Angus was anxious about being separated from his first real friends. In seven days, most young people would leave Benthos for school, while Angus supposed he would join his uncle on some new investigation. After dinner, they lounged on couches by a roaring fire in the Grand Dome, sipped hot chocolate, and reminisced about their time together.
"I can't believe we’ve been here for almost two months," said Angus. "It feels like we arrived yesterday."
Veronica replied loftily, "Time passes differently for all, but mindfully living in the moment is most important.” Her new demeanor was still disconcerting to the others.
Trevor attempted an impression of Veronica’s weird meter, pointing it in her direction.
“You need to beep when you do it,” Veronica smiled.
"I can't believe we have to leave already," said Trevor, "You know, I’m not very popular back in St. Johns. I’m a bit of a nerd." He looked over at Veronica, expecting a sarcastic joke.
"Nothing wrong with being smart," said Veronica, "unless you have ears the size of car tires."
"I knew you were still in there," laughed Trevor.
"I have to second that," said Adora, "it's not like I fit in back home. There's something about this place that lets me be myself."
"Good friends," Hamish raised his hot chocolate mug in a toast.
“Good friends,” Angus echoed with a half-smile.
Clavis and Concordia approached the group from across the room.
"I'm so glad we caught you here," said Clavis. "I remember being your age and staying up by this very hearth all night. There’s something about fire that brings people together.”
The friends glanced at each other, wondering what was up.
Clavis produced a piccolo and played a short melody that made the fire dance and flicker through a rainbow of colors. “Fire is also fun to play with,” Clavis winked.
“Clavis, do not encourage them to play with fire!” Concordia looked more amused than annoyed.
“Yes, alright. Don’t do what I just did. Now, where was I… oh yes, so it looks like you have sorted out the routines and made yourselves at home in Benthos. When you return, you’ll be ready for the ‘next steps.’ Have you given much thought to your first Personas?"
The five nodded eagerly.
"I’m pretty sure we’ve all come up with at least ten," said Angus.
Concordia took a teacherly tone, “I must remind you that Personas come with great responsibility. Like Instruments, your gear can be potent and dangerous. You can acquire accessories any time but won’t be able to wear them until your next visit to Benthos.”
“Indeed, dear colleague,” Clavis grinned, “and they’re also fun to name. It’s customary to gift newcomers a little start to their first Persona.”
Clavis tapped his watch, an ancient-looking copper bracelet, and they all felt a buzz from their devices.
"Don't peek until we leave," he winked. "I love creating anticipation."
Clavis and Concordia continued their rambling walk, stopping to chat with other groups.
"Woah!" said Veronica." I got tokens for the market!"
"Me too!" replied Trevor.
"We all did," Angus laughed, “I wonder what I’ll call my Persona?”
"What about the Tinfoil Hatter?" joked Veronica. "Hey, why don’t you put tinfoil under your plate anymore?"
"Ran out. Uncle Benjamin was probably wrong about that anyways; I don’t feel gassy."
Trevor pulled the conversation back on topic. “I have a couple Persona names in mind, but I'm nowhere near deciding."
"Me too," said Veronica, "I've been planning, but I don't think it's formed enough to give it a name."
"Techno Pitchfork," Hamish announced.
“Techno what?” asked Adora.
“My Persona’s name,” said Hamish, “Techno Pitchfork.”
They laughed.
"What? I'm serious."
"I think it's a great name, Hamish," Adora squeezed his arm.
The five finished their hot chocolate, and Angus finally broached a topic with Veronica they’d all been avoiding.
"Hey, Veronica, why have you never played or shown us anything Anastasia can do? This is our last week; can’t you give us just a little something?"
Veronica shifted in her seat. "It’s weird how you mention that. I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you. The masters insisted that I not play anything without supervision, and Anastasia agreed. She is such a formidable Instrument that if misused by an amateur, the results could be catastrophic. You'd understand if you could only feel how complex, powerful, and wise she is."
"Well, she really has changed you," Trevor observed, "Even your accent is different."
"Yes," Veronica nodded, "She has given me a lot of, ah, personal insight."
"Why are you telling us this now?" asked Angus.
"Because, just this morning, Anastasia said that I can play for other people, and there’s something amazing I must show you."
"Spill the beans, V," Adora leaned in, "tell us!"
"I can't do it here," said Veronica, "we have to go to the dome’s edge."
They put their empty mugs away and hustled off with Veronica. It took them a while to find a private spot, but eventually, they did, just past the Arena.
"Anastasia is an ancient Viola. She’s super powerful and can probably even see through time." said Veronica, "She has a lot of hidden motifs that I've been finding with help from the masters. This one has to do with the dome itself and how it works. We all know the dome is held up by a resonant force that keeps the water from collapsing. That force also slows down time. Well, Anastasia and I can do that on a smaller scale."
"You can make a time bubble?" asked Trevor, "That's incredible!"
"Yes, stay close to me. This will blow your minds."
Veronica brought out Anastasia and started to play. It seemed like every bow stroke slowed the beat of time around them, and they felt a spinning sensation. A section of the wall began pushing outward to form an independent bubble.
Angus took chalk out of his pocket, held it briefly, then put it back. It’ll be fine, thought Angus to himself. I need to stop being so paranoid.
"Follow me; it’s really close," Veronica nodded toward the indentation in the wall. They all stepped in, and the bubble pulled away from the dome with a sucking sound. They were in their own tiny airspace, walking along the bottom of the ocean floor.
"This is amazing!" exclaimed Adora. "We are walking on the ocean floor. These rocks have probably not felt the air in millions of years!"
Veronica kept walking, relaxed and confident. As she played with more and more passion, the small dome grew. Her face softened, and her habitually stony expression melted into a placid smile.
"Holy cow, look at those fish. They’re moving so slow because of the time distortion." Hamish's eyes were wide as saucers.
They reached a ledge and looked down to see Veronica’s surprise. Five enormous seahorses, each about ten feet tall, hovered above a kelp forest.
“Oh my gosh!” shrieked Adora, “those are the cutest things I’ve ever seen.”
“Totally unreal,” Angus breathed.
Hamish nodded thoughtfully, “They’re the size of real horses! I wonder if we could ride them?”
“This must be an undiscovered species,” said Trevor.
The seahorses appeared to swim away slowly because of the time dilation, but they were actually bolting. Something had startled them badly, and it wasn’t the children.
Angus saw green pulses of light rippling through the water, too late to dodge and was hit a glancing blow.