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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:03 am
ミ x "Fortune favors." x ミ “Later,” Rewi hummed softly as he plucked at the end of a thick grass frond, weaving it into and around others to form a makeshift circlet. He relaxed against the hard wood of his door frame, laying low, floating near the bottom of these calm, warm, shallow waters, and enjoying the peace of the day. It wasn't to last.
It was his oldest sister, Joena who addressed him, and it was with such impatient ire in her tone that Rewi might have laughed. Not because he was pleased she was irate, but because she really had no reason to be. "Not later," she insisted firmly, reaching to nab the trinket from his fingers as she did. "This, at least, you should be excited about. You've come of an age where your decisions will start having an impact of your life, and it is past time you have the marks to prove it." She offered a hand down, and though he took his time with it, Rewi eventually allowed his sister to pull him to her side. Once not perched beneath her, Joena's expression softened. "It would honor me if you would allow me to escort you."
They'd been speaking of it for weeks, now. And as pleasing as it was that his parents and siblings had something to be excited about, Rewi decided he couldn't be bothered to be too enthused. It wasn't that he minded the thought of growing old enough to receive his ink, but it certainly wasn't as exciting as some people made it out to be.
He slipped after his sister with no heightened sense of purpose. Rewi expected her presence was more of a silent assurance that he would do something with himself this day, rather than bow out at the last second as per usual. This didn't bother him, either way, and as they made their way to the slightly more bustling village center, Joena couldn't hide her curiosity.
"You have decided your first, haven't you? There isn't a way to change it afterwards, so it's important to devote all of your care into choosing this one, in particular," she warned quietly. Of course Rewi knew how important it was to his family. All of his older siblings had gotten their first tattoo when they were younger than him. And on some level, they probably expected (or hoped) he would be ready to manage this on his own. When that wasn't the case, they'd set a date for him and told him to plan accordingly.
He hadn't, but he shrugged all the same. "Of course," he lied breezily. What would come, would come. The young male didn't feel especially pressed to devote as much time to this decision as he did any other.
That, and his life didn't have many impressive events worth transcribing on his skin.
There were many things he liked of course, and sometimes he'd wonder what story he could tell of a tattoo of the sun or cattails or water ripples. Not that those were especially personal. Eventually, Rewi had decided that when the moment came, he would know. Once he was standing before the woman peering down at him, with her etching tools in hand, Rewi felt less certain.
And in some thread of his consciousness, he decided small was the best way to start. Small, unnoticeable, with still more story untold than what was currently available to him. Such was it that his first tattoo was not intricate. It wasn't placed conspicuously where many would notice it, and it wasn't one of anything he'd done, but what he hoped would come, some day, when the time was right.
When he showed the looping, black ink lines on the inside of his wrist to his sister, he tipped his head down, shot her the most coy of grins, and murmured, "Fortune favors."
Fortune Favors Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 643 Growth Points Awarded ミ 2
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 10:40 am
On a trip to bring their wares to the market, Rewi's father and sister take note (and greater offense than usual) of his laziness after Rewi requests help from a young Menehune girl.
The First Chore Status ミ Complete PRP Post Count ミ 10 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 7:52 am
Rewi's siblings bring back news that the Menehune and Kaha'iko leaders are to meet to discuss the worsening state of their world.
When Worlds Converge Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 533 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 7:59 am
While lounging just outside the waters, Rewi spots a young Kaha'iko making his first journey into unfamiliar swamplands. For once, Rewi decides to be of some use.
Beached Status ミ Ongoing PRP Post Count ミ 7 Growth Points Awarded ミ 0
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 12:43 pm
ミ x The Wisest Among Us x ミ Joena Oukela was Rewi's first choice whenever he needed counsel on just about any subject. As the oldest of his siblings, she had experience where the others did not, patience more than many, and a unique brand of wisdom that came from dealing with her younger charges' ails. She was nine years his senior, an adult in her own right, and she could be off managing the world's struggles. Instead, she remained at the farm, helping her family tend to their crops.
Though Rewi did not find her in the fields today. Instead, the young woman worked on their home's above-water balcony, the entirety of her attention devoted solely to a great heated cauldron of greenish-black slime that the young man wasn't even sure he wanted to identify, let alone had the ability to do so.
If it was anyone else, he wouldn't have asked. But Joena was not one to do things needlessly. As he joined his big sister on the small deck, Rewi's nose crinkled. Still, the corner's of his lips edged up in confused (and slightly disgusted) amusement as he stared at Joena's special 'creation.' She hadn't noticed him. "Sister, what- ah... What are you doing up here?" He asked once he was sure he was settled well enough with the smell not to gag when he opened his mouth.
She jumped as if startled, her green eyes widening then darting up to pin on his face as a large wooden spoon slipped from her fingers to clatter to the floor. After a moment of staring at Rewi blankly, she relaxed and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, it's only something I've wanted to try," she replied with a shake of her head, her voice its usual calm despite the clamor. "A sort of hobby I've been interested in, but never had the time for."
