A Most Unusual Phenomenon (Sable)

[Liandra]

Timestamp: Winter 75, 511 AV Time: Early in the Day Location: Just offshore of the Black Cliffs Who: Sable Baggywrinkle Liandra and Kylayia were stalking a particularly colorful fish, just because it's markings were quite striking and they had nothing better to do. It was large, about the size of Kylayia's head, snout included. It was covered in spines, much like a lionfish, but wasn't the standard white and brown or white and black. Rather, it was a deep red with vibrant purple stripes and spines. But the most strange feature were large appendages protruding from the side of its head. To her, they looked like wings of some sort. According to some Svefra she had talked to, these appendages occasionally occurred on fish and squids, and looked like the ears of some animal called an elephant. She shrugged, she liked to think of them as wings though. The pair had spotted the fish while tumbling along a particularly fast underwater current. It was just floating along, probably looking for something to nibble on. So Liandra asked Kylayia to follow it from a distance and to not spook it. They simply just floated along, trying to predict its path and next movements. It was a beautiful fish, and seemed oblivious to their presence. But they couldn't have been more wrong. The fish had noticed them following it since they left the current. And it was worried that they were a predator, and was about to escape. Liandra saw the fish beginning to descend toward the sea floor. So she leaned Kylayia forward, and they followed suit. The fish was beginning to pick up speed and was descending much more quickly. They matched its pace, and were now coasting along the sea floor. The pair were too enraptured with the creature to notice that it passed over a vent. The fish knew its timing was perfect, it was relieved and took off. As Liandra and Kylayia passed over the vent, it exploded upwards in a booming plume. Kylayia was shot backwards, tumbling head over curled up tail. But Liandra was trapped in the center of the plume and was rising extremely fast. She barely had time to think out a prayer to Laviku and Makutsi, thanking them that the plume wasn't boiling hot water. And then as suddenly as the plume had appeared, it disappeared. And had launched Liandra out from the water several feet. She was perhaps ten, fifteen feet in the air, spinning end over end before crashing hard into the surface once more.

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

“An' what'll ye do there, me bully boys all? 'Way for Senda! What job will ye do there, me bully boys all?” Sable roared out, skipping lightly over her young otter companion. The little scamp grunted and lazily flapped at her retreating figure with a fin. A bright scarf wrapped ‘round the woman’s torso warmed the sun-kissed bronze of her skin, and a loose pair of trousers hung low off her hips. Light sandals protected her bony feet from the chill moisture of the deck. A bright red handkerchief tied up a tumble of blond curls. Though her preparations for disembarking were vigorous, and she felt hot in the activity, a ruddy blush spread over her exposed limbs. "We'll dig for red gold, oh, me bully boys all, 'Way for Senda! We'll dig for a fortune, me bully boys all!” Tugging tight, the boisterous woman leaned back hard and swept her crystalline blue gaze over an imagined plethora of crewmates—her ‘bully boys.’ Fingers slapping the till to stress the excitement of finding a nice trove of red gold, Sable leapt forward to release the ties that held the boom to the mainsail. Flittering around, movements as robust as her voice, she placed the halyard and proceeded to haul the sail on up. A cleat provided the necessary anchor for maintaining the taut line. Skipping about, excess rope was wound around another cleat on the boom and she checked to make sure the sail had set properly. “Or die o' the fever, me bully boys all, 'Way for Senda! Or die o' the fever, me bully-“ The words of the popular Svefra song trailed off as the lanky woman paused in her scrutiny. Something had decided her musical attempt was lacking a little ambience, and their hearty splash provided a poignant solution for fever. Chill water could be an acceptable remedy, she pondered while eyeing the white ring of ruffled water emanating from a point of disturbance in the water. While the blue humanoid creature took a nice jaunt through the air, Sable helped ease her startled mind with a ringing, hearty chuckle. It wasn’t every day that a sea creature exploded so inelegantly out of the ocean, but, it had arms and legs and was clearly in some distress. Without a wink of hesitation, Sable scooped up a float and hurled it out toward the fish-thing. Long fingers gripped the accompanying rope tied to the float and gave a bit of a tug. Even should the thing not latch on to it for orientation or help, Sable’s greeting would be the same—the penultimate line of her song. “Heave with a will, boys, oh, heave long an’ strong!”

