Closed Who Needs Gold With All This Glitter? (Iolara)

[Okara]

Summer 37, 518 Okara stretched her arms above her head with a grown as she watched Syna slowly climb above the horizon. The remnants of sleep weighed down her limbs and her eyes blinked away the cobwebs of dreams. The night had been hot and she had slept fitfully, the day before her loomed long and unending. She hadn’t even had breakfast yet and she was already perturbed. The thought of breakfast brought rumbles to her stomach. Okara obeyed their command and picked up her kukri before walking into the jungle line of her homestead. She had discovered a bountiful mango tree not too deeply in and fruit sounded like a perfectly refreshing breakfast. A few chimes and a few grumbles at rocks that seemed to appear out of nowhere just to trip the Konti and the tree loomed before her. She used her kukri to quickly cut a few mangos from the tree before returning to the beach. On her way back she could have sworn that the rocks had moved an inch or two just to confuse and trip her again. Irritated by the time she had reached the beach again, Okara plopped down and used the tip of her kukri to cut into the mango. She used her fingers to draw back the peel and bite deeply into the fruit. Juice ran down her skin and when she noticed that it was staining her freshly cleaned shirt she rolled her eyes. This was going to be trying day indeed if the morning was any indication. She was groggy, her shirt needed cleaning again already, and she was almost positive she had managed to stub every single toe on her way to and from the mango tree. Okara had thought she had worn the trail down enough to not need boots but that thought was clearly incorrect. Okara sighed deeply and tossed the peel and mango pit into the bushes. She couldn’t show up at work feeling this irritable, there was no way she would be able to keep her professionalism around her patients. Gazing at the waves washing in and pulling back out brought a smile to her lips. The ocean always calmed her. She had a few bells before she really needed to be at the Panacea, a swim sounded like the perfect antidote to her mood. The Konti slipped her pants down and lifted her shirt above her head, tossing them aside in the sand. Standing naked with scales shimmering iridescent in the morning light she stepped into the gentle waves of low tide. A few steps then a jump and Okara was fully submerged in the salt water. She kicked her feet and pulled with her arms to fight against the pull of the tide. Finally she caught the undercurrent that slipped her further out to sea to calm waters. It was exhilarating to feel water flowing against her scales again, it had been several days since she had last answered the call of the ocean. Perhaps that was why she had felt so heavy that morning. It was unwise to deny the needs of her true nature, daughter of Laviku. Okara spotted a bed of seaweed and swam into it. She let her body sink down among the dark green strands as she looked up at the light filtering through the water. Okara wrapped each hand around several strands of seaweed to steady herself and closed her eyes. Letting her thoughts slowly drain away she felt the dull thrum of the ocean wash over her body. She noticed how the currents nudged and pressed her, urging her to follow. Chimes passed and she opened her eyes again. Her limbs felt light as bubbles and her heart sang with the strength of the tides. When she still lived on Konti Isle she would regularly retreat to the ocean to center her mind. She should have known better than neglect her emotional health. Okara gazed around peacefully and noted a shimmer out of the corner of her eye. She pushed off from the ocean floor towards it with a stream of bubbles exiting her mouth in what would have been a girlish squeal on land. Approaching the shimmer she saw that it was a broken sea shell. Picking it up she examined it, it would have been quite a lovely spiraled shell if had been whole. She tossed it aside and kicked slowly, scanning the sandy floor. Her home was feeling rather drab, some beautiful seashells or broken coral would brighten the place right up! With delight Okara spotted a whole shell and picked it up to examine, blonde hair spreading in a cloud around her. Word count: 781

[Iolara Lyada]

