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| Dinnertime; [P]Akala | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:32 pm (1,636 Views) | |
| Goby Vega | Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:32 pm Post #1 |
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A small ship rocked in the gentle waves of the sea, surrounded by blue sky and the distant dots of the Astendan Isles. The worn sails were loose and the ropes slack. Everything aboard was sealed and secured, and a young man with bleach brown hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes sat on the ship's deck in a pair of long shorts, ensuring a rope was tied securely to the end of a long spear. After a final tug, he nodded with apparent satisfaction and loosely tied the other end of the rope around his waist, looped the rest of the coil around his arm, and stood with spear in hand. With two quick steps and a leap, he was over the edge of the boat. He entered the water with a practiced dive. A stream of bubbles exited his mouth as he emptied his lungs. He took in another breath, but, before he did, he dropped the spear and raised his hands to his cheeks, flapping them with the outer edge as the hinge like a fish's gills. When he breathed in, there wasn't the usual flailing and panicking a human with a lungful of water would display. He took the spear back up again and kicked his legs to descend into the darker depths of the sea. He looked from side to side, searching for enemies as well as prey. A movement to his left caught his eye, and he smiled. He thought they were nearby, and there they swam, a shining silver school of them, glittering with each turn. He smiled and twisted toward them, gripping his spear in preparation. Tonight, he'd dine on tuna. |
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| Akala | Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:56 pm Post #2 |
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Akala didn't normally go this far out. She preferred to stay close to land, where she could see the bottom and her plants were closer. She wasn't thrilled about the open ocean. But she was chasing a man-eater and for that she was willing to go into the dark water beyond the reefs. For a week something predatory had been slipping in at sunset and snatching mer-children. Their rooms were protected, so it was probably an octopus - they were the only things savvy enough to get by everything. Only trouble was, it also probably and octopus with tentacles eight feet long. Akala had been with a hunting party tracking a potential beast, but she'd gotten separated. Now, while she wasn't exactly lost, she was a long way from home. Fortunately, she'd stumbled upon a school of tuna, so at least she wasn't going to be hungry. She darted around and smashed into one with her spear, but it dodged. She was fast, but so was tuna. And hunger was making her aim off. She growled and dashed around the school, keeping her eyes open for anything else feeding off the bounty. And she ran nearly smack into something else that was. It was a He, specifically. A human, welding a fishing spear and looking for dinner, same as she. She stopped. She was only a few feet away from him. It wasn't like she was hard to miss. The only question was: should she be worried? |
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| Goby Vega | Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:23 pm Post #3 |
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With no apparent dangers in sight, Goby narrowed his focus onto the school, then onto a single fish. The nature of the school was to twist and turn and twirl like a single creature, making it near impossible to pick off one member without considerable focus and effort. Goby tightened his grip and kicked, the water propelling him faster than he should go under his own power. His eyes locked onto his target, a nice healthy fat tuna at the edge of the school. The school spun at his approach, trying to avoid him. HIs target fish swam upward. He turned to face it, shooting upward and to the side...and stopped. He nearly ran into a girl. The fact that she was under the sea with him wasn't the most shocking thing about her, however. She was hairless, blue skinned, and covered with tiny scales, and her orange eyes showed that she was as shocked to see him as he was to see her. The tuna swam around them and fled. Goby hung in the water, staring at the strange girl. He didn't know what she was, but her appearance reminded him of old fisher's stories, the sort that don't end well for the violent or greedy. He spun his spear about, so that the tip was pointed away and downward. He bowed to this sea dweller, and slowly began to swim backwards. Hopefully, she'd only been after the tuna, as well, and would let him leave in peace. |
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| Akala | Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:39 pm Post #4 |
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He was respectful - he point his weapon downward and bowed, then began to back away. The tuna fled. Akala's curiosity was torn. On one hand: who was this person and how was he breathing water? What was doing all the way out here? Was there a boat? Were there other people? And, on the other hand, quite pressingly, was the question: why did the tuna leave? The two of them alone was not enough to spook an entire school, even a small one. There had to be something else. Something big. She started to follow the man as he backed away, keeping her eyes peeled for any movement in the dim water. Then not far beyond them, she heard the chittering shrieks of a dolphin pod. She didn't speak dolphin any more than most landwaters spoke, say, dog, but she recognized a fear in their voices. A group of rays, moving fast, caught her eye as they drifted silently beneath their feet. A small smack of jellyfish erratically undulated by as well, going in the same direction as the rays. Then a shark tore by, scattering the jellies. That tore it. Akala shot forward, grabbed the human and hauled him to the surface. As soon as their heads were clear of the water, she said, "Do you have a ship? We have to get out of here now!" |
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| Goby Vega | Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:53 pm Post #5 |
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The sea life around them seemed disrupted and anxious, which only made Goby all the more nervous. When you're facing down a creature that made a shark nervous enough to flee, then you had to wonder if there was any hope in fleeing. Except that the shark actually came from behind Goby, swimming toward and past them in a rush. Before Goby could risk turning from the sea dweller to glance behind him, she lunged toward him, grabbed him by the forearm, and swam upward, to the surface of the ocean. They broke the surface, and Goby coughed up the lungful of seawater he'd breathed. He at least noted he was fortunate enough to not have been dragged downward into the darkness. "Do you have a ship?" the sea dweller asked, the works wobbling in his waterlogged ears. "We have to get out of here now!" "Wh-wha?" Goby blinked in fear and confusion, and then turned his head about trying to relocate his vessel. "Over there," he said, pointing with his spear arm. It was too far for him to pull toward them, so he swung his free arm in a small swinging hook, pushing the seawater against the two of them to push them toward the boat faster. "Ah, Ah'm sorry, miss? Ah don't know what would be making you so nervous, but mah ship doesn't have any sort of weapons, miss." ...