[Liandra]

Liandra's face, chest, and stomach were all burning with the pain of her landing. She floated there for a moment, motionless as the pain slowly began to abate. She felt a nudge beneath her, and she stirred. She saw that it was Kylayia, and that he was healthy and good. She let loose a sigh, and pet him on the flute. Her head breached the surface when something crashed into her head. Her vision blurred and she saw colors of light that reminded her of sea stars. Strange. As her vision cleared, she saw what had struck her. A floatation device attached to a rope. Her eyes followed the rope to a ship with a strange woman on board. Did the woman think that a Charoda needed help swimming? Clearly she wasn't that bright. Liandra swam along the line, with Kylayia at her side. The waves weren't rocky, so the ship didn't appear to move much. When she reached it, she put her webbed hands on to the rope and began to pull herself up. Hand over hand she climbed the rope, her feet dangling free. As she strained to pull herself up, she knew she was meant to be underwater. Being out of it made her feel week, but she was like a goddess when below. Kylayia raised up out of the water, and gave her feet a boost with his head. She silently thanked him as she pulled herself onto the ship. "You should be more careful where you throw things."

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

Far from being concerned at pelting a distressed creature in the head, Sable stifled a laugh as the float bounced impressively off the blue thing’s face. She stifled it because laughing at having further damaged someone was just in bad taste. But really, she knew exactly what had happened; the same natural phenomenon had scared Sirocco skinless the previous day while he went for his last swim before heading off to sell their catch. It wasn’t like the blue thing didn’t have a malleable landing, after all. Sable braced herself against the railing with one foot as the Charoda mounted the rope and hauled herself out. The Svefra found the rough material in her calloused palms comforting. As the woman dripped on her deck, the lanky sea-farer, three inches taller than her guest, hauled in the buoy and re-coiled the rope. When she turned back, those timeless features had sobered to a death pall. “And you should be more careful where you explode from the water.” For a moment, it seemed as though she were so upset as to toss the thing from her vessel. But a sly smirk broke the façade, lips tight in an attempt to keep from grinning outright even as her chest trembled with more stifled laughter. “Or do you always flop around like that while riding the vents?” Who was this thing kidding? Offering didactic suggestions after tumbling head over ass with its arms and legs flailing like limp tentacles. But the teasing was all in good sport, clearly not meant to be malicious in any way. The cheeky woman turned away to stow the float, brushing her hand off on loose, moist trousers before offering it to the Charoda. “Name’s Sable, Lia of the illustrious Baggywrinkle Pod, at your service.” A slight bow and somewhat self-deprecating humor accompanied the introduction. “And this beauty,” she continued with a gesture befitting the facetiously dramatic tone of her greeting, “is the Sea Sparkle.” The ship in question was a fairly standard Casinor with a tidy deck and immaculate rigging. It was clearly well loved and methodically taken care of. “Welcome aboard,” the playful woman finished with the first hint of sincerity. Vibrant and unsettlingly sharp blue eyes skimmed over her guest, lingering on the seahorse birthmark, the faintly miscolored evidence of her belly flop, and the fruits of her gender. Narrowed hues returned to the Charoda’s face, picking out features that seemed likely to be feminine. Really, these things all looked the same. Then they darted on up to the tentacles and Sable stepped closer, leaning it to study them. “Would you like to join me for a bit of a repast and tell me about yourself?” Sable asked invitingly, exiting the Charoda’s personal space once more and regarding her with friendly warmth.

[Liandra]

Liandra ignored the initial jibes the woman threw her way, no use crying over spoiled kelp. The woman's name appeared to be Sable and she said she was a Lia. Liandra found it humorous that Lia was also a part of her name, despite knowing the truth from one of those long days in school back in Charbosi. Why would a leader be without the rest of her... pod was it? Liandra smiled as the woman introduced herself and her ship. That is until the woman's striking blue eyes began running over Liandra's body. She felt slightly self-conscious under her gaze. Then the woman further invaded her space to inspect her tentacles up close. This woman really knew how to cross the line. But as quick as she had entered, she was gone, and now offering tidings of food. Liandra was quite confused at this woman's social skills. She was like a shrimp, just darting in all different directions, but maybe Liandra wasn't adept at socializing with other races. But she would be polite. "Do you have any fruit or vegetables? I brought some kelp along, and it's quite tasty if you give it a chance. I may share some with Kylayia if you don't mind." She hadn't spent that much time among the Svefra but had never had a bad experience so far. She studied the girl now, much like how she'd been observed earlier. The woman had a pretty face adorned by the trademarked sapphire eyes. She had a lithe body, typical of the Svefra. She was just a smidge taller than Liandra but the most curious feature was her hair. Liandra had always found hair fascinating. Probably due to the fact her people had none. Her teachers taught them that their ancestors used to, but the Valterrian robbed that, among many other things. She peered in close to the woman's hair, and scrutinized it. Pretty sunshine colored curls. Liandra sniffed at it, finding that it smelled of salt and water, a smell that all Charodae find comfort in. "I love your hair, it really suits your eyes," she said, not realizing the implications that could possibly be associated with the phrase.

