Completed A Stone in Water

[Shijara]

Shi leaned back into the wood of the wall, her head rolling to the side to allow the Svefra more access to her skin, his lips trailing down her to rest on her collar bone. She opened her eyes, and thought she saw onlookers on the docks, and she felt herself blush. Still, she was nearly caught up in the flurry of kisses, and the fact that her top had been loosened was all rather distracting. The dark haired female was being overcome by the warmth of the figure in front of her, wrapping around her and encasing her body like a hot trap. Despite the cool, Spring breeze, Shijara was feeling flushed. He's quite the fisherman. She smirked and began taking his hands in her own, when she looked down and her eyes lazily rested on his arms, down at the tattoo. An icy cold settled almost instantaneously in her stomach. Octopus. Ty had told her, and so had another Svefra. She hadn't paid much attention at the aquarium, not after his little stunt, but a name hung heavy in her mind, and her stomach dropped. Kel. She remembered now. She had barely given it a glance, but Shijara knew it was the same image. They had both pointed it out. Why had she not noticed? Why had she not remembered? And this boat... did it belong to the arrogant son of bitch? She had thought to ask Ty if they were acquaintances earlier, and now... now she had connected the dots. She let the Svefra's hands drop, and lowered her eyes, gently pushing him back. Not because of Ty. He was amusing company, but because it would only be a matter of time before the other male poked around. She had been unable to escape Kel the past two days. She didn't want the third to be a charm. "Sorry, line broke." she cleared her throat, and tried to regain her composure, and she tried to smile reassuringly. It wasn't him, after all. She liked him. He was fun. Your friend is just the bane of my existence. She slide past him, attempting to redo the knot of her top. Her eyes were travelling everywhere, and quickly. She instantly located where they had left her sketchbook and then the way off the small boat. She was like an animal ready to run. "Um," she paused, the thoughts that had become blurry now crystal clear. Shi was becoming more sure that Jenkins would start running towards her out of nowhere. "This dolphin has to go." She shrugged, and bit her lip in regret that they couldn't continue their game. Her mood had just soured too much. She quickly kissed Ty on the cheek apologetically, and went to gather her sketchbook. When the familiar leather of the book was in her hands, she turned, slowing down. The heirloom comforted her, but she still took a step or two to the side. She could have been wrong. She was being ridiculous. Maybe she had been mistaken. Maybe it wasn't the same marking. "Ty, who's your podmate?" she motioned around her, "Who owns this?" Please be wrong. Please be...

[Tydus Tempest]

Everything seemed to end when the woman looked down at his Octopus tattoo. The Svefra was pushed back, his eyebrows arching in a rather-disappointed curiosity as he let his right foot move back to catch the motion. When the Chaktawe moved to gather her things, the Svefra hm'd softly, attempting to garner why the sudden change of heart. She had gone from perfectly willing, even surrendering to the machinations that he applied, to cold, indifferent and even affronted. The tattoo...

The pod tattoo was utterly unique, stylized and bought at the expense of the Tempest Pod in order to differentiate them from the rest of the Svefra. It was the absolute best Pod tattoo he had ever seen, its intricacy utterly breathtaking to the young man. And... only two other people in, at the very least, Riverfall, were adorned with it. Him, Adney, and... Kel.

Of course. This jackass is petchblocking me even when he's not here to physically do it.

There was no way of actually proving it just yet, but the Svefra was not surprised to learn it, as there was a rivalry within the friendship that the two spawned. Tydus, being the charming sort that he was, won social challenges without trouble, Kel showing sociopathic tendencies and an arrogance that he wore as a sleeve similar to that of his gnosis mark. It was amusing to watch, but Tydus knew it was equally matched by Kel's ability to outclass him in any sort of combative effort. Tydus' weapons were his words, Kel's, his downfall. The black-haired Svefra's weapon was his trident, and Tydus, was pathetic in battle.

The perpetuation of their game's metaphor of the fish and bait was broken, just as she said, though it gave Tydus an extent of satisfaction to know just he hard he had pushed the woman. There was a pride in knowing that the only thing that stood between him and taking this woman to bed was the fact that his bastard of a podmate was in the way. Kel had his victory, but as Tydus listened to the woman again, he doubted if even that were the case.

The woman asked of him who his podmate was. She asked who the boat belonged to, and he was going to respond. Honestly, as well. Though, at the end of the day, the two men were brothers beyond a blooded bond. The pod tattoo said that much, but maybe Shijara wasn't aware of that.

"The man's name is Kel. He owns the ship. Me brother, me actual brother, s'named Addy. A pup who looks t'me for guidance. But, y'can't guide a Svefra without a ship, lass. Me and Adney were thinking of letting the bastard who owns this one stay 'ere in our place. Deserves it, after all."

The Svefra then raised his eyebrows in concern as he tilted his head at the woman, the intent to turn the questioning upon her, instead, as he asked, "Why d'ye ask, love? Have ye met him?" He allowed the words to flow naturally from his throat, allowing a distaste for several mannerisms about Kel that bothered him to come to light in his mind, driving sympathy and bond from his thoughts as the sole intention of the evening was shifted back to returning to the game that Shijara so obviously enjoyed playing. Hopefully, he was successful. If not, then this was Kel's victory.

