Open Offshore Curiosity

[Izuyanai]

5th of Fall, 516AV Izuyanai dug her bare heels into the sand of the beach. The act left a terrible scar across the smooth surface of the sand, but the fresh mark was quickly smoothed over by a film of wave that came washing across from the sea. It was a very clear day. Something that was not all that rare in Syka, unless you counted the sudden downpours. The Suvan Sea stretched as far as Izuyanai could see and the horizon glimmered with the still fresh light of day. To say that she had gotten used to the scenic waters would be an insult. However, a lot of the unfamiliar feelings had faded away with time. Now the sea was a part of her new home. Not mundane, but no longer a stranger. From her hand dangled a small pail, which the bottom of was filled with an assortment of shells. Some were curled and elaborate while others were more simplistic, like tiny pieces of white lace. The pretty formations clinked gently against the crude metal container as the Kelvic paused to pick through the sand for anymore beauties. It was rather difficult to find shells that hadn't been cracked. No doubt the squawking seagulls had something to do with the shattered shells. As Izuyanai watched, one or two of the large birds swooped up into the sky with a shellfish and dropped it onto the rocks below. After that, they would land and scavenge what they could out of the now broken and vulnerable creature. Izuyanai pondered the clever trick and resolved to try it the next time her winged self was in need of a meal. Sauntering along, she picked up another broad, white shell and rinsed it off before carefully placing it into the pail. If she could get enough, perhaps she could come up with a decoration for her new tavern. Of course, a lot of it was yet to be built, but a set of wind chimes sounded charming. There was always a sea breeze to set the chimes in motion, and some of the shells had iridescent insides. No doubt they would look tantalizing under the tropical sun. Weaving in and out of her daydream of shiny odds and ends, Izuyanai continued along the beach, dodging the occasionally over friendly seagull. OOCSo much for 'I'll probably have it up tomorrow'. Sorry for the delay. A project cane up.

[Shimoje]

Title and Date

Shimoje used to be a sailor. It wasn't an uncommon thing for him to pay homeage to see if he could spot the wench on the horizon. Waking up early at times to walk the shore and possibly see the crew he used to call family was still out there, somewhere. Today was a splendid morning. His kits at the ready around his waist. His head freshly shaven and for once he decided to carry around his white wolf pelt. A prized possession from a kill that was far from easy. It wrapped around his shoulders with the delicate shiny fur blowing through the wind...

After walking the shore soul searching for a bit, the bald headed Zeltiavian decided to finally find a place to relax and watch the sun rise. It wasn't long after that thoughts turned to clearing his mind, meditating, and then eventually while leaning against a rock on the shore falling back asleep. His white wolf pelt draped across his body and covering his knees. Only his very noticeable bald head emerging from its comfort.

It wasn't soon after that the rest of the wild life in the area started to sound their beacon. The sea gulls over head enjoying a nice breakfast of crustaceans and cracking shells where they could. Shimoje only took to observing them after he got woken up by one of the gulls attempting to crack a shell off of his head while he slept. It was a ride awaking, but one that he found some humor in. He could tell it would be a great day. Pulling in his pelt closer to him he almost didn't want to get up, so he didn't, at least not until he noticed a rather peculiar crawling reptile emerge from the waters onto the beach.

It had four legs and a head which seemed to stick out from a shell. He sat watching it for some time as it slowly worked its way up the sand, dragging a trail through the soft grains. It was a sea turtle, but Shimoje has never seen such a marine animal before. Deciding to get up and get close to it, he noticed that it was somewhat docile and didn't pay him any mind. Eventually the turtle lost his interest, and that was when he spotted a familiar body with a pale, apparently collecting up some shells.

Walking up to her, she seemed to be distracted, so with a way smile he disturbed her while she was bending over to gather one of her sea trinkets.

"Hey! Izuyanai, long time! I saw a larger shell up that way, but it still has something in it. Though, those are kind of beautiful."