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

The calm waters created the faintest of disturbances; the warm, smooth deck beneath the women’s feet rocking only slightly as they felt each other out. The Charoda’s smile had faded at the intense, if brief, scrutiny, but the slight blip in what otherwise could be described as a salvaged introduction didn’t appear to faze the Svefra. But she did note it and began to make the proper adjustments for their future interactions. At the positive response to her invitation the lanky woman moved to a set of barrels, even the few short strides carrying a carefree saunter, and peered into their depths. The lids were quickly reapplied, but she pulled a leather bundle out of a crate and revealed some dried rations. That nose scrunched elegantly in comical derision. Now, if she truly didn’t have any social skills, she’d offer these up. Eagerly setting them aside again, Sable improvised. “Actually, I was going to invite you to come with me to try and find some fruits. Before he left, one of my podkin collected some berries from where the shore starts rising into the cliffs. If we sail down far enough, it should take too long to find the berries,” Sable informed her casually with a wave at the area in the distance where the shore gradually lifted. “If you’d like, we could pool resources and make a fine meal of it. I’m afraid I never gave kelp a proper chance as a child,” the lanky woman admitted with amused sheepishness. “Do you cook it or anything? I’ve been wanting to try mixing dark berries into various staples as a way of creating some variety.” Stable stopped eager explanation there, watching Liandra study her. It made complete sense to her that the Charoda would be just as curious and return the earlier scrutiny. No matter how many Charodae she saw, they always stirred just as much intrigue as the first. She reached up and tugged the strip of cloth from her hair, letting the golden tresses tumble down across her shoulders and bounce in curly rings around her serene face. It was slightly tangled, the Svefra having neglected to do more than a cursory brush through. Sable also didn’t realize the implications that could possibly be associated with the compliment. Her face just lit up in a mixture of surprise and pleasure. “Thank you…Excuse me, I never caught your name, unless you were referring to yourself when you mentioned Kylayia.” Slowly, as though frightened of breaking the fragile understanding that had sprung between them, Sable skirted around the cabin and disappeared inside for a second. She’d gone in to retrieve her small bone comb, momentarily thinking the woman would find the process of combing through her hair interesting, if only once. Those blond locks would look silken and smooth after just a few strokes. But…Liandra had been uncomfortable earlier, and probably would find the offer strange. Instead, with the comb stowed in a pocket, she offered Liandra a small string of brightly colored stuff wrapped in a waxy paper. “Here, try this.” It was one of the precious pieces of salt water taffy Sirroco had surprised her with a season earlier.

[Liandra]