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| Akala | Wed Apr 3, 2013 3:50 am Post #6 |
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"I don't think it matters at this point," Akala said. "If a shark can't take on this thing, human weapons aren't going to make a dent. I don't even know what it is at this point, but I don't want to be here to find out!" She let the human climb into the boat first, then followed him. It rankled her just slightly not to ask permission first - she was a sea captain's daughter and certainly rules of etiquette had been pounded into her almost as soon as she could talk - but she couldn't risk him saying no. She helped him put the boat in motion without being asked, determined to ignore any objections he might have. There was a sudden line of inky clouds coming at them, but there was no wind to move them. She was looking over the stern when she saw and huge, low wave, like a fast moving hill of water. Everything clicked. "WATER ELEMENTAL!" she screamed. |
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| Goby Vega | Sun Apr 7, 2013 11:35 pm Post #7 |
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Once the ship was in range, Goby pulled it toward them and hauled himself over the side and onto the deck. As he opened the sails and began pushing the ocean against the hull, he looked about the deck. Everything was secured, shut, and tied down, as he left it, and the squat cabin at the ship's stern had its door shut. He trimmed the sails to intake the largest amount of air and stared as the sea woman came aboard herself. She came aboard without asking, but there weren't ships underwater; there was no reason for her to know that boarding without permission was a horrible breach of sailing lore. Also, it was also not the time to fret about ship etiquette. If the thing she worried about caused a shark to flee, it was best to discuss it later, and he had no idea how to tell a creature such as her to get off his dinky boat in such a way she wouldn't be offended enough to not smash it to bits. "Hang on, miss!" He shouted. He spread his feet wide, turning his forefoot toward the prow. He breathed, and began to swing and pulse his arms. The ocean behind them pulled away for a moment, only to push against the stern with renewed strength, pushing them nearly hard enough to lift the bow. The wind, which before was a calm, limpid things, suddenly breathed with new life, rushing and filling the wide sails, causing the ship to almost skip over the waves with its speeds. "Would yoo tell me what it is we're fleeing from, miss?" He asked once he was in the rhythm between the wind and the waves. He hoped taking them out of the deep waters, back toward the shallows of the islands, would free them from the potential pursuit of whatever specific terror lurked below. "WATER ELEMENTAL!" she screamed behind him. "Whah?" he shouted back, looking up. He paled. There was a small wave behind them, moving with deceptive speed. Considering how deep the water was here, any sort of wave was one of incredible strength and power. This one threatened near tsunami strength. He let out a short burst of cursing, the sailor's form of prayer, and rushed to focus on the wind, giving them as much speed as possible. They were now nearly airborn most of the time, barely skimming the tip of the waves as they lost power and dipped down before rising again. Still the low wave gained, slowly but surely. "What are the chances it'll let us just skim over it?" he asked the woman. "Cause Ah can't get us going any faster than this." |
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| Akala | Wed Apr 10, 2013 4:00 am Post #8 |
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They were already going faster than Akala thought possible - faster than any boat she'd even been on had ever gone. Still, the wave was gaining. "I don't know!" she called over the wind. "These things crush whole cities down there, but I've never heard of what happens to ships on the surface." As they raced toward shore, she added. "They normally don't come out of the deep ocean. If we can make it to the shallows, we should be all right." The inky line of clouds was moving too, just behind the wave. Akala could see a torrent of rain pouring down from above. If they got caught in that...if the boat rolled...she didn't know what would happen, but she knew it wouldn't be good. |
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| Goby Vega | Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:17 pm Post #9 |
