PM to join One Door Closes, Another Opens

[Titus Galesong]

Summer 9, 516

The road leading from the Tranquil Port up to Zintia was sparsely populated with a few shacks here and there. Dockworkers, some fisherman and a handful of other characters tied to the aquatic industry of Lhavit had set up small shacks, fancy tents and even the occasional cottage to shorten the daily commute to and from work. Near a bend about halfway up the mountain was a cluster of nicer residences that formed a tiny commune. Two families of some renown amongst the seagoing folk had set themselves up rather well. A large square cottage that housed a real kitchen and several large tables was something of a common lodge. Almost a dozen tents and shacks were littered around this building and men and woman of all ages bustled about in the early morning. Many were getting ready for work while others were gossiping about certain events.

Near a well-groomed herb garden stood two women of middle age and a man in his late teens or early twenties. They had somber faces and looked back and forth from the main cottage to a shack near the garden. The sounds of pleasure and satisfaction rose up from the shack in random intervals and volumes. Most of the noises were female and the louder ones drew a rouge pigment to the cheeks of those eavesdropping. The sporadic commentary of the male within the establishment brought stifled giggles from the spectators as well.

A sudden loud commotion of shock, anger and the intermittent laughter of a large man caused the trio to jump back in surprise. The ruckus also drew the attention of a wider area of people who began to slowly filter towards the tiny wooden abode. When there were nearly a dozen folk within a few feet of the door, everything seemed to go silent; even the birds. The dingy wooden pallet used as a portal to the home flew in front of the force of a large naked being tossed out into the yard. The tan-skinned man quickly gathered himself and stood up to his full height of several inches above six feet. The crystalline blue eyes were bloodshot but awake and without any shame for his situation, the man gathered his belt and shirt from the ground then gave a nod to some of the onlookers. Without too much delay, he took a step back towards the door as it closed in his face.

“Aww, don’t be that way, Delilah!” The big, rough hand moved towards the handle but a violent outburst which involved something being smashed against the door from the inside.

“My name!” The young woman shouted. “Is Nadine!!!!!” The door flung open but the man aptly dodged the swinging frame and moved in to replace the vacancy but received a sharp slap that nearly tore him from his stance. The big tattooed man was about to protest his situation when his pants and boots came flying out, smashed him in the face then sent him tumbling backwards. This, of course, brought a ripple of laughter from the assembled mass. The sailor, by his tattoos, didn’t seem to care. He pulled on his pants and affixed his belt then stepped into his boots. Adjusting the cutlass on his waist, the tall lad shook out his tangled blonde hair then slipped into his tattered shirt.

“Deli-…” the man began then corrected himself. “Nadine, we had something special.” For a moment, he looked sincere and then he chuckled. He rubbed his face with his left hand then gave himself a swat on the cheek. “Ha! Sorry, not sorry, love.” He turned and looked at the arc of people that surrounded him. “What?” His tone was jovial as he met the stare of each person searching for any type of challenge or flare. “She wanted to see my tattoos…” With that, the tall, sailor swaggered through the crowd towards the road. He had some fish to catch.

You Can Find Me In The Waves

[Dust]

The ivory raven sat in a treetop, projecting the very defining image of sleepy morning nonchalance. She fluffed up her feathers, eyed the Lhavitians lingering about below in the wan dawn light, preened back into proper shape an annoying secondary that would oh so thankfully be soon to molt, and otherwise did her very best to be just another idle soul hanging around. There were certainly plenty of them here this morning -- although the preoccupations of the humans were entirely different from those of the Kelvic.

She didn't have half an eye on the jay nest a couple trees over, no, never ever that.

The jays had raised a first brood already this season, its two surviving fledglings still hanging about on the scant hope of guilting their parents into sharing food. The mother was occupied in brooding her second clutch, a perfectly scrumptious-looking trio of pale gray eggs. She didn't much care for the larger raven hanging about, but its perch was outside their territory -- Dust had made sure of that! -- and it hardly seemed to be aware of the nest at all...

Of course, any wise parent should know that such studied nonchalance was always -- inevitably! -- a great act of subterfuge. Dust could be patient, for something she wanted; and she wanted that egg, so she remained patient, and watched, and waited for her moment. Eventually, the mother jay would consign her to so much background.

Or, something big would get thrown through a door, providing the best distraction ever.