He'd hardly been aware his sister had hobbies. It seemed as if his whole family did nothing but work, and work was quite boring, so Rewi avoided home whenever he could. More inquiry was needed. "What was it supposed to be?"
She cast a glance at him, then down to her cauldron, then shrugged. "Dye," Joena said simply. "I've always wanted to try making ink myself. I thought if I became good enough at it, I might have the opportunity to do my own tattoos... Or my family's tattoos. Or my friends'."
Rewi blinked.
Joena turned a smile on him. "You're my youngest sibling," she explained. "When I took you to get your first tattoo only a few days past, it felt like I was running out of time to be good enough at something that I could actually use it. I could've done your first, maybe, if I'd only practiced. And it seems like such an honor, to be able to mark a person's history on their skin. I could be the one to do that for someone. I want to be that special type of memorable."
It all sounded very far-fetched to Rewi. Although... He rubbed absently at the small looping tendrils of his first tattoo. He did remember his artist. It had only been a few days, of course, but now that his sister specifically brought it to his attention, he doubted he could forget the old female tattoo artist. Still...
"Being memorable is a nice goal to have," Rewi decided after a moment. "But you're already important to me, and I'd let you etch your green ooze into my skin, if it would make you happy. That's worth more than if some stranger would let you, isn't it?"
Joena's smile was not convincing, and she didn't bother to make it more so. "Did you come up here for a reason, Brother?"
Right. Rewi's sister was the smartest person he knew. What he hadn't counted on was her having her own problems and her own desires. Things she'd kept from doing for her family's sake. It almost seemed like he shouldn't bother her now...
But he was going to because it was what he'd come up here to do. With a slow nod, Rewi slid to the ground in a sit, far beneath his older sister. He crossed his legs, propped an elbow on either knee and peered up at the young woman. "I did, actually," he decided once he was settled. "You were there when Father said I could join him in his travels, and it's not as if I mind going, but..."
He did mind, actually. There was no argument he could've said to change anyone's mind, though. And nothing he did at home was needed, as his siblings' talents were. If someone was to go with his father, it must be Rewi, and that was how it was.
Knowing it was so didn't assuage his concerns.
"Isn't it rather far?" He blurted at last. "Farther than I've ever gone, and probably farther than I'd ever planned to go until I absolutely had to. Father doesn't think we need to pack much, so at least there won't be much to carry, but he'll be in such a hurry, I'm sure, and I am just not certain if I will be able to keep up with him." Rewi's lips turned down in the slightest of frowns. "Especially in Kaha'iko waters... I've never swam against a current before." And certainly not while in a hurry, nor while carrying any amount of supplies they might need for the trip.
Though Joena's own expression was previously slightly down turned from the first part of their conversation, her eyes lit up at once, and her smile broadened. "You are concerned that you will hold him back with your more casual, slow pace? That is so unlike you, Brother." Her tone was nearly teasing.
And Rewi wasn't in the mood. "No," he hummed. "The opposite, actually."
Rewi did not consider himself intelligent. He was not especially useful, nor good at a great many things. But that didn't bother him. He didn't really think he needed to be good at much, when he could leave most things to his family. He inhaled a slow, deep breath and carded fingers back through his short, dark hair. So it wasn't that he had concerns his father would be 'held back' as he waited on Rewi's ambling. The old Menehune knew what his youngest child was like, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone if Rewi was slow. Rather: "Father will leave me, if I can't keep up," he murmured at last.
It was Joena's turn to blink in confusion.
"He will leave me," Rewi repeated. "If I'm not fast enough to keep at his side or strong enough to make it through the currents, he will leave me. If we're very deep in Kaha'iko territory, I won't know how to get back. Or if I'm left alone with no knowledge of those waters, something might find me and... I don't know what will happen. I might never see home again."
That really summed up the entirety of his concerns. He didn't know what would happen.
If he couldn't be of use and couldn't keep up an appropriate pace, he would be left behind, and any number of foul things could transpire. Rewi wasn't one to worry. It seemed a waste of time and effort to dedicate his concern to something that might or could happen. But since he was going into unfamiliar territory, and he very likely couldn't keep up with his father's pace, this was a very real concern, and his father didn't have the patience Joena did. Rewi wasn't entirely sure what his father would do, if the old man became irritated in his impatience.
Rewi might not make it home, if he couldn't be sufficient in his performance.
Joena's green eyes were kind. She extended a hand to clasp her little brother's shoulder and give him a firm, but friendly, shake. "Father will not leave you," she assured. "Perhaps he is occasionally impatient with his youngest child, but he is not so cruel as to abandon a young boy in a questionable climate. Definitely not his own son. Surely you know that...?"
Rewi hummed softly and gave a slow, noncommittal roll of his shoulders as he glanced away.
