Flashback A Storm of Crabs and Catfish (Kaie)

[Jagger]

A Storm of Crabs and Catfish
71st of Fall, 511 AV.

It seemed to be quite a beautiful day for sailing. The Suvan was singing with the song of birds and the wind, and every now and then the shrill chirp of a dolphin could be heard off in the distance. It was clear and calm, and everything would be perfect if it weren't for the worried whispers that were being passed around. They were only a day into their journey towards Cyphrus, and already they had some strange ship approaching them. They were just a common cargo vessel, a merchant ship, carrying a few passengers and some trade goods. They were bigger than the little Casinor approaching them, with its dark blue sail gently billowing in the wind. A few of the sailors gathered at the edge of the merchant vessel, crossing burly arms and staring curiously at the approaching ship. It wasn't like a pirate party could fit upon that tiny little thing.

A pair of bright blue eyes and a short-cut crop of red hair emerged from the center cabin of the approaching ship, and a few mutters simultaneously announced the solution to the momentary puzzle. Svefra. Only one, so he probably wasn't looking for a fight. He looked young too, with that impish grin and playful aura. The sun of the Suvan had long since tanned Jagger, turning his exposed patches of skin a nice brown, though the strains of Myrian in him already made his skin favor that color in the first place. A billowing silk shirt clung to his slim frame, and a pair of black pants flopped around a bit in the wind as well. With that devilish grin still bright on his features, he tossed a exaggerated wave at the slowly moving boat, quickly pulling up alongside of it. "Ho there, or however you landwalkers greet each other! Fancying an excursion across the South Suvan, I see? Brave folks! So many pirates in these waters. We try to keep them at bay, but you know how it is. Always a quick Miza to be found aboard helpless cargo ships." Some of the sailors exchanged irritated glances, but held their tongues. Jagger frowned a bit, though it seemed fake, his eyes dancing in an emotion completely opposite to what a frown implied. "Mind if I come aboard?" Again, silence. Jagger paused for a moment, then shrugged, dipping down to grab a rope and hook from the floor of his ship. Giving it a slightly awkward spin, he tossed it up at the railing of the merchant ship and completely missed.

"I rarely do this, sorry, just give me a moment." The cheery young adult wasn't discouraged in the least bit, blue eyes shining as he tried again. And again. A few sailors even tapped their feet as he took his time with it, eventually hooking the edge of the ship. It took quite a few more chimes for him to actually clamber his way up the rope, having no skill at all in climbing. When he finally made it over the side of the ship, he collapsed onto the floorboards with his eyes facing the sky and that wide-lipped grin on his face. "Okay, so. First, thaaaaank you for letting me aboard. I am Jagger Wildwind, a pleasure." One sailor stepped forward, quietly disengaging the hook from the side of the ship and slowly winding it back up. "Might I ask what you are visiting for, Svefra?" The name was spoken distastefully, though not entirely mean in tone.

"To help, of course. With pirates. And other Svefra. I am feeling generous, so I wanted to offer my services." The sailors blinked, glancing among each other, shuffling uncomfortably. "I mean, as long as they see my boat, they will know to leave you alone. That'd be nice, wouldn't it? You can tow it along sometimes, and I can man it myself other times. It just depends on how the wind blows, I suppose." The winning grin was beamed at each of the men, though calculating eyes briefly glanced around to check out all of the passengers. There had to be more than just these sailors. There were variables. "Do you have someone who can help me secure the boat and transfer over some things?" Another winning smile, the Svefra not moving from his comfortable sprawled-out position. He had seemingly made an offer and accepted it for them. They didn't protest, yet. His service would actually be helpful no doubt, if they could trust him. He hadn't asked for payment of any sort, and had very readily offered his services. It was all very suspicious.

He just laid there, grinning up at them like he didn't have a care in the world, actually humming some little random tune. Freckles lit up all over his face as the sun caught them just right, bringing them alive like little burning embers on his flesh. This whole thing had happened very quickly and casually. He didn't appear to be at all armed. But then again, why would he? This was Svefra sea.

