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 Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 6:38 am
Rewi had always enjoyed lingering near the densely mudded shore of his swampy home in Elehun. The sun was warm on his skin, the thick earth beneath him cool, and the wind gentle and teasing in its persistence. It was nice to just sit, and listen to the reeds rustling and the creatures stirring, chirping, and croaking nearby. He still thought he liked being near the shore of Pale'iko's rivers, but it wasn't really quite the same.
He picked his way carefully among the more rocky sidelines of the riverbed, watching the ground as he did, so as not to step on any too-sharp stones. The river and its oddities were much different than he was accustomed to. The sun was still warm, and the wind still teasing, but swimming in the currents of the river was more taxing than he was used to, the water was colder, and even laying on the shore wasn't as comfortable as he would've liked. He'd always known he preferred to be at home over anywhere else, but actually being in Pale'iko solidified that greatly.
At some point, he had to surrender the thought of finding a 'comfortable' spot among the rocks and find a moment to take a break on the bank. With a soft groan, he settled on his back, ignoring the tiny rocks that jabbed into his shoulders. There were some grasses nearby that at least might have been softer... But they were itchy.
And he wasn't sure if itchy or jabby was preferable.
What he did know was that he was exhausted. Any trip so far as even the market of his home was tiresome, but after having come all the way to Pale'iko, fighting a storm, and not even making it into Noelani... Well, Rewi was drained, and all he wanted was a short, comfortable nap on the riverbank. He wasn't going to get it, but by the gods, he sure did want it.
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 8:20 am
Indigo_Plateau Sorry this took so long!! T^T
Her family had wanted to go on a trip and so Ruehi had been dragged along for the ride, which explained why she wasn't at home relaxing. Instead she was hanging out in the shallows and walking around as carefully as possible to avoid stirring up any mud that could obscure her view of the bottom. The hair of her ponytail clung to her neck and back, dripping murky water down her shoulders as she focused on what was just in front of her feet. In the past couple of months she had taken up a hobby that she rather liked; jewelry making. The only thing is that it required items to make said jewelry with so that meant that she had to actively search for things.
Ruehi didn't mind that she actually had to do something since it didn't require too much physical activity. A swim here and a walk there didn't bother her at all. It was when she found something that she really liked but it required too much effort to gain that it started to bother her. A nice pebble that would look perfect as a center piece to a necklace but was stuck in a crevice too far down for her to reach meant that she had to work that much harder to obtain it and Rue just didn't feel like it. Of course this also meant that she would not get the pebble for the necklace and it wouldn't turn out as grand as it could have.
As she took another step she noticed something extra shiny just to the right of her foot and knew that it was meant to be a part of her next craft. A deep green stone shaped perfectly to become the main part of a bracelet. Moving carefully she plunged her hand into the water and collected it from the muddy bottom, swishing it around to rinse it clean before bringing it out into the warm air. Once it was between her fore finger and thumb Ruehi held it up into the light to examine it more closely. She noticed a spidered vein of black that ran diagonally through it and smiled. It was perfect. The odd design of the rock would go well with the other darker pebbles she'd found.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:07 pm
Even with his eyes closed, Rewi could see bright sunspots in his eyes. It was a clear, beautiful day, truly one worth enjoying. He did miss home, though, and laying here, beneath the same sky he might have been under if he'd been in Elehun made him miss it more. Soon, he knew he'd be back. Or at least as soon as the anxiety of speaking with his parents again was dwarfed by longing for mud and murk and warmer temperatures and calmer waters than was offered him in Pale'iko.
He inhaled deeply and let out a soft exhale.
If only there was a way to better distract himself. That was the thing about not wanting to do much. Even though Rewi didn't enjoy exerting very much effort and considered most activities to be tiresome, anxiety was also tiresome, and it wasn't something he was very familiar with. Rewi liked to relax, and so worrying didn't happen often. Now that it was, he didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't have any way to distract himself, nothing to do, and no concept of how to alleviate this discomfort-
A rustle and clatter of stone made him crack open his eyes and peer down the bank. A girl was crouched down to the earth, pale fingers rummaging among the river muck until she pulled a stone from the rubble.
