PM to join The Water just grabbed me, Honest (Pulren)

[Amunet]

45th, Summer, 516 av
8th Bell
Vaspura River

A lot of people were going swimming or dipping their feet into the river to keep cool. The fishermen of their people grumbled about fishing sucking as the heat was driving the fish into deeper water. The red head sighed as she tried to move to a less used spot as she was there to wash the laundry. Hopefully the time of day had her beat most to the river. The little lady dismounted from her Strider and moved through a spot between the reads were a rock jutted into the river and submerged. Amunet found that handy as she could use the rock to scrub the clothes a bit. She sat down and took her boots, pants and over shirt off where she had her camisole and loose short bottoms that went to the top of her thigh that was in unbleached white linen.

Camile her dog and Leia her hunting cat went their way to find a spot to lay down and enjoy the cool of the morning before it got hot. The humidity was already oppressive as is. The red head turned her head towards her entourage of animals and huffed a chuckle as she turned her head to find her footing out onto the rock and into the water it was partially submerged in. The basket she balanced on her hip was set on the dry portion. The first garment came out and she wet it well before taking the bar of soap and rubbing it on the cloth in the soiled areas and areas that collect odors such as under arms or crotch area or under the boobs. With little boys, this may mean the whole of the garment as you never know what a six year old boy gets into.

Once a certain amount of soap was rubbed into the wet fabric she used the roughness of the stone beneath her feet and scrubbed the cloth against it vigorously. This was fairy repetitive type action as she lifted the garment up and looked at it before putting it back into the shallow portion of the water, applied soap and scrubbed till she was satisfied. The garment was folded in on itself before it was wrung out strongly as she twisted it firmly to get as much water out of it as possible before putting it in the basket to grab the next garment needing the same treatment. The process was repeated as she wet the garment, applied the soap to various spots needed and scrubbed the garment till it came as clean as she could get it. The garment was then dunked in water to rinse it before wringing the garment out and folding it on itself to wring out more with firm twists of the material till as much water as possible was removed from the garment.

The girl could hear down the way other persons were there. She stood up to look at her location and to see if she could spot who was around. They seemed at least a few hundred feet away and it seemed water carried the sound well. The industrious girl went back to her washing as she was on a roll pulling the next garment out to give it a thorough washing. Amunet had no pavilion so there was no help with the day to day management of the tents, cooking and a myriad of other chores that needed to be done to maintain what her and her little brother had. The daunting task of her work at the River Flower, raising her little brother and keeping them all fed, clothed and healthy kept her constantly busy. The boy was growing like a weed to and it became apparent that she would need to get the boy clothes soon. Besides the six year old growing out of her garments, some of them were getting a bit worn out. Amunet continued washing each garment one by one as she found some solace and peace in the simple domesticity of what she was doing. It beat people fighting and the violence between the refugees and the Drykas recently. It beat constantly trying to prove her worth in a people steeped in tradition.

[Pulren Marsh]

The people of the Drykas were as amazing and different as any other people that Pulren had experienced so far in his lifetime. Their nomadic and hardy ways of survival, a symbiotic life with the land, it brought a sense of respect and appreciation to the young Zeltivan. In many ways, these were the worshipers of the Sea of Grass as Pulren was to the Sea Proper. The waves moved across his skin beneath his leather armor, always trying to move to open spots on his body like his arms, as if the mark wished to move in the light of day. It was not his place to command the mark of his Father. Quite the opposite.

He had found that Azmere and the Watch had been more than generous by allowing him a spot among their ranks, albeit a junior partner. It was well enough for Pulren, as it secured him a spot among the people that served a purpose while giving him things to do and ways to survive until the end of the season. He knew he was just passing through but he would do his best to aid and protect the Drykas while he was with them. In his role as a junior member of the Watch, his task of the day appeared to be to watch and protect those who traveled to the river in order to bathe an wash. While it may have seemed like a trivial task, the high grasses which surrounded the banks of the river could easily hide predators looking for an easy meal.