"Well," Joena huffed. "If you are so concerned, perhaps you should work toward not being a burden, then? I might show you some of the Kaha'iko maps. Their homeland is difficult to navigate, but not impossible. And if you ask Okenu, I'm sure he would be eager to take you to the river lands, so that you might practice swimming into the current." When Rewi continued to look deeply disenchanted, she gave him an encouraging nudge. "How does that sound?"
He almost wanted to argue, or to at least try to convince his sister to side with him if he brought up his uncertainties with his father. Rewi didn't need to attend the meeting. The trip would be quicker without him, probably. He would be safer at home, and then his father could return with information in a hurry, if Rewi didn't join.
But he didn't want to argue with Joena, and he wasn't convinced she wouldn't just call him out as being 'lazy' if he tried.
Her suggestion wasn't wonderful, but it was perhaps necessary to quell his own fears, since he could do little else for the matter at present. Rewi nodded. "Superb, Sister," he agreed flatly.
The Wisest Among Us Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 1575 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:31 pm
ミ x The Bravest Among Us x ミ If Joena was kind, experienced, patient, and wise, Okenu Oukela was everything she was not. Rewi thought it one of his few duties that he should love and cherish all of his older siblings as much as the next, but his older brother was very near insufferable. Loud, brash, eager for the world and everything it offered. Okenu wanted to blaze his own trail, strike deals with demons, set a stage where every land could see and take note of him. He wanted more than most Menehune dared, but he also had the dedication and perseverance to take anything he wanted.
Perhaps it was more accurate to say he was everything Rewi wasn't, rather than his sister.
But Okenu was his brother, and despite their differences, the young man wouldn't turn Rewi down if he pleaded for help. Though, it was actually getting to the pleading part that proved to be difficult. The older boy hardly had time to listen to anything Rewi had to say, so for nearly a week after his conversation with Joena, Rewi neglected to bring up his plight to Okenu.
More than once, he found himself wondering if he really needed his older brother's assistance. Rewi wasn't especially dedicated to any task on his own, but if he set his mind to working through the Kaha'iko currents, there wasn't much else Okenu could do for him. Because surely that was all his brother would be there for: support. If Rewi didn't need support, he didn't need Okenu. If he needed instruction, however, that was a different matter entirely...
But he didn't think he did, yet.
Rewi piddled near the estuary-like border between the Menehune lands and the Kaha'iko lands. Even from here, he could feel the slight push of a current from not-too-far off, the definitive chill of cooler moving water, and the beginnings of a sparkling clearness not known in his own home. It was unknown, unfamiliar, and decidedly unwelcome. The whole journey was to be like this, and every inch he moved from his own home would bring all the characteristics of Pale'iko to him with stronger force. Noelani sat atop a waterfall, after all. The current from that would surely be the mightiest he would ever feel.
The young teen made to return home. Dealing with something like that wasn't possible for Rewi. Someone else would handle it much better. It would be best if he didn't waste his time.
When he turned about, it was only to meet his brother's gaze. Okenu swayed breezily in the light current, his warm brown eyes bright and slightly widened in a perpetual expression of wonder and entertainment and joy. Rewi had to make a conscious decision not to look away from him. "What are you doing here?" Rewi questioned, tone low.
In the past, he'd occasionally wondered if Okenu knew (or at least suspected) that despite his younger brother being friendly and open with most, Rewi could feel somewhat put off by his elder sibling's intensity and went to at least a few small lengths to avoid him. In this moment, if the older boy's vaguely shifting expression from wide, gleeful eyes, to something that looked a fraction more somber was anything to go by, he must have had at least some kind of inkling toward it.
"Looking for you," Okenu answered, voice quiet. "Joena told me you might wish to speak with me, Brother?" Marginally somber or not, there was hope in the other boy's voice. Hope in his voice and expectation in his gaze. Okenu's warm brown eyes darted to the path that led to the river opening and then back just as quickly.
Rewi's uncertainty spiked.
But his options weren't many, and even though he would never admit it out loud to his brother, there was a certain fear that came with thinking he ought to traverse these waters, even now, when the opportunity to be 'left behind' hadn't yet presented itself. The choice to go or not wasn't his, Rewi reminded himself as he steeled his resolve. He didn't want to, and someone else would surely be better suited, but his parents had already made their decision. Rewi had to try and prepare himself for what was to come. He swallowed and followed Okenu's flickering gaze to the river. "Have you... gone through here, before?"
"Of course." He said it so nonchalantly that Rewi felt a thread of embarrassment that he'd had to ask if his brother had ever bothered to dare to do such a thing when it ought to be obvious that he had- "But you haven't, right?" Okenu asked, smiling as he tipped his head with the inquiry.
The embarrassment was dashed as quickly as it had come because that ought to have been obvious too. "Right."
"But you want to?"
'Want' probably wasn't quite the word Rewi would have chosen. He was still perfectly content to stay at home, to lounge on sun-baked rocks when it pleased him, weave circlets from vines and reeds, and let the waters carry him wherever they chose to carry him... But a task had been set to him, now. He was to journey with his father into waters he'd never visited and wasn't sure he had the strength to swim against. If he didn't try to accommodate his body now, he might not be able to later, and he could end up being left behind...
