I don't even like fish [Sol/Liana]

Back to the surface was the plan, it's just--how? That was the current predicament they were facing, given that whichever cave and tunnel Liana's energy or shikigami went through--all relaying information back to her--gave no hopeful results. Still, it was in Liana's nature to not sit still on the matter. The stress Solhammond was visibly undergoing took priority, and taking them out of this situation was for the best. She held some vestiges of disappointment for not being able to succeed in her first catch, but that hardly mattered as much in this situation. Besides, whatever air was in this bubble was limited.

"Okay, I'll start moving the bubble, then."

At random, Liana selected a tunnel for them to float towards. It was a fortunate venture that brought them into another expanse filled with yet more crevices and tunnels. This one, however, felt different. Her senses--Sol's senses as well--would be unable to pick up much from this area. It wasn't nearly as illuminated as the other expanse.

Any attempt to exert energy outside of the cavern came to failure. Any energy that touched upon the walls of the cavern were repelled off as well.

"Strange. Palliser-san, can you sense anything around here? It feels as though my energy is blocked, or something. But, not by any sort of counteractive spell."

They were out in the wild Outlands. It might've been possible that this was a small--well, small being a loosely used term here--deposit of Sekkiseki. Perhaps the fish from earlier had parts of the mineral embedded into it, which was why the well of spiritual energy it possessed could only be felt when up close to it.

"I could pick yet another tunnel to go through at random, but if you have any ideas on what we could do to find which way is the right way out, I'd like to hear it."

"Remarkable."

She held the same intrigue as Solhammond; Sekkiseki was a rare and valuable material, after all; to come across a deposit of it in this area, large for the rarity, it felt fated. Not that Liana was a particular believer in the sort, though it surely was an impressive finding. She'd make note to report it back to the Gotei for its moderation. She'd have to come back out here for verification and appropriate handling.

"What an interesting experience, Sol-san. What is it like, working amongst the Suika clan? Though they've become fairly prevalent and integrated into our communities and society, they're still a very different people with their own culture. To my understanding, they're very open people."

Just as she was expressing her interests in Solhammond's experiences, something collided with her bubble, which in the moment acted more as a force field. With urgency, Liana reinforced the barrier, forming protrusions on it to grab onto and places to put their feet and remain stable. With the strength of the two, they'd be capable of keeping steady despite the bouncing around.

"We'll do as you instructed, Sol-san. Just keep holding on, and I'll accelerate out."

Due to the sekkiseki, Liana's senses couldn't get ahold of what just collided with them. It seemed unlikely that it was the large fish from earlier--it was far too large to fit through these tunnels. At the same time, even the glow of her bubble and the lightings of the luminescent walls failed to reveal it; either it was invisible, or camouflaged enough to remain hidden in the area.

Liana thought for a moment of retaliating in all directions, wherever the assailant might be, but it remained too dangerous. She was unsure of the structural fortitude of these tunnels, and a collapse would surely spell their doom. Since she couldn't manually sense the creature, let alone see it in this lighting, the most Liana could manage was to send a burst of a spiritual energy out and see if any of the energy bounced back. Unfortunately, with the speed and violent manner of the bubble's movements, it was difficult to notice anything significant. The most she could surmise was that the creature didn't chase after them beyond initial contact.

Solhammond's suggestion had yield, and soon enough Liana caught wind of a rising current carrying on away from them. With a push of the bubble, progressively stabilising their travel the entire time, the two managed to catch onto the current and be carried out from the tunnels.

The exit revealed an enormous expanse of water, like they had just entered the vast and open ocean, wide enough and far up enough to allow the light from above to reach them.. Creatures of all kinds wandered about, though Solhammond in particular would likely recognise them to be distinctly of Earth.

"It seems we've succeeded? Good job, Sol-san. An escape well done!"

"You're more than welcome to tell me another time."

That was an earnest response. This trip had already yielded far more fun for Liana than she ever could have predicted, and a fair amount of catharsis. An affirmation of the path she currently walked.

Liana directed the bubble to rise up towards the surface and towards the landmass Solhammond pointed out. The fish swam around them, avoiding them, and being away from the sekkiseki enabled Liana to appropriately digest her surroundings spiritually. The area was definitely, significantly, less dense in reishi. In fact, it felt the same as the Realm of the Living. For the time being, Liana held her tongue on explaining anything excessive. If the cave from earlier turned out to be a natural path from Soul Society to Earth, an area in which the veil between the two realms was so thin it had been punctured, it would be a considerable issue. Not just because a deposit of sekkiseki was along the way. If someone else found the cave, it would be an easy, undetectable travel between realms. She'd have to report that much back, and with urgency.

"I believe we are on Earth. Do you recognise where we are?"'

Perhaps it was silly to ask Solhammond where they might be, with so little indistinguishable information to go off of. At most, they could see the infinite ocean and the nearby shore they were arriving at. Perhaps the nearby wildlife and underwater flora might hold an answer. Though Liana was unfamiliar with any of them, near the seafloor swam chagos clownfish, and off in the distance they could make out a silky shark.