He chose not to wear his helmet, mostly due to the heat of the day. While it was early and it wasn't as hot as it had been yet, he knew it soon would be. He carried only his trident, the shield also waiting for him with his supplies back at the Watch tents.The river was wide and appeared deep in places. He had not seen too many rivers, in general. Most of the places he had found himself were seaside. So his movement along the banks brought wary attention from all present as he made his way through, making mental notes of those who were around. A mother and her children bathed in the cool pools, their lack of modesty apparent with their complete lack of clothes. Pulren mostly kept his eyes to himself, though the curves of the mother were hard to ignore. He simply caught a brief glance between himself and the other and moved on, the glimpse of another a little farther upstream.

He saw her red locks, her pale flesh something that seemed a little off for the majority of the Drykas he had engaged with. Most were thoroughly tanned from their time in the sun. He couldn't see much else, her brief rise to look down at him or possibly the family downstream brief as she appeared to wash clothes. Departing from the banks, he could see a trail of boulders and smaller rocks that he could make his way across in order to approach her without taking the bank or clumsily splashing along. He also thought to keep an eye out for any stray fish that he might take the chance to spear with his trident. He figured that should he return from his duties with food, he would only increase his value with his hosts.

A Gossamer Template

[Amunet]

The young red head didn’t notice the unknown male coming towards her at first. She was busily and industriously scrubbing Drak’s pants. They were quite dirty as little boys are. The look on her face was one of chagrin and softly chuckling as she put the soap bar to the clothes again for a second go around once the current cleared her work space. “Boys are as boys are.” The red head said to no one in particular as she shook her head while scrubbing at the dirt and ground in debris rather firmly. The young woman had a determination to at least get them clean enough for Drak to do chores in. Into the water the pants went to scrub them against the stone and use the agitation of the water to loosen more dirt up out of the fibers.

She flipped her long red hair up and over one fair skinned shoulder as those red locks fell to her behind and into the water she crouched on. The girl held up the pants as she examined the spot she was working on. Satisfied moderately, the girl went to another portion with the soap bar to soap it up and use the rock as a scrubber to work at it. Pushing down and away firmly to gain the agitation she needed to get the item clean. Up, down and out scrubbing consistently and it seemed she kept the pace up with little sign of her quitting. She was just starting to feel it in her arms and back when she brought the pants up to her eyes to look at those spots and see if it was clean enough. There was a nod as she put it in the water and started to rinse it kneeding it in the clean water till water ran clear from the pants. The item was then taken out of the water as she stood up, twisted and wrung tightly. It was wrung tighter still till as much water as her strength could muster was wrung out of the pants. This was tossed into the basket as done.

It was at that moment she looked up to see a strange young man coming towards her spot in the stone. Her head shook as she tried to cover herself. The distraught red head backed up into the edge of the water more and more. “Wait.. “ She wasn’t dressed. He would see her unmarked skin. This couldn’t be as she the panicked expression of her eyes threw caution to the wind as she backed up more till her foot found no stone. There was a high pitched squeal, equally high pitched squeak and a splash. It could have been a scream but water turned it into a squeak.

The poor girl went under. Her arms flailed as she panicked. Those four graceful lean arms and legs ungainly in the water flailed as wildly as possible. It was a chime or two before she came up for a breath. It wasn’t a relaxed breath of air. It was a breath of air that meant to take in as much as possible because she was going back down. Back down she went as for some reason in the humor of the Gods the flailing caused her to get even further from the comfort of the rocks and shore. Her short stature found no purchase beneath her and it seemed as if water was her doom. The poor girl found little to no headway in trying to get back to the surface as she tried to ‘climb’ to the surface. It was inefficient and slow going but there came another panicked breath of as much air as possible with a squeal before she went under again. Water, why did it always have to be water?

[Pulren Marsh]

Hopping from boulder to boulder, Pulren was primarily focused on his footing and the way that the light was playing on the surface of the babbling water in between his purchases of stone. He would look up briefly as he moved closer to the area where he had seen the young redhead. Wait. Had seen? Leaping one more time to a large flat rock near the open water, he saw that she had fallen into the water, her thrashing arms a sure sign of distress. Zero hesitation pushed his legs and feet into action and he vaulted forward over the last remaining earthen obstacle before the wide part of the river was apparent.