[Kaie]

The sea was a curious thing. A blue behemoth that rose and swelled rhythmically below the azure sky. Every now and then the blue would be frosted in white caps, the gentle wave crashing into the trough of its brethren. Syna's rays shone brightly along its surface. Her light reflected off the dense liquid and ignited the world around them in vast arrays of gold and white. Somehow it seemed hotter out in the ocean than it did in the humid rain forests of Falyndar. And as the young Myrian woman stood on deck of the first ship she'd ever seen, she could feel her bronze skin darkening from exposure. Never would she have ever thought to be so thankful for a cool sea breeze.

Kaie had her arms braced on the railing, staring out into the world of blue. If not for the occasional gull or the vessel, she might've forgotten what any other color looked like. Still she found gazing across the horizon to be a pretty sight. The vastness of the world shocked her the more she peered at the endless waters. Her clan lands in the jungle suddenly became such a small world in the grand scheme of things. The openness of her environment was a bit intimidating. Yet it opened her eyes and a fire of excitement kindled within her soul. The eagerness to see what new lands awaited her across the Suvan burned passionately within her.

Suddenly there was a short flurry of Common all around her. The foreign language was unexpected, and Kaie hardly had the time to translate what was said before another voice piped up. The Myrian woman whipped around with a hand on her hip; grasping the handle of a dagger like she was prepared to engage a fight right then. Really her eyes flickered about in search of her father.

"Oi! Starboard!" A voice cried from the nest high above her head. Though she understood the words this time, the Myrian woman had no idea what he meant by "starboard." Physical language proved more potent than verbal ones because it didn't take her long to figure it out. Some of the barbarians on board began to flock toward the right. That's when she saw Keritan, her father. He was on the rat lines hanging over the side. One hand clutching the netting and the other on the hilt of his gladius. She should've known whatever was happening, he was already on top of it. By the time Kaie found her way toward the commotion she could already hear a stranger's voice.

Muddy brown hues peered down over the side where she found a little boat she did not know the name of. It was rocking gently with the slow building waves below with a few crew members on board. It was easy to see who was the leader of the crew. Well, at least who the mouth was. A young man of oddly short red hair and eyes as bright as the sky. He stood there below them, grinning with charisma and clearly pleased with himself. There was something familiar about his appearance she couldn't quite name. Judging by the way he acted, spoke, and moved she was sure whatever it was was coincidence. Whatever the reason, he certainly seemed dead set with coming on board.

Pirates...What the petch is that? Some sort of animal?

Kaie watched the man with such showman's bravado take the initiative and toss up the roped hook toward them. Failure. The thing simply knocked off the wooden side of their vessel and collapsed toward the sea. She did her best not to snicker at the attempt, covering her mouth with her tanned hand and faking a cough. She watched him make some excuse nonchalantly and try a few more times. Each ended with the same result to her amusement. Finally he managed to catch the edge and board the merchant ship. Promptly he dropped like a dead monkey shot from the canopy onto the deck. This all earned another silent giggle and a crooked smile from the fifteen year old. This Jagger Wildwind was giving her far more entertainment than was probably good for her. Her father on the other hand...

"Fine, Svefra. I'll give you a hand since it doesn't look like you'll be leaving us anytime soon," Her father responded solidly in Common, standing on the deck then and glancing behind him toward the supposed captain. When he found no dispute on either front, he stepped toward the freckled adventurer. A few of the ship hands stepped bad from him hastily. It seemed his mere appearance and brutal tongue was enough to warrant distance Kaie, too curious to pass the opportunity up, quickly volunteered herself.


"Me too!" She spoke up suddenly with much surprise to both the crew and her father. He seemed to eye her for a moment but didn't protest her aid. She was a woman after all, a Myrian woman. Headstrong and independent by nature. In their culture he had little say in what she wanted to do regardless of his paternity. He could only stand by and make sure she didn't hurt herself through pure ignorance.

