Completed [Sacred Arch Hotsprings] Half Snake and Blue Giant (Asen)

[Avanze]

13th, Spring, 515 AV



Ugh, so many mosquitoes.... Biting the heck out of me. Gah, if only... Avanze, not for the first time, smacked the back of his neck rather hard, in an attempt to defeat the menacing insect.

The back of his neck was slowly getting darker, but was unable to become red because of his blue skin tone. He looked around the forest, squinting his eyes slightly against the giant red orb in the sky. An older woman had given him directions to the Sacred Arch Hotspring upon inquiry, but so far, he had been walking a little over an hour without so much as a hint of water running.

I think she said this would take a lot less than an hour..... What have you done? Gotten us lost, you bastard..... Etnava was getting irritated, but when wasn't he?

Avanze issued a pained sigh through his lips, adjusting his sweat-soaked shirt. It was getting pretty hot here, and Avanze rather liked to keep cool. He had heard about the hotsprings while he was at The Rearing Stallion, a couple that was talking about heading there. After finishing his measly meal, he had left, walking to the older lady and asking about it.

The way she described made it sound beautiful, a part of nature none of the mortal races had thought to alter into a city. He hoped it stayed there, because Avanze was a great lover of nature, and like when none of it was despoiled to a state unrecognizable.

Tree-hugger....Shut your mouth, ugly. Etnava let loose a deep-sounding laugh at Avanze, making him grit his teeth in slight anger. I look exactly like you, fool. Don't insult yourself, it is not pretty.

This time, Avanze proceeded to ignore the warmongering oaf, looking around. Stopping all movement as to hear better, he crouched, closing his eyes. He had to momentarily catch his breathe, but before he did so, he had to find the sound of rushing water.

He stopped breathing, proceeding to grow uncannily still. He heard the rush of water, not as a soft sound, but as if a stream was bubbling right in front of him. He could hear it easy, but not when he was bumbling about in the forest like a merry giant.

His face twisting in slight annoyance, he finished his trek in a little over ten minutes, coming to the hotsprings.

There, he reveled in the beautiful sight. It was exactly how the old woman had described it, but even more beautiful. He looked at the land-made bridge, walking slowly to it, breathing in the fresh air. It smelled so much better than Syliras; so much better.

He hadn't stopped to breathe on his journey here, because he wanted to appreciate everything once he got to his destination, first. With a renewed strut, he crossed the bridge, finding his way down to the waters. Stopping at a part untouched by the water, he removed his sweaty tunic, peeling it away from his blue skin. He folded it in an attempt for neatness, but it looked hastily done, then placed on the ground. Proceeding to struggle a bit to step out of his pants. Folding them the same way, he dropped them atop the shirt, now only wearing his scabbards and undergarments.

Suffering a small mental battle with himself, Etnava was quiet, he proceeded to remove the rest of his things, setting them next to his other things. Standing in the nude for a bit, he let the fresh air wash over his skin, creating small goosebumps up his muscular arms and down his strong legs. He crouched slightly, before jumping gaily into the water, a laugh escaping his lips as he touched the water.

Swimming easily, he did a few laps around the hotsprings, before stopping to float easily, his eyes closed, at peace.

Tukant | Common | Avanze Thoughts | Etnava Thoughts

[Asen]

There was a skip in Asen's step as she made her way to the hotsprings. No, really. She was actually jogging to the hotsprings. When she'd decided she was about halfway to the steaming waters, she picked up the pace and lifted her feet further from the ground.

She hadn't run in so long. It was an almost euphoric sensation, feeling the burning of her lungs and the air hitting her face and the rythmic pounding of her heart and her feet. Unfortunately the euphoria lasted only a little while, quickly turning into absolute agony for the unfit teen.

The half-Dhani stopped a few meters from the hotsprings, not quite fully in view, and doubled over. She gulped down air, putting her hands on her knees. "Sweet petchin' gods," she gasped, straightening herself out.

