Closed [The Docks] Just Like Music [Ethan]

[Uleru]

Timestamp: 13th of Spring, 513 The Sevfra settle into port with the light of Syna pushing at their back as the morning rises. It is a modest crew of no more than four, all eager to trade the goods loaded on their Casinor so they can be off again and back to their pod. And while most are trimming sails, pulling lines, and artfully handling their ship to port, one lad is off to the side and out of the way of his busy shipmates. Railing deep in his gut, he is leaning dangerously over the side of the ship, animated as he shares riddles with the water. "Each morning I appear To lie at your feet, All day I will follow No matter how fast you run, Yet I nearly perish In the midday sun." he delivers breathlessly. "What am I?" The water across the side of the ship bubbles noisily, like a crowed talking amongst themselves: 'Do you know? Whats the answer, do you know?' But the sea doesn't seem inclined to answer. Until a piece of the water pulls away from the rest; a head crowned with curling horns and a pair of narrow shoulders materializing from the waves. "How is that?" the liquid woman broods, "what can survive in the light and perish the same way?" She chews this over as the youth grins impishly, sure of his triumphant win. "I lay at your feet, follow you... No matter how fast..." She looks around for inspiration, throwing everything she can against the riddle to somehow find the piece of the puzzle that fits. "Light, light... Light is essential, so what doesn't fit in the dark? Wait. Dark. But dark doesn't follow you. Follow-follow-dark-light..." She pouts in defeat, looking to the youth in a way that begrudging asks for the answer. "A shadow!" he hawks, beaming at his own brilliance. "But how low you cheat! I cast no shadow, Sevfra", she scolds playfully. The lad only shrugs, ever cheeky. "Fair as the sea gets. What was promised this round?" "A song, a ballad, a declaration of love", the Otani replies readily with a wink. "I'll sing you a song, Sevfra. Parting gift for good travel?" Nodding thoughtfully, the Sevfra pulls himself back aboard with a grunt. "I'll be sad to see you go. Here", he bites down on the pad of his thumb with a chipped tooth, letting three drops of blood well up and fall to the Otani, "another tribute for Laviku. For the return trip." Uleru nods her blessing, catching the blood in the palm of her hand. Then with a wave she is swimming for the docks, loudly singing her goodbye to a jaunty tune that most Sevfra know: "We're going away to leave you now Good bye, fare thee well Good bye, fare thee well We're going away to leave you now Hoorah, me boys, we're homeward bound Our anchor we'll weigh, our sails we will set The friends we are leaving we'll never forget We're going away to leave you now Hoorah, me boys, we're homeward bound"

[Ethan Terran]

A figure sat upon the docks, feet dangling idly over the swaying waters, a few yards from the ship and the game of riddles. A smile played upon the man's lips as he listened with amusement to the back and forth of wit, wondering if he himself could participate in such a contest of the minds. He doubted it of course. It seemed that many things were far from his grasp, and Ethan was not quick to add another to the growing list of things he might never be. He passed a hand before his face, and his sightless eyes saw nothing but darkness, though in truth Ethan could not say he understood the concept of "darkness" as others described. He did not see the absence of anything. Instead he noticed the presence of far more. Tilting his head back Ethan felt the warmth of the sun's glow upon his skin, telling him that, at the moment, there were very few clouds in the sky. With every breath his nostril's filled with the scent of sea and brine, and upon his tongue he tasted the salt of the sea. To his ears came the sounds of crashing waves, calls of seagulls and laughs and voices of hearty sailors. So, though he could not SEE what was around him, he experienced them no less than anyone else. Tilting his head so that he could better hear the conversation between the voices, Ethan laughed at the end result of the game. It seemed at least one other might share his sentiments when it came to games of riddles, though he expected the woman (for the voice was feminine) would be far better than he. His ears perked at the voice that suddenly filled the air, beautiful as it sang the sailor song of the Sevfra. Ethan might say the song was a bit out of place to be sung from what could only be heavenly lips. He could not resist, and upon the last lines Ethan added his own baritone notes to the song. "Our anchor we'll weigh, our sails we will set The friends we are leaving we'll never forget We're going away to leave you now Hoorah, me boys, we're homeward bound" The song he had only recently picked up himself, and so the words felt foreign upon his tongue, though as he let the notice pass over his lips he hoped that they at least rung out close to what they would have been had a master chosen to sing them instead. Not wishing to let silence fall over the docks Ethan continued with a song of his own. "Upon the waters still and cold A lilly blossoms fresh and new And with each day that passes by Its petals collect the morning due. Oh lilly that floats on water still What stories might you tell? If I would listen long and hard Would I be caught within your spell? OOCHope that was an OK first post XD

