Granblue Fantasy: A Skyfaring Were-shark in Auguste

Mari is sitting on a bench in the main plaza, watching the captain and company with her head in her hands.

 

“Are you guys sure you don’t want me to tell you where, like, a museum is or something? If you’re looking for cool old stuff they’ll have plenty of it there.”

 

“No, not right now.” Djeeta is too busy focusing on the task at hand.

 

Mari sighs. “So you’re really just going to keep watching the water fountain like this?”

 

“We’re not just watching it, Mari. We’re looking for a secret message!” Lyria explains, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world

 

Vyrn nods before throwing in his own two rupees. “Yeah! There’s gotta be some kinda pattern in how the jets shoot out that’ll give us a clue about the treasure! We just gotta crack the code…”

 

“You think the girl who designed this square would know if there was some kinda code in the fountain or not, but whatever…” Mari mumbles to herself.

 

She doesn’t have to mope for long, however, as a voice she recognizes very well calls out “S-Sorry about that everyone, we’re back!” and she immediately perks up, looking over to see Meg and Vira returning from the cafe. There’s something different about Meg though. She still seems pretty nervous like she did earlier, but there’s a determined look in her bright pink eyes that wasn’t there before she left.

 

“Meg!” Mari stands up, welcoming her back. “How was the cafe?”

 

“It was quite nice indeed, Mari.” Vira smiles. “I have deemed the beverages they serve there to be worthy of meeting Lady Katalina’s lips, and Meg here told me some very interesting things as well.”

 

“Like what?” Mari asks.

 

“Oh, just a few places of note to check out around the island. I would say that the ice cream parlour she saw on the way here sounded particularly interesting.” Vira makes a point to say the words ‘ice cream parlour’ extra loud, which gets the attention of Djeeta and Lyria.

 

“Wooow! Ice cream!” Lyria runs over to Vira, with the other two not far behind.

 

Vira puts on a very polite smile before continuing. “Indeed, would the three of you like to join me?”.

 

“Oooooooh, yes please! I’d love to go!” Lyria almost can’t contain herself at the prospect of the frozen treat, and the captain is also on board, grinning widely while giving a thumbs up.

 

Vyrn shrugs. “Okay, but they better have apple flavour…”

 

“Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out.” Vira points to a street a couple of blocks down the boulevard, and prompts the others to come along. “Let us go and see for ourselves.”

 

“Huh… so ice cream is how you get their attention…” Mari says to herself, making a mental note.

 

“Indeed, I have also found other methods, but this one has always proven effective.” Vira turns back to Meg and Mari. “I hope the two of you have a good day, I’m very much looking forward to hearing how it goes for you.” She winks at the two of them before leaving with the rest of the crew in tow.

 

Mari finds the whole situation a little odd, but she can only assume that Vira’s strange behaviour has something to do with what she said yesterday about helping her get some time alone with Meg. While she’s busy thinking about that, Meg quietly takes a deep breath, running over everything in her head.

 

Okay, Meg. Vira’s completed her part of the plan, the rest is up to you! Remember, you need to take Mari to a nice spot by the beach, sit down with her, ask her what she thinks her future will look like, and when the moment feels right, ask her how she feels about me, and if she wants to go on a date!

 

Having confirmed her plan, she nervously approaches the Erune, ready to put everything into action.

 

“Ma-”

 

Just as she starts to speak, however, Mari looks over with something to say herself. “Hey Meg, I guess it’s just the two of us then! Come on, there’s somewhere I want to show you!”

 

Before Meg even has a chance to respond, Mari takes her hand and starts leading her back downhill, along the boulevard.

 

She’s holding my hand again! Vira didn’t tell me what to do if this happened! At least we seem to be heading down to the beach anyway, I can follow the plan after checking out whatever she wants to show me.

 

Unfortunately for Meg’s well laid out plan, Mari makes a turn about halfway down the hill, leading her down a side road that sports a unlabelled sign pointing to the end of the street.

 

“We only just got this spot ready the other day, so we haven’t set up signs to direct the tourists there just yet, but I really wanted you to see this while you’re here, Meg!” The excitement in Mari’s voice is plain to hear, and it’s not doing Meg’s mental state any favours.

 

Okay, we’re not going towards the water after all, but I can still make this work! Oh man, her hands are so soft, I just want to hold them forever… No! Keep it together, Meg! I gotta find a spot to sit down with her, have a conversation about… whatever it was… and then I ask her out!

 

The much stronger woman helplessly follows along, forgetting more and more of the plan she and Vira had laid out the longer Mari holds on to her hand. Before long, the buildings come to a stop as they start to approach the edge of the cliff facing the water, which is on a pretty steep slope at this part of the hill, but the path forward continues into the cliff where a walkway has been carved out of the rock along the outside.

 

They continue down the path, with solid rock on one side of them, and railings on the other to prevent clumsy skydwellers from falling into the sea below. “W-Where are we going, Mari?” Meg eventually asks.

