Identity, Attention and Sights To Behold

"Princess, you've returned! Who's your friend?" An older looking merman with a few large scars on his chest said with a friendly smile as he greeted Ami and Lucy. The two had finally arrived into the smallish town of Shellton a slight bit ago and were quickly escorted to the Captain of the Hunting squad, Drom.

Ami had to get her acting skills in order as she puffed out her chest and said with all the pride and gusto she could muster; "S-She's nobody."

"Really?" He questioned with a sly grin creeping on his face. He began swimming around Lucy, inspecting her almost otherworldly appearance before snapping his fingers in realisation. "You found yourself a pet! I must say, I expected somethin' cuter from you." Drom said with a casual tone as he turned to Dropllet with a pair of playful finger guns. 

Lucy bit her tongue, motioning to Ami to at least make her sound more dignified than a pet, but the mermaid rolled with it. "Y-Yeah! I f-figured such an u-ugly thing would compliment my b-beauty." She put a hand to her chest with a somewhat dramatic pose, confusing the two.

"Uh... Okay? Anyway, your daddy sent a thingie here for ya." He said with an awkward look before handing a piece of kelp with a foreign language on it. Lucy couldn't make out what it read, yet Ami seemed to be able to read it just fine.

After a bit of time, Ami tucked the kelp away in Dropllet's crudely put together bag and making an excuse to leave. Drom waved her off with a smile, watching as Lucy and 'Dropllet' swam further into the town of Shellton.

The two were rather surprised at how developed everything looked. Having buildings crafted from hollowed out sea life or being built from old stone. They followed a path of moss through the town while Ami explained that the letter was a summons to meet with the king about something only referred to as him and her. 

Though Lucy did consider the possibility of it being Penumbra, it was the reference to something only known as him that threw her off. She began recalling something the four horsemen were talking about when she first met them. Perhaps this him would be helpful.

Yet as the miniature leviathan turned to Ami for her input on the situation, she looked around to see that Ami had rushed off ahead with an almost giddy sense about her. Lucy let out a watery sigh and as the bubbles rose to the top, she swam like a bullet to catch up to her underling. 

The people were blown back by the force of her speed. It created such fore that she created an air pocket in her wake, that quickly closed back up into a vacuum, causing chaos in her wake. Even at a smaller size, her strength as a leviathan was still above what most would consider ordinary life. 

Yet Ami was almost just as fast, quicker even. Her attention seemed to be grabbed by something just outside the town's exit. 

Once Lucy had finally caught up to the little mermaid, who was ducked behind a rock, she asked rather flatly what she was doing all the way out here. Though Ami seemed enthralled by the sunlight reflecting on the sea. 

"Dropllet loved this s-spot... I-I can see why... A-And now she's g-gone..."

"Why do you suddenly care? You didn't know her nor did you even care when you took her body."

Ami slowly turned around, the hollow void that filled her eyes having been replaced by a hopeful pink instead. "B-But s-she was a p-person. W-With a family, p-parents, f-friends who'll n-never see her again! W-With hopes a-and dreams... W-Why d-did I t-take her body!?" 

Yet Lucy remained cold, rather bored of Ami suddenly caring about her new body. "You are probably experiencing a clash of egos. Not in power but in the metaphorical sense. You are not this 'Dropllet'. You are not Ami. You are who you are. And right now, you are going to get it together and help me find Penumbra." 

"Y-You're n-not as good at speeches as y-you think you are."

"Tell that to the thousands of people who live in MY city." The demon smirked before grabbing Ami by the hand with one of her tentacles. "If you want an honest piece of advice, don't worry about it. I once gave up my life for a new one and look where it got me? Under the sea with a blabbering mess, trying to stop another apocalypse caused by an egotistical Rodent who can't take rejection." 

Ami began drifting ahead before swimming down into a ravine. "C-Come on... T-The c-city is ahead."

"City?" The leviathan questioned as she followed behind.

The two swam deeper and deeper below, feeling the weight of the depths increase with each stroke. It wasn't like they were worried about actually being crushed by the depths, since both their bodies were built to traverse even the lowest places of the grand blue ocean. 

Even still, it was a long trek until the two found themselves just outside a front of a dome. Inside was a lavish kingdom of bizarrely beautiful architecture. The buildings in Shellton looked primitive in comparison. 

