Winter 51, 507
Open Sea
Edreina was absolutely bubbling with energy, but not in the best way. Her stomach churned and her feet hung from the side of her family's palivar, swinging with such force someone could reason she was kicking the side of the boat, working off some of that energy. Perhaps she was. Perhaps it was just the nervous habit of a teenager who could not bring her mind to focus. Her family had been on a rushed trip to Syliras and back over the last week with little time to stop and let her off deck. Moments after docking, they had offloaded their various supplies and packed the hull with new wares for the vendors at the anchorage. Before she even had the chance to leap down the gangplank and speak with a group of horsemen she had seen near the docks, strange and covered with tattoos, she was being summoned back. Despite her stomping and her glares, they had not allowed her to run about the smaller port, even for a moment. How could an hour on her own, exploring, affect their deadline so greatly?
With a sigh, she tried to distract herself with the sea. Closely she began to observe the ocean, taking it all in as best she could from the - in her mind - secluded deck. For as far as she could see, the ocean was flat, barely disturbed by the weak wind. But, as much as this would bore some people, it fascinated her for a moment at least. In its flatness, she could detect the slight movement of a school of fish barely below the surface, as well as a large gray mass moving towards it - shark? whale? dolphin? Further off, she saw a great flat spot - well, flatter - where a whale had breached before diving deep. Such breach-spots could last nearly half an hour, so Edreina wondered if she had just missed the whale or if it would be returning to the surface soon. Would she see it come back up? No, she doubted it. It was probably miles away by now.
So the teenage, redheaded, hot headed Svefra wished she could also be. Yes, she adored the sea. She adored the water, the smell, the wind, and all that lived beneath the waves. But to be trapped upon a floating, wooden cage for weeks had begun to drain upon her. She needed to swim, to explore, to meet someone new. So unquenchable was her curious nature, the entire sea could not sate it. Frustrated, Edreina rolled from the edge and rose sharply to her feet, bare upon the wood. Her blue eyes darted about like a pair of tiny fish, going from one location to the other as she tried to find something worth doing. She could eat? No, she had done that only hours before, her stomach did not need to be filled - it was her mind that created the sense of hunger. Frowning, she half-heartedly kicked a round of rope, causing it to lose form and dissolve into a tangle. Oh look, entertainment. Knowing that she would be reprimanded for any other action, Edreina picked up the rope and began to wind it up again, going from hand to around the elbow in a figure eight until about two feet were left. She then wrapped it around the rope's folded center and tied an easy to release knot. Hoping to occupy herself for just a moment longer, she walked over to the mast and hung the rope over a peg on the mast beside many other lengths of rope. Looking up, Edreina saw a self-satisfied smile upon her father's face as he manned the helm.
When he saw her, he nodded his head, a sign that he wanted her to come to his side. Grinning, she obliged and ran over to him, knotting her fingers behind her back and constantly shifting between flat feet and the outer edges of her feet as her energy bubbles to the surface. They stood there for a moment, looking out to the sea together. Silent energy passed between father and daughter; in the silence, they shared their minds. Edreina's impatience to go and do is apparent in her motions, as was her resent for being trapped for so long with nothing to do. She began to rock back and forth, a sign that she wanted him to give her something to do, be a father and order her to do something so that - even though she would complain - she would be busy. A cool look from her father said that there was nothing for her to do, that she should go belowdeck and read a book or... "Swab the decks," he commanded, smiling slightly at his ingenuity.
Letting out a mock groan - but hiding a small smile - Edreina disappeared below decks, returning with a large mop and worn wooden bucket a moment. later. The stop at port had left the deck covered in foreign mud and dust as men loaded and unloaded, tramping over the wood in their worn boots. Using a rope attached to the handle of the bucket, she began to lower it towards the water, keeping tight hold of the end of the rope with one hand. As expected, the motion of the boat caused the bucket to get pulled ever so slightly, but not so much that she could not manage. After a moment, she hauls the bucket back up, careful to avoid sloshing, and sets it upon the deck.
Dunking the mop, she begins to whistle. The tune is bright and cheery, like the song of the birds that flit about in the ports, chubby little bodies being flung through the air by wings she personally thought were too short. In her mind, they looked more fit to perch upon a ledge and serenade passerby's. Everyonce in awhile, she would lose herself in her work and forget the tune, hitting a wrong note or changing the tune completely. The work was hard and repetitive, but it kept her mind engaged as she would have to go over a spot several times to get the mud out of the wood grain. Twice she had to refill the bucket before she was done, and her muscles ached. Back and forth she pushed the mop, watching the deck darken and then lighten a few moments later as she moved on, dried by the sun. She could tell that before long, they would need to oil and wax the decks once more, to keep them in prime condition. Once all of the large mud chunks were removed, she began to give the entire deck a general swabbing, a cleaning that would keep her busy for an hour longer but keep her from having to clean them again too soon. Her arms began to ache as they pushed and pulled the mop across the wood. By the end, she was so numb mentally that it took a moment for the whooping of her siblings to register.
They had returned from a trip to places unknown, exploring the nearby coast while the family had been swapping goods. Of course father let them go... Edreina's thought was tainted with envy as she looked to her elder sister and brother. Zindr was older by far, well in the age that she could find a man and join him in his adventures, and yet she still sailed with her family, just upon her own casinor. Oh how Edreina longed for similar freedom. Although her brother, Surai, was only one year older, he was a full head taller and thickly muscled; her parents felt that Surai could care for himself now, so he was allowed to venture off with Zindr occassionally. Dumping out the last of the bucket water with a frown, Edreina finished her chore and went to the opposite railing to look over the railing as the smaller craft sidled up alongside the larger, rocking wildly in its wake. To her vast surprise, Edreina saw Zindr wave in a way that beckoned her onto the ship. Immediately, any boredom or envy was forgotten. Without turning to ask her father permission, Edreina vaulted over the railiing with a whoop and landed on the deck of the casinor, running over to hug her siblings. Three heads of vibrant red hair met as they enclosed one another, separating a moment later. "How would you like to share in an adventure?" Zindr asked, a small, mischievous smile upon her thin lips.
Edreina had never heard more beautiful words.
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by Edreina on March 25th, 2013, 3:57 am 
That little trinket isn't worth much to most people so it won't fetch much, but if you hold onto it I have some ideas for a story around it. 
Some things cropped up about potential cultural dynamics, but nothing serious and so far well within family... boundaries. Looking forward to reading more of yours. 
