|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 11:39 am
 Ouen stood and stared at the thing before him, for it seemed to him that he had come to the very edge of the world.
At the very least, it was the edge of the world as he knew it. The jungle of Jauhar was at this back; that vast expanse of dark roots and wet ground, thick tree-branches arching high overhead and holding up so many mazes and homes and creatures, everything you looked at colored either some vibrant luminescent hue or else the silver sheen of shifter-skin and moonlight.
Before him was the endless horizon of… watery nothing.
It was a pale gray sort of day, the sun shaded by a thin layer of cloud, and everything was gray. The water was gray and the sky was gray and even the sand looked somewhat gray. He could not quite tell where the water ended and where the sky began, even when he lifted a hand to his eyes and squinted. He’d never had to look across such a vast distance before, and after a while his eyes started to swim with imaginary fractal colors.
“Well, that’s somethin’.” He finally said, glancing to find Shenandoah hovering by his side. Neither of them had ever come this far before, it was clear; even the usually-bold juvenile radaku was sniffing uncertainly at the salty air.
“It ain’t that bad, is it?” He asked the creature, who lowered his nose to sniff at a stick in the sand by way of response.
“I mean, it don’t look dangerous. Looks kinda… I dunno. Flat? Lessgo look.”
He rested his lance on his shoulder and pushed off against the sand, starting across the beach and heading for the water.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 1:18 pm
It was about the time that Ouen was approaching the water that Mano came out from under it, a rather triumphant look on his face, "Ah ha! I finally got you!" He declared as he dragged his trident out of the water along with the good sized fish that he'd speared on it. Pushing up to his feet the water tribesman shook himself off before he hefted his trident up, resting it against his shoulder and took a single step forward... before he realized that he was no longer alone on the beach, was he? Turning to glance toward the Shifter that was standing there Mano's amber eyes seemed to light up before he lifted a hand to give a wave, "Hey there, friend, good day for fishing." He greeted him. Wow! A Shifter! He'd heard about them but hadn't met one of them up to this point and he had to admit that it was more then worth the wait, just look at the the guy! Silvery hair, dark skin, pretty eyes, and just look at that tattoo! His mind was whirling in delight as he moved through the water, toward him. He most certainly wanted him to stick around for a while, not only because it had been a while since he'd had company but also because, well, just look at him! That was the sort of company that Mano wanted forever! Once he was close enough he said, "You have lunch yet, pretty eyes? If not I have plenty to share now." He motioned at the fish he'd caught, then pointed, "I have a camp near here if you're interested." It wasn't too far, set under the shade of a tree and just outside the reach of the tide when it came in. It had served him well so far and was all set up and ready for when Mano had finally caught himself some lunch.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 9:45 am
Orpheus Solon sorry that took a while! x - x but here's some baywatch action 8D
He took in a deep breath, stretched out, and --
-- and stared.
With a glittering splash, the wave-patterned surface of the water was scattered upwards and outwards and everywhere. A blue-green figure became visible, water streaming down his hair and limbs, with a trident and a look of triumph on his face. As if on cue, the sun chose to peek out of the clouds at precisely that moment… and suddenly the gray of the sand and sea became brilliant turquoise, and a million drops of water shimmered against the stranger’s skin.
Ouen knew what this man was, but for some reason he couldn’t quite process it. He’d seen water earthlings before, sure, and many had already caught his eye with their strange looks -- but not like this. The ones in the cities of Jauhar were usually refugees, timid and desperate and out of place, their skins strange and mis-matched against the luminescence of thick jungle. They did not… burst of the water like some sea-creature, with a grin and a purposeful stride right in Ouen’s direction.
Fortunately for Ouen, the distance between them gave the shifter sufficient time to kick himself out of his slack-jawed stare -- to some extent, at least. It still took him a second to process the man’s words (pretty eyes?) and respond.
“Well, damn.” He drawled, leaning against his lance. “Now I’m startin’ to think it was a real good idea comin’ this way. I was just thinkin’ about finding myself someplace to have my lunch… and this here’s a hell of a view.”
He kept his eyes on the stranger, a sly grin spreading across his lips.
