[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Ilanthys sighed, and shoved the last of his belongings in his backpack. When he signed up for this expedition, he hadn't realised they would be going beneath the waters of the Rewhister Ocean, and it was out of his comfort zone to say the least. Still, he wasn't going to back down just because he was a little nervous about getting wet.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He climbed over the side of the ship nimbly, making sure not to slip as he carefully slithered down the makeshift rope ladder into the little dinghy the crew had prepared. They would be sailing a little way away from the main ship so as not to get caught on it when they came up after the dive.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Ilanthys frowned in frustration; the wetsuit was very tight, and although he had been assured it would expand and feel quite comfortable once he was in the water, he was having trouble getting it on over his broad shoulders. One of the crewmen caught his eye, and gave him a cheeky wink which Ilanthys answered with a scowl.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The crewman nimbly scuttled around the other crew members until he had reached his side, and grinning broadly, began to help him into his wetsuit. A muttered 'Thanks' came from Ilanthys, but the crewman's grin only grew wider, causing Ilanthys to get even more frustrated with the situation. He knew his predicament was amusing, but it chafed his pride a little that he was being helped to dress.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

It wasn't even as if he was a novice diver; he had made sure to do his training long ago, when he first started adventuring, and he had even taken a refresher course before signing up for this gig. Once he got into the water, he would be fine - it was getting into the water that was the problem.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He wasn't afraid. The feeling he had was more along the lines of discomfort mixed with revulsion; it was a truly beautiful world down below the surface, he knew that, but the first ten feet or so were always spent checking for predators, and he was very much out of his element.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

On land, he could climb a tree or dodge, or at the very least speed up in an attempt to get away. The suit and the flippers helped, but his speed was still slower than he was on land and there was little to no cover until you reached the sea floor.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Ilanthys winced as he took a step forward, the wetsuit chafing against his sensitive inner thighs. He sighed as he picked up his breathing apparatus, and adjusted it to fit securely on him. The grinning crewman checked it for safety, nodded in approval, and sauntered off to help another struggling member of the expedition team.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He sighed once more, before stepping carefully towards the expedition leader, who was waiting for everyone to be ready. This was the man who had hired him after interviewing him on his experiences, and he also happened to be the Captain of the ship that had brought them to their diving ground.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Ilanthys was met with a nod of approval, and he nodded in return before glancing over the side of the ship. It was a beautiful clear day, and the water was calmer than he had ever seen it; it was also incredibly dark, and Ilanthys shivered at the thought of what might be lurking in the depths unseen.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He watched as one by one, his fellow crew members came to stand beside him, awaiting the Captain's final briefing. The air tank on his back and his weighted belt were heavy and uncomfortable, and the sun was hot, directly overhead so they had the best possible lighting when going down into the murky depths.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He frowned as he glanced over the side of the boat; the sea was choppy and dark, and he thought he saw a large shadow pass underneath them, but it was difficult to tell with such dark water. He cast his attention back to the captain who looked at him with knowing eyes, and nodded to indicate he was ready to go.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Standing in line to jump backwards off of the boat was always his least favourite moment. Jumping in backwards was disorienting and dangerous, and there was no way to confirm what was down there until you righted yourself and looked around, but the time spent waiting your turn was nerve-wracking, especially if the team didn't come up after diving in.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

At last, it was his turn, and he fixed his mask and re-breather in place securely before stepping forward to sit on the edge of the boat. The comforting feeling of the Captain's hand on his shoulder for a moment, and he let himself fall back, closing his eyes involuntarily as he felt himself submerge.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He opened his eyes and turned, righting himself according to the side of the boat before swimming a short way away to avoid being underneath whomever jumped in next.

He looked around; visibility wasn't great, and although he could just about see the other divers it was very likely they would be depending on their torches and guide line down below.