Flashback [SO-Eyktol] Blood In The Water Pt. I (Solo)

[Naadiya]

Blood In The Water Pt. I 44th of Autumn 521 AV Naadiya had been aboard the ship for only a day and was already starting to regret the choices that had led her to this point. She’d been sure that getting seasick would have been her main problem but that turned out to not be such a hurdle. The boat would lurch as it danced over choppy waves and her mind would instantly expect her stomach to summersault and expel its contents but instead she felt nothing. Well no, nothing wasn’t quite the right way of describing it. She felt the sea breeze tickling her neck as it blew her hair back. She tasted the salt in the air, or was it her lips, everything was so salty it was hard to tell. She felt the boat's rhythm like she’d been born to it. But she wasn’t. She was a child of the desert and no one around her seemed to forget that fact. Vibrant blue eyes glanced her way as she passed, but almost always looked away as soon as she turned. Naadiya had already decided she preferred the ones that looked away over the ones that tried to stare her down. Guessing at their reasons, however, was beyond Naadiya’s capabilities. If anything, it was she who had reason to be distrustful of the seafarers. Before the ship had arrived in Wadrass, Naadiya had waited over a dozen days and nights with out any sign of a ship in the horizon. She'd already had to start bartering her hidden jewelry for food in the city as her own supplies had already run almost entirely dry. When a ship did finally make port, it was a sorry looking band of worn out Svefra. Both the ship and its people looked like they had been through an unpleasant journey and ended up staying in the port for a couple of nights, having needed the time to resupply the ship as well as make any necessary repairs. Without knowing or asking what their story had been, Naadiya had approached a man that looked to be in charge and asked about passage on his ship. She had picked up some Fratava from when her father would trade with the Svefra and have her attend him, refreshing their beverages and making sure everyone was in the best mood for the most lucrative deals. Now, she used the gestures of the sea-born language to supplement her Common. He had asked her where she needed to go and to that, Naadiya knew she had no real answer. Where did she need to go? Wherever her father could be found. But in truth she hadn’t the slightest idea of where that would even be. Looking at the man with his stench of stale sweat, grime and grease, Naadiya hoped he wasn’t her father. “The Suvan Sea” she had said, remembering vaguely that the area was known to hold many a Svefra ship and hoping there would be zero familial connection between herself and the captain. “Any particular place or do you wish to just be dropped off anywhere in the sea’s expansive waters?” He’d asked doubtfully. “The furthest spot on the northern coast of the sea,” she replied curtly, hoping the great the distance they could traveled, the higher her chances of finding the man she was after. She pulled out a ring from her pocket and held it in her palm, “I can pay for passage.” The man had looked at her suspiciously but shrugged his shoulders, preferring to let his eyes linger on the sapphire so delicatley held in bands of ornate silver. With a nod he said, “We’ll be docked for a couple of days but then we set sail for the Suvan, should get there once winter has arrived. We need to do some repairs on the ship, come back not tomorrow night but the following. We’ll set sail for the Suvan before midday the next day so you will want to be aboard before then.” Naadiya was hesitant to just give this man a precious item and then leave, relying on the hope that he would still be there, and have not yet forgotten their deal. But seeing no other options, she agreed. Unwilling to go so far that she'd lose a clear line of sight to the ship, Naadiya found a good vantage point from an adobe house on a slight hill near by and camped there, keeping an eye on the ship. The city was so sparely populated during this time of year, no one gave her any trouble. When the time came, Naadya grabbed her few possessions and took her camel down to the docks. Taking one of the last pieces of lamb jerky out from her bag, Naadiya chewed pensively, keeping her gaze locked on the ship. It didn’t seem that large of a vessel but she could imagine the space below deck was also substantial. The sail had a painted design of blue, curling waves around the border and a sun in the center with a jagged red stripe coming down the middle. At the ship’s front end, was the carved likeness of…a lion? She’d expected something more aquatic, but then Naadiya maybe she was making assumptions. Naadiya father had not qualms with the Svefra, considering them some of his best customers with their adoration of Eyktol's textiles. Her uncle however, claimed the sea people were thieves and trouble starters, stealing goods, ships and anything else they could get their hands on. He had always