Flashback [Uleru] Accidental Thievery

[Edreina]

18 Spring, 509 AV Northern Suvan Sea This is just getting ridiculous! Edreina thinks, frustration showing on her features in the form of pursed lips and a knitted brow. For what seems like the millionth time, Edreina pulled at the top of a small chest tucked beneath one arm. It was slick, covered in moss and algae; it was adorned with small stalks of coral and even a few gasping mussels. For the millionth time, the lid does not budge. Gritting her teeth, she sits and holds the body of the chest between her feet, turning it so that the lid's hinges face her and begins to pry at the front with her nails, leaning back in her strain to open the cursed box. Just as her arms begin to shake with effort, her grip slipped and the tension she had been building released all at once, sending her onto her back upon the sharp, stony ground, and her fist into her nose. Ow! Leaping to her feet, cupping her nose, Edreina loosed a stream of Fratava curses that would have made her father blush. Luckily, her nose did not begin to bleed, but it smarted something fierce. Eyes still watering, a frustrated Edreina grabbed the chest and began her trek out of the cave. The cave itself was not large, more an enlarged crevice than a cave. Nonetheless, Edreina sensed ever so faintly that the tide was returning, and that this cave would be filled to the brim before long. She knew that she had to get out before the rushing water overpowered her. Nearly at the end of the cave, water up to her hips, Edreina felt another presence, one approaching almost tentatively. But, perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks... The cave entrance was smooth from years of water wear where the deepest part of the cave had been rougher, untouched by all but the most gentle currents. Nearly slipping twice, Edreina finally emerged from the cave just as the water would have reached her armpits. Standing on the lip of the tilted entrance, the Svefra lass, whose fire red hair was bound in a tight braid at the time, admired her most recent conquest with pride. The pride was marred, ever so slightly, for just an instant, by the confounding chest tucked under her arm. Perhaps I will have a pry on the ship... Edreina thinks in an attempt to comfort herself. She carefully picked her way back up the cliff, often setting the chest on a ledge so that she could better maintain her balance as she made her way up. After finally reaching the top of the small island - more an outcropping of rock, springing up from immense coral - miles off of the coast of Syliras. From there, she immediately climbs back down to the other side where her ship is anchored in the deeper water just off of the shore - if you could call it that. A brief swim takes her to the casinor upon whose deck she tosses the chest just before hauling herself on deck. Once there, she decided to lay upon her back for a moment and just breathe, stare up at the way that the setting sun painted the clouds above. After a moment of this, she sat up, pulling the chest into her lap protectively, stroking it's lid thoughtfully as if she could romance it off. The sky looks even more beautiful... upon the waves... Edreina decided, loving the way that the waves gave the painted clouds above a whole new dimension of life and motion. Suddenly, that feeling hit her again, as if she was being approached from below by... something... Somehow, the feeling was familiar. What on earth...? Her eyes began to scan the nearby water, searching for... something.

[Uleru]

