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Roleplay Event

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The ongoing downpour of rain over the area has made things harder for the people of Kahikina. The influx of water has made sure that the underwater currents have sped up in spots and the elders of both areas have been warning the others to be careful when out; you wouldn’t want to get caught up in these dangerous water spirals! But as rotten luck would have it, something of yours has dropped into the current! It could be something precious or useful to you, but you know you should go get it back. What do you do? How do you get the item back? Is it damaged now, or stuck somewhere hard to get? Does it take teamwork, or does your friend just get in the way?

They'd made it as far as the entrance to the canal that would take them from Malie to Waipuka, 'halfway,' as far as Rewi considered it. To be honest, he was pleased to have made it even this far, a long way from home and well beyond anything he was familiar with. He'd met Kaha'iko friends and found areas of interest that he may have otherwise never seen...

But he hadn't completed the task he'd set out with.

Admittedly, journeying to Noelani to seek council with the elders there about the 'drought' didn't seem quite so necessary, anymore. As he'd expected, the whims of the world around them could hardly be influenced by what Kahikinians might need or want of it. The rains had come when it pleased the gods and no sooner than that. But they were here now with a great vengeance that impeded his progress forward. Even if the meeting wasn't distinctly necessary, turning back would still mean going home to his father and admitting that, as usual, he hadn't been of any use...

Rewi wanted to not care about his father's moods, and of course he told people he didn't, but this time, he'd thought just maybe it might be nice to have achieved something, and he found that he wasn't keen on the idea of losing that.

The canal ahead of them seemed almost impossible to navigate though. The usually thin riverbed that bled into the Malie lake was now a torrent of whipping, chaotic water, dangerous and perhaps even impossible to continue through. "I'm not too sure either of us are powerful enough swimmers to face this current," Rewi answered on a sigh. "However," he glanced up toward the surface of the water. "Maybe the rains are better for us in that we should be able to stay on land a bit longer. If we head to the bank, maybe we can walk along it and just find puddle-pockets every now and then to take breaks in along the way. I think we can still give it a try."

"Carefully," Rewi repeated softly as his gaze held trained on the water's surface. While in Naele, he had often made trips to the bank to laze on the muddy shores in the sun. It would be a lie for him to say that he didn't enjoy being out of the murky waters of his home on occasion. Rewi wasn't frightened or even wary while lying near the edge of the swamp, basking without a care in the world.

But this, stepping out onto land in the middle of a rainstorm in Pale'iko territory, was not that.

If something were to go wrong here, if one of them were to become injured, or if they became lost, or even if they took the wrong path at any river forks, not only would it be the end of the journey to Noelani, but it might just be the end of them altogether. Was rewi really so determined to not be a disappointment this time that it was worth risking both of their safety...? Kaimi was here only on the goodwill in his heart as a friend, so expecting him to face actual threatening danger might be asking too much, but...

Yes. This time, even if it was the only time (hopefully it would be), it was worth it. To do nothing after coming so far would be a waste. All of the worry before he'd even left, all the trailed they'd followed, it couldn't be for nothing to this point.

Nodding to steel himself, Rewi moved toward the surface. "Alright. Let's be sure to stay very near to each other and always in sight of the water. So long as we stay close to the river, we shouldn't be any more lost outside of it than we would be in it, and if things start to look to dangerous to continue on foot, we'll just... slide right back in, I suppose." He hefted the pack of supplies he'd carried all throughout the journey. Carrying anything out of the water would be even harder than carrying it in the water, but they had to do what they had to do, in this case.

The rains had first started while they'd been in Malie. Rewi, being someone who was not afraid to leave the water and generally enjoyed whatever weather the sky gods offered them, had been quick to head to the surface and feels the first drops on his skin. It had been pleasant, he thought, soothing as though nature saw fit to give him a gentle massage and sounding as though she were humming a sweet tone to him.

This was not that.

The ferocity and frequency of these drops felt more like an assault, and the winds and sound of the beating drops against a rushing river was harsh enough to drown out almost anything else. The smooth river rocks beneath his feet, which usually seemed to be adequate, sturdy footing, were slick- as was the mud slightly farther from the shore. Immediately Rewi wondered if this was really the wisest course of action. How could they even safely walk along the river? How would they communicate, even though they were standing right next to each other?

"Kaimi!" Rewi called over the rain, reaching for the other boy's arm in case he needed to steady himself as he hesitantly took a step away from the water. "Be very careful!" He shouted. "Everything is very slippery." If he hadn't already made this plan, it might have been worth stopping, but since they'd agreed on a course of action, Rewi set off slowly and warily along the bank.

If something were to happen to either of them, it would be Rewi's fault. He took his first, hesitant steps forward baring that thought in mind. He'd been the one to ask Kaimi to travel with him, and he was teh one pushing for forward progress now. If the storm injured either one of them, Kaimi would be well within his rights to blame Rewi. It was of utmost importance that Rewi allow no harm to befall his Menehune companion.

Fortunately, the other boy already seemed content enough to stay near him, a small blessing, since Rewi didn't want to risk being separated for even a moment. He reached the hand he had at Kaimi's arm up and around his shoulders, pulling his comrade close as Rewi glanced down to try and match their steps.

Sticks? He raised his gaze from their feet and looked inland. Anything sturdy enough to support them might be farther in than he cared to travel... Rewi didn't really want to lose sight of the water.

"If you're worried about slipping, just hang on to me. So long as we're both going the same pace, and slowlyiiiip-!"