[Uleru]

Singing her parting song, Uleru is caught by surprise when the song rings back to her across the water. The deep voice of the man melds with the last few lines perfectly, adding dimension to her own. Her interest piques immediately and she quickly changes direction to glides up to this new visitor. The Sevfra lad back on the ship makes some frantic hand gestures to try and reanimate her interest in him, disappointed that his companion is being stolen away, but is left scowling moodily when Uleru doesn't even notice as she is caught up with this new game. And this new partner is, at first glance, nothing special. His clothing is worn and faded on a thin frame, dark hair miskept. But looking closer there is a fine handsomeness to his features that the moulding values. And he has a curious way of holding himself that makes it seem that he is listening to more then just the song, like an undertone or a conversation that he doesn't hear but absorbs through his surroundings. And as he stares almost directly into the sun she starts to think that maybe he can see something the rest of them cant. But his face is turned away and slightly up as if he is singing to Syna's rising, and she cant see his eyes. Her curiosity towards the man is rewarded when he picks up a new song as the last notes fade of the first. Its one she hasn't heard before, and she basks in the novelty of it, committing it to memory so she may sing it herself. And when his voice rings out the last note she adds some notes of her own: "The scent and sight enough are great Yet lilies live for more The lilies whisper stories As none have heard before Each time the wind begins to chime, And end begins to near A whisper of the softest sort Flows gently to the ear"

[Ethan Terran]

Ethan's smile grew as he heard the voice of the woman continue on with his song, adding lines that he himself had not created. In fact this was a song that Ethan had been working on for some time, playing with lines and notes, yet never truly finishing it. So this was the game. Finish the song, and find how it ends. Chuckling the man twists his head, his ear following the voice until it remains still long enough for him to find its source, and with some curiosity Ethan wondered that the woman was swimming in these waters and sang so sweetly. She must be a great swimmer. he thought to himself, the Otani's true nature defying what Ethan knew of the world. As she ended her final notes Ethan would turn his head in the direction of the fading voice, eyes of white somewhat meeting hers, though they strayed from lift to right and he always seemed to look to the side. Always his head was tilted in the direction of the voice, and then he added his next few lines to the piece. "And with each note, each passing day A song begins to form A tale of joy and happiness Despite the worries worn. Take from them, sweet lilies, This if nothing more Each day that passes is a gift A gift we should adore." Ethan smiled down at the water, in the general direction that he thought he would find the holder of such a lovely voice, "And today I seem to have received quite a gift indeed."

[Uleru]

Uleru laughs playfully with the conclusion of their song. What fun! She is intrigued with the mans talent, though its almost as raw as hers. But as the man finishes he turns his face to hers in a way similar to a man feeling around in the dark, or a game of Marco-Polo played with children, and she makes an awful discovery. "And today I seem to have received quite a gift indeed." She cant help it, she gasps in shock and disappears beneath the lapping water. He has no eyes! Or something is missing from his eyes. Either way the orbs are dead, and it was as if she was just presented with a dead Otani; confusing and chilling all at once. She surfaces a few moments later, overcoming her initial surprise, and eyes him thoughtfully, almost warily. She pulls herself up so she is level with his chest and caresses a hand across his sightless lids without permission. His body throws a healthy heat, and her hand (which holds no heat of its own) passes a cooling touch on his brow as she studies him. She blows softly on his eyes to see him blink, and her breath has no scent. And she waves the same hand in front of his face, causing the sun to ripple through her body and shower him in reflections of blue and green. But he doesn't react in ways she expects him to, his eyes don't follow her movements and there in nothing she can see that is obviously wrong with him. Her analysis satisfied, she finally lowers herself back to the water, considering him. "I can see myself in your eyes. But you cant see me, can you?"

