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[Titus Galesong]

Titus turned his head towards his floating abode when he heard her voice. Chipper and fresh as a sunrise, her tone reminded him of the song birds that used Svefra fleets as way points along the Suvan. Her awkward approach to the water was a bit of a relief. The way her pretty head teetered brought a smile to the young man’s face but her exclamation sent a sharp note of panic up his spine.

“No, wait!” The sailor called but it was too late. She was up, over and on her way down. Despite the gratuitous glance of her body once more, the fisherman dove forward and began to swim towards Dust. He had intended for her to do anything other than drop into the bay; perhaps even stand on his shoulders so he could lower her down slowly. Regardless of good intentions, Titus had a choice to make. The man was almost to Dust’s point of splashdown when he felt a current push up against him from beneath. In the water, instincts were almost better than knowledge so the young man reached out and felt the smooth, tough skin of Ushaka. His fingertips traced the gentle curve of the beast until its horizontal plane gave way to a steep ridge. He snapped his grip around the fin and pulled his body down against the long, sleek frame of the shark. Titus flexed his biceps which motivated his body up towards the nose of his tavan. It also provided something he would need very shortly; stored energy.

Titus popped his head up above the surface. The drag his neck and chest provided made his arms work even harder to maintain their pinched angle. Dust and The Malestrom were only yards away so Titus ducked back down and released the built up tension in his arms through a single extension that flung him from Uskaha. The combined momentum was enough and placed the fisherman right between the shark and the woman upon impact. For the creature, things in the water fell into one of three categories; food, threats or Titus. The big fish knew Titus was in the water. The second major splash drew his attention and Ushaka responded with a high level of aggression. His path had sliced the shark right in line to ram Dust and possibly take a nibble to determine her status. Knowing this, Titus placed himself in harm’s way as it were. Ushaka’s nose jabbed Titus in his ribs and buckled his long body. The force drove the man’s back towards the legs of his newfound infatuation.

The sailor stuck his head above the water after a few ticks under the surf. The explosion of water and hair came with a gasp of air and a half chuckle. “Sorry, lo- Dust.” The quick correction was impulsive and reactionary. Titus called everyone 'love' or 'sweetie' or some other pet name. He furrowed his brow as this realization came to the forefront of his thoughts. This did not last long as the long shadow of Ushaka appeared port of their present position. The fisherman saw this and went back into a mode that allowed him to partially block the rampant thoughts tied to the warm body of temptation beside him.

“Remain calm when Ushaka swims on you.” Titus was speaking quickly and his understanding of the Common tongue was easily broken down as he forced as much information out as he could. “Put hands in water. Kick feet slowly. Fins do work.” He used his arms to make big sweeping motions which steered him around her body. His logic was to place her between two familiar scents and shapes in hopes that the shark would not mistake the woman for something worthy of a bite. Titus kept his legs straight and his toes pointed down as he scissored them back and forth in a steady rhythm which kept his shoulders and head above the water. While waiting for the sleek creature to make contact, the skyblue orbs made several side trips to the face of his companion. The water caressed her face in ways that made the Svefra jealous.

Aside from the obvious carnal beauty (of which there was a plethora of evidence even beneath the waves), Dust had a graceful set of features that set her apart from the women that Titus was accustomed to. Her eyes were set under a brow that was quizzical but allowed for the movement of expression. The gentle slope of her nose revealed flawless skin and created the perfect bridge between the luminescent azure rings of her eyes and the plump petals of pink flesh that held just enough droplets to give rise to the lump in the fisherman’s throat.

Perfect as always was the timing of the black-tipped fins. Had a few more ticks been given, the situation might become tense for a different reason. Ushaka swam past Dust avoiding any contact. He made a sharp curl and went around Titus and then back out into the bay. One more turn saw him return with a slower pace and head straight for the woman’s naked and mostly submerged body. At almost a whisper, Titus gave one final instruction. “Spread your fingers when he passes. If he shows tummy, all things good.” The man smiled and felt relieved in several ways. He hadn’t given the predator very many opportunities to become familiar with other people. It seemed that the two stressors of the situation had found a way to cancel one another out and keep the young man from going insane. As Ushaka swam between them, he turned his belly towards Dust so she could stroke his smooth body. Acceptance had been given…for now.

[Dust]

For a moment, Dust was all alone -- eyes closed, ears submerged, nothing in her nose save the scent of sea-salt; nothing in her world save self and water and reckless faith in both herself and others... but especially the others, here and now. That Titus would help her navigate the unfamiliar depths of the water. That his friend was her friend too.