Uleru, if she had the presence of mind for some introspective thinking, would have to conclude that she was having way more fun than the situation should allow. But she is not really in any collected state of mind to do so. For she is in a shallow pool on a sea cave floor in the shape of a sea urchin. A highly energetic sea urchin, mind, for they don't usually roll around on the floor hooting with glee and tormenting pockets of tiny silver fish. She was practising emulating things smaller than how she usually presents herself. First the tiny silver fish, then the shrimp, and even the tiny little anemone. They were fine, on the whole, except the silver fish wouldn't play with her and there is only so long you can be an anemone before it becomes monotonous. But then she found the sea urchins and discovered a new mode of transportation that she finds endlessly amusing. So amusing, in fact, that she hardly noticed when a human girl wanders in. This girl was tall, with the tough physique of an independent soul. Golden freckles are displayed proudly on cheeks and nose, offsetting brilliant Svefra eyes. The hair bound back in her braid is a brilliant color that puts the Otani in mind of sunsets and fire. She's lovely for sure, even in the cramped semi-darkness of the cave. Her gleeful rolling comes to a stop under a shelf of rock, scattering a displaced bottom feeder and a cloud of tiny fish. What is this new woman doing here? Uleru picked this place specifically because nobody came here! But she doesn't crawl out her hiding place to ask the woman herself what she is doing here, and contents to try and make her leave by force of will. None the less, the fiery-haired Svefra keeps edging closer and closer to her treasure. Her hidden treasure. Or it should be, anyway. She figured a tiny little cave on a finger of rock miles from Sylira should have been enough. The chest she has hidden here is valuable, quite a bit so, for she has 600 gold coins and a jar in there. But for all Uleru cares its filled with 600 paperweights and a priceless artifact. Its the jar she really cares about, but still, those are her paperweights. But she cant help but stay underwater and giggle internally as the tide rises and the woman tries opening the worn wooden box a variety of different ways. Ending her crusade for riches with a string of colourful profanity while holding her nose. And by this point she figures that the woman will give up and put the box aside. But she is surprised yet again when the woman tucks it under her arm and leaves with it. Oi! Come back! she bubbles soundlessly, rolling to the Svefra's heel and following her out. They get to the ship together, Uleru a good six feet below her, and moulded into her favourite patchwork shape. A roughly young-human shape, but for some odd charoda features and very Konti-esque scales. She watches the woman board, and, from below, watches her stroke her stolen prize lovingly. At this point its almost painful to watch. She's trying so hard... Coming to a decision, the Otani pulls herself up to the railing with a practised motion, scattering a wide spray of seawater. She regards the Svefra curiously for a second before erupting into a violent shade of eye-watering orange. An ode to the woman's fiery mane, with which she is quickly becoming enamoured. "There's a catch," she smiles serenely, propping her head on her folded arms. "In the corners of the lid. Lift the catch."

[Edreina]

Edreina spun on her rump at the sound of something erupting from the water, turning to face the strange...girl? Blue eyes wide with surprise, the Svefra eyed the brilliantly orange creature that rested upon the railing before her, bright, scintillating skin a stark contrast to the dark wood upon which she rested and the deep blue that serves as her background. Otani... the name came unbidden to her mind, but immediately fit the creature lounging before her. For an Otani to appear any time other than to collect tribute is said to be a sign of favor from Laviku... Edreina pondered, chest in her lap forgotten. "There's a catch... In the corners of the lid. Lift the catch." The Otani instructed in a melodic voice, one that reminded Edreina of water bubbling up through rocks, soft, sweet, and completely waterborne; a voice that could never fit one who has spent more than moments above the water's surface. Snapped from her reverie, Edreina's attention was drawn once more to the chest in her lap. Oh! Examining the chest, and then the Otani that sits before her, Edreina blushes with a realization. "This is yours, isn't it?" She enquired quietly, nodding to the chest. Before a reply could be given, Edreina did what she knew to be right, taking the chest and setting it upon the deck before the Otani then retreating to her prior sitting place. "I'm terribly sorry for taking it. I am an explorer by nature and have never really had to worry about ownership of the things I find... My name is Edreina..." Realizing that she was rambling, Edreina had decided to stop excusing and start introducing. With the introduction, she leaned forward onto her still folded legs and one arm, offering the other hand to the Otani. Immediately, though, she wondered if the action would be well received, knowing little about the customs of Otani.

[Uleru]

"Hmm, well, I stole it too. From the belly of a drowned ship. But since I stole it first, it must be mine." The Otani says matter-of-factly, throwing a leg over the railing and climbing onto the ship, falling into a cross-legged sitting pose in front of her lost chest. She leans forward to mirror Edreina and takes the offered hand. Not for any sense of genteel reasons, for she lacks the culture, but simply because this offered hand will be warm. The Otani expel no heat, and their structure is flimsy by comparison. So it is only natural that she find the human body fascinating. She takes her pale hand in both of hers and smiles with pleasure at the heat. Its still possible to see her freckled skin in a distorted way through the back of Uleru's hand. Her fingers explore the joints of Edreina's, and she presses thumbs to the pads of her hand to feel the bones move. And its only then that she pushes her hand back as if, ironically, she is giving it back. "Edreina," she tests on her tongue, rolling it around like a sample of wine. "Ed~rei~na. How lovely. My name is Uleru. Or at least that is what they all call me." She pulls the chest towards herself, picking off stray barnacles with the tips of her fingers. "Since you found it, (a feat in itself, I assure you) don't you think you should have a look inside? Then we can go find you a new cave to explore. What can be a better guide than an Otani? Well, except an octopus. But they are too shy to take you." The chest groans like an old man as it complains loudly about being opened, and a few coins fall out with chinking noises that would have alerted an entire block of Syliran commoners. But she ignores this as she digs around the back and extracts a glass jar, placing it just so in front of the Svefra. "Pretty, isn't it? You don't find many of these things in Laviku's realm", she smiles, evidently proud of herself and the junk she has acquired. Secret : Just what kind of junk she has can be found under 'heirloom' on her CS. It seemed to ostentatious to list everything.