Early dawn was a strange twilight time below the seas. With Leth sitting low in the sky and Syna only just beginning to peek over the opposite horizon, the reef which was colorful and vibrant by day was cast into a murky gloom. It was into this dark twilight that Iolara emerged from her slumber. Something had been disturbing her slumber of late, causing strange dreams that forced her awake, but disappeared from memory almost as soon as her brain was roused from sleep. Whatever it was, Iolara had better things to do than dwell on bad dreams. Swimming out from under her coral shelf, the young witch meandered through the reef. In the distance, she could see a pack of sharks circling a school of sardines while within her more immediate vicinity eels and octopi alike retreated to their shelters. Iolara picked one of the taller coral outcrops and came to rest atop it, folding her legs across each other as she stared out towards the shark pack. While they were distant enough that Iolara couldn’t make out the details of their hunt, she recognized the movement of feeding predators. Settling in to watch the show from afar for a spell while her brain stirred further into wakefulness, the young witch began to feel the pangs of her own hunger. Syna had risen in full now, casting a pale pink light over the reef. While seagrass from the meadow was always a treat, Iolara felt she needed something more substantial for her breakfast. Kicking off from her perch, the Charoda set off towards one of the known beds of seaweed she had discovered growing on the outskirts of her reef. In time, those would need to be culled back to prevent them from overwhelming new coral growth, but for now, the macroalgae would serve as a filling meal to begin the day. As Io swam, she made a point to greet the fish she passed along the way, peeking out of their secluded crevasses or luxuriant anemone mansions. Communing with the animals of her domain always brought a smile to Iolara’s face. But the interactions were short lived; hunger made for a fast swim as far as Io was concerned. Arriving st her destination, the young Charoda dove into the thick of the weed bed, plucking large strands to be devoured. Iolara feasted for perhaps half a bell before rolling onto her back, dark green and brown strands of algae crisscrossing her body like a strange network of webbing. There, she relaxed, even allowing herself to doze quietly within the bed of sea weed. It was a peaceful life she led here beneath the waves, and she would have it no other way. Unfortunately, her blissful rest was not to last forever. A strong tug on a few of the strands above her jarred Iolara back into wakefulness, and what she saw above caused her jaw to fall agape. Above her, blonde hair floating free in the current, was the Konti woman Iolara had met that night on the beach, for that strange expedition with Nieve, Io’s Kelvic friend, and Jace, who as yet had not impressed Iolara much. Not that he owes me that, Io thought as she pondered the mystery of Okara’s presence. The woman didn’t seem to notice Iolara before she darted off after something that appeared to have caught her eye. Iolara rolled back over, following the Konti with her eyes as the woman stopped to pick a shell up from the sea floor. She seemed to have no trouble navigating the ocean’s depths, and when she kicked her legs, Iolara’s attention was drawn to the flashing scales that covered the lower part of Okara’s body. Of course! Iolara thought, slapping one hand to her forehead as the realization struck her. The Konti must be aquatic by nature, like the Charodae! That thought excited the young girl. To think, finally there would be someone with whom Iolara could dive and frolick beneath the waves! The denizens of the reach were wonderful and amazing animals, but nothing could compare to the aquatic community the Charoda had shared in her earliest years. In a way, perhaps the Konti woman could help Io regain a piece of that life. Kicking her feet and using her hands to drag her body through the water, Iolara came alongside Okara, her face plastered with a wide, toothy grin. “Well, you’re certainly a long way from shore,” she spoke, her voice lilting and melodic beneath the waves, even in the Common tongue. She hoped she hadn’t scared Okara too badly, but the woman simply had to be told about a much better spot to find shells…. Word Count791

[Okara]

Okara turned the shell over, checking the inside to make sure she hadn’t accidentally stolen some small creature’s home. It was a beautiful white, spiral shell and she was lucky to have found a whole one. They damaged rather easily so the lovely thing was a treat. A flash of green startled Okara. She jerked back, dropping the shelf and eyes popping open wide in surprise. After a moment her shock faded as she realized it was Iolara, the Charoda woman she had ventured into the forest with. Okara placed a hand on her chest and gave the woman a huge grin. She was glad it was Iolara and not some kind of enormous sea creature intent on trying out Konti for breakfast. Musical sounds came out of Iolara’s mouth and Okara was surprised to find that it was the common language and she was able to hear it. It fascinated her that the Charoda woman could speak underwater. How did she do that? Okara could only assume it was a natural talent of her species which meant the ability was an inherent part of her physical structure. Common sounded so beautiful when spoken by Iolara underwater it made Okara curious what the Charoda native language sounded like. As Iolara gazed at her, Okara realized she was waiting for a response. The Konti’s body may have been well adapted to moving and breathing underwater but she still required a lungful of air to make noises out of her throat. Okara pointed at her throat, then waved her arms around to indicate the water while shaking her head firmly. She hoped she got her point across that she could not speak beneath the waves. Okara pointed at Iolara then gave her a double thumbs-up while nodding her head vigorously with an open-mouthed smile. She was trying to ask if Iolara was well that morning but she was concerned that she was mainly making herself look like an idiot. Okara pursed her lips and looked around for any tools she could use to communicate back to Iolara. Attempting to make up sign language seemed rather silly and ineffective. Iolara came from an entirely different culture, the signals that made sense to Okara could be completely insulting to the Charoda if she stumbled into something difficult. She briefly considered writing messages in the sand, that could work, but she didn’t know much of Iolara’s reading abilities and writing would be time consuming just to chat. She looked back up at the green-skinned woman and shrugged her shoulders with a small smile. Okara was glad to have a friend to swim with, she missed that sense of community beneath the water with fellow Konti, but the communication would be a little one-sided while they swam. Okara wasn’t put off and she hoped Iolara wouldn’t be too disappointed in her abilities, or lack there of. The Konti angled her body down and kicked a few time, picking up the spiral shell she had dropped. She kicked off the floor and floated up to Iolara’s level again and held out the shell to the Charoda in a friendly gesture.