“C’mon, lead the way then. I’m plenty interested… although I ain’t ever eaten no fish.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 5:33 pm
Mano's fin like ears twitched in a happy manner when the Shifter said that coming this was was a good idea, "It must be On'os's blessing upon me, to be lucky enough to be in the same area on the beach that you appeared." He said, giving the Shifter his best smile, "It's always better to have company during a meal then to eat it alone, especially when that company is as nice to look as you are, pretty eyes." He said, giving the Shifter a grin before he started toward where his little camp was set up, knowing that the other man was going to follow along behind him. The camp was a rather simple one, a place to sleep set up under some a tree which protected him from the rain well enough, a fire pit to cook over, and various other things that he'd collected from the area. A pile of dry wood for the fire, a big flat rock he used to cook things on, and so on and so forth, all of it not that far from the ocean that Mano loved. It looked as though the Water Tribesman had at least been in the area a few weeks to have gotten his camp set up so comfortably. Mano plopped down in the warm sand, finding himself getting a bit coated in the sticky stand, not that he really minded. He pulled the fish off the end of his trident before he reached out to get a knife so that he could set to work on preparing the fish. It really didn't take all that much time on Mano's part though as he prepared plenty of fish in his time. He glanced at his new guest from time to time, "Shifters live in Jauhar right? Do you live nearby? Or are you traveling like me?" He asked curiously as he went about his work. He had to admit that he was rather curious about it all, wanting to learn more about his new guest, about the Shifters, about Jauhar, about everything really. Since he was lucky enough to meet this man he should take full advantage while also enjoying the mere sight of the attractive man.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:16 am
Ouen had always been a bit of a flirt; even when he was younger, and when there wasn’t any intent to his flirting beyond making someone giggle or blush just for the sake of it. He’d met a fair number of folks who were willing to flirt right back, but... it seemed that this particular stranger was a bit of an expert himself. And maybe, for the first time in his life, Ouen got to feeling that there was a reasonable chance he’d end up giggling and blushing if he didn’t watch himself.
Because damn.
As the water tribesman turned to lead him towards the camp, there was little that Ouen could do to keep his eyes off his those glittering sea-blue shoulders, the nicely-sculpted downwards curve of his back, and the glossy green hair that decorated all of it. Maybe he should go visit Matori, one of these days.
Or maybe not. Maybe he should stay right here.
The little camp that the other took him to was quite comfy-looking; it was simple, but for a shifter who had grown up living hand-to-mouth in the jungle it looked like a pretty solid set-up. He sat down on the soft sand beside him and kept a wary eye on Shenandoah, as the young radaku had regained some of his usual boldness and was trotting about, sniffing at the water eathling’s things.
“Yea, I’m travellin’.” He answered casually. “Don’t live anywhere ‘n particular, but I ain’t left the jungle too many times yet. There was enough goin’ on there to occupy me for a while, but… I’m gettin’ to think I wanna check out some other places. An’ people, at that.”
The shifter grinned and flicked back his hair, combing a hand through his long silver forelock so as to push it out of his eyes.
“My name’s Ouen. But ya can keep callin’ me Pretty Eyes, if y’like. Y’got some right pretty ones yourself, come to think about it. Look kinda like a little bit’a sunshine, right there.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 4:29 am
Mano gave a smile as Ouen came to sit near to him, before his golden eyes turned to watch the creature that he was sniffing about his things. He'd seen those beasts before though truth be told he knew little about them. They were just something that he avoided when it came tot he feral ones since they seemed to enjoy the taste of meat. The last thing that Mano wanted was to be eaten up in that manner, able to think of far more enjoyable ways to go. Turning back to the work at hand he asked of Ouen, "I know very little about creatures like that, especially their diet, should I find it something to eat as well? Can they eat fish scraps or are they not able to digest them the same way a snaptrotter can?" Best to ask before he just tossed the scraps to the creature that he knew little about.
"Ohhh, a wanderer then? Me too! I came from Oba, well Matori originally, up to Sauti, across Tale, then here via following the ocean." He explained, his fin ears twitching happily, "I've met a lot of interesting tribes on my walk, it's been an enjoyable trek. It's very much worth visiting other place." He told Ouen as he mentioned wanting to check out other places, "With the war over and slavery abolished it should even be alright for you to visit Oba if you have any desire to do so. I'd still be on my guard though, someone with such a handsome and exotic look as you might tempt people to break the law regardless of what their king told everyone they should do." Mano was quite taken with him so he was certain there would be certain Obans that would be as well.
Giving a smile as the other introduced himself Mano nodded, "Ouen is it? That's got a nice ring to it. Nothing better then a name that has a built in 'Oooo'." He said with a chuckle before he looked up at him, grinning happily when the guy turned the compliments around on him, saying that he had pretty eyes too, and that they looked like sunshine. It was something that had him grinning before he said, "Oooo, I think I really like you, Ouen!"