The mother bird hopped up out of her nest as the building and garden below erupted into a ruckus of flying things and raised voices. Her mate swooped up to another tree to get his own perspective on the scene, not quite alarmed but worried about whether any of the loud noises and sudden movements posed a threat to their nest.

Neither of the jays had any attention left over for their omnivorous avian neighbor.

Dust launched herself from her perch and glided down towards the nest. She had an egg snatched up in one clawed foot before the parent birds had even realized danger truly threatened from an altogether different direction. Clutching it tightly, the raven kept right on going out the other side of the jays' tree, seeing her best opportunity for evasion in the open street and some exchange of altitude for speed.

Unfortunately for the raven, leaving the nest in her wake didn't mean a scot-free escape. From his separate vantage point, the male had a decent line on her, and wasted no more time in addressing the very clear and present danger she had made of herself. The jay promptly swooped in, raucous scolds heckling Dust every wingbeat of the way down.

She swerved, turned about, fought for altitude, turned again. Smaller and more agile, he met her every attempt at evasion with harassing swoops and dives, still scolding for all the world to hear. All he wanted was for her to drop the egg, he made that abundantly clear; and never mind that neither of them would have the egg if it fell and shattered on the road. All Dust wanted was for the jay to go away and let her eat breakfast in peace; but he persisted, as stubborn and determined as she. She even felt one of his dives catch that nearly-molted secondary, yanking the feather free to float its own way through the air...

...not entirely unlike how the egg finally slipped from her harassed and distracted grip to plummet towards the ground below.

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Titus Galesong]

Titus gave himself the span of a few winks to linger in the area then he began a leisurely stroll down towards the water. The subtle creak of a heavy wooden door caused everyone to turn and look at the entrance to the lodge. Two men, one young and the other old, stepped through the frame and into the morning light. Both were very large and bore expressions of anger and rage respectively. This was certainly a good time to leave. At least, that’s what Titus figured so the sailor pivoted on his heel and started to casually disappear into the crowd. Funny thing about that… the faces that surrounded him were all very much the same and he was different. Almost a head taller than every other body, wild blonde hair and broad shoulders seemed to illuminate him in the eyes of the fellows that lingered upon the steps.

“You disgraced my family, pirate!” The older man shouted. The younger one nodded and said something under his breath which goaded the senior accuser. “I’ll tear you apart for taking advanta-“

Titus was an easygoing man. He seldom gave deep thought to the way in which he was treated. Most people were polite enough and some were fascinated by the wandering spirits while other cursed all Svefra indiscriminately. This was normally received with a shrug or a laugh but to be called a pirate was too much. The small giant used the very same heel to spin back around and spat a very impolite word in Fratava which seemed to lower a hush over the assembled masses including the two men which he took to be Nadine’s father and brother…or betrothed. Now that he had their attention, the sharp-tongued and occasionally quick-witted fisherman switched his vocabulary to Common and let them have it. “Pirate? I forgive ya for bein’ so stupid and seein’ as how your lil girl’s the one who sought me out I’ll forgive ya for accusin’ me o’ bein’ a forceful bastard as well.”

The big man took a few steps back towards the lodge as his voice grew louder. He wasn’t so wrapped up in his rant to notice that several young men who were exchanging glances with the younger man on the steps had started to flank him. Titus opened his mouth to hurl more insults when a very unpredictable thing happened. A small egg smashed almost directly on the bridge of his nose. He was caught dead to rights and froze as the yolk dripped down his face. After a tick of infinite surprise, Titus sneezed in such a way that it doubled him over and scattered the sticky substance down his chest. The angry men and all of those watching erupted into laughter. The scorned sailor gazed up to see a large white bird flying around. He narrowed his gaze and called out in Fratava. “Curse ya, ya feathered fiend! If I ever catch ya, you’ll be shark food!”

It seemed the situation had resolved itself with a bit of public humiliation. Titus stalked angrily down the road to the port. After a handful of chimes, the Sverfa finally reached sea level and couldn’t be happier. He had experienced a very fulfilling night and nearly got beat up. “Not a bad start to the day.” Titus was good and ready to clean up, though. Aside from the egg there was the smell of Nadine that needed to be rinsed away. As he got near the private docks reserved for smaller boats, a dark shape made itself apparent in the water. Titus strode down the slip to The Melstrom and stripped off everything but his pants and threw the rest of his stuff onto the deck. “Uuuuuu!” The man called out before bending his legs and sinking into a crouch. In a single motion that started in his feet, force was applied by pushing against the dock and straightened the long, lean body of Titus as it propelled him into the air. As his form reached the peak of the jump, the child of Laviku brought his arms out and then together in front of him just as he began to descend towards the dark water. The tanned body pierced the surface with a splash, albeit a small one for such a big guy.