Kaie made her way through the quietly grumbling crowd. Meanwhile her father extended a hand down toward the lounging seafarer, expecting him to lead the way. Yet he seemed so careless. Taking one day, no, one moment at a time; and enjoying himself every step of the way. This Jagger made her curious. He was spontaneously and reckless it appeared. Maybe offering to help was her unconscious decision to get closer. At least she knew well enough not to trust so quickly.

[Jagger]

Myrian.

The sailors couldn't help but allow small smirks to light their faces as the Svefra dropped his wide grin, eyes narrowing as they locked upon the savage and his nearby daughter. They silently mocked the bold Svefra, pleased that he had discovered their trump card. They had Myrians on board. A big one at that, with a rather nice gladius to boot. If there was to be any funny business, then this Jagger fellow would likely be facing down an enraged Myrian father. There were few things more vicious than that in this world. With a tilt of his head, Jagger quickly sat up, crossing tanned arms over his chest. He stared at the massive man as he approached, and then blinked at the hand as it was extended to him. After a few moments pause, his reckless and impulsive nature reared once again, and he glanced up with that wide and toothy grin. "I've always heard your kind weren't that good on boats. Is this not true, or do you just have a more stout G'ii-tah than the others?" The Myrian word naturally jumped from his lips, and his eyes shone, as if he was delighted in himself for managing to speak it properly. And to a terrifying Myrian to boot. He happy accepted the strong hand, hauling himself up, nodding at both the Father and Kaie. The young lady actually got a wink dropped at her, right in front of her father. "Thank you both for the help!" Impulsive wasn't even the word. He just went with whatever random thought first entered his obviously hyper-active mind.

He didn't stick around long enough to experience any showing of wrath though, unless he was immediately snatched. Instead, he turned and made an instant and graceful leap off the side of the boat. Curling and twisting in mid-air, he cut a nice little flip, though the landing was less than nice. He landed on the back of his head in the middle of a pile of ropes, yelping out and crashing across the deck of the ship. He managed to somehow kick up mid-crash, hopping hurriedly back up to his feet. Stealing a glance at the crew of the merchant ship as if hoping they didn't see, he soon quickly turned his head away and began a casual whistled tune. He waited for Kaie and her father to join him down on the ship, tapping his foot if they took too long. When they reached him, he would lead them to the other end of his boat, pointing out a long chest. Lifting it would reveal it was a bit weighty, and it sloshed as if it had water in it. "Fish. My lunch, basically. I caught them all myself." A moment of pride shone on his young features, then he pointed at either end of the chest, signaling where Kaie and her Father could grab it. "If you could just lift and work with the sailors to get it on the ship, that'd be great. Super great." He rocked back and forth on his heels, apparently unable to keep still. A second later, he'd be strolling off, giving them a wave. "Let me go secure my ship to theirs, so they can kind of tug it along. I think that works. I hope it does. Remind me to sit you both down and discuss things with you. I need to learn more Myrian tongue."

With a spring to his step, he hurried over to the rigging of the ship. All of this was quite familiar to him, as it should be with all Svefra of his age. While he couldn't pull off any advanced tactics of any sort, he could certainly do all the basics. He found the halyard and loosened the sails, pulling them close to the mast so the wind couldn't catch them. He grabbed a few lengths of rope and tried to secure the sails down a bit more, not wanting to wind to catch the leeches. Turning, he stared at the merchant ship he was planning on hooking his boat to, and silently pondered. He didn't see any other way to do it other than to simply tie off his boat to their stern, but then that would force them to drag him along. That probably wouldn't work. Maybe it would just be best for him to steer alongside of them until they paused for the night, and then he could connect to them to prevent from drifting off. Or maybe he could just dock his ship somewhere nearby and travel with them for a bit. No, no, he'd probably go crazy. Grumping to himself a little bit, he decided to just try tying his front to their back. They would be sailing in a single direction at a single speed for quite a bit if the wind was good to them, and if it wasn't then he could talk sweet to the ocean. Hopefully that would work out. Knotting the rope to the front of his ship, he tossed the other end of the rope up onto their boat and returned to check up on the progress his water-filled chest was making.