[Izuyanai]

Snapping her head up as her thoughts were disturbed, Izuyanai whirled around to face the source of the sudden exclamation. The sight that greeted her was the previously half drowned sailor who now looked to be doing much better, but with the wolf pelt still around his shoulders. “Oh,” she murmured, shifting back into her usual ease. “It’s you. Shimoje, was it?” Izuyanai carefully placed her new prize into the pail and shrugged to the man who had walked up to her. “I’m not interested in the actual shellfish today, though I hear you can make a good meal out of them.” As if on cue, a shell shattered against an outcropping a few paces away, and two gulls swooped down, squabbling over the exposed insides. “It seems like you found something to do around these parts, seeing as you’re still here,” The raven questioned lightly, turning away from her fellow birds, hoping for some news as to what Shimoje had been doing around the settlement. “If you still remember our arrangement, I might have something for you to do now. A little hard work, but seeing as you hailed me as a saviour, it should be a small thing.” With a wry smile, she turned away toward the sea. Not much had changed in the vast seascape, except for the fact that something irregular now bobbed along with the waves in the distance. It was a medium size. Just enough so that it could be easily spotted among the waves. However, with all the foam, Izuyanai couldn’t quite make out the shape. It didn’t help that the object was occasionally submerged in the lolling waters, only to slowly float back up again. As she squinted at it, the object came no closer to the shore and seemed to be caught in some repeating loop, circling around the same area over and over again. Gesturing to Shimoje, Izuyanai pointed out toward the water silently, quirking a brow at her companion and wordlessly asking for his confirmation.

[Shimoje]

Title:

Shifting his weight a bit Shimoje came up closer to Izuyanai. A strange but inviting smile on his face. "No, who is this Shimoje you speak of? He sounds amazing" he jeered while peeking into her pail. She spoke of not being interested in shellfish but yet she was collecting them. It was curious to him, and he couldn't just contain his curiosity. "If not interested in them, what is the pail for?" he said while pointing out to it. Raising his hand up to the back of his head and shrugging he simply stated "No matter, I guess."

As she rationalized the disposition of their arrangement for saving his life various thoughts seemed to flood into his quirky brain. Observing outward to the sea he noticed the bobbing object. "Ah, shouldn't be much of a problem, but getting out there would be difficult. You know how to swim?" He inquired before smiling "It would be unwise for me to go out there alone. I just barely know how to swim myself, but together I think we can do it."

After a moment of thinking and gently plucking extra loose hair from his eyebrow, Shimoje started on removing some of the stuff he carried. He wasn't much of a trusting person, so he looked around to see if anyone was nearby. The beach was mostly clear save for the annoying birds above.

Thinking of ways to possibly float or swim out there Shimoje was reminded of using wood. Wood did float but as he looked around he couldn't find anything close enough to work as such. As Shimoje readied himself to go out to the beach he took off his shirt and then his pants. He wasn't the shy type besides he was wearing undergarments. If anything most of his antics would be considered inappropriate and blunt, but he was a man of utility. He didn't much care for the social politeness that civilization has developed. It was silly. If he had to do something he would do it.

Just as he took off his pants strong wind caught the fabric. It seemed to float in the wind as air caught the pant legs. With a smile he observed how the pant legs almost held air in them. Could he possibly catch it or contain it in the clothing? It was worth a try.

Almost immediately with a mischievous smile he turned back to Izuyanai. "Your pants. Take them off" He said while tying a knot in the bottom of the pants legs.

"My Speech." "Other Speech."

[Izuyanai]