Before the Svefra could surface for air, the dark shape swam up and smashed into him drastically altering his underwater trajectory. Air bubbles indicated a struggle beneath the soft waves of the protected harbor and after a few chimes, a black-tipped grey fin sliced through the water dragging a half laughing, half choking Titus along for the ride. The man let go and spun in the wake of the sea creature. Titus began to swing his arms using his muscle to pull his body along. He kicked his feet in rhythm and alternated the motions of his head to gather air into his lungs every fourth stroke. While being used to the water, the man wasn’t nearly as good of a swimmer as he should have been so it was always a good time to practice; even when in the presence of sharks. Titus shifted his body and rolled onto his back while continuing to kick his legs. He reversed the direction of his arms so that they still propelled him towards his home. Though this technique was slower than the first, the young sailor enjoyed it because it allowed him to look up into the sky and dream.

You Can Find Me In The Waves

[Dust]

Dust was not a swallow, agile and acrobatic in the air; nor a hummingbird who might alter course drastically between one wingbeat and the next. Despite her best attempt to turn, to dive, to snatch the egg back up from the air --

Nope.

So much for that breakfast plan.

...but she had to admit, the stunned surprise of the unfortunate soul who just so happened to be in the wrong place... was absolutely hilarious. Dust couldn't have planned that better if she'd tried. If she'd been in human form, the Kelvic would have fallen over laughing. As it was, the raven chortled amusement even while she straightened out her flight, recovering from the failed attempt to reacquire her egg. The imprecation the man hurled up at her afterwards -- Dust didn't understand any of the words, but their tone was unmistakable -- was much less funny, downright rude. It's not like she'd meant to hit him with the egg, after all.

Still, she couldn't help but chortle again as he stalked off towards the port.

That annoying jay was still hanging around, watching her every wingbeat to make sure the raven didn't come back for another go. Which she wouldn't; the avian parents were on their guard now. Dust would have to find breakfast elsewhere.

Like... say... down at the port. She could have fish for breakfast just as well as egg.

Getting to the port was a matter of a nice, easy glide that left the jays and the garden and the gossipy people behind. If the ivory raven's flight just so happened to echo the path of a certain tattooed blonde man... well, if really truly pressed, Dust might admit that wasn't so very much of an accident.

It turned out he had a ship. Watching the man shed his clothes, Dust contemplated the small craft; ships, in her experience, tended to carry some kind of food. She had half a thought to check it out -- although not to take anything without asking, no; people got even worse about that than birds! --

But her line of thought was totally derailed by watching the man swim... with... some kind of really really big fish? That was interesting! Settling herself on the railing of the little ship, the ivory raven cocked her head and watched the man get towed through the water, hanging on to some part of the giant fish.

That looked like fun!

For all the sounds this raven could make, human speech wasn't really one of them. That posed a problem -- albeit an easily fixed one. Shifting to human, the pale-haired woman leaned on the railing... and waited, impatiently. Even she knew it wasn't any good to call out to someone whose head was underwater as often as not... but eventually his actions calmed, the man settling into a float on his back. Now he could hear her.

"What kind of fish is that?"

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Titus Galesong]

The relaxed feeling was amazing though there was a cross current that would occasionally push the toned form of the sailor about from time to time. It was the unseen wake of Ushaka as the shark circled and darted through the water around his human. The beast seemed to understand how important it was for Titus to unwind. The slightly clouded sky was hypnotic as it slipped by one stroke at a time. Of course, like all good things, this swim had to come to an end.

A voice rang out amidst the surface of the bay as it weaved in and out of his ears. Titus stopped his swim and allowed his body to return upright due to its natural buoyancy. He gently kicked his feet and pulled his arms back and forth which kept him level in the water. Titus looked around but didn’t see anyone. The shadow of his boat rested over him as he debated whether or not the voice had been his imagination. Several ticks went by and Titus decided to end his swim and climb aboard The Maelstrom. He could always get in a good day of fishing; maybe the catch would better than last season. The man dipped down under the water and rose back which caused his hair to slick back over his skull and down his neck without any coaxing; apparently hair can be trained. Weathered hands whisked droplets of water from his eyes. When the vivid blue orbs gazed up, they saw a figure staring down at him. A moment of blurry vision allowed for an explosive Fratavan outburst.