called the blue eyed people pirates when he was sure none would hear him. Among the Benshira, blue eyes were an unfortunate trait at best, and a damning curse at worst. Many among the desert folk would rather lose a hand or a foot than trade their golden irises for sapphirine ones. Naadiya’s own hazel colored eyes never quite reached the pure topaz tone of her mother’s and grandmother’s. Now she suspected the assumed blue hue of her biological father’s eyes may have been the culprit. The man who she’d spoken to before was on deck when Naadiya neared the ship. She waved her arm in the air from atop her camel. At first he didn’t see her, or pretended to not have, until a younger man near him pulled on his arm and gestured to the girl. With a grunt, he came down to Naadiya, not bothering to rush in the least. His lack of hospitality was not lost on Naadiya, who was already wondering what her trip would turn out to be like. Word Count: 1094

[Naadiya]

“No, not on my ship.” The captain's tone lacked patience but not volume. “But I have already paid you!” “Your payment was for yourself! You haven’t even covered your full trip, not to mention food and water and rum and pipe weed, unless you were planning on providing those for yourself during your voyage? This is no pleasure barge running down some leisurely river, you know. And you never mentioned the camel!” “You saw me with it! Why didn’t you say anything then?” “How was I to know? You could have easily sold it in town,” the small hint of a smile told Naadiya he knew as well as she, that the town was near empty and the probability of her finding a buyer for her camel was unlikely. Those who could afford them, would have them or not be looking to make such a trade in the off season. Naadiya patted the side of her camel’s neck. It was a beautiful creature. While her father was not himself in the camel trade, he had been wealthy enough to have several and all of them were good mounts. The Lisuli prided themselves in their breeding of the best camels and she’d taken the best she could find amongst those that had been her father’s before his death. “Then how much now for the camel to come with me?” “Out of the question, the sea is not place for this animal. If it doesn’t die on the ship it will once you land in Taldera… you do know that is where you are going don’t you?” “Yes,” she hadn’t. “But what should I do with him? I can’t just leave him here to roam.” His smile widened. “I will buy him from you. I know someone who would love him.” “You? Then why should you not just show me this person so that I can sell them the camel myself?” “Well now, as I see it, I owe you no favors. You have paid to travel on my ship and that is all well and good. This is a separate matter entirely, and I see that here you have a problem, and I have a solution. But once I’ve presented you with said solution you only scoff and say it is not a good enough solution to your problem. Well your problem is not my problem and you should feel free to solve it yourself if you see fit. By the way, we will only be docked for a few more bells then we go back to sea and join the pod.” His smile was enough to make Naadiya want to punch him square in the nose. She envisioned how satisfying the pop would feel when she made contact, or would it be a crunch? Whatever sound it made, it was sure to bleed profusely. “Fine,” she said. “As far as camels go he is top of the line, Lisuli born and bred.” She was trying to get as good of a price from the slimy man, but his nodding grin told her he would not budge on his price, and whatever that price would be, it would certainly be low. “Ten gold mizas”, his voice was so sweet now, that Naadiya could almost smell the honey dripping from his lips. Naadiya laughed, “surely you are only jesting. He is worth two hundred at least!” “Fine, twenty gold mizas” Her laugh became more tense. She’d already given the man a ring, her largest sapphire. Right now she could either say goodbye to the sapphire ring to keep the camel, an uneven trade to say the least. Not to mention the fact that it would mean she’d be stuck in Wadrass for who knows how long as she waited for another ship to dock in the near empty city. “One hundred gold mizas” Naadiya countered. “Fifty” “Seventy-five” The man shook his head, “Fifty” Naadiya bit the inside of her cheek, “Sixty-five” Another no, “Fifty-five is the best I can do.” The best you will do, Naadiya corrected in her head. He was too pleased, and she knew a truly fair deal left both parties feeling equally cheated. This was nowhere near even. “Fine,” she said, not seeing a way out of it, “Fifty-five gold mizas, and food, fresh water, rum and pipe weed for the duration of my time on your ship.” His smile weakened a bit, “I will do Sixty-five, food and water. If you want a drink or a smoke you can purchase that onboard.” She didn’t think she’d get a better deal from the man so she agreed and they shook hands over it. He handed her a bag of gold and she handed him the camel’s reigns. Naadiya was led to the cabin she’d be sleeping in while on the ship. It was truly small, a hammock hung from wall to wall and there was small table nailed into the floor and above it hung a tiny oil lamp. She was wedging her bag underneath the table when Naadiya heard a horrible, gut-wrenching scream. Running up to the deck Naadiya was horrified to see the slumped body of her camel, gushing blood from his neck. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Her words came out with such force Naadiya barely recognized her own voice. “No need to make a scene, Laviku requires his sacrifices. This is the real price of sailing the seas, he doesn’t except gold.” Naadiya’s hands were covering her mouth but nothing came out. Her throat suddenly felt dry and itchy but also as if she was about to throw up, then and there. Whether or not she tried, Naadiya couldn’t take her eyes off of the camel. He had been the only reason she’d been able to leave her tribe and travel to Wadrass on her own. And now he was dead and it had been Naadiya’s fault. She stared at the life she had exchanged for a boat trip, drinking water and maybe some fish and bread. Hateful eyes glared back at the captain who hadn't allowed the animal on his ship to live but was perfectly fine to do so for its death. Blood ran over the ship's deck, a mortal sacrifice meant to keep the ship safe in dangerous waters. Red faded to black and Naadiya didn’t even feel the ground when it slammed against her body. She woke up in her cabin, swinging in the hammock. Her arm felt very sore and there was an extremely sensitive lump on the back of her head but her memory was not so easily found. She hadn’t gotten in the hammock herself… someone had brought her there. Someone must have carried me, she thought and with a panic, Naadiya checked the hidden jewelry stashed under her clothes and in secret pockets. Who ever had brought her to the cabin, hadn’t found any of her concealed riches, or at least hadn’t stolen any of it. Then, the memory of the camel came back to mind with a red rush. So much blood. A cry escaped her lips and Naadiya could see no reason to stifle it. So she cried, feeling more alone now than she had ever before. Night came and sleep took her before she drowned in her own tears. The sound of the sea was a lullaby both soothing and ominous, teeming with both life and death. Word Count: 1239

[Naadiya]

When morning arrived, Naadiya did not want to leave her cabin. She stayed in the hammock for a long time after having woken up and only left her confines when the hunger pangs showed up. Lighting the lamp was easy. Standing up was easy. Even opening the door was easy. Why was it so hard to set foot outside the room? Her feet were heavy, as if weighed down with sandbags, so she dragged them with effort. Before anything else, there was smell. The smell of rot and blood and death, the air was thick with it. Naadiya wrinkled her nose, but her hunger was enough to push her onward. She walked up the stairs, finding the outside air sadly felt no cleaner than the putrid stench belowdeck. There were people on deck doing a variety of tasks, walking to and fro, some talking, some laughing. No one seemed to smell the memory of the previous night. Naadiya wanted to vomit. The camel’s name had been Copper. Originally named the Shiber equivalent of the word, eventually the younger generation began to call him by the Common translation of his name. After long enough of being called Copper, the animal no longer responded to the previous name, and so it stuck. Copper had been named for his color, obviously, being darker in hue than most of the other camels her father owned, he had also been one of the few to have two humps on his back. He had a particular penchant for oats with little bit of crushed mint mixed in. He loved upbeat music, especially in low leisurely baritone pitches. And he was always very clear when he could carry no more weight, giving a loud guttural groan that he would hold until the right amount of weight was removed. He may not have been like a child to Naadiya, or even a best friend, but at the very least he had been her travel companion and her protector, and she hadn’t been able to say goodbye. Not a real goodbye. Not a final goodbye. Suck it up, a voice inside her yelled. Even if you had sold it to a kindly grandmother with adorable grandchildren running around, how could you guarantee she wouldn’t butcher the camel for meat if the need arose. Naadiya might even have had to result to that last measure, if her funds had run out before the ship had arrived, and she knew it. Yet the thought seemed to make no impact on her feelings. Death in exchange for life is one thing. A conflicting voice replied, this was just slaughter. The gods will have their due. She’d been looking for the ship’s captain, the surly man whose face she hated more than anything else she could even think of. One day Naadiya would repay him for his favors. She didn’t know what she would do, or how, but Naadiya would find him again when her fate was not still dependent