Which Is Dead Bid To Live Again

[Razkar]

Razkar was aware of what was going on. He saw the fear drain from the woman's face but a moment later she was up like a startled deer and running below decks. He felt his breath come out in a sad sigh. Ah, well. Another bridge burned. Stupid letting her stay, seeing-

Running feet ticks later, and he blinked in surprise to find a cup of water being offered to him... and with steady hands, too. He stared at it for a long time like it was about to break into song, then reached up... gods, that took some time... and took it.

He drank ravenously, furiously, one long chug-a-lug until the cup was dry. His mouth was so parched, and the sun peeking over the horizon was not going to help. He needed to get to his hammock, refresh him-

Thunk!

Was that a crate?! Just when he was about to fall back onto the deck. But he let his weight lean against it and relaxes, suddenly sore muscles going loose as a boned fish. She was behind him, perhaps seated on the crate. He didn't know.

Razkar saw all of this. He just didn't have the strength to do anything about it.

"That was... interesting."

It wasn't funny. Her giggling wasn't funny. The Myrian truly did not know, not fully, if what had happened couldn't have gone worse, and then where would he be? A savage trapped in the middle of thousands of Svefra, with no law other than that which their own laissee-faire culture dictated, with a dead girl in his arms. Oh, that would have going over wonderfully. And where was the humor in her being there anyway? What gave her the right to intrude on the ritual?

It wasn't funny. Not then, not now.

Thunk!

He chuckled until he fell on his side.

Once his cheeks were sore and his throat the same, Razkar righted himself. He turned to the Svefra girl and grinned. His teeth were still bloody but the water had washed the bloodthirsty quality from his teeth. His dark eyes shone with the fresh sun, and he caressed the necklace again.

"Good word. Interesting." He shook his head and patted the girl's hand. Then he gripped it, condescending gesture becoming one of respect and strength. "You are brave girl. Not warrior, but have brave. And you help me. That was... kind."

Kind. A Common word he had not used often since leaving the jungle, in truth because he was rarely around those whom it described. But this Edreina... she was kind, and often for no reward. That he found hard to reason, but there it was.

Like so many strange things, he thought languidly, licking lips already cracking, they should not but and yet, they are right in front of your eyes. The gods make many wonders...

"Not really know what this does." He said absently, patting the blood-stained new charm. He chuckled at her frown. "But think was worth it. Always is..."

His grin became darker and he patted the hilts to his weapons. She understood that they were not, as she had assumed, polished ivory...

"Thank you," Razkar said finally, heaving himself to his feat with superhuman effort, "For come. Was good. Not like first night, but... was good. Ah. I see eyes. You have questions, yes?"

Stupid question. Souls such as hers always did...

[Edreina]

At this point, the crew and passengers had decided it best to ignore Edreina and the Myrian, some quite used to to her antics. But, when the Myrian began to join in Edreina's mirth, a few of them stopped and stared, slack-jawed. When the two regained their composure, they quickly returned to their duties, some leaving the ship completely to go about various businesses. When she walked back around, the Myrian surprised her by capturing her long, thin hand in one of his. The feeling surprised Edreina as they matched one another, callus for callus - thought they were gained in different ways. Where her hand was leanly muscled, with dexterous fingers, she could feel the muscle rippling through his hand and thick fingers, more for holding a sword and swinging it about than delicately manipulating lines, exploring small crevices in caves. "Good word. Interesting." He said with a shake of the head and a small smile, patting the trapped hand with his other. For a moment, she felt almost patronized, like a child who had done something that elders found amusing in its naivety. His pat turned to a two handed squeeze, one of companionship and respect."You are brave girl. Not warrior, but have brave. And you help me. That was... kind." To be called brave by a Mryian... Edreina grinned with pride, squeezing his hand back. Something about the way that he said 'kind' seemed to give it a special meeting, as if it were a compliment that he rarely gave. He withdrew his hand and looked off, towards the gilded horizon. His tongue ran over his parched lips and Edreina had the impulse to fetch him more water. "Not really know what this does. But think was worth it. Always is..." He said absentmindedly, still looking off towards the horizon. He must have seen how the statement brought a confused, lip pursed frown to Edreina's features for he chucked quietly, smiling. But, something darkened that smile as his hands went from his necklace to his weapons - also bone, Edreina has come to realize. Her eyes rest upon the deck as her mind wanders, trying to encompass all the implications that such an art could carry. "You have questions, yes?" Startled, Edreina looked up, blue eyes contracting, looking as if they have a golden sunburst in the center where her eyes are usually almost a clouded gray, affected by the eye of Syna as she drifted above the horizon. For a moment, Edreina entertained the thought that he had somehow read her mind, as if her expressions were not so open that anyone could tell she was brimming with curiosity and questions. All at once, she felt on the verge of overflowing, she had to take a moment to rein in her tumultuous thoughts, to order the questions properly. "Your weapons, they are made of human bones?" The look on his face answered that question immediately, something between shame and pride, as if her opinion of him mattered, but he would not apologize for his way of life. Shaking her head, trying to settle with the thought of a corpse being carved into and used in such a way, she decided to move on and ask another question. "How did you learn to do this magic?" This time, his expression was more introspective. She could tell that he was debating how much he should tell her, how he should word it.