Izuyanai donned an airy smile and shook her head. “Shells not shellfish. There’s a difference. I thought they might make suitable decoration,” she said lifting the pail up as if to confirm the contents once more. The raven would not say Shimoje was the most encouraging person to head out into the waves with. She had already witnessed him half drowned once, and while the circumstances might not have been in his favour then, it was not the best impression to have. Furthermore, his own words confirmed, the sailor was not a smooth swimmer. Izuyanai briefly wondered at the irony but mused that it might make sense. A sailor was one who sailed the waves, optimally, in a floating contraption. They weren’t responsible for floating themselves, merely directing the vessel. Still, the moment revived the memory of Estrellir and her ease in the river. If only they had her here, Izuyanai would be much more confident about the water. “I can’t swim. At least, I haven’t tried. And you think two people drowning at the same time will be any good?” What was the point of two people helpless in the water? At best only one would drown, and at worst, both of them would. Considering the water lapping just by their feet, Izuyanai set the pail down on dry sand and dipped her toe into the sea. The temperature was just fine, unlike the gooseflesh inducing waters of Kalea. Dipping in would be a pleasure if she could keep her feet on the bottom. Shimoje beside her seemed to be in deep thought as well. A few moments of silence passed between them as the object continued to float gently around and around. It was not a complete surprise when her companion started undressing. They were discussing about braving the waters after all, and any clothing they wore would likely weigh them down. What was strange was that he was knotting the pant legs, turning the ends of the cloth into bulky knobs. Following his lead, Izuyanai tossed her shirt further up the beach and tugged off her trousers. It felt like any other occasion when she wanted to shift. Undressing and then taking off into the sky. Indeed, Izuyanai momentarily considered changing and flying out to the object and tugging it back to shore. However, in a place like this, swimming would eventually be crucial. She’d rather start now, prepared, than find herself in a unfavourable situation. “Alright, but what is that for?” Izuyanai questioned, tilting her head at Shimoje’s improvisation. The Kelvic mimicked the sailor’s movements and folded over the cloth, looping it around and securing it into a tight knot. Giving the other pant leg the same treatment, Izuyanai gazed expectantly at her companion, wondering what on earth he had planned. She didn’t see how this would help them get across the obstruction of water.

[Shimoje]

Title and Date

Shimoje thought for a moment longer. "I do not believe we would drown." He said as he looked out the sea. The object out there was indeed a good bit out there. Perhaps just heading straight to it would be a bad idea. Even though he himself had only swum but just a little bit he wasn't afraid of the water. "Have you ever heard the concept of if you believe something it is more likely to become true?" He pondered towards Izuyanai. He knew that things would be difficult to explain. He often regarded situations in a scientific manner.

"When we were sailing it was often easier to sail through these waters than that of another ocean. I expect that swimming would be no different. If anything we can learn how to swim."

"Wood and other things floats atop these waters easily. Look towards that object out there. If this wasn't the case don't you think it would be on the ocean floor?" He smiled before finally walking out into the water. The waves crashed against his knees, and the feeling was almost relaxing. Suddenly as if a burst of energy hit him he ran out further into the water with a big smile on his face still holding his tied off pants.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Don't you want to know what the pants are for?" Not waiting for her to respond Shimoje decided to duck under the water. Holding his breath he was trying to get accustomed to the water. It was simple enough to see under water, and the approaching legs almost warranted him to resurface. That is when he noticed from letting out a breath that his air bubbles went to the surface of the water, floating upwards.

He positioned the waist of his pants and clutched it together tightly and placed it to his mouth. Letting out all of his air the pants managed to fill with air, and pulled him up to the surface. "See! It works. These pants can be filled with air like I suspected. Even if you do fall under you can use these to bring you back up to the surface. Such a long swim might get you tired too, so it might be best to use it like this along the way."

However, after a few moments he noticed that the air inside the pants deflated. At first he figured to tie the knots a little bit tighter, but then realized that with such a thing that it was impossible. Air would escape no matter what.

That is when an idea struck him once again. Wood that floats often had flat surfaces. What if he acted as if he was a piece of wood. At first he was a bit nervous but he was up for trying it. Submerging himself a little bit more after drawing in a larger breath he knelt down to be fully under the water. He then worked on letting all of his air escape into his pants once again, except this time he kicked his feet out from under him. He tried laying back into the water. He noticed he floated up faster and once he reached the surface continued to float. He couldn't hear much as his ears were still submerged, but he could breath and with a large gasp of air he filled his lungs once again. Staring up at the sky he felt happy. This was an amazing discovery, if anything simple. He was more astounded by the science of it.

"So it seems if you pretend to be like a flat plank of wood you actually float easier!" He yelled out not fully hearing himself. A wave seemed to carry him back to the shore a bit and while he was floating collided into Izuyanai. He couldn't control the movement. After putting his feet back from under him and standing in the mushy sand down below he curled his toes. The sand felt pleasant. "Sorry, didn't mean to crash into you there."