on his good will. Right now though, she was hungry and he was the only person on the ship she’d spoken to. Naadiya had always imagined a ship’s captain was always stationed at the ship’s wheel. Knowing little of ships, the fact that they were controlled by a wheel manned by the captain was something she had considered common knowledge. Yet, looking up she could see there was no one at the wheel. She walked up the stairs, well aware of the eyes that followed her ascend. From the higher elevation Naadiya looked down at the rest of the ship. A couple of people were still moving about, unperturbed, but the rest looked up at her. Some kept their hands in action, not stopping the task they’d commenced but some just stood there frozen and stared up with cold eyes. The sun in her eyes made them green as she stared back down at the blue glares, taking in each face, each expression. She was surrounded by water, even the people here were of water. Would she drown amongst them? Looking down from where she stood, Naadiya could now see the red that stained the floor below. How much of it had been Copper's? How much had already been spilt? The brutish captain couldn't possibly have held any previous grudges against Naadiya, they'd only met. She doubted this has been his first blood sacrifice on board. Knowing so little of the Svefra, Naadiya couldn't guess if this was normal or an anomaly. Was this truly Laviku's will? She knew the gods were severe and demanding but had she known this? Naadiya felt heavy, like fabric that had soaked too much rain. She wanted to yell, to throw something, to hit the person closest to her as hard and as many times as possible. She wanted to feel her hands around that man’s neck, squeezing tighter and tighter until the blue of his eyes turned grey and the life drained out of him. But it felt like she would never get that. Another hunger pang hit and Naadiya’s hand went to her stomach, uselessly hovering over the pained site. “Where is he?” She asked the person closest to her. Her tone was neither sharp nor bitter, it was weak. The woman who answered her did not need to know of who she spoke. “He will be back soon.” “Where is he?” She repeated, still sounding slightly winded if persistent. “He is apologizing.” Naadiya couldn’t think of anyone who was in more need of an apology, empty and futile as it may be, than herself. And with that thought in mind, venom tinged her words. “To who?” She could see that the woman in front of her was beginning to lose her own patience with Naadiya, but she didn’t care. “The Lia.” Her reply was curt, toned arms crossed over a muscular chest. Something in Naadiya wanted to lash out at the woman. Visions of her own hands grabbing hold of the thick blonde hair and slamming the attached head once, twice, thrice on the ship’s wooden floor, flew past Naadiya’s eyes. The momentary fantasy coming up just short of satisfying and leaving an even more bitter taste in the back of her mouth. Her fists clenched at her sides, and she took a long calculated breath, not breaking eye contact with the other woman. If she chose to get violent, Naadiya did not like her odds. The woman was a few inches taller and broader than Naadiya with a clearly muscled upper body, though she knew that was no defining factor. Strapped to Naadiya’s thigh was a long, thin dagger. It was held leveled with her right hand only needing a quick pull and she could have it at the woman’s throat. The Svefra woman was large but she looked lazy. Her posture was too relaxed, Naadiya noted. Even as the woman stood crossing her arms, her attempt at intimidation, perhaps, she slouched and hung loosely. Unclenching, her hand did not go for the dagger. It wasn’t just that she was alone surrounded by this woman’s brethren. It wasn’t even that she was floating on water too far from land without knowing how to swim. This woman was not the true target of her anger. None of them were. Death was. Copper may not have been Naadiya’s childhood pet, but he’d been a living reminder of her father. The father she no longer had. The sudden loss of the animal had trigger in some previously unexpressed grief in side the girl. She felt anger like she'd never felt before and the worst part was not having an outlet for that rush of heat. She was on fire but couldn't be doused. Do people die of heatstroke only feet from cool water? People die all the time, everywhere. Word Count: 1303

[Naadiya]