Liandra watched as the young woman went over to several barrels. She pulled something out, didn't appear to be fond of it, and set it aside. Then she offered an opportunity to Liandra. The opportunity of gathering garnishes to further their meal of kelp rations. "You can cook it, though not directly in fire. Back home we would cook it in the cones of heat that sprout on the bottom of the sea. I suppose you could um... what's the word? Um... you put in a container with water and heat it up? BOIL that's the word! I believe you could boil it, but it has to be in ocean water. Trust me on that. And I would love to join you in finding some berries." Then Liandra realized she hadn't introduced herself, and here she was acting all friendly and the like. She was quite embarrassed and stuttered out, "Oh sorry, Kylayia is my best friend, my name is Liandra." Shortly after, the woman disappeared inside the ship. Liandra wondered if she'd upset by not introducing herself appropriate. Other people's customs could be very strange sometimes. However, the woman returned, and appeared to have a gift for Liandra. Relieved, Liandra took it, and muttered out a genuine "Thanks." Liandra began to examine the strange present. It was wrapped in a string, and had a strange paper around it as well. Sable had suggested she try it, so it must be some sort of food. But does she eat the whole thing? Or just the colored stuff inside? She guessed it to be the latter. She untied the string, carefully stowing the string in her pack, followed by the strange papery substance. What she found within was quite strange. It was a lump of bright pink... stuff. This was food? It was a very pretty color of course, but didn't look edible. It actually looked more like something you would see come out the wrong end of a sea slug. She picked it up between her fingers, finding the consistency quite... strange. It seemed sticky and stretchy. She took the plunge and popped it into her mouth. And there the strange lump melted in a sweet wave of pure sugar and flavor. She began to tear at it with razor sharp teeth, not finding them real useful on it, getting stuck more often than helping. Her tongue worked over the sweet pinkness, and Liandra knew she'd fallen in love. She'd need to learn what this is and how to make it. She tried to talk, to thank Sable again, but found her mouth a little stuck with the lump. She waited several moments and finished it up. "Thank you so much! What was that? It was amazing! Did you make it? Can I learn to make it? I wonder if Kylayia would like it?" Sable would now be seeing Liandra with her curiosity in full. Most people couldn't handle it, but Liandra was the one being controlled by it. And was perfectly fine with that. "I wish I had something to share with you, but I have to travel light, so I don't carry much. My apologies."

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

Pleasure spread across those vivacious features at the acceptance of the lunch invitation. When Sir had left, it had looked like a dull week of self entertainment. Though, for the childlike, that wasn’t exactly difficult…but it did get old. Fairly quivering with anticipation of Liandra’s first bite into the sweet, Sable clearly had to stop herself from helping the taffy-neophyte along on an expedited ingestion. The gift had been unexpected. Sir had returned from selling their-his-catch in Syliras to find his Lia beaming at the pitiful success she’d had at fishing. Since she’d forgotten to inform him that her own food stores were low and had to figure out something for the few days he’d been absent. It was almost like a reward though it had originally been a gift. Dumbfounded at the stretch of questions regarding the taffy, Sable’s blue hues clouded over a bit and her jaw dropped slightly. Leaning back against a barrel, the heel of one foot bouncing off the toes of the other, the affable captain took a long moment to register the implications of Liandra’s curiosity. Her own delight at the taffy could never be denied, and, even on those alien features, it was clear the feeling was mutual. Leaping up, long fingers curled insistently around the blue fleshed fish woman’s shoulders and she laid a heartfelt smooch on the smooth, amphibious skin of her lips. “You’re a genius!” The enthusiastic nomad released Liandra abruptly, turning to pace her enlightened thoughts over the worn deck. “Sirroco got it for me in Syliras and I have no idea how they make it, but we could go find out! It’s called salt water taffy, so I bet it’s made in the ocean! If you take it to Charbosi you’d be a hero!” Smacking her lips, as though just realizing she’d kissed a Charoda for the first time, the guileless Svefra bounced on her toes like she was preparing to hoist anchor and set off for the chivalrous city. Eager, hopeful eyes regarded Liandra. This was an adventure to share with another person. To a Svefra who’d gone from a large prosperous pod to a small loving one to a broken, bereft one, companionship for such an upbeat quest meant the difference between a week of carefree purpose and a week of lonely inactivity. “It would only take two days to get there, and I’m sure it would be easy to find the candy maker. We could grab our lunch, eat, and be on our way. The ship is all ready!” Agile mind finding nothing more to help persuade, considering she’d just met the woman, Sable latched on to the one thing she had found out. “I’ll share all the rest of my taffy. Kylayia can have as much as he wants!” she called out as she disappeared back into the cabin, returning with the pouch of remaining candy. Clearly, this was how life went for the Svefra. Footloose and fancy free, when captured by an impulse with no obvious discouragements in sight, acting on it required no second thought.

