Completed A Stone in Water

[Shijara]

6th of Spring, 514 AV Shijara was getting cursed in a language she did not understand. The dark hair woman stood defiantly, hands on her hips, "Excuse me?" she shouted, her common thick with Eyktolian accent, fueled on by her anger. By nature, Shijara had the patience of a saint, if not proven by her encounter with a drunken Svefra two days prior, but this man? No. He was a liar. He was greedy. He was a.... "Awahtoklo!" She attempted to snatch back her sketches, ones she had drawn of the port and of the docked ships, but this man had grabbed them, claiming they belonged to him, as her latest drawing had been of his vessel. What did he plan to do? Sell them? They were just amateur drawings done on the textured paper of her sketchbook. A sketchbook that had been given to her by her family before she had left her tribe. That book meant far more than his ugly ship and her rendition. If anything she had made the structure look more regal than it actually did, leaving out the barnacles and salt damaged boards. "Awahtoklo!" Greedy. He who leaves none for the crows. Shijara stared into the man's muddy brown eyes, and could smell his grim. She went to snatch the book back but he held it high above his head, taking full advantage of their height difference. This man was a regular human, not an Akalak, but her short frame still made it difficult to reach without jumping and embarrassing herself. Instead of doing so however, she felt her frustration building up. She pulled back and threw her tiny fist into the man's stomach. His breath was knocked from him, and he doubled over, making a sound of surprise and pain. Shijara had never really hit anyone before, especially a stranger and her eyes widened at her own actions. Still, she took full advantage of the situations and grabbed her heirloom back. Then, she ran. Unfortunately, she didn't make it far before some of the man's other crew members saw what she did and started pursing her. While the scene had gotten some attention, Shijara didn't want to stick around to allow herself get caught. She used the port's activity to her advantage. Spring meant more trade, and more people out and about doing business. She jumped, dodged, and weaved in and out of people, heart racing. Her mind was going a thousand miles per hour. Did she break a law? Stealing wasn't allowed, but the item had belonged to her. The harassment of women and children was not allowed... She struggled tor remember the other rules that had been on the paper provided to her at her arrival to Riverfall. She yelped when her wrist was grabbed and she flew backwards, rough hands grabbing her arms. She dropped her sketchbook and felt herself being dragged savagely. "You petching brat!," She felt herself being thrown over a bony shoulder and she kicked, hitting her captor in the back. Her struggle was futile. She cursed the man in Tawna, looking up to see Akalak men approaching. They looked angry, concerned. She thought she caught a glimpse of Sonnet, her guardian among the crowd. They were going to help. Unfortunately, when she looked behind her, the man had moved to the end of the dock and when he shifted his weight, she knew he was planning to throw her into the water. A deep fear gripped her, and she froze. Her whole body was tense, and she could feel the panic beginning to seep into her bones. She couldn't swim.

[Tydus Tempest]

Tydus was ecstatic to be on board of Laviku's Wrath. Even while it wasn't at sea, the feeling of the wooden planks that made up the casinor felt like home to him. The sea breeze filled his lungs with Laviku's blessed salt water smell, a sigh escaping his lips as he outstretched both palms in a moment of reflection. It was wonderful, really, but it wasn't to last. A scuffle went on in the distance, an exotic-looking woman attempting to fight off a rather thuggish, dense-looking man. It was an atrocity, in all honesty. The Svefra had his fun with women, disrespected them to an extent when it came to using one for a night and tossing her aside in the morning, but he did so with a measure of class.

Respect, at least in the context of the moment. The tendency got him in far more trouble than it was worth, in his opinion, and he chose not to make it his focus. It was especially so in Riverfall. All of the beautiful women are taken by the freaky-coloured giants. Petching Akalaks don't leave any wares for the rest of us... consumers. The Svefra sighed at the thought before he looked back to the scuffle, noting the immediate progression of things as the male grabbed the woman and threw her into the water. At first, the Svefra didn't care, thinking that she would swim to the ladder and climb up to the pier, but when she began to flail in place, arms frantically breaking the surface of the water as she failed to reach a horizontal position and swim, he frowned. Doesn't know how to swim? How strange. What kind of denizen of Riverfall can't swim?