Swaggering up to the two Myrians, he took a moment to marvel at the size of the male. The female wasn't anything to scoff at either, and if he wasn't mistaken, she was much younger than him. A playful smile spread across his face, and seemingly aware of the potential danger he could be in, he sidled towards Kaie. "So, a dagger for you and a big sword for him. Does it get bigger as you get older? Do you know how to play tag?" His tone was sly, his eyes bright, his grin enthusiastic. The question at the end was a bit random, but it was said with a lot more excitement than the rest of the words. For someone who looked to be almost an adult, he seemed awful thrilled by the prospect of tag.

[Kaie]

This sudden change in the man's demeanor was noticeable even to the young Kaie. She was just beginning to understand the impact their mere presence had among the other races. They inspired fear and mistrust, sometimes animosity in rare cases. It appeared this particular seafarer saw them no differently than anyone else she'd encountered. At least their own ship's crew had become less outright suspicious of them all the time. Right then it seemed they were happy to have them around. It wouldn't surprise Kaie if she found they thought of the two Myrians as deterrents to threats. Perhaps they were right. This Jagger fellow sure pulled himself together quickly.

He surprised her, this red haired man. It appeared he reverted to his confident, loose persona again without much hesitation. That huge smile spread across his face almost smugly with charisma. He put on quite a show speaking to her father like his skin tone and attire meant nothing. Jagger even had the audacity to throw in a Myrian word sandwiched between all that Common, raising a brow from the Myrian girl in surprise. She might not have caught all he said in his barbaric tongue, but she certainly understood what he said in theirs. Muddy brown hues flickered to her father searching his face. Waiting for a reaction. Not even she knew how he might respond. Kaie bit her lip for a moment, stifling a short breath of a laugh. Very impulsive seafarer indeed.

"I would ask you about your kind in the jungle, Deyhan, but I've hunted enough Kotakbil of yours to answer my own question,"
Keritan replied just as easily in straight Myrian to the bold man. Naturally he was aware most of the crew behind them were deaf to the Myrian tongue. Kaie heard a few of the men shift uncomfortably, a few whispering to each other. No doubt they must've been wondering if the brutish words were a thread, or an indication their Myrian guest planned on killing the Svefra. Either way there was plenty of tension to go around. That is until Keritan continued in Common as if he had never broken from the foreigner's language at all.

"Last time I crossed the Suvan Sea I saw men who painted us as devils disemboweling and feasting on our living enemies. If all they say about us is true, you think a little rocking ship is going to unsettle our stomachs?" He said in the Common tongue, eyeing the man up and down once while he pulled him up. Jagger was already on his way though, jumping from ship to ship. Kaie almost hustled to the side to watch him drop over the railing. A graceful flip that all landed with the man on his back, yelling out and tumbling like a stone down a hill. Somehow he managed to jump to his feet and nonchalantly continue his work. Kaie grinned in amusement and turned to look at her father, only to find him absent.

Keritan had already jumped after Jagger had landed. His was no fancy or showman-like. A simple leap from the merchant ship down to the smaller once. He landed on his feet solidly, knees bending in a practiced manner to absorb the shock of the fall. Kaie was just behind him. One foot propped on the railing she leaped forward trying to land on the closer part of the ship deck; a place that gave her plenty of room for a shoddy landing. Once her feet touched the wooden deck she dropped down with the shock. She rolled over her shoulder with the forward momentum before shakily coming back to a stand. Her heels cried out at her for not landing as solidly as her father. All was ignored though if not only for the image she needed to maintain.