With that he turned back to the fish, spearing it on a stick, and put it over the fire, "Shouldn't take long to cook up and I am sure we can think of a way to entertain ourselves until it's ready." That part said was with a wink.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:15 am
Orpheus Solon eee sorry i was supposed to reply to this way earlier i somehow forgot to put it back in my posting queue after your last reply. x - x
Ouen wasn’t always a fan of admitting his shortcomings… but with sugary compliments flying left and right between them since the moment they met, it didn’t seem like much of a big deay. Anyway, he had already admitted that he was only just about set out travelling after a childhood hiding up in the tree-tops, while this water tribesman had already seen more than half of Tendaji by the sound of it.
“Shen eats just about anythin’ there is to eat. I mean, when we was both little – and he’s still pretty little, as far as radaku go – we ate fruits an’ things mostly, being that those are easy to find in the jungle. But these days we been gettin’ out some more, seein’ the towns and settlements and such, and Shen hasn’t turned down nothin’ edible yet.” As if on cue, the animal turned around to join them by the fire, extending his neck to sniff at the cooking fish. Whatever it was he smelled, it didn’t discourage him; he settled down with his head on his paws and waited.
The conversation turned to Obans and the slave-trade, at the mention of which Ouen’s lips twisted into a wry and unimpressed grin. He laughed, because the water earthling had kept the conversation light-hearted (and relentlessly flirty), but there was a tone of serious dedication coloring his voice as he replied.
“Oh, I’ll be sure to visit. But they won’t make no slave outta me! Or anyone else, if I got anythin’ to say about it. I was kinda little when the war went on, an’ I didn’t understand all these things like… conquest, an’ slavery. But if the Obans get any clever ideas about… re-instatin’ their little slave kingdom or anythin’ of the like, you can bet I’ll be one of the first to introduce ‘em to the point o’ my lance!”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 1:46 pm
"Radaku? I see." He said, looking the creature over in a thoughtful manner. He hadn't really met any of them to this point, not close up, so maybe he'd be able to learn about him from Ouen? Better then just seeing them from a distance and being only wary from them. Just as he didn't know about Radaku it seemed Ouen didn't know what snaptrotters were, something that made him smile. It seemed that they could share the information about species that the other didn't know about. Enjoying the idea Mano said, "Ahhh, let's see... how to describe them. They are a bit like radaku only twice the size, more heavy set, with longer snouts. You can often find them hanging out in and around the water all over Matori. Something to look out for since they are carnivores, though they are quite loyal if you can make friends with them.. from what I've heard at least."
Gathering up the scraps that he'd cleaned out of the fish and set them on a flat rock in front of the radaku that was laying there, head on his paws, seeming to be waiting for some food. It was rather cute, wasn't it? Almost made Mano want a cute little pet of his own he thought to himself before he said, "Feel free to eat these if you want them, Shen. If you decide their not for you I can always use them as bait later." He'd leave it up to the creature to decide if he wanted the stuff or not.
Turning is attention back to Ouen he tilted his head to one side, giving him a thoughtful look, before he said, "Well, I don't think that they plan to do so... though there are always dangerous people out there, those who might not want to listen to the rules. I know that my..." He trailed off, blinked, then said, "Ah, I mean, I am sure there were those who didn't want to give up their slaves but it was the king's decree. They had to listen, even if they didn't much care for it. Carrying your lance with you is a good idea though, just in case." There were dangers everywhere after all, not just in Oba, and even if it wasn't slavers there were still other dangers one needed to protect themselves from.
"Just be sure to be careful, Pretty Eyes. I wouldn't want to hear about anything bad happening to you." He would much rather he stayed as safe and handsome as he was in this moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:28 am
Shen leaned forward to sniff at the fish scraps immediately, giving the heap an experimental few licks before taking a bite. The food was clearly unfamiliar to the animal, who had some trouble picking up the first few slippery bites – but after a few tentative chews he seemed quite content to gobble up the remainders. Ouen took that as a good sign; if Shen could eat the stuff, it was likely that he’d be able to as well. He didn’t want to insult Mano’s cooking by… throwing up all over his boots, or something embarrassing of that sort.
Mano reassured him that slavery was not likely to return to Oba, but the shifter noticed that he didn’t sound particularly… enthusiastic about the whole matter either. There seemed to be something veiled behind his words, and for a while Ouen let the matter slide in favor of simply enjoying the water earthling’s company.
But in the end, he was too curious for his own good. As pleasant as their idle chatter was, his mind kept turning to the same question, until he finally gave up on keeping it all to himself.
