Mystery In A Bottle

Writers: Halyonix
Date Posted: 1st April 2026

Characters: Noreia
Description: Noreia finds a bit of mystery with the dolphins
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 1, day 23 of Turn 13

Notes:
~*~

"Swiiiiim," Gar called even as Noreia was slipping easily into the water. She counted five members of the pod milling about: Gar, Cece, Bit, Ena, and Ena's daughter Tiva. According to the records, Ena and Prin were the oldest of the pod, both some forty Turns. Gar, Tiva, and Cece were all youngsters, though Birki, who was probably following her mother Erla today, was the youngest.

For a large pod, there were still plenty of unpartnered dolphins. The masters and the elders were in no rush to change that and that was a relief to Noreia. She preferred to take her time on making such a big decision. It hadn't missed her attention that these five had been spending a lot more time around her though.

Her hand almost instinctively found Bit's dorsal fin as the small dolphin slipped to her side. Gar, as always, took lead, Cece right behind him. They liked to race ahead while Tiva and Ena hung back. Today, Tiva came close to Noreia's other side. "No cheat," she told the human. Noreia scratched Tiva's head and closed her eyes.

This was an exercise they did once or twice a sevenday. The dolphins would speed Noreia to some destination while she kept her eyes closed and then it was up to her to figure out how to use the currents, landmarks, and sun to point the way home. Some of the other apprentices argued that it was a pointless exercise because they would have a dolphin with them to navigate but Noreia saw benefits to it. It gave her more real-world practice with her lessons while deepening her relationship with the dolphins.

The dolphins turned a few dizzying spins. She was no longer holding on to Bit and could tell that they were speeding onwards. Judging by the way the sun was heating up one side of her face, they were heading east. Noreia thought they might be heading out into open water but about half an hour later, she smelled vegetation. Her carrier slowed, right as something bumped Noreia's leg. A log? Where were they this time?

"Here! We here!" three voices told her. She opened her eyes, finding her hand on Cece's fin with Gar coming up. "Guess. Guesssss!" he squeed.

She looked around. They were in an area where the ocean bumped against spindly rooted trees, creating a sort of marshland of brown water and salt-whitened roots. "The worst beach you have ever brought me to," she joked with them as she tried to figure out their location. Or at least an approximation of.

Before she could venture an educated guess, Bit made a sound that sent the other four into a quick rush to his side. "Found! Looooook!" he said, pushing forward what could easily be identified as a glass bottle. The elements had weathered it to a mottled blue color. Noreia noted that it was light, empty as she picked it up, but it was sealed with pitch, wire, and wood.

"Opennnn?" Tiva suggested.

Noreia turned over the bottle, inspecting its integrity. It seemed as though the seal had held through whatever journey the bottle had taken. "When we return, yes. I'd hate to open it here and damage whatever is inside. If there is anything."

Gar eyed the bottle critically. "Someeeeething."

Noreia looked around for Luck, who popped into existence some feet above her head, chittering curiously. She handed him the bottle for safekeeping. "Take that back home. Leave it on the bed," she said, clearly picturing the instructions. Luck chirped and disappeared, taking the bottle with him.

Their curiosity sated for now, Ena bumped Noreia's free hand. "Now guesssss," she told the apprentice.

Obediently, she took another look around. And realized her error. She thought the dolphins had stuck near the mainland and that this was somewhere southeast of the Hall. She turned her head around and saw that the land stretched along the horizon further away. "One of the islands?" she asked, confused. "The root grove islands?"

Delighted squees answered her. "Yes! Yes! Island! Roooooots. Rooooot island." So that's where they were -- the small, uninhabited barrier islands that dotted the waters southeast but far away from the main shore.

Noreia wondered how the bottle had ended up _here_.

"We'll have to come back here one day and explore more of it," she told the dolphins. "Maybe there will be other things to find."

"Current comessss here," Ena said. "Lotsss to find. Ooold things to find."

Somehow, that deepened the mystery. Surely other dolphineers had come here to catalog the place though, right? Noreia made note to ask one of her instructors. But then again, who knew for how long that bottle had traveled. Some of the currents stretched back across the continent. "I'll bring a bag next time." Noreia held out her hand so she could change dolphins. Tiva took Cece's place. "Where to now?"

"Next place, next place! Close eyesss! Weeeee go!"

Last updated on the April 26th 2026

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Mystery In A Bottle