[Razkar]

"Your weapons, they are made of human bones?"

Razkar knew he had been too long among the barbarians when he felt a pang of... was that guilt? Not for his actions - blood was spilled in the name of Blessed Myri, and he didn't know if he was capable of feeling remorse for that - but for her opinion of him? Was that so precious to him, how those beyond Myri's light perceived him? But there was honest curiosity behind her question, not the hard edge of judgement.

Not to mention there was some sick amusement in it.

He chuckled and shook his head, taking a piece of bread with a hunk of cheese from the breakfast tray the first mate was carrying around. Fifty petching mizas, damn right he got food with his voyage.

"No. Not human." He drew his gladius and flipped it, letting her see the bottom of the hilt. It was knobbly, two short, rounded ends. He watched her study it a few moments, then her eyes popped wider as she realized she was looking at a thigh bone. "This was Myrian. Name was Elanosa. She fought very well. I fought better. Was... Was my first." His voice took a faraway tangent, but when he snorted again there was a bitter humor in it. "Earth Demons not count. Like killing rat."

He ripped the bread into pieces, tossing a chunk of cheese between his teeth with every bite. Well, it wasn't fine dining, but he was a man easily sated after years marching with the Taloba army. He made a note to offer her some of the jerky he... wait, wasn't that... no, that was just deer.

A shame. She might like Zith meat.

"This-" He took out his hand ax next, placing it next to the gladius, its long, curved head gleaming in the sun, leather straps wrapping a much larger bone. Like the hilt of the gladius, it was covered in those familiar circles and symbols. "-was from Akalak. Was... big man. Nearly killed me..."

He chuckled in that dark, fatalistic way that only warriors ever did. Even now, Razkar could feel the dead and buried burn of those slashes on his side and leg. He had been a monster, that Akalak. Fierce and strong and fast and even with an ax ripping open his stomach, he'd fought on. Like Elanosa, it took Razkar almost cutting him to pieces before he finally stopped.

"But did not, as you see. Killed him. Wanted to make power. So used bone."

"How did you learn to do this magic?"

The next question came fast on the heels of his answer, and Razkar couldn't help the crooked smile and cocked eyebrow that changed his savage face into one of clear amusement. Her eyes shone with a hunger, but not one like his own. Razkar knew his own soul well... for good and bad. He knew what he lusted and longed for, and it was not knowledge.

He'd not yet had his fill. In his more introspective moments, he wondered if he would ever be satisfied. He doubted it.

But the question was more... problematic. Myrians are not by nature a trusting people, even among their own. Caution and suspicion are taught to them early, by their clans and the endlessly hostile jungle they inhabit. When barbarians question them onto the how and when and why of their ways, certain hackles are raised...

So answer the question with caution. But still answer it. She has earned that much.

"There was woman in my clan." He said, and now it was clear to her his words were measured and chosen carefully. "She knew Power of Bones." His eyes flickered up to hers, smile still on his face. "You call... Mal-diction? Is right word? That is what we call djed. Put power from bones in you. My mother... she take me to woman. For Elanosa bone. I watch. I learn." He shrugged. "I keep practice."

