Completed Do You Hear That? Pt II [Trinket Box Ability]

[Naadiya]

A tickling at her feet brought Naadiya upright in a jolt. Tiny little fish were nibbling on her toes. There was no pain but she instinctively pulled her feet out of the water. Artik laughed as the little fish swam over to his feet and started nibbling from toe to toe. “Okay guys, now the other foot” Artik let out with with a laugh. But to Naadiya’s surprise, the fish did as they were told, swimming off to find another foot to feed on. “What’s the matter?” He asked, “scared of tiny little fish?” Naadiya marveled at him, “is that you doing that?” “I just have very fragrant feet.” “Hah! I very much doubt that!” She replied. “Do you want a whiff?” “I think I will leave that pleasure to the fish, they seem to be enjoying it. Are you some type of mage or… have you been favored by a god?” “Would it be so hard to believe that I had been marked by a divine?!” “No! I didn’t mean— It’s just— I mean— well which god was it? Where is your mark?” Again, with that mischievous grin, she thought. Artik stood up and turned around and for the first time Naadiya noticed the aquatic design in the small of his back that continued underneath his shorts. She stared at it in amazement. Naadiya had seen similar marks while aboard a Svefra ship, though no one had ever cared to share the stories of the designs and she’d been left guessing if they were in fact marks of the sea god or aesthetic tattoos. Bringing up her hand, she touched the man’s skin, her eyes growing wide. The currents of blue moved over his skin as If alive. “It moves!” she exclaimed. “It get’s better!” He said, and unfastened his shorts, about to let them drop. Naadiya quickly reached up to stop him and grabbed the fabric with a hand, holding it up. She could still see the skin revealed on the drooping side of the shorts. Waves of sea foam waded back and forth from bared cheek to covered cheek. “You know, I think I’m going to take your word for it!” He quickly turned around, fastening his shorts much slower than he’d undone them. ‘What’s this,” she smiled at her prudishness, “do I have the pleasure of accompanying a maiden pure of mind and body?” “Hardly,” she gaped, then laughed. “Married thrice over, I’m not that pure.” “Three husbands!?” Now it was his turns to widen his eyes, “you can’t even be that old! What happened to them?” “They all mysteriously died in their sleep,” she lied, knowing they were all likely remarried and raising families. “It was quite tragic, really. I was told they all awoke choking on their own blood. Horrible way to die.” "You were told? Weren't you with them?" "Oh no, I made sure to be far, far away." She’d almost had him for a second, until laughter erupted from her lips and soon his too. They talked for a while longer, Naadiya finally relented, dipped her feet back in the water and let Artik work his god-given talent. Every little painless nibble eroded away the callused and dried skin and left her feet feeling freshly pumiced and smooth. The seed of an idea was beginning to take root in her mind but Naadiya still needed time to work the kinks out. Nibble fish baths? Nibble fish pedicures? With the amount of people that walked around barefoot or sandaled in the city, this might proof a useful idea. Was anyone already doing something like this in town though? “What are these fish called?” She asked. “Its a Garra, they will eat the dead skin off of animals or algae scum. Some people call them doctor fish, because they are said to help treat certain skin conditions. Very useful little fellows. They usually prefer freshwater, but Syka is always full of surprises, these little ones but be a saltwater variety.” Doctor fish spas? Neither had really noticed when the drinks had worn off, but for a while they just sat in peaceful silence. She could hear his breathing, it seemed almost to be in sync with the oceans own sounds. Naadiya’s eyes closed, the morning air was still cool, and her feet in the water were still being tickled by the little fish. Word Count: 730

[Naadiya]

Then she felt something wet hit her cheek. She opened her eyes to see if Artik was splashing her somehow, then another splash on her second cheek. Another and another. Drops were falling from the sky. “Is this you too?” She said, wishing he had not decided to perform this particular trick. “Sorry to say, rain is not really in my wheelhouse.” Suddenly remembering she still had the bag full of yarns with her and they’d soon be too wet to work, Naadiya pulled her legs out of the water so fast, she splashed Artik considerably in the process. “Sorry!” She blurted, but the Svefra was already shaking his head. “No worries, if you hadn’t done it the rain might have... eventually” “I have to go! The yarn will get all wet and I’ll have to wait for it dry, it's just too much yarn!” She had been yelling out her apologies even as she stumbled down the dock back to the beach. Worried the fabric bag might not hold out enough of the rain, Naadiya was getting a little anxious. It wasn’t one or two skeins. It was a large bag filled with yarn, some still undyed but some were brightly colored and Naadiya was scared of the the chance the dyes would bleed. By the time she had reached the sand, Artik had already caught up with her. In a moment driven by either inspiration or anxiety, Naadiya took the large bag and slipped it under her skirt, hoping the additional layer would help keep its contents dry. Holding onto the fabric awkwardly, Naadiya probably looked quite a sight. Even with rain sprinkling his face, Artik still smiled “why didn’t you run to the bar?” “I— I wasn’t thinking! I only thought to get home!” They were both running messily in the sand avoiding the hanging swings. “Well then, go right! See that ship right there! Head in that direction! Keep going, there is a ramp on the other side. No, it's fine, it’s mine, we can at least wait out the rain." Even as he said the word, the sky seemed to pour just a little more and sense was quickly washing away from Naadiya with every falling drop. They boarded the ship and soon were both sitting inside a cabin that seemed to be the entire living space. A barrel stood between them with simples stools to sit on, but they were dry, or getting dry. Naadiya had been relieved to see the yarn looked to be mostly unharmed though her clothes and hair were showered in rain. Artik had excused himself to change out of his wet shorts and Naadiya nodded, turning away and trying to use her fingers to push her damp hair out of her face. When he sat down again on the stool opposite her, Artik was wearing what could have reasonably been called a scrap of fabric covering only the bare minimum. He had placed a glass bottle on the barrel and uncorked it. Naadiya could smell a sweet aroma and was guessing that rum might have been Artik’s drink of choice. Then another bottle was placed on the barrel, this one filled with water and a wooden bowl with some bread and fruit. “Have a drink! You clearly seem unaccustomed to winter showers!” The way he said it made it sound as thought he thought she was overreacting, but Naadiya wasn’t taking it. She grabbed the bottle and took a swig, “you got wet enough that you decided to change!” “That was mostly because of you not the rain! You swept so much water up in one motion I should be searching your body for a gnosis mark!” Word Count: 618