[Iolara Lyada]

Iolara tried and failed to suppress her laughter as Okara started in surprise at the sight of the young Charoda, the white spiral shell spiralling down to the sandy sea floor. The musical notes of mirth were followed by a momentary confusion as the Konti woman motioned towards her throat, then waved her arms around to indicate...something. Iolara wasn’t sure what. Was Okara trying to say she enjoyed the water? For whatever reason, the woman didn’t seem able to speak under the sea in the same way that Charodae could. This realization elicited a flash of disappointment from Iolara. She had so been looking forward to someone she could sing and converse with beneath the waves. But that disappointment was replaced by an exuberance to help as her tentacles spread out to form a calm halo around her nodding head. “Yes, the water is very nice today,” Iolara spoke through her many-toothed smile as Okara gave her two-thumbs up, nodding her head with a smile. This is rather odd, Iolara thought. She was used to having a communication barrier above the waves, mainly due to her own simplistic grasp of Common. Here, beneath the waters, Io had always imagined that anyone able to survive below the surface would be more adept at communication. After Okara retrieved her shell from the sea bottom, Iolara drew close to get a better look. It was quite pretty, a delicate white spiral and entirely intact, a rare feat for such delicate structures once their owners had abandoned them. The young Charoda smiled and traced the shell with her webbed fingers, giving Okara another wide smile. “This is very pretty, a good find!” she spoke again in Common. Twirling about in place, Iolara turned her gaze towards her reef, well off from the sandy beaches of Syka. “I know where you can find many more! And, perhaps a special thing!” Iolara grinned at the idea that was forming in her head. She had never before grown anything for pleasure. Always her coral structures had been modified for practical purposes, typically shelter for herself or redirecting the growth of hostile colonies of the tiny creatures. Despite being almost invisible to the naked eye, coral could wage visceral warfare against each other with their stinging tentacles. The young witch waved her arms in a beckoning motion, calling for Okara to follow along. After checking to see that her new underwater companion was following along, Iolara grinned with a mischievous idea. Turning around by bending backwards in a move that would have snapped the spine of a more bone-burdened creature, Iolara twisted to reorient herself as she drew near once more to Okara’s face, beaming with giddy anticipation. “We are both swimmers, yes?” Iolara began, her tentacles twitching to and fro with excitement. “My reef is just there,” she motioned in the direction, hoping her meaning would be conveyed that the reef was not too far away, “We can race? Who swims better, Charoda or Konti?” She twisted her body into several loops and turns though keeping her relative position constant with respect to Okara. It had been so long since she had had a proper race! Now only the occasional pod of dolphins cared to even try, and Iolara was itching for some friendly competition!

[Okara]

