A Shimmering Ocean (Laura La Mer)

A Shimmering Ocean (Laura La Mer)
Date of Cutscene:	18 August 2024
Location:	Various sea locations
Synopsis:	After Laura's kidnapping, Kururun and her try to find a way out of their predicament.
Cast of Characters:	Laura La Mer

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In the depths of the ocean, within that hidden place only a few know how to reach lies the mansion of the Witch of Delays, that imposing building with a cracked clock, fittingly representing the inertia that plagues most of its residents. And yet there is an unusual level of activity today, as the Witch has stirred to greet an unusual guest. "You are the mermaid that has been helping the humans, aren't you?", the Witch's echoing voice sneers. "Having had fun, haven't you?" she grins, her mask's four lines where her eyes should be shining with red. Muffled sounds escape from the pinkette's mouth as she glares at the Witch. "Let her speak", the enemy of Grand Ocean frowns, as Butler, the seahorse-creature that is the Witch's right hand instantly complies.

"What of it?", Laura frowns after a wince of pain as the adhesive gauze over her mouth is removed, a furtive gaze reserved at the Aqua Pot placed on a table next to the Witch's bed. "Surely you don't think I will just do nothing after the fate you have reserved for Grand Ocean, haven't you?" A strong laugh from the Witch resonates through the building, made all the more eerie by its echoing quality. "Is that really so? Well then, let's not question it. But Grand Ocean, surely you know?" A perplexed look appears on Laura's face before it turns back to an annoyed expression. "Know what? There are lots of things I could say, like I am going to tell you them", she sticks her tongue out at the Witch.

Completely unaffected by that irreverence, the Witch of Delays continues speaking. "Listen, mermaid, you have been enjoying yourself on land, haven't you? Had fun in the world of humans, haven't you? You know that those memories will fade, but help me out and they will remain as vivid as the day you made them", the Witch smirks, watching Laura take in her offer. That is not quite what Laura expected to hear, puzzled as to why she would need something like that. Is that because when she is back at Grand Ocean, she will only have memories that grow ever distant? Sensing hesitation, the Witch continues. "I won't ask you anything complicated. You only have to stay aside and let us take the motivation power."

Grabbing the bars of her cage, Laura exclaims "I will never help you!" The Witch glares at Laura, displeased. "Why? Don't you want to preserve your memories?" But Laura doesn't address the question at all, instead shouting "What do you want to do with the humans' motivation power?" A smile full of pointy teeth appears on the Witch's face as she replies "Creating a world of eternal delays, where everybody will not be motivated." Looking at the frown of disapproval of Laura's face, the Witch doesn't let her speak. "You don't have to decide now. You can delay your decision for a while. Think it over", she smirks as a drop open belows Laura's cage, her screams the last sign of the mermaid's presence as she falls below.

At the bottom of the long chamber, dust disperses after the impact of the fall. Laura swims out, massaging her head, trying to make sense of where she has been brought. Looking around, a wooden door is the only other access point to the rest of the mansion, with the drop sealed. The mermaid slumps to the ground, sighing. "How are things going there? Will everyone be fine? I have to get out of here and recover the Aqua Pot!', she resolves, quickly getting up and exploring the place, only really finding a small vent before her attention is attracted by snoring sounds.

Looking around unnerved, she slowly swims towards a dark cavity in the wall, squinting at the source of the sound. "Kururun! It's so good to see you are alright!" Laura smiles as the seal fairy wakes up, both of them rushing towards the other one and joyfully spinning in a circle as Laura's hands hold the pink seal's paws. Kururun is safe, that... She is so glad for that. Now they just have to recover the Aqua Pot and get out of here. "Hey, Kururun, see that vent? You can squeeze in there and go recover the keys of this prison" The seal shouts out her name happily as she hears Laura's request, immediately swimming up and squeezing through the bars.

On another part of the mansion, Kururun peeks out of a fireplace, noticing Elda playing with her dolls on a table not too far away. Going to hide in an open drawer from a cupboard against the wall, her path is stopped by a random comment from the shrimp maid about shell cookies that causes her stomach to gurgle on reflex. "What's the mermaid's pet doing here?" Elda turns around, quickly grabbing Kururun and tying her up. "You have to stay there, got it?", she pouts, moving through the allways and approaching the prison's door to look through its small window. A distraught expression appears on her face. "The mermaid isn't here!?" Quickly opening the door, she rushes in towards the empty cage. A second later, a blow from above, and Elda falls unconscious.

"Go first, Kururun, I have to recover the Aqua Pot", Laura tells her fairy friend, nervously swimming in the direction of the Witch's chambers. Silently approaching the table, she is about to grab the Aqua Pot when a snore startles her and makes table and pot crash down. It happened in the blink of an eye, the Witch of Delays standing behind her and grabbing the pinkette, bringing her up high, the angry expression of the Witch staring at her. "Where do you think you are going? Why do you oppose me? I am the only one who can help you. Don't you wish to stop your memories from going away?" Pained from the tight grip, Laura looks down at the Witch. "I do, I want all of it, they are all precious to me, but not with your powers! I will realise my dream by myself!" Just at that instant, Butler barges into the room looking for Laura and with that distraction it's all a matter of a second: the mermaid bites the hand holding her and between the shrieks of pain swims away as quick as lightning after recovering the Aqua Pot, Butler quickly on her trail.

Before she knows it, Laura is out of the mansion, and yet she stares with a gasp of surprise at seeing Butler in front of her. "You won't go anywhere, miss mermaid", he screams, trying a strike of his cane and when that misses firing a jet of water from it, the direct hit missing, but Laura being hit by the following explosion against the rocks, fainting and falling down in the abyss deep below her. As she falls unconscious, memories of happiness she has had on land manifest as dreams, sweet recollections of the friends she has made that grip her heart in a tight vice of regret.

When she wakes up with tears in her eyes, the environment around her is the familiar one of Grand Ocean's throne room. "Queen?" she whispers in surprise as the addressee smiles softly. "Kururun saved you", she informs Laura. Patting the head of the pink seal, Laura murmurs her thanks. "You have done a good job, Laura, warning humans of the Witch's efforts and finding some Pretty Cures. You really gave it your all."

Why is it that Laura feels herself hesitating? "Queen, is there anything else I can do?" Still talking with that seraphic smile, the Mermaid Queen asks "What is it you want to do? You pushed yourself to the world of humans and put into it all your effort, so you no longer have to go back up there. You have done your duty as queen candidate." A smile appears on the young mermaid's face. "That makes me happy. Thank you, Queen. But I haven't really done all that I could. There is still need of me up there. There are people still putting up an effort against the Witch there. Wind Dancer, Puella Red, Hope Blossom... They are giving it their all with no hesitation, and I can't just drop it all on them and leave." The Queen nods pleased, and gives Laura a circular object covered by a rocky layer. "Then bring this with you. You will understand what it is when the moment comes."

Taking the object, Laura repeats the Queen's words perplexed. "When the moment comes?" What will it help her do when it does? If it can defend these precious days... The precious days with everyone. "Queen, I want to try make-up with Soraia and Seiko again, eat snacks with Sailor Charon, I want to meet up with Wind Dancer, get to know Hope Blossom more, and help Blossom with what she is pushing herself more, sing with my friends, have all sort of experiences. I want to stay with everyone and be their friend. That's what I want!" As she says those words, the rock she is holding shines faintly, and seeing that, the Queen replies content. "If that's what you want, then go. Don't make your friends wait." A bright smile is returned by Laura. "Yes, Queen!"