[Shijara]

Shijara nodded. She was right. Great. "I was afraid you would say that." Shi slowed down significantly, looking down. She smoothed out her top, and sighed, shrugging with a smile when she looked back up at the man across from her. Her dark eyes stared at Tydus, remembering the moment. Remembering the twisted humor of the situation. Perhaps if Kel had been someone else. Anyone else. But no. It had to be him. In relation to Tydus, weren't they like night and day? Tydus, with his charm. He had saved her. Kel? What would he have done? Laughed and wished her luck? Much like dawn and dusk, Shijara had a looming feeling that you couldn't have one without the other, and that was what made her nervous. "I've met him. Kel. Not Addy," she shook her head, trying to imagine what someone who shared blood with Tydus would be like. A few interesting thoughts flickered through her mind before she pushed them away; mostly scared of by flashes of memory due to Kel's arrogant smirk and aggravating social tendencies, "Kel was..." She searched for the right words, an ascetic laugh rising from her lips, "Kel puts me in situations I'd rather avoid." Shijara smirked bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest and holding her sketchbook close. "He's got quite a way with people, don't you think?" The Chaktawe grinned, her sarcasm undeniable. "Relax. I've never liked anything that came out of his mouth enough to want to taste it." Shi backed up, ready to depart. She paused before she did, glancing at him, voice lowering, "You're gonna tell him I was here, aren't you?"

[Tydus Tempest]

Kel's victory, indeed. Whatever the blasted black-haired Svefra had done to the woman was obviously enough to traumatize her rather severely, and the Svefra was ready to cut his losses where they were. Anymore time spent with the woman would end up solely as an aggravation for him, at least this evening while he still remembered his failed, sabotaged attempt to seduce her. His experience with the craft was almost non-existent, alcohol driving the vast majority of the job into an easy crawl, Tydus' natural charm throwing possibilities at him in the variety of ports he had been moored at in his day. It was unfortunate to not add a Chaktawe to his list, but it wasn't strictly necessary. Tomorrow would open up other possibilities.

He listened to the woman attentively, resting his back against the bulwark of the living quarters, humming a soft tune as he she referred to Kel with both sarcasm and disdain. Tydus threw out his act of hating the man, knowing that their bond, their brotherhood was far more important than a desperate attempt for a lay. He cut his losses, and he'd retract his statement. Though, he would say it in Fratava,

"Kel is a sociopath. A shipwreck, but by Laviku's blood he's the best friend I've ever had in my life. Our rivalry keeps life interesting, and he is... far, far more than I could ever say about myself, a true Svefra."

The words were spoken in a tongue that he suspected was foreign in the woman's ears, so he would paraphrase it so that she could understand his point of view,

"As much as I'd love to push 'im overboard and leave 'im here forever, I can't. Kel's me brother in ways that Addy can't compensate. He's the man that saved both me and Addy from despair and a land-locked destiny."

A destiny like Aedre's. He remembered the Tempest at this moment, the one locked here in Riverfall like the other two men. Perhaps he'd go seek her out, ask for advice... but, he didn't want to. She was Tatianna's foe. And by definition, to carry on the ex-Lia's spirit, she was Tydus' foe. An enemy, a banished Svefra. Tydus shook his head at the remembrance of the past, his eyes beginning to burn with rage as he pushed open the door to the Casinor's living quarters. He'd pull his flask filled with rum from his sash as well before he looked to Shijara, "T'was a pleasure to meet you, lass... But I need'ta rest. Goodnight."

The door slammed behind him as he climbed into the hammock, flask in hand.

[Ragdoll]

Grade Awarded!

Shijara :

Skills

Skill	Points
Socialization	3
Drawing	2
Rhetoric	2
Unarmed Combat	1
Acrobatics	1
Swimming	1
Flirting	1

Lores

• Near-Death Experience in the Water
• Drawing Tydus Tempest
• Tydus: Savior
• Tydus: Worships Laviku
• Tydus: Kel's Podmate!
• Tydus: Has a Brother, Addy
• Vesh: Tydus' Tavan
• Vesh: Penguin from Avanthal
• Vesh: Cute!

Comments

Had you talked about drawing the sketches mentioned in the first post, then you would've earned more XP. That aside, Shi is a fun character to read and has very real reactions to things. Keep up the good work. c:

Tydus :

Skills

Skill	Points
Socialization	4
Flirting	3
Observation	2
Swimming	2
Seduction	2

Lores

• Saving Drowning Women
• Sploosh!
• Posing for a Drawing
• Shijara: Chaktawe
• Shijara: Water Sensing Fingertips
• Shijara: Worships Eywaat
• Shijara: Draws
• Kel: Master of Coitus Interruptus

Loot

Drawing of Himself, made by Shijara

Comments

I really wish I could've given you more XP-but I just didn't feel like Ty did much to earn XP in the thread. That said, it was a fun glimpse inside his head-you're a talented writer. Keep it up! Please don't forget to edit your post in the grading queue.

Though I try my hardest to award you what you deserve, I may occasionally mess things up! If there's something you'd like to discuss about your grade, then please don't hesitate to send me a PM and I'll be happy to work things out with you.