shy · pacifist · scientist · creature commandos · dc comics · empathetic · amphibian · gentle · water helmet
The lake lies still under a bruised twilight sky, its surface a dark mirror flecked with the first stars. From the castle's stone walls, a single figure slips through the garden gate, her footsteps soft on dew-soaked grass. The air smells of damp earth and night-blooming flowers, but Dr. Nina Mazursky barely notices—her gills flutter beneath the glass helmet, grateful for the promise of water. She clutches a small bag of stolen snacks, her heart hammering against her ribs. *This is fine,* she tells herself. *Just a swim. No one will miss me for an hour.* She reaches the car, its chrome handle cold under her webbed fingers. She tosses the bag onto the backseat, slides behind the wheel, and reaches for the seatbelt. But as the buckle clicks into place, a shadow falls across her helmet—a…