"It seems that floating works both in our favor and against it. The waves will work against us." He smiled before gently splashed a bit of water up towards Izuyanai "Don't be afraid, submerge yourself and try it out!"

[Kame]

fifth of fall
syka beaches

The Myrian was roaming the beaches. Syka was small, uncrowded and quiet. Although the woman enjoyed roubust festivals and parties, she appreciated silence. The Malediction had only arrived to the new settlement a couple days prior and was still figuring out the lay of the land. She had set up her temporary home in the bungalows and unpacked her very few items within it. She had then spent her days enjoying this silence, practicing her skills, learning new ones and exploring the land around her.

Although Falyndar was her home she was certainly in new territory. A falyndar settlement occupied and controlled by humans? It disgusted her, true, but she knew survival in this place also meant complacency. At least for now. She had not come across any Dhani yet which was a relief. Though the snakes could easily hide their nature...

Today Kame decided to travel the beach, starting from what the Founders called "The Teeth" down, tracing the shoreline, to the very last building placed precariously on the sand. She strode barefoot, the sand a welcoming texture on her rough feet, though perhaps a little hot sitting still in the sun. As she walked the pads of her feet dipped gently into its folds, warming and cooling at the same time.

She was looking more toward the land as the ocean appeared the same to her from every angle. So noted the quickly built bungalows and the quick layout they were erected in. It was a hasty job, though Kame did not blame them. She wasn't much for appearances and therefore did not mind when others didn't.

However as her walk continued she heard some noise coming from in front of her. Peering ahead she realized something large, but somewhat flat, was moving in the sand before her, a good few paces away. The woman was rather quiet in her steps and so whatever it was might not have taken notice of her yet. Squinting in the sun Kame tried to identify what was moving. She walked closer to it, though now bending her knees to get her body closer to the ground, hopefully less noticeable. Her steps were slower and more carefully placed among the twigs and seaweed piles on the beach. As she neared closer to it she began to recognize its vague shape. She had seen turtles before, fresh water ones in the large lake near Taloba. She had eaten then and used their shells for bowls. Though she could recognize perhaps what this was, it was certainly different than any she had seen before.

This turtle was huge. Everything about it was bigger. It shell was wider than Kame's body and its flippers just as long as one of her arms. The shell seemed flatter too, than what she was normally used to and it was moving extremely slowly up the beach. At this point it was only a few feet away from the highest wave peak and was dragging itself along using its two front flippers digging into the sand and its two back pushing on it. It was crawling at a painfully slow pace.

Kame was confused at the animal but much more interested. She mind was racing. She possibilities. If the Myrians could use normal turtle shells (Kame knew not just of bowls, but of tools made from shells as well) in so many ways, imagine what this gigantic piece of skeleton could do? The Malediction opportunities! Who knows what kind of amazing abilities this huge turtle possessed? her thoughts were clouding her mind, morphing and forming new ideas until they all turned in to one though, I want it. And it was decided.

She stopped and stood straight, now staring intently as her hands. She closed her eyes, picturing the magnificent Myrian Tigers her and her clan had studied from the moment they began morphing. She was only ever able to recreate the claws but that was good enough for this situation. She felt the Djed as it moved through her body to her hands. Moving one palm over the other she grabbed at her fingertips, pulling them out and curving them under to help form long, sharp claws. She mashed her palms together, turning and rubbing to create leather pads of paws. The process took a good chime or two. When she looked up she was glad to see her prize still waiting for her. Still forcing its way up the land, only having moved a few feet in the timeframe.

Her hand now were not much larger than they were before as morphing did not create mass. However they were changed beyond recognition. Although fur and color were still difficult for Kame to preform, the overall structure of the claws were there an accurate. Her fingertips had elongated and thinned, hardened, sharpened. They were no longer chipped and grubby nails, but instead dangerous claws. Her fingers had thickened and shortened, her palms widened and became leathery and padded. Dark patchy fur had grown rough and strewn across the paws. It was an ugly sight and one would not think of the Myrian Tigers when looking at it, with their glorious shining fur. But it was the best the young Morpher could do without going too far.