The Svefra shrugged, pulling the sash from around his waist and the tunic from his shoulders before he looked over to Vesh, who had already begun looking over the side to see what was going on. The penguin was poised to jump in at a moment's notice. "No, buddy. I've got this. Just waddle on over to the edge of the pier and wait. If she starts bringing me under, then dive in and beak her off. Then we'll save her." The Fratava was spoken quickly and calmly, ending just as the Svefra pushed himself out of the boat, entering a dive from the bow of the ship (a large boat, really) and entering the water.

Sploosh.

The water was cool against the Svefra's skin, the Laviku-born filling with a sense of life as laughter escaped his lips, resulting in the uprising of a plethora of bubbles before he oriented himself. His head bobbed twice as he kicked under him, noting that the woman was no less than three meters from the spot he re-surfaced at, "'Old on, lass! I got ye'. Just stay still!" The Common reverberated in his throat as he took several pulls and frog-kicked forward in a method one could compare to a rudimentary form of the breaststroke. The Svefra was new to drowning experiences, but he assumed that, by her rabid flailing, that she was not friendly in the moment.

Tydus propelled himself so that he was behind the woman, slinging an arm around her waist and hoisting her above the water, coughing as he himself was lowered as a result. He strengthened his kick to compensate, his legs burning with the wide-spreading of lactic acid as he slowly taxi'd them to a nearby ladder. He grabbed onto it, but for the moment, lacked the energy to pull them both up and out of the water. "Go on. Grab onto the ladder. You're okay, lass."

- Tydus Tempest

[Shijara]

6th of Spring, 514 AV Shijara thought she was going to die. The moment her skin contacted with the water, her senses went into over drive. The sting from being thrown, the cold of the water, the emptiness of it all. She reached upwards, grasping for the surface of the water, grasping for air. Out of fear, she sucked in some water, and coughed furiously when her head bobbed up momentarily. She could see the dock, so close and yet when she threw her hands forward, she knew her efforts would not be met with reward. Her eyes stung from the salt water, and her second pair of eyelids closed instinctively. Her vision became cloudy, as expected, but it helped with the burning. When she broke the surface again in her struggling, she saw Sonnet on the dock, watching closely, preparing to leap to her aid. She reached for her guardian, but soon she heard the voice of a man assure her. She felt an arm wrap around her waist, and while she struggled, she clung for life. Calm down. Soon, she was brought to the dock's ladder and she must of resembled a wet cat as she pulled herself from the water. Eager to be on land, coughing and sucking in deep breaths when she could, Shijara clawed desperately for solid ground as she moved herself further away from the water. When she felt safe enough, she looked back at where the man who saved her must have been. Pulling a Chaktawe out of water would have been no easy task. They were much heavier than they appeared and while she was a smaller woman, the same held true for her. When she began to catch her breath, she noticed that the thug who had thrown her in was being taken away by some Akalaks, and one of the warriors even brought over her sketchbook, setting it down beside her. She thanked the blue man, then pushed damp hair from her face, her soaked clothes clinging to her body. She shivered, moving closer to the ladder, hoping to see her savior. "Thank you," she said breathlessly first in Tawna, then in Common, extending her hand, "I owe you so much."

[Tydus Tempest]

The Svefra gripped the rails of the ladder as he waited for the woman to climb it, swallowing the salt water rather than spitting it out and coughing. Blessed by Laviku, the water converted to fresh water so that rather than sapping him, it strengthened him, even revitalized him slightly. When the woman finally climbed all the way out of the water, the Svefra began to pull himself up, grinning as he was met at the pier's edge by Vesh. The penguin nuzzled the Svefra's cheek with his beak before reaching out for his arm with his wings, as if trying to pull him up. The Svefra roared with laughter, grinning at the penguin when he was upon the wooden frame of the docks. He chuckled, ignoring the woman for the time period as he winked at Vesh, "No need to worry, mate. I've got nothing on you as a swimmer, but 'm not gonna die swimmin' a few meters. T'wasn't anything close to what you did, buddy." He smiled at the penguin, a hand moving to ruffle the feathers of its neck before rising to his feet.