“I mean, it ain’t any of my dang business, but…” He started, shrugging his shoulders (the sun was creeping lower to the horizon now, and they seemed to grow paler with every passing moment) – “Were you kept a slave, before the war?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:48 pm
Mano gave a happy sort of smile when it seemed as though the radaku was enjoying the scraps that he'd shared with the beast. That was a good thing to know, that they were a fan of fish scraps. It meant that if he were to meet one again in the future he could offer it such a meal without worry that it wouldn't be able to eat fish bits. Turning away from the radaku as it finished up its meal he continued to work on the meal that he was preparing for Ouen and himself, wanting to get it just right. Since it was just fished cooked over an open fire though it wasn't as though it were a difficult meal to get right. It was when one started to work with more complicated ingredients that things becamse more challening to get right. Lifting his golden gaze from the fish to Ouen Mano seemed tobe suddenly in deep thought, as though considering the question that the Shifter had posed to him. After a moment he gave a slow nod of his head, "Yeah, I was, for the span of a few years." He said, reaching out to pick up the stick that the fish was skewered on, able to tell by the look and smell of it that it was ready for eating. Offering. He took a bite from it, testing the taste, before offering it to Ouen, "There are a lot of little bones, so be careful not to eat any of them." As he offered the food to the other man he found himself wondering if Ouen might think less of him knowing that he had been a slave. Would he pity him? Be uncomfortable around him? It was something the Matori man found himself fretting over a bit in his head. Here was to hoping that wasn't the case. He'd survived the ordeal after all and for the most part he knew he'd come out of it in better shape then some. He wondered if he should tell Ouen that? Another thing to think on he supposed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:22 am
“I don’t mean no offense by it.” Ouen said quickly, sensing that the conversation had grown a little quiet (and what had he expected, really, after asking a question like that). “I guess I just wanna figure out what it was like, really. I mean, I done met some Obans, but of course every one of them claims that they’s ‘not like their kind’ and didn’t support the king and all that sort of thing. And I mean, I sure do believe that some of them’s tellin’ the truth, being civil folk and the like… but I guess somewhere down the line I’d like to find some of these tyrants that did and ruled over people, an’ I’d like to give ‘em a piece of my mind.”
He grinned mischievously at this, as if he were certain that he would find one way or another to strike back at these ‘tyrants’… whoever they were. But at this point Mano was offering him a cooked fish from the fire, and he accepted it with a nod of thanks before looking it over.
It sure looked odd, but… he was hungry, and it smelled good. Cautious of the warning about small bones, he waited for Mano to starting eating his own fish before following suit, making sure to mimic the man’s actions in separating the meat from the skeleton.
After a few bites, he found that she shared Shenandoah’s opinion. There was a bit of a learning curve to this new food, but it tasted good – the meat was tender and mild, almost melting off his lips as he ate.
“What’cha do when you got free, then? I would’ve burned the place down if I was you.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:19 pm
Mano gave a smile, his fin ears giving a little twitch, "Well, I am sure that there are those out there who weren't advocates of slavery or those in charge who allowed it. Not everyone was so innocent though. I guess, now that it's see as 'bad' the Obans want to distance themselves? Just my guess though." Mano couldn't really speak for the Obans, it was so hard to really guess what those ones were thinking after all. He'd only ever chatted with one of them, a handsome young man named Klaas, and he hadn't really seem the 'slaver' sort to Mano. Putting a bit more wood on the fire he continued, saying, "It's not something that I talk about a lot, mostly because not a lot of people really seem to ask me about it, oddly enough. Maybe they think that they have to walk on egg shells about that particular topic with all Matori, perhaps?" Watching for a moment as Ouen dug into the fish he couldn't help but smile, glad to see that his new friend was enjoying the meal that Mano had made for him. It was a nice thing, sharing food with other people. It seemed to be the best way to make friends... well, food, and certain other activities that he coudl think of. Giving a smile he went back to eating his part of the fish. As Ouen asked more questions he thought about it a moment, then said, "I started to travel. After being stuck in one spot for so long, one I didn't want to be, it seemed that moving about was what I wanted to do first. I went to Sauti first, across Tale, and then here to Jauhar. I plan to continue with my travels if I can, I want to see everything there is to been seen." Giving a huge grin he said, "And flirt with everyone there is to flirt with." That being his main goal in life at the moment. The more new friends the better if you asked Mano, especially if they were the sort that he could share good conversation, meals, and kisses with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:47 am
“Hmph.” Ouen huffed when Mano explained his theory of Obans all of a sudden ‘distancing’ themselves from all mention of slavery and oppression. It seemed quite likely, but so cowardly! “Figures! Don’t seem to me like people wanna stand up for the rights an’ such of others, not until all their neighbours have gone an’ done it before ‘em. I won’t ever be like that, I swear to ya. Not me. I know what I stand for, an’ I ain’t gonna back down.”
