A Vibe Most Strange (Gabrielle Seawind)

[Liandra]

Timestamp: Winter 85, 511 AV Time: Late Night Location: Black Beach Cavern Who: Gabrielle Seawind Liandra and Kylayia were delighting in the surprisingly easy travel of the day. The strange tides and storms of the area seemed to be taking a day off. But the pair would never utter a complaint. This season seemed full of intent to banish them from this inland sea. So today would be a nice, relaxing day. Liandra decided she was tired of riding around, and dismounted from Kylayia. She could use a good swim. She grabbed one of her coral torches from the saddle bags and strapped it tightly to the upper section of her right arm. This would allow her to see down deep, without it taking up a hand or flopping all over the place. She swam around to Kylayia's front and patted him on the flute. "Love, go find us somewhere to rest tonight, I'm going to go explore a bit. I'll bring you back some goodies." Kylayia wouldn't have been worried if they'd been back home, but these were foreign waters. But he knew Liandra couldn't be convinced otherwise, so he nuzzled at her neck, and swam off without looking back. Kylayia watched her best friend go, wishing him well. She needed to stretch her limbs. She could feel that they were close land, the currents' collision against the solid rock nearby were evidence of that. She began to swim downward, in hopes of finding the sea floor. Her webbed feet kicked powerfully, her arms pushing the water behind her gracefully. The light from the coral allowed her to see several feet ahead of her, while also scaring away several of the smaller creatures. She quickly reached the sea floor and began floating just above the sandy bottom. This didn't have the good feel of pearl country, but maybe she could find something else. Not all treasures are jewels after all. Liandra scooped her fingers down into the silt below, and brought some to her mouth. She rolled the grits over her tongue. This was very fertile sand, there had to be some coral near by. She lazily swam along the bottom, constantly sweeping the area in her search. She found herself nearing the area where the seafloor rose up sharply into a rock face. She huffed to herself. No coral here. There was nothing here. No fish, no plants, nothing. That didn't make any sense, none at all. The sea should be teaming with life. She suddenly felt very nervous. She began looking around, worried a dangerous predator was nearby. She should've brought Kylayia with her, he could always sense these things before she could. She began to cautiously swim upward along the rock face. As she began moving further up, she noticed the face was pocketed full of holes. She continued skirting upward, a hand resting in one of the holes, when she was filled with a sense of dread. She quickly withdrew her hand, an instant before something stormed past it. The rush pulled her arm back and she twisted her body so that she faced away from the rock face. And to her horror, she saw why no creature came to this area. Streaming out of the wall were countless lengths of yellow and brown. Liandra knew that color, that smooth skin, and that writhing mass. She had stumbled upon a giant eel nest. And they were hungry. She quickly began swimming like mad for the surface, which now seemed like an ocean away. As she pumped upward she finally saw the tail ends leave their nests, showing the horrifying size of the the eels. The eels were already turning back toward her like a flurry of deadly spears. She knew their teeth weren't large but could slice through flesh and cartilage like the weakest of kelp. They were faster than her, but weren't nearly as agile or nimble. As the swarm drew closer, Liandra saw that she wouldn't be able to fully clear the path. So she angled herself upward but also toward the swarm. As the eels neared, she saw the razor sharp teeth as their mouths opened. In this instant, she knew they were confident, but also blind, just for a brief moment. She stopped her forward movement and curled up in a small ball, her hands now gripping the glow coral, that was on her arm a moment before, out in front of her. Her diminished size only allowed for two eels to possibly be problematic, though it only took one to kill her. The first eel's bottom jaw collided with the glow coral and sent the Charoda Ball spinning backwards. The second eel, however, had found some purchase as it's top fangs scored shallow grooves into her back. The swarm of eels continued to speed their massive bodies by as she began swimming for the surface once more. Now that she was bleeding, the risk of death increased a hundred fold. Her back burned in pain, but the fact that she could still swim meant that the damage wasn't as severe. She let out a shrill whistle as she swam in an almost crazed fervor. She didn't know if the whistle would be heard or not, but she knew her survival relied on it. As the swarm returned, their spread was much wider, so as to better capture her. Her options were now extremely limited. She was lucky to have only sustained the injuries she had now. She continued her rise, finally being able to see the surface above. Then she felt her gut drop. Her instincts told her it no longer mattered, but she didn't know why. Then several deep, bellowing roars filled the sea around her. The hierarchy of the sea always triumphed, but could she survive? A small pod of Velispar were making quick work of the eels. Liandra knew from Charbosi that Velispar were highly intelligent, and often unmatched in ferocity. She didn't know what attracted them, the smell of her blood, or the shrill of her whistle. But upon their arrival, they quickly determined that the eels would be a much more satisfying meal. Liandra knew she was out of the Myrian net, but was now possibly in the cooking pot. As she swam away from the terrifying display of predator and greater predator, a single eel was darting after her. Liandra heard a whistle similar to her earlier one, and felt a slight hope. She let loose a matching one once more, as she swam toward to source. As she sped near it, she could see the spotted outline of Kylayia, her darling seahorse companion. He trumpeted worriedly as he closed the gap between them. She knew that sound. She was still in danger. She snuck a glance behind her and saw the single eel nearly upon her webbed toes. Kylayia zoomed past her, giving her only an instant to snake a hand into his reins. Her shoulder was nearly jerked from it's socket as Kylayia's form crashed into the eel's body. Her companion was assaulting the eel with tail, head, and flute. The eel managed to get a couple bites in, but the seahorse's scales protected him from the worst of the damage. Eventually, the eel determined that fight was no longer worth it, and made it's way back to it's nest as the sole survivor of the massacre. Kylayia hauled an exhausted Liandra back to the resting place he had found earlier. Unbeknownst to them both, it was a small cove called Black Beach Cavern. As he neared it, he hopped the two of them over the rocks that provided protection from water predators on the outside. They found themselves in a moderately shallow pool just within the cavern. Liandra slid from his back and tiredly grasped the scraping shell from her saddlebags. Kylayia whistled a complaint, but Liandra would not be stayed. "Mama always said to tend to your flock before the sea shepherd could rest." She began to scrape the buildup of grime and slime the sea accumulated on Kylayia's scales. If she didn't do this, he could get sick or infected by barnacles or other parasites. She slid it down the scales with the grain, then beneath them as she worked her way against it. She made special care to clean around his gills, eyes, and ear slits. Satisfied she checked his injuries, but knew they would heal up quicker than her own. She drug herself onto the sandy entrance and sighed. At least now she could rest. She doubted anyone else would be in this cavern. After all, Kylayia was quite adept at finding hiding places others couldn't find.