[Ethan Terran]

The sudden gasp startled Ethan, and he shifted back for a moment, unsure of how he had frightened the girl. Leaning forward once more he reached out a hand toward the spot he had last heard her, "Now, wait. Please don't go. I won't hurt you." The sudden hand upon his eyelids caused him to pause, and his brow furrowed as he noticed an odd texture to her skin. So cool, so wet and when she moved droplets of water fell upon his lips that tasted of the sea. It was a puzzle to Ethan, but more than that he wondered how the girl could reach him when he sat upon the docks. Tentatively he raised a hand, as if to touch the strange girl before him, yet he hesitated and let his hand fall to his side once more. Ethan did not wish to frighten her further. Her breath caused him to blink several times, and though he tried he could find no sent from it at all. More and more his curiosity grew, though he was quickly distracted by the sudden question. Ethan smiled, not a grim smile but a true smile of one who was beginning to understand, "Oh, so is that what startled you?" Ethan laughed, instantly closing his eyes so that the milky white orbs could no longer be seen, "Many find it disturbing, to look upon eyes which cannot see them. You are right. I have been blind since my birth. I have never seen this world, nor have I seen any living thing within it. I did not mean to startle you. Here, I shall cover them for you." he said, already picking up a frayed end of his cloak making to rip off a strip of cloth. OOCHe will keep his eyes closed now when he looks toward Uleru, unless she requests otherwise

[Uleru]

"No, there is no need", she begs, tugging the material out of his hands. "I'm sorry, but you did give me a fright. You dont see many damaged people here. Miza does not take kindly to disabilities, and she's fast to spit out anything thats not whole. Which means, stranger, you must be tougher than the cloth your cut from." She smiles then, though the smile would be lost on him, and she has just unknowingly insulted him in a few different ways. But her intensions are good, none the less. Her splayed hands cut easily through the water and her legs kick fluidly to tred the water at his feet. The ripples around her shoulders sparkle and her own body glows, though it is now it is with a creeping gold color as her skin reacts to her contentment. The morning is wearing on and more and more commoners are about to start off their day. A few stop to stare at the strange couple but soon move on and give them a wide berth, for there is work to be done, and the Otani are known for their tricks and a disquieting tendency to drown people they dont like. It is another chime before Uleru speaks what is on her mind. "You cant see me, but you can still see, cant you?" Never much of a straight talker to begin with, the Otani fears she is not being clear and tries to explain herself again. "I mean, you are listening, and you are aware, I can feel it. I bet you know more about what you see in the world than you are letting on." If he does speak, the moulding is only half-listening as her already busy mind catches onto a rowdy bit of horseplay between a couple of young dockmen on the next dock, where they threaten to throw each other into the water to face the wrath of sharks and 'the water people'. They throw surperous glances at Uleru, who smiles toothily at them, but they seem to be eyeing the back of the humans head more. She can see some mischivious plots being wound around their minds, but she is quickly distracted yet again. "Aha! A game!" she anounces, "game just for you. Hold out your hand", she commands with a note of glee. She bring her hands together in a cup, where res fills her hand in an opalecent pool. Translucent brows pull together in concentration as she folds the res into shape. Pushing presure and concentrating on tiny, minute details in the palm of her hand, which is suprisingly difficult. Its a different kind of concentration when it is just about producing more res in a faster pace. This is dilicate and absorbing, Requiring full attention on the task. Once she deems the figure finished it is quickly transmuted to ice before it can lose its carefuly coifted shape. But this process has to be re tried twice before she can be proud of what she has made: a tiny ice turtle. Its head is disproportionate, shell too rounded, and the ridges of its shell are inevenly spaced, but she is proud anyway. She gently places the tiny ice turtle into the musicians waiting hands. "Quickly! Tell me what is is", she laughs. OOC : Excuse the spelling, I pumped this out at work.