He said it all, of course, with the pride of someone who’s rarely had to prove himself. Sure, he’d been a nuisance to some of his ‘enemies’ when he was young… but he’d never faced anything yet that might test his resolve.
“This fish stuff is good.” He shrugged after a moment. “I mean, I ain’t no expert, but I’d venture to guess you’re a pretty good cook. You’s certainly make a mighty impressive fisherman.”
He listened then as the other told him about his time since his freedom, and grinned broadly at Mano’s comment about flirting.
“Aw, man. And here was I thinkin’ I’d really done an’ caught your eye. But you’s just like this to any old person you meet, ain’t you?” He feigned a sort of disappointment, but it was fairly clear that the Shifter took no offense. Mano made good dinner company, and he didn’t much care if other folks had enjoyed the same.
“I’ve got a mind to travel myself, anyway. ‘cept I get a feelin’ I’m less peaceable than you. All I want’s to do is look for trouble.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:52 am
Mano's amber colored eyes went a bit wide as Ouen spoke, declaring that he knew what he stood for and wouldn't back down. Giving a bit of a smile Mano said, "My, my... you're confidence somehow makes you appear more attractive by at least tenfold, pretty eyes. I am most impressed." There was something about a strong, confident person that Mano found quite attractive he realized in this moment. It seemed that sort of inner strength was something that Ouen had in spades and Mano enjoyed it greatly. Meeting with the man truly was a gift from the Gods and the Goddesses he thought to himself as he finished off his meals, setting the bones aside. He'd use them for something else later, that or burying them before they attracted any sort of wild animals. He was a decent enough fisherman, but his hunting skills were in need of a lot of work. As such he had to be careful not to put himself into danger before he had more time to practice with the trident of his. "Hmm, I thank you for your kind words. I am doing my best to get better and better at cooking." He wanted to provide for himself and anyone that he might meet along the way after all. If he could provide them with a good meal then it was something that made Mano happy. Though his smile faltered for a moment when it seemed as though his comment about flirting had possibly bothered Ouen a bit. He may be teasing, but Mano wanted to be sure of that so said, "Oh, believe me, you have definitely caught my eye, and you are far from 'any old person' that I have met. You are something special, pretty eyes." Which was the truth, he found Ouen to be quite special, someone that he was enjoying spending his time with, and hoped that he'd be able to continue to spend time with if the Shifter wasn't overly upset with him for the fact that Mano had wandering eyes. At Ouen's mention of having a mind to travel, though it would be a different sort of traveling them Mano's, the Matori man said simply, "Well, troublemaker or not, I am sure you would enjoy traveling. It's quite a lot of fun."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 9:43 am
Ouen grinned when Mano complimented him on his confidence – he couldn’t help it, even though he suspected Mano was full of compliments for everyone. There wasn’t anything wrong with flattering people, anyhow; every person ought to have at least one or two nice things about them to say something good about, and if Mano liked his confidence… well, that made Ouen feel pretty good, because that was exactly how he wanted folks to see him. Confident – being confident was good. It let people know he didn’t stand to being messed with.
And if it made him attractive? All the better.
“Aw, don’t cha worry ‘bout it.” He was then grinning for another reason – Mano’s concerned insistence that he was more ‘special’ than the other folks he met. Did he mean it? Ouen’s silvery eyes studied the water earthling even as he waved his hand dismissively. He’d never really had anyone say something like that to him, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. What was so special about him, anyway? He hadn’t even travelled much, like Mano had. He’d never eaten fish until a minute ago.
Well, he was certain Mano wasn’t judging him on the amount of fish he had eaten, but it was just the… principle of it, he supposed.
“I think you’re a rare breed yourself.” He ventured. “I like you. I mean, you look good, you’re real nice to be ‘round, an’ I bet you done lots’a interestin’ things all over the place. Plus you’re a good cook, an’ I bet you’re handy with that weapon o’ yours. That’s a lotta things goin’ in your favor, an’ I figure there’s plenty others I don’t know about… yet.”
Ouen grinned a sly grin and reached over to unbuckle the strap of his shoulder-armor. The plates slid off his skin (silvery-blue now, showing his tattoo in higher contrast than before). He unclasped and kicked off his boots as well, adding them to the pile before standing up.
“I’ll get us somethin’ sweet to snack on.” He explained, before venturing into the trees. Shenandoah lifted his head curiously, then laid back down when he understood that his companion was not going very far.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
