Yeah, the lightning makes her kind of nervous. Clair tries to shove the body aside with the trowel to see if there's anything under it.

It looks like a puzzle. She'll need to clear away more dirt to recognize what it depicts in full.

Dig dig.

It depicts the lakeshore, with a storm in progress. There's no one standing on shore, but above the water is a figure who takes up a disproportionate amount of the puzzle.

Meanwhile, she admires her work. She thinks it's a city, though it's a strange one. Where it is, she doesn't know. Everywhere at once, and inside a marble, and at the center of the world.

Clair takes the puzzle, and swims back to shore, and rolls up onto the beach. "Jane? - no, not Jane -"

"We lost her. She's gone, and he has her. What if we never find her again? What if she's worse than missing? Missing girls, all over our country, and no one finds them."

She looks at her.

"The mermaid, Clair. I didn't paint you there. It's a cold place. Stay here, in the lake, far away from the king and queen. With Miranda."

"I - don't understand." She plops the puzzle on the shore. "I found this... and a dead body..."

She keens, a tortured wailing sound, and- shimmer-

"Fuck this."

She grabs the puzzle, and smashes it over her knee.

The storm rages on, ignoring these dramatics. Lightning strikes in the distance.

Shimmer.

"You found a body?"

"Yeah. At the bottom, on top of the puzzle."

Sharp nod.

"Can you guys get back on land?"

Up they get. "I'm worried about the lightning," says Zix, lying down on the ground so he won't attract strikes.

"On it."

Shimmer.

"Lucy Fugue, at your service. Get behind me."

Her voice is distorted, like she's speaking through electronic interference. Her hands crackle with electricity.

Zix wriggles behind her.

Easy enough. Fighting a storm isn't as satisfying as fighting a worthy opponent or deserving target, but it's something. Feels like winning.

Lucy catches the lightning, when it finally starts to strike them. It passes harmlessly through her while she laughs, maniacally.

"Oh! Almost forgot. Crazy Jane got a clue. Does your little prize let you change into me?"

"No, just ourselves except we can all look like Emmy."

Shrug.

"Thanks for finding her!"

She keeps drawing lightning until the storm abates, and then- shimmer-

-they grow to a tall height, about as tall as the figure in the puzzle would be. Instead of a human man with discolored skin, it's a figure with the head of a sun. They turn their head, briefly, to nod at Zix, and throw large fireballs at the lake.

It begins to boil, and then evaporate.

Shimmer, shrink.

Jane smiles as she watches the steam rise.

"Thanks, Clair. For finding her."

"You're welcome. Who was it?"

"Name's Miranda. She was the primary before me. We never met, and I didn't even know her name because these bi- the others in here wouldn't talk about her. There's some stuff for us to figure out, vut- apocalypse, first. I guess we'll need her."

And they needed to work out their trauma using a magical quest into their head, but she's not sure she should get into that with Exaltation. It's not like they're done with that, just...unblocked, now. That can all stay inside the Underground.

"So, uh, what's next? Since you're the quest expert."