[ɪᴄ/ᴘʀᴏ] ᴛʜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀs ᴏꜰ Lᴏᴠᴇ [1x1]

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Dina boarded the submarine with only a little apprehension. She had been raised by the water, and had practically lived in it her entire life. But being trapped underneath it, having to rely on human technology to protect her, was something that she wasn’t looking forward to. The ocean was a beautiful and dangerous place, especially so the deeper you got. From what she had heard, the Poseidon Station was deep. Everything was going to be alright though, because she had the plan.

She was strapped into her seat, with her hands cuffed in front of her. The cuffs didn’t neutralize her power, but the Calm Control being played at a low level did. Since she was only a blue, it just gave her an aching headache. The red sitting next to her was completely passed out, with a trickle of blood running from his ear. He was a blond and red, just like Sorrel.

Dina tried her hardest not to think of her ex-boyfriend, but this was a strong reminder. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Sorrel was down there. She could lie to herself as much as she wanted, but the main reason she was doing this was to save him. Maybe they weren’t together anymore, but he was still her family. And his family would never forgive her if she failed this.

Lights flashed and the captain’s voice came over the intercom came over the loudspeakers, interrupting the Calm Control for a moment, announcing that they were now descending. The trip didn’t take awfully long, but she supposed that submarines could move pretty fast. The pressure within the cabin stayed at a steady pressure, making sure that no one got the bends.

Alarms sounded when they docked to the Poseidon Station. It was an obnoxious buzz that hurt her head almost more than the Calm Control. They were loaded out like cattle, poked and prodded with electric wands. Dina moved quickly to ensure that she wasn’t shocked. She wasn’t a yellow with a high electricity tolerance. She was a plain old blue, a fact that had been disputed greatly.

She had been a ‘mix-up’, an accident. Or so they thought. In the end, the guards had decided that it was too much of an effort to get rid of her, and they threw her in with the rest of the Colors. She was easily the least dangerous there. Her powers were mild, and she wasn’t listed as a threat. But she was here anyway, to break them all out. And she would do it. Or die trying.

The group went through a quick decontamination area and were dressed in plain white jumpers. Then they were shoved out into a communal cafeteria, where Colors were eating extremely bland food. Everyone was equipped with a bracelet that neutralized their powers. They were no threat, except in the physical manner. But Dina wasn’t worried about them.

Her soft grey orbs scanned the room for the one she really cared about. Her heart stopped at the sight of pale blond hair and dark crimson eyes. There he was. Sorrel. She couldn’t make herself move. This was all so much to take in at once. She stood frozen in the entryway to the cafeteria until she was prodded forward with an electric shock to the kidneys. Dina hissed in pain and reluctantly stepped forwards.

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The day had started off just like any other. She woke up and almost forgot that she was hundreds of feet underneath the sea, trapped in a prison that was probably leaking in a million places. But then Marlin remembered, and that’s when the anxiety set in. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm her racing heart. A deep fear of the ocean paired with a healthy dose of claustrophobia made her life down here a living hell. She never felt safe, but she supposed that that was the point.

Poseidon Station was set up so that no one could escape without a submarine. And even if the Colors did manage to break loose of their power-neutralizing bracelets, they’d probably just drown everyone during their escape attempt. Mild and logical Marlin had given up hope. She had tried to hard to think of every way to get out, and came up blank. The young woman had resigned herself to being trapped down here for the rest of her miserable life.

It wasn’t 100% awful. Maybe only 98%. Her days were brightened a little bit by Ryan and Sorrel, the only two people that she had gotten to know in the Poseidon Station. They made it bearable to be alive, and had helped her through several anxiety attacks. Living in a constant state of fear was not healthy, and Marlin sometimes wondered if her heart was going to give out because of all of this stress. She swore she had a few grey hairs already.

After she had finally forced herself to get off of her cot, she wandered to the cafeteria, where she was too late for breakfast. This happened frequently. It was rare that she actually made it to breakfast. To be fair, she didn’t have much of an appetite. That can kind of happen when you constantly feel like you’re going to die. As much as she tried to think her way logically through everything, it didn’t apply to her intense phobia.

