[PRP] Beware the High Tide (Fletch & Nictor)

[Taki-di]

Located in the outskirts of Civisect City, by the beach  

[Taki-di]

Nictor Sabbat

"Oh, look at th-this one!"

Nictor showed the new shell he'd picked up to Beehemoth, who clicked happily back at him. not that Bee really got what was so great about shells or the beach, but Nictor was enjoying exploring the new environment, so it didn't matter much. As long as his little grub was happy.

The troll and lusus meandered down the beach, not too far from where the tide washed across the shore. Clicks and hums passed between them, as the troll plucked shells from the sand and either pocketed them or gently placed them back on the ground. A cool breeze, heavy with salt and moisture, stung across Nictor's face and he had to pull his hood back up once it died down. The beach was a far cry from the desert or the forest, but certainly nice. Bee didn't want to hang around the shore too much, as the humidity messed with his wings.

Nictor paused in his peaceful walk to look up at an abandoned watch tower, now close enough to see broken planks on the walkway and crumbled stones by the base of the walls, but too far to really pick out details. Chewing on his tongue thoughtfully, Nictor pondered exploring it sometime. Not this trip, but maybe another. He was feeling calm and content on the beach and he was going to enjoy it.

Nictor fiddled with the shells in his hoodie pouch as he kicked up bits of sand while he walked, stumbling every so often, but catching himself pretty well. He, unfortunately, got distracted from his movements when he noticed Bee wandering a bit farther from the shore to inspect some flowers. A few steps with his head turned away and all it took was his show catching on a small shell to send him toppling. Normally he could catch himself, but the wet sand slipped under his quick movements and he face planted. Ever the graceful painting in motion that he is.

TanuKyle

 

[T-Kai]

Taki-di

Fletch trawled his feet absently through the damp sand at the edge of the sea, far enough back that he wasn't touching the water, but far enough forward the sand was damp and pleasantly cool against his little grey toes. Despite this apparent relaxation and unwillingness to go near the water, his whole body was stretched taut like a bowstring, vision focused on the sea and (if one were to look closely) a tiny white blob bobbing in it and occasionally resurfacing. Toothdad (for that was what the white blob was of course) was out in the water fishing for supper and enjoying a swim. Oh, oh how Fletch longed to join him. But he couldn't, he reminded himself. Fins twitching in useless, hopeless desire, Fletch tore his vision away from the sea to look at his feet buried in the damp sand. Sitting down, he began to build a rough mound to cover his legs, a popular pastime that enamored wigglers all over Alternia. Fletch wriggled his toes, tipping sand over them to cover them even as they 'struggled', pretending he was burying heretics alive.

He amused himself this way for some time, at least until he heard the sounds of someone else on the beach. Sound carried near the water, so Fletch could hear the other troll before he could see them. They weren't too far from his hive, so Fletch called out a chittering warning to ToothDad, then scurried towards the watch-tower that loomed over this part of the beach. Kicking upwards off the hidden springboard, Fletch landed deftly on the ledge of one of the entrances, peering out to see who was coming.

Another wriggler, it seemed. Fletch observed the young yellowblood (judging by his clothes at least) and his buzzy lusus, content to simply watch for now from his hiding spot. At least until the yellowblood took a faceplant into the sand. Scaling down his wall, Fletch darted across the sand towards the other wriggler, calling out as he did so.

"Yo! You okay brosis? You should up and move before a wave gets you!"  

[Taki-di]

Nictor Sabbat

Nictor's whole body flinched when the distinct tones of a troll's voice reached him. Gone was the content peace the white noise of waves had brought, replaced with the usual apprehension at facing other trolls.

He considered shoving his face harder into the sand and pretending he didn't exist for a few moments. As appealing as it was, the smack of feet on sand was fast approaching and Nictor would rather see a potential threat than let it sneak up and attack him with his back turned.

Nictor sat up, face scrunched up and coated with sand, the grit caught in the creases of his skin and hair. He shook his sleeves to rid them of the sand before swiping a this face to get most of it off. Carefully he pried open his eyes, just enough to see.

What he saw made him wish he'd turned tail and run.

Purpleblood. Whoever was in front of him would be well within their rights to tear his horns off if he breathed at them funny. Which was very bad because he tended to breath funny a lot. Like now for example, where he froze stock still for a minute, sucking in deep, loud bursts of air every few seconds in a poor attempt to control himself. His fingers began to twitch and twist into his shorts and his eyes couldn't tear away from the damning symbol on the other kid's shirt in that deadly purple hue.

His mental faculties started to reboot themselves, trying to push the instinctual panic back. He'd met one other purpleblood before, but they really weren't common in Chittentown and he'd been surrounded by lots of other trolls at the time, so they hadn't even spared him a glance. This one was talking to him and looking at him and coming towards him and wait.