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Akala's words gusted past his ears on their way through the sails, but it refocused his attention. He stopped glancing back at the wave. Constantly breaking his concentration, even for a moment, wasn't going to affect the wave's speed. He kept his eyes on the horizon, his feet on the deck, and continued swaying back and fore, shifting his hands, his fingers, his hips, anything to get an extra bit of water to part before them or another breath of wind to fill their sail. At this point, part of him felt he could close his eyes without fear. He was feeling the sea and sky all around him, and was in harmony with it all. Just a little more, he urged the sea. We need to get on the shelf. Just a bit more... They suddenly skipped and shot airborne. They'd flown over the shelf's edge, that last bit of gradual slope before the ocean floor plummeted to new depths, and now that forced momentum from below was focused on zipping them across the very tips of the waves. Goby canceled that, but kept the wind in the sails. The thing might stay in the deep, but he didn't want to chance it reaching into the shallows. "We're clear!" He shouted back, turning to the sea maiden. His grin faded as he saw the wave still coming. He kept turning back to it even as he adjusted their course toward the closest island. It had to let off soon, right? She said it stayed in the depths! The wave approached the shelf's edge, then dipped just before, whatever powering it falling back into the deep. The momentum of the water it carried, however, didn't stop so abruptly. It hit the relative shallows, and the wave began to rise. Goby's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. "Grab on!" He barely shouted, wrapping himself around a mast. The wave reached the boat, lifted it, and carried it onward, the wave rising, rising, curling, and crashing in on itself and the tiny ship within. Even with the spell, Goby was finding it hard to breathe. It was like inhaling in a windstorm; not enough air stayed long enough to be suctioned. The ship shook, things tore and snapped, and Goby simply hung on for dear life until, finally, the motion ceased with a thudding stop. The Midnight Star, at least, wasn't capsized. Goby opened his eyes, adjusting his stance to the sudden backward angle the deck took. With careful, creaking steps, he looked about him. The mast was cracked almost in two, the sails were shredded, the door to the galley was askew, the galley itself was a damp mess, and, as he peered over the side, he saw they were currently stranded on a large, surf pounded rock a few yards from the shore. A bit to the left and they'd be on the nice white beach of the tiny island. Goby groaned at his luck, then recalled his passenger. "Miss!" he called out, looking about for the strange sea woman. "Um, Miss? Yoo alright?" |
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| Akala | Tue Apr 16, 2013 4:55 am Post #10 |
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They'd made it to the shallows, but it didn't mean a thing to the water elemental or the laws of physics. "Grab on!" the young man shouted. Akala swung herself around the helm, just as the wave crashed into them. The impact knocked the wind out of her. It slammed her against the helm, bruising her ribs and smacking her head against the wood. Pain lanced through her, but that was nothing compared to torrent of water which deluged around her. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Then, just like that, it was over. The helm spun pointless and dumped her on the deck, which was now most unusually tilted. At first Akala thought it was her, but once the stars cleared from her vision, she saw it was indeed the ship itself. It looked like they were hung up on something. "Miss!" the young man called out. "Um, Miss? Yoo alright?" "I'm fine," she said weakly. "Bruised, but fine. What about you?" |
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| Goby Vega | Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:15 pm Post #11 |
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"Tha same," Goby said, sizing up the damage and the best route to unmooring his ship. He froze and made an awkward turn toward the woman as he suddenly recalled who, or what, she was. Goby didn't know exactly what she was, but she was a sea dweller, and someone who lived far, far in the depths, if her tales of the water spirit's actions on "cities below" were true. That put her leagues above him, even if this was his ship. And she was a, well, a she, which put her on a different planet in terms of his personal experiences. He dipped into a deep bow, his torso parallel with the ocean. It would be parallel with the floor, but that would send him into a somersault on the current deck. "A-ah-ah-Ah thank yoo fer warnin' me abou' tha water sprite, Miss, and Ah'm glad yoor not hur'" he said in a stuttered rush, his consonants getting lost in the rush of platitudes. "Ah'm sorry Ah canna take yoo farther, Miss. Ah hope yoo can find yoor way home safe, an' than' yoo again for yoor help." He stayed rigid in place, back bent near in half, and hope she didn't simply decide to kill him for the fun of it. |
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| Akala | Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:07 am Post #12 |
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Akala blinked confusedly a few times. The young man didn't straighten. She tried bowing as well, to see if that got him to move. It didn't. "Um...thanks for the ride?" she tried. Still no movement. "And...thanks for the letting me on board even though I didn't ask for permission?" Nope. "I really appreciate it." Nada. "My father would have my head if he ever found out I did such a thing." Nothing. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. Maybe she'd just have to be more direct. She walked up to him and twisted her body so that she could see his face. "Um...excuse me...what in the world are you doing?" Edited by Akala, Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:07 am.