When the woman turned around to face him properly, she would see the Svefra in his full face. Lightly tanned skin adorned his bare-chested form, both pod tattoo (upon his forearm) and his gnosis mark were visible in their full glory, the image completed with a rather lean torso, his lower body covered by the soaked breeches that he had bought just days ago. A hand rose to ruffle his own hair, the locks sprinkling water in his vicinity. His hair stood on end in his preferred style, a chuckle escaping his lips again as he stood straight, arching an eyebrow at the woman as she mentioned her thanks. The Svefra merely grinned, shaking his head as a hand rose, as if to ward off her gratitude before he replied, "It's not a problem, lass. Was feelin' up for a nice dive, anyway. Water's great this time of the year. In any case, y'should learn how to swim, dear. There's too much water t'have such a weakness."

The Svefra's warning was spoken candidly, though his tone was meant to be friendly, bright white teeth flashing at the woman as ocean blue eyes met with hers... Holy petch! What's with her eyes? Full black... Can't even see pupils. That's kind of... huh. It's just strange. It took the blonde a moment to get used to the colouration, though his expression did not change the entire time, the young man rather proficient at hiding surprise. Perhaps it showed in his eyes for just a moment.

The Svefra ignored the unsettled feeling that lingered, taking several steps forward so that he was directly in front of the woman. "Y'new to these parts, lass? Don' look like a native. 'M new, too. Hopin' to leave soon, though. The sea calls to me like the sweet song of a damsel to her lover. Anyway, t'name's Tydus. Tydus Tempest. May I ask for yours?" His grin faded to that of a pleasant smile, extending his right hand to her, the vividness of his pod's tattoo apparent for her to see.

- Tydus Tempest

[Shijara]

It could have been the relief from having a brush with death, but Shijara returned Tydus' smile, "Not a native? What do you mean? You can't tell by my manly figure and blue skin? I'm offended." Shijara bent to grab her leather sketchbook, glad to see that it was relatively unharmed besides a few pages being folded. She was closing it when she took the man's hand. "Yeah... I'm a Chaktwe. My people are desert dwellers. Not much water there, so lessons were never offered," She shrugged, looking down, spotting the man's tattoo. Raising her hand, she used some of her free fingers and ran it along his skin before pulling away. "Sorry! I've never seen something anything like that," She leaned, trying to get a better look. "Is that a... uh...," She couldn't remember the word in common or Tawna (did they even have a word for it?), but it was an animal she remembered seeing it in the Aquarium. "Sticky armed creature? Many arms?" She laughed at her own ignorance. She was trying, at least. "I'm still new to the whole water thing. My name is Shijara." Just then some movement caught the corner of her eye. A tiny bird waddled on the ground. She blinked, staring. If Tydus didn't show his surprise at her eyes, Shijara certainly did for his little friend. A tentative smile tugged at her lips, "Is... What?" She gave a brief chuckle shaking her head, overcome by its cuteness, "A... sea bird?" She crouched slightly, glancing up at Tydus for help. It was adorable, maybe even better than the sea otter she encountered days before. But seriously, where were its feathers?

[Tydus Tempest]

The sarcasm was rather interesting. Obviously the woman wasn't a native if she made the comment. Riverfall was primarily made of Akalaks, but there were also a great deal of women, from what he'd seen in his short time in the city, kept and raised here. He could assume why, but in retrospect, it didn't matter. Then, she said what she was.

A Chatawe? A strange sort, to be sure. Black eyes, rather heavy (from what he remembered while swimming with her,) for her size. It was strange, but he didn't really care. His focus was diverted when the woman's fingers traversed his tattoo. He felt the tiny waves of pleasure rise in his arm, gooseflesh rising from the cool skin touching his own, but it was also a more visceral feeling. The young man attempted to suppress the feeling, and looking at her eyes, he managed to. It was still a thing to get used to, after all. Vibrant ocean blue, Laviku-blessed eyes were those he had seen and fallen in love with in his lifetime. The browns, greens and lesser blues of other human eyes simply did not compare.

He simply shook his head, allowing the ease to rise into his tone as he replied, "Don' apologize, dear. S'natural to be a bit..." As the Avefra spoke, he looked over the woman he had saved, eyes appraising her form before returning to meet her gaze, "Curious. About other cultures, especially. Fer' example, 'M curious about you too, actually. A beautiful stranger with the most curious coloured eyes." He grinned at her before he reached for her hand, guiding her fingers along the length of the octopus tentacle, "T'is an octopus. A creature of the sea. A mighty, powerful 'un, actually." He released the woman just as she decided that Vesh was likely more interesting than he was, or her curiosity got the better of her.

