|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:39 am
Leaning back on the battered couch that sat in the center of her appartment, Ki'retha looked around, content to finally have everything in place as she wished it--she only used the residence when the ship was docked in Gambino, but it was the one place she could return to without having to be surrounded by people. In addition, the rent was modest enough to only prompt a minor cringe from her when she thought about it.
The building had definitely seen better days--while not rundown enough to be termed 'shabby' it was very definitely worn around the edges, and not in one of the more upscale areas of Gambino, where rent and demand were higher. It was in this frame of mind that she'd indulged in a two-bedroom appartment, with a living room and separate kitchen, and even a smallish balcony overlooking the port. The decor was somewhat spartan--there were a few personal touches, but the she-pirate wasn't one to indulge in useless artworks or decorative carpets, when bare floors and walls were just as functional, and less likely to be stolen at the first opportunity.
Setting her heels on the nicked edges of the small coffee table that sat in front of the couch, Ki lifted one leather pants leg, and pulled a small knife from inside of her boot, using it to pick dirt from beneath her fingernails as she debated going out for awhile. Perhaps she would make her way into the narrower back streets that made up the less socially acceptable parts of town, in hopes of selling some of the items she'd acquired on her last 'expedition'. The rest of the crew had been itching for some time in port, and so it was likely that they'd be docked here for at least a couple of weeks before heading out again...which gave her enough time to get rid of most of it.
Truth be told, she'd been hitting her limits on board the ship--much as she loved it, and was drawn to the sea, she'd been needing contact with the ground, to feel the dirt beneath her feet. She'd been getting progressively more distracted in the days leading up to their making port, and so was pleased to have been given the opportunity to get her head back on straight before they headed out again.
Remaining seated for a few more moments, she re-sheathed her knife, the action smooth and well-practiced, before getting to her feet. Reaching down, she picked up a small satchel off the ground, hooking it firmly to her belt. Inside were a few of the more interesting objects she'd acquired--the sort of items that would make it a bit more clear, upon inquiry, as to what sort of prices she'd be able to expect for the rest of the things she'd be wanting to sell.
Whistling a jaunty tune, only slightly off-key, she made her way out of the appartment, stopping only for a moment to lock the battered portal behind her, before striding confidently out into the afternoon sunlight.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:14 am
Ki was sitting on the couch, heels, as per her norm, propped up on the coffee table, when the courier came.
Sighing at the insistent banging on her door, she palmed a knife before answering-wary, as always. Peering around the door, she quickly hid it from view, nodding when the rather nervous young man asked if she was Ki'retha.
Before she could even ask what he wanted with her, he swallowed, adam's apple bobbing, a clear indicator of his discomfort, and held out a rather sizeable box. What the hell could be inside?! She didn't think she'd ordered anything by mail... "What the...?" She got out, barely getting a grip on the box before the courier, little more than a boy, really, released his hold on it.
"Sp-special delivery, ma'am!" he got out, gaze flicking to her chest. While not huge, her assets were in plain view in the strapless shirt she hadn't bothered to cover up before answering the door. With a small, self-directed sigh, she rolled her eyes, looking down at the box to see if there was any sort of return address. If there was, she couldn't see it from her current angle.
"If that's all...?" She finally asked, when he showed no urgency to leave, and didn't offer anything further.
"Oh! Y-yes, ma'am!" Sal, as his badge proclaimed him, didn't waste any more time, flushing a bright crimson before fleeing back down the hallway, tripping over a warped floorboard on his way. Snorting, Ki kicked the door shut, and wandered back over to the couch, setting the box, deceptively plain, on the coffee table her heels had been propped on less than a minute before. Eyeing the box curiously, she still couldn't see a return address. Straaaaaaange. But, being the curious sort, she opened it up, carefully. Lifting out the contents, her eyes widened in surprise--what the hell were these for?!
As if in answer to the unspoken query, a piece of paper fluttered, landing on her lap. Setting down the test tube, which seemed to contain a remarkably clear, and quite sizeable piece of amber, as well as the empty, larger bottle that had also been inside the box, she picked up the piece of paper, scanning it quickly.