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| Goby Vega | Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:04 pm Post #13 |
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Goby felt so stiff that any words not akin to "I'm going to kill you" floated over his bowed head. He jerked as he noticed movement from her, but it didn't move forward, so Goby stayed still. Some parts of her speech sounded as though he should respond, but he missed most of the initial question, so felt fearful to respond. Suddenly, she stalked toward him. Goby shut his eyes. He should been listening when she spoke, but he could barely hear anything over the drumming pulse in his ears, and now he'd done it. She was going to rip her head off or take out his spine, or drag him underwater forever... "Um...excuse me..." came a voice just a few inches from his face. He opened his eyes to see her own disapproving face staring up at him. Or perhaps she was puzzled. How was he supposed to tell? "What in the world are you doing?" "Ah....ah...Ah'm ahhhhh...." he stammered, averting his gaze. Was he doing something wrong? Was she testing him? Did he offend her by not looking her in the eye? By not going into a full kneel? He thought he was doing everything right, or at least not doing anything incorrectly. What was he supposed to do? "Ah'm sorry!" he said, reflexively dipping lower and colliding his forehead with her own. "Ow!" he yelled, reeling back and falling on his bum, rubbing his reddening forehead. He then paled, the red bump growing even more prominent. He'd done it now. He'd hurt her, and all he could do is hope to have time to beg for his life. "Ah'm sorry!" he cried, flopping forward in supplication, his head bent down far enough to touch the deck. "Ah didn' mean to! Ah'm sorry! Please don't kill me! Ah'm so, so sorry, miss!" ...
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| Akala | Thu Apr 18, 2013 5:41 am Post #14 |
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Akala found herself lying on her back, her own forehead aching. She rubbed the rapidly forming lump. "Why in the world would I kill you?" She looked at her hand, to make sure there wasn't any blood. "Ow." She rolled carefully to her feet. "Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot," she said. "My name is Akalasotaesa. I'm a half-dragon, believe it or not - I seem to have inherited a lot more human than most others. My mother is the sea dragon, Theotentasia, the Ship Wrecker." She realized that may not have calmed him down any. "Um...drat. That didn't come out right. She's a nice lady, my mother - just...well...a little testy when someone is stealing her catch. Or trying to harpoon her. My father is Captain Roland Thescryer of the ship Dragon's Child" Then she realized that this might sound intimidating. "Erm...rats. Am I making a mess of this?" She looked at the deck, arms crossed, one hand over her eyes. "Uh...you can call me Akala. What's your name?" |
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| Goby Vega | Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:43 pm Post #15 |
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She asked why she'd kill him. He kept silent. He didn't want to give her ideas. "Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot," she continued, her tone at least calm and nonthreatening. Goby raised his head a bit, though less from relaxing and more because he was beginning to slide down the deck and needed to brace himself. "My name is Akalasotaesa. I'm a half-dragon, believe it or not." Oh crap, Goby thought. Granted, she was more human than dragon, as she admitted, but he'd heard of half beasts that could turn full beast. His paranoid fears now included sharp teeth and claws. "My mother is the sea dragon, Theotentasia, the Ship Wrecker." Oh crap! Now he had images of the last thing he'd see was a great scaled tail descending to smash him and his ship to pieces. "My father is Captain Roland Thescryer of the ship Dragon's Child" OH CRAP! he thought. He'd seen a ship by that name in dock. It was huge. He didn't know the captain of it or any of the crew, but any man who impressed a sea dragon enough to sire a child with her was a man to be reckoned with, and not someone he wanted hunting him. Now he imagined a great ship blasting his own small boat out of the water, a giant sea dragon dragging its remains to the bottom of the sea while their daughter gnawed on his liver. "Erm...rats. Am I making a mess of this?" If her goal was to do anything but terrify him more, than yes. Yes, she was. He wasn't about to criticize her, however. Not after all that. "Uh...you can call me Akala. What's your name?" "G-goby, miss," Goby stuttered out, still staring at the deck. "Goby V-vega. And...And Ah wouldn't think of raisin' a hand to yoor mum, miss, and if those tuna were hers, Ah'm sorry about huntin' them an' I promise to never hunt them again, and Ah'm just a fisher with just one boat, so Ah'm no problem for yoor da, or any threat to whatever he wants to do, so please don't eat me, miss." |
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7:32 PM Jul 11

