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 Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2018 3:01 pm
☼ x A Day in the Life x ☼ “The village will be destroyed if we don’t do something to please the goddess!”
“She’ll scare away all the fish and tear out all the seaweed! We’ll have no food and no shelter. If someone doesn’t make an offering to the goddess, Pelahi-”
“Witch goddess.”
“Witch goddess?” The first voice piped up again. “Now you’re a goddess and a witch? Since when?”
Lapela inhaled slowly but deeply, then let out a disgruntled groan of frustration. “Maka! Since always,” she retorted in exasperation. “If I want to use magic, I have to be a witch! Goddesses don’t use magic, they just want stuff to happen, and it does!” Her comrades for the day, a group of three other youngsters, had been eager enough to meet Lapela in front of the cluster of red and blue coral fields that served as home to she and her father. They never seemed to mind playing with her at first, but oftentimes, like now, as the game wore on, they became impatient with her improvisation.
Maka swished his lips to one side and crossed his arms. “Goddesses don’t need magic. That’s why they aren’t all witches!”
“Okay, okay,” Pepe agreed, nodding vigorously and flapping her hand through the water to get the boy’s attention. “You’re right. They aren’t all witches. But the ones in Ka’lei are. They have to use goddess power and witch magic in the dark because the sunbeams don’t reach that deep in the water to fuel goddess powers!”
When the three of them looked at her as though she were the stupid one, Lapela huffed. “Look, I know because I’ve been to Ka’lei. You have to really have some special stuff to go there. It’s not just for-”
“Liar,” the second boy, Tiwani retorted. “Liar, liar. Lapela is a liar.”
“I’m not!”
“You haven’t been to Ka’lei!”
“Yes, I have!” She snapped back roughly. “When I was very, very small, my papa and mama carried me there in a basket. That’s what my papa said, and I remember-”
“You don’t remember.”
She didn’t remember. But Lapela did believe what her father said, about her parents having took her to Ka’lei at one point during her infancy. From what she knew of her mother (which was, admittedly, not too much), she seemed like the type who would want to take everyone on adventures! Lapela could tell as much, even without remembering. She could feel it down to her very core, because she wanted to take everyone on her adventures just as much…
However, despite whatever journeying had occured in her past, to Ka’lei or anywhere outside of Elikapeka, Lapela had no knowledge of it. Her mother had gone from the sea of life and passed on, and Ridoa had stopped adventuring, inadvertently forcing the same on his only daughter.
Lapela didn’t mind having only the large village to explore, but she knew there was more. She wanted friends to adventure with, and wanted them to have as enjoyable time of it as she did. But for now, the most adventuring she could do was playing a sea goddess witch and cursing small villages composed of three small children who didn’t praise her enough.
“That’s it!” She snooted, sticking her nose in the air. “You’ve offended the goddess, and I’m killing all the fish. Their spirits are all swimming from the current so that I may feast on them, myself! You silly mortals had your chance!”
Maka and Ari (the third child and only other girl of the group) both whooped and pleaded for her to reconsider. But it was obvious that Tiwani had had enough of this particular game of pretend. Lapela couldn’t say she expressly understood his offense or why he’d so adamantly thought her a liar, but really she decided it didn’t matter too much, so long as Maka and Ari still thought they could have fun with her.
A Day in the Life Status ☼ Complete Word Count ☼ 649 Growth Points Awarded ☼ 2
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:30 am
☼ x The Road Away x ☼ 'The reefs are your home.' Those were the words that had been whispered to her all Lapela's young life. 'There's nothing else out there. The reefs are your home.' When she'd been very small, no more than a few years, she'd believed it. How could she not? Her father had murmured those words to her, and she'd not had any way to know otherwise. She'd never seen otherwise. The reefs were large and had everything they needed to survive. What else even could be out there?
But as she'd grown a bit older, Lapela started to realize that there was more than 'nothing' beyond the reefs. Even though her father, Ridoa, continued to remind her otherwise, she was starting to see.