[Ethan Terran]

"Mizhar certainly is harsh on those who live within her care, that I certainly agree with." he smiled, "Though I believe it is he mercy, and the kindness of my parents, that have seen me live as long as I have, not some greater strength of my own." Ethan could feel the passing eyes that were cast over he and the woman before him, though perhaps more eyes turned his way than usual this day. He could not imagine why, and absently he began to wonder if there were something off in his appearance today. A bit self conscious Ethan passed a hand through his hair, then let his fingers trail over the features of his face, just in case something was there that he was not aware of. Never would the man dream that it was his present company that drew the eyes, for to him the Otani was nothing more than a well swimming girl. Ethan tilted his head at the Otani's next question, and he could not help but laugh, "I have never heard anyone think of me in such a way. I do not know of any who would look at a blind man and see anything but his lack of sight." He chuckled, pressing his fingers over his closed eyelids, "But in answer to your question, I cannot miss what I have never had, and so even though I cannot see as you do, or even understand what it is to see, I have never once felt as if I were missing anything in my life. I can still hear the songs of the world, I can feel the warmth of the sun, and with my touch I can gain an understanding of something, even a person's physical features if they allowed me." Ethan thought for a minute, wondering if he could somehow better explain what it was he meant so that the noise of the hooligans was lost on him, but then the girl solved that problem for him. "A game? What sort of game is it that I can play as well?" But then, of course, even this was answered for him as the ice sculpture was pressed into his hands. Raising an eyebrow, Ethan smiled and shook his head, "Ah, I see. Very well I shall play this game with you. Now give me but a moment." Ethan placed the sculptor in the palm of his left hand, gently running the fingers of his right over its cold surface. He rounded the overly large head, the strange humped back, and what felt like four small legs beneath. Ethan noticed several small, and uneven, ridges along the back that seemed out of place somehow. His fingers were light, barely brushing the surface of the ice as his brow furrowed in concentration. Ethan was uncertain of what it could be, and in fact he wondered if he had experienced anything remotely similar to this creatures odd shape. He thought back, passing through logs of objects he had examined, wondering what it could have been. It took some time, perhaps a chime or two, before Ethan finally made a small note that, perhaps what he thought was a back might in fact be a shell. A shell with ridges... Ridges and a head that pokes out from beneath the shell itself. What could it be... And then he remembered a time when his mother had taken him to the side of a river close to Syliras, where she had found a small creature, shelled and ridges covering its back. Ethan smiled, "Is it a turtle?"

[Uleru]

"Yes it is!" she coos with delight, though she is more pleased to have made a recognizable shape than any observational skills on the the bards part. "You win. I'm not sure what you win, but you win all the same." She smiles as she rolls in the water like a acrobat, focusing her mind to concentrate on another sculpture. What would she do this time? All she knows is what can be found in the water. Which is exactly what he wouldn't know. As she is racking her mind for a new idea, the three young dockmen saunter over with a stomp of sackcloth shoes. The tallest of the three swings down to sit beside the bard and throws his arm around his shoulders like they're old chums. "Hey there, friend. See you got yourself a lady lover. No accounting for taste, but thats up to you I guess." Uleru prickles at the indignity while his friends gawf behind their backs. Embolden by his friends reaction at his witty brilliance, he claps Ethan hard on the back, almost making him sprawl into the foamy brine. "Now, even if you haven't stuck your dick in anything for a while, lets forgo monsters. How about we all prowl the tavern for some early-morning sport, eh?" How dare he! Uleru stares at the offending dockman with a dull and throbbing ire. He's insulted a daughter of Laviku, insulted the brilliant bard, and now he plans to take her toy away from her. How infuriating. "Sorry lads, this one's mine. But you're welcome to bugger each other if its all the same to you." she quips helpfully, grabbing hold of Ethan's heel in a possessive way. The dockman ears glow a dangerous shade of red and his young friends go from chuckling to hearty laughter at his expense. "Shut it!" he barks at them before turning back to the Otani, "Fine, keep him." And with a great heave he struggles to push Ethan off the dock. OOC : Oh god, I'm so late and Im sorry. I think I'm back to regular posting now. And its not even a good post. ^^"

[Accolade]

Uleru

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Singing	+ 2 XP
Observation	+ 2 XP
Swimming	+ 1 XP
Interrogation	+ 1 XP
Reimancy	+ 1 XP

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Reflection within his eyes
•	A friendly game with a stranger
•	Making an ice turtle

Ethan Terran

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+ 3 XP
Singing	+ 2 XP
Interrogation	+ 1 XP

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Turtle memory
•	Songs on the ocean
•	Attacked by a fish blocker

Notes :

Cute thread guys!

The Sylir has spoken

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.