[Edreina]

A surprised laugh escaped Edreina's lips as the Otani examined her thin, finely boned hand with her gelatinous one. As Edreina was examined, she also examined. The Otani had sharp, Charoda-esque teeth, flashing brightly as she smiled. The boneless hand moved in strange ways as she examined Edreina's squeezing the pads and pressing on the knuckles, seemingly fixated on the way that bones and tendons move beneath skin. When the hand - her hand - is offered back, Edreina allowed it to retreat with a small smile which grew as Uleru complimented her name. As the Otani continued to speak, Edreina found herself utterly enjoying her company. The mind of an Otani seemed to be one as fickle as the waves themselves. To Edreina, there was little more treasured than interaction with an Otani. No one in her immediate family had ever encountered one outside of giving tribute. A quiet clinking on the deck brought Edreina back to the present moment and she was slightly stunned by what she saw. The Otani had easily opened the chest with which Edreina had been fumbling for at least a bell, and it was overflowing with gold. But, that was not what caused Edreina to smile gently. In her hand, the Otani held her most prized possessions. In a simple glass jar, dreams and immense beauty are held, sheltered from the elements so that they are forever as she found them, preserved in the beauty that first enchanted her. Edreina easily understood the beauty that one could find in simple objects. "Those are wonderful... You have a great eye for beauty," she said quietly with a small smile. Looking around, Edreina tried to find a way to keep the Otani entertained long enough to stay for a bit more. "Would you like to try sailing?" She asked suddenly, smiling invitingly to Uleru, motioning to the tiller over her shoulder.

[Uleru]

"Those are wonderful... You have a great eye for beauty" , the Svefra compliments her with a gracious smile. Uleru glows with the praise, almost literally. The offensive shade of orange melting from her body to be replaced by a more pleasant shade of pale green, with deeper tones of evergreen and shimmering golds folding in and out like wisps of smoke. She then invites her to try her hand at sailing, and the Otani laughs lightheartedly, rocking on her hips and causing the setting sun to ripple through her back and hit Edreina with a million shades of green. "You are assuming I don't already know how!", she sniffs daintily, with an air of offence but smiling despite herself. "And you're right, I have no idea. I just wanted to point that out", she grins, oblivious to the strangeness of an Otani lecturing on logic. She sweeps her treasure and coins back into her chest, rises to the balls of her feet, teetering slightly under the weight of the chest, and with a great heave throws the wooden box overboard with a great splash. She then turns back to the Sevfra lass with her hands on her narrow hips, seemingly unconcerned about the fate of her chest. "And you will teach me, yes? What would you like in return? I have no advanced skills to teach, but I have small stone-and-gold disks to pay you with. I can show you how to open an eyelet or how to tempt whale calfs to play with you. I know songs your people have forgotten and I know magic. But first, teach me." With that she flounces off to the tiller, running her hand over the waxen wood like shes petting a sleepy animal. The color of the wood, like the rest of the ship, is fresh and bare; like it must have been when they harvested it from the forrest. Its like it remembers being a tree, and is more alive because of it. She stands there and imagines what it would be like to sit on the deck and steer such a strong vessel, instead of watching it pass overhead. There is something so tempting about having such a large vessel under your command. She closes her eyes dreamily and leans back and forth under the rocking of imaginary waves, plowing through the water instead of inside it, skin drying and cracking in the wind... She lets go of the tiller abruptly, as if the sleeping creature just turned around and flashed its teeth. Well, what a disturbing thought, she thinks to herself, but the image is quickly dismissed and she beckons her friend over with the curve of her hand, eager to begin.