“Oy! The petch ya think yer doin’ on m-” The Sverfa’s tone was beyond upset as he started to climb up using the gunwhale as a hand hold. As his eyelashes finished clearing away the water and the person came into focus, the angry wind left his sails. The creature aboard his Casinor was this angelic woman. Her cropped blonde hair framed an elegant face with bright, curious eyes and a plump smile. The lines of her jaw, cheeks and nose were delicate and refined. The fisherman could do little but hold himself halfway suspended between the water and the deck of his home. In a moment, Titus was frozen with an open mouth and a ridiculously loud heartbeat. It was several ticks before the seadog realized that this woman was naked. This only further complicated things for the tactless tongue. “Laviku’s mercy…” was all he could utter as his gaze began to take in her figure. The long curve of her neck down towards her shoulder was underlined perfectly by the subtle shadow of her collarbone. Titus wanted to trace his nose along the slope and inhale the salt from her skin. Her shoulders were fit with lean muscle but he would get to see no more as his feet were taken away from him.

The black-tipped fins of Ushaka came zipping along and carried the sailor’s lower half away from the boat with a powerful shove. Apparently, the tavan had decided that his companion was taking too long in his position next to the vessel and needed coerced into action. Titus’ face revealed the surprise with wide eyes and a half shout that turned into bubbles floating up to the surface as the Svefra was once again submerged. When he bobbed up ticks later, the man half-expected the woman to be gone as if she’d only been a dream but she was still there. The dark shape in the water was circling again and Titus kicked at him if only as a gesture. “Filthy urchin.” The sailor kicked his feet a bit and made several long strokes that pulled him through the harbor’s cool water and back to his ship. He switched to Common and tried to put on his best smile though the beauty before him made him feel a bit intimidated which was rare for the brazen Svefra.

“’at’s my home your standing on, love.” His thick accent rang through with every word. Titus remained low in the water. While he longed to see the rest of her perfect body, his only defense for such a sight was to simply stay put. Women had often used wiles to trick him along with countless other poor saps throughout history. Titus had to be smart for a change; answers had to supersede desires though this felt wrong to deny his eyes the pleasure. “Could tell me yer name to start, yeah?” Titus continued to kick his feet gently, ever vigilant in keeping an eye out for Ushaka while using his fingertips against the hull to create a floating stasis. “Name’s Titus, girl and I must say that you, well…” The fisherman blushed a bit then squinted up with the most charming face he could muster. “You’s ‘bout the prettiest thing walkin’.”

You Can Find Me In The Waves

[Dust]

The man looked around at her query... but didn't seem to notice Dust herself. However, it wasn't more than a few breaths before he did start heading for the boat. Not even enough time for the Kelvic to get frustrated; instead, she simply settled in to wait, blue gaze tracking his progress towards the boat.

The very moment his eyes set upon her, the man promptly cursed her again, and with considerably more fervor this time. Dust sighed heavily, pushing herself away from the railing and crossing her arms. "It was just a question. If you're gonna be like that..."

...she could just leave, but the second half of the statement went without being voiced, because the man just... stopped. Stopped speaking, stopped moving; she half suspected he'd stopped breathing, which was not exactly a good thing. Dust canted her head and peered down at him, her brows gathering together in a baffled frown. She opened her mouth to ask -- ah, but he'd just said something. The words didn't reach up to her, but at least that meant he was breathing.

And while his expression looked like someone had just whacked him over the head, there wasn't anything of anger in it. Dust could work with that. Probably.

"Sorry... I didn't hear that. If you were talking to me." Half a pause. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?" Another beat. "I guess at least you won't fall off and drown, with the fish there to help you..."

Dust wasn't even sure he heard her speak, never mind understood the words; the man remained completely still and staring until his fish came back, marked by that big fin cutting the surface and an even bigger darkness below. At least something could jog him out of that broken state, even if it took being dunked in the water and dragged off. If he did that often, it was going to be basically impossible to get an answer to her question.

The woman mulled that over while the man bobbed back to the surface and hauled himself back through the water to the small ship. At least this time, when he turned his face up towards her, he spoke clearly and politely and seemed not broken at all. "Oh, good! You can talk. I was getting a little worried there..." Even if the first thing he said was to assert ownership of the ship, albeit in a perfectly reasonable manner. Dust glanced down to the wood of the ship, then back to him. "I know it is. Or, well, I figured!" Most people didn't just leave their things on strangers' ships, after all.