Lunch had been when things got interesting. Just before it began, alarms started sounding. The poor girl almost had a heart attack, thinking that they were flooding. Things were quickly clarified by the guards, who informed them that a new shipment of Colors were coming in. That did nothing to calm her down, and Marlin sat in place, trembling, until those new Colors began to enter the cafeteria. They all looked as scared as her, even more so because this was the beginning of their sentence.

But one girl...she didn’t look scared at all. More, apprehensive, perhaps. There was something strange about her. The new girl was staring at Sorrel with an intensity that was disturbing. Marlin turned to Ryan, who had sat down beside her just a second ago. ”What’s up with her? She’s staring a hole in Sorrel’s head.” They probably knew each other. That was the only reason that she could think of.

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The whole world stopped when she met his eyes. The silence around her became deafening. It was like a tidal wave just waiting to fall and evaporate into mist. Dina felt herself sinking into her memories, both happy and sad. The winning point scored just as the buzzer went off. Their students cheering deafeningly loud. She and the cheerleaders dissolved from their arrangement to cheer at the top of their lungs. Sorrel smiling as brightly as the sun. He approached her and grabbed her by the waist, leaning her down to--

She snapped out of that when Sorrel inclined his head, signaling--she hoped--for her to come over to him. His lack of emotion was surprising. He always had been the more emotional one in their relationship; at least, in her opinion. But perhaps the guards would do something if he acted up. Dina didn’t want that. It was best to play it safe. She briefly scanned the cafeteria before slowly, so slowly, making her way over to Sorrel.

Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea. Maybe she shouldn’t have tried to talk to him right away. Her emotional wounds still felt as fresh as the day they had happened. The brunette took a deep, calming breath and took the seat directly across from Sorrel. Her foot brushed his, and she couldn’t help but to flinch slightly. What did she say? After all this time, what on earth was there left to say to him?

Dina rested her hand on the cafeteria table, mere inches away from his. She could reach out, she could touch him. No. They weren’t like that anymore. But she wasn’t here because of only him. She had a bigger purpose. Dina touched the scar on her wrist as a reminder of her goal here. Escape. She bit the inside of her cheek and raised her eyes to meet Sorrel’s once more, a melancholy expression on her face.

”Sorrel.” She exhaled quietly, her heart as taught as a wire in her chest. How could she feel so relieved and so anxious at the same time? ”I’m so glad you’re okay.” Okay being a relative word. No one could truly be okay in a place like this, it couldn’t be possible. But he appeared unharmed, and that gave her a small reason to relax.

His bangs were ridiculously long as always, and they fell in front of his eyes, obscuring some of the emotion hidden in them. Those eyes had always been able to read her so well. It was too bad that she hadn’t been able to read herself. Maybe things could have been prevented if she was just a little more observant. But she wasn’t, and things happened anyway. She had never felt as helpless as she had during those times, but this was easily coming a close second.

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Marlin leaned into Ryan’s embrace, taking comfort from his touch. He understood that he could do nothing to truly dissipate her fears, but he also knew small ways to lessen them. His presence was always a great relief. If she hadn’t been one hundred percent sure that a guard would tase them, she would have given him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. As it was, even this show of affection was risky. The guards didn’t like people getting close.

She and Ryan were both Oranges, although they shared drastically different abilities. Though they had their differences, they both understood the internal struggle of not having complete control of their minds. Unfortunately, that marked them as some of the most dangerous colors. Even though Marlin had never meant to do it on purpose, she had harmed a great many people.

”Yeah, it’s fine.” She sighed quietly, trying to make herself believe that.

Ryan quietly analyzed the new girl and Sorrel’s reaction, something that Marlin was quite used to. It was soothing to hear him think out loud. As for herself, she generally internalized her thoughts. They definitely knew each other. There wouldn’t be so much tension between them if they didn’t. She could feel it from here. Maybe she was an old flame? A cousin? A friend?

”She doesn’t look scared.” The blonde commented, poking her food absently with her fork. ”And she knows Sorrel. I have a feeling that there’s more to her.” Marlin couldn’t explain why she felt that way aside from saying that it was a gut instinct. This girl was going to change things. For better or worse, she didn’t know. Or maybe she was just overthinking things, as usual.

At her boyfriend’s question, she dipped her head slightly. ”I’m okay.”