Left in the Wake

[Tanell]

Tanell

65th Day of Summer, 515 AV

The radiant light of Syna broke gently through the cloud cover, danging in shimmering shapes and patterns against the shifting surface of the waves. Where the light touched the water, it diffused, giving a gentle glow to the life beneath the surf, one that pleased the Konti woman who floated happily in the sea.

The water was cool, a welcome relief from the heat of the summer, one she sought often, rain fell occasionally. Pitter pattering half heartedly against the ocean's surface and lending a contrast to the constant rhythm of the waves. The ocean floor was soft white sand, littered with crabs, fish and other sea life.

A reef bloomed starkly contrasting the sand with its brilliant colors, red and purple, green and blue, made all the more beautiful by the ebullient fish that swam all around. They seemed not to be disturbed by her presence, rather they swam with her, around her, the perfect companions on a perfect day.

It was the surreal beauty of the ocean, the creatures that kept Tanell in the sea. She couldn't bear to part from the sight, to leave the scene that surely framed her as a gem among the treasures of the sea.

She kicked her legs, propelling herself forward with ease, glad to have discarded the notion that she should swim clothed. The embrace of the sea was wasted on clothing, she far preferred wearing the simple dress she had purchased to bed rather than to swim in as was its original purpose. The water surrounded her, filling her gills, sustaining her happily. To refuse that embrace was folly, and to dress in the water was to refuse.

So she swam, her naked form lit by the diffuse light just as any other shimmering object in the sea. The freedom and joy that such a thing provided lending her actions to whimsical water dances, caught in the gentle wake of the tide.

It was lovely, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the world was holding its breath. Everything waiting in a prefect scene, the catalyst of the event yet to arrive.

She didn't mind, she would wait with them, but not in stillness. She would wait in whimsy.

[Logan Storm]

"Where am I?" Logan questioned. Once again he was in an unknown land, a place very unfamiliar to him.

Last time there was complete darkness, this time there was light. A sun glistened over warm and soft soil. A lightly colored yellow, the ground was. Logan reached down and touched it. he tried to hold it in his fingers, but it just slid past him and back to the ground. "What is this?" Logan questioned. It looked like the sand that plagued the mine city of Sunberth, but it was much cleaner and un-touched by impure hands.

In the distance, Logan could hear water crashing against itself, creating a soothing noise that tickled his ears with delight. This wasn't new to him, and the sound never made him this happy before, but he enjoyed it, the same way he enjoyed the embrace of a woman in his arms.

When Logan looked closer towards the sand, he noticed clothing nearly hidden by the grains. Paying more attention, Logan saw that they were women clothing. He looked around the area to see if he could find who these belonged to. It was then that he saw a bright flash of light from the ocean. There were abnormal splashing sounds coming from it, and Logan could see movement off in the distance.

"A woman," Logan noted when he saw a figure dance beautifully in the sea. He wasn't quite sure if what he saw was correct, so he decided to call out to the lady of the sea.

"Heeeeeeey!" He shouted, waving his hands and calling for her attention.

[Tanell]

Tanell

The bubble of stillness broke like a sigh of breath, coasting across the distance with ease. With it everything changed, bubbles cascaded from her lips, the tide shoved her to the shore, and the fish darted off around her, following the current, urging her onward.

She swam with the tide, no less grace in her movement now that the water crashed and pulled and pushed. Water was her element, and she happily moved with it.

She couldn't figure out what had changed, for the sun still glittered through the cracks in the sky, the rain still misted on and off, indecisive. It was different now, though, and she couldn't decide why.

"Hey!" The sound burbled through the water, foggy and distant, unclear. That was what had changed. She was no longer alone. She surfaced, blinking sea water from her eyes, there was a man on the shore, dressed in entirely too much clothing to be swimming. Perhaps he didn't know how?

She swam in broad focused strokes towards the shore, the man her goal, she would have him swim with her, she was sure she could convince him.

"Hello!" She hailed him once she could finally stand on the slope that descended into the water. Her steps bringing her further out of the water and closer to the man. The water fell just around her hips when she stopped, her bubbling happiness turning to confusion. Did she know this man? "You... you look very familiar to me." She admitted, her voice thick with some half remembered emotion.

She grew chilled, even with Syna's warm light beating against her back, and it was enough to remind her of the dream from nights before, the velveteen fingers of darkness, and the point of light that had saved her. Not the fragile candle, but rather the man who had cheered her even in the blackest night.

Her smile grew warm as she continued forward out of the water and across the sand to embrace the man, the memory more than enough to inspire her gratitude. To bring the gentle happiness back to their surroundings.

"We have met, I remember now."