6th day of Fall, 514 AV
The clouds overhead were grey and murky, the air stung with the acid bite of ash from the grassland fires the previous day and thick murky smears of spot-fire from the smoke still curled along the shore's horizon. There was a weight and heat to the city that made Salumi's skin crawl in distaste until she couldn't stand being on land any more.
The sea was cool and murky, untroubled by the chaos in the city above and filled with the promise of a chilly winter. Dark waves stirred, perhaps the threat of poor weather for the land-dwellers, and Lumi shed her clothing down to the bare minimum she needed for modesty sake, gasping as she dove into the bay from the docks. She always felt uncomfortably hot after too long walking around and wasn't sure it had much to do with the actual heat as the lack of chill. She was used to the ocean, however much the currents changed with the seasons, you couldn't really 'rug up' in the middle of winter, you simply accepted the icy water; in fact, she wasn't sure about why it bothered older Charodae.
She swam with deadly efficiency, her pale eyes flickering along the bottom of the sea floor and her lean limbs moving with strong, determined strokes as she uprooted a whole batch of seaweed in an uncommonly selfish manner. normally she'd take a few cuts of the plant, but today she was in a terrible mood; one she couldn't ascribe to any particular reason. It was the same hovering dichotemy that was causing chaos in the city, and while she slept in the bay, it didn't seem to matter.
The plant came free and a huge crab came snapping and clawing with it.
"Shells and foul water!" Lumi cursed, floating back as fast as she could; but the crab was clearly having none of it and followed in a burst of speed the crustaceans were known for, claw snapping out at her arm. The Charodae reacted violently, smacking it away with the back of her left hand, sending it flying toward the surface.
She regretted the action almost immediately, wincing as she noted the hungry crab was now splashing and flailing a little along the surface, the likely prey for any eager fishing birds. She bit her lip, trying to squash her anger and not sure she could. Well if he did get eaten; he deserved it. But it wasn't his fault- stupid crab.
The Charodae moved awkwardly to the surface, throwing her head out of the water with a wince as she did, not yet ready again for the acrid taste of the air around the city in her lungs again.