She didn't expect... something... to collide with her legs and knock her askew, even before she'd gotten oriented in the water. That wasn't all bad, though, as she couldn't float with her feet pointed straight down; and since she now really wanted to see what was going on, Dust had incentive to carry through the motion, twisting about until her weight was distributed across the water. She couldn't see much even then, though; fortunately, Titus popped back up right next to her.

Clearly he was what had collided with her, between current proximity and the apology. "It's okay!" No harm done, after all. His thoughts went somewhere at that point, etching pensive lines in his face, but before the Kelvic could even ask, his attention moved again -- to something in the water, nearer the dock. He gave instructions, short and simple; he seemed more tense now, maybe even concerned. Taking her cue from his demeanor, Dust kept her mouth shut; rather than asking what or why, she simply nodded silent recognition of his instructions, and did her best to follow them.

She carefully let her legs sink, pulling her posture upright, keeping on eye on Titus' own actions and attempting to imitate them. Feet kicking slowly, back and forth. She could feel that the fins did something, to add more power to the motions; it wasn't too hard to keep herself bobbing at the surface -- though she certainly didn't do so anywhere near as smoothly as the Svefra beside her. Bobbing was okay, even when she misjudged and almost dropped beneath the waves. Knowing she wasn't on her own kept worry at bay. She could still breathe when she needed to, and only swallowed a little seawater along the way...

Focused on keeping herself comfortably at the surface and figuring out just how much to kick... and when... Dust didn't quite register Titus' ensuing silence, or the preoccupation that came with it. She was just starting to feel like she'd gotten the hang of bobbing at the surface, and to share that accomplishment with her companion, when Titus interrupted her concentration with more instructions. Softly spoken ones, now; more at ease. Dust caught that, although the entire second sentence escaped her, casualty of broken rhythm and a sudden drop of her ears below the surface.

The first part seemed clear enough, though: spread your fingers. Just as the tavan had been easy to spot from the deck, so was he now as he came about again for a pass between the two swimmers. Dust reached out to touch the shark, his rough skin rasping against her fingers as he swam past. And while her focus on the shark meant she stopped bobbing, sinking beneath the surface with seawater stinging open eyes -- well, it was totally worth that little trade-off.

Pushing herself back up, Dust gasped in a much-needed breath, then smiled brightly at Titus even as she blinked the water from her eyes. She didn't need sight in order to chatter, to share her excited observations with her friend. "His skin's so rough, it's like the sand on the beach! And it's like he makes his own wind when he swims by! Or whatever you call it for water." So did birds in the air, of course, but that effect didn't seem nearly as strong as the shark's wake now flowing past her skin.

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Titus Galesong]

There was so much going on inside the young man’s mind that he was actually having to remind himself to swim. Dust seemed fairly comfortable in the water but Titus’ concentration was incessantly drawn off track. He prayed to Laviku and asked the great Father to never let him forget the site before him; the image of Dust’s body as she floated in the water. Her words were understandable to the man but her tone was ringing in his head and reverberating down his spine. He dipped under the water completely then resurfaced and flipped his head back sending his wet hair out of his face. Even as they progressed beyond an introduction with the shark, the fisherman was constantly stealing sideways glances or completely turning his head to stare when he thought she wasn’t looking. The Svefra was not normally bashful about this type of behavior but for some reason that he couldn’t explain, Titus felt like he was taking advantage of the woman in her nude state. It was almost like she didn’t realize what a figure like hers would make a man…or woman, for that matter… think and feel. Are there people like that in the world? the sailor thought.

Now that the acclamation period was over, the fisherman had turned his mind back to finding breakfast. Titus made long, rhythmic strokes with his legs allowing his joints to flex freely in the ebb and flow created by his muscles flexing and contracting. His arms sliced back and forth in repeating arcs just below the surface of the gentle waves in the bay. He would occasionally reach for Dust as she struggled to stay afloat though he never touched her. The tormented Svefra believed to do so might be the undoing of the unfathomable restraint that he was surprisingly able to display. Focus on breakfast, ya dolt! The internal dialogue was something Titus often did around other people since it gave him a chance to preview his responses before blurting them out. Sometimes, people thought he was slow but it was more of a tactical pause than anything else.

“Practice this.” While food was important, it would be mutually beneficial for Dust to learn how to tread water. Titus forced his eyes to make contact with hers. The two set of blue eyes met like sea and sky then for a moment all words were forgotten. Thankfully, the sailor could tread water without much thought and it looked like he was just giving her a solid example of how to perform the act. Say something…ANYTHING… Dumbfounded, Titus finally found a few words in Common that erased the strangely amused and mildly confused expression on his face. “Swimming in place is important. It can give muscles a break.” His Common was floundering but at least he managed a genuine smile. His mind was racing to foreign lands with tropical beaches and warm surf and amidst the foam and spray was the Alvina before him. He was putting things in place trying to find ways to create more time and more opportunities for him to be with Dust. Vivid azure orbs observed her form as she learned this new skill. He would look for a chance to offer advice later though most of swimming was practice since everyone had their own unique form.