But Okenu didn't need to know the details, so Rewi just nodded mutely.
His older sibling's smile widened marginally, as if pleased that such information had been imparted onto him. Of course Okenu was the best candidate to aid his youngest brother in such a task. Rewi should be so lucky to have him! "Come, Brother!" Okenu beamed, gliding forth toward the gentle push of the river's current. "The waters here are ideal for someone who has never battled-" Battled. Rewi squinted. "-the mighty force of the Kaha'iko's homelands! Even for you, this part should be no problem."
With a dazzling bright smile, Okenu snatched up his younger brother's forearm and kicked forward. Rewi was pulled forward, and all the suspicions he'd had about asking for his oldest brother's help suddenly returned. 'Even for him,' Okenu had said. Puh. What confidence...
As they passed the threshold of what constituted as swampland and into river waters, Rewi felt an almost immediate change. The water was much crisper, cool as it flowed over his gills and dragged back on him. It was clearer, cleaner, and somehow... thinner? Perhaps the 'thinness' of it was what confused his body the most. Rewi was accustomed to slogging through dense, heavy, still water, with a consistency closer to mud than air. But the river water, current or not, felt like what Rewi imagined gliding through sky might feel like...
Okenu released his arm as the older boy moved into the current, and Rewi followed with a peculiar sense of curiosity, which felt as foreign as the waters he tread in.
"The movement of your body is what's most important," Okenu told him as they moved forward. "The current here is pretty weak, so it will be good practice. You'll want to keep your arms close at your sides-" When Rewi shot him a confused look (how was he to move forward without his arms?), Okenu only waved a hand dismissively. "-Yes, I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but the less area you take up in these waters, the less power it will have to pull you back. So keep your arms at your sides, and use your feet to propel you forward. The rivers are more about fancy footwork. The Kaha'iko must have some powerful thighs! Come on, you can do it."
It felt almost unnatural to keep his arms clasped so close to him, but it was true that once he made himself a thinner obstacle, the cool liquid flowed more easily around him.
Okenu nodded. "Good!" He praised. The older boy was faster and more accustomed to this, apparently. He had no trouble hovering a few inches in front of Rewi while glancing back to monitor him. "It'll be harder the deeper you swim into their territory, so practice here until you're comfortable, and only move forward when it isn't too much of a strain. If you get tired while traveling with Father, the water will only push you back. Make sure to let him know when you need to take breaks, so that you don't get separated."
Now Rewi was almost sure Joena had mentioned something to Okenu. It sounded so close to reassuring him about his specific fears that he wouldn't have believed otherwise...
But being upset about it would do little good, and would only cost him energy and strain he didn't want to spend. Especially not now, when he needed to devote most of his efforts into learning how to traverse Kaha'iko waters... With a quiet huff of a pout in indignation, Rewi gave a nod as he continued to press forward in his elder brother's shadow. "Thank you for the advice, Brother. I'll do my best to keep up."
The Bravest Among Us Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 1526 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:43 am
As Rewi's family prepares for he and his father to make the journey into Kaha'iko waters for an important meeting, Rewi is sent to the neighboring settlement of Salicora for provisions to aid them on the long and strenuous trip.
Supplies For the Journey Status ミ Complete PRP Post Count ミ 10 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:46 am
Rewi's family is hard at work, but he just wants to play. Meanwhile, a boy he's never seen before approaches the farm with a mission of his own.
All Work or All Play Status ミ Complete PRP Post Count ミ 10 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:05 am
On the day before Rewi is set to head out to Noelani with his father, he spends the day enjoying the familiar comforts of his own home.
Playful Critters Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 607 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:15 am
ミ x On Your Own x ミ Alone?
Early that morning, when his mother had first told him that Rewi was to set out to Noelani without aid, he'd been surprised at how quickly his mind had gone blank. 'Alone?' had been the only question he could fathom, since for the past six months, he'd been repeatedly assured that his father would be traveling with him. The pair would set out into the unfamiliar together, in hopes of garnering knowledge about what all the great leaders planned to do about the continued drought.
That was what they'd told him, anyway. But when Rewi pressed his mother for answers about why he was suddenly to go alone, she'd looked at him almost apologetically and replied, "Your father never intended to go to Noelani. There's too much work to be done here."
In essence, it wasn't 'suddenly' at all, to anyone but Rewi.
They'd told him he was to travel with his father, the only one the older Menehune would take, since Rewi was not helpful on the farm, and if his father needed support while traversing Pale'iko waters, Rewi could be useful in that, surely. It was the only help he could provide, and since the others would be busy with farm chores during their absence, something that only Rewi would be good for. They'd made it feel like he had no choice and that he would need to be ready for this unfamiliar journey.
Rewi had been so concerned that his father would grow impatient and abandon him that he actually had practiced in Kaha'iko territory. His parents had forced him to feel like he had no options except for to ready himself for the worst, and so he had.