[Edreina]

The shift in Uleru's coloring shocks the Svefra, she had seen Otani change colors before but only minutely, never to such polar shades. This new color seemed more natural upon the smiling, playful Otani, more the color of a gentle kelp forest than an offensive anemone. "My apologies," Edreina said with the barest hint of sarcasm, smiling like her companion, "I have simply never met an Otani captain." The chest landed in the water with a swallowing sound, immediately disappearing with its weight. When asked what she would like in return, Edreina raised a hand, shaking her head. "I request nothing in return, unless you wish to give it. Such intriguing company is a gift by itself." Despite how intriguing the ability to play with whale calves, long lost songs, and new magic sounded, she would not ask anything of the Otani. Uleru's touch upon the tiller was gentle, almost reverent in the eyes of Edreina. As she watched, the green figure seemed to lose focus for a moment, drifting off into her own world. When she returned, she jerks away as if stung by the tiller, causing Edreina to finish standing in a more rapid manner, worried that something unknown had unfolded. But, as Uleru unconsciously shook her head, perhaps that alone will banish the revolting thought, the Svefra relaxed. Obviously returned to her prior state of mind, Uleru beckoned Edreina over, the light reflecting and dancing through her hand in strange ways that transfix the Svefra for an instant. Hauling up the great steel anchor that was holding the ship in place, Edreina made her way over to the tiller, taking hold of the lines and sitting on one side of the tiller, motioning for Uleru to do the same. "Now, I am far from the best sailor, but I can teach you all that I know... I will hold the lines until you can command the tiller, then I will give you the mainline." Smiling, Edreina wound the mainline around her hand, opening the mainsail slightly so that the ship began to move. After a slight fumbling, Edreina managed to angle the jib so that they were catching more wind. "Now, to steer us from this island, you move the tiller like this..." She places her hand over the Otani's upon the tiller, and moves it opposite the direction that they wish to go. Once they were a fair distance from the island, Edreina opened the mainsail further then adjusted the jib once more. "Now you try..."

[Uleru]

Tiller, lines, mainline, jib... The Otani watches the gentle instruction with a look of watered-down bafflement. While she knows she is not a dense creature, she is also sure that her mind moves in the opposite direction of a humans. She knows more things by sight and smell than by name, and her mind hones in on a million small details at a time while the big picture can shuffle by unobserved. This is possibly why she has never learned to read, hasn't bothered with mathematics and can't sail a ship. But under the gentle pressure of Edreina's hand she does her best to focus on the task at hand and ignore the play of light across the humans starry eyes, the strange lifting sensation of a ship in sail and the singing of water beneath them. Edreina, for her part, seems raw in her technique. Or just what Uleru can see. She seems to be taking it all on instinct rather than tired routine with the way she fiddles with the sails and eyes the course. Something the moulding appreciates, for it fits well with her. Once the pair are a safe distance away from any object bigger than an arm of driftwood the teacher hands the Otani the reins. She has to agree this is a better idea than being within bad-decision distance from a populated area, but this also means she can be a bit more reckless with fewer consequences. So struggling with impulse a bit she gently turns the tiller for a big arc to the left, watching with interest how the Sevfra has to adjust the sail for every small movement. The sail buffets like a flag, but a twitch of the lines or a nudge from the tiller makes it taunt and full. She wonders about the movement and cohesion of it all, and in the back of her mind wonders idly wether an Otani has ever sailed a ship before, and wether she could get people to call her Captain Uleru with a straight face. "How fast can this ship go?" she ask suddenly. The question popping into her mind beside another impulse. "Our Father puts no obstacles in your way, but he can play with tides and waves and currents. I bet... If helped along just a bit... Here", the tiller is offered back to the Sevfra with an impish smile. The wind is coming from the west. She knows this readily because her skin is always wet, making her sensitive to the gusts of salty air that whip up the sea. and the mainsail is angled in correlation to that wind, though it is not very strong. Uleru gets up and leans as far over the railing as her body will allow, staring critically up at the mainsail, then out toward the westerly wind, then back to the mainsail. She doesn't quite understand the physics of it, but if she could just... Throwing one leg over the rail, the Otani grips it like she's riding a horse before leaning back into the wind as far as she can go. She takes a deep breath, her chest expanding like a bellow, and conjures res through her throat and the top of her mouth. Tongue pressed to her teeth, she purses her lips and passes the air through as if she were whistling, but her breath is laced with a pearly mist that expands and disappears within a few short lengths. And the effect is immediate. The breeze from before is intensified as Uleru transmutes the res into a strong stream of air that grabs in the sail with a jerk and a burst of speed. And its only then that the moulding considers wether or not Edreina can compensate for the unnatural wind.