 

“Don’t worry Meg, you’re gonna love it! We’ve got a few lookout platforms up top of course, but the one we’ve got here is extra special!” Mari proudly declares as the path circles around a concave bend in the outcropping, revealing their destination.

 

A small cavern has been carved into the side of the cliff, with a set of benches against the wall and signs on the far end detailing the history of the area. Looking out to the ocean provides a great view of some of Auguste’s smaller islands in the distance, and the cave ceiling frames the vista as if it were a landscape painting brought to life, even on a subdued day like today where the sun struggles to break through the cloud cover. The sound of waves crashing into the rocks below can still be heard at this height, but there’s enough distance that the platform is completely safe from the misty spray that shoots upwards as they collide.

 

Meg is in awe as she takes in the area, it’s cosy, it’s protected from the elements, it’s nothing short of beautiful, it’s…

 

It’s the perfect place to tell her how I feel...

 

“W-Wow, Mari!” Meg says, the bashfulness setting back in again as she remembers what she needs to do. “Y-You really went all out on this, huh?”

 

“Well, I can’t take all the credit for this one. This spot’s actually been here since The War, it just hasn’t been used for a long time.” Mari grins as she sits on one of the benches, motioning for Meg to join her.

 

“Really? I never would have guessed.” Meg takes a seat to listen to the story, the two of them looking out over the sea together. 

 

“I know, right? Back then it was apparently more of a secret tunnel. The skydweller resistance forces used holes in the cave wall to keep an eye out for invading astrals without having to worry about getting caught themselves. Then when the war ended and the fishermen started living in this area, they carved it out and turned it into a viewing platform.”

 

“Huh… So this one wasn’t your idea, Mari?” Meg asks.

 

“It was my idea to make it safer for tourists and open it up again, at least. All we really needed to do was add the railings and clear out the path a bit, it was like, super rocky and hard to walk on before.”

 

“Well, you’ve definitely outdone yourself again. You really know how to bring out the best in Auguste.”

 

“Mm-hmm…” Mari leans over, resting her head on Meg’s shoulder just like she did while waiting for their food the day before, seemingly unaware of the effect it’s having on the other woman.

 

She’sReallyCloseShe’sReallyCloseShe’sReallyCloseShe’sReallyCloseShe’sReallyCloseShe’sReallyClose…

 

“You know, there’s a reason they turned this spot into a lookout. Apparently when the fishermen went out on their trips, their partners would come here and wait for the boats to return. It was the best spot for it because they could see them at a distance and still get down to the water fast enough to be there when they arrived. It’s a really romantic idea, don’t you think?”

 

Meg’s more than a little overwhelmed by the current situation, but she manages to sputter out a “Y-Yeah! It’s… really r-romantic!”.

 

Come on, Meg. Get a hold of yourself! There might never be a better time to tell her than right now!

 

“That’s actually part of why I wanted to reopen this lookout. It’s not just a great view, I also wanted to try and honour all the people who used to come here, waiting for the person they care about most to come back to them. I just hope I did a good job.”

 

Now! Make a move!

 

“Y-You did great, Mari. Just like with everything else you do for Auguste.” Meg slowly reaches over and puts her arm around Mari, and the Erune quietly hums in response, closing her eyes as she nestles herself even further into Meg’s side. “I… I really l-l-love it.”

 

Mari giggles happily in response, which only serves to make Meg’s heart run even wilder than it already was, and then she starts speaking softly. “I’m really glad you’re here, Meg. The letters help a lot, but sometimes I feel like I understand how the people who used to come here felt…” She follows up by gently placing a hand on Meg’s thigh.

 

Oh, why does she have to be so darn cute!? I have to do it, I need to tell her, no matter how scary it is. I can’t just keep going on as friends any longer…

 

Meg takes a deep breath to try and calm herself. Any traces of the original plan that remained in her mind have now been completely eroded by Mari’s charm, and she’s operating entirely based on emotion.

 

“Mari, there’s s-something I want to tell you.” She finally manages to say.

 

“Yeah?” Mari opens her eyes and looks up at Meg, which again does nothing to help her heart, especially at such a close distance. It doesn’t matter though, Meg’s already committed, she’s going to take the plunge. No more fear, no more anxiety, it’s all over after this. All she has to do is ask one question, the one thing that she’s wanted to ask Mari for years, what she’s wanted to ask her more than she’s ever wanted to ask anything of anyone…

 

“Would you-”

 

“Ahhhhhhh!”

 

The moment she tries to confess, a scream rings out in the distance, coming from somewhere back in town. Meg barely even reacts at first, the sound disrupting her focus to such a degree that she’s left in a daze.

 

The thing that breaks her out of it is the serious expression on Mari’s face. “I-Is someone in trouble? That sounded really bad…” The Erune asks before more yelling can be heard.