After adequate time for Dust to gain some confidence in the art of treading water, Titus pushed himself back from her a few feet. A quick downcast of his gaze saw the dark shape of Ushaka circling and waiting for his playmate to make an appearance beneath the bay. “Can you dive or do you want to hang on to me?” Titus uncoiled a loop from his harpoon’s shaft and shifted it so that the rope would be a bit slack. This would make it less comfortable for him but it would enable the woman to hang on so he could get her down to the rock shelf faster. Once down there, gathering clams would be easy. “Shovel to dig clams. Net to carry. Hands need to be strong; not fast. Fast hands get hurt.” The Svefra hated speaking in Common but he’d learn Zithanese if it’s what she wanted. You sound like a fool. Titus grinned. “Ready, malika?” The grin was instantly replaced with a stunned look. “Take a big breath!”

To avoid any immediate questions, the fisherman double kicked his feet which
popped him up out of the water enough so he could fold his body and dive. Titus sucked in a huge breath of air filling his lungs then shut his lips tight. His hands came together to lead his form down, the action taking him right next to Dust so she could grab the rope on his harpoon and follow. He used his legs with great control to make powerful kicks that were small and well-times. His calves and hamstrings alternated which gave just the right amount of resistance to keep a steady rhythm. The added weight of a passenger was a real challenge and he felt the tissue burning in his legs. He added his arms making big sweeping strokes in unison to help pull them down to the shelf. The big shark made wide loops around them during the descent them seemed to vanish.

[Titus Galesong]

Once at the shelf on the bay floor, Titus turned and tried to help guide Dust to a cluster of clams. He could see five or six but there was usually a few more tucked in that were hard to see and harder to get out. The rays of Syna penetrated the seven or so feet that the duo had traveled allowing plenty of light. Despite the cooler temperatures, the bay provided enough protection to keep the water clear of swirling sediment and debris. The fisherman waited until he saw Dust get accommodated to her station then patted her breath bag as a reminder before he swam away.

As if it had been planned, Ushaka sliced through behind Dust at that very moment and Titus caught hold of the dorsal fin at its base then away they went until she could no longer see them. Ushaka carried his friend and companion out towards the mouth of the bay near the where the river emptied its bed. Large grouper often traveled in to this place and lingered waiting for smaller river fish that were often stunned once they hit the brackish water. Grouper were not afraid of small sharks like Ushaka since they tended to be close in weight or even weighed more. Aside from that, they also hung around in gangs though they all hunted solo. Laviku’s fortune shone on Titus this morn as such a sight appeared before him. The Svefra flung himself wide starboard and swam down and at an angle while his shark mirrored the effort in the opposite direction.

In a classic pinch, Ushaka swam towards the grouper in an erratic pattern that was something of a game he and Titus often played. Meanwhile, the human drew his harpoon and slipped the loop over his wrist then gripped the widen shaft. Throwing a harpoon was hard work but it was twice as hard underwater. The sailor needed to make sure he was in a good spot so he floated a bit deeper by releasing some of his air letting the bubbles rise. The shark’s ruse worked well enough and scattered the big fish out towards the ocean. Titus could see two coming his way and he was going to have to choose. The one on his right was closer but also coming straight for him. The one on his left was a few feet further away but when it passed, it would present a complete profile which would be a much bigger target. The man cocked his weapon by bringing his hand up by his ear, his left arm out straight as if pointing at his prey. Not yeeeet…not yet….NOW! His body snapped into motion hurling the harpoon at the head of the grouper. The distance was small enough and the aim was true enough but the water slowed the projectile. Instead of hitting the grouper in the face or even the body, the tip of the harpoon pierced through just a hand in front of the tail.

The wounded fish instantly took off at full speed. The barb on the tip would prevent the spear from coming free but Titus was yanked forward by the rope attached to his arm. He had no idea how fast they were going but he pulled himself up the rope slowly closing the distance to his meal. His arms burned from the exertion of extending then flexing, triceps to bicep passing the burden of his weight plus drag. When Titus finally reached his harpoon and grabbed it, the grouper felt the weight shift and spun one-eighty and headed back the other way. This jarred the weapon from the fisherman’s hands but did not free the fish of his trap. Fortunately, the turnaround sent the grouper back into his own blood trail where he met Ushaka. With his friends, the fish was fairly well defended against the small shark. This was a different matter because the grouper was wounded and weakened which left the perfect opportunity for Ushaka to swim up and tear a chunk out of his prey. That was the death nail. The grouper stopped swimming almost immediately.