It just happened to be much worse than he'd feared.
They'd waited until the last moment to tell him he was going alone, waited until after he'd trained his body and bartered for supplies, and even met with a few Kaha'iko and learned of the routes to Noelani's springs. He had become ready, and now there was no time left to make excuses for why he couldn't, or why it would be better if someone more suited, like Okenu, went in his place. Besides, his parents already thought this was Rewi's best course of action.
For his entire life up to this point, he'd had no responsibilities. His mother and siblings had babied him, allowed him to shirt the duties everyone else undertook. He was lazy and unmotivated, content to let others handle the labors of their lifestyle.
But he was a growing young man, and this had ceased to be acceptable a long time ago.
It was time now, for him to take responsibility. Rewi would be the one their family relied on to bring back news and information from Noelani. No one else could do it because no one else had time. The others needed to work the fields, a chore Rewi had always neglected. Everything was already set up to send Rewi on his way, with the only difference being that the young man had only recently been informed that it was a solo trip. He couldn't say how much it would change, but as Rewi took his first steps from the house, after having been hugged and wished well and a safe return by his family, it felt like everything.
This changed everything.
There was fear in him, something Rewi usually found exhausting to even think about. He'd always thought the currents would guide him where he needed to go, but... It wouldn't be so, in this case. He would need to forge a path forward on his own. He had a planned destination, and a mission had been given to him. He was afraid, and uncertain, but strangely also something else. Almost resigned to his fate, but not quite as... heavy as resignation.
Rewi wasn't pleased about the situation, and he certainly had his concerns, but he had readied himself, and through the fear it still felt like something he could and must do. The trip there would take only a few weeks. He could do it. And be back in no time.
On Your Own Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 691 Growth Points Awarded ミ 2
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2018 8:30 am
ミ x The Winged Messenger x ミ Whether Rewi believed he could journey on his own didn't actually say much for whether or not he wanted to. He knew he had little choice. This particular acquisition of information had been put entirely in his hands, and his family was curious and eager to learn what part they could play in protecting the waters of their homeland. No one else would go. The chores of the farm were too important. The trip hadn't been optional for him from the start, and it still wasn't. That was all there was to know.
But Rewi was not accustomed to feeling forced to do much of anything. He wasn't used to maintaining a quick and efficient pace, and having a destination and a time frame with which he must get there was something entirely foreign to him. Rewi preferred to amble and enjoy the sights and sensations that Elehun offered him. No one had ever trusted him with something so important.
As he glided through the waters and away from his farm, he moved slowly, though, still uncertain about the future and still hesitant about being hasty, but knowing he had few options.
It didn't suit him, Rewi thought, to have a task that was more dangerous and more intense and exhausting than even the work his family did on a daily basis. But perhaps it was only fair. He'd spent his whole life up until now shirking his duties and putting the strain of the family business of his elder siblings' shoulders. He'd never thought they minded, since they'd always doted on and loved him, regardless.
Maybe they loved him a little less at the moment, since they were sending a lazy, untrained, unmotivated boy into an unfamiliar territory when he had almost no notable skills and no way to defend himself.
But probably not. What a silly and unhelpful thought. It wasn't that his family wanted him gone, Rewi assured himself with a frown and a nod. It was just that they were all busy and useful where they were, while he wasn't. And they'd given him enough time to journey at his own pace, and he didn't mind the Kaha'iko as much as his parents and older siblings did- not that they completely disliked them, but the two groups had different ways of life, and it wasn't so difficult to imagine that they might butt heads.
Rewi didn't think he often butted heads with much of anyone... True, many of his own race weren't pleased with his laziness and lack of commitment, and oftentimes they would let him know of said displeasure, but Rewi didn't want to spend his time being upset. They could do and believe as they wanted, and he would do the same.
Insults and arguments rolled off of him as easily as the currents glided over the sand and mud of his home... And this would be the same.
Rewi would go to Noelani. Time would not stop for him. He would maintain his composure because it was one of very few things he was good at. He would let the waters guide him, as they always had, and things would work out, as they always did. He hoped that's how it would work, both for him personally, and for the future of their species. He may not be filled with confidence and certainty, but fear wouldn't hold him back. This was a momentous occasion for everyone.
As he passed into town, that thought struck him a bit more solidly. 'This was a momentous occasion.' Rewi rubbed at the black looping lines of his first tattoo on the inside of his right wrist.
He didn't usually think too hard on what he might do for his next. Sometimes, he couldn't be certain that he would want more ink at all, regardless of what their customs said. Many things could be enjoyable and memorable, but few things seemed worth actually inscribing onto his skin- and the effort it would take in making it happen. He had to settle on a design, find an artist, schedule an appointment, actually go to said appointment, and then essentially be branded with the mark that symbolized an important event.
Most things didn't seem so important or unique... But this, this journey was certainly something he'd never experience again. Even if he did, it couldn't possibly be the same as his first time, with these feelings of anxiety and uncertainty about how he would make it.