The bushy haired blonde woman actually turned out to be alright, Naadiya had come to see. Though, seeing was not such an easy feat at the moment, as her sight was getting progressively blurrier. Seeing Naadiya’s state and having some pity for the girl, the blonde woman had taken her to the kitchen. She introduced herself as Ondine and poured them each a mug of stout, then handed one to Naadiya. She was so hungry, Naadiya took the mug and drank deeply before she even noticed that Ondine had been waiting to touch mugs. “Oh… sorry… I- I haven’t eaten—“ Gurgle, gurgle…burble Her stomach seemed to have a few words to add as well. As Naadiya took in some air, she could actually taste the flavor of what she’d just swallowed. What had she just swallowed? She hiccuped, then burped unable to control the knee-jerk reactions. The burp was long and fouled the air with strong notes of yeast, a hint of coffee and something else. Was that seaweed or depression? Either way it has a penetrating stink. The wide eyed Ondine had been about to take a sip herself but the burp was truly foul. She gagged, then chuckled before waving at the air trying to disperse the putrid cloud. “Disgusting! I always thought you desert folk were supposed to be thoroughly civilized” she said, clearly imitating someone else and handing Naadiya a small salt-dried fish. She took the fish and ate it, breaking it into smaller bites with her fingers in an effort to make it last. “Is that what you thought us desert folk were like?” Her tone had been intentionally unimpressed and dismissive and as soon as she saw the sting in Ondine’s face, she’d regretted saying it. This woman had done her no personal evil, she didn't even mean her remarks to sound prejudiced and Naadiya could tell. Despite this, Naadiya just needed to lash out at someone or something. She knew she could only take it to a certain point but wasn't sure where that line stood. Had she been in the woman’s shoes, would she have had as much patience? Knowing that much about herself, Naadiya knew she wouldn’t have. She tried not to think about it, if she started to blame herself for this too, the pit of quicksand she was already in would only get deeper. Ready for another sip, she raised the mug to her lips once more, willing the alcohol to cloud her thought just enough to dull the pain. This time it tasted less bitter, but still not what she could consider palatable. For the first time ever, Naadiya found herself missing the heavily flavored juices and teas she would carry in the desert routes. I could talk about the weather… Or ask her what it’s like to live on a ship.. At least, I could say something nice about the drink, even if it is a lie. “Did you know he would do that?” Naadiya’s voice was almost a whisper. There must have been a disconnect between her brain and her mouth, this was not what she wanted to say. Naadiya didn’t want to talk about that. She wanted to forget it, to bottle up the memory to be dealt with only when she was off the boat, and if the gods were merciful, that would be soon. But instead she said, “Did you know they would kill him?” Ondine sighed and refilled both their mugs from the barrel behind her. “I don’t think anyone onboard knew for sure, but some likely suspected… We had a rough journey on the way over. The captain made no offerings to Laviku. We all nearly died twice over. Then, when we docked at Wadrass, he should have bought something, traded or caught it himself but then you showed up and answered his money grubbing prayers.” She had. While Naadiya couldn’t say she’d walked into a trap for none had really been set. She’d just ridden right up to the ship, handed the man a piece of precious jewelry as if it had been a trifle and agreed to the sale of her camel at a huge loss. Negotiations aside, Naadiya might as well have screamed out 'Hello! I have money and desperation! Come take advantage of both please!' What had she been thinking? Hindsight always has the benefit of a lifted fog, I suppose. Searching through a couple of crates, Ondine opened one with one hand and scooped two tangerines out with the other, before closing it. She tossed one to Naadiya who almost dropped the fruit but finally grasped it after a brief accidental pseudo-juggling stint at which Ondine only raised an eyebrow but made no comment. As Naadiya peeled the dark orange skin away, the citrus scent wafted up. So fresh. So clean. “Those can be your best friends on a ship. The juice will prevent scurvy, the flesh will lift your spirits, and the peels we can use for a variety of purposes. You can flavor and scent oils and dishes with them, or just make candies from the actual peels, or…” she took her peels and Naadiya and disappeared behind a door. She returned empty-handed and pointed her finger up waiting while looking at nothing in particular. After a few chimes, the scent of burning tangerine peels filled the kitchen. It was a sharp yet smoky citrus scent different and yet akin to the droplets of oil that had misted out from the skins as she’d peeled them. It was a much welcomed relief from the smell of butchery that had lingered before or the stout-infused guttural odor of her burp. Ondine tilted her head slightly and raised her hands palms facing the ceiling as it ask, ‘So? What do you think?’ Naadiya nodded thankfully, “Much better, thank you.” “Take another for later,” Ondine handed Naadiya another orange fruit. “Come with me. I think you could benefit from a manual task. It will keep your mind from focusing on unpleasant thoughts and the crew may warm up to you more if they see you are helping out.” Naadiya wished the woman hadn't finished her last statement. Bile rose in the back of her throat bitter and acidic. “You don’t think my camel's life was enough? Do you Svefra really need so much help at every turn just to stay afloat? Why do you even sail if you’re so dependent on outside help?!” The blonde’s sigh was not so patient this time, her voice was sharp, her words were blunt and her volume outmatched Naadiya's. “Listen, no one forced you to give up your mount. There was no knife at your throat, or flame at your feet. That was you. You traded him to cross the sea, and here you are CROSSING THE SEA. If you are not going to get over the crap deal you made, then I don’t see who else you could blame but yourself. But if you would prefer to stay here and sulk and soak up as much enmity from everyone else on the ship, be my guest, but don’t be surprised if you find your trip disagreeable. The captain has made a deal with you and I suspect he will keep it, but he made no promises to make your voyage comfortable. You may find your food undercooked, spit in your ale or even end up swimming to shore yourself, once we get to our destination. After all, who is going to want to row you to shore if there is no open dock?” She stared at the blonde, her own mouth open in distaste. She was right, Naadiya knew it but didn’t want to admit it to herself. Didn't want to say it out loud. What other choice do I even have at this point? she thought, reluctantly letting her shoulders drop. “You’re right.” Word Count: 1320

[Naadiya]

Ondine had led Naadiya up to the deck and made a show of them grabbing a bunch of nets that needed mending, then the two went back down and set themselves up at a table in the main eating area below deck. Surely people would see them putting in the elbow grease to help the whole ship and that might make a difference for Naadiya. The Svefra woman took a net and looped one end of the net on a hook that Naadiya realized must have been deliberately placed for such a purpose. She looped the other end on a twin hook a few arm length’s away. When Naadiya took a seat beside Ondine, she could see why the hooks had been placed just there. The position of where the net hung was such that behind it stood a wall that had been repaired with a very pale wood, making the black net stand out more easily. There was still some distance between the net and the wall, enough that a person may dance without tripping, though at the moment, the floor was littered with smaller crates and rope. All the same, it would make their job much easier. “Here we go... we'll mend these nets, they got torn on rocky shores. Have you ever done this before?” Naadiya shook her head. Nets always had their uses, even in the desert, but she had never had to repair one before. Familiar with needlework, she was confident it would not be such a difficult mystery to uncover. “It’s not hard. Watch me do it and ask me if you have any questions.” Ondine took out two needles and a spool of stiff thread, the same material as the rest of the net. She pulled a length of thread as long as her arm and cut it with small nippers. She raised her needle up to get a better look at where the eye was and tried to thread it. She missed a couple of time but when she had threaded the needle, she pulled a few inches of thread through and twisted the needle a few times so it would not easily unthread itself. She was about to hand the needle to Naadiya when she realized the Benshira woman had already threaded her own needle and was actually waiting on her. “Oh— Ok, so look at this tear,” Ondine pointed with her needle. “It’s pretty clean so we can keep this flopping section and secure the curved slice down. Try starting in these joints, but only if they don’t look damaged, otherwise your stitch might just destabilize it even more.” She took her needle and with a loop and a pull, tied the end of the thread to a point near one end of the cut. Going through another stable point, and then another, she began suturing the net’s wound, making knots at every cross section. “You want to make sure if it were to get torn again, one thread isn’t going to come loose and unravel the whole thing,” she explained. Naadiya found another cut on the net and started working on it as the woman had shown. It wasn’t a difficult task, requiring only a small amount of problem solving as they closed the smaller holes on the net and spoke about the coming sea travel. “Then, for an area like this, that had a large hole where parts of the net were ripped clean off the rest, you start off the same as before, then find your next joint. But before you tie the knot, take your free finger and hold the thread to where the last end of that diamond would be. Then you can tie it, without losing that length, when you get to the nest row of diamonds, you use that spot as an anchor.” They had finished repairing their third net and no one had come down the stairs even to grab something to eat. The cook was not in the kitchen and, Naadiya couldn’t even remembering having seen him when she’d been there. Ondine set up