Open [The Great Harbor] Splish-Splash

[Aladari Coolwater]

49 Spring, 517 AV
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"Laviku, bless! Is hot!"

Although Aladari may have been the only one verbalizing the sentiment, she could not have been the only one thinking it. She was naturally opposed to the heat, as she preferred Morwen's domain, but these days, even the Chaktawe would have thought it was too hot.

The heat could be seen simmering atop the docks, and each time the birds landed upon the sand or rocks, they took flight immediately to ease the burning of Syna's blaze on their feet. The wood of the dock was not quite as bad as the sand, but it was still Hai.

Aladari threw herself down onto the dock, landing on her back with a soft thud. A nearby fisherman gave her a glare, which she readily returned.

I'm a fisherman, too. She told him in her head. I know exactly how many fish I'm scaring away. Zero! There's no fish out in this heat, not to mention this time of day. The man must have sensed her attitude, as he rolled his eyes at the lost cause and went back to his business.

If only to draw the old man's attention and aggravate him just a little more, Aladari let out a groan and threw her hand up to cover her eyes. "Tooooo hot. She moaned.

"Ay! If you're that close to Dira, why don't you just go sit with the fishes. I ain't hearing any of them complaining." Grumped the fisherman, before gathering his tools to move his post. Although clearly meant to be an insult, Aladari took pause at the phrase. Sit with the fishes...

Within a chime, Aladari had stripped down to her grimy underclothes and left her other belongings on the dock. If they were stolen, well, it was the price she would have to pay for relief.

Aladari slid off the edge of the dock into the cool, forgiving waters. She had always been afraid of swimming, and immediately she felt a panic rise up as the sand sank in-between her toes. However, the calm that came with the chill of the water was undeniable. Aladari closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have to look at the water below her. She breathed deeply, taking her time with both the in and the out. Then, she opened her eyes again.

She slowly released a tense breath as the waves lapped at her thighs. She stood still, and no harm came. The world continued around her as passerby cursed Syna's name in the heat, unknowing that she had found the secret. Syna still reached her, of course, and it wasn't long before she wished that she had the gal to dunk her head underwater too. For now, though, this small blessing would have to be enough. Mentally, she couldn't handle much more...Not yet.

"Laviku, bless."

Word Count470

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[Elin]

"Common" | "Kontinese" | "Tukant"

It was hot, too hot, and Elin was taking Ilia out of the house to try and get the little girl to stop complaining. She didn't have much on her, just a couple of gold miza and the clothes on their backs, since it was far too warm to try and carry anything more.
The heat wasn't something that she was fond of, but unlike Ilia, Elin also wasn't too fond of the cold and the snow.
She could remember how last season Ilia had been deeply disappointed at the weather and how it hadn't snowed at all.

"Mummy! Can we go near the water?" the little girl asked looking up at Elin and Elin smiled slightly.
"Of course my dear." Elin said, before taking a hold of the girls hand as she tried to pull away and run down to the docks.

It wasn't long before they got to the docks, and Elin couldn't help but smile as Ilia pulled even harder until they reached the wood.

"Mummy, there's a lady in the water. Can I go in?" Ilia asked and Elin sighed slightly.
"The water is probably than you are tall Ilia." she said calmly, hoping that the girl would be dissuaded, although her hopes were soon pushed away as Ilia jumped off the edge of the deck into the water, giggling and grinning as she did so. "Ilia! I swear, get out of there now!" she snapped, glancing at the woman and making sure she was far away enough that Ilia wouldn't have disturbed her.
Ilia simply laughed at her order and Elin rolled her eyes.
"Look at you! You've got your dress wet! You don't even know how to swim do you!" she sighed, staying on the dock while Ilia splashed in the water.
"I can learn!" the little girl protested and Elin gave up, moving to sit on the uncomfortably hot dock, watching the little girl splash around in the water that was chest deep on her.
Sighing, she glanced towards the woman and opened her mouth to speak, hoping that the woman would realise she was talking to her.
"I am so sorry for disturbing you. If you want, I can drag her out and we can leave?" she offered, dreading having to coax Ilia back out of the water in this heat. "I'm guessing you overheated too?" she asked, staring up at the clear skies and sun and silently thanking Syna for the bright day, despite it being uncomfortably bright.
Word Count417

[Aladari Coolwater]

49 Spring 517
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OOCSorry for the wait, here! I'll be better about replies going on.