He jumped feet first, finding the river's bottom sketchy. Too many hidden rocks underneath would cause a headfirst dive to kill him if he wasn't careful. The water was frigid and he felt the shock of it on his body, his breath taken in sharply as he straightened his form out and began to swim. He put his legs to task for the most part as he still held his trident in hand, not wanting to lose it to the current. He had two others but he doubted there was a fourth trident anywhere in the region. His focus remained on the flailing young woman, his experience pushing him along with the current until he quickly found her side.

Pushing down with the trident, he dug it into the rocky riverbed up to the shaft, making it a firm anchor, at least for someone of her diminutive stature. He didn't want to scare her too badly, reaching from behind her around her waist and lifting her head above the water so that she could take in air. His hand reflexively slid along her bare shoulder and down her arm until he found her wrist, guiding her hand to the shaft of his trident buried in the riverbed. "Hold on to this! I've got you!" He sort of had her, the mildly strong current of the river different from the lakes and seas he was accustomed to. Once he was sure that she was out of danger, he would swim with her, pulling her with him until they could both touch the bottom.

The trident would be pulled free and replanted near her once she was standing in the water. She was actually quite a sight to behold, her long striking red hair , the way her eyes seemed to shimmer like gold dust. The glowing mark of the healer that he had seen on his old friend Aoren was also clearly obvious on the face of this woman. Oh, water. It was such a friend to Pulren. How many women had he pulled from the drink? How many indeed.

A Gossamer Template

[Amunet]

The arms around her waist were a surprise. They were strong arms that pulled her up as she inevitably took the much needed breath of air. He had placed her hand on a metal rod of some kind poking out from the bottom. It didn’t feel safe and it didn’t feel stable in her panicked state. The poor red headed girl took the helpful man as an anchor as her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her body trembled. That little diminutive girl was stronger than she looked as she had a death grip on the poor man.

The stress of the situation had her squeezing every muscle she had not thinking of the constriction it had on him as he tried to swim to some kind of shore or flat location. When he was no longer moving but standing in shallow water it took her a chime or two to realize that she could release and put her legs down on the ground. The woman looked down at the watered shore with trepidation as if the water would grab her and claim her again. As she turned her head, the opalescent graceful sigil of winged serpents was on the right side of her face as bold as you please. She started to put an experimental foot down but her anxiety had her pulling it up a few times before she relented to its safety and put her foot down, then the other. The red head blushed fiercely as she backed away from the man.

She never seen him before and he didn’t have the markings of the Watch. There was a flash of a moment was she in some other danger. She had no weapons and little more than her underthings on. Those light sky blue eyes bedecked with gold dust starbursts looked at him with a concern as her body turned defensively sideways. “Who are you?! “ The girl asked as sharply as she could manage, in decent common with a soft beautiful lilt to the silken tone.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t thankful but certain experiences have taught her that some people do not help others for the sake of helping. They expected something and there are certain things that were not open to negotiations or for the taking in her mind. The girl swallowed hard and knew she was ill equipped to handle the man or any man really. That pretty head turned sideways taking her eyes off of him to see if there was space to run. It was a move that spoke of ignorance to such situations. That little Healer looked as skittish and ready to flee as a young skittish filly.

[Pulren Marsh]

In theory, his plan was pretty solid. An anchor to hold on to, his own arms holding her to maintain buoyancy and air. Unfortunately, in practice it didn't work that well. Pulren had been swimming most of his life, like most Zeltivans. He didn't really think about it like some0one actually drowning. That changed when her little legs locked around his waist and her arms locked around his neck. He went under too for a brief moment, but once his feet found purchase, it all worked out.

Mostly. Her death grip relaxed. Pulren left the trident where it was. She seemed scattered enough that he saw no reason to aggravate the situation buy grabbing his weapon. Wiping the water from his face, he did move laterally to her so that he gained a few feet of shore. His shoulders and the hollow of his throat were now no longer submerged. He laughed a little at the situation, hoping to calm the young healer. "You are a lot stronger than you look. I'd feel terrible if a healer drowned. I'm almost certain that such an oversight would mean certain death." He continued to wear a smile as another step or two brought his biceps out of the water, the movement splashing against his chest.