Wait, they had said something.

Nictor had regained himself enough to process the words the purpleblood said just as the wave they'd warned against rolled in.

Nictor yelped as he was struck, sea water surging into his mouth and soaking through his clothes to freeze his skin. He was shoved back on the ground and pushed through the sand before the water retreated in just a few moments and he just lay there coughing and sputtering. So that's what the purpleblood had been warning him against. Right.

Of at the edges of the sandy beach, Beehemoth seemed to be getting into some sort of fight with the local featherbeasts that haunted the shores, squawking and chittering loudly.

TanuKyle

chill what chill Nic has no chill

 

[T-Kai]

Taki-di

Woah, the lil' brosis was all up and panicking, it looked like. Fletch knelt down to reduce his threat presence, and tried to mutter soothing words. Or well, what Fletch considered soothing.

"Hey hey brosis it's okay, just breathe -- a wave's not that scary and you can mo-"

Ooooohkay they hadn't moved in time. As the wave dragged at Nictor, Fletch decided that this troll obviously needed looking after because otherwise the sea was gonna get them. Fletch had knelt down above Nictor, so the wave had splashed against them but not drenched them. Hooking his arms under Nictor, Fletch pulled him up the beach a bit, all the while keeping up a commentary.

"Breathe, lil' brosis. I'm gonna move you a little so you're safer - don't want the sea up and capturing a fine lil wriggler your lusus'd be well upset."

After moving Nictor up the beach a little bit, Fletch plopped himself down on the sand next to the damp troll and smiled, fluttering his fins at him happily.  

[Taki-di]

Way too much salt, way way way too much. His mouth felt funny from it already and his eyes and nose stung because hey, salt wasn't supposed to go there. The pleasant air was now like cold knives diffing under his skin, absolutely sopping wet and freezing. This trip had taken a one eighty real quick.

Nictor didn't forget the purpleblood was there, but he was what one might call distracted given his circumstances. You would think that he might be trying to move himself out of the rang of more waves but instead he sat there continuing to splutter and whine as he tried to get his eyes to a point where they could open without burning. The pressing anxiety was no help though, making him rush to try and fix this and as a result getting more water in his eyes with his soaked sleeved why did he think that would even help?

He wasn't paying much attention to it, but there was a an approaching noise that was making his body winder tighter and tighter, his throat clogging with something other than water and salt and sand but he couldn't see right now which made it worse because whoever, whatever it was could do anything to him right now and it was probably that purpleblood and oh no no no where was Bee? Where was Bee?

With every inch of Nictor stretching and tightening in not so carefully controlled panic, he jolted badly when something was there and touching him. A strangled sounding yelp ripped from the panicking child, arm and legs jerking wildly in some ill conceived attempt to get whoever it was away. He abruptly froze up when he hear the voice right next to his ear, arms and legs going rigid, every inch of his shaking with how tense he was, a low long keen spilling from him as he tried to just. Stay still. The purpleblood had him.

This was it. This was it the purpleblood had him it was over he had no idea what they wanted, his brain was too muddled to think clearly about what was being said, only really catching occasional words and he was so worried that if he tried to get away the purpleblood was going to drag him up the shore and try to eat him. Chop him up into itty bitty bits and make yellowblood stew and share it with all their friends, roast his bones and eat the marrow with chips. didn't want the sea capturing a scrumptious little yellowblood so that they could have him, yes indeed.

His limbs maybe have been still but his chest was not, panicked breathes heaving in and out in out in out.

And then suddenly the support was gone and Nictor sorta flopped onto the sand. It only took a few seconds for him to scramble upright and curl protectively around himself, staring at the purpleblood with wide confused eyes. All they had done was....move him? Nothing bad had happened, nothing had gone wrong, not yet at least and Nictor really hoped he could keep it that way. He glanced back and forth between the sea and the purpleblood, feeling oddly bereft without the instinctual panic of being grabbed. His anxiety was ebbing now, leaving him slowly puzzling out that maybe, just maybe the purpleblood had helped him?

"W-wha- uh, I um," Nictor fumbled, trying to figure out what to even do here, and that is when he noticed to fluttering fins and you know how waves ebb and crash back to shore? Here comes his anxiety because fins mean seadweller. Fins mean dangerous, too dangerous, and Nictor had troubled them and what do you even do when your brain goes into emergency shut down with a seadweller next to you and looking at you expectantly? So he just sat there dumbly, staring in distress at those incriminating fins.

TanuKyle

i am so sorry over a year sobs young and very early nic was such a messsssss let me know if you need this changes so fletch can react better, if we still wanna keep this going