As the two circled around to the entrance, Lucy felt like something was watching them from the darkest corners of the ravine. A familiar presence that filled her with dread. Yet Ami seemed happy, as if she was returning home after being away for years. "W-Welcome to Atlantis..." She said with a dazzling twirl.

Once they had reached the entrance, Ami went ahead. Waving to the shark demi-humans stationed out front to stand down as she swam past them. It was like the little Oracle was in her element all of a sudden. 

Once inside, the two were blinded by the amount of technological progress the sea held. With neon signs advertising different brands and deep sea celebrities, the streets covered in beautiful multicoloured lights that lit up what would be the eternal darkness that was just outside. 

"Amazing... To think such a sight would here." Lucy muttered to herself as they swam down the main street and into what seemed to be a plaza. She couldn't help but draw parallels to Pandora's Tears and by the location and nature of the city, it was most likely its true counter part on The Eye. 

"Y-Yeah... Its great... B-But Dropllet avoided it..." Ami mumbled with an anxious smile when she turned to Lucy. "How so?" She asked, trailing around a tree size piece of coral with fascination in her remaining eyes. 

While Lucy was distracted, Ami began getting swarmed by hundreds of citizens who all desperately swarmed her for attention. Each asking questions like "how her day was" or "Where did you go" and even "Why aren't you wearing a shirt". 

It was all overwhelming so her. She yelled for Lucy to help, but she was (Deliberately) preoccupied by food samples they were handing out. Most people just thought she was some kind of animal because of her weird look. The halo tied to her head didn't help. 

But Lucy had never been welcomed like this before. It was pleasantly appealing to her, even if it meant she was thought of as some kind of oversized pet.

Even still, she needed the nervous oracle. Using the tentacles on her back, Lucy continued trying all the delightful little snacks while shooing the clamouring crowd around Ami. 

Once she had finished up her food, the miniature leviathan swam around her acquaintance with an almost chipper attitude. "Is this how you humans get to live? Enjoying life without resentment or hate? My it has been some time since I got to enjoy myself..."

"A-Are you really e-enjoying t-this? E-Everyone is staring at me l-like I'm famous... I-I mean, I am famous..." She whispered, quickly trying to swim off in the direction of the palace in the distance, but she was swiftly pulled back by Lucy, who seemed to be smiling. 

"Well hold on a moment. I haven't been able to experience a great many things in my demonic life time in a while... So, why not give in to temptation a bit and explore?"

Ami stared at her former boss with a puzzled look. Never had she expected Lucy to want for anything other than necessary, so for her to want to explore when they were on a deadline... It was weird. 

But she was still intimidated by her and chose to keep her 'pet' happy instead. "I-I guess it w-wouldn't hurt..."

"Wonderful! Now then, I have always wanted to try clothes shopping. I hear that is a very human thing to do." The demon quickly swam off in the direction of the shopping district with out any hesitation. 

"B-B-BUT W-WE AREN'T-" Before Ami could even stop her, the demon had already entered a store.

"...Human..."

With a slight sigh, The young Oracle quickly chased after Lucy and entered after her. Once inside, a jellyfish demi-human soon approached her with a concerned look. "Princess, is that your fish?" They asked as one of their hair tendrils pointed to Lucy, who was darting around and looking at the hundreds of different clothes. 

The demon's eyes soon came across a rustic grey artists apron. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she remained motionless for a few moments. Despite the apron's more aquatic design, it still had a familiar edge to it that she couldn't describe. 

Before she could touch it, Dropllet quickly grabbed her by the tentacles and tried with all her might to pull the leviathan out of the store. "C-Come on. D-Don't you k-know how to act in public?" The mer-Ami groaned. 

Despite being able to easily break out of her grasp, Lucy followed her outside anyway. "I... Don't know what came over me. Oh well." The demon shrugged with her tentacles. 

Despite not having many social skills, Ami had played enough visual novels to pick up on the right things to say. "M-M-Maybe you're... G-Going through something? Maybe, I dunno. I-I'm not r-really good at t-these things." She stammered out. It wasn't like she actually had the skills to actually talk about feelings.

"Demons don't feel. Perhaps you should mind your words... Princess." Lucy said with a bit of spite to her words before calming herself down at a moments notice. "Now then. We... We should go to the palace, no?"

"R-Right." The oracle agreed and so, the two began making their way towards the palace in the far off distance.