Strangers with dark, nearly black skin would swim into town, with glowing bulbs on their heads, and dark scales mottling their forms. There weren't many of them, but there were a few, and they spoke of ocean so deep that it was like swimming into an abyss. 'Moakai' Lapela had heard them called, and they hailed from Ka'lei, a land far from their reefs. So she learned that the path south, out of Elikapeka, didn't just go to 'nowhere.'
Even after she'd brought the news to Ridoa, he still insisted, 'The reefs are your home. There's nothing for us out there. I have seen it all, Lapela, and there is nothing so wonderful as here.'
Lapela, still young, had been easy to convince that there were still many secrets in the reefs yet to explore, rocks to overturn, and crevices to investigate. She needed to finish that before she set her sights on anywhere farther.
So, she had. During times when Ridoa was saddened by the sight of her or too tired to keep up with her, she had set to exploring as much of Elikapeka as she could. If there was a person she'd never seen, she approached them. If there was a reef cavern she'd never investigated, she entered it. If a new creature caught her gaze, she chased it. There were times when she would swim quite far from her home, but she would always make it back, somehow. Sometimes Lapela knew what paths to take and could make it back on her own. Sometimes concerned adults would spot her wandering and deliver her back to her father. Sometimes Ridoa wold appear in the evenings as if he'd been summoned by a magical force to retrieve her, himself.
She was never out after dark. It seemed like all of Elikapeka made sure of that. Lapela hardly minded being sent home once it was late. If she was to be a 'good' adventurer, she needed to keep her strength up and her wits about her, and that meant a good night's sleep. It still would've been nice if she could start the next day from where she'd left off the night before.
Once, she'd mentioned such a want to her father. "If only there was a bed out there! Then I could sleep wherever I wanted."
It was in that moment that Lapela learned something truly special. She hadn't been prepared for it, as it wasn't often that Ridoa mentioned Telkei without much prompting, but he did, then. "Your mother seemed to sleep wherever she landed at night," he told her. "She slept in caves and caverns and beneath open water, on beds of reeds, and sea grasses, sometimes even just the sand."
Ridoa hadn't realized it, but even those words felt inspiring to his daughter. She didn't need to return home at night. Her mother hadn't. Telkei had been an adventurer, and that was all Lapela wanted: to adventure.
He did manage to convince her, after her first attempt at staying out after dark, that before she could go too far, she'd need to find an item. To continue her adventurous quest, she'd need to obtain a glowing lure from the Moakai. There was no point in traveling in the dark if she couldn't even see, and the lure method was tried and true by the Moakai themselves. If she wanted to continue her explorations, even overnight, she'd need to find this item. They'd had one when they went to Ka'lei with Telkei, after all.
Needless to say, Lapela hadn't had much luck. There weren't many Moakai in the reefs to begin with, and each one she'd spoken to had either laughed or scoffed when she'd asked if she could borrow their lure for 'just one night.'
And so, without a lure to guide her, she'd expected to be stuck in Elikapeka, maybe forever.
Although... Much more recently, she'd learned some different news. For the first time in her life, she'd spotted a stranger with pale silver skin, blue and green hair, and the most sunny-day-cloudless-sky eyes that she'd ever seen. The newcomer was surrounded by a swarm of curious others, some adults attempting to gather information, and some youngsters like Lapela, in awe and eager to learn of this new thing.
In all her explorations of Elikapeka, she'd never seen anything like it. And in the spirit of adventure, Lapela couldn't simply not approach.
She swam near, butting her way through a few others as she did. As a small girl with a rather lean frame, it wasn't difficult from her to slip around and between a few others. The silver-skinned creature was in the middle of it all, and her focus was solely on the Hapuna adults that engaged her. Lapela realized quickly that they'd already made it through the whole 'who are you and where are you from' bit, but that was the most important part to her!