[Kame]

Grinning at her newly morphed claws the Morpher once again crouched at the knees. She figured if she was going to use the Myrian Tiger claws to kill something then she might as well act like a Myrian Tiger about to kill something. She had studied the creatures many times at a young age and the magnificent animals strode around her life as commonplace. She had seen them kill and so she was going to kill in their name and in their way.

With her knees bent, her claws outstretched and curled she knew she would need to act quickly. Her morphing ability was only minor at this stage and so the claws would only last her a few chimes, hopefully. She had a back up plan - though she was unsure of her ability to complete it. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, the way she had started wearing it in this hot tropical weather, and holding it a lot was her bone knife. A small, unassuming knife, but a weapon she kept sharp and always with her. Once her claws returned to simple hands she would grab the knife out of her hair and use that as a weapon instead.

With this she pounced quickly and savagely. The animal was slow and facing away from the water, which was to Kame's advantage. Escape would be slow and challenging. However most of its body was protected by a tough outer shell and so the only vulnerable area of the animal was its neck. She wanted to make sure she cut it quick and effectively before the animal had a chance to react and pull inside its shell like she had seen so many times before with fresh water turtles. Yet she had to be extremely careful of the mouth of the creature. She knew from experience that turtles had very dangerous jaws and one of this size, she could only imagine the strength within it.

She charged, howling fiercely, from behind the animal, in a safe zone. She ran too it and paused right at its back flippers, only for a half a tick. Then she hopped up, onto the top of its shell, hoping the thing would not be able to touch her there. The animal immediately panicked and let out a strange sound, the killer ignored it. Instead she went for the throat. Except she did not account for the fact that animals shell would still be wet and slippery. She fell after a tick or two, her feet giving out from under her as the turtle flapped it flippers trying to turn its body back to the water. Kame fell forward, her feet not stretch out from the back of the animal, her head hovering above its own, her chest mashed against its shell.

The animal was frightened and so it was lashing out all over the place. Its fins were moving and its head as well. It came up before Kame had a chance to move hers and its hard skull hit into Kame's forehead and nose. She let out a yell of pain, but resisted falling back. She felt as a bit of liquid rushed from her face. She was unsure if the injury was from her nose or head, but she did not care. She quickly reevaluated. Her goal was still the neck. She did not know why the turtle had not enclosed itself. Instead it seemed intent on the water. No matter, this benefited her. It would be almost impossible to kill it without serious injury if it retreated into its shell. She placed both paws into the sand next to the animal and pushed her body upwards. She came into a sitting position on the shell, her feet planted into the sand a few inches back from where her paws were before. She straddled the thing, her thighs gripping tight to the rough shell, she could feel the edges digging into her soft flesh.

The turtle continued to let out a strange yell as it tried to flee. But Kame did not back down. With her position held tight she continued her assault. Careful of the beak whose range she was unaware of, she set into the top of the neck, raking her giant claws into his surprisingly tough leathery skin. The animal let out a horrible scream as her claws dug in, though Kame was angry as it seemed to be harder than she thought to slice through the neck. The prey was bleeding now though, but not enough. It was also struggling even more.

Kame managed to get a good two swipes in before blood started to drip into her eyes. She realized the injury must be on her forehead rather than her nose and whatever cut had formed was now bleeding down her face. She tried to blink but it only spread the red and blinded her further. She lost concentration for a moment, just long enough for the animal to buck her off. In her confusion she wiped at her eyes, removing the blood film, only to notice that her claws were receding back into her normal hands. She growled in anger. She had lost her concentration and her weapons had left her.

With her blood smeared hand she reached up to the back of her head and yanked the knife out of her hair. Brown matted clumps came with it as she sliced through her own hair to get the knife free. Kame ignored it, hair did not matter. By now the animal had turned around and was pushing its way slowly towards the ocean. In a panic Kame reached forward with her knife and stabbed it into the nearest flipper, the back right one. The animal let out a yell, but still kept pushing. Kame realized that maybe this kind of turtle could not go into its shell somehow. She could not recall seeing one that couldn't, but she couldn't reason why if this one could, why it wasn't. She smiled. Perfect. The attacker let out another howl as she dragged herself towards the animal, pulling her body weight towards it by usuing the knife lodged in its flipper. Once she had crawled back to it she yanked her knife out and grabbed onto the shell once more, pulling herself onto it.