With that, she kicked off her shoes. The squire's hands went to the hem of her shirt, lifting it over her head. She folded it neatly and set it down next to her shoes. Her fingers slipped under the waistband of her trousers, pulling them down to her ankles and folding them as well. A small pile of clothing formed as her undergarments followed her trousers.

The blonde paused for a moment while moving to take off her ring. She didn't want to set it down and lose it, but then... She didn't want to lose it in the water, either. Still, losing it in the water was the lesser of the two evils. The ring stayed on her finger.

Asen inhaled deeply, trying to rid the last of the fire from her lungs. She walked to the edge of the water, dipping her foot in it. It was warm, but not blazing hot like Asen. She figured it was an acceptable temperature and took a couple long strides backwards.

She bounced on the balls of her feet for a tick, then dashed forwards towards the water. She leapt when she reached the edge, bringing her knees up to her chest. Her face was pure exhilaration -- that is, until she finally noticed the massive blue-skinned man who was also lounging about in the springs.

Her shout of happiness that had erupted from her quickly turned into a panicked screaming as her long limbs uncurled from fetal position and flailed about in the air, the noise silenced by collision with the Akalak -- if he was indeed an Akalak; she knew no other race that bore such blue skin -- and her head being submerged.

She'd struck him with half her body, probably whacking him in the head with an arm or a leg, and rolled painfully off him into the water. The half-Dhani sprang from below the surface in a small explosion, an apology pouring from her lips.

"Oh, sweet Siku. Are you okay? Did I 'urt you badly? Shyke, I'm such a petchin' idiot. Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry. I swear that was a complete petchin' accident."

As she apologized she wondered exactly how she hadn't seen him. He wasn't nearly as light-skinned as Aren, and he didn't quite blend in with the water. She dismissed it as an accident. She wasn't the best observer.

[Avanze]

Parting his lips slightly, Avanze started humming, the tune coming from a childhood song his mother sang to him to calm him when Etnava was being unnecessarily evil. He listened to the tweeting of the birds, to the noises of the crickets, and was growing drowsier by the second, thanks to the warm waters.

At least, before he got flopped on.

He had been easily and sluggishly moving his arms, keeping himself aloft to spin slowly around the hotsprings in a peaceful state of mind. Etnava was quiet, quieter than he normally was. A blessing, to be honest, but Avanze's Other knew when to shut up and just enjoy what was transpiring.

Soon, though, he heard the slight rustling of running. He paid no mind to this, however, as the springs were in the forest. Obviously, there were bound to be some animals about. He figured to leave them alone, so that he could be left alone in the process, and that was usually how beasts operated. He wasn't, however, anywhere near ready for the young woman who emerged from the thicket.

He watched her intently, making sure that he was in no possibly danger from this -seemingly- human figure, before closing his eyes and attempting to go back into his previous feeling. He had thought she had seen him; hell, he wasn't that hard to see, being as tall as he and with his blue skin. It was like trying to find a blue brick out of a haystack.

His thoughts were cut off as she walked a few steps back and, proceeding to run forward, jumped with a shout. Avanze watched her as she flew through the air, but the thing that gave him slight pause was her transition from happy shouting to screaming. He started to get up slightly, when she crashed into him.

"What the shy-" The sentence in his native tongue was cut off abruptly when they collided, the air being driven from his lungs as what he thought was a foot connected painfully with his head. He gave a burble under the water, breaking the surface soon after her.

"What the shyke? Did you not see me swimming? Gosh, you humans can be- Common, brother. She does not look the sort to know Tukant. Avanze gave a start, before realizing he had been going off in Tukant. He rubbed his head, his wet hair sticking all over his head at weird angles as he quickly pondered the situation.

He looked at the female, quickly looking into her eyes as he found his own roaming her body. He brought an arm up to his face, rubbing his eyes as he said quite easily, though with an obvious accent, in the Common language, "I'm fine. I doubt one as small as you could do damage to me. Gah, but still, what the petch were you thinking? Did you not at all see a big blue body swimming? Urgh, humans....."