At least from there he moved on to introductions. This was more like how she'd expected the conversation to go. Mostly. "Of course! I'm Dust," she replied with a bright smile, pleased their meeting was back on the proper track, or at least in its vicinity. "Nice to meet you!"

Seeing the man put on a very nice face -- the kind of nice that went with 'wanting you to like me' -- and then having him call her pretty was... honestly rather bewildering. Hadn't he just been cursing at her a few chimes before? Now it was the exact opposite? She couldn't help but look askance at him... and decided not to ask, in case reminding him would start him cursing again. It was one thing to be cursed when she'd actually done something to merit it...

"Oh, thanks! Um... really, I just wanted to ask about your fish. What kind is it? Is it a Kelvic?"

Hopefully the question didn't break him again. She still wasn't sure what had done it the first time.

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Titus Galesong]

Titus soaked in every word as the woman spoke. It wasn’t what she was saying so much as the honey from her tongue kissed his ears with each sweet word. The young man was absolutely taken by the watery eyes and curious expression. In truth, he was only half listening as his imagination was walking through the steamy scenarios of what would happen should he figure out a way to climb aboard and keep his wits. The sailor knew he was handsome and could be persuasive if he wasn’t tripping over his own desires. A soft ‘mmmmm’ passed through his lips as the daydream momentarily overtook reality. His fingertips traced patterns that resembled caresses against the hull of his boat. The tip of a stern dorsal fin grazed his toes and brought him back to the present conversation with what was certainly some kind of divine apparition. He mouthed her name and felt the letters etch themselves into his soul. “Dust.”

The lass’ question took a minute to sink in through the fantasies and sweaty emotions. Kelvic? Titus must have missed something. He looked down and then behind to see the shadow of Ushaka slicing through the water. The sudden change of direction and jerking pause indicated that he had just caught a piece of food. Titus smiled wide. That shark was the sole constant in his life; an anchor amidst the squall. The Svefra turned back and met Dust’s inquisitive stare. Once more, he found his swimming skills did little to keep him from drowning in those warm pools. It took him several ticks to come to before giving her an answer and even then there was a stumbling of conversation that made Titus’ sudden infatuation all the more apparent.

“He’s jus’ a shark, princess.” Titus had to think about a translation and then continued. “He’s Ushaka, my tavan.” The name and title were said in Fratava since the fisherman did not know the Common words for these things. His accent was especially heavy but smooth when he used Fratava. “Tavan is an animal…friend.” Titus rose up out of the water a little catching the sun as it reflected from the bare and tantalizing shoulders of the woman. The sailor had never bothered to ask why she was need or where she came from. He was absolutely satisfied with her company and while clothes would have made things easier for him…he’d be a fool to complain. “Can you swim, Dust?” Titus used his fingertips and the muscles in his arms to float a smidge higher as his face came close to the gunwhale. His voice was soft but more confident than it had been previously. Perhaps this was all going to work out in his favor. “Would you like to swim with us?”

[Dust]

There was definitely still something wrong with him, the Kelvic decided as they continued to regard one another. His attention didn't seem to be quite all here, and it definitely seemed like he needed prompting from his fish in order to say much of anything. It was all really kind of weird. But not in a bad way.

Dust watched the man look to his fish, and caught a glimpse of the edge of his smile; that expression fit perfectly with his subsequent explanation, at least the friend part of it. "Tavan," she echoed, contemplating the unfamiliar syllables of the word. Not Kelvic, since everywhere she'd been used the same word for her kind, and she'd never even heard of a fish Kelvic besides. "That's not a Common word, is it? It's from the other language you use. What language is that?"

She was just starting to think of sitting down and getting more comfortable for what was shaping up to perhaps be a longer conversation... when Titus proposed something else altogether. Dust leaned into the railing to peer down at the rippling water, her expression slightly dubious. It looked like deep water... and not like breakfast. "I don't really know how to swim," she admitted, straightforward and without hesitation. "I can float, though! I learned from..." What had the water-woman been called? That had been ages ago. Dust pressed her lips together, glancing up as she rummaged through her memories... and after a few ticks, gave up the effort. "Well, I forget her name, we only met once. But she was just like the water, not like people at all!"