[Gabrielle Seawind]

Gabrielle shivered, putting her hands around herself. In her whole life, it was only the second time she had been to the Black Beach Cavern. She couldn't believe that she actually had to spend the night in the terror stricken place. A strange whispering and moaning seemed to haunt the cave, and Gabrielle forced herself to believe that it was only the sea breeze making its sounds against the cave's opening. She sat beside a campfire, a blanket around her. Two of her sisters, Tanya and Chesca, were with her and were huddled against eachother on the other side of the fire. Gabrielle could see that they were drifting off to sleep. They had no way out -- their mother had dropped them off at the cave earlier that day, ignoring Gabrielle's protests. She would be back by morning, she said. She had errands to do and needed the casinor, and three more people onboard would just be troublesome for the casinor's speed. This wasn't an odd occurence, but it had annoyed Gabrielle that the nearest shelter had been the cavern. The lights from the fire flickered against a bottle of rum that she and her sisters had decided to leave behind for Dira. The Svefra were a superstitious race, and Gabrielle knew they couldn't anger Dira. If they were staying in her territory, they had to be respectful. Gabrielle almost jumped out of her skin when she saw someting move near the shallow waters by the cave entrance. She glanced around quickly, and saw that her sisters were already deep into sleep by now. The young Svefra contemplated on waking them, but she thought twice about it. 'They would probably throw me in the fire if it was nothing...' Mustering up all her courage, Gabrielle put the blanket aside and cautiosly walked over to where she had seen something move. Perhaps, it was her dolphin friend, Kairo? It wouldn't be odd if he had decided to follow them into the cove. He had been wary of following earlier that day, as if entering the cave was a bad omen. Gabrielle had not been comforted by his actions -- but if he were here now, then that should cause some of her fear to subside. "Kairo... Kairo!" she whispered as she approached the figure. Her voice echoed through the walls as a low humming. When Gabrielle was finally a foot away from the figure, she almost fell on her bottom out of surprise. The cave was dark and she could only see faint outlines, but she could see the pale blue skin of what appeared to be a Charoda woman; or, at least Gabrielle thought she was Charoda... she had only heard of tales about them. She was with another creature -- and it was a creature Gabrielle had never seen before. Gabrielle had never faced either a Charoda or a giant seahorse before, and she was speechless. Also, was the woman injured? Gabrielle didn't say anything, she simply stood there, her body unmoving. She was both curious and scared, because she had no idea if the race was hostile. "Another bottle!" mumbled a voice behind Gabrielle, and Gabrielle quickly turned her head to look at Tanya, who was speaking in her sleep again. The voice had been low but every sound seemed to echo through the walls, hence her voice probably told the Charoda that there were others in the cave. Reverting her attention back to the Charoda, Gabrielle stared to back away slowly, trying to grip for any weapons she could find -- there wasn't any. She didn't know what the Charoda's reaction would be, if it would be violent or peaceful, but Gabrielle couldn't take her chances. "I don't want any trouble... there are three of us here. Don't attempt to attack," warned Gabrielle. If she made a sudden move to attack, Gabrielle would raise her voice and wish her sisters would wake up. They slept like logs and would probably sleep through an attack – but the Charoda didn’t know that.