Rewi blinked. A Kaha'iko girl had joined him, though she didn't seem aware of that fact herself, yet. She was quite young, by the looks of it, and there didn't seem to be any others nearby who would take charge of her... Rewi was the youngest of his numerous siblings, so he didn't know much about children, but he imagined that those who were particularly active may accidentally wander away from their parents unnoticed. She was probably fine. This would be her home territory, after all, and she didn't look concerned.
But just to be on the safe side, Rewi called out to her, "Erm, hello? What are you doing out here alone? Not lost, are you?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 5:49 am
After finding the perfect stone to work around she reached into the small pouch she carried with her. Ruehi wanted to count the others to make sure she had an even amount to work with. After all, an odd number of stones would make the bracelet look off balance.
"Erm, hello?"
The first words made her pause for a moment before turning her head toward where she heard the voice. Her pale colored eyes rested on someone bigger than her though they didn't seem to be all that threatening. In fact they seemed to be just as laid back as she felt. With the rest of their words she shook her head, sending small droplets of water flying.
"No, I'm not lost. Are you?" Rue figured she would ask just to be sure since this person didn't look as if they were from the area.
Not that she was judging. Ruehi had never had an issue with anyone for any reason. She just figured that if this person was lost then it would be the right thing to do to try and help them. So long as it didn't require her to actually do anything; like traveling. She might have been dragged out by her family but that was different. Giving directions, on the other hand, was not a problem.
Slipping the green stone with the vein of black into her pouch to join the others, Rue momentarily forgot about her craft. It was likely that she would go back to it within a few minutes since she enjoyed keeping her hands and mind busy with jewelry. Before she could do that she would need to find a place to sit that was comfortable enough and provided enough space for her to lay out all of her stones and supplies.
Focusing once more on the only other person in the area she actually took the time to look them over. Apart from the obvious race difference Rue really let her eyes linger on certain things that set them apart. One thing she really noticed, mostly because it drew her eyes in, was the marking that seemed to be behind the person's ear. Or perhaps it was a tattoo? All Ruehi knew was that it was not typical of the Menehune or even the Kaha'iko. Due to the fact that she couldn't see all of it she found that she was more than a little curious as to what it was. Rue also wanted to get a closer look. Since the marking captured her attention so completely she continued to gaze at it.
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 10:08 am
Ah, right. It was as he'd expected. Even though the girl looked quite young to be exploring the shore on her own (something he didn't understand too well, as Rewi's many older siblings had almost always accompanied him, if he were to be out-of-sight of their home), a Kaha'iko in her own territory wasn't likely to feel as though she were lost. Perhaps it was even common for her to wander from the depths of the river and up to the bank...
He couldn't say, and it wasn't much his business to wonder over anything else about her besides to know that she was safe. And, to be fair, the young girl probably knew more about the dangers of these lands than he did.
"Well, not lost, no," he replied to her query with a shake of his head. "I only came out this way because..."
Why had he come out this way? The shore wasn't so close to the village that he could call it a convenience to swim this way. There weren't any specific tasks he could accomplish by laying in the sand. It wasn't even a comfortable place, so far as he had yet to discover. "Mm, I suppose I came out because it's what I would've done back home, in Elehun. Find a nice spot among the grass and mud and sunshine to relax for a bit... But I'm not lost. Just confused about how there could be so few acceptably comfortable locations."
Sand and stone and tree roots was not really so similar to the softer mud, murk, and algae he was accustomed to. The comforts of home wouldn't be found here, but he was still to anxious to return to them too quickly.
Rewi scritched behind his ear and glanced away. When his emerald gaze flicked back to the girl, he couldn't hep but notice her staring- at his head? At where he'd itched? What if she thought he had some parasite of something that needed scratching? Or that he was dirty? Was it uncommon for the river folk to think that their marsh water counterparts were unclean? The swamp certainly felt thicker than the flowing river...