Ushaka swam off to enjoy his snack but he would return promptly for more. Titus swam up to his meal, a sixty or so pound fish, took hold of his weapon and used the rope to bind the corpse to the sturdy rod. It was easier to haul weight in the water when it wasn’t constantly shifting. Dragging his breakfast along, Titus kicked and kicked with all his might to get them both to the surface. After he began to see flashes of light from an oxygen-depleted brain, he finally broke into the fresh air with a loud gasp and heavy breathing which followed. He was instantly pulled back down by his load which was made a bit lighter when Ushaka came by for another nibble. Titus fought and struggled and made his way to the boat. He freed the rope and looped it on a tie off on the gun whale. He used the pulley system to hoist the carcass up out of the water then made a final, aching push to get it on board. Gasping for air, the Svefra turned and looked beneath the waves to Dust. He was about to take another deep breath and go retrieve her. He’d just met the woman of his dreams and she wanted breakfast. He wasn’t about to let her drown.

[Dust]

A statement from Titus drew Dust's attention away from the shark's progress through the water and back to her most immediate vicinity; to his posture and actions, in fact, which she diligently turned her focus to. She wasn't convinced about giving muscles a break -- there seemed to be plenty doing work, with all the moving of feet and arms and everything else too -- but he was the one who knew what he was doing. She just did her best to imitate.

After a second study of what she could see of the Svefra's legs, Dust determined her kicking was an awful lot like his kicking. She must be doing that much right. (Not to mention, she wasn't drowning...) Titus used a lot more arm motion than she currently was, though, something she hadn't been paying as much attention to earlier. Hands in, turn, hands back. Hands in, turn, hands back. As she settled into that second, orthogonal rhythm, the Kelvic gradually realized she wasn't bobbing as much... or kicking as hard, either, because something about the motions complemented one another.

Before she could share that revelation with Titus, he opened the distance between them; she thought he might've glanced downward, but only caught the end vestige of that motion, and had no idea what towards. He asked about diving... which was a whole different matter from bobbing at the surface, bag of air or no. Dust eyed the depths below her briefly, then admitted, unabashed and with a rueful grin, "Pretty sure holding on's a better idea..."

He offered her a few last instructions, along with a grin that she echoed in kind. Whatever else, this day was proving an adventure! Then he promptly directed her to breathe. Dust had just been about to ask what the unfamiliar word meant -- but there would be time for that later. She breathed in a lungful as he folded over and slipped under the water, grabbing the rope from his... spear?... when it went past. She wasn't quite sure what he'd done to invert himself so neatly and progress down, which made it difficult to imitate. Instead, the Kelvic ceased her efforts to swim in place and let the pull on the rope drag her down for the few ticks it took to get herself reoriented. Then she added her own kicking to their motion, which at least kept her from being a dead weight on the lead, even if she wasn't sure the action was all that helpful.

It probably didn't help that she kept looking around the blue vastness about them, which was neither all that vast nor all that blessed with interesting sights to be taken in. Bubbles trailed past her, leaked from her lips in small increments; it felt distinctly better to be breathing out, however slowly, than to be just determinedly holding in all the air. A very large shadow swam through the periphery of her view from time to time; presumably Ushaka, since what other big grayish fish would be hanging around right now? The details of the ship above them faded into another, darker shadow, like some kind of opposite-cloud in the water's sky. And then there was the bay floor, which... well, was sandy and rocky like practically everything around Lhavit.

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Dust]

When they'd reached the bottom, Titus directed her to a cluster of clams that looked... well, not quite like she'd expected, with their shells open and tendrils hanging out. They looked almost fuzzy... and clearly didn't appreciate being poked, as the fuzzy bit promptly retracted itself under the sand. Oh well. They likely wouldn't appreciate being eaten, either. Armed with her shovel, Dust willingly tackled the sand it had disappeared into, an endeavor made more difficult by the fact that digging underwater just didn't work quite the same as it did on land. Enthusiasm counted for something, though, even if it was inherently inefficient in application...

Titus seemed to approve of her effort, as he interrupted briefly to remind her of the breath bag -- Dust nodded emphatically in reply -- then went off with his shark-friend tavan to do... something else. That surprised the Kelvic; she'd expected him to stick around and point out more clams. Or something. Watching the shark's agile form fade into the distance provided sufficient extended distraction that when Dust finally looked back at the seafloor, she couldn't even see a trace of the clam she'd been digging for. Oh, there was a depression, but no hole or nothing at the bottom of it. How far did clams even burrow?

Well, fine. She'd just dig up a different one.