Okara smiled and watched as Iolara inspected the shell she held out. Okara took the opportunity of close proximity to gaze at the Charoda with curiosity. Her skin was smooth and seemed akin to dolphin skin. Iolara’s body was lean and stream-lined, Okara wondered just how fast she could cut through the water. She could see no sign of gills on the fish woman’s body so the question of how she breathed above or below the water was a mystery. Okara’s eyes snapped to meet Iolara’s and she nodded enthusiastically as the woman praised her find. An eyebrow arched as Iolara exclaimed about finding more seashells. Okara’s smile widened into a grin. She wasn’t typically such a magpie but she loved the idea of collecting some trinkets from the sea she could use to decorate her home. To sleep amongst the remnants of the ocean and wake to see them glittering around her was an extremely pleasing thought. Perhaps some comforting items would ease the homesickness that cropped up in her heart from time to time. Maybe it would help this place to feel more like home, more like a place she longed for instead of a place that she still felt like a stranger in. Her thoughts were becoming much too serious now, so she pushed them away gently, to reflect upon at a later time. Iolara began to swim away, leading her somewhere she did not know. She trusted the Charoda however, the woman had given her no reason to think she would guide her towards harm. Okara kicked her feet and gathered some momentum to follow, webbed fingers spread wide as her arms lazily pulled her forward. Okara pulled up as Iolara suddenly twisted about and came up smiling a few inches from her face. The Konti was beginning to see that her underwater companion had a mischievous nature, though it seemed an innocent rather than malevolent sense of mischief. A race, was it? Okara looked in the direction that Iolara pointed, she could not see far enough through the water to spy the reef but she believed the directions given. She considered for a moment as Iolara looped and swirled in excitement before nodding in agreement while her mouth opened in a soundless giggle. Feeling a bit of mischief herself, she kicked as hard as she could and burst forward, not waiting for Iolara to get ready. Her webbed fingers and toes spread wide to get the most push and pull through the water. She gained more and more speed, her icy blonde hair streaming behind her. Her mouth stretched into a clenched grin as she exhilarated at the feeling of the water rushing past her skin and scales. She hadn’t raced for fun since she was a young girl and she was delighted to have a companion to join her for play. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and suddenly the green woman rushed by. Okara was startled for a moment but redoubled her efforts, kicking her legs and reaching her arms out as hard as she could. Her thighs began to burn with the effort but she was simply no match for Iolara’s who was a true creature of the sea. At last Okara could see the reef ahead of her, and she raced towards it. She saw Iolara reach it long before her but she kept up her pace. She wasn’t the sort of sore loser who quit when they saw they could not win, she kept trying. Eventually she pulled up at the reef, exhausted and tired from the effort. She swam slowly up to Iolara and shrugged with a smile. Okara made an elaborate bow to Iolara, conceding victory of the race. Okara straightened her body to tread in place in the water, gazing around at Iolara’s reef. She gave a quick kick to push herself forward and shifted her body to glide horizontally over the reef, inspecting Iolara’s home with interest. OOCThere's no way a Konti would beat a Charoda, so I just assumed you would win. PM me if you think it should go differently

[Iolara Lyada]

Iolara’s tentacles flared with excitement as the Konti woman accepted her challenge. But just as the young Charoda was reorienting herself to line up with Okara, the blonde-haired woman kicked with both legs and took off. Just like that, the race was on! A small head start won’t hurt me, Iolara thought with a mischievous grin as she allowed the Konti to continue for a few ticks unchallenged. As the woman’s scales flashed in Syna’s light, Iolara mentally counted to ten before propelling herself through the water. A musical chuckle emanated from her lips as the water rushed over her smooth flesh, her dorsal fin and tentacles swept backwards to ensure her body was as streamlined as possible. Pinning her arms to her side, Iolara used her webbed hands to mimic the pectoral fins of dolphins as she undulated her body in a sinuous fashion, her webbed feet rocketing her through the water. Despite allowing Okara a head start, it did not take long for Iolara to overtake her opponent. As her aquamarine body flashed by the Konti woman, Iolara turned onto her back to flash a toothy grin as she sped towards her destination. The witch reached the familiar surroundings of her reef with plenty of time to spare, though she was pleased to see that the Konti did not give up in the face of defeat. An endearing quality, to be sure. While she waited for Okara to catch up, Iolara began looping and twirling in place, spreading her arms and tentacles out as she danced to a rhythm only heard in her head. In her native Char, the young girl began singing a lilting melody touched with melancholic tones. It was little more than a fragment of a tune, a remnant of a remnant of memory left over from her early childhood in Charbosi, but it brought Iolara a bittersweet comfort all the same. Her melody was cut short, however, once Okara reached her. As the Konti woman glided over the reef, Iolara followed silently, a quiet smile replacing her toothy grin as the woman surveyed Iolara’s home. Schools of colorful fish darted to and fro while the soft tentacles of swayed in the gentle current. Iolara was fairly certain she saw an octopus crawling along the sandy floor, though it could just as easily have been a particularly vibrant outcrop of coral. The Charoda witch rarely felt as alive and at peace as she did in the tiny but diverse ecosystem of the reef. Leaving Okara to enjoy the serenity of life below the sea for a moment, Io dropped down to glide along the seafloor. A small group of parrotfish fed merrily upon the coral, causing Iolara to frown in concern. That particular outcrop was rather fresh, and still growing. Coming carefully alongside the fish, Iolara made eye contact with them one at a time. Through the gift of her goddess Caiyha, Iolara was able to establish a rapport with the denizens of what was quickly becoming “her” reef, though in truth all of natural Creation belonged to Caiyha.Iolara was merely a steward of Caiyha’s kingdom. And now, that stewardship called for action. As the fish one by one recognized Iolara for who and what she was, they left their feeding and began to circle her, each making eye contact as they passed in front of her. Nura was not a language spoken with words, but with emotions and images. Iolara did her best to convey the pain of the new coral while acknowledging the hunger from the parrotfish. With a gentle smile, she pictured an older outcrop of coral along the edge of the reef that could use some pruning and encouraged the fish to feed there instead. The parrotfish were more than happy to accomodate Iolara, brushing against her with their scaly bodies as they moved towards the perimeter of the reef. Turning her eyes back up towards Okara, Iolara could barely contain her joyful smile, not that she made any effort to do so. It was always a joy to commune with Nature. So caught up in the ecstacy of her divine abilities was Iolara that she didn’t notice the circling shadows above both her and Okara. The flashing of the Konti’s scales signalled an enticing treat to other, more bloodthirsty dwellers of the deep. Iolara had grown somewhat complacent to the dangers posed by sharks, protected as she was by Caiyha’s gift. Okara enjoyed no such protection from their insatiable appetites.