Wherever the stranger had come from was certainly a new place, and perhaps one that wouldn't require a Moakai's lure to explore. It was important that she discover what else was out there. She wanted this person's attention!
"Excuse me," Lapela prompted loudly, heedless of whatever trade arrangement was being worked out by those older than her. She didn't care about things like that. Her first bid for attention went ignored, so she tried again, even louder, "Excuse me!"
"Hush!" From near her side, a Hapuna adult scolded her. "Grown-ups are talking. Listen and stay quiet or be on your way."
Lapela's cheeks puffed. Her lips puckered, and her brow pinched. Immediately she knew that she would not stay quiet when she only had one question that would take little more than a moment to answer- well, that wasn't quite true. She had many questions, but only one was very pressing. Maybe it was true that she could get the answer from anyone already gathered here, but she wanted it from the silver-skinned traveler.
Rather than stay still and quiet, she surged forward, snagging her fingers into the draping cloth at the stranger's hips and giving it a firm yank. "Hey!" Lapela demanded loudly. She wasn't about to be ignored.
Startled, the adventurer, a woman, turned her sky blue eyes down to Lapela. There was a rumble of dissent from the other grown-ups who'd been immersed in conversation, but no one immediately snapped again at Lapela. She already had the silver-skinned lady's attention, after all. The woman blinked, seemingly confused about this bodacious child and quietly answered, "Yes?"
Lapela was sure she would only be permitted the one question. The others seemed irritated already, and she didn't think many of them would tolerate her taking up much of the stranger's time. She could probably get most of her questions answered from someone else later- everyone would've heard news of the stranger and likely shared all they knew about her, but there was still one thing she wanted to know now, from the woman herself, a true answer with no bias from anyone else: "Which direction did you come from? Can you point to it?"
Now looking even more confused, the woman raised her arm and pointed. "North," she replied, slightly hesitant. "From the rivers."
North! Lapela's bright pink eyes widened and her smile grew. "Thank you!" Excitement boiled in her belly as Lapela turned from the group and made to dart back home. Ridoa and Telkei had traveled all throughout Haukea. Then they'd journeyed south to the open ocean. her father had thought he'd seen all there was to see, and after losing Telkei, he did not want any more than what he could find in Elikapeka.
Lapela knew that, but she never quite understood why he'd want to settle, besides maybe that everything else he'd seen bored him. But he hadn't seen everything with Telkei, had he? From the north the woman had said. From rivers! territory unexplored by even seasoned adventurers like her mother had been. Ka'lei and the Moakai were south of them, and if she'd come from the north, that could only mean...
There was even more beyond the reef than Lapela had originally thought. There was more beyond the reef than any of them had thought. And now that she could go north, there was one more avenue for Lapela to escape Elikapeka from.
The Road Away Status ☼ Complete Word Count ☼ 1514 Growth Points Awarded ☼ 5
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:29 am
☼ x Adventure Rule Number Two x ☼
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2018 11:38 am
☼ x Arranging Priorities x ☼ For many days, which soon turned into weeks that led into months, Lapela's father's advice rang in her mind. It ought to be the greatest priority of hers to find her 'perfect match,' her adventure comrade. Because surely once that was done, there wouldn't be any more exploration rules for her to adhere to, beyond the ones she'd already been taught. And if there weren't any more milestones to keep her at home, that could only mean her path led out, out of the reefs and into the ocean or river. Either would be fine. Nothing could be more exciting than meeting her match and beginning her adventure, like her mother had!
As she first began her quest to find her soulmate so that they may set off together, Lapela believed it could be anyone. Anyone could be a match for anyone else so long as they wanted to be and tried to make it so. People weren't so complicated. She was cute and fun and sweet- many had said so, so who wouldn't want to be matched with her?
But it soon became obvious that maybe that wasn't quite the right way to think about it.