Avanze looked at her, before stepping back a few steps and submerging the lower half of his body farther into the water. She looked a bit too young to be seeing anything, and he didn't want to be the one to ruin her possibly-still-intact innocence. He swam backwards a bit more, so that a little over a yard or two was between them. He huffed slightly in annoyance, before saying again with his accent and slightly broken Common, "I will stay over here. You.... You just do you wherever..... And please, don't jump on me again. For your own good."

Avanze swam a little farther back, before he realized that Etnava hadn't said a word the rest of the time. He gave a barely discernible sigh, before saying to his brother, Oh, yes, just let me handle the human while you sit quietly and not offer any suggestions..... Petching idiot....

Tukant | Common | Avanze Thoughts | Etnava Thoughts

[Asen]

Asen had hurt him. By the gods, she'd hurt him. The poor girl bit her lip as she reached towards the Akalak's head before pulling back. He was spouting words in a language that seemed familiar, but she didn't understand. If she was correct, it started with a 'T'. She'd heard Akalaks back home speak to each other in it.

He stopped in the middle of his sentence, probably listening to his 'brother'. The half-Dhani cringed a bit when he rubbed his head, scared that she'd done enough damage to make him angry. He looked funny with his hair sticking up, though, and as his eyes wandered her body she did the same.

He was more or less out of the water, giving her a good view of everything. Her lips formed a small 'o' and she raised her eyebrows before her mouth closed into a smirk. Her gaze flicked to his, giving him a somewhat flirty look.

"Aye, I might not've done much damage, but just 'cause I'm smaller than you don't mean I can't 'urt you. Underestimatin' someone just 'cause o' size en't very smart, you know. 'Sides, it en't like I was lookin' for a hunky blue guy swimmin' around," she said, slowly letting her eyes travel from his face downwards. She could forgive the 'human' bit; she was half, after all. He wasn't totally wrong.

"Not too bad, by the way. Well-built, nice shade o' blue," commented the young woman, moving to prod him in the chest. However, he had already backed away. She pouted and pushed herself through the water as elegantly as she could -- which wasn't very.

Asen positioned herself so she was leaning forwards, using her arms to keep herself afloat. There was maybe two feet between her body and the Akalak's, her sapphire gaze fixed on his face. "An' what's your name, eh? I'm Asen," she told him, omitting the longer bit of her name. She wouldn't mind getting closer to this giant man, and Lorden was the last thing on her mind.

[Avanze]

Smoothing his hair back down slightly with the palm of his big hand, Avanze looked at her, a slight grimace forming upon his lips as he saw the face she made. The smirk of her lips sent a tingle down his spine, the flirty look about her eyes making him rethink his earlier thoughts. He watched her intently, stopping his path backwards with a lazy stroke of his arm.

C'mon, brother, remember what mother taught us.... Avanze gave a mental huff, before curling his lip in a small friendly smile. He did not feel like seducing this one, at least not today.... Though, any other time.... These thoughts sent his eyes to fall slightly, before returning them to her own blue eyes. Today, he just wanted a peaceful swim, not marred by anything. But, like his father says constantly, "Plans are always changing. Flow along with it, like water over stones."

He sent another quick glance down, before looking back at her eyes as she spoke. As she got farther into her dialogue, the friendly smile slowly grew into a challenging smirk. What she said, it was a lot like the opposite of what he grew up in. "Bigger is better," some would say, so Avanze became big. Some would say too big, as he had grown past his father, but the way his pa spoke down to him, it was like the elder was the bigger man, though Avanze could take him nine times out of ten.

He decided to answer the question to his name first, before he commented on her thoughts on the subject of size.

"The name is Avanze, though my friends call me Avan. Etnava is my Other, though I doubt you would want to meet him. The rude bastard...."Don't you continue, scrub. Avanze's smirk widened, before he looked back to the young lady.

