[Flashback] Dark Lagoon [Solo]

[Candira]

Season of the Summer, Day 15, 504 AV "Dira has touched it!" Danee proclaimed loudly. The small Charoda circled a globe of coral, its white skin glowing faintly in the nighttime water. A thick patch of greens consumed the side of the monstrous skeleton, the vines splayed like angry octopus tentacles along the surface. The girl's fingers played with the rough ridges, traveling down where the dome touched the sand in delicate shadow. "The poor brain coral ... " "Quiet!" Candira swam to her sister slowly, careful not to get caught on the long reeds. Danee pulled her hand back, watching her sister's cautious journey through the grass. The plants floated eerily in the dark lagoon, an area of still waters created by the large reef that was Charbosi. Candira's voice was pitched low, and the girl was all too wary of the creatures of the deep. Her last foray to the volcano with her father surfaced in her mind, a haunting reminder of the far past. "How do you know?" "Coral isn't white," she said. "Here, try and make it grow. You're best at it." "But if it's dead ... Alright, but keep watch. You know how I have to focus." Danee nodded noncommittally, wide and filmed eyes focused on her sister only. Candira shot one more glance of warning at her sister, pushing her fingertips against the surface. The girl would have to sing a prayer, constructed impromptu. She closed her eyes and reached forward with her heart, humming a halting yet haunting song in Char: "Caiya, whisper of living and nature of pendulum, Fluttering 'tween Kihala, life in spectrum, And Dira, whisperer of ultimatum, You the equilibrium, Grow this coral, no longer a mausoleum. ... Please." The two girls waited, breaths held, for some recognition from their Goddess of Flora and Fauna. Nothing happened. "Maybe you should dance next time," her sister said, her voice a slap through the quiet water. "Or practice making prayers." Music and movement both enhanced coral manipulation among the Charodae, and one skilled in both had more control over coral. The masters were ones to emulate, not mere beginners like Candira. "Not my fault!" Candira contested angrily, pushing away from the coral dome in a whoosh of water; she knew she couldn't manipulate a half-dead piece of coral back to life! Even the most skilled coral weavers and singers could not boast such a feat. "Next time, you try!" "You did good on the rhyming!" "Oh, Laviku seal your lips!"

[Candira]

Season of the Summer, Day 15, 504 AV "Wait, where are you going?" she said, kicking after the fleeing Candira. "Help me turn it over!" "I'm not destroying the reef!" she said, sinking lower to the ground. A small group of fish swam quickly past, their fins brushing her flat nose, quiet as a whisper. Dumb prayer! "How could you even think that?" She grabbed to an outcropping of coral, dragging herself through the natural caves. Her sister clambered behind her, fingers brushing Candira's small feet when her eyes saw nothing but night. "We'd put it back. I just want to see what's under it!" "And if it's a home?" Candira slid from the caves, her bag catching on a rock. She tugged fruitlessly, but it was her sister who plucked at the loose strands and set her free. "You should get that fixed," Danee said. The topic of the brain coral was dropped suddenly as, with a kick of her legs, Candira swam upward. "Hey!" Her sister followed her easily. "Quit being such a blowfish!" "You quit being such an urchin!" she said back, spinning around and floating parallel to the ground. They hovered between two walls of coral, sleeping animals nestled in tight caves, hidden from the nightly predators. A glowing jellyfish moved between them, catching the sisters' attention for a brief bell. "I just want to explore," she said hotly. "Lifting up a dead coral is not exploring!" "What, and eating kelp is?" "What hidey-hole did you pull that from?" Candira snapped. "Why don't you grow more coral over it and build the reef?" "Before I look under it? Afterward!" She adjusted the strap on her carriage bag. "You're being a guppy." "I'm being a good Charoda! You are the one that's being a guppy." Her sister rolled her big eyes, and they flashed in the lights of the glowing fish. Night was approaching its peak, and many of the sea creatures lured prey in through colorful lights and taunting lures. The nighttime lagoon was a beautiful sight, marred only by the argument between sisters. "I'm going," Danee said. "And when I find a great treasure, you'll be sorry!" She turned and traced her way through the caves, leaving her sister hanging alone in the dark with the echoes of a challenge.