Lapela thought she liked nearly everyone, even those who became easily annoyed with her antics, and she thought it fairly obvious that no one would hate her. They had no reason to. So long as they got along reasonably well, it'd be easy to say that they were 'matched!' That's basically all it was, right? Getting along and enjoying a similar experience? But even though she 'liked' everyone, as Lapela spent more time with her comrades in an effort to decide upon her partner, she started to realize that maybe not just 'anyone' would do.
Her second options (since her first had been her father) had been the younger children that she routinely played adventure with: Maka, Ari, and Tiwani. They were together enough already that experiencing the world seemed like it would just come naturally. It was the progression that their friendship was leading up to! They 'played' adventure all the time, so making the leap to the real thing would be easy and enjoyable.
But as she continued to play with them, as she usually did, other thoughts started to filter through her mind. Perhaps they weren't so compatible with her as she'd thought.
Tiwani was a bit mean, all things considered. If he wasn't trying to put down Lapela, then he was trying to put down one of the others. He liked to be in charge, and became annoyed when he wasn't. Lapela also liked to be in charge. There weren't many people who could successfully give her an order and expect it to be followed. And if Tiwani was going to quit their adventure every time she didn't comply... Well, it wouldn't make for much fun. She ruled him out as her match pretty quickly.
Next, she reviewed Maka. He asked many questions, which admittedly, Lapela didn't mind, since she always enjoyed explaining whatever her brain had concocted to those less mentally endowed than her. But he was always a skeptical sort of boy. He went along with her because it pleased her mostly, but didn't always seem to have an interest in her thoughts.
He might be more suited for Tiwani than her.
That was fine, since she still had Ari. Ari was cute and fun like Lapela herself. Adults would coo sweetly at them as if they were adorable fishes that had just performed an adequate trick- And that was probably why Lapela thought they didn't need to be together as often as being partners would require: not because of anything Ari did in particular (though she was a pretty meek girl who did almost anything Lapela ordered) but because Lapela thought it might be a hindrance to their progress if people were always cooing about how cute and dumb and sweet they were together. That certainly wasn't what she was looking for.
The three were probabably her closest friends, though, so if not them, who? Laplela played with anyone that would allow her to hold their attention, but Tiwani, Maka, and Ari were especially decent at it. All the children younger than them were too easily distracted, and all those that were older grew bored with Lapela's games quite easily...
It was disappointing, but if her partner couldn't simply be anyone, then it must be... the exact opposite.
Rather than simply being able to select anyone, the gods must have already aligned her spirit with someone else's... Mother Ocean had chosen her soulmate, and regardless of how much she wanted to seek out The One who would journey with her, it was likely that the currents would bring him in its own time. As far as her tasks went, all Lapela could do was sit and wait...
She had to wonder, though, if that's what her mother had done. Had Telkei sat and waited for Ridoa to appear? She highly doubted it, but she did know that they had met here, in the reefs... By whatever forces had guided them, they each been washed to Elikapeka, forged their union, and then set off to explore new lands together... It really was quite a romantic story, made more tragically romantic to Lapela since losing his mate had stopped Ridoa's explorations as well. She liked the way it sounded, though. It all made sense.
Rather than balk at the idea of being forced to wait around, Lapela decided to embrace it. During this time, she could simply make more an effort to learn about her mother's story. Telkei would guide her spirit. Lapela believed that.
Arranging Priorities Status ☼ Complete Word Count ☼ 947 Growth Points Awarded ☼ 3
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 7:22 am
☼ x Learning Her Life x ☼ As Lapela perched on the end of a bulb of seaweed-green colored coral cresting from the ocean's waves, she peered down into the rippling surface of the water below and saw her own reflection. 'Cute' was something she'd been called before. With freckles splattered across her deep orange skin and curly hombre hair the same shade of oceanic blue as the water she looked down into, she supposed 'cute' was probably a fair word.
But what was more important than what some might call her was how she didn't look too terribly much like her father. His eyes were an almost too-vibrant pink, as Lapela's were, with her orange skin and rounded cheeks and button nose, but in regards to nearly everything else- her curls, her freckles, her ocean-wave hair color- she had to assume it came from her mother.