Vesh flailed slightly in response to the approaching woman, the penguin waddling forward and pressing its plush feather coat to her leg, wings wrapping around her knee in a sort of hug. "This be Vesh. He's my tavan as we call them in Fratava, me native tongue. He's a penguin from waaay up in Avanthal. We picked up his mum up ther' and he 'atched in the boat." The woman's curiosity was adorable, in all honesty. It was appealing to him in a very unusual way, the young man usually preferring to find women of a like mind of his own, promiscuity, but he'd only found the twin daughters of merchants to satisfy him. Usually, when on land, he had a better take. Oh, well. Maybe this 'un will take to some fun. Never know 'til ye try.

The Svefra allowed laughter to escape his lips before he decided to ask his own question, "So, yer' new to the water? What brought you to Riverfall, then? It's probably a lot differen' than yer' home."

- Tydus Tempest

[Shijara]

Octopus. She mentally said the word, practicing it repeatedly in her head in an attempt to remember it. She smirked preparing to to make another joke, but then was completely overcome by the bird's hug. Was it possible to fall in love with an animal so instantly? She used two fingers to pet the little bird on the head and then stood back up. "We wouldn't have a word for him in my language. Tavan?" Shijara scrunched up her nose, the word sounding weird on her lips. Huh. I wonder if Eywaat's blessing would work with him. "I have a theory as to why my eyes are dark, you know. And hair. My god, Eywaat, is the god of crows. So Chaktawe eyes and hair are black like feathers." She reached up and pointed to her face, "They are dark, because if you gain Eywaat's favor, he blesses you with more than just pretty colors." She smirked, pointing to Tydus' face, "We can see through the eyes of birds, so we have many pairs, not just one. But we must earn this." "I wondered if it would work with your tavan." She let her attention wander back to the animal before answering his final question. "I left the desert for myself. I want to learn... About everything. I will explore everything, and then bring things to my tribe as gifts. But I came across Riverfall because I could feel it." She lifted up a hand, letting him see her fingertips. If he looked closely, he would see the black dots that patterned her pads, "Do you see? I can feel moving water and always find it. But I cannot always avoid it." She grinned, making light of her earlier problem, and then shivered. Her wet clothes were starting to bother her, and she crossed her arms to warm herself. She took a deep breath, "Are you not cold?" Her eyes looked at his chest and then away. It wasn't a particularly icy day, but it was still early Spring. And how does one remain perfectly fine, half naked, soaking wet?

[Tydus Tempest]

The Svefra took the woman's hand in her own once she showed it to him, feeling along the tips of the woman's fingers, curiosity present in his eyes as he noted the slight rises with each black node on the woman's hand. He arched his eyebrows for a moment before the expression cleared, wrought with thought as he listened to the story about the Eywaat, God of Crows. To him, it was an extremely strange, foreign God, but he didn't care. Laviku was the God he held above all, with Zulrav held in reverence, as well.

Vesh was never quite this affectionate. The penguin ordinarily let a woman brush his feathers and then promptly left the scene. Perhaps the penguin was relieved that the... Chatawe, as she called herself was okay. Or, perhaps it was a reminder. He didn't really know, or in all honesty, care, but once the woman began to refer to seeing through Vesh's eyes, both Tavan and Svefra were placed on alert. The latter simply arched his eyebrows, his smile fading as Vesh waddled away from the woman, frantically accelerating before falling to the ground on his belly. The acceleration allowed the penguin's slick feathers to sail along the wooden surface of the pier, Vesh gliding off and turning his body to shift direction. In about a chime, the penguin had fully retreated back into the casinor.

Tydus managed an exasperated chuckle before looking back to the Chatawe, shaking his head as he said, "That's odd... I guess Vesh didn't like the idea of sharing eyes with people. It's... complicated with him. We raised 'im up since he 'atched from his mama. Lovely penguin, but he's... eccentric." The Svefra frowned , his ocean-blue eyes returning to the Chatawe as he processed the information she had presented him with. He was at a loss, to be honest. The Gods.. A soft 'hm' escaped the man's lips before he opened his mouth to speak, choosing his words carefully,

"T'is strange, to consider the other Gods, in all honesty. To see from a bird's eye? Never though' it could be possible. 'Earn new things er'yday, I suppose. My people, the Svefra, 'ail Lord Laviku as their God. Te' God of the Sea, and the creatures 'side of it. Gives us the bounty of 'ar food, the water 'at we drink." Laviku was, to him, a lesson taught to him by the Lia in recent years, re-learned after disregarding tradition taught to him as a child.