There was a pause but he knew it would not last, could see fresh questions forming in her mind. Razkar cocked his head to one side and found on of his own, springing into his mind from memory rather than moment, since it had been niggling at him for several bells.

"You say you hear me while swim?" He said curiously. "In water? Sound hard. Is that... gift from you god? Or do all you people have this?"

[Edreina]

Edreina sat there for several chimes, pondering what he had said. So, not all Myrians knew Malediction, but it was still prevalent in their culture. She could easily believe this. In a culture where you are constantly driven to kill, why not use tools that make you better at it? As off putting as the idea may be, she understands. But, this raises to mind many other questions. Do all Myrians have Malediction weapons? Is it considered an honor to wield one? What even is the process of Malediction? Sure, she had just witness Malediction, but what drove it? Before she could even give voice to her questions, he posed one of his own. Edreina could not stifle the snort that it generated. Apparently, something had been lost between their combined weakness in Common tongue. "No no no! I was not under the water I was..." Petch! What is the word in Common? She trailed off, vaguely motioning with her hands. "Wading!" She blurted suddenly, grinning widely. "I was wading." At the look of confusion upon the Myrian's face, she realized that the word does no good when he does not know it himself. "I was treading water," she explains, "Swimming, but upright, with my head above water." She smiled slightly, pulling her knees up to her chest so that she can rest her chin upon them. "Do you know how to swim?" She asks before she can stop herself, smiling as her curiosity brims, unbridled. She wonders why a forest dwelling creature such as himself would ever have the need to learn to swim. Were there many rivers in Falyndar? As she sat and thought, her mind flickered back to the first time she had met the Myrian. Uninvited, a question flew directly from memory to lips, bypassing the filter of her mind entirely. "When we first met, you looked wary of me... as if I had some sort of disease. Why is that?" Edreina had the vague inkling of her mark of Gnosis migrating up her arm, across her chest, then slowly down to rest upon the top of her foot, taking the appearance of a calm tidepool. Perhaps he saw this... She admits, having been asked about it before by foreigners.

[Razkar]

"No no no! I was not under the water I was..."

She paused, frowning, and Razkar grinned around a mouthful of dry cheese and moist bread in recognition of that look. He'd worn it many times as he'd tried to find the right word in a language that sounded so harsh to his own tongue. More often than not he'd just shoved a Myrian word into the conversation and hoped the context fit. Edreina, however...

"Wading! I was wading. I was treading water. Swimming, but upright, with my head above water."

Razkar nodded slowly, thinking that made more sense... but some tiny, very Myrian part of him decided that a lie was also a real possibility. Would he tell a stranger if he was marked by the gods? Probably not, so why would she?

"Do you know how to swim?"

Now Razkar just chuckled, swallowing the rest of his breakfast, but she thought she saw a faint ghost of nervousness in his eyes.

"Not well. Just float. Not move. Never had to. Live in jungle all life. Ony rivers, but they are..." He grimaced and held a hand up to just below his neck. "No higher in water. Then I come here, and..."

He let his gaze shift over to the endless flotilla, stretching to the horizon so thick with ships and wood that the sea was barely visible. But it was there alright. Wider and deeper than most Myrians would have believed possible, filled with creatures tiny and venomous and others large enough to swallow a Tskanna. Razkar often found himself staring at the placid, peaceful waters and wondering at the deception the Sea Goddess perpetrated.

Peaceful, is it? Only on the surface. Just a few men's heigh below, however... and you find a world of monsters.

He realized that he had ignored her, but when he looked back, she had ceased her inquisitive bombardment. She seemed deep in thought and when those golden eyes turned back up, there was more than just curiosity in her them.

"When we first met, you looked wary of me... as if I had some sort of disease. Why is that?"

For what seemed like a long time, the Myrian just stared at her. His gaze was guarded now, hiding something from her. She thought it was something dark and dangerous. It was not; oddly enough, it was the truth, but that was not always a shining, beautiful thing. Finally he just sighed and shrugged, the simple gesture of his bobbing shoulders seeming to denote an acceptance of some universal reality. To a Myrian, it was.

"You are a barbarian." He said, as simply as one might say the sky is blue or humans walk on two legs. She searched his face for some implied insult even as her own colored, but she found none. He spoke what he thought to be the truth. "I look at all like that, when first meet. But you are not so bad. Better than Akalak, ones I most meet, anyway. Not so much sneer and call savage."