The two followed just behind Jagger in search of work. At the other end of the little boat they spied a large chest. Immediately Keritan moved toward it in anticipation. Kaie moved to its opposite end, gripping the bottom and preparing to lift it. With difficulty they lifted it from the deck, finding it unbalanced and an odd sloshing sound within. The man explained its contents, showing just a bit of blatant pride, and then moved on. The Myrians listened carefully to his instructions and only nodded their understanding. His last parting sentence, however, caught them a bit off guard. Suspicion and confusion crossed the minds of both savages, but before they could ponder further, a merchant crew member was shouting down to them.

"Hey! Have 'em bring it all here!"

Turning toward the voice they saw a platform secured by ropes was being lowered onto the deck. Kaie and Keritan carried the unruly chest over and placed it on the platform among other things the crew lugged over. Within three lowerings of the platform everything in need of transfer was lifted aboard. Kaie's arms burned from the labor, unused to the lifting of such objects. Her version of chores entailed laying traps, training, hunting, and sometimes climbing trees to gather. The work out was different and her muscles would certainly suffer for it later. She never showed signs of fatigue though, almost smiling through it as if she was thrilled by the job. It was only when the last of the "luggage" was lifted and the seafarer swaggered back over, did she allow relief to flood her; knowing her work was finished. Jagger didn't seem to be slowed at all at least.

"In the jungle we call it Kill The Carrier. Why? Did you want to play?" Kaie returned with a flashy grin, almost challenging the man who poked fun at her first. If there was one thing she was good at, it was fighting fire with fire. There was plenty of burn to go around when this fiery female was present.

[Jagger]

Jagger's eyes scrunched at the sudden stream of Myrian, his lips mouthing out some of the words he knew, but in Common. He had caught the insult, and he had also understood the part about hunting and answering a question... but the rest had been spoken too casually and quickly for him to piece together. He tilted his head like a curious little puppy (or curious baby tiger), searching Keritan's eyes for a moment. The next piece was said in Common though, and Jagger's grin quickly flickered back to full force as he found himself understanding of the conversation once more. He replied easily, still apparently quite unruffled, if 'ruffled' was even a state of existence that he could find himself. His demeanor did make it seem like a bit of a impossibility. "Well, I mean, is it true? I am pretty sure you disembowel and feast on your enemies. Us Svefra throw them in the sea and summon giant sharks to tear them limb from limb, so we are pretty petching crazy devils ourselves. Maybe we are related somehow. No doubt our striking good looks came from the same seed, eh? Eeeeeeh?" Jagger dropped a wink, but was soon cut short by the Myrians going about his requested task.

When they met back near the side of the ship, Jagger flashed his toothy grin at Kaie. His eyes sparkled with delight as he heard the Myrian words, understanding them this time. He laughed, almost giggled at the name, and then turned to grab something from a barrel on the side of his ship. Spinning quickly, he lashed out, perhaps alarming one or both of the Myrians. Kaie would find herself on the head end of a wet fish, long and slimy, smacking her roughly alongside her hip. That, or it would get sliced in half from a blocking dagger. Either way. Jagger was already dancing back, easily letting go of the fish and darting away, doing what he could to keep out of the female's reach. If the male decided to reach out and wring Jagger's neck, that would be easily accomplished. Jagger was much too focused on his new play partner. "Tag! You're..." The Svefra scrunched his nose for a bit, momentarily confused by what exactly he should call it before triumphantly finishing his sentence. "...the Killer!"

He was off like a bolt of lightning, moving gracefully across the boards of the gently swaying ship. First there was a rope hanging from one of the mast beams, grabbed and swung on like a little jungle monkey. He didn't swing very far, just over a small ledge, forcing Kaie to traverse the minor obstacle as well or waste time getting around it. Then there was the railing of the ship, which the Svefra gleefully hopped on and went racing across, waving his arms from side to side as he tried his best to keep his balance. The entire time he kept throwing glances behind him, trying to see if the girl was catching him or close to catching him. If her hand did get close at some point, he would end up throwing himself forward in a desperate little flip and roll.