the fourth net, she had been humming since their conversation had run a bit dry around the middle of the second net. Her song was fast paced and filled with staccato bursts of higher or lower pitched notes. It was pretty quiet so she started to pick up the song Ondine was humming and and mimicked the blonde woman’s rhythm. When she would go off in a different direction than the song, the two would pause, the music petering out and they'd laugh a little. They were about to pick the song back up and probably would have continued until the rest of the nets were mended but something felt off. Both woman felt it. The quiet. The sounds of activity, movement and even speech, faint and far off as they were above deck, seemed to have ceased. Neither had noticed at exactly what point it had happened, but they were both uncomfortably aware of the silence now. Just as their eyes met, a sound broke the silence. It sounded vaguely like walking based on the pace. The steps fell hard, hitting the wood and caused loud knocks, but there was something else that was strange. There seemed to be two people walking almost in sync with each other as there were too many feet hitting the floor. They heard the sound coming down the stairs and Naadiya tensed. Her whisper was faint but hoarse, “What is it?” “You’ll see” was the only bristled reply she got from Ondine. The sound got louder and Naadiya craned her neck to get the best view of the direction the mysterious people would be coming from. To her surprise, what she saw coming down the path was a small woman. Dark blonde hair, streaked with grey, flowed from a strip down the center of her scalp but nowhere else. Her shoulders each bore pauldrons that resembled skulls, or were they real? Connecting the two were a collection of strings of pearls that draped from either end like a cowl of white beading. The odd sound pattern, Naadiya could now see, was due to the woman’s feet. She had none. From the calves down to the floor were wooden legs like Naadiya had never seen. A rich cherry wood, polished smooth in the shape of two perfectly arching feet. The wooden feet’s heels were forked. And Naadiya wondered if that had been a design choice based on aesthetic or function for it must have added some stability. The woman also held a walking stick, a slender dark brown implement she used to steady her movements. It had been another abnormality that added uncertainty to the sound as it had neared still unseen. “I’ll speak to her alone.” The authoritative woman spoke and Ondine, stood quickly and made her way out. She disappeared up the stairs and Naadiya desperately wished she had not been left alone with this woman. “Hello… is there something I can do for you?” Naadiya’s voice was ucertain, but she tried to make sure her face did not show the concern. “I am Lia Sirena." the woman said slowly. Her breathing was somewhat labored it seemed to Naadiya. As she spoke, the woman would pause to take longe breaths. "This ship is part of my pod, though admittedly not the best part... I have just heard of who you are, so don’t bother with introductions... I already know more than I need to.“ Naadiya halted the reply she had been about to make, her mouth hanging open momentarily. The woman continued to speak seemingly not noticing. “Tymas…. The captain of this ship…. He lacks the integrity of even the most common of men... He does not honor tradition... and his foolhardy ways may forever invite discord to his life.” Sirena had walked close enough that Naadiya could now tell the white shapes that she’d initially judged to be pearls, seemed in fact to be teeth. Some were a natural bone white, varying in shades of yellow and light brown, but some had been painted over with a silver enamel or lacquer of some kind. They were beautiful in a haunting kind of way and hard to take her eyes off of. Amazingly it seemed that some even had things carved into the dental bones, not all of which were human. Runes and pictographs were etching into the surface of serrated triangles as easily as the rooted wisdom teeth of a man or the elongated fangs of a land predator. “Well now... enough staring at my chest...I know they are lovely but my eyes are up here and I promise you... they are pretty nice as well.” Naadiya was caught off guard and stumbled over her words. She didn’t want to offend, while also wanting to make it definitely clear that she was in no way interesting in what hung beneath the necklace. A laugh slipped passed her lips before the reflex could be withheld and the blond woman raised an eyebrow in response. “No, I’m sorry I did not mean to stare,” Naadiya muttered trying to not sound like a fool. “You’re necklace is very beautiful, and yes distracting, so many small details to focus in on.” “Well be careful,” she woman replied, noticing Naadiya’s eyes begin to wander again. “Some if these teeth are enchanted to curse those to gaze unbidden.” Naadiya’s eye snapped up instantly and the older woman’s cackling laugh filled the room, a croaking guttural sound. Word Count: 1593