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Léan, luckily, had fallen asleep just as she'd gone off scoping out the beach. So he didn't know yet. He would be very worried once he woke up, however...
Betelgeuse had seen it happen, but in all honesty now that he was at the designated location, he didn't care in the least. He was too busy scoping out the location and formulating a plan. |
Absently, Glory did what she could to braid back her hair so it was out of her face. She didn't have her brush, so there was only so much she could do with it, but she managed to get it mostly under control. She looked up at the catwalk above the tank. If only she could get up there...
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Honeydew followed her eyes, just as absently. "There's no use in jumping up. The only way out of the tank is a padlocked door made of reinforced steel," she informed her, bringing her head down to rest it on her tail--she was all curled up.
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"Padlocked?" Glory asked, brightening a little. "It's not a combination lock or anything?" Padlocks could be picked, and she was fairly sure she could do it, given enough time. "Would I be able to reach the lock?"
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Honeydew arched an eyebrow. "I don't know. I didn't get that far. There are cameras up there, and he watches them during the day and has someone watching them during the night."
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"Have you tried taking out the cameras?" Glory asked. "Anything electronic will short out if it gets wet while it's on."
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"Not his cameras. They're waterproof, the kind that humans use for underwater filming," Honeydew replied, idly. "It's useless trying to get out, unless you have a psychic on your side."
...Psychic... |
Glory thought about that for a moment.
"He's back home, last I checked," she murmured after a moment. "But I wouldn't put it past him to somehow know... He's creepy that way." |
Honeydew once again fixed her with a 'you're-crazy-what-are-you-babbling-about' look. But then, she shook her head, deciding it was better to just ask than sit there assuming. "What, now?"
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"I'm thinking," Glory replied. "I wasn't expecting to be stuck on the wrong side of the glass." If she could just get out of the tank somehow, they were practically home free. "I wonder if I could get him to let me out to walk around... I'm sure he'd want to 'study' me..."
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"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I already tried that route. 'I'm a wild species, I need this and that, and if you let me have those things, you can poke and prod at me with all of your sharp needles, knives, and tubes.'" Honeydew shuddered.
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"He's still a scientist, though," Glory mused. "If I tell him that I change if I'm out of water long enough, I bet he'll want to see for himself." she just wasn't sure how she'd stay out of the tank long enough to be of any use.
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"I still wouldn't try that route. Never again for me." Honeydew curled her tail up more around her, eyes fixed on the floor. She absently scratched at one of her arms. There was a long scar down it.
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"We still need to think of something..." Glory said. "The other two are outside waiting for us."
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"I've been trapped in here for a long time. I'm tired of trying to escape, unless the plan is solid and will actually work." Honeydew sounded much older than she looked...tired, weary. Sick of it all.
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"If I can get myself out of here, I'm pretty sure I can get you out too," Glory said. "I'm guessing that padlock on the door is on the outside, and once the padlock is gone, the door won't be able to hold back the water in the tank. It doesn't matter if the door is reinforced if the hinges fail." If only she could get out of the tank...
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Honeydew responded wordlessly by laying her head out across her arms and watching her with muted, but curious, eyes. The toll of living in captivity for so long was the loss of her strength...so she wouldn't be much help in battle, and couldn't swim for long distances, either.
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Swimming up towards the surface, Glory studied the edge of the tank for a moment. There was about a two or three foot gap between the surface of the water and the top of the tank, which wasn't all that bad. If she tried, she'd be able to get up there, and the glass of of the tank was curved, so it wouldn't be a straight drop if she was able to get over the side...
"That might work..." she murmured to herself. |
Honeydew gauged the jump, once she realized what Glory was up to. Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed softly before returning to her sitting position. There was no way, with her long-term weakened state, that she would be able to jump that.
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"I think I can make it," Glory said. "It's not that far." She backed up some, giving herself space to build up speed, and then she tried the jump. She surprised herself by actually reaching the top of the tank and grabbing on. She struggled to pull herself up, and yelped in surprise when she overbalanced and slid over the edge, down the glass. She landed on the carpeted floor with a thump.
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Honeydew watched her, calmly. She didn't try to follow her. She didn't have the strength, not in the least. She used to be strong...but not so much now.
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Glory sat up carefully as her tail finally changed back to her legs.
"I never realized how much I missed my toes," she commented as she looked around for something to wrap around herself as a cover up. She raised an eyebrow when she saw a conventient stack of towels near the tank, but took one and wrapped it around herself, making sure it was secure. "Alright, now to figure out how to get you out of there..." Going to the window, she looked as far down as she could. The distance down to the beach was maybe about two floors, so it wasn't too far, but the window would be a last resort. |
Falling, or jumping down, two floors into the water or onto hard sand wouldn't be good for Honeydew, who hadn't been out of that tank for more than twenty-five years. She watched Glory work curiously, silently. She didn't know what she was planning to get accomplished before Archer came back...but she hoped whatever it was, it could get them out of this place.
She missed the ocean. She couldn't even remember what the waves felt like anymore. |
Glory explored every corner of the room, until she pretty much figured out where the doors and windows led. Quietly, she poked around the adjacent rooms, and managed to find one that led almost directly outside. The only thing between the room and the outside was a kind of porch or deck that had stairs leading down to the beach.
"Alright, I think I have an escape route," she said, going back into the tank room. "Now I just need to get you out of there." |
Honeydew, like she had heard her speak, swam up from her spot to press her hands against the tank eagerly. She wasn't even thinking clearly--she just wanted out, and out as soon as possible. Though, she didn't think she'd take so well to ocean water at first. It would take some time, and some serious adjusting, to get used to living in the ocean again.
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