He snorted derisively and picked up his cup. A second round was definitely in order. Edreina kept staring at him, perhaps imagining something more... but that was all that needed saying. He didn't bear any ill-will to the barbarians; they did not choose to be born beyond the light of the Goddess-Queen. He used to hate them, like every good Myrian. But with age comes perspective, and more often than not, he pitied them.

"Big blue men not know how to lose. Water? I go get some. You want, too?"

[Edreina]

"You are a barbarian." Immediately, it was Edreina who went on guard this time. She searched his face, seeking some sort hidden insult. When none was found, a blush rose quickly to her cheeks as she realized the reason. He considered Svefra to be barbarians in the same way that she considered Myrians to be. Their ramshackle mooring of ships, constantly changing and moving as ships and people come and go may seem archaic when compared to their towns - villages? How do Myrian's live? She is suddenly struck by the disparity between their cultures and how easily they have both jumped to conclusions. Her eyes travel about the ships, turning a silvery blue once more as they are shadowed. She would not be able to tell him that he was wrong about them... The Anchorage would have to show him. "I look at all like that, when first meet. But you are not so bad. Better than Akalak, ones I most meet, anyway. Not so much sneer and call savage." So, her people had already made some progress over others. Svefra were known for being accepting of strangers, if you had not wronged the Svefra, they had no reason to distrust you. But perhaps, perhaps religion had something to do with it. Edreina considered all who kept themselves from feeling the comfort of Laviku's embrace to be heathens. Those who did not see the beauty of the sea, the way that it could encompass everything a good Svefra ever needed to live, were blind in her eyes. Perhaps this was much the same as how the follower of Myri regarded others. "Water? I go get some. You want, too?" Immediately, Edreina was on her feet. Razkar still appeared to Edreina as if he could collapse at any moment. The internal struggle had left its mark on his features, leaving him appearing gaunt, tired. Despite the vast differences that lay between them, Edreina was one who would go out of her way to help him. That, and the fact that she could not stand being catered to. Even something as simple as fetching her own water held importance to Edreina. Perhaps it stemmed from her brother's torment when they were younger - he would mock her endlessly whenever he had to do something for her... Just because she was younger... and a girl... Edreina sighed and shook her head, returning to the present moment, to the exhausted Myrian before her. She would not put him in a situation to be injured or to humiliate himself if she can help it. Smiling, she offers her hand, either for his mug or to help him back to his hammock. "Allow me..."

[Razkar]

Razkar opened his mouth to stammer or stutter a refusal but she was already walking away with quick, uncompromising strides. He ground his teeth for a moment and silently fumed. Goddess, if his mother could see him, letting a female wait on him.

More like us than she knows, he suddenly though, smiling ruefully as it came unbidden, once she decides on something, it is set in stone.

But he did not feel like being idle as he waited, and at the same time... yes... he would repay her kindness. Razkar squinted up at the rising sun and calculated, but he did not need to. From far away the bell that tolled the hour rang out in a deep, bass boom, reverberating all around the Flotilla.

Seven. Hmm...

The Myrian wandered down below decks and by the time he got to the bottom of the stairs, he realized what a mistake that was. His legs were shaky within a dozen steps, his head spun, he felt... urgh... that wasn't good-

"Hold it together..."

He managed to get to his hammock with his little hold of possessions and retrieved what he was seeking. By the time Edreina returned he was seated with his back to the cabin, in the shade, smoke curling languidly from the carved wooden pipe in his hands. A rich, pungent tobacco burned merrily inside, and the Myrian looked up at her beyond the smoke and grinned.

"Not let me get you water? Fine." He took another deep pull and she watched his head loll back. She had never seen him so relaxed, his guard down like it was. He exhaled slowly like some smoke-vomiting reptile and extended the pipe her way. "My way to say thank you."