Aladari had cooled off considerably, and only her neck felt the sweat dripping down. But as nice as it was, she simply could not stand the water for very long. After looking down and seeing that her feet were lost to the unclear depths, her heart began to race, and Aladari headed for the shore.

On her way, though, she was surprised by a small splash in face that made her stop in her tracks. Frozen with fear, Aladari waited for the waves to pass her by. Once the water had mostly dripped from her face and her hair was combed back, she opened her eyes to find a small child splashing next to her. The child couldn't have been older than 5, and yet she swam completely fearlessly, ignoring what must have been her mother's commands. Aladari marveled at the child's boldness, and felt a slight pink rise to her cheeks and eyes in shame of her own cowardice.

And you call yourself a Coolwater!

"I am so sorry for disturbing you. If you want, I can drag her out and we can leave?" Aladari looked up for the voice, shielding her eyes from Syna's grueling gaze to find the woman on the docks.

Everything about her seemed petite, but Aladari could not figure out why. She was an average height, an average strength, and wore average clothes. Yet, somehow, her soft face and long dark hair made her seem small, and young; too young to be a mother.

"No, no." Aladari assured the mother, sparing a quick glance at the child. "I don' mind. I's jus'...worried about 'er. You sure she's alright to be in the water? Laviku's mighty this season, on account of Morwen's absence, everythin's messed all up.

I wouldn't want 'er to overheat, but, maybe you could come in, too. Jus' to watch 'er?" Aladari shuffled nervously closer to the shore while still keeping an eye on the child. When she reached ankle-deep, she stopped, sitting herself down in the sand in ignorance of the wetness or dirtiness of her clothes.

She watched for a few chimes more, admiring the child's boldness, but quickly felt herself blush again, this time at her own intrusiveness. She sighed deeply to gather herself before addressing the mother again.

"I's sorry if I'm bein' nosy. I never had a li'l one, an' I jus' don't know how to take care of 'em."

Word Count403

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[Elin]

Ilia continued to splash about in the water wading through it and trying to swim, and Elin simply gritted her teeth and the little girl and her ignorance.
Then she heard the woman assuring her that she didn’t mind, but also worried due to everything being messed up thanks to Morwen’s absence.
Elin nodded in agreement, before hearing the woman asking her to come into the water as well and Elin shrugged. She wasn’t a particular fan of water or sand, but she knew that Ilia wouldn’t be leaving the water any time soon, so she nodded and started unlacing her boots, then removed her dress before sliding off the dock and into the water wearing her undergarments. She felt as though she was being indecent, but the water felt good and cool, and she was certain that nobody would mind considering how hot it was.

She sighed happily as she lowered herself under the water for a minute, cooling her face and head before re-emerging and brush her hair back.
She could see why Ilia had wanted to be in the water.
"I's sorry if I'm bein' nosy. I never had a li'l one, an' I jus' don't know how to take care of 'em." she heard the woman say and she turned to smile at her.
”No problem, it’s better to be safe than sorry after all!” she said warmly, offering a hand to the woman. ”Elin, and that brat there is Ilia.” she introduced herself and her daughter, her eyes frequently glancing to the little girl to make sure she wasn’t going too deep.
Smiling slightly, she waded a bit deeper into the water, and glanced around. They weren’t the only ones in the harbour, and she could see a few people a bit deeper swimmer and splashing each other.

”It’s hard to believe it’s only spring with this heat! Summer is gonna be torture!” she exclaimed to the other woman before noticing Ilia attempting to go deeper.
She waded over to the little girl and rolled her eyes before hitting the water lightly and causing a splash to hit Ilia.
”Don’t go too deep or you’ll get in trouble, and I can’t swim so you’d be out of luck, wouldn’t you?” she send, crouching down to the little girls eye level.
She saw Ilia pout briefly before moving as fast as she could to the shallower parts of the water to splash about as Elin moved to sit next to Aladari.

”You say you don’t know how to take care of a child? I don’t really think I do either, and I’ve got two of them!” she chuckled slightly as she spoke.
-

[Aladari Coolwater]

49 Spring 516
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Aladari took the woman's hand and shook firmly. Her hands were soft, she noted, but not unused. Perhaps she was a wife; it was possible, as she traveled with this child, but her eyes looked more world-worn than a housekeep.

Although Elin hardly spoke kindly of Ilia, but it was obvious in her tone that she loved the child more than a babysitter or housekeep. No, Elin was the mother without a doubt. It wasn't the same love Aladari had for her mutt or kitten- not quite- but it felt close enough that Aladari felt she could understand. It had an incredible and unreachable depth, deeper than she thought she had ever felt. Had that been the way her Ma and Pa cared for her? She had never really taken notice.