There was no picture evidence of this, of course, and anytime she'd asked Ridoa what her mother looked like, he'd always assured her she was "a beautiful woman..." but never gave many specifics beyond that.
So Lapela liked to imagine what her mother might have looked like. Maybe she'd had very pale, creamy skin, like the sand itself, with golden eyes and freckles that were the brown of shells or pebbles... Maybe she'd been tall and majestic and graceful... Though Lapela certainly didn't think she would get too very tall, herself. Or maybe, rather than tall, she'd been strong and built. Adventuring could be hard work, and she may have needed to be powerful, since it didn't seem as though Ridoa filled that gap.
Maybe when she'd gone places, people had called Telkei cute too- or rather, there was at very least one person who thought she'd been beautiful, and that somehow seemed like an even higher honor.
So what constituted 'beautiful?'
She must have worn her hair long. That was something 'beautiful' girls did. Long, but tied back, as any practical explorer wouldn't have wanted wisps of hair getting in the way of the sights. Lapela ran her fingers through her own hair, gently guiding the shorter strands to the nape of her neck and secured them there with a knot of cord. Beads and bows. Those were beautiful. Had Telkei worn beads and bows? Probably many bows, since those were good at keeping things out of the way too. So Lapela knotted a brown seaweed bow on each side of her head to secure her curly bangs away from her eyes.
Had her mother been among those gifted with the curves of femininity? Lapela glanced down to her own chest and hips, and- well, there wasn't much to be done in regards to that. She wasn't curvaceous, herself, but perhaps that wasn't a prerequisite for 'beauty.'
While she was considering the subject of shape and clothing, she had to wonder what Telkei may have worn. Lapela's father purchased all her garments, so maybe he instinctively chose things that may have pleased his mate, but somehow... Lapela didn't think so. If she'd been strong and adventurous, she might have worn more exploration-ready garb. Lapela liked her clothes; hey were comfortable and breezy, but...
She inspected her arms, her legs, and her sides. Her wraps didn't do much to protect her from the corals of the reefs. When she was doing an explore in the caverns, she found that she could get scratched up very easily. Some of the drapery may even catch and tear against the rough surface of the corals.
Beautiful girls probably weren't covered in scratches.
But Telkei had been an adventurer too, so she must have worn garments that would protect her from such things. Lapela picked at a scratch on her shoulder. What she would need to do is find something pretty, comfortable, and practical. Something she could dart around freely in while still having places to store any finds she may make. And it needed to be sturdy, in case there were times when she was away from home for many nights and unable to change into anything else.
For clothes, she would just have to start telling her father that she wanted something specific. Her hair would grow out of its own accord, if she allowed it, so there was nothing else to be done there, and the rest... Well, she couldn't change her skin and eye color, could she?
Her bright magenta gaze tipped from the ocean waters to the cloudless sky overhead. Maybe she was just 'cute' now because she was still small and hadn't managed to get out and do anything beyond the reefs, as Telkei probably already had. But Lapela was so hopeful that she could blossom into someone who would find all the adventure and all the excitement the world had to offer her, just as Telkei had. There wasn't anyone, not a soul in all the waters across the globe that Lapela could fathom wanting to be more like than her own mother.
A woman she couldn't even remember meeting...
But Lapela couldn't help the way her heart thrummed in delight whenever Ridoa spoke of her. She couldn't help that her mind latched and agreed with each thing her mother had allegedly done or said or thought. She'd been a collector, a scavenger, and explorer, a trader... Someone to take the whole world in her palms. Lapela wanted all of that, and she wanted the more she knew her mother would have wanted.
Whatever Telkei had done, so would she, and though her mother's ambitions seemed to have been great- immeasurable, even, there was nothing to fear. Telkei's spirit would guide her. It had so far.