[Edreina]

After taking the mug, Edreina walked with purpose towards the clean water barrel, fearing that the Myrian may fall over unconscious at any moment. But, she was not the only one wanting water. In front of her, blocking the majority of the barrel, was a tall, lithely muscular human boy - man? - from her angle it was hard to tell much about him other than the fact that his pale, sun-pink complexion and well kept, short his dark brown hair meant he was a city dweller, not a permanent resident of the Flotilla. Just as she was about to clear her throat to alert him to her presence, he turned. Immediately, his nearly black eyes were on her in a way that Edreina did not quite recognize. Something about those black holes boring trails across her body made her near-nudity feel... wrong. Among Svefra, it was not uncommon to go about in such a way on hot days. But, Edreina had learned years ago, land-striders who dwelt in cities seemed to view bare skin as something other than a necessity - she could see unfamiliar thoughts flitting through his mind through muddied eyes. He stood there for almost a chime, staring at her to the point that Edreina had to shift her weight and, in a voice stronger than she felt, ask him to step aside. Almost as if the air between them had slowed the request, he was slow to step aside. Maybe he is... dense. Edreina tried to play off his behavior, filling Razkar's mug and, after a second thought, bending over to retrieve one for herself. "You one of them Inarta?" The man drawled as she is leaning over, causing Edreina's brow to furrow in confusion and her to rise more slowly than she had before. "Umm... No. I-... I'm Svefra." Edreina's speech is halting as she unsurely replied, dunking the mug into the cool, clear water. As she does so, her eyes flick over her shoulder and she immediately wishes that she had not. His expressionless, brown eyes set her on edge, raising fine bumps upon her arms. What is Laviku's name is his problem? A fine tremble runs over Edreina's frame, something about the situation just does not feel right. When she goes to step away from the barrel, he is much closer than before, she can feel in her hair that he is bare inches away, breathing on her neck. "Excuse me..." Edreina definitely does not like this. Everything about this feels wrong in the pit of her stomach. The man remains motionless, just breathing; Edreina can feel those eyes boring into her back. "Tis a shame..." He drawls, and this time she can smell liquor on his breath. "I've never had and Inarta..." As he speaks, he reaches up and captures some of Edreina's hair between his soft, callus-free fingers, rubbing it between them as if the texture was something entirely foreign. The intent does not register, but the touch does, immediately, and within the muscles of Edreina's right arm. Without even thinking, she spun about and swung the mug, feeling it connect solidly with the man's jaw. As the man crumpled to the deck, Edreina felt nothing but surprise in her actions, and their results. Yes, she did not take kindly to being touched without permission... but to hit a stranger? Perhaps, Edreina's body had recognized the threat despite the naivety of her mind. Face flushed, for reasons that she does not understand, Edreina makes her way back to Razkar, fearing that he may have begun to wonder about her and - idiotically - tried to stand and seek her. When she covers the couple of stairs that had separated the two decks, she was surprised to see him smoking some foreign substance through a pipe. Where the hell did he get that? She wondered, setting the still full mug beside him, walking to the railing and - leaning over - filling it with fresh sea water. "Not let me get you water? Fine." Edreina cannot fight a smile that perches on her lips at this statement. His stubbornness, even in his sickened state, amused her. On her return to Razkar, she is surprised to see just how relaxed he looks, letting smoke seep from between his thick lips. When he extended the pipe her way, Edreina paused, wondering what the proper custom would be at that point. "My way to say thank you." So he was offering it, not just showing it to her. Thoughtfully, she took the carved wooden pipe, admiring its details before - looking at Razkar to make sure that she was doing it right - putting the pipe to her lips and inhaling slowly, but deeply, until her swimmer's lungs were at a maximum. At this point, she paused, holding the smoke in her lungs - longer than Razkar had sheerly because she could. As she released the billowing white smoke, she became aware of an endlessly deep sense of calm descending upon her. Upon a whim, she sunk to the ground and took a drink of the sea water, not entirely fond of the flavor that the tobacco left in her mouth. "Thank you..." She says slowly, offering him the pipe once more with a lazy smile.

[Razkar]

The effect was definitely narcotic, but not stuporific. Razkar had supped on the nettle brew before when injured, and knew the drowsy numbing sensation it sent slithering through every vein. Unlike that, Taloba baccy just made him feel... calm. At peace. A feeling easily dispelled, but pleasant enough to sit through.

His eyes widened little by little as she drew more and more smoke into her mouth, almost until the point she exhausted the flaming embers inside. Then she exhaled, and Razkar's hooded eyes followed the endlessly evolving streams of grey and blue smoke. Tendrils and contrails reached in solid forms then spun and shrank and danced away into nothingness...