But as he dropped his hand back to his side, his fingers brushed the shorter, prickly ends of his more recently-shaved temple. Shorter there and lower because of his more recent tattoo. "What do you think?" Rewi asked as he crouched lower to the ground. "This one is fairly new," he said, gesturing to the tattoo behind his ears. "I got it just before I left home. My parents haven't even seen it yet."
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 5:16 am
Not lost then. That was good. Rue wasn't so sure she could give directions to.. Elehun. Back toward the marshy territory sure but any specific village was out of the question. So she nodded her head in understanding, though as acceptably comfortable spots were mentioned she tilted her head. At first she seemed confused herself but after just a few short seconds the corners of her mouth pulled back into a half smirk before she started to giggle. Lifting one hand to her mouth to cover her laughter Ruehi could't help the amused look she gave Rewi.
"You're not likely to find anything comfortable up there, the softer shore is where you want to be." She spoke after lowering her hand and pointed to the area just a few steps from where she stood. "The grass here is rough and itchy, but the silt and soft pebbles over here are nice." Rue wasn't sure what the grass was like in the swamp but here it was short, prickly, and not at all ideal. At least, not to her. She was sure there were a few people that liked it she just wasn't one of them.
When she was done explaining she let her attention be captured by pattern behind their ear once again. What did she think? It was new? So she was right, it was a tattoo after all. "I can't quite make it out from here, but it looks interesting." Rue nodded her head with mild approval. "That is an unusual place for a mark-- er, tattoo. What is it exactly?" Her eyes narrowed into a squint as though that would help her to make out the details of the tattoo this person had.
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Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 9:21 am
Though Rewi wasn't great with younger people, and he sometimes felt a bit awkward around them (he was the youngest of his family, himself, so even though rationally he thought he ought to have a great understanding of kids, sometimes he just didn't), as the girl's lips started to quirk up and she began to giggle, he felt himself relax a bit more. He wasn't where he needed to be, and there were problems ahead to face, but perhaps they weren't anything to deal with now. 'Later' was exactly how he preferred it.
"Well, how was I supposed to know?" He answered back with a smile of his own. "All of the shores in Elehun are nice, soft mud and long, swaying reed grasses. I'm not used to this prickly grass or these sharp stones! The air is heavy and warm, and the water is still and quiet... Except for the sounds of reed jumpers, but they have a beautiful song. Everything here is so different."
And it was. As Rewi's gaze traveled toward the spot the girl pointed to, he was struck by it again. Everything here was so different, and even though he didn't hate different things, he missed home...
Rewi rubbed behind his ear. "It's- oh, it's a bit silly," he assured her, flushing slightly as he thought on it. "The old woman who drew it on said some of our oldest legends told the tales of a god with wings on his head who would deliver messages between the sun and moon... I was supposed to go to Noelani to learn about what the council wanted us in Elehun to do to fix the drought- delivering messages, you see. But it, ah... didn't happen like that..." He rubbed the ink marking and wondered not for the first time how disappointed his parents would be... And if the god the design was mimicked after felt offended at him for it.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2020 9:05 pm
She caught him mention that all the shores back 'home' were nice. Ruehi didn't think the shores here were that bad, then again she'd never gone anywhere else so she couldn't compare them. Instead she looked at the spiky grass then at the softer pebbles. She'd much prefer them to anything else. Of course she wasn't sure why he'd expect the same thing here as he got back home. When he went on to explain about the marking he had behind his ear she tilted her head at him. So he got the thing done because he would have a similar job as a god from the legends. It wasn't too silly, but since he wasn't doing that job she wondered if he should still keep it. Rue didn't say as much, instead she simply stared at the spot for a time longer. When she finally moved her eyes to look at him again she gave her warmest smile. "I like it. It oddly suits you. The design, I mean. Not the messenger part.." Perhaps if he'd given her some message or something it would be a perfect match. As it was she still thought it was a nice marking. "So.. Why didn't it happen like that? Did you just not want to be a messenger?" Now she had to admit that her curiosity was had. Ruehi no longer looked in the waters at her feet but kept her attention glued to Rewi.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 7:42 am
Had he said something odd? She seemed to be staring at his tattoo for longer than Rewi thought was necessary, and though he didn't mind, it did make him just a little bit uncomfortable, as though he ought to cover it up, or something. He raked a hand back through his dark hair to break up his focus on the marking on his head. "Thank you. I was... proud of it, at the time," Rewi admitted, even if he couldn't pinpoint why that had been true. He'd certainly been frightened of leaving home, too, so it had been a time of many emotions.