Huh. It would seem that the application she'd sent in response to the advertisement for a research assistant of some sort, promising a 'sizeable reward' had been accepted--although from the wording, she couldn't tell if the odd contents of the box were the experiment she was supposed to help the 'doctor' conduct, or if they were the reward itself. Running slender, sun-browned fingers through her hair, she wondered, again, what the hell she'd been thinking, sending in that application. Apparently, the empty bottle was supposed to be used to capture a soul--was that even possible? And if so, what kind of soul was she supposed to get, anyway?
A faint frown wrinkled her forehead, and she lifted up the test tube--infinitely more interesting than the empty 'soul' bottle, in her opinion, and held it up to the light, peering at the chunk of amber. Surely, she could sell this for a good price--it was so unusual to find a piece of amber of that size without bits of tree bark, or trapped air bubbles cloudying it up. There was also an insect, perfectly preserved, inside of it, she noticed, somewhat impressed. Why, it almost looked as if it could still be...Blinking, she stared harder. Surely it hadn't...
Its antenna had moved. Nearly dropping the test tube, her mouth formed an 'o' in amazement. How was that even possible? And how on earth had the Doctor, if he even really was one, come by such an odd...what had the letter called it? Fel essence. Picking it up gingerly, she thought on it, then decided that until she figured out just what she was going to do with the amber, she decided that in the meantime, her safest bet was to keep it on her person, so as to avoid having it get stolen, or worse yet, lost. Going into the bedroom, she re-emerged momentarily with a few soft, thick cloths. Wrapping her newest acquisition up carefully, she tucked it into one of the many pouches that hung from her belt, patting it, the gesture vaguely re-assuring. Wrinkling her nose, she tied the empty soul bottle to one of her belt loops, thinking that that insect, if indeed still alive, had better not find a way out of the damn test tube. One thing the she-pirate was not fond of was bugs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:40 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:50 pm
It had been a long day. Letting herself into her appartment, Ki shooed the butterflox off her shoulder, grumbling about clingy, fuzzy, and probably dirty little beasts. When her name had been called and she'd realized that she'd won one of the oddities in the petting zoo pen, her first thought had been that hey, at least she could probably sell it for a good price, right?
Upon further thought, she'd realized that that probably wouldn't be in her best interest, in light of the extended interaction she was likely to be having with lab staff...but at least it was only a -small- critter, right? Her spirits had been bolstered further when the winged fox had seemed rather shy--this might not be so bad after all!
Sadly, from there the introduction had gone directly downhill. After timidly sniffing at his new owner's hand, the flying fox had looked up at her consideringly for a moment, before, quick as a flash, flitting up to take up roost on her shoulder, tucking his furry, slender nose directly up under her chin. Forcing a smiling response to the cooing this had prompted from onlookers, the she-pirate had done her best to surreptitiously dislodge him, to no avail. By the time she'd returned home, Ki was frustrated at her lack of success, and irritable to boot.
Once in the appartment, she shut the door with a soft click, pleased to note that, FINALLY, Oberon (king of the bloody fairies, and now a flying fox), seemed to have willingly relinquished his spot on her shoulder.
"Bout damn time..." she couldn't help it--what'd he think he was, after all, some kind of parrot?!
It wasn't even particularly late, she found herself staring longingly at her bedroom door--she'd been informed today that she was apparently going to be raising some odd floating thing sometime after she captured her soul, never mind that she didn't even hardly remember her own mother, let alone how to BE one (and anyway, who the hell WANTED that kind of responsibility?!), and then she'd been saddled with...Oberon.
"...Hmph." Barely even taking the time to brush her teeth before bed, she didn't even bother to crawl beneath the covers, letting her eyes drift shut slowly. She was almost asleep, when the nestling of a small warm body up against her spine made her jump, nearly forcing her to roll straight out of bed.