As far as swimming with them went... The tone he had asked in made it more an entreaty, not just an offer. Like he didn't want her to say no. Which was fine; the last time she'd been swimming had been fun, and while Titus seemed to be a bit weird, it didn't feel like a dangerous kind of weird. But... "I wouldn't mind swimming a bit. But I was going to find breakfast, before I saw you and your fish. I lost what I was going to eat, earlier."

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Titus Galesong]

She didn’t seem bashful and like him, she sounded out the unfamiliar words. The subtle difference in her inflection as she said tavan was almost instantly endearing. Titus was beginning to grow uncomfortable in his own skin at all of this emotion and tingling. Astute as she was beautiful, Dust picked up his accent allowed what seemed to be an innate curiosity run with a question. “Aye, tis Fratava.” The word sounded strange to the Svefra in the Common tongue. “All Svefra speak it.” He continued then suddenly switched to his native tongue allowing the grace to take over since he always felt clunky when using Common. “I wish you didn’t have me sailing without a rudder, love because I’d climb aboard and show you why men of the waves are the best lovemakers in the whole wide world.” He sighed and gave her a polite smile knowing his secret crush was safe.

Dust appeared to have more interest in the damned shark than in Titus so he kicked his feet to keep his body close to level which was made easier by his guiding fingertips which, on prompting from his wild and slightly perverted imagination, would touch, trace or grasp the hull as if taking hold of a warm body. Titus reverted back to Common so as not to slay the conversational vibe with too much one-sided commentary. “I have not heard of such a creature.” His brow furrowed as he combed through and index of things he’d been taught as a child and young man but the image of a person made of water was not among that parade. His eyes perked up along with the rest of him at the mention of breakfast. On cue, his stomach growled as an irritating reminder that he needed to eat as well. “Then we’ll just have to catch us some!”

Titus shot his hands up and caught the lip on the gunwhale on either side of Dust’s face. Titus double-kicked both his legs and at the same time, he yanked upwards with his arms; the muscles in his arms, hands and shoulders all working together to use the momentum from his legs and hoist his body upward. The sailor closed his eyes as the blur of her flesh filled his vision. This gave him a chance to lift his chin and star skyward before reopening them and locking his elbows out. He swung his right leg onto the deck first then curled around the side so that his back was facing her. The thumping of his heart in his ears was deafening which made the few ticks he took to gather himself all the more important. He was doing his best to not look like a fool and he a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t doing a very good job.

Twisting away from the edge of his ship, he turned and made eye contact though his adolescent tendencies stole a perfect shot of her body in all of its naked glory. Syna’s light was radiating from Dust as if to acknowledge the artistry in her creation. Broken. The man froze for what felt like an eternity as he bathed in her presence. The Svefra finally came to and was thankful that he hadn’t lunged forward into something forceful since acting on one’s desires often leads to misunderstandings. “I…” Titus spun on his heel and disappeared into his cabin. He gathered his clamdigging kit, breath bag and fins but before he reemerged, he took a few moments to gather himself. In Fratavan whispers, he recounted some things and tried to feed his motivation for success rather than his desire for a different kind of appetite.

“Al’ight, focus ya fool. Do this right and she might stick around. Petch it up and ye’ll ne’er see her again.”

The man came back out carrying all of his gear and set it on top of the cabin between the two of them. He knelt down and gathered his harpoon by the rope and slipped it over his shoulder. He opened the clamdigger’s kit and pointed at the shovel and knife. He gave her direction in Common. “Use these to dig out the clam shells. I’ll show you where they are and then ya drop ‘em in here.” He held up the small mesh bag for her to see. Titus them put his hand on the flippers. “Put these on yer feet. You’ll swim faster and this…” He blew a huge breath into the bag and sealed it then offered her the strap. “Will be a breath of air or two if ya run out while yer diggin’. Put it over your head and under your arm so it sits here.” He touched his hip and inadvertently looked to the same place on her body. The gentle curve gave him a bit of a swoon as the blood in his veins began to rush through his body heating up places that wouldn’t help him catch breakfast.