[Candira]

Season of the Summer, Day 15, 504 AV Her sister was as annoying as an urchin's prickles! The girl poked her hand into a crevice, feeling nothing but the extended tentacles of coral. She knew from class that coral normally hunted at night, the polyps extended their mucus-covered filaments into the water in hopes of catching small pieces of organic material or even fish. The stuff got on her hand, though, and she scratched it off against a rock in annoyance before continuing her solitary exploration. She poked a snail, and its head zipped back into its spiral shell. A school of fist-sized, glowing fish meandered by; though they ignored the large Charoda, the girl could easily see the sharp teeth poking from their slit-like gums. She glided back against the coral wall, more comfortable with the harmless, day-time creatures than these nighttime beasts. A shark swam overhead, a deep and powerful presence in the water, and Candira was glad for her foresight in hiding. A bell or two passed easily, and Candira's anger abated. She loved the reefs and felt at home circling among the animals, both locomotive and stationary. It was her home, and deserved the respect the Charodae preached to anyone who would listen - and many who wouldn't. Her sister was wrong; Candira was adamant about that. They were supposed to be together, Candira grumbled, poking at an unnatural mound of rocks. Her annoyance resurfaced. "Let's go out to the lagoon for a few days!" Danee had suggested the previous night. Candira agreed heartily, gathering her necessary belongings immediately. They set out within the bell, arriving in the lagoon with just enough time to construct a temporary coral home. All of today, they had been together, gathering trinkets and playing with fish. Candira poked into a space, and a thin octopus shot out in a stream of bubbles and slick black ink. Stunned, she floated with obstructed vision and beating heart. The dark stuff settled on the coral easily enough, leaving Candira in an empty ocean. Hand quivering with the aftereffects of surprise, the Charoda swam away. She hated being alone in the dark.

[Candira]

Season of the Summer, Day 15, 504 AV The lights hung in delicate strands from the shrimp, and Candira followed the critters as they scuttled along the surface of the coral, dodging polyps and skirting shells. She was forced to focus on the creatures that made light and hum some nonsensical tune to herself, or else the Charodae would become overwrought with her fear of the dark and the suppressing feeling it pushed upon her. Her one trip into the ocean deep with her father had scarred the girl; she no longer felt safe when alone in the nighttime. The fish were her current comfort. Where was her sister? The girl, stubborn as a rock, refused to search for Danee. The other Charodae responded similarly, and a bell of seafloor exploration passed without word from her. Candira found herself at the far bottom of the coral reef, where the sand mixed so well with skeletal remains of coral that they merged into one gigantic structure rising powerfully from the ocean floor. Bones of animals poked white and clean from the sand, illuminated by the wavy line of blue shrimp. She hovered over green fungus, its fan-shape laced with glowing yellow stripes. Her exploring fingers combed the sand, and she felt a hard piece of ... something. Curious, the girl pulled out a ash-colored rock, light and airy. She tossed it into the water, and it floated abnormally back down. The thing was littered with tiny holes and rough to the touch. Candira frowned, trying to remember her classes in Charbosi. What is it? She tossed it again, kicked it even, tried to break it, tried to bite it. The results were horrible: pained teeth and scratched flesh, raw and almost clean feeling. Clean! She looked closely at the rock, turning it over excitedly in her hand. It was a pumice stone, of that she was positive! Pumice! The girl spun in joy, tucking the rock safely in her pouch. Pumice stone was easy to find - close to the underwater volcanoes. The current must have settled it in the lagoon, and recently. Charodae used the pumice stone for cleaning - they rarely formed callouses - and was extremely effective against any form of rampant fungus that occasionally swept through their numbers. Candira rubbed her large eye, tracing her way slowly back through the dark coral reef. Even the nocturnal animals had begun to retreat into their homes. Dawn was approaching, and the young girl wanted to cuddle next to her sister in their coral home. Sleep seemed so nice! She barely remembered the way back, only arriving at the low structure by accident. Without question, she fell against the prone body of her sister and slept the morning away.