[Naadiya]

They drank, ate, laughed and Naadiya eventually admitted that maybe she had over dramatized the rain. But in her defense, the desert offered little comparison and the one storm she had experienced out at sea, while terrible and strong, had seemed to her almost a dream. “Besides!” She interjected, perhaps a little too loudly, “I’m still not entirely sure it wasn’t you that called the rain down in the first place. I’ve seen Raindancers before!” “Did you see me dancing?” Instead of answering him, Naadiya took another swig of rum and followed it with one of water, the latter not quite cleansing the heat of the former. She shook her head, eyes narrowed. “That really would have been quite a lot of effort just to get you on my ship.” “Yes, it would have.” Artik took the bottle and helped himself to a long drink, breathed in deep and was going to take another gulp when Naadiya’s body slammed into his. He fell back off the stool and she fell on top of him. Her clothes were still damp from the rain and he could feel light, cool breezes blow everywhere they touched. His confusion did not last long as soon as he felt her lips on his face and quickly made an effort to go along with this surprising outburst. He held onto her back, pressing her weight down on him and felt her fingers tangle themselves in his hair. Syka was not a place where people placed a high value on uptight or priggish behavior but he certain hadn’t expected this scene from the same girl who couldn’t even see an ass cheek without having a conniption. He also wasn’t about to put an end to it. As the rain went on outside, they went on inside. Naadiya wasn’t even sure when it had ceased to rain but it must have because at some point she could no longer hear the faint splashes hitting the roof above. When they had finished, Naadiya could only lay there in the rumpled fabric, sweat beads now outnumbered the raindrops. Her hand fell on his chest and patted it a couple times lazily, “that was…” she gathered her words, eyes still closed. “I really needed that.” Laugher boomed from the man, his chest shaking up and down in bewildered ecstasy. “I have no complaints. Any time, really.” She patted his chest again, unsure if there would be a next time but unwilling to say it out loud, then got up. Her neck was a little stiff and she rubbed it, trying to crack it but not succeeding. Naadiya got a look outside and searched for Syna in the sky. Where was she? What time was it? Deciding it could not have been long past noon, Naadiya yawned a rum-bidden yawn. She could probably still get some weaving done if she had some coffee and quit with the handsome distractions. Going back inside, Naadiya looked at Artik’s bare form sprawled out on the bed where they’d ended their activities. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even but she could tell he was still awake by the closed-mouth smile plastered on his face. Maybe there will be a next time… we’ll see. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she neared the bed once more, taking in the sight one last time before leaving him to his drunken dreams. Even if he wasn’t asleep now, she only imagined he would be soon. Without trying to be quiet, she took another sip of the rum and left the boat. As she walked back to the inn, Naadiya thought of the blond man. Thought about the gold of his hair and the blue of his eyes. Thought about the smell of his hair and the feel of the fuzz on his chest. Thought about his mark and how where it had been, glad to have been able to see it in its entirety. But she also thought about what Rainmere had said as she left the Mercantile. “Don’t let him sweet talk you! It’s his specialty” Naadiya wondered if she had been sweet talked despite her best efforts to be the one in control. If she had been, Naadiya had to applaud him for he’d don’t it without her even realizing she’d been affected as intended. Had Rainmere also been another insect caught in this flytrap? Word Count: 733

[Gossamer]

Naadiya –

Observation +4, Socialization +5, Subterfuge +1, Cleaning +1, Running +1, Seduction +1

Artik: Appearance and Mannerisms, Artik: Marked by Laviku, Subterfuge: Lying About One’s Past, Cleaning: Having Garra Rufa Clean One’s Feet, Artik: His Home, Artik: Carnal Knowledge

Note: Let me know if I missed anything!