Once more he turned from her. It wasn’t that Titus couldn’t handle a naked woman being near him. He was an experienced man and rather enjoyed the company of beautiful women. There was something about this one; this Dust that sent his compass spinning. Slightly irritated and borderline furious with himself, the man leapt over the gunwhale and into the water using his hands to break the surface of the water first. This allowed the rest of his body to slip in with little resistance. Some ten feet away, his blonde hair surfaced. The crystal blue eyes stared up at his home while his arms swayed back and forth and his feet kicked in rhythm to maintain his level within the waves. Ushaka came rushing up and the sailor grabbed hold of the dorsal fin at its base. Both shadows disappeared beanth the waves for some time, nearly five chimes before a cluster of bubbles announced Titus’ arrival a few feet off the ship’s starboard side where he had leapt off. He looked up at Dust. “When you’re ready, enter the water slowly. I’ll help you and then introduce you to Ushaka. You getting’ the fins on alright? Those straps can be tricky.”

[Dust]

Fratava. She didn't echo this particular new word, as Titus proceeded directly to demonstrate the language in use -- and without the antagonistic address of a curse, at that. His speech was smoother to her ear, its cadence reminding her of the surf on a rocky shore -- or perhaps that had more to do with their current context, regarding one another across the divide between ship and sea.

He reverted back to Common in short order, fortunately; as much as Dust appreciated languages, she really appreciated being able to communicate in them. He also gave every indication of being just as on-board with the idea of breakfast as she. The Svefra surged up, or gave the sense of doing so, to grab the edge of the boat right in front of her; the Kelvic recoiled in automatic reflex, quickly putting a buffer of space between herself and his sudden action. Also, incidentally, clearing the way for him to vault up onto the deck, water cascading from his skin and pattering to the boards. He stopped there a moment, seeming to gather himself and also get a better look at her; his pause allowed a different sort of space to salve ruffled instinct, conscious thought catching up to reaction. New friend, no harm, all good.

Immediately upon breaking that momentary mutual stillness, he all but dove into the cabin behind, to Dust's surprise and mild consternation. She had no problem exercising patience, though, not when breakfast with her new friend was on offer. So she waited, drifting back over to the ship's edge and amusing herself with a game of spot-the-fish.

The game proved to be much easier if the fish in question was quite large, and really just amounted to fish-watching.

Titus reemerged armed with tools and a plan, relayed in quick, short sentences that seemed to belie haste. Well, she certainly couldn't fault him if he'd realized he was hungry too! He gave her things that resembled duck feet, or maybe fish fins, and two different kinds of bags. Dust was much too busy examining all these things to more than vaguely sense he'd turned away, and think nothing significant of it. She even missed the start of his dive into the water, looking over only just in time to see the splash, and his feet disappearing beneath the waves. That jolted her into action; if she was supposed to be digging the clams, she'd better get out there and do it, or neither of them would have breakfast!

The fins had a spot for her feet to fit into, which was easy. The straps... well, once she figured out the fins went under her feet instead of on top, which took longer than it really should have, they straightened out pretty well. "I think I've got it!" she called back at his prompt. "Just a tick!" Standing up with them on was... harder than it should have been; Dust hadn't even thought how important toes were for that action, before now. Walking, too; fortunately, she didn't have to go far, and leaning just a bit over the side brought Titus promptly into view, telling her where she needed to go.

Enter the water slowly, he'd said. Was that even possible, when the only way down was to drop? Did it matter? She had a friend and his great big fish to help out if she did something a little wrong. (As opposed to really seriously wrong, which would probably end in trouble no matter what.) With that as a confidence booster -- not that Dust needed such boosting -- her pause at the ship's edge was quite slight. "Okay! Coming down!". Which act, for lack of any more sophisticated option, was as simple as bracing her hands on the edge of the ship, hopping over, and holding on as she dropped so she didn't gain too much speed before hitting the water. If there was one thing Dust understood, it was how height translated to velocity.

If there was one thing she didn't understand, it was the personally-directed fascination of her audience... or at least one of its constituents.

Fortunately, she had other concerns altogether at the time.

Dust had the presence of mind to keep her mouth closed when entering the water; for one, she already knew how seawater tasted. (Not particularly good.) The breath bag, slung across her chest to hang at her hip as Titus had directed, pulled upwards and helped buoy her -- somewhat. Her mass still tended downwards, and the sense of sinking promoted a terrestrial's first impulse, that disrupting moment of nonaction where her mind registered only water! everywhere! cold! no air! and strongly suggested she flail in an effort to reach breathable space again.

oocStopping here so Titus and Ushaka have a chance to step in; Dust will remember she knows how to float in short order otherwise.

Common | Pavi | someone else