She got back into her sitting and gripping position and with raised her knife, sending it crashing down onto its head. She missed, though, and let out a growl. She started to stab it from only inches away, the neck the top of the head. The turtle tried to snap at her but she was moving quickly and not at a good angle for the beak. At one point the turtle landed a blow, but with Kame's movement it only grazed her and instead of taking a huge chunck out of her arm it left a nice 'V' shaped bite that ripped the skin in multiple areas but overall was not very deep. It was very painful and Kame cried out loudly. She dropped her knife but was able to grab it and pass it to her non-dominant hand. Her aiming got worse at this point, but also the turtle was very wounded and it did not take many more stabs and jabs into its neck for the thing to finally cry out and stop wriggling.

She gave it another few good stabs to the top of the neck for good measure as it was still letting out an awful noise, only this time quieter and gurgling with blood. Once it had stopped she fell backwards into the sand and let out some deep breaths. Her face was covered in blood and her hands and arms as well. blood was underneath her nails that were once claws and smeared up to her elbows. her forehead was still dripping down to her chin and onto her dress. She laughed, now that was riveting.

She stayed still, catching her breath as she was very worn out and in quite a bit of pain. After a chime she realized she would need to move the animal back to her home, though had no idea how. This thing was enormous and weighted very much more than Kame ever would. She would need someone else help, no matter how much she hated to admit it. Lucky for her she had noticed that most of the people here were rather friendly. When building a settlement everyone helped everyone else, or so she had learned. Sitting up she looked around her out of habit. She did not expect to see anyone, the beaches of Syka were large and the people of Syka were few. She knew she would need to leave the animal and head back to the heart of the settlement to gather someone. Yet she was pleasantly surprised when she looked down the beach. She saw two figures playing at the edge of the water. Now that was a nice surprise. They looked to be human, one man and one woman. Humans... Well it could have been worse.

She stood up, using mostly her left arm as her right one still hurt from the bite and she was nursing it. Ignoring the fact that she was covered in Myrian and turtle blood, as it did not bother her, she began to walk over to the pair, intended to ask for their help moving the animal back to the bungalows before the tide came up and washed it away. She approached them and as she came closer she realized they were new faces. She had only been here a couple of days and so had not met many of the settlers. Hoping they were just as friendly as she had experienced with others she walked up to them, a forced smile on her face.

[Izuyanai]

Izuyanai hung back, observing with her arms folded as Shimoje ran out into the water, shouting and prancing about. To his credit, the makeshift flotation devise worked well enough. It inflated with air and kept above the line of water. However, the sailor seemed to have trouble keeping enough air in the devise, and from the shore, Izuyanai saw him disappear under the small waves. After a moment or two of the raven wondering if his dead body would wash back to shore, Shimoje emerged from below, breaking the surface. This time he was floating along on his back, happily exclaiming about a new swimming tactic he had learned. Calling back a congratulations to the sailor, Izuyanai turned her head away to squint at the distant object. The light seemed to hit it just right now, and the structure became more defined. It seemed to be some sort of wooden crate or chest. Izuyanai took a few strides into the water, trying to get a better view. Busy trying to make out their target, she didn't notice Shimoje get swept up in a particularly voluminous wave and float closer and closer to her. It was too late when Izuyanai looked up and the man ended up clipping her side, knocking her off balance. Though Izuyanai liked to think that the mishap would not have been much of a problem on land, the waves that buffeted her around and the sand eddying at her feat caused her to tip sideways. She managed to prevent planting face down onto the wet sand by slamming a free hand against the ground. Recovering her balance quickly, Izuyanai popped back up again. She waved off Shimoje's apology and chuckled lightly as he dared to splash water in her direction. It was when she sent a hearty wave of water towards the already drenched Shimoje that she noted a lone figure approaching them from across the beach. "Over there, Shimoje, it looks as though we'll have some company." The woman was short and dark skinned. Even at a distance the raven could make out her messy hair. As she drew closer to where the two of them stood on the beach, Izuyanai let her Auristics simmer to life and dance towards the stranger's aura. The focus of the magic needed to be adjusted slightly, but it was not long before she noted some intriguing factors. The first thing that drew her attention was the tint of blood smeared all over the woman's aura. The information seemed fresh and the copper coloring in the aura gleamed as though it was still slick. Raw and rich, even the scent seemed to translate into Izuyanai's readings. The strange thing was that the longer Izuyanai gazed, the blood seemed reveal difference in nature. There were at least two, though the Kelvic could not tell them apart without further investigation. The second was a network of vivid, pulsing veins weaving across the woman's base aura. Clashing heavily with the woman's colors, the veins were thin but as fresh as the reading of blood. Was it discomfort? Pain? In either case, she supposed that the threads would be thicker and more pronounced if the emotion were stronger. Izuyanai focused harder and the veins seemed to move, dispersing to form a rusty mist around the woman's head and hands, along with smaller clusters along her body. Judging along with the blood, the individual must have sustained injuries in some conflict. Finally, there was a bright flare still threading through the woman's aura. Magic, and recently used. Izuyanai could not tell what sort, but the gleaming, ethereal element of it was unmistakable. Izuyanai continued to study the woman who was now right up to them but kept her posture unassuming and relaxed. Only the raven's eyes were alive and inquisitive. "Hello," she greeted simply, flashing a faint but amiable smile. Her expression slipping into mild concern, Izuyanai nodded at all the blood. "You look awfully scratched up. Do you need those injuries looked at? Should we expect any danger around the settlement?"