"As to you hurting me.... You caught me by surprise, is all. Won't happen again, anyhow. And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do much lasting damage to one such as me, heh. I'm quite a bit bigger than you. Plus, you should have seen a hunky blue guy swimming around. I'm very noticeable, you see." With that, he stood up straighter, motioning with his hands to his entirely blue body. When he lowered himself farther into the water, he noticed the distance between them shrink a tad, but he made nothing of it.

"Plus, I am willing to bet you couldn't hurt me. Much too skinny. Need to bulk up a bit, though I will be honest about one thing; you look quite fine as you are. Any growth of your tiny muscles might look a bit peculiar." His smirk turned into a playful smile, before he turned slightly in the water, swimming in slow circles around her.

"Oh, and before I start sounding rude. Nice to meet you, little one."

Tukant | Common | Avanze Thoughts | Etnava Thoughts

[Asen]

As the Akalak introduced himself and his brother, Asen gave a small chuckle. She wouldn't mind meeting this Etnava, so long as he didn't try to kill her. She doubted she could hold her own against an enraged Other, no matter how strong she thought herself. False confidence did one no good in real battle against a stronger, faster opponent.

When Avanze lifted himself higher in the water to gesture to his vibrant blue skin, the half-Dhani took another chance to let her gaze roam unabashedly. The view was obstructed, unfortunately, after he lowered himself back down. She brushed a wet curl out of her face, noticing the closing of distance between them. Suddenly it wasn't just the water that was warm.

His comments on her size made her frown. "I en't that small, you know. 'Sides, if I wanted to 'urt you I probably could. An' my muscles en't tiny!" she protested, pouting slightly.

The squire's irritation both increased and decreased as the Akalak began swimming around her in circles. She turned with him, keeping her eyes on his blue form. She wasn't stupid. He might try to do something, and to prevent that she decided that facing him was always good.

In fact, she would make the first move. "It's nice to meet you too, big guy," she said, one hand resting on the place where Avanze's shoulder met his neck. That way he'd pull her slim form along as he swam so she wouldn't have to.

Her other hand met the other side of his neck. She'd noted earlier that the way he spoke Common was strange; clearly not his first language. Asen pulled herself closer to the Akalak, bumping up against him ever-so-slightly before the water rushed between their bodies again.

"I think it's funny, 'ow you think I can't 'urt you all that much," she murmured, "just 'cause I'm smaller than you."

Their faces were mere inches from each other when the half-Dhani reared back and slammed her forehead into his with all her might. She lifted her legs and planted her feet in his stomach, pushing off to get some distance between him, laughing madly. So much for getting to know him in a more intimate way.

[Avanze]

Watching her as he swam around, he had only just turned his head when he felt her hand on him. He kept swimming for a tad longer, dragging her along before he stopped to float. He turned back to look at the female, and was slightly taken aback when he found the distance between them shrunk drastically. He raised his eyebrows slightly, watching her closely. You could never be too careful around strangers.

He cleared his throat slightly when he felt her body meet his for a second, before the water separated them once more. He felt his face grow a fraction warmer as he watched her, his mind going blank for a split second.

Etnava, on the other hand, wouldn't shut up. He was talking and talking about 'seducing women' and 'do what mother told you' and a whole bunch other things, and his constantly changing train of thought was so much, Avanze almost switched with him. He did, for a second, too. He had retreated away from control of the body for near two seconds, and Etnava had unconsciously taken over.

He had been thinking his separate thoughts from Avanze, who had become quiet when he gained a mild headache from the onslaught of thought, when they had both realized what happened at the same time. Etnava immediately made a slight move towards Asen, before he was thrust back and Avanze took over, looking at the female and actually listening to what she was saying. The headache was still there, but he ignored it.