[Edreina]

Edreina accepted the tiller with a furrowed brow, utterly confused by the behavior of the Otani but willing to play along nonetheless. As they continued along gently, Edreina continued to adjust the sails with subtle twitches of her fingers, acting more on instinct that mental knowledge, something she could show another how to do, but never write an instruction on. To her side, Edreina was surprised to see the Otani straddle that back of the boat, as if preparing to dump herself back into the water. Bored already? Edreina worried, tilting her head in confusion. But, just as she was about to ask, the Otani began to inhale deeply, filling her moulding lungs to the max of their capacity. But, when she exhaled, something magical happened. Wind much too strong to be simple breath caught the sails, yanking the casinor forward with such power that the bow was pulled from the water as the sails struggled to contain the wind that was driving it forward with such speed. At first, Edreina had to struggle to rein in the winds, quickly adjusting the sail and the jib to the wind, then the tiller to the way that they were slicing through the water; the rapid change had threatened to rip the lines from her hands. Despite this, Edreina could not help but let out an exhilarated whoop, rising from her seated position to a low, crouched one that gave her more maneuverability. A wide smile parted her lips as adrenaline pumped through her veins. But, it could not last. As the gust continued, she heard her mast begin to groan under the weight of the wind, straining to contain such a gale. The widening in Edreina's eyes changed quickly from excitement to horror. Strong winds can snap sails... the warning sounded in her father's voice, echoing through her cranium. On instinct, she dropped the mainline, letting the sail fall shut. Immediately, the bow of the ship dips back down into the water. However, it takes several chimes for the ship to slow to a near stop. Once it is safely so, Edreina turned to look at Uleru, sighing in relief as a small smile claims her face. "Ships are not invincible," she stated simply, a small chuckle escaping as she judged the Otani's fleeting expressions.

[Uleru]

With her lips pursed and res being forced with her breath, the Otani quickly realizes that although it works to move the ship, it also takes too much res to make such a gust and sustaining it will quickly suck her dry. So she changes tactics. She needs something powerful, rounded and sustainable. And, inexplicably, thinks of cherry pits and watermelon seeds. There is a game the Sevfra children would play in which they would pinch the seeds of oranges and watermelons at siblings and friends for a laugh. And the trick is that the more pressure is built on a seed the farther it will launch, and the pressure only works on a streamline shape, for cherry pits will fire in any direction when forced under pressure. Keeping this in mind, her brow furls in concentration and she compacts the res in her mouth. The tiny parting of her lips is the only escape, so the misty gas pressurizes until its coming out with a force. Letting her scale back production of res in favour of quality over quantity. ...And then the sail is dropped and the ship dips abruptly. The mouldings concentration is so complete that she is taken off guard as the ship changes its movement and she tumbles forward in a thoroughly graceless way. Her forehead smacking the railing in a way that would guarantee a broken nose, if she had a nose to break. "Ships are not invincible", Edreina states wryly, chuckling despite herself. Uleru peels herself off of the framework and nods in understanding but doesn't apologize, for thats not in her nature, but vows to be more careful. No matter how seaworthy a Sevfra is or how strong, she cant breath in the water anymore than Uleru can breath in the desert. Destroy her ship and she'd drown, simple as that. "Yes, yes, I better not do that again... At least not until I prefect the technique." She shrugs and swings back into the boat. "But lo that was exhilarating! You make the swordfish jealous and horses hang their head in shame with a steed like this lass!" Grabbing both of Edreina's hands she swings her in a circle in a crazy dance. "Windy weather boys, stormy weather, boys When the wind blows we're all together, boys Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes!" The dance ends with the Otani stealing a cheeky kiss from the young Sevfra and spinning away with a laugh. "Jealous, so jealous they are of this ship! I will pay attention to your teachings with diligence if I can learn to sail like that again." OOC : I am ashamed of this post and endeavour to do better next time. Bah. But I can't spend anymore time on it or I'll never get my work done! Song: Fish of the Sea Artist: Millions. Original unknown.