[Liandra]

OOCKylayia isn't a Velispar, he's a giant sea horse. Liandra leaned back on her arms, her hands sinking into the wet sand just beneath the ebbing tide. Kylayia sank to the bottom and there he would rest for the remainder of the night. Liandra sighed, her back was still sore, but she knew it would heal up if she gave it time and took it easy for a while. Liandra heard a soft humming a envelope her being. Normally, one would be creeped out by such a sound, but to the Charoda, the humming was a sound of relaxation beneath the waves. Liandra then joined in with her own humming. It was a song she had known for all her life, a song her mother had sung to her when she was an egg. "Hmmm... hmm.. mmhm... a da la, de la hmmmmmmm..." She kept this up for many relaxing moments, when a female voice, panicked, caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. She quickly scrambled, prepared to flee through the water when she saw that it was just a girl. A Svefra girl. She relaxed just a bit, for the most part, Svefra seemed for the most part a good sort of people. Liandra strained her senses, which weren't as strong above water. She could make out some other noises further into the cave. The girl had said that there were three of them and told Liandra not to attack. Why in Caiyha's name would she attack children? Or anyone for that matter? Liandra held up her hands, and in the tongue spoken around the world, "I'm just here to rest, I mean no harm to anyone. We found this cave by chance, and need to rest and recuperate. I apologize for disturbing you. Perhaps we should go." She turned to leave, keeping an ear on the girl in case she decided to attack.

[Gabrielle Seawind]

OOCOops, I apologize! Edited! Gabrielle gave a sigh of relief and relaxed. She put her hands by her side and stood up straight, keeping a careful eye on the Charoda and her companion. Her sisters stirred behind her, perfectly oblivious to what was going on. The Charoda girl seemed to show an expression that she was somehow having a difficult time, and Gabrielle immediately felt guilty for assuming she was hostile. "You can stay," Gabrielle replied, though her tone was hesitating. She didn't own the place, and had no right to send someone else off. The winds moaned throught the caves. The Svefra's skin prickled from the coldness and the eeriness, and she wondered if she should head back to the comfort of the fire. She looked at the girl again, her expression still wary. Gabrielle didn't really know what to say, and she had no knowledge about the Charoda -- she didn't know their customs, she didn’t know if staying above water was easy for them, she didn't know anything. "Do you need anything? Food, a warm fire?" asked Gabrielle, her eyes still staring at the blue woman. "By the way, my name's Gabrielle."

[Liandra]

The young woman told Liandra that she could stay, even offered food and a fire. Liandra was never fond of fires, they dried out her skin and made it difficult for her to breathe. Gabrielle, what a strange name. Liandra calmed down, realizing that both of them had startled the other. The girl appeared quite young, not quite an adult by her best guess. "Greetings Gabrielle, I am Liandra, and this little guy here is Kylayia. My people aren't too fond of fire, so I'll stay over here by the water. Thank you for letting me stay here, and for your kind offerings. I have some kelp rations left if you would like to share, I promise they are quite tasty." She wondered if the girl knew that Charodae didn't eat fish or meat. Probably not but she would politely decline anything of the sort. Liandra reached for her pack when a spasm of pain racked her back. She hissed in discomfort. She gnashed her sharp teeth, and quickly grabbed the pack. She pulled out her coral torches, which were dormant when above water. She quickly dunked them in the water so the little critters wouldn't die. There, the torches took on a glow that filled the shallow pool. She then pulled out a day's worth of kelp rations and halved it, offering some to the girl.