A soft sigh escaped the Svefra's lips as he thought of his pod, his gaze narrowing, glazing over, but he quickly suppressed it before it came to tears. He lived on the sea again, he lived in Laviku's realm. He was... happy. To the extent that he could be before he set sail again. All thoughts of attempting to flirt with the woman were abandoned in his contemplation.

- Tydus Tempest

[Shijara]

She had said something wrong. Both in the way the man's expression changed and his companion's disappearance of affection. His tavan, she reminded herself. "Forgive me," she whispered, carefully flipping through her sketchbook. Shijara wondered what had upset him, "I talk too much," "Your bird and you need not worry, I do not have the gift. I probably won't ever get it, I-" She stopped herself, realizing what she was doing, "I didn't mean to upset you. You can call me foolish," She tilted her head to the side, water droplets dripping from her long black hair, some rolling down her shoulders. For a moment, she did not register the chill, she just gave a soft exhale. She stood there silently, not sure what to say. Had something happened to this man? She did not want to push him, since he had saved her, yet her curiosity still burned. Was it something with his own god that distressed him? "Come here," she said gently, the words more of a request than a demand, she took a few steps away from the water, pausing to reach forward and hesitantly grab his forearm. She hoped to move him out of the way so she could see past him, to where the penguin had disappeared to. "Does that belong to you,?" she pointed to the casinor not far away, "If it does, then so does this." A sharp ripping sound broke through the air and soon a page had been removed. She held it out to the Svefra. The man who had thrown her over the dock had tried to take her art by force, but she wished to share it with Tydus. A gift. On the page was a sketch. It was simple, lines both thin and dark. It was quickly done, but it captured the essence of the small boat well enough. There was a resemblance, no doubt, and there was something charming in the practice, "My art does it no justice." She leaned forward, a water droplet falling on the corner of the page before she pulled back again. Oops. "Will you show it to me? Or, at least let me draw you?" She smiled, hoping he would return the gesture. She also hoped she hadn't just insulted him. That would be terrible.

[Tydus Tempest]

The Svefra's gaze was directed towards the vessel as she asked her question. Did the ship belong to him? No, in truth, it did not. If Kel wished to seek solitude from the fledgling 'pod' that they had formed, then Laviku's Wrath would no longer be Tydus' home. As much faith that the Laviku-blessed had in his brother, he could not help but feel apprehensive. Perhaps it was the small discomfort of sharing the cramped quarters among three grown Svefra, or perhaps it was that the fact that they had not yet set sail was bothering him, but Tydus had to learn patient. It was easy enough in the course of bartering with merchants, but in the event of setting sail? Patience did not exist. It was simply a word that was wasted on lips and a mind unwilling to listen.

The Svefra shook his head, smiling at the woman as he took the drawing from her. It was, from his own narrow perspective regarding art, rather well-done. The fact that a single droplet had spilled onto the parchment was irrelevant. Huh, this woman... this Chatawe, is an artist. How interesting! He smiled at her, looking over the image again as he parted his lips to speak, "T'is not, lass. This lovely casinor belongs to my podbrother. He's not here a' the moment, though. Can' tell where he went. Not tha' it matters. Laviku's Wrath is my home, though."

He tilted his head curiously as she asked to be shown around the vessel, the Svefra seeing no harm in the gesture. Tydus managed a laugh, bright and surprised in nature as he said, "Draw me, lass? I don't see why not. I've never been drawn befor'. You can do it on the ship, if you'd like. T'is a better space."

The Svefra turned around, his gaze moving along the expanse of the small ship, more of a boat, curious as to where Vesh had gone. Probably went into the living quarters. Her words about her presumed gift must've been a bit too much for Vesh... Poor tavan. I'll get him some fish later, see if it'll make him feel a bit better.

- Tydus Tempest