[Liandra]

Liandra had been expecting at least one answer to her questions. She had not been expecting Sable to kiss her. Not that it was unpleasant, just unexpected. Her lips went soft in the instant Sable's had met them. But just as soon as Liandra's lips tried to kiss back, Sable's were gone. Liandra was slightly disappointed to say the least. Ever since her rendezvous with Wrenmae, she'd been having these urges that couldn't be satisfied. And Sable's kiss had given her a taste of what she wanted once more. She quickly hid her attempt to kiss back with a smile. She loved how excitable and lively Sable was, it was quite refreshing. Sometimes Liandra wished she could be like that, and not so timed and reserved. She was extremely adventurous and curious when she was alone, but put her around people and things just got weird. And now she wanted to go to the city of Syliras. And she wanted Liandra to join her! Liandra tried to recall what she had learned of the city in school. She knew it was full of Knights, who kept the peace in the city with an iron hand. But they also were welcoming to pretty much anyone, and many Charoda had done trade there. Her mind was made up. She waited until Sable returned from the interior of her ship. She then did something she hoped would be confused for confusion in customs. Just as quickly as Sable had to her, Liandra pecked Sable on the lips. "Of course I will go with you! It's an adventure!" "Oh, my manners are awful! You haven't even met Kylayia yet!" Liandra went over to the side of the Sea Sparkle, and whistled loudly over the surf. Kylayia burst out of the waves, did a backflip, and crashed back into the sea. He then swam up the side of the boat and raised up. Liandra giggled, "You showoff!" She then began petting him on the flute. "We have a new friend! Her name is Sable, and you are about to meet her! She's taking us to Syliras." Liandra really hoped Sable and Kylayia hit it off. He was her best friend, but sometimes he got a bit overprotective.

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

Directed to the railing, shining eyes turned to the waters, the ragged pouch of golden tastiness was forgotten as pleased fingers danced over supple flesh so recently given a second taste of azure affection. Childish grin widening, Sable squealed as Kylayia exploded from the water, his graceful form framed by a shimmering veil of diamonds. At the apex of his spin a small shadow dislodged from his tail and shot off behind him; it wind-milled through the air, small arms and fuzzy baby otter body writhing for control of the tumble. Sable’s chuckle, a deep melodious chime, joined Liandra’s giggle. “I see you’ve already met Sib, Master Kylayia,” the lanky woman exclaimed, reaching down and offering a hand for his inspection in request to touch him. “I’ve never been so lucky to have such a handsome pair grace the Sea Sparkle” she told him in warm honey tone. “It’ll be nice to have a few more bodies running around to keep Sib out of trouble. I bet you’re clever enough to keep her in check.” The small creature in question, fur slicked and darkened by brine, abruptly popped out of the water at Kylayia’s side and clambered onto the valiant steed. She spared a single glance for the ethereally elegant figure at Sable’s side before attempting to leap atop the seahorse’s head. As the creatures bobbed in the water, Sib’s youthful exuberance multiplied at the prospect of an underwater playmate, Sable cocked an utterly charmed grin at Liandra. “This darling bundle of energy is the one and only Sibilance, and she is most pleased at your presence among us,” the kneeling woman announced with facetious formality, knee brushing against Liandra’s as she offered a helping hand and moved to stand once more. Kylayia had clearly been reclaimed by his insistent playmate, even should he not want such attentions. It seemed that Liandra just needed a moment to get used to her, those first instances of offended wariness around the Svefra long gone in the wake of her tentative exuberance regarding physical gestures. Finger’s tangling with the Charoda’s, Sable tugged her toward the dark stairs of the cabin. “Come on, I’ll show you the living quarters! You can stow anything you’ve brought before we head to Syliras.” A single hallway, stubby and musty, opened into four chambers. “Captain’s quarters.” The first, on their left, was a comfortably spacious room with a narrow but plushly appointed bunk against the interior bulkhead and a compact writing table with a rolling lid. She brushed bodily against Liandra while scooting through the narrow, doorless portal to continue the tour. “Storage, crew quarters.” The room directly across from her own didn’t have much currently stowed, mostly repair parts and items for ship maintenance. Something she valued quite highly. The vessel had to be one of the better kept ones, clean and meticulously maintained. A few hammocks dangled invitingly. “Galley.” The next room on the left, cramped with a small counter, some locked cupboards, a utilitarian table, and stowed stools. “And head,” Sable gestured toward the last room on the right. She didn’t walk over to it, but should Liandra get curious, it was just large enough for a seat. Which apparently hadn’t been used in some time. Sable wasn’t the kind to deal with smells or foulness. A swab and broom tipped against one another over a box of spare cleats. Cast in shadows, a faint curve of blue and sway of gold turned to Liandra, long body nothing more than a faint outline. “Make yourself at home! You can sleep onboard if you won’t get too dried out.” She paused, stepping closer. "Will you get dried out?!" Her voice, hushed in fascinated horror, curled throughout the cloisetered wooden space.