Etnava was now positively screaming, wondering how he had missed his chance to actually do anything. You ugly son of an..... Ugh! You never let me do anything, you incompetent bastard. I hope you catch a sickness, swimming around without anything on. You stupid, weak creature! Avan grimaced slightly, before saying to Etnava with his thoughts quietly, Please, Etnava, be quiet.... Etnava, shocked at his usage of the word 'please', which neither of them had used to each other, remained quiet.

Hoping that she hadn't noticed his pause, he replied to her easily, saying simply, "Oh, it's not that funny. Only logical, really. You're ti-" He was cut off abruptly as he felt her head slam into his head, and with such force. He yelled out slightly, holding his head. He felt her push off away from him, making him stagger and dip underwater for a second as he attempted to get his footing. My head! Ugh, that smarts..... He shook his head slightly, as if the motion of moving his head from side to side would rid him of the slight pain she had inflicted upon him.

Throw that bean-pole, Etnava yelled, urging Avanze into action. This time, out of the many times he could have listened, Avanze did as his Other commanded. He swam after her, though not as fast as he would have like to. The world swam slightly in his vision, and his path to her turned out to not be as straight as he thought. He gritted his teeth, hoping to not show any indication that she had hurt him. She had hurt him!

When he reached her, he stood up, the water cascading down his body. He wrapped both of his large hands around her waist, gripping tightly but not too much so. He easily lifted her over his head, his muscles bulging; she seemed to weigh less than a sack of potatoes. He turned so that he was facing the center of the springs, where he proceeded to throw her with a slight grunt of exertion. He watched as she hit the water, a slightly satisfied smile on his lips.

Tukant | Common | Avanze Thoughts | Etnava Thoughts

[Asen]

Asen burst out laughing, complete with ugly snorting. She herself dipped underwater, and her laughs turned into hacking coughs as she swallowed some of the steamy liquid. The Akalak was almost upon her when she recovered.

The half-Dhani kicked away as fast as she could, and while Avanze's path wasn't as straight and he wasn't swimming as quickly as he should've been -- her headbutt had clearly dazed him, worse than it had dazed her -- she wasn't the best swimmer. Far from it, actually, and trying to keep her eyes on the massive blue man while moving away kept her speed to a minimum. Not to mention she was swimming backwards, of course.

The squire's back hit the edge of the hotsprings. She froze for barely a tick, but it was all Avanze needed to reach her. He rose from the water, almost like Laviku himself if he wanted to make a dramatic entrance. The cerulean hands met her waist and sent a chill down her spine, but when she saw his muscles flex dread filled her from head to toe.

Asen yelped as she was lifted from the warmth of the water, kicking like a madwoman. She writhed and twisted in his grasp, suddenly acutely aware of just how tall an Akalak was. There was a brief relaxing of his arms and she thought he was going to put her back down, but then she was sailing through the air.

The poor girl's stomach flipped and her long limbs flailed comically. She screamed as she fell towards the water. "No, no no! No! Gods-"

Her screams were cut short, head plunged beneath the surface. The rest of her body followed with a slap of skin against water, bubbling rising from her mouth. She heard nothing but the trickling of the stream falling into the pools, and when she opened her eyes everything was a blur. Avanze was a blue blob in her vision.

It was quite peaceful, really. If she hadn't run out of oxygen so quickly she wouldn't mind staying underwater for a long, long time. It was similar to when her father would hold his breath for chimes on end, sometimes even bells if he wished to be left alone. She understood the quiet he sought under the surface.

Asen sprang from the water, some of the droplets reaching Avanze. She gulped down air, clawing her way to the edge of the hotsprings. There she sat, chest heaving, and tried to relax. "Sweet Siku, Avanze. Next time, gimme some kinda warnin' afore you throw me again. I s'pose I deserved that one though, eh?" she said with a chuckle.

The blonde pushed off the edge and swam back to the Akalak, taking a spot next to him. She prodded him in the arm. "Not too bad, though. Good throw. Still terrifyin', but good throw."