Dust repositioned herself less by swimming, and more by just hand-walking herself across the seafloor. Not that she had very far to go to reach the next fuzzy-looking clam... face? Could one say shellfish had faces? Heads? In any case, Dust was determined not to let this one get away! She dug at the sand around the tendrils, mostly just scooping it aside until the blade of the trowel hit something hard. That proved to be a something she could lever out... the oblong disc of a clam, shell halves tightly sealed against the insult of being dragged out of its sandbed.

Success! Dust snatched it up and dropped it into the mesh bag. Not a moment too soon, either, because she had no more breath to let out and really really needed to breathe... Fumbling for the breath bag, Dust spent a tick studying its closure before carefully attemping to draw the air out from it into her own lungs. She felt like she'd managed not to release too many bubbles in the process. When the bag was about half empty, she closed it again, just in case. It wasn't a full breath, but it'd keep her going for a bit... long enough to get more clams.

Dust dug at the next one, chasing the frilly tendrils down into the sand until another shell found its way into her bag. In the process, she slopped cast-aside sand over onto the fourth clam of the little bed; that one disappeared into the seafloor before she could get a solid fix on its position. Digging after it seemed like a losing proposition... so she didn't. Instead, Dust paused a few ticks to study the shelf, looking for better chances...

...there was one! Tucked in alongside a rock, it looked like it might be harder to dig up. Or, maybe it would be less likely to escape. Could be either case! She jabbed her trowel into the sand beside it with cheerful determination, digging down until the blade caught under something it could lever up... which turned out to be the very rock in question, once she applied a little more effort to the problem. The clam she'd been going after came with it, along with a mini-sandslide. As Dust was collecting her quarry, she noticed a round edge poking out of the disturbed sand. Exploratory digging proved it to be another clam, not quite quick enough in its burrowing to escape; that made four in her bag!

And she really needed to breathe, and... Dust wasn't too sure there were more clams here to find, aside from the ones she'd already scared into hiding. Not to mention she'd kind of kicked up a lot of grit, which hung around the water in a way it didn't (usually) in air. She could call it quits, the Kelvic decided; if they needed more clams, well, the seafloor wasn't going anywhere!

Resurfacing, at least, was easy; she pointed her head up and her feet down, pushed off from the sand, and popped up out of the water with a big gasp. Fresh air was nice to have. It took Dust a few ticks to blink the water away and shove pale hair back from where it had flopped over her eyes; a few ticks of unsteady bobbing, before she reminded herself of how swimming-in-place worked. Once she was both mostly stable and mostly sighted, she turned to put the Svefra's ship in her field of view -- along with the Svefra in question. Holding up the mesh bag, Dust gave him a cheerful smile. "Clams!"

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Titus Galesong]

Titus scanned the waves carefully taking a second now and then to brush the wet strands of hair out of his vision. He bobbed next to his floating home and waited for several ticks. He started to become nervous but soon found a cadre of bubbles rising to the surface in about the same location as where he had left the beautiful Dust. Soon thereafter, the cropped blonde hair erupted like a fountain of shimmer as Syna’s rays reflected off of the light hues and rolling water. The young sailor couldn’t help but smile as well as exhale. He hadn’t even taken notice that his breath was caught in his lungs. The triumphant look on her face when she held the bag in the air was something he locked away into his memory bank for later use; her smile in particular.

Titus moved to the bow which was closest to his breakfast date and the rope of the anchor. The fit young Svefra took hold of the braided fibers with his right hand and twisted his grip several times making it tighter each time. He flexed the muscles along his arm and shoulder to pull himself up out of the water. The smooth skin and toned muscles made perfect valleys for the clear, cool water to run down on its way back into the bay. His smile was bright and wide. “Good! Come back and we eat!” He shouted to her. The ruggedly arrogant and hopelessly naïve young man was absolutely smitten with his new friend and could think of no better way to spend the rest of his day…week…season…life than to learn everything about Dust. A rumble in his stomach gave him a sharp correction of course. There would be time for those things later. First, he had to get her back into the boat and make some food.

Fresh clams, tasty grouper… Titus’s mouth began to water as his stomach gurgled once more only this time it was almost violent. The Svefra refocused his watery stare to the woman across the waves. His heart was aching to touch her; to lighten the load or aid her swim back to his ship but his mind and his soul refused. Majority rules. The girl needed to build confidence in the water and short swims with obstacles like carrying breakfast were the perfect exercise for such things. Titus felt his body temperature rise as the blood in his veins began to pump faster while the imagination of the fisherman wandered to the divine bodice that was making its way towards him. He swallowed hard as a few beads of sweat began to form along his brow.

A low, smooth wave pushed against him and this broke Titus’ concentration on the fantasy reel rolling through his mind. The somewhat relaxed expression was replaced by keen awareness when his head turned to catch the shrinking black triangle of Ushaka’s tail disappeared below the surface. Despite not having any telepathic connection, the sailor sent all of his will towards the predator pleading it not to disrupt Dust’s approach. Titus readjusted his grip on the anchor rope and turned his body a bit so his left shoulder was facing her. When she finally reached him, his free hand would take the kit and toss it up on the deck; the same would go for the bag of food she had caught. After she was free of those things, Titus would look over his shoulder after a slight turn would point him directly at the hull. “Grab my neck. I pick us up.” Although he spoke broken Common and bore a thick accent, Titus’ tone was a sweet baritone that curled on certain letters and softened on others that created an ebb and flow to his speech even when his phrases were simple fragments.

The sailor’s left hand would help guide Dust’s arms around his neck and help her to create a hand lock. This was achieved by each hand grabbing just above the inside wrist of its opposite. Regardless of the direction of pressure to the hold, one hand’s inner carpal would lock with the other hand’s outer carpal so long as the person’s grip strength holds out. Satisfied with this small manner of preparation, Titus adjusted and tightened his grip on the rope one more time. “Up we go.” In a slow slip, their bodies dipped slightly into the water and Titus’ right arm extended but not completely. After a tick or two of focus, he scissor kicked his legs as hard as he could two times while at the same time pulling up on the anchor’s tether. His right bicep bulged under the strain but made enough progress with the buoyancy of their combined form to lift them high enough so his left hand could grasp the gunwhale. With his left arm fully extended and his body out of the water to his hips, Titus paused as he prepared for the next shift.

This time, he had much more weight upon himself so the pase was brief. A repeat of the kick and a mimic of the right arm by the left gave him enough lift to sling his right arm over the rail and catch it on his elbow. Now, it was a simple task for the sailor who was used to hard labor. He pulled up with both arms until he was able to push down and utilize his triceps. The move made the muscles in his arms bulge but all Titus knew was the ache of the exertion. Once he locked out his elbows, he folded over the rail and held himself there for a few ticks. “Ladies first.” Once Dust dismounted onto the deck, Titus would swing over and they could set about tackling the always fun chore of cooking what they had caught.

[Dust]

oocSorry to keep you waiting so long!

Titus called back to her and waved her over, which left Dust with figuring out the how of that action. Swimming over there while holding on to all the borrowed stuff -- not to mention the clams, though at least they were secure in their mesh bag -- did not come under the heading of either float or swim in place. It couldn't be that different from up, though, and she'd managed that just fine...

Dust made sure to take a good breath before ducking back down into the water, though not as deep as before; she didn't plan to go far. She still hadn't had a chance to figure out how Titus had done his neat little inversion, and rather than practice now -- when she could be eating breakfast! -- the Kelvic just pulled her limbs in and let herself drop a bit. Once she had a few inches of water overhead, she straightened out and kicked the fins, once again appreciating how they helped her move forward.

The shape of the ship was looming pretty close, like an inverted mountain, when Dust twisted herself back towards the surface again... and found she'd wound up a good several feet away from where Titus waited at the front of the ship. At least she hadn't missed the ship -- that would've been kind of embarrassing. Inasmuch as Dust was ever embarrassed. The Kelvic made her way more slowly alongside the ship to join the Svefra; he took the bags she carried, then offered to lift them both up.

"Sure!" It was a better plan than her trying to shift and fly out of the water, for sure. The curious part was how particular the man was about her grip -- not just holding on or even an embrace, but her hands wrapped around her own opposite wrists. The specification may have bemused her, but Dust was happy enough to go along with it, all the while craning her neck to try and see what he was going to do to 'pick us up'.

She expected something to happen involving the anchor rope. Instead, the Svefra proceeded to essentially heft them both up and over the railing by dint of his own effort. "Oh!" Seawater sloughed from them both and pattered onto the decking, the initial cascade rapidly fading into muted drops and collected puddles. Bidden to disembark, Dust scrambled back onto the ship's deck, giving Titus room to bring himself over the rail.

"I didn't expect that!" she exclaimed once he was stable on his own feet. Not in a manner that suggested discomfort; rather, Dust declaimed with the same good cheer as ever, even as she spotted the mesh bag and started for it. "Next time I can shift, it'll -- Woah!" Walking in fins was not like walking in shoes; the Kelvic almost tripped over said additions to her feet. Fortunately, she caught herself (by dint of slightly desperate windmilling) before anything other than feet hit the deck. "Okay, fins off first," she said with a laugh, crouching down to suit actions to words. "They're even more unwieldy than boots!"

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Titus Galesong]

The fisherman was beside himself. There was a moment in time when he landed on the deck that he forgot about the dripping wet woman who was naked and squatting down to remove his kick fins. Her voice, like a gull’s cry, tore his mind away from his physical hunger and thrust him back into the realm of conflicting opinions and emotions. Titus bit down on the right corner of his bottom lip while his watery eyes enfolded the present scenery into his mind. Life on the sea can be lonely and well-imprinted memories are well worth the time it takes to commit.

The Svefra shook his blonde hair, droplets of water flying in every direction. He had chores that needed tending. The twice-bitten grouper was leaking its blood on the deck but it was only a small matter. Titus dipped down and took a hold of it with both hands. He stood with his back straight which forces the stress and strain to be felt in his thighs and knees. It was minimal and the fisherman popped up and moved around the chattering distraction with ease. He made sure to not sling fish entrails on her in the process. The fish was dropped into a bucket and without stopping Titus pivoted then made several long strides to retrieve the clamdigger’s kit and the bag of clams. He hoisted the mesh bag before his eyes and studied the haul. For a first timer and a novice swimmer, the girl did well. It brought a sly smile to his face. Could it be that he found a natural? It brought up a whole list of questions to add to his list of questions. The young man was beginning to wonder if he ever would get the chance to ask or even remember them all.

Titus placed the kit and the bag in the other bucket next to the fish then headed below deck. He paused on the steps and rose up on his tippy-toes to peer over the frame at the woman. “Ummm…need clothes?” His Common was heavily accented but it flowed nicely into when he switched to his native tongue.

Talking to one’s self was easy to do when you main companion for years was a shark. Thus, even in the presence of others, the sailor found himself making comments aloud in Fratava. “Not that you have any need to ever cover up that body but by Laviku’s beard!” He bit down on his knuckle. “I think my eyes will burst from staring if we don’t get you wrapped in something.” The young man waited for an answer from Dust. Her name hardly seemed fitting but perhaps there was a story behind it. Once she chirped her reply, the host slipped below into his cabin just off of the stairs.

The Svefra went straight to his chest and drew out his blue linen shirt. He held it up in front of him by the shoulders and grinned to himself. “Yes. This will be perfect.” The fisherman tossed it over his bronzed shoulder and continued to search for things. He grabbed a blanket, a jug of ale, two bowls, his carving knife and fork, the spice box and the bucket of dried apples. Titus turned to leave then stopped. “Glasses?” He peered down at his full arms and a fragile stack of unsecured items nestled in between. “Nah!” he chuckled to himself and walked carefully up the stairs with an odd posture. He bowed his back so the shifting goods would rest against his abs. Once he made it topside, he adeptly rounded the stern and made his way towards the buckets.

The smooth wood of the Maelstrom’s deck was warm from the sun and felt good against his bare feet. Titus bent down and squatted at the same time until he was close enough to basically drop his armload onto the ship. Nothing spilled –which was a relief- and to celebrate his small victory, the sailor pulled the cork from his jug of ale with the all too familiar ‘pop’ sound. He placed the crock to his lips and gave a steady pull which filled his mouth with the semi-bitter liquid. Titus swallowed and offered it to Dust while he gently replaced the cork. He reverted back to Common now that he was back in her presence. “Thirsty?”

Once that exchange was done, the young man knelt down and took hold of the blanket and shirt. He stopped to grab his britches by the back of the waist and give them a tug up. The weight of the water and all the movement was giving them cause to slide off. Titus did not blush but he feared what might happen should he find himself in that kind of circumstance with this beautiful yet odd woman. Having discarded the fabrics to her, the fisherman returned to his present state of affairs and took hold of the carving tools. He walked to the port side of the boat where he had placed the buckets. Titus scooted the container which held the grouper’s remains and tipped it over against the side so that the fish was between the wood of the ship and Titus’ legs.

Next, he dumped the muck into the bay and watched the reddish liquid dissipate like a stain not long for the world. Titus smiled. It wouldn’t be long before Ushaka came sniffing about for more scraps. The Svefra knelt down and stabbed the fork into the head where his shark had taken a big bite. Then he used the knife to make a forward slice that buried the tip of the blade through the meat and up against the spine. The fisherman leaned his weight down into his grip and an audible crunch was heard. The blade easily slid down to the deck. Bringing his elbow down and leveling his wrist, Titus was able to sever the chomped piece and replaced it with a nice clean cut. He stood up and held the fork over the water. Blood dripped from the hunk of meat like red rain. When the dark oval was spotted barreling towards the ship, Titus used the knife to slip the meat off of his fork and into the water.