[Okara]

Okara smiled softly to herself as she observed the myriad fish swimming around the colorful coral. Schools of fish traveled quickly around the coral and sponges while a few crabs scuttled along the sandy bottom. She allowed herself to float gently above them, the schools of fish did not seem afraid but nor did they investigate the blonde woman exploring their home. The Konti spied a large conch shell on the sea floor and kicked lightly to propel herself towards it. Okara reached down and picked up the shell, admiring its beautiful yellow and orange color. As she turned the shell over to inspect the aperture she noticed two eye stalks slowly emerge. Mouthing an apology for disturbing the conch’s inhabitant she carefully placed the shell back on the sandy floor where she had found it. It was a beautiful shell but she wasn’t about to rob a creature of it’s home and it’s life just so she could have a shiny. She didn’t think Iolara would appreciate that kind of behavior in her reef anyways, it was her home after all. Okara gazed up to locate Iolara, finding her attending to a school of feeding fish not too far away. A curious expression passed over her face as she noticed the Charoda gesture to the school of fish. The fish seemed to respond and understand, flowing away as a group to settle around a different edge of the reef. Strange. When they had a chance to meet above the waves again Okara would have few curious questions for her companion. Okara felt a connection to the ocean and its inhabitants but they certainly did not obey her wishes. She was merely one among them rather then master over them. She wondered where Iolara saw herself in the vast ocean ecosystem and what was typical of a Charoda. Lost in thought, Okara twirled her body through the water. Like other reefs, Iolara’s home was in a shallow part of the sea where the sunlight could easily penetrate through the depths. The light danced along Okara’s naked body and caused the scales to glitter across her temple, cheekbones, and flaring out from the back of her neck down to spiral around her legs. As she spun to face towards the sky she noticed two shadows cross the sunlight and frowned. In a moment, she recognized the predatory outline of a shark and shock registered on her face. One of the shadows began to point down and swim in a determined manner. Okara flipped around and urged her limbs to propel her through the water as quickly as possible towards Iolara. She cursed inwardly at herself for being foolish enough to not bring her suvai along. The ocean could be peaceful, but it could also be deadly and complacency had been the cause of death for many in all environments. Okara chanced a quick look behind her, the grey shark was perhaps eleven feet in length and she noted fading stripes along its body. Turning back towards the unaware Charoda, heart pounding, Okara aimed herself like a torpedo and knocked into Iolara. Okara tumbled through the water a minute before gathering herself and plunging down amongst the coral, seeking cover and something to put between herself and the shark. She reached up to grab at Iolara, if she was successful she would attempt to pull the Charoda down with her.