Learning Her Life Status ☼ Complete Word Count ☼ 939 Growth Points Awarded ☼ 3
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 10:13 am
☼ x If's, And's, or But's x ☼ "What if he lives in a different settlement?" Lapela prompted one morning as she watched her father skewer large sea slugs for their dinner and notch them among the open-air crevices of their coral home to dry. "You know, Kiliwa or Lokelani? Exploring in Haukea isn't so much of an 'adventure,' but I've never seen any of the other settlements, either... Isn't Kiliwa quite close to the rivers? They must have many visitors from inland. We hardly get any down here. It must be nice to see them!"
The soft 'schlik' of a small, gooey body being run throw with a pointed stick was the only immediate answer she received, and for a moment, Lapela wondered if now was one of the times when her father wasn't in the 'mood' for her.
When she'd been even younger than she was now, she'd always assumed he was simply 'tired' after spending any lengthy amount of time with her. Lapela had a lot of energy, and her father wasn't in his prime, anymore! But lately she wondered if maybe his 'mood' was more dependent on the topic of their activities. He liked games of hide-and-find and stone carvings with her, but seemed to tire much more easily when her attention wandered (as it often did) to exploration or tales of her mother. And now probably wasn't very different in that regard.
She perked up slightly as his bright gaze peered over his shoulder at her. "'He,' hm? You imagine your adventure companion to be a 'he?'"
Lapela was not a sheepish girl. She'd never shirked from the truth of her feelings (though she was admittedly, also quite oblivious to how others may not agree with her or like what she said, and so may become offended), and though she did know Ridoa may not enjoy her words, she was not dishonest with him, either. "Well, Mother's was a 'he,'" she admitted with a shrug. "Mine will be too."
Ridoa's attention turned back to the food preparation, and he speared another slug. "You are... just like her," he murmured, so softly that she barely heard him.
It wasn't the first time he'd said as much, and each time he did, Lapela was pleased to hear that she was doing adequately in terms of mimicking the woman who'd hatched her. Though it also sounded like it didn't please Ridoa as much as Lapela had always thought it should. His partner was someone who another strove to emulate, and Telkei had chosen him! He should be so pleased to have had the opportunity to know her and to witness her child growing in her shadow.
But he never sounded it.
"But Mama probably didn't stay in Elikapeka as long as I have, though... I bet you two were already off together, seeing all of Ka'lei... I wanted to see Ka'lei too, you know. I wish I could remember more of it. More of her..."
With a stiff sigh, Ridoa turned from his work and moved slowly across the corals to Lapela's side. "I know you do," he replied. "And it is understandable that you do. She was a remarkable woman, and if I'd had my way, you never would have not known her. But the Mother Ocean does not always give us precisely what we want. She is a fickle creature and blessed me with you in Telkei's stead."
"And I am just like Mama, so I want to go and do like she did-"
"Your mother was smart and patient. She knew when the opportune time came for exploration, and she knew when was best to stay at home and tend to market. She was loved by all her friends and family because she knew when to stay behind and be with them. Things... like adventuring and finding your partner... they will come in time. You need to have patience."
'Patience' was among Lapela's least favorite things to have, and it was hard to imagine someone as bold as everyone said her mother was expressing that particular trait.
"Is this another Adventure Rule-?"
"No, no..." Ridoa murmured softly. "Not a 'rule,' this time. As you should know when to wait, you should know when to act, so there is no rule saying that you must be patient in your wants while waiting for things you find entertaining to occur. But your partner will be lifelong. Don't rush it. You have many, many years left to brave any adventure you want. Spend time here, making friends who will be ready to aid you when you need it. Having a strong foundation at home is just as important as knowing the rules to go abroad, Lapela."
With a sigh of her own, Lapela looked to the skyline. It seemed there were many more obstacles than she'd initially thought before she could escape beyond even just Elikapeka...
If's, And's, or But's Status ☼ Complete Word Count ☼ 810 Growth Points Awarded ☼ 2
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