[Candira]

Season of the Summer, Day 15, 504 AV "Closed eyes miss the current!" Candira woke to the sound of her sister's voice, humming close to her long ear. "And loud mouths scare away the fish," she mumbled back, rolling over in her bed of seaweed. The water was bright, touching on warm despite their depth, and Candira realized just how much of the daytime she was wasting away. She sat up, her sister's face expectant for the day. "What happened last night?" Candira asked. "I went back to the coral. Found nothing." She paused. "Sorry for yelling at you." "I'm sorry for yelling back." Both sisters were sincere in their apology, and accept each without question. "I found a pumice stone!" "Oh, really? Can I borrow it?" Before Candira had the chance to even nod, her sister was rummaging through the pack. "This?" She tested it on her hand, feeling the grain and pretending to know the differences in quality. "Yes, that's it. Cool, right? It was underneath a big coral growth. A trail of glowing shrimp led me there!" She glowed at the memory and pride of her find. And, she told herself, smug even in her own mind, I stayed out all night, by myself! Candira was proud at her bravery, and glad her sister returned with nothing. "Maybe I shouldn't use it!" "No, go ahead. Do you have anything to eat?" "Yes," she said, pointing at her own orange bag. Candira rummaged, pulling out a small woven pouch. "There's some kelp and spaghetti in there." "Cooked?" she questioned. Boiled spaghetti strands were practically a delicacy, especially to children so young. "No!" The girl settled against the wall of their small home, rubbing the rock along her leg. It was a simple room, barely six feet by 8 feet large and ten feet high. They were comfortable with two, but another person would make the tight space unbearable. "Have you ever tasted bread?" "Bread?" Candira said, shaking her head. "No, but I heard it's warm and crunchy and good." "I want to have it one day." Her sister had a wistful look in her eye. "You know, people eat meat all the time." "They're dumb," she retorted, fear beginning to creep like a snake. Where was her sister going to go? She always said ... strange things. And so out of the blue! "But I wonder how they eat it, and we get sick." "You haven't tried it, have you?" Candira looked up in alarm. "You have to respect life, Danee! We don't eat meat - can't - because that's the right thing to do!" "Oh, I know, I know." She moved to her other leg. "I was just curious." The girl turned, showing her bare back to Candira. "Can you check my tentacles?" Candira floated over, plucking one from her sister's head. "You better promise to clean mine next!" She was glad for the change in topic and allowed it to float away. Cleanliness, especially when a fungus or sea creature could easily settle between the folds of Charodae "hair" tentacles, was imporant. "Only if you do a good job!"

[Candira]

Solo Completed MY THOUGHTS (FOR FUTURE REFERENCE AND WHAT NOT) : The thread didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, and I think it's because I didn't really have a clear idea of what I wanted to do in this solo. Only that I wanted to write something. :/ I'm going to have to pay more attention to an actual, planned plot next time. I don't want to have millions of threads: Candira searches the coral, Candira swims in a circle, Candira finds a rock! Well, always next time

[Rage]

GRANTING OF XP Candira Swimming - 2xp Coral Manipulation - 1xp Singing - 1xp Camouflage - 1xp Geology - 1xp Scavenging - 1xp Lores: Impromptu poem Childish banter Coral feeding habits Octopus evasion technique: using its ink Use of pumice for body hygiene Making peace Items: Pumice rock Notes: A good read, I like how you use expressions relating to the sea. I also enjoyed discovering the relationship Candira has with her sister. An excellent setup for when she eventually ventures on land. A little note: I'm not sure if singing and dancing would really affect one's ability to manipulate coral, but in this thread I'll pass it off as uninformed assumption of a clueless Charoda - perhaps someday Candira will discover that skill in doing something is the surest path to success.