A thought scraped the surface of her mind, just briefly. Maybe I could find out if... But then the idea was pushed roughly away, back to its dark corner before it had even fully formed.

In lieu of thinking, she spoke quickly. "Aye, Summer's gonna be petchin' murder."

Aladari remained entirely unaware of her language around Ilia. Her parents had never taught her that words could be "bad" on the sea, and Sunberth had only reinforced that idea. She also remained unawares, unfortunately, to the idea of sensitivity.

"What d'you do for livin'?" Aladari asked,
"And the pa? Or is 'e dead?" There was no point dancing around it, and it was a very real possibility in such a dangerous world. Aladari knew first hnd what dangers could lie in a rundown church or shady hospital.

"I's a fisherwoman. Tha's why I'm out 'ere on the water for starts. I's jus' without a boat righ' now." She explained. "Gonna buy one soon, but the home comes first. 'Til then, I'm 'ere."

Emphasizing her point and keeping the heat at bay, Aladari splashed some water up on herself, dabbing it on the back of her neck where the burn was already forming. Although her skin was slightly darker than a normal Human's, she did not adapt well to the sunlight, and in fact, seemed to attract it's reddening rays. She winced silently as she rubbed her neck and ears, feeling the soreness emerging.


Word Count373

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[Elin]

Elin smiled warmly as the woman took her hand and shook it. She heard the woman agree that the summer wasn’t going to be good, and Elin checked Ilia to see whether she’d heard the curse word, but the little girl was too busy splashing and probably hadn’t heard anything. Chances are she’d heard the same from Elin already!

Then she heard the woman ask what she did for a living, and ask about Ilia’s dad and Elin smiled slightly.
”Before this season I just did a few odd jobs, but now I’m a cook at one of the taverns, and as for her dad? I have no idea. Haven’t seen him in about five years.” she chuckled slightly at the thought, wondering if he was still alive or whether he’d kicked the bucket since he left her. ”He doesn’t even know that Ilia exists, poor lass. Although she’s never asked about him. I’m not sure what I’d tell her if she did ask anyway!”

She nodded as she listened to Aladari as she said she was a fisherwoman, listening to her desire to get a boat but her focus on getting a home first.

”It’s a good decision to get a home first. Then you don’t have to worry about rent and can save up for a boat without worrying about losing too much.” she thought aloud. She knew that her father had built boats a lot, but she hadn’t really any idea of how they were really made, or of the cost of boats. She imagined that they’d be expensive, but necessarily so. That much wood wouldn’t be cheap or easy to come across, and she seemed to remember each boat taking a long amount of time to create, and a lot of care and attention to make sure they were sea-worthy.

Then she saw Aladari splashing water on the back of her neck and Elin winced for the girl.
”Starting to burn?” she asked, glancing around to see if any of the water was shaded, to see only a few spaces that were already taken by like minded people.
-

[Aladari Coolwater]

49 Spring 517 AV
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Elin, it seemed, was rather supportive for someone who had experienced so much loss. She had lost her lover, probably her last steady job and home, and here she was, encouraging Aladari's choice to go for a home, a boat, and a full live.

"Without worrying about losing too much," Seemed like a sentence that never should have left Elin's mouth, and yet there it was. Aladari marveled at her viewpoint. She was so optimistic, so hopeful, so...impossible. It reminded her of a meeting she'd had last season with a knight, who spoke of the Lady Priskil, Goddess of Hope, and Aladari wondered briefly if the woman followed. She surely exemplified the beliefs.

But by the time she had decided to ask, already, her skin was rouging and her blood heating. Morwen's Gnosis burned on her shoulder, pulsating as if angry with the weather. Aladari rubbed at it subconsciously. Aye, shut up. It's your fault it's like this. She thought bitterly.

To Elin's question, she nodded, giving an apologetic smile. "'Is probably best if we get somewhere else. Is nice here, but I'm needin' nice an' cool outta the sun."

Aladari stood up, brushed herself off, and meandered back up to the dock to grab her things. Finding her coin purse still there, she thumbed through it before shouting to Elin, "Y'all drink? I could get us somethin' nice an' cold, if you're liking." She gestured vaguely to the buildings on the far side of the dock, where she could just barely see the familiar sight of the Broken Casket's crab-shaped door hanger knocking against the wood.