Her next questions caught him off guard, and Rewi was startled to think that despite the girl's young age, she seemed to be quite intuitive. He blinked back at her. "Well, er..." It wasn't too difficult to explain. But there was more to it than just how things had happened. How was he supposed to properly express everything he'd been feeling?
"No," he decided at length. "I didn't really want to be. But I was going to, anyway!" He assured quickly. "I thought I could give it a try, even though I'd never traveled so far before. My father was supposed to go with me, to help keep me on track. But he decided he didn't want to, so I ended up starting off alone... I think I did pretty well in the beginning, but then a storm blew through and knocked me off course. I wasn't able to make it in time, and I know my parents will be upset when I go home." He sighed softly. "So I thought maybe I'd just relax on the bank for a little bit before I went all the way back..."
But that was enough about him. He sent the girl a warm grin. "You're pretty young, yourself. If you're not lost, what are you doing out here alone?"
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Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 8:39 am
As he told her the bits he thought was important she kept quiet, her only reactions being what her expressions told. A soft smile to the fact that he was going to do something that he didn't want to do. It was admirable. Though she wasn't sure she could do it. When he mentioned that his father was supposed to come along as well but that the man had changed his mind she frowned. How could a parent do that to their child? Leave them to face something so scary on their own. It also brought about a small shake of her head. Ruehi wasn't thrilled with the idea. As his tale continued she gave a look of surprise to the storm and then a nod of her head to the fact that he didn't want to go home yet. Before she could respond verbally he asked about her. Rue blinked and looked around then down at the treasures she'd collected. Lifting one up she showed it off, the lovely stone she'd plucked from the shore earlier. "I'm collecting things to add to jewelry. And.." She paused for a second as the rock was put back into a safe place so she didn't drop it. "I'm not alone. You're here." She extended a hand to him, mostly to point out that he was there but also for him to take should he wish to. "You know.. if you don't want to go home just yet you could always stay here. Help me find things that would look nice?" She'd left her brother at home but that didn't mean she didn't want a helping hand. And it looked like this boy could use a friend.
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 5:44 am
As the girl pulled a stone from her pouch, Rewi let out a soft, inquisitive hum as he reached to take it from her for closer inspection, but she slipped it away and out of sight before he could make it that far. A hint of red tinged his cheeks in abashment at the awkward reaching for nothing, but she stuck her hand out a moment later, so with an odd smile, Rewi took hold of that instead, and gave a firm shake.
"You were alone before you found me a minute ago," he pointed out. "Are your parents not worried of you running into something, er... dangerous out here? In the swamp, we don't let our youngsters out unguarded, just in case they happen to run into the ko'olona... Even adults could have trouble getting to safety. Do you have anything like that here?"
And then, since he'd asked, he considered that they may not. The predatory ko'olona could hide in the murky waters almost completely undetected until it caught its prey. He leaned sidelong, letting his fingers dip into the edges of the river, creating a trail that stemmed from his fingertips through the water. "It's so clear here, I suppose as long as you were diligent, you could at least see if anything was coming."
Even if that was the case, he didn't want to leave her unattended if there was something dangerous about.
"I suppose I could lend a hand," he agreed with a nod. But with that being said, Rewi wasn't exactly the type to put in too much effort... He picked at a few stray pebbles and shells near where he sat. "I'll sift through these here. Maybe there's a few good ones under these broken shells and grey stones."
