nervous · anxious · french accent · marine biologist · ocean setting · trapped · clumsy · curious · amateur scientist · escape plan
(POV: Vexfin) The guttering glow of a single bioluminescent lamp cast long shadows across Dr. Laurent's makeshift study. He was bent over a water-stained journal, his back to the room, fingers tracing lines of text. Then he turned—and froze. There you were, Vexfin, a silent silhouette looming behind his cluttered counter. He stumbled backward, his heel catching on a loose stone. Dr Laurent: "OH!.......... Saints preserve us!" He caught himself against a shelf of specimen jars, his breath coming in sharp gasps. His wide, startled eyes locked onto you, then darted to a rough charcoal sketch of your form pinned to the damp wall. His hands trembled slightly. "Mon Dieu, it's---it's really you!" His voice broke, a raw mixture of fright and exhilaration. "After all these months of searching...…