That integral piece of Kai was missing and, whether or not they could ever make the truth of that make sense, they weren’t going to be able to sit idly by until she was safely home.
WHAT: Kai decides to do what they can to help Adaine regardless of any qualifications to do so. WHEN: Shortly after the disappearances, before the rescue mission began STATUS:Complete!
Kai had spent almost their entire life wishing to live up on the surface where everything had just seemed so much better. Fuller, grander, more vibrant. It had not been that long since they’d traded their fin for permanent legs, but for the most part it had felt a lot like they’d been right to think that Vallo was the right choice–even if they still couldn’t quite put their finger on why they’d finally decided to make it. The food was amazing, the activities they could do with two feet and questionable levels of balance were exciting, and Kai was making new friends and trying things they’d never imagined they’d get a chance to.
And then there was also Adaine. Kai had felt drawn toward her from the moment they’d first seen her comment pop up on the network, and endlessly grateful that she seemed to be open to Kai’s overeagerness to be her friend. She had very quickly become the first person on Kai’s mind in the morning, and the last before they went to sleep and Kai wasn’t sure if that was exactly normal or not. It seemed…crazy? Fast. Overkill?..to have become so attached to this person they could only remember having met once or twice before so quickly. Part of Kai wondered if it was just them getting swept up in the excitement of this new life, or the lifetime of romanticizing Vallo.
Waking up to the news of the portal disappearances, though, had proven that it wasn’t that simple at all. Because as soon as Kai had seen Adaine’s name on that list of disappearances, and Vax had confirmed that it wasn’t just some clerical error, Kai had suddenly forgotten what it was to breathe. It had felt like their whole world had turned upside down even more than it had when they’d woken up on the beach with legs. Like something integral to Kai’s being had gone through that portal with her, and it was absolutely insane, they knew, because how could they feel that way so quickly? How could it feel as though they’d lived a whole life knowing this person they’d really only just befriended weeks ago?
It didn’t help their feelings of panic to know that, on the surface, they had no real skill or ability to help with Vallo’s latest predicament. They didn’t have experience with fighting, and no magic to help ward off Vallo’s threats. They were barely learning how to stay upright on two feet while rollerblading, and that wasn’t going to save anyone’s life.
And it certainly wasn’t going to make sure that Adaine came home.
Kai knew they needed to do something, though, because sitting alone, examining all of these feelings that only brought more questions than answers, wasn’t helping, either. They might not be any good at fighting, but they were highly motivated to help Adaine, to be useful. And there was something to be said for the fact that they’d been able to wake up in a new body with relatively foggy memories of how and why they’d gotten there and had been able to make it work. Being semi-decent at navigating unfamiliar terrain had to be a useful skill here, right? They were scrappy and, damnit, that would have to be enough. There was no other option. That integral piece of Kai was missing and, whether or not they could ever make the truth of that make sense, they weren’t going to be able to sit idly by until she was safely home.