And perhaps it wasn't all about the physical excursion of it, either. It was the first time he had responsibility, the first time his family had trusted him with something and needed him to achieve it. This felt special. This was surely worth the effort it would take to add this trip into his flesh that would one day be the tapestry of his life's stories.
There were only a few drawbacks.
He didn't have any great amount of time, hadn't made an appointment or met with an artist beforehand, he didn't know what symbols he would use or where it would go... Rewi didn't really know much of anything, except that now was the time to do this, before he set out fully.
The shop was at least familiar to him. He'd been here once before, when he received his first tattoo, and though 'early' in some places was a time for people to sleep in, in Elehun waters, most Menehune were awake by this hour. When Rewi entered the tattoo hut, the woman was skimming about, setting up her tools for the day's work, and clearly not expecting anyone to be by quite so soon, but also not so startled and unprepared that she needed to send Rewi away.
He spent a moment gathering himself before he spoke. Rewi took a breath, nodded his head, and called for the woman's attention. "Excuse me?" He started hesitantly. "I was wondering if you had an appointment this morning, or if you had time to fit me in?"
Her brown gaze was sharp as it scraped over him, and Rewi immediately felt a chill at the seriousness of her expression.
Most people in Naele weren't too strict about the old ways, but the tone of the tattoo artist's voice, the expression of her face, and the cutting glint of her eyes made Rewi feel as though she weren't particularly fond of people like him, who had the loosest interpretation of their laws that could be imagined. "You didn't reserve a time?" She demanded.
He swallowed. "N-no, ma'am. I didn't know I would be here until the currents decided to lead me to you. I don't have an appointment, but I know this is the right time for me to be here."
"You 'know?'" No one had ever looked so skeptical, and he wasn't sure a more thorough explanation would convince her, so he simply nodded. "And how do you 'know?'"
"It's... a feeling," Rewi tried to explain. "In my gut and in my heart. It's true I haven't spent much time thinking about it, and if I'm being honest, I don't have a plan for what to tell you to do-" The way her face tightened suggested that he may not have wanted to be honest, at all. "But I'm getting ready to do something important for me and my family, and if you have the time, I would very much appreciate if you could..." That look she was sending him made rewi's face trail off and his gaze slip sidelong and away.
She still looked disgusted, though she said nothing. For a moment, Rewi thought her lips may be frozen permanently into that twist of disdain, but slowly, as she stared at him, her expression started to smooth. The woman's eyes were still sharp as glass and just as unforgiving, but there was a minute softening of her lips, and she beckoned him over hastily.
"I don't have much time to give you, and it sounds as though you don't have much yourself. Nothing intricate. Do you understand?"
He nodded quickly, and she guided him into the back, where he sat on her bench while she readied her tools and inks. The artists bustled about, asking him quick questions about the nature of his mission, why it was important, and what his feelings were- both toward the assignment and the results he hoped for, and making jibes about what felt right and how she hoped he knew what he was doing in the same way he knew to come to her.
She touched her fingers to head head, gently encouraging him to turn so that she had access to his cheek and temple. "Some of our oldest legends say that Ia'anau had wings on his head, just here." She touched his temple. "So that he may fly to the skies and deliver messages between the sun and the moon." When Rewi chuckled (the concept of gods using wings on their heads to fly was humorous, that was hardly his fault), she smacked his arm lightly and continued. "So here is where we will work. You are to go to Noelani and bring back messages and information, aren't you? And the gods will be your guide, as you have no experience traversing the waters of Pale'iko..."
The woman set to work, first close-shaving his hair right about his ear, and then setting to inking. Rewi still wasn't exactly sure what would go in place there, but his tattoo artists seemed to know even without his input. She worked quickly, leaving stinging lines that would become permanent, black ink where she drew.
Once finished she handed him a reflective shard and stepped away. Swooping down from where his ear met his jaw looked like a column of waves that melded into thick, heavy lines of currents at its base. They curved around the shell of his ear and down to another smaller wave beneath his ear, along his neck. Her work wasn't especially intricate, but it was neat and crisp, with long flowing lines in varying thickness and intensity, and it symbolized the will of the gods to allow the currents to push him forward.
"Are you quite satisfied?" She prompted.
With a quiet exclamation of delight and a grin to the older woman, Rewi nodded. "Yes, I think so. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to show my parents, once I return..." Which he did really hope he would return at all. With the waters leading the way, he expected everything would work out.
The woman nodded in turn and beckoned for him to stand so that he may get a move on and she could return to those that had actually arranged to meet her. "You will. Ia'anau was not a lazy slouch who failed in his assignments. Try to mirror yourself in his image, and you will succeed."
The Winged Messenger Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 1814 Growth Points Awarded ミ 6
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2018 8:37 am
After getting his second tattoo before heading out to Noelani, Rewi meets with Kaimi again and asks the other Menehune a question that could change everything.