[Gabrielle Seawind]

"Liandra and Kylayia," repeated Gabrielle. The names sounded foreign as she said them, and she knew she probably hadn't said them right. The Svefra watched with amazement as she watched the glow envelop the shallow pool. What were those torches, and where could they be found? They would be incredibly convenient for her when she decided to go for a night swim, and aside from that, it was just simply enticing to see. Gabrielle blinked, not sure what to say when she was handed some kelp. Not wanting to be rude, she reached forward and took it in her hand. The young girl sat down on the hard ground right in front of where Liandra stayed in the shallow pool. The ground where she sat was damp, but she didn't mind. She looked down -- wet and raw kelp rested on her hand. Gabrielle had never tasted kelp before. Sure, she ate plants in the form of vegetables, but not sea-drenched seaweeds. She eyed it carefully, and forced a smile before convincing herself to at least take a bite. The young girl did so, a look of distate clearly on her face when she did. "I... I'm kind of full, and you look tired, maybe you should have the rest of this," said Gabrielle slowly, as she handed it back. She wondered how the Charodae ate such food -- it was edible, yes, but it had a slimy feel to it and she couldn't even describe the taste. It amazed her how different all the races were from one another. She wondered as well if Liandra was eating it because it was all she had, so Gabrielle said, "We have some roasted meat, if you want something to add to your kelp... by the way, are you alright? You seem to be hurt. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about medicine, nor do my sisters..."

[Liandra]

Liandra broke into a smile as the girl handed back the kelp. She had yet to meet a Svefra that enjoyed it. The woman even offered her some roasted meat. "I wish I could, but Charodae can't eat any meat, bad stomachs. But thank you. And it's not too bad, I'm sure it will heal on its own. I'm just not safe with it bleeding in the water." She turned to show her back. There were four deep grooves, slowly oozing blood. They weren't particularly deep, and the bleeding was slow enough to not be life threatening. "It just smarts a good bit is all. Giant eel nests aren't safe after all." She chuckled at herself, she always laughed like that after facing her own mortality. She began gnashing at the kelp, enjoying the slimy feel, the gritty salt filled pores. "Oh? You have hatchmates... I mean... sisters? I hope I didn't startle them. I don't mean to offend, but you seem a bit young to be traveling away from your pod, especially with sisters. And I don't recall seeing a boat outside..."

[Gabrielle Seawind]

Gabrielle gave a wince when she saw the wounds on Liandra's back. They looked terrible, and incredibly painful. She wondered how the woman could withstand it without screaming in pain. It took a while for Gabrielle to realize that she had been asked a question. "Our mother had to do some errands with the boat. She's coming back for us when the sun rises. It's no big deal." Gabrielle shrugged. "What about you? Is it normal for your kind to be alone? I mean, considering your safety and how most would react if they found you, it doesn't really seem like the best of ideas..." Unlike Liandra, Gabrielle didn't bother to apologize for the possible offense she could bring about with her words. She chose to spoke directly, and also, she was curious about the culture of the Charodae. Gabrielle was a girl who liked to learn about the different races, and she was sure that not many people could say that had been face to face with a woman like Liandra before. "I'm not sure if you should be here when our pod comes back, or when my sisters awake though. I don't know how they would react. They might not hurt you, but maybe they'll take your friend. Either of you would sell for a good price in their eyes."

[Liandra]

Liandra chuckled at Gabrielle's naivety. "I've ran into many of your kind, trust me, they are some of the most hospitable people mine have ever met. Much nicer than those Myrians down south. Besides me and Kylayia can handle ourselves. But I'll leave if you are that concerned over it." Liandra sighed. Sometimes people just weren't what you hoped they'd be. But survival was of the smartest and most cautious. Liandra began checking her packs, making sure everything was in place. She then pulled her glow corals out and hooked them onto her pack. She woke up Kylayia. He was exhausted. Tired, so very tired. He grunted in annoyance. "Shh... I know hun, I know, but we have to go. We aren't welcome here, we can find another cave." Kylayia let out a long and frustrated flute, probably waking the sleeping siblings. "Shush hun. Don't startling the little ones."

[Gabrielle Seawind]

Gabrielle blinked at Liandra's reply. She chewed on her lips, wondering if she had said something wrong. However, she had only told the truth -- and Liandra should know that. "Sorry if I made you feel unwelcome. Just thought you should know," said Gabrielle flatly. The sound that Liandra's companion was high-pitched and long, and even Gabrielle herself couldn't help but flinch. It was quite painful to the ears, but Liandra seemed accustomed to it. Behind Gabrielle, a noise stirred. "What the... Gab, are you talking to someone?" called out one of her sisters. The shadows on the wall danced as her sister quickly got up, simultaneously shaking the other sleeping figure. "Who would you be talking to here!?" Gabrielle looked alarmed, and she signaled for Liandra to go, as quietly as she could. "It's probably the howls of the caves!" the young Svefra answered swiftly. "Just go back to sleep."