It was even clearer that she was afraid/ The looks in her eyes were those he saw in the victims of Sunberth. It turned in his stomach like sour milk. His face calmed from the smile to one of solemn concern. His arms came up from the water, his palms open and facing her. "Listen, I'm not here to harm you. My name is Pulren Marsh, Son of Laviku. I am here traveling along with your people until you get closer to Syliras. The Watch contracted me as a guard in the meantime." He moved laterally again, not closing distance but rising from the water more. Once it got to his waist, he slid the shirt and waistcoat off and tossed them to the shore, the added weight from the water enough to get him shivering.

He pulled his green linen shirt off next and threw it over too, the Sun striking and warming his bare skin. His scar across the top of his collarbones was visible as was the living waves of the Mark of his God. "I'm sorry I scared you. I saw you fall in and it is natural for me to save people who are drowning." He went ahead to the edge of the water, pulling his boots off to fum the water out of them.

A Gossamer Template

[Amunet]

Her shoulders visibly relaxed as he displayed signs of peace and not advancing as some men would do despite her warning. His joke about her strength helped a little as it was true most did not know that she was a stout little thing. “Move boxes, barrels in River Flower for sorting Medicine supply.” She wasn’t sure why she said that as the rueful crooked smile of the man had her awkwardly smiling. Her hand went to the other upper arm to rub it and squeeze it as if trying to console herself as best as she could.

She dripped there in the water that went half way up her calf. On Pulren it might come to a little higher than his ankle or maybe it was the way he was standing. The girl was sideways as she looked up into his eyes to find they remained steady. Steady eyes were important. They didn’t shift or look away which may indicate deception or other nefarious thoughts. Once the man of the water extended his identity, the healer relaxed even more as it seems the Watch was well aware of his existence here. The young lady didn’t apologize or dissemble but offered her own Identity. “It is well Pulren of waters.” The voice was a bit more sure and just as silken and pleasant. “ Me, Amunet of River Flower, daughter of Rak’keli and child of wind.”

Amunet was Drykas through and through. She was ever loyal to her people even if she was out of sorts with their thinking more often than not. The red hair, as wet as it was, hung well below her bottom as the weight lengthened the natural wave to its full length. She pulled the weight of the length to over her shoulder and started the arduous process of wringinig it out enough so it wasn’t giving her neck a workout. The waves that danced across his chest as the scars did not go unnoticed. There was no compulsion or pull, so the man must be healthy and strong. Yes, strong. He swam with little issue with a frightened girl clinging to him. “You seem at home in water.” The girl said in a neutral fashion, reverting to her bedside manner that most found pleasant. There was a polite smile as she wrung the wet out of the bulk of her hair. “Water likes swallow me.” To that she laughed as her common was a little better than most of her people but diction and grammar were left wanting. “Men not always kind.” She added at the end as her hand was moved palm up in supplication as that was about as close as an apology the outsider was going to get. “The Gods seem test with water, “ she made a face as she looked at the water like it was a serpent, “often.” That was accompanied by a mournful sigh.

It seemed to indicate that there has been on more than this occasion that the young healer had been in water. It most certainly was not in the fun way either. It was always in an emergency or sudden stop of some kind ended in water. There then came a soft chuckle that turned into a laugh. It sounded like water over crystals in its delicate and soft sound. The baggy linen camisole and bottom under shorts clung to her wet skin. The woman was pale with a bare kiss of sun. Amunet was perhaps among the paler of the horse clans, but as much as she is in the sun it darkened no further than the barest sun kissed pinky fair skin. It was smooth and flawless. It held not a mark aside from the bold swirling, graceful winged serpents on her face.

[Khida]

Amunet

Should you return, PM me and I'll grade your posts.

Pulren Marsh

Skill	Points
Persuasion	+1
Rhetoric	+1
Socialization	+1
Swimming	+1

• Amunet: marked by Rak'keli
• Amunet: red-haired Drykas mother
• Persuasion: quips to defuse tension
• Swimming: hazards of diving over rocks
• Swimming: supporting a non-swimmer

Notes

Seems like this thread was off to a nice start, but didn't really get anywhere. If you think I missed anything in here, just drop me a PM.

Please also edit your request to show this thread has been graded.