The Myrian smiled and let his head fall back onto the wood. How much can change in one bell. That long ago, they had still both been cloaked in darkness, and he had been barely sentient and she was in genuine danger. Now...

Belly full, thirst quenched, a new fetish, a beautiful sunrise, a fine pipe of smoke from the jungle... and a friend to share it with.

"Bought from home." He said, and even his voice sounded as if it was far away. "From Taloba. Half half pound, now not much left." He sighed and yet the peaceful expression never wavered from his eyes. "Must find more. Still, not all bad. Might find barbarian baccy. Could be good..."

Angry buzzing in his ears. He swiped a hand back and forth but it did not fade... and he realized it was not buzzing. It was his mind slowly processing... voices. Two, by the sounds of it, both male. One slurred and furious, the other deeper and more authoritative, sounding unsure. Razkar frowned and rolled his eyes over to Edreina.

"Sound like bad thing..."

[Edreina]

Edreina looked up to watch her smoke drift away, dispersing, then being blown back together by a gentle sea-breeze. She was glad that she had sat, this tobacco was stronger than that which was sold by Anchorage traders. "Svefra tobacco burns more quickly and tastes... saltier... probably from being on the ships... This stuff..." She smiles at him, uninterested in searching for an accurate description. Yeah... definitely stronger... The few times she had smoked tobacco, it left her utterly calm, but still able to function. For some reason, this tobacco deepened the calm to the point where she didn't want to function. Relaxing further, she stretched out her legs before her and leaned back onto her elbows, crossing her ankles. Smiling, she poked the Myrian in the thigh with her toe, trying to regain his attention as she speaks, "Thank you, for not driving me off. I've enjoyed this..." Through the deck, she felt footsteps before she saw their makers. Edreina tilted her head back to see - amusingly upside down - the man from earlier accompanied by Captain Tonio. Petch... "Edreina may I..." the Captain cleared his throat before continuing, showing his nervousness, "may I speak with you for a moment." His voice carried the authority of an elder, but the tremble of one who does not like confrontation. Off to his side, the young man stood with his hands on his hips, a self-satisfied smile upon his lips. Edreina was satisfied to see a bright bruise already forming along his jaw. With a quiet groan - more from being asked to leave her warm spot upon the deck than anything else - Edreina rolled over onto her stomach then languorously rose to her feet. She swayed for a moment, mildly dizzy from standing so quickly. Tonio led her off to the side, leaving the stranger alone with Razkar. "What's the problem?" She asked in Fratava, switching tongues to exclude the brown eyed foreigner. "The boy you hit is the son of some elder... noble.. whatever. Point is, he is wealthy and his family paid me one hundred gold Mizas to show him Svefra life and culture. I get another fifty if he reports favorably."He sighed and ran a hand through his ever thinning hair, fixing Edreina in his exasperated gaze, as if she were some unruly child. The look, the assumption that she had attacked without cause warmed the red head's blood. I don't care who he is. That foreigner touched me. So I touched him back." She seethed through tight lips, blue eyes narrowing. The heat in her veins seemed to burn off the lovely tobacco affects, leaving her with only anger. "I will not apologize." "That's not what I want, Edreina! If he goes back and gives a bad report, I won't get paid. I can't have that. I need you to get off the ship." Tonio was cold, decisive, leaving no room for Edreina to object. Utterly fuming at this point, Edreina could feel the tightness in her back and her arms, as if her hackles were raising. Choosing a landstrider over Svefra... Edreina silently fumed, fists tightening and untightening. It took all of her self-control to keep her hands at her side, and her mouth shut. May his ship be drug asunder, and nets remain ever empty. With this thought, her eyes turned upon Tonio once more, forcing his to meet hers as she silently cursed him. How far had he fallen to value coin above kin? Turning sharply on her heel, Edreina removed herself from the toxic company, storming past Razkar without even stopping to say goodbye. She was past the point of cohesive thought. Nails biting at her palms, Edreina walked from ship to ship, barely noting the clumsy running of a land strider in pursuit. Her arm tensed, ready to lay out the rich little brat once more if he had dared follow her.