughts, Pearl had noted once again. Just as she had in their previous interactions before then. She sat up, unfolding her arms from underneath her cloak.

They clanked and gurgled quickly, “ I just don’t want anyone to get hurt… at least not anyone that doesn’t deserve it.”

Pearl chuckled lightly at that the latter half of their comment. Leaning forward, she added, “ yeah, I thought this whole ‘plan’ of yours was to hurt others— those Council of… uh… or Convocation Elders— or whatever they’re called.”

“ In a way yes…I just want them to be held accountable for their actions,” Candy Diver sighed, sounding like an opened can of soda, “ no one should experience injustices like those I mentioned in the pamphlet. No one.” Their face darkened.

Pearl chuckled at their serious tone, leaning back again as a wave nonchalance washed over her shoulders. Pearl hummed, “ well aren’t you noble, hm?”

Candy Diver squinted their eyes at her, asking, “ Was that a jab?”

“What- no!” swiftly hunching forward, Pearl then she slumped over and huffed. She took a breath before speaking, restraining words that were as prickly as sea urchins, as combative and ruthless as a sailor with a grudge. Guilt and regret would be all she’d reap from such behavior.

Instead, she asked, “ You’re doing a good thing here right?” Diver nodded and she continued, “ and how exactly do you know this’ll work?”

Diver chuckled, a cheekiness eminent in their eyes. From the inner pocket of their black naval coat, they slipped out a bottle. “We’ll just have to see…” They looked over behind Pearl, and—deducing that they were far enough away from shore— popped open the small bottle.

“I really do appreciate you doing this for me… helping me, ” they gazed up at Pearl shyly; their cap hooding their eyes. Those round adorable eyes, ballooning and bursting with feelings Pearl couldn’t fully grasp. Earthy citrusy fumes weaseled into her senses, transporting her mind back to when the two had first drank together. A show of understanding, of care… creatures concealed to the depths of the duskgloom.

Candy Diver wanted to get to know her more at the time—a stupid idea really, she could’ve crumbled them in an instant— and she— for some reason— agreed. The pair talked, and talked, and talked for what felt like an eternity. Yet it didn’t feel… tedious or insignificant or overwhelming. If it was, she wouldn’t be here right now, now would she? With her face warm and lightly flushed, fortunately obscured in the darkness of the night. A bundle of feelings she had neglected for so long had started to slowly flare and swell up in her again—like an allergy or some incurable disease she was hopeless to get rid of—and she didn’t know what to do about it.

She looked away from them, chuckling nervously, “ Yes you…“clearing her throat,she fixed her gaze back onto Diver, “ This is your second time saying such. Do you just like thanking me? Praising me?” With her confidence back, she smirked wickedly at them, and, like a blowing air threw a straw in some water, they gurgled out a hearty chuckle.

“Perhaps..” Candy Diver winked teasingly; Pearl rolled her eyes.

“Good, I deserve it,” Pearl’s voice lowered, an air of flirtation lacing her voice. She faintly saw condensation form on the glass of their helmet, and she smiled: satisfied that she had made Diver blush just like they had made her. They fizzled gleefully, and Pearl couldn’t help but join in by giggle a little herself.

They held the gin out to her, and asked, “ Will you do me the honor, and take the first swig for me?”

Taking the bottle in her hand, her fingers lightly caressed Candy Diver’s; Pearl quickly snatched the bottle away, not wanting the contact to linger for longer than it should.

“Why yes I will!” She hung the tip of the bottle on her between her lips, pausing to look at Candy Diver with a seductive smirk.

Pausing for a small moment, Diver gawked at Pearl in total awestruck at her before bursting back into elated fizzy giggling. Pearl had to admit— sadly— that it was very… very adorable. Yuck. It must be the gin, even though she hasn’t even taken a mere sip of it yet.

Swiftly tilting the gin upwards, she swigged down three large gulps of the alcohol, coating her throat in a stingy burning sensation. She hacked out a couple coughs, having completed her first sip, and then leaned back with a languid sigh: she was on her way to getting thoroughly relaxed; the gin was doing its job.

Diver hunched forward; their hand up right on their thigh, supporting their head. “ Good, isn’t it?” They asked, that cheeky look returning to their eyes alongside another… warm, kind and…intimate feeling.

Her face warmed up again—the alcohol surely— and her abdomen twisted and pulsed. She ignored it, and responded, “It always is,” Taking another sip—the liquor sliding down her throat with ease, like flow of a languid tired river— and Diver watched her in needy craving anticipation.

“It seems to me you want some too, hmm?” Pearl hummed.

Diver starred off for a moment, remaining silent except for the quiet sizzling noise that came from them. Slightly jerking up, they mumbled lamely, “ I want it.”

Pearl pouted, “ is that the way to ask? Or am I just soo intimidating that a small insignificant creature like yourself couldn’t bear to ask me the proper way?” She mocked them; Candy Diver deflated once more.

What she failed to notice was their hands, digging into their thighs. Desperate clawing for something more. They repeated themselves, more affirmatively “ I want it.”

“Then come get it,” She beckoned.

They took off their caps, both the naval hat and the red metal topper that kept their insides inside, and leaned their head forward towards Pearl.

Pearl looked on at them, holding confused yet slightly intrigued expression

“Please?” Gesturing to the open hole in their head, the begged, “ Pore it for me?”

“And if I don’t?”

They peered up at her, those eyes- Pearl sighed, “ Fine, you’ve already begged enough,” she pored the liquid into their head, causing a small whirlpool to form. It was how they ‘drank’ or ‘ate’, considering they had not mouth to do such. Pearl nagged, “ you’ve forced me to do a lot tonight, haven’t you?”

“I know, I’m terrible,” They teased, shaking their head disapprovingly.

“I don’t forgive easily know,” shaking the bottle in her hand she continued, “ although this is a good start.”

“Anything you want, I’ll get it” they paused, “within reason.”

Pearl huffed leaning back once again; she took another sip, “ Ever devoted aren’t you? Hmm, no. This is enough.” And another, “ for now.” She held the gin out for them to receive.

Retrieving the bottle, they continued to gaze at Pearl, who had long since taken offer her hood, and her beauty. The moon had returned once more, revealing her dark toned skin that seemed to sparkle in the cold moonlight. The wind lightly blowing her bangs and loose curly hair to the side.

A grimace still hung on her face, although it didn’t sour her boundless beauty, it did sadden Diver slightly. They could feel something deep inside her, something— some feeling— she had in the dark crevices of her mind.

But that didn’t matter now, and so Diver recounted a stories of particularly unfortunate pirate crews the Salt Sharks had encountered: in the hopes of at least making her laugh. She did. She could laughed and guffawed at the demise of anyone, any being that she deemed inferior.

Seeing her laugh, tears pinging at the counters of her eyes; her lips curling in the menacing yet oh so endearing smile. That was enough; yes that was enough.

It was going to be a night to remember, Diver as sure of it. Change was going to be inevitable in the wake of tonight’s actions. They all would come in the wake of this night: Atonement, Justice, and Empathy.

Like the sea washing over the shore, demanding a new layer of sand to show and shine from blazing sunlight.

That pamphlet will make the sun shine onto the sand, the moonlight will grasp the water, justice will be served. For all who deserve it. It must.

Notes:

Stupid gayass candy diver, having gay thoughts while also trying to be an activist. Rough shit fr….
Maybe they’ll get some next time…. In the next thousand years
I’m sure they can wait it out