The words had hardly managed to leave his lips before a stray stone caught his toe and everything went downhill from there. If the ground had been solid, he knew he would've been able to regain his footing, but somehow one rock had been able to cause him to trip, skid, scrabble briefly with his hold around Kaimi's shoulders before sliding away from him, and dropping back into the currents of the river.

Though Rewi had never been afraid of the water, once his head was back beneath its surface, he found that he'd been sucked into a current the likes of which he'd never experienced. It whipped him about dizzyingly, smacking him against the rocky bottom and dragging him well away from where he'd fallen in, and Kaimi.

It was quite unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Rewi was a calm and lazy child. "New" occurrences did not come frequently to him, and he never went out of his way to seek them out. He was a boy that liked simplicity and stability, quiet and peace. He was not accustomed to a fast pace, not accustomed to being thrashed about, not accustomed to being hurt. Being sucked beneath the surface of his home and battered about was enough to drive the breath from him, leave him dizzy, and litter his body in scrapes and bruises.

It could have been worse, he supposed... But as the current lashed upward and Rewi was shoved back toward the bank, it distinctly felt like it couldn't have been much worse.

By the time he tasted air again, Rewi was little more than just confused, so much so that it was nearly paralyzing. After spending- it must have only been mere moments- moments knowing he was helpless to combat the river's power, having the ability to move in any direction of his own free will was almost baffling. Rewi's head popped above water while the current continued to tug him downstream, and it was all he could do to just stare at the muddy bank.

Then came Kaimi's voice, and Rewi took a breath. He still needed to get back to his friend. He couldn't leave the other boy to fend for himself. "K-Kaimi!" His voice was a high yip as he struggled to pull himself closer to shore and free of the still-persistent current.

His emerald gaze darted back and forth in brief intervals as waves continued to spill over him. Between the darkness and lapping water, he couldn't make out much. "Where are you?" He shouted.

Should he head for land again? That was where he'd left Kaimi, and Rewi did fervently hope that he hadn't dragged the other Menehune down as he'd fallen in... But also, maybe that wasn't the best course of action. They were water folk, and maybe if they'd stayed in the water to begin with, instead of attempting to traverse the land, this wouldn't have happened. Besides, at this point, he seemed to have been washed past the worst part of the currents.

Though things were still far from calm here, Rewi could at least manage to steady himself enough to poke his head above water. "Kaiiimiii!" It was quite loud, though. He'd be lucky to be heard... With a piteous sound, Rewi tucked his head back beneath the surface. He gave a powerful kick to propel him back toward the bank.

If nothing else, he didn't think he'd have to worry that they were separated permanently. He'd at least heard his friend's voice, after all... So it would be alright. Even if he was battered and achy, at very least it would be alright... Though Rewi was on the very verge of being so exhausted that he didn't know how much longer he could convince himself to move. He was hurt and tired, and really, a rest sounded just perfect. After he found Kaimi, of course.

Fortunately, the other didn't sound too far away by this point. Still unclear over the sounds of the water and rain battering against the mud, but definitely there. "It-it's okay, Kaimi!" Rewi called. And at last, he thought he saw a smudge of black hair bobbing up and down in the water.

Dipping under, Rewi moved toward him. It sounded as though the other boy may have been worried... The whole trip was basically a disaster at this point. They shouldn't have come.

"Kaimi..." Rewi murmured softly as he came near to his friend once more. "Are you hurt? You didn't fall in after me, did you? It's..." How to put this? It was his fault they were here at all, of course, and though Rewi felt guilty for the strain of just this portio of the expedition, he still didn't want Kaimi upset at him for it. "It's worse out here than I imagine," Rewi decided at last. "Maybe we should return home..."

Everyone would be so disappointed in him.

Rewi shook the thought away. He hadn't made it to Noelani if they turned around here, but he still had valuable- With a quiet gasp, he spun, looking for- "My things!" He yipped, realizing that his entire bag had been lost in the tumult. The straps must've ripped while he was being dragged across the riverbed. "I lost all of our stuff..." There was no way to even consider continuing now. They were finished.

There weren't many things that Rewi thought he could describe as 'good' in that moment, but at hearing Kaimi's voice, and seeing the boy move toward him, Rewi thought that was surely the most excellent thin that he might've hoped for. His friend wasn't hurt, at least, not so badly he felt the need to share, and they had found their way back to each other... It was worth being pleased over.

With a stifled huff, Rewi reached, fitting his fingers into the fabric of Kaimi's clothes and lightly tugging him through the water to embrace him. "I-I'm really glad you're alright," he murmured. "And I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked you to come out here in a storm like this."

"I'm okay, though, I think," he replied as he released the other boy, and set instead to patting himself down as if to reassure himself that yes, he was uninjured. There were bruises, certainly, and scrapes leaking blood that dissipated quickly amidst the water that surrounded him. But beyond being a bit dizzy and achy, nothing felt permanently damaged... If he'd been a small, frail thing, it might have been worse, but unlike many Menehune, Rewi had a protective layer of cushion, built up from many years of relaxation and laziness. He was fine. He nodded affirmatively.

More than fear of physical brokenness, Rewi held fear. Fear of what might have happened- it could have been Kaimi that had fallen in. Just one slip the wrong way, and it could've been someone else. How would he have lived with himself?

As well as a fear of what might happen, yet. he couldn't imagine his parents would be pleased that he was returning home sooner than intended, storm or not.. They would look at him and think it was just another excuse...

Perhaps now was not the best time to think about any of that, though. They still needed to find shelter and make it back to a village or anywhere secure before they were completely out of danger. The other things would be there to worry about once they'd found safety. "Yes, I suppose you're right..." He agreed. "Let's try and get out of here. Oh, and... maybe we should stay in the water this time."