Around her dreams of cold ale, Aladari suddenly remember Ilia for the second time that day, and quickly added, "Got some good juices, they do. An' lunch is..." She hesitated, cocking her head as she searched for the word. "Awesome!"

Word Count307

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[Elin]

Elin watched as Aladari nodded, saying that it would probably be best to get out of the sun into somewhere cool and Elin couldn’t agree more.
To her it was too warm and although she wasn’t beginning to burn yet, she knew she would soon, and she knew that Ilia would too, and then she’d have the little girl's constant complaints and crying to deal with.

As Aladari got out, Elin moved over to Ilia to try and convince the girl to get out of the water, crouching so she was at eye height with the little girl.

”Ilia, we have to go elsewhere now. It’s too hot for the nice lady, so we’re going somewhere cooler.” she explained and the little girl nodded, rushing to get out of the water, before Elin heard Aladari shout, asking her if she drank and Elin couldn’t help but grin and move back up to the dock, before hearing Aladari mention that they sold juice and nice food and Elin grinned even more.

”Sounds like a plan, that does!” she spoke enthusiastically, before grabbing her dress and pulling it back on, before sitting on the dock to push her feet into her boots, grimacing slightly as she did so, though not bothering to lace them up. She hadn’t been fond of being in her undergarments in public, but in the water she could make an excuse for herself. Being on dry land she couldn’t find a justification that her own mind would accept.

Now she was mostly dressed again, her wet undergarments dampening her dress and the hot sun quickly drying the visible wet patches, she turned to Aladari.
”So we heading off then?” she asked with a grin, never having spent an abundance of time at the docks and not really wanting to lead the way.

[Aladari Coolwater]

49 Spring 517
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It had been so long since Aladari had a chance to drink with a friend. It had to have been in Sunberth when she last shared an ale. And though Elin was hardly a friend yet, she would suffice to fill that lonely ache for now.

Aladari led the way to the Broken Casket. She was not intimately familiar with the road as she had been with others, but the sight of the shack was enough for her to navigate in its direction. Aladari tried her best to engage the pair while they walked, but her conversation skills were rusty, too.

"So, Ilia. You goin' to school?" She asked.
"Or are you out for the season?"

"I went in Zeltiva, an' it was nice there, but I heard the school's nice 'ere too. Good for learnin' to read an' write an' the like. You like readin'?"

By the time the girl had answered, the group had reached the Broken Casket, and Aladari had pushed the door open ahead of her. Inside was still hot, but not as glaringly as outside. The air sat still,
creating a mugginess over the bar, but the relative darkness was refreshing after Syna's assault.

Aladari wandered up to the bar, leaning over casually as she waited for the old man to address her. Once he finished polishing the glass in his hand, he then turned to the Vantha. "Can I get you something?"

"Aye. A kelp beer, an' whatever them two want." She ordered, jacking a thumb over her shoulder at Elin and Ilia. As they ordered, she ruffled in her small coin purse, digging out the required Mizas for the meal.

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[Elin]

Elin couldn't help but grin slightly as they made their way towards the Broken Casket. She enjoyed listening to Aladari as she spoke to Ilia, asking her about school.

"School boring!" Ilia said and Elin chuckled slightly. "They no dancing!"

Then she heard Aladari speak of how she went to school in Zeltiva and Elin nodded slightly at the thought.

"Zeltiva is supposed to be really good, isn't it?" Elin said, turning to address Aladari. "I went in Lhavit, but I didn't pay much attention. And I get the feeling Ilia will enjoy school more next season. We're heading over the Suvan to Alvadas, and I hear that they teach things that she might be most interested in. With stories and songs." she said, addressing Ilia with the last sentence as the little girl grinned widely.

"I like songs and stories!" Ilia grinned widely, before looking up at Aladari.

As they made their way inside, Elin briefly frowned at the heat of the bar, though she was glad it was dark. At least here none of them would get burnt.

"I'll have a kelp beer too." Elin said, before looking at Ilia and checking what she wanted, all while hoping that she wouldn't behave too loudly.
"Juice!" Came a loud voice from the little girl and Elin rolled her eyes slightly, before looking at the old man.
"And a juice then." she said calmly, before glancing around the place. It was unfamiliar to her, and obviously not somewhere she'd wandered into when she first arrived in Syliras, though it seemed nice and she wished she had visited before now. She imagined it would have been much better in weather that wasn't as hot as this, though everywhere seemed to be the same. Much nicer in cool weather.

Grinning she turned to Aladari.
"Much nicer in here then! Being out of the sun is quite refreshing, wouldn't you agree?"