[Shimoje]

Title and Date

Shimoje was just enjoying his new discoveries of swimming, but when his eyes managed to sweep over the new stranger his enjoyment quickly changed. The blood flowing from her and down her head reminded him of a few situations in Syliras. They were by far some of the worse things he had ever been subjected to. Just the thought of them sent his muscles into a tense and alert flex across his bones.

The lady covered in blood seemed to be far tanner than both Izuyanai and Shimoje. Although she was covered in blood that was not enough to warrant a reaction from Shimoje. However, the clutched dagger and strange smile was. Scanning across the beach behind the woman he noticed the turtle he saw earlier. It was laying flat and seemed to be the victim of this woman. Shimoje himself had planned on studying the beast eventually, but woman stole his chance to study it from him. It wasn't surprising that Shimoje wasn't excited to meet her in the least.

His face went cold without emotion as he lightly glanced his hand over Izuyanai's shoulder and whispered to her. "I don't trust her, but in her state we can likely use her position to our advantage." Immediately after he whispered to Izuyanai he turned his direction to the strange woman.

"A valiant effort taking down that turtle back there. Tell me, what is your name stranger?" He smiled behind his words attempting to persuade the woman to get any sort of information he could from her. Walking forward carrying mildly inflated pants Shimoje emerged from the water. His pale and skinny body showing his newly worked muscles.

He got just close enough to the beach to stand a small distance away from both his and Izuyanai's gear. If he had to he would dart towards them and pick up his own daggers or tools. Whatever he could get his hands on, but his body language didn't show much of his intentions at all. He was cautious around those who hunted so violently. He only knew such because he himself wasn't a saint.

As Izuyanai asked if she needed those injuries looked at and if there was a danger in the settlement Shimoje took it among himself to get closer to the woman. "I can take a look if you want?"

He hid his palm gently out of sight and pretended to act as if he was a concerning settler. He mainly just wanted to find out as much as he could about this woman before trusting her. The way she looked, the way she handled the turtle, and the clothes she wore. It was all extremely foreign to him. Shimoje had been treated before for cuts and scratches, and he could likely help this individual out, however he was not skilled in it to the least.

"We were simply about to head out for a swim, what were you doing here?" He attempted to talk his way through her supposed pain. Trying to get her mind off of it in whatever way possible. He wanted to possibly calm her down and get whatever information he could from her. If she allowed him to approach to attempt to look at her wound he would touch upon her clothes and attempt to use his mark of Lykata to gain any sort of information he could from her, and her history. He just hoped she wouldn't suspect anything from him.