The Proposition Status ミ Complete PRP Post Count ミ 11 Growth Points Awarded ミ 5
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2018 8:42 am
Rewi gets his first taste of true Pale'iko waters. He finds them tiresome and difficult to navigate, but a young Kaha'iko appears to help him along.
First Steps Status ミ Ongoing PRP Post Count ミ 2 Growth Points Awarded ミ 0
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:22 am
ミ x Children of the Lake x ミ The children of Malie were so lively, Rewi thought as he watched them. He couldn’t remember having many interactions with those younger than him back in Elehun. His parents had stopped having children after him, so he certainly hadn’t lived with any, and the small settlements he was accustomed to seemed to not have quite so many youngsters freely scampering about. Maybe by the time they were old enough to run amok, their elders were already busy teaching them how to handle their chosen trade… Sometimes it seemed as though there was no time for fun in Elehun.
But Malie was the most massive settlement Rewi had ever visited. It was bright and shimmering in the clear water, the blue and silver bodies of the Kaha’iko almost glistening. And the youngsters darted between their parents, playing games of their own creation while laughing and shouting.
Rewi couldn’t say he’d ever particularly liked children.
Any time he’d thought about them and what he knew of those younger than him, it had always seemed like they could be a little too loud, or a little too hyper. It wasn’t in him to want to work too hard to keep them entertained. But with Kaimi out crystal-gathering, their journey had come to a brief halt, and Rewi couldn’t help but watch how those in a Kaha’iko settlement mingled.
It was almost immediately obvious how much more laid back his neighboring race was. Rewi had never thought of the Menehune as distinctly unfriendly, but there was a stiffness and strictness to them that became wildly more apparent the more west into Elehun one went. Even in the town of Salicora, he remembered thinking that everyone looked more expectant than pleased.
Here, at least, most wore a smile, and if they didn’t, those that did manage to draw his attention without one were far more animated. Rewi had always thought he wouldn’t want to leave his home, but Pale’iko was so beautiful… So alive.
Though just the sheer amount of visible activity and ‘liveliness’ was almost tiring.
Still, it was a tiring that he found enjoyable, much different than the somewhat dull tiredness that came from working in the swampy waters of his home. This one was pleasing, and it seemed as if most others agreed. Still, he didn’t think there was much he wanted to participate in besides sitting and watching how things in a large town might unfold-
Rewi’s gaze turned from the main road, where a cluster of merchants laughed and japed and vigorously peddled their wares, down to a slightly smaller street, where a tiny group of children surely half his age openly stared at him.
No one seemed immediately available to stop them or take charge of them (as far as a quick precursory glance could tell), so with a little shrug, Rewi beckoned the three children and their obviously curious gazes nearer.
The youngest, a girl no more than four or five years, scampered forward at his invitation, while the other two, both boys of somewhere between seven and ten, Rewi imagined, were a bit slower to follow. Though they were obviously more hesitant, they didn’t seem keen on letting the youngest head off without them. Rewi wondered if they might be siblings. His elder brothers and sisters had trailed after him anytime he’d wanted to experience something foreign, and these two approached with the same wariness.
“Hullo,” Rewi greeted with a smile as the girl came to a stop before him.
She wasted no time in chirping up, “You’re from the swamp lands! I’ve never seen one of you before!” Her bright blue eyes lingered on Rewi for a moment before they turned back to her brothers. “Mama always said the swamp people were too stuck up to come this far from their homes, didn’t she?”
The silvery skin of one of her brothers turned a bright shade of pink, and the other flapped his hand immediately as if to wave the words as hastily from the air as possible. “It wasn’t quite like that!” One of the boys assured.
“No, no, I’m sure it was pretty similar,” Rewi hummed. Did the Kaha’iko see them that way? The reclusive swamp people so set in their ways that they refused a meeting with them for centuries, until the situation was so dire that it threatened them all… He wondered if any of his neighbors in Pale’iko held any blame toward the Menehune for resisting compromise for so long… It wasn’t much his business whether they did or not, and he supposed he wouldn’t be terribly upset or offended if they did, so long as it didn’t come back to harm him later. For now, he just smiled at the trio before him. “Well, you’ll tell her I’m not too stuck up, right?”
The boys didn’t seem convinced, but the young girl beamed brightly. “Yep! You seem okay to me! So are you staying for a long time? Did you come to meet a friend?”
She was as hyper as Rewi imagined a child would be, and he found that he preferred more to watch than to actually interact. He didn’t want to linger too long. Hopefully Kaimi would be back soon, and they could find a spot to rest. “Well, I came with a friend, actually,” he admitted. “And we can’t stay too long. We’re going to Noelani.”
“You?” The little girl puffed. “Noelani is for our tribe! Why would you go there?”
He thought he heard one of the boys mutter, ’If you can make it…’
But he ignored that, since it clearly wasn’t meant for him, and focused back on the young lady. He almost wanted to tell her that he didn’t want to go, that it was only necessary because it had been ordered of him. But the girl was young, and neither did Rewi think he ought to try and explain the full of the situation to her. “My friend thinks it might be pretty, and I’d like to be the one to show him pretty things. That’s a good reason, right?”