 

“I-I think so, yeah.” Meg looks down in a combination of confusion and frustration. “I’m really sorry, I think I’d better check it out.”

 

“Yeah, of course. You run ahead, Meg, I’ll catch up with you.” 

 

Meg gets up and immediately starts running the way she came, yelling “Thanks, I’ll make this up to you later, Mari!” as she leaves.

 

Mari sighs before getting up herself. She can’t help but be a little frustrated at having their little moment ruined, but both of them are in positions where they can’t ignore a potential problem like this. They’ll be able to resume where they left off once they’ve made sure everything is okay.

 

I can’t believe it! I was sooo close to asking her if she wanted to go out with me! I really hope this is nothing serious so I can get another shot before I chicken out again… Meg sprints as fast as she can, her powerful legs pushing her back onto the boulevard and downhill towards the beach as she follows the sound of the commotion. It’s only when she gets down to the bottom of the hill and runs past a small group of tourists fleeing in the opposite direction that she finds out the cause of this panic.

 

“Shaaaaaark!”

 

“Shaaark, Shaaark!”

 

Ursula is slowly floating around on the beach, looking dazed and confused as a trio of sharks fly all around her, scaring everyone off as they cause a ruckus and charge into anything nearby.

 

“Sharrr…” The smaller shark helplessly calls out.

 

Meg immediately rushes in to help, yelling out “Hey! What are you three doing to Ursula!?” as she approaches.

 

“Sharrrrrk…?” Ursula seems to perk up a bit upon hearing Meg’s voice, but she still appears powerless before her tormentors.

 

“Hold on girl, I’ll get rid of them!” Meg tries shooing the other sharks away, but they take little notice of her, simply flying out of her way as they continue to circle Ursula.

 

“Sha-... Sha-... Sha-...” The grey shark starts stuttering as soon as Meg gets close, and she couldn’t even begin to guess why.

 

“What’s going on here? Why are the sharks even doing this to her?” She fruitlessly tries to put herself between Ursula and one of the sharks, only for the others to continue their harassment from the other side.

 

“Sha-! Sha-! Sha-!” Ursula seems to grow increasingly agitated, and Meg scowls at the sharks as she decides on a new course of action.

 

“Okay, that’s it! If you won’t leave on your own, we’ll have to make you leave! Ursula! Time to merge!”

 

“Sha-Sha-Sha-Sha-Sharrrrrrk!” Those words seem to whip Ursula up into a frenzy, and the shark immediately charges right into Meg's arm in order to combine, but things don’t quite go as they usually do.

 

A loud grunt escapes Meg’s lips as she uses her right hand to hold the part of her left arm where she ends and Ursula begins. An intense pulsing sensation began in that spot as soon as she combined with the shark, and it quickly starts overwhelming her.

 

The sharks that were bullying Ursula back off a bit, now all circling overhead, but they show no intentions of leaving her alone.

 

“SHARRRRRRRRK!” Ursula calls out in the midst of it all.

 

Meg starts panting heavily, struggling to even remain standing. “Wh… What’s… happening…?” The intense sensations in her arm start spreading throughout her whole body, even causing the headache from yesterday to return. Just as she feels like she’s going to black out, a familiar voice brings her back to the moment at hand.

 

“Meg, are you okay!?”

 

The warrior looks back to see Mari looking at her with concern. She must have caught up while Meg was trying to deal with these sharks.

 

Meg holds her head with her free hand as she looks up at the sharks flying above her. That’s… That’s right. I can’t let something like this stop me. Mari… no, all of Auguste is counting on me to keep them safe!

 

She stands up straight once more, pointing Ursula directly at her harassers.

 

“Okay Ursula, show them what happens to anyone who tries to mess with Auguste!”

 

“Sharrrrrrrrk!” A massive cyclone shoots out of Ursula’s mouth and directly hits two of the sharks, the force of which launches them far into the distance, helplessly splashing down into the water on the horizon. The one shark that remains seems to have suddenly calmed down, now just blankly staring back at Meg, who is so caught up in the moment that she hasn’t even realised the pulsing sensation has stopped.

 

“GET OUT OF HERE!”

 

“Shaaark!” The lone beast heeds her command, casually flying away to rejoin its friends.

 

With the sharks gone, several people who were watching the scene start applauding, and Meg breathes a sigh of relief now that the problem has been solved.

 

“That was so cool, Meg!” Mari starts walking over to congratulate her. “What were those sharks doing, though? They haven’t caused any problems in, like, years.”

 

Meg doesn’t respond to the question, though, and as Mari approaches she sees that the woman appears very anxious for someone who just saved the day again. “W-What’s wrong, girl?” Is all she says.

 

“Meg? Is everything okay?”

 

“I-It’s Ursula…” She finally responds before Ursula suddenly starts thrashing around like something is still upsetting her, all while still attached to Meg.

 

“Sharrrk! Sharrrk!”

 

“She’s… She’s not separating from me…”