"What the--?!" Rolling over, a small knife already in hand, Ki turned towards the interloper. "Goddammit, you pesky beast." she hissed, re-sheathing her weapon. "This isn't your bed--go sleep on the couch or something!" Shoving at the small body, her eyes narrowed when it didn't even budge.
Oberon, to his credit, didn't even acknowledge the prodding, content to lay where he was, in a reddish ball, tail laying across his nose.
When it became obvious that neither cursing nor prodding was going to make a bit of difference, Ki eyed the door between her room and the living room, debating whether or not it was worth the effort. Finally, with one last muttered curse, she rolled back over, pointedly ignoring her new 'companion'.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:11 am
As she strolled down the beach, still within eyesight of the port, Ki wiped a hand across her forehead, making a face. It was mid-afternoon, and while the sun had finally begun to sink in the sky, it was still mostly overhead, and it was very hot out in the open. She'd left Oberon back at the appartment, despite the little beast's displeasure at being separated from her--while she usually tolerated his presence, today she'd decided that it was just too warm for her fur-coat wearing 'friend' to be out and about. Despite the hot summer weather, the she-pirate was dressed, predictably, in a pair of faded beige jeans and her usual white buttondown blouse, worn over a black strapless top. The sleeves of the blouse were rolled up to her elbows, and on her feet were a pair of sandals, another of those rare concessions to the heat. Her hair, while usually worn loose, was pulled back in a short ponytail, although wayward strands of brown and blonde escaped, the multi-toned skeins framing her face.
As she walked, the soft, sandy beach gave way to large rocks--perfect for climbing on, really. Surprisingly, the beach, and the rocks were fairly deserted--a rarity considering the clarity of the water, and the cleanliness of the soft sand. Well, it wasn't like she had any plans for the afternoon...
With a short-lived, almost childlike grin, Ki scrambled up the rocks, enjoying the way the uneven surfaces felt beneath her feet, separated only by the thin soles of her sandals. Careful not to slip, she set her hand on top of the soul bottle as it bounced energetically against her upper thigh. It wouldn't do to break the thing, after all. She'd been reluctant to leave the house without it, unsure as to what sort of idea she might come up with as to the perfect soul to capture. That said, she couldn't help but wonder what on earth she was going to do once she actually had captured said soul--did she really want some childlike creature hovering in her presence? On the other hand, at least she wouldn't be changing diapers, or anything like that...plus, it might be an extra pair of hands to help out with some of the more menial work she did on a day to day basis...
As she made her way a little farther from the beach, she came upon what appeared to be some sort of...tidal pool, separated from the ocean when the tides had withdrawn the past morning. It was deeper than most, being a few meters across, and, she estimated, ten or so meters long. While fairly deep, as well, the water was crystalline, and it was easy to see straight to the bottom. Peering into the clear water, she noticed a couple of small fish darting about. Shifting, leaning farther over it, she watched a crab scuttle from one crevice to another. Sharp eyes picked out a larger, more intimidating fish, nearly hidden beneath a small outcropping of rock, not far from her vantage point. The lionfish, a clearfin that lacked a lot of the elegant, floaty-looking fins of some of its relatives, was nonetheless strikingly beautiful, with bold red and white striping on its body, the delicate, if spiny fins only adding to its exotic appearance. As she watched it, nearly motionless in the heat of the day, the almost-forgotten soul bottle slipped, reminding her of its presence.
Shifting to shove the bottle to the side, since it was digging into her hip, Ki froze. The fel essence and soul were combined to make the...floatything, right? Eyeing the lionfish, she pursed her lips. The idea of a fish soul appealed to her, particularly as it was a good tie to the seas she so loved...and what better fish to use than one so elegant looking? The spines looked rather sharp, but even if she got cut, what was a little pain for something so beautiful? It was a pity for the she-pirate that she didn't know more about venemous fishes, something she'd likely regret, since she wielded the soul bottle with a distinct lack of finesse as she tried to angle it towards the fish in question.
How long was this supposed to take, anyway? Leaning closer, she shifted her hand within inches of the lionfish, barely even observing the way that it shifted its position, