I Dive Into The Future// But I Sure Know Where I’ve Been

by **Kamilla** on April 7th, 2019, 2:46 pm

Kamilla Circe Gordon

”I dive into the future,
but I’m blinded by the sun.
I’m reborn in every moment,
so who knows what I’ll become.”

3rd of Spring, 519AV

The soft groans of wood stirred her from her sleep, brown eyes opening slowly as she glanced around the small unfamiliar space she found herself in. Where was she? ”Oh, yes.” She was on a boat in the middle of the Suvan, journeying to another place, Syka, her fourth attempt at finding a home.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, the young woman pulled her mass of brown hair out of her face and behind her shoulders. Judging by the light trying to infiltrate the cabin, the sun was up and shining brightly, not that it mattered what time she awoke, it was supposed to be a six day trip. At least, that’s what the young man who owned the small boat had said. Finn was his name if she recalled.

The two had met briefly on the new year while Kamilla had been trying to find a ship to take her to the new settlement across the Suvan. Their negotiation had been quick and painless, he agreed to ferry her across the sea for the price of ten gold mizas, her only condition that she get the cabin to herself. They’d met late afternoon the next day, Kamilla with all her possessions and pets, they boarded and departed with very little interaction between the two and once on the sea, she’d retired to the cabin to sleep.

A yawn. Five more days on the tiny boat seemed like it would eventually drive her mad with boredom, she could only talk to Yennefer and Roo for so long afterall, perhaps the young sailor would have some interesting stories to keep her occupied. She didn’t have many alternatives anyway.

”Awake, finally. I’ve been in the dark for too long!”

Brown eyes rolled at the sound of her sentient flower’s androgynous voice, Kamilla not bothering to look in its direction. ”Good morning to you too, Roo... and Yen.” As she said the yowling’s name, she gifted it with a few scratches behind the ear, earning a purr in response. ”Give me a moment to get ready.”

With that, the young woman climbed out of the bed, a few exaggerated and very feline stretches being performed before she began to get dressed. She wore the usual, black thigh high leather boots to hide her burn scar, a short black skirt with lace tail and a purple scarf wrapped tightly around her chest. She chose to forego jewellery today, her only addition to the outfit being painting her lips a deep red.

”Okay, Roo... lets go.”

Picking up the talkative purple pot plant, Kamilla finally opened the door of the cabin, stepping out onto the deck of the small boat and taking a deep breath of the ocean air. ”Good morning...” Her voice somewhat polite, head twisting in search of the ship’s owner. It wasnot morning.

Payment :

by **Finn Reefdiver** on April 7th, 2019, 6:05 pm

Laviku seemed to be smiling on the journey, the afternoon skies were very blue with only a few clouds on the horizon. The wind was light but the small vessel maintained at least a steady pace as she cut across the sea and kicked up the slightest bit of sea spray. The weather steadily warmed as they made their way to Syka, they tropical warmth felt better by the bell.

Finn adjusted the sails ever so slightly in the attempt to coax as much speed out of the vessel as possible He let out a little more sail so it could collect a bit more of the wind as well before he returned to the rudder to make a slightest adjustment in it. He lashed the rudder back down as he started to hear a rustling below deck. It sounded like his passenger had started to stir.

The young svefra only wore his pants for the moment, his sandals and shirt long gone to the sun and warmth of the day as he had kicked back to lounge in both. He leaned over the side to cup some onto his face and pushed back his hair before he drank a handful of water as his Oceanus mark slowly swirled around his shoulder. After he slid over a couple of feet, he leaned back against the stern railing and continued to soak up the sun again as he waited to see if his passenger might show herself. He hoped she would but he wouldn’t push it as long as she paid his fee.

Eventually Finn heard the cabin stairs creak as his passenger came up and opened the door. The woman stood in the cabin doorway as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the brightness he assumed, her black hair started to blow slightly in the breeze.

“Good afternoon, Kamilla” he answered her with a wry grin, slightly amused at her loss of time. “Fresh water flask on the mast if you would like any.” He added as he realized she carried a plant up with her.

“We are on course and well on our way. I hope you are finding some rest while we are at sea?” He continued pleasantly as he started to look for his gull who was flying around somewhere likely looking for its next meal and not to stare at his new passengers.

He continued to lounge on the deck. “I’ve been to Syka a couple of times before or at least near there anyway. The jungle can be really dense but the reefs are beautiful and the water is warm so the beaches can make a great place for gatherings to be honest. Plus I think it is cooler by the water too” Finn talked to Kamilla, but he could of just as easily been talking to himself and playing at host was a diversion in itself anyway.

He quieted down and dropped one hand down so the water could gently flow over it as he watched the horizon.

Ledger :

by **Kamilla** on April 7th, 2019, 8:52 pm

Kamilla Circe Gordon

It didn’t take long for the mage to spot the young man, the sound of his voice leading her right to his shirtless form. From the little interaction she’d had with the svefra, he seemed to always be in somewhat of a friendly and pleasant mood, something she was sure she’d come to appreciate by the end of the trip. So long as he didn’t get too friendly.

Finding the flask he was referring to, Kamilla offered him a friendly smile, placing Roo down on what seemed to her like the safest spot on the deck to insure her pet plant didn’t go falling into the sea, giving it a stern look to remind it to keep its petals shut. Normal flowers did not talk after all. ”Thanks.” she added, in the svefra’s direction, as she picked up the flask and took a good gulp of the refreshing liquid before placing it back down. She would water a bit later, using her own secret method.

The Svefra seemed intent on making conversation or at the very least, small talk, but Kamilla wasn’t against it.

”I am enjoying it so far...” she began, taking in another breath of the ocean air while raising her arms above her head in another exaggerated, slightly feline, stretch. ”I must admit that it’s quite refreshing.” The sounds, the smell, the gentle rocking. Her mother had told her that her father had been a sailor, perhaps that was why she enjoyed the sea as well.

Judging by his words, Syka was indeed the paradise that it was rumoured to be, though that wouldn’t mean much if she couldn’t find purpose there. ”That sounds wonderful, I’m looking forward to seeing it.” She remained polite and somewhat warm, though friendliness wasn’t her strong suit... something Sahova had only reinforced.

Taking a seat near Roo, Kamilla allowed her eyes to glide over Finn’s form, taking the time to properly take him in while he was preoccupied with the water. He was clearly handsome, had they met during her life in Sunberth she’d definitely have been attempted to make a move, but she was very different person now. The thing she found most intriguing about the svefra was his tattoos, they seemed to be playing some sort of trick on her eyes, seemingly changing or moving from time to time.

”So tell me, Finn...” She began, eyes now focused on the horizon, having fled from the man’s body so he wouldn’t catch her looking. ”... your tattoos, do they mean something or are they purely decorative?” Not realising how formally she’d worded her question, his tattoos were the only topic of discussion she could think of, though she was kind of interested.

by **Finn Reefdiver** on April 9th, 2019, 12:31 am

Finn watched the woman as she asked about his tattoos, he couldn’t tell her tone entirely however she didn’t appear to be mocking him at all. After he pointed to the vibrant blue and white waves his left shoulder that occasionally shifted ever so slightly “This is my mark of Laviku, the father of my people and master of all around us now, it allows us to feel closer to him. Of course that is also why I made a sacrifice to honor him before we even left Riverfall at the start of our journey. ” he told her and gently pushed at one of the raised waves toward his shoulder.

A wide grin crossed his face as he told her with as much seriousness as he could muster into his voice “It is told that if you put your ear close enough to one of the swirling waves you can hear the ocean in it!”

“But it also is much more than decoration and much more important to us too.” He finished telling her proudly as the wave slowly swirled around.

He looked the woman over quickly before he decided to talk about his other one. No harm in it or at least he figured so he stood up and took a couple of steps closer to the woman before he turned to hike the bottom of his left pant leg up to his knee. “This one is my pod’s tattoo, the Reefdiver pod that is, and it tells all who care to see which pod I’m from, so it isn’t decoration entirely either” he explained to her as he pointed to a tattoo of a Dolphin jumping in the sea while an island with a palm tree were in the background that was mixed into a horrible crisscrossing scar that transfixed the majority of his calf and although it was an old scar and well healed after so many years it still was very noticeable.

He watched as his large gull swooped in, probably with a full belly after it’s latest meal. It landed on the ship’s bow in a flutter of wings that seemed much noisier than normal today but the bird quickly settled down and likely into a nap as Finn turned around and sat back down so he could see and talk with Kamilla again.

“What about you, what are your plans for Syka? Are you planning to work with plants there or just a short trip? It isn’t the first place people think about going to from what I have seen” He asked her bluntly and to the point as if they were the oldest of friends now and nodded at the plant she seemed so careful and protective of beside her.

At the onset of their journey, he had expected to spend the time being avoided by his passenger as many people do to the Svefra due to their reputation although he quietly admitted to himself that the her company was quite nice of a change from his normal passengers.

by **Kamilla** on April 9th, 2019, 8:44 am

Kamilla Circe Gordon

Unsurprisingly, Finn seemed more than happy to explain, sticking to his friendly demeanour. According to him the tattoo was a mark from his god, Laviku and given the context she’d assume he was the god of the sea. Kamilla knew little to nothing about the gods, it was hard to concern yourself with beings you’d never interacted with when growing up and struggling in a lawless city like Sunberth. Regardless, the tattoo was beautiful and the mage found herself intrigued by svefra’s words and culture, having not known much about them beyond being a seafaring people.

When he made the comment about putting her ear close to listen to the waves, Kamilla cracked a small smile in amusement. ”I think I’ve got more than enough ocean to hear already.” As she spoke she gestured around them to the seemingly endless waters.

The svefra then drew a few steps nearer, hiking up one of his pants legs to reveal yet another tattoo and what looked like an old scar. This interesting yet far more conventional tattoo was apparently a sign of his heritage, or ‘pod’ as he called it. She recalled him introducing himself as Finn Reefdiver the day they’d met, so it seemed pods were kind of like families.

Kamilla was about to question him about his tattoo as well when a large bird swooped low over her, startling the mage ever so slightly, before landing on the boat and settling down. Finn seemed entirely unbothered by the creature, perhaps even being familiar with it, so she decided not to pay it any mind either. So long as it stayed away from Roo of course.

Now taking a seat facing her, it seemed it was her own turn to ask questions as the young man directed a few towards her, not that she minded too much. His questions were simple enough, though the bit about working with plants confused her for a moment, until she realised where he’d gotten the idea.

If he was sharp enough, Finn might even have noticed that the flower was now pointing in his direction as of also listening to the conversation, though there were no real hints of anything out of the ordinary.

”Oh no, I’m neither a herbalist or a botanist, this flower is just extremely unique and of sentimental value to me.” She paused for a moment, checking to see that Roo was still securely positioned, before returning her gaze to Finn. ”As for my plans for Syka, I’m not really sure. I suppose I’m mostly curious about the rumours of this new beachside settlement, being in a foreign region of Mizahar. Perhaps it will only be a short visit or maybe I’ll take a liking to it and choose to stay... who knows.” A small shrug would put an end to her little explanation.

”What about you? Where is the ‘pod’ you referred to earlier? Or are you just a lone sailor now?” Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, forgetting to mind what she said despite it sounding slightly intrusive.

by **Finn Reefdiver** on April 10th, 2019, 2:50 am

Finn outright laughed at her response to his teasing as he looked around where she gestured, but he quickly admitted to her “Probably the wisest choice you will make today! My father used to throw me overboard when I would ‘listen’ to his mark” The mischievous grin was hard to miss as his svefra nature shone through quite clearly but even he wasn’t sure if he would of followed through or not.

Although he couldn’t say for sure, it appeared that the purple flower had moved but he couldn’t know for certain. Unconsciously he found himself being a little more observant of the potted plant now. However it did pique his interest quite quickly as she related her ‘unique’ and ‘valuable’ plant to him. Information he really didn’t understand yet but maybe he would find helpful or useful at a later time. Nor did he have any need or even a want for the plant himself. To him, a plants value was only in if it is edible and he had never grown anything in his life but it also went without saying that he would likely kill anything he tried to grow.

The short answers Kamilla gave only seemed to give the woman a more vague background that added to the mystique already surrounding her with the lace on her dress and her red lips. He didn’t doubt her honesty, it was much more what she left unsaid in her response that intrigued him. She was going to Syka but may or may not stay, carried unique plants but didn’t work with them, and she’s foreign to this part of Mizahar however controlling his curiosity had never been a particularly good strength of his which usually failed in the trying phase! This failure seemed to put him into trouble on a multitude of occasions in the past and he suspected that it would continue to in the future..

Finn’s mind raced as he answered her as best a he could. “My pod sailed south some time ago, I will catch up to them someday again I’m sure.” All he said was truthful as he didn’t know where exactly they were but he could make some good guesses but he wouldn’t divulge the specifics for the safety of his pod. He could easily see Kamilla as nice, maybe even call her friend, but that kind of trust he couldn’t say if or when it might come.

“For now I sail by myself and occasionally with that lazy bird in the bow but we are never alone. Laviku’s children are all around us, on, and under the seas!” as he pointed at the gull, it opened one eye in an attempt to make sure nothing was wrong but went immediately back to sleep again once it saw nothing was amiss..

He patted the worn deck of the Casinor beneath him with respect “As long as there is water under the keel and I have a breeze at my back, I am home!” he answered sincerely before he gestured at her and continued “Besides an occasional friendly conversation, what else do you really need in life?”

“So you are foreign here, where exactly would you be coming from then?” he asked as he waited to see how she would answer the question. “Where to next if Syka doesn’t work out?”

by **Kamilla** on April 10th, 2019, 8:56 am

Kamilla Circe Gordon

The Svefra seemed to enjoy her quip, the sound of his laughter causing Kamilla to crack a small smile. It seemed that the whole ‘listen to my tattoo’ thing had been a joke his father had played with him, though tossing a child(or anyone) into the sea sounded terrifying.

”It’s a good thing I didn’t then, since I can’t swim.” Shrugging off the confession as if it weren’t a big deal, to her it wasn’t, Kamilla did feel like she probably shouldn’t be sharing that kind of information with the young man. Finn did seem both kind and trustworthy though, she doubted he’d let her drown just for a few measly coins, afterall he stood to gain more by keeping her around. She might need him for a return trip.

Finn’s comment about catching up to his pod ‘some day’ intrigued her, she wondered if all Svefra were so free spirited that they could leave their families behind so easily. She supposed her own opinion was biased since she had no family in the world, nor place to belong, currently searching for a place to make home.

Finn gestured to the oversized bird resting on the boat with them, leaving her grateful that she hadn’t shooed it earlier. Overall, the young man seemed to be completely at home on the ocean. Honestly, the way he sold it, Kamilla couldn’t help but envy the Svefra slightly, for having somewhere to belong.

”Oh, so that bird is your pet? I was wondering what it was doing so far from any land to rest on.” Though the mage had no idea what kind of distances birds could really travel. ”My yowlwing, Yennefer, is pretty much the same. Keeps me company and lazes around, not much else.” Kamilla almost winced in anticipation of the plant’s reaction to her omitting him, but thankfully none came.

It seemed Finn hadn’t yet had his fill of ‘friendly conversation’, now asking slightly more personal questions, though Kamilla could understand his curiosity. The questions weren’t really intrusive either.

”I’m from the port city of Zeltiva, which is a long distance away.” It wasn’t exactly true, Sunberth being her hometown, but at the same time she had vowed to start a new life after losing her family and in that case it had only begun in Zeltiva. ”And I’m not sure, keep traveling I guess. I suppose we’re a bit alike in that way, wanderers.”

Kamilla had never really given it any thought but now that she’d said it out loud, it rang true. After all Syka would be her fifth place of residence.

”Finn... do you mind if I ask how you got that scar?” There it was, that very business-like trade of information that she’d learned from her time on Sahova. He’d asked a bit of a personal question too, so she saw no reason not to satisfy her own curiosity.

by **Finn Reefdiver** on April 12th, 2019, 2:32 am

Kamilla’s confession made him laugh slightly longer, especially as he was probably only slightly better at swimming than she was but it also wasn’t something he would divulge to her just yet, not now and definitely not while they were in the middle of the ocean on his Casinor.

“Pet? Never, she is free to come and go as she chooses although I should throw her off the first chance I get by the shyke she leaves me on my boat!” Although his words were tough and mean, his tone told a much gentler story as he cared deeply for her and watched over her always. The gull on the other hand paid absolutely no attention to the pair at all as it slept easily to the rhythm of the sea. He gestured at her purple flowered plant as he continued “But as for company, your potted greenery there is likely to be better company!” he stated in a slightly louder voice in another failed attempt to stir the bird awake before he shrugged at Kamilla with a laugh.

“More like drifters I would say” He answered her in reference to the speed they traveled at. “Zeltiva you say, I guess you have travelled quite a ways already. You should be quite used to travelling now. From what I have seen it is mainly Svefra that enjoy wanderlust” but was quite impressed by her answer despite his limited interaction with others outside his pod.

“Sounds like you may have some Svefra blood after all!” He complimented her sincerely.

Kamilla’s next question, perplexed him as he took half a chime to think about it before he answered. “Why on Mizahar would I mind Kamilla? It’s just some old scar if truth be told, ask what you feel like. No need to stand on formality especially out here, after all it is just the two of us and I will not hold it against you.” Still not completely sure if he had misunderstood her question but he also didn’t want to ignore what she asked.

“Quite a long and interesting story if I do say so myself” He started with a serious look until he quickly lost his composure and laughed before he finished in a much friendlier voice as he looked around. “There is a story that I will not bore you with but the moral is ‘Don’t swim with sharks’. Like the rest of Mizahar, the seas are dangerous to those that are unweary of the dangers.”

Porpoises had crossed paths with his Casinor and decided to follow the ship at least for a little while. They were jumping and splashing the water as the group played with each other. Jumping in and out of the water, the silver grey bodies shone brightly as they came closer to the small ship, and as they chattered and laughed in their shrill voices. Finn jumped up and brushed the hair out of his eyes as he looked off the port side.”THERE!” he exclaimed and lifted his left are up to point at the creatures. “There is a pod of porpoises off the port side, a real sight to see!” He told her as he unconsciously scanned the horizon for sails, specifically Svefra sails. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed his pod until that moment. Whether it was the conversation with Kamilla that stirred up the feelings or if they were always there and he had never admitted it even to himself.

by **Kamilla** on April 12th, 2019, 4:37 pm

Kamilla Circe Gordon

Finn seemed amused by her lack of swimming ability, though she supposed, to people who literally lived their lives on the sea, it would seem absurd. It didn’t bother her though, the young man and his humour didn’t across as anything but good natured.

Once again he referred to Roo, a compliment this time and Kamilla was almost certain that the flower would respond, but once again she’d been worried about nothing. Honestly, she was impressed by its uncharacteristic silence, she’d have to thank it later.

Glancing in the flower’s direction, Kamilla would return her gaze to that of the Svefra, a small smile on her face. ”You’d be surprised... I certainly was. Never saw myself as much of a gardener.” She paused for a moment, glancing down at Roo. ”My yowlwing Yennefer though, she’s quite the handful, she’s either too lazy to move or bringing me dead things as a gift, there’s no in between. I’d let her out of the cabin but I don’t she’d know how to handle flying around the ocean.” A shrug.

In reference to her travels, Finn was correct, she’d traveled across two regions and now a sea too. ”Maybe I do.” Her mom had told her that her father had been a sailor after all, she didn’t know much else.

Kamilla couldn’t help but laugh at the origin story of his scar, ”You don’t say.” The mage had never even seen a shark, but she was certain if she did, she would not be trying to swim with it, or with any kind of aquatic animal for that matter.

Barely a moment had passed since their discussion on sea-life when Kamilla‘s ears were greeted with the sound of nearby splashing, Finn quick to point out that there was a ‘pod’ of porpoises. The mage curiously turning around and moving to lean over the front edge of the boat, eyes wide in wonder.

The sea animals jumped and splashed along the boat, just out of arms reach, seemingly having the best time. Honestly, Kamilla had to admit that she was kind of envious, they looked so free.

She was so entranced by the porpoises and how close they were that Kamilla didn’t notice she was subconsciously leaning closer and closer to the water until the casinos hit a wave that was relatively bigger than the ones, dislodging her from her spot at the front of the boat and throwing her into the water with a gasp and a splash.

Panic had hit the moment she’d realised she was falling, the mage’s heart jumping into her throat as she made contact with the water, instantly reaching upwards towards the sky and beginning to kick frantically. ”He-“ she began but quickly turned into a gargle as she got a mouthful of salty water.

by **Finn Reefdiver** on April 12th, 2019, 8:22 pm

“I saw you bring…. Yennefer?.... onboard but never seen much of them before. Not sure they make great pets at sea but I don’t know much about them either.” he confided in her but also found them interesting creatures as well. “From what you describe though, the gifts she brings you would likely be appreciated by my gull as I have never seen her refuse a free meal from anything!”

Finn grinned knowingly as he watched Kamilla’s fascination with the porpoises as she slowly moved forward and he was amazed at the stark difference between the wide, brown eyed lady in front of him and the one that he had been talking for the last little while that was all composed and formal. Finn’s tavan woke from the sounds of the pair moving about the ship and although Finn could of walked right up to touch the bird however it continued to scrutinize Kamilla as she neared the bow. Luckily for the gull, Kamilla moved to the port side as she watched the frisky sea life at least until she lost her balance and fell into the water which spurred the seagull to take wing away from all the commotion.

Finn dove for the corner of the ship and skidded to a halt at the railing where he leaned over as far as he could while Kamilla screamed for help and sputtered in the water, the slow speed of the ship worked in their favor at that moment as he was able to grab one of Kamilla’s outstretched hands and held onto as tightly as he could while he lifted to keep her head above water. When he was finally able to grab the other flailing arm by the wrist .

“Got YOU” he half yelled at her as he hauled her up and out of the water and up onto the safety of the deck and away from the edge. He held her up with his right arm around her as he half rubbed and half patted her back, unsure on how much sea water she had drank or worse inhaled but she needed a moment to catch her breath at least. As Finn caught his own breath again, he quickly checked her over to make sure she wasn’t hurt to badly before he reassured her quietly but firmly “You are ok and you are safe!”, which also went a long way in his own mind as well.

The whole ordeal lasted only a chime or two but it felt much more like ten or twenty chimes had passed to Finn as he waited for Kamilla to regain her composure and stand up. He couldn’t remember a time when he was afraid of the water so he really had no idea what she may be feeling right then but would have to wait and see from her.