There was a splash from the tailfin as the predator tore into his breakfast. Titus paid little mind and went back to his task. He stabbed the fork into the meat along the spine and used the flat of the knife to help lift the carcass onto the gun whale. The Svefra took the cutting edge and delicately sawed it back and forth along the sides of the fish just under the skin. This was not a fast process as Titus bent close to watch what his hands were doing. Twice, he had to stop to pull up his pants. Once he reached the tail with the blade, he cut the skin with some meat still attached free and allowed it to drop into the water where a waiting shark devoured it. He flipped the fish over and repeated the technique. Once this was done, he grabbed it by the tail and held if angled so the open end that used to be a head faced the bay. Through gentle shaking and some careful maneuvering, the fish’s internal organs fell out –the useless ones, anyway.

Titus spent a few minutes doing this then leveled the fish along its spine on the railing. He slowly sank the blade into the belly just an inch or so and cut a line that split the fish in half. Having a small knowledge of some things, the man peeled the meat open like a book. He took three fingers and stuck them into the ribcage. His eyes looked elsewhere as his mind saw through his digits. After a few moments, he produced a small sack and held it up triumphantly. In his native Fratava, he called it out. “Hello, dearest. You’ll fetch a nice price.”

[Dust]

Titus gathered up his fish and her clams and cast them an approving smile. That was good. Setting the fins aside where (she thought) they'd be out of the way, Dust watched him move across the deck, and in the meantime busied herself with squeezing the worst of the water from her own hair. Though that was kind of... not pointless, but really not very helpful either, as the sea breeze and the water beading on her skin conspired to remind Dust of her present lacking insulation. Even Syna's light, brilliant though it was, didn't quite offset evaporation's chill.

She'd only just had the first shiver vibrate down her spine when Titus suggested clothes. "Ahahah. Yeeeah, clothes might be a good idea." At least, that's what she understood. The subsequent spiel in a language she apparently needed to learn really soon now seemed good-natured, mostly, so the Kelvic didn't dwell on it too much. "Wet skin is cold! And, well. People." Dust made a somewhat exaggerated moue of disappointment, mostly at herself. With Titus all but gone below the deck, she was only half talking to him, and half just... talking.

As she continued, Dust padded back over to the railing, looking out at how the sunlight glinted off the water. "Sorry, I clean forgot! I try not to do that too much, but, well, sometimes you just get caught up in stuff, you know?" No evident response came from the cabin, only the muffled sounds of someone rifling through an entirely different type of stuff. It hadn't really been a question, anyway. Content to wait -- even though the breeze prickled her skin -- Dust leaned against the rail, studied the gulls bickering near the shore, and continued to listen.

It wasn't long at all before crescendoing footsteps heralded the Svefra's return abovedeck. Dust shifted her regard to him, peering curiously at the things he unceremoniously unloaded onto the decking. Cloth. Utensils. A box and... a bucket? She padded over, leaning in -- oh, apples! She was very tempted to just grab one of those right now... but Titus provided a timely distraction with the offer of drink. Which only underscored the fact that her mouth tasted mostly of salt. "Oooh, yes. Thank you!" she replied promptly, accepting the crock and taking a drink of her own.

Then the blanket and shirt were given to her as well. Dust juggled all three for a moment before setting the crock aside, and the shirt beside it. She used the blanket to pat off most of the moisture on her torso and arms, which had already been reasonably on the way to dry anyway. Then she pulled the shirt straight on over her head. Large as the garment was, its hem fell halfway to her knees, and the cloth did a great deal to cut the effects of the breeze. She practically felt warm just from putting it on!

By the time Dust had gotten that little affair in order, she found Titus had progressed to the side of the boat, kneeling by some buckets and intent upon some task under his hands. The Kelvic padded over to observe, mindful of where her shadow fell -- namely, not darkening her companion's workspace. She watched him chop off head and tail, then painstakingly saw away at the sides, removing its scaly skin. All the unwanted parts and pieces went into the water, where a familiar silhouette swam about, presumably scavenging up each one.

Dust squinted contemplatively at the butchering underway. The hungry raven in her was a bit sorry to see the offal go. Having just recently been reminded about clothes, however -- by extension, the social importance of proper behavior -- she steeled her stomach to patience and didn't say anything. In the Kelvic's experience, human ideals of proper behavior didn't involve eating raw guts; given Titus' actions, she had no cause to expect Svefra differed in that regard.

Though that patience was beginning to wear quite thin with the absence of ongoing nifty distractions. And those dried apples sitting out in the open, practically asking to be eaten...

Dust was just about to give in to temptation and slip away -- actually had taken a first step, and started on her second -- when Titus lifted out some piscine organ that apparently wasn't considered icky. "Oh?" she asked, interest piqued, leaning up on her toes to try and get a better look at it. "What's that?"

Common | Pavi | someone else