The Kaha’iko girl looked thoughtful, then gave a tiny shrug. “It is pretty, I guess. I hope you make it, if you’re going for someone else.”
“Me too,” Rewi replied with a grin.
Children of the Lake Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 1050 Growth Points Awarded ミ 3
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 5:48 pm
ミ x A Late Stay x ミ There wasn't any scenario in which Rewi thought he would stay in Malie longer than two or three days at the most. He was on a mission, and he'd thought he was ready to complete this very important endeavor. However, his traveling companion, Kaimi had mentioned before they even set out that it might be nice to enjoy whatever locale he may pass through along the way. The other Menehune had said that before Rewi had even invited him, and even though Rewi hadn't thought it necessary at the time, now that he was on his way, it seemed like there was time for him to enjoy the sights of the places he visited.
The Malieans didn't seem to hate the idea, or at very least, were more wary than cruel when they saw him. The children he'd met earlier were always particularly enthused to meet him on the street- Okay, that might be an exaggeration, as well.
The girl child was usually pleased to see him.
She sat at his side now, with her legs crossed and fingers combing through the stringy, straw-like hair of a toy in the shape of a Kahikinian, though colored pale white and purple like no being Rewi had ever laid eyes on. The girl, who Rewi had learned was named Seya scrunched up her nose as she looked at the doll, but spoke in casual tones to Rewi. "I would like to see the swamp one day," she told him. "And maybe... other places too. Pappy said that a long, long time ago, we used to be able to visit the ocean, and it was very big and scary, with bunches of monsters."
"You want to visit a place with bunches of monsters?" Rewi asked incredulously.
Seya leaned back and gave her toy a tiny shake as if to smooth some of the clumps that gathered in its sandbag body. "I just want to see it," she huffed. "I can swim away if any monsters come too close."
Children could say such peculiar things. Had he said anything like that, when he'd been younger? "Don't you think a big monster could swim faster than a little girl? Perhaps that is why the gods chose to close us off from the ocean, so that we may be protected from the monsters by the land in between us."
"Nah." She sat up, and poked at the doll's pebbled eye. "Monsters are really just big animals that we can hunt. If they're big, just means there have to be more of us to take them down, but they aren't really scary. And if they do mange to eat one somebody, we can just cut 'em open and get that person out." If Rewi thought he ought to correct her stance on the safety involved around monsters, he decided against it before he could say anything. Something so serious seemed more like a parent's job to teach, and Seya was quickly distracted, anyway.
"My mama brought me a new toy today," she explained as she flopped the doll around between her fingers. "I think it was supposed to distract me from coming out and seeing you though. I told her you weren't staying, so she didn't have to worry, but... She does. I can tell."
And that wasn't something Rewi was surprised to hear. The way Seya's brothers had acted during their first meeting,a nd the way the young Kaha'iko had spoken of her mother then had already made it clear that her family perhaps didn't have the friendliest ideas about the Menehune. Maybe they didn't consider him too much a threat, since Seya was here now, but Rewi understood that maybe the girl's mother hoped she'd spend her time in other ways.
"May I see her?" Rewi asked, holding a hand out toward the doll.
"Em," Seya corrected immediately as she passed the toy toward him.
And of course it was an 'em,' silly him. "Right, em. Sorry." Once he had the thing in his fingers, it became immediately more obvious that it was absolutely the most hideous plaything he'd ever seen, with tough, reedy hair, big, grey stone eyes, and a heavy sandbag body. His lips quirked up in constrained amusement. "Do you... like playing with dolls like this...?"
"I have a few that are similar," Seya admitted. "They are mostly in different colors, but one time, Mama bought me one with real hair, like a beautiful princess. She's my favorite, but Pappy said she was too expensive, and I couldn't have anymore like her."
'Real' hair? Like that from an actual Kahikinian? Would someone really give up such a thing just to put on a toy...? He didn't know, but having real hair only seemed like a piece of the problem to him. "This one... Ey's a bit lumpy, isn't ey?" Rewi asked, giving the doll a shake similar to what Seya had done earlier. It was clumpy, heavy, and ugly... But he really only knew very little about dolls, so maybe this was how it should be.
With a quiet huff, Seya snatched her toy back from him. "Ey just needs to be broken in some. Ey'll get better with time."
Rewi wasn't sure if that was true, but Seya seemed to believe it. The young girl had experience with this sort of toy after all, it seemed, while Rewi most certainly didn't. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen any of his siblings play with anything like a doll before. Most of the time, they played with rocks and mud, sometimes there would be a good piece of etching bark to draw on, but dolls were something new entirely. And if they were all as hideous as this one Seya had, Rewi thought he could understand why his family hadn't seen fit to invest in them.
A Late Stay Status ミ Complete Word Count ミ 975 Growth Points Awarded ミ 3
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