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 7:09 am
With him pointing out that she was alone until she found him she gave a half smile. He had her there. After the shake her hand moved to push the loops of hair away from her face. "Ah, I think they would be worried.. if they knew." Ruehi hadn't told her parents where she was going. Mostly because she didn't want them to stop her from collecting the best pieces for her jewelry. Though she was intrigued by something he mentioned. "Ko'olona?" She gave a small tilted of her head with curiosity. "What is that?" When he agreed to help her search but didn't seem to be in a hurry to move from his place she chuckled. "Alright. You look there." She could see now why him being a messenger wasn't such a good idea. He was far too laid back for that. Not a bad thing in a person though! Rue took a step away and looked back at the ground through the water. "If you see something with a really vibrant color let me know." She liked the brighter colors for jewelry. And if it shimmered that was good too.
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 8:31 am
"Ah, I see," Rewi hummed thoughtfully as he rubbed at his chin. He didn't like to make people worry. As the youngest of six, he knew first hand how frightened his older siblings had become in his younger years when they lost track of him. He'd grown past that now, but he still didn't enjoy the thought of making someone else worry like that, over their youngster getting lost... "Well, I'm here this time, so we can keep it a secret as long as you're very careful in the future. You don't want to frighten your parents. I'm sure they mean well."
"But if you don't have a ko'olona, maybe they worry over nothing," he said with a shrug. "It's a huge creature that lives in the deepest of Elehun's waters, with a great, impenetrably scaly body and monstrous teeth. If it catches you, there's no way you could get away from it, and it has a ravenous appetite. We try to fence them out when we can, but when a ko'olona wants something, it's hard to stop it from taking it. Not to worry, though. It must just live in the swamp."
As she moved to step away to continue her search, Rewi gave a soft, rolling laugh. "I'll keep an eye out," he promised as he plucked airily at a few on the stones nearest him. He ambled through shifting them out of the way, pressing his fingers down past the rocks and into the cool, soft sand beneath them. "What colors do you usually find here? We have some very nice red and orange stones in the swamp."
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 9:40 am
As she looked through the stones at her feet she considered his words. "I'm sure they do, I just didn't want to have to bring my little brother along with me." It was common for her to have to watch out for him. Since she was the oldest. The description of Ko'olona was interesting to hear. It made her look at the deeper water of the river. She was sure they didn't have something like that. Only because the water was clear enough to see for a good distance. Unless there was a deeper part that she just didn't go to. "I've not seen a Ko'olona. But who knows, it's a big river, there might be something else out there." Ruehi looked at Rewi then and lifted her shoulders. His laugh caught her attention and it made her look at him again, this time a bit differently. A soft smile formed and she looked down at the water again. "All colors are good. I make things for other people so its not just my likes I worry about." Ruehi wasn't picky about colors and things. She knew everyone had different tastes. "What about you? Are reds and oranges a favorite?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 1:34 pm
Rewi couldn't say he knew the feeling. As the youngest of his six siblings, he had to guess that it was often his big brothers and sisters that didn't want to bring him along and would opt to go off on adventures without him, if given the chance... But they mostly seemed generally accepting of his presence! ...So long as they weren't too agitated over how lazy he tended to be. Rewi let out a quiet hum and picked at the stones around him. He knew hey thought of his as a burden.
"Well, it probably doesn't hurt anything," he decided with a shrug. "So long as you stay safe and careful, if you prefer to be out on your own..." He gave the young Kaha'iko and assessing once-over.
She wasn't that young, though certainly still a child.
"If you prefer to be on your own, and there aren't any ko'olona around, then I'm sure it's probably fine. I just hope you can still be nice and take your little brother along sometimes, you know? I'm sure they seem annoying sometimes, but it's just because of how much they look up to you and want to impress you and be like you... Little brothers are like that, sometimes."
He picked around a set of particular dull, grey stones and rummaged through some of the more earthen brown ones, underneath. "I think I like most colors," he admitted. "Oranges and reds are what we find at home most often. They looks like pretty sunbeams and especial juicy berries, but I like a nice mossy green or an inky purple just as much."
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