[Avanze]

I can't believe you actually threw her! What kind of Akalak throws a person? Avanze's mouth flopped open like a fish's, before he realized it was open and promptly shut it. As he cleared his eyes of water, his mouth slowly formed into an.... Odd shape. Don't laugh, you petcher! Of course, this only sent him roaring with laughter.

His deep, rumbling laugh echoed throughout the hotsprings, sending a few birds off in a panic. He placed his hands on his stomach, doubling over slightly as his seven foot frame shook with mirth. I don't even understand what is funny! You threw a girl a lot smaller and probably a lot younger than you, and you sit here laughing! Eesh, I don't understand you, brother...What? Hehehe..... You told me to. Etnava gave a mental huff of surprise; neither one ever listened to the other. You're the light brother! If anyone is supposed to listen to the other, I should listen to you! But I'm not, you stupid girl-throwing oaf!

This just made Avanze laugh even more, until his eyes were watering. His stomach was on fire; he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed like this. It felt good, honestly, and he wished he could do it more. I don't.... This is annoying.... Please shut up... I'm gonna tell mother. I'm serious, I will.... This sobered Avanze a fraction, as he thought of his mother. She was a very kind woman.... But so mean and strict. Worse than his father. Avanze and Etnava both think that is why they married; his father wanted someone to be strict for him, because he says it is so tiring.

Though the thought of his mother sobered him a little, when he looked back at Asen and saw her, he resumed his laughing, which brought a groan from Etnava's mind.

Avanze's laughter started slowing as Asen resurfaced, feeling a bit of water hit him when she came up. He watched her as she fought her way to the edge to sit down. He looked at her, his laughing slowing to deep chuckles. He had a big smile on his face, before saying in-between chuckles, "Aye, I could tell you next time, but what would be the fun in that?"

He smirked as she poked him, which prompted him to poke her back. "You can try to throw me, if ye wants." Avanze smiled brightly, sending a wink at the girl.

Avanze sighed, sliding his body farther down into the water. He looked at the female a bit, before saying in a curious tone, "So, Asen, yea? Where does one such as you come from? You might be the smallest human I've seen at your age."Haha, remember that guy? He was teeny, and he said he was like, twenty something. This one must be like, sixteen, seventeen, she's so small. Avanze looked at her, awaiting an answer patiently.

Tukant | Common | Avanze Thoughts | Etnava Thoughts

[Asen]

"Try to throw you, eh? One day I might, you big blue bastard. Don't underestimate me yet, I did hurt you," she said, elbowing him playfully.

Asen sighed and let the steaming water cover her chest up to her chin, tipping her head backwards. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, silently calculating her answer to the Akalak's question.

"I'm from Riverfall, actually. An' I en't human, my da is a Dhani. So I en't as young as you think," she told him, "an' before you ask, I'm... fifty-seven, come summer."

Most were taken by surprise at her age; why should this one be any different? She sat up with a grunt, pulling herself onto the edge of the hotsprings. Her ring, thankfully, was still on her finger. The half-Dhani scooted around so she was directly behind Avanze, looking at the back of his head.

"How old are you then, Avanze?" she asked, gently twirling his black hair between her fingers. The tips of his ears were the only part visible, and she flicked them. They were odd, but she couldn't judge; she was a 'filthy' halfbreed, in the eyes of some.

The blonde was so deep in her thoughts and her mild fixation on the Akalak's elongated ears that she failed to realize she was actually stroking his hair. She had her head cocked and a slow smirk began to make its way across her face. Of course, she was surprised when she did realize it, but it didn't show.

One of her hands slid down the back of his neck, sweeping across his shoulder and down his chest. It traveled across to his other shoulder and suddenly her arm was around his throat, tightening ever-so-slightly. "An' that's why you never trust a cute lady, big guy," she told him with a chuckle, maneuvering her legs so her heels pressed into his torso.