His flighty mind briefly wondered if she would actually kill him if she caught him. Would she disembowel him and then eat him? The thought made his heart race and his legs move faster. Even if she didn't get close, he would still try his best to show off a little bit with great leaps and bounds, his heart racing with excitement.

Catch me, Myrian! Catch me if you can!"

[Kaie]

Kaie pursed her lips in amusement at Jagger's reply to her father. Svefra, her father and Jagger called him. And these people, these Svefra, throw their enemies to be eaten by giant...Sharks? Kaie had never seen a shark. She'd only heard about them. If he could even fairly compare the violent and often cannibalistic rituals of the Myrian to the sea beasts, she was interested. Could this Jagger summon one right then for her to look at? Or would it try to eat her on the spot? So consumed was she by this new creature, she hadn't even thought to be offended a barbarian even attempted to claim their people were related.

Then the playful man did something unexpected. With a flash of his teeth and a mischievousness to his eyes, Jagger turned from them. When he returned, however, he greeted Kaie very closely. Perhaps far too closely.

Was...Was that a petching FISH?

The Myrian girl's eyes widened with disbelief at the man. She didn't even have to look at her father who was no doubt gauging her reaction. There was a well known understanding among the Myrians: women were to be respected deeply. They were in charge. It was their approval the males needed to survive. Never should a man touch a woman wrongly, or do something to make her feel insulted. Jagger simply must've been oblivious to such a code. Keritan certainly wasn't. It was odd seeing him like this since she'd gotten on the boat. All up tight and business-like. While the professionalism was to be expected, her father was always the laid back man. Relaxed and collected. Fair and kind. Yet they had left the comfort of the jungle and he had a daughter to protect. Her pride to uphold. Had she not handled herself so well, he might've been forced by expectation to act.

Kaie didn't act as rash as one might've expected. She might've even surprised herself by not withdrawing her dagger, hacking and slashing at the Svefra in defiance. However she just watched him. Only watched. She quirked a brow at him, understanding coming as soon as he called "tag." A barbarian game. He wanted to play. He wanted to challenge her? That was something she simply couldn't refuse. Just as he took off, she followed with her heart practically singing.

"I show you killer!" She growled playfully as she gave chase, finding him worthy to pursue. He was quick and nimble on the ship. She was at times struggles to maintain her own balance with all the ship rocking. Once or twice she almost face planted right into the deck. Luckily the place was still like a jungle gym with all its holds, ropes, and obstacles.

Excited, Kaie leaped forward and hurtled the obstacles after the swinging Svefra. She followed him after him dismount. Leaping up she balanced with a little difficultly on the railing. One rolling wave almost knocked her clean off the ship and into the tumbling waters of the ocean. By Myri's will alone she kept her footing and hustled on, trying to keep up. Eventually she gained some confidence and she was right up behind the man. His desperate flip and roll was followed by her own delayed dive. Hoping to catch him just before he completed his roll. Had she managed to "tag" him, she'd take off herself.

Rolling over her shoulder again, the Myrian girl would grin at him and race away. She'd sprint until she came at the lowest sail, rolling under its frame with as much speed and grace manageable. And then she'd be on her feet again. Running. Watching Keritan motion for the merchants to lower their platform once more and ease him up. That's when she made her real move.

Alright. Let's see if you can keep up with me now, Jagger!

Making a mad dash sprint across the tiny Casinor, Kaie made a break for the rising platform. She'd plant her foot on the railing and push off in a leap of faith, fingers wiggling in anticipation. With luck, she'd grasp the wooden edge of the platform and hang over the open seas. The platform would give a bit under the new weight before steadily rising again. Putting down the nervousness in her head (could you blame her after the shark stories?), Kaie flexed her arms and yanked herself up. She'd then stand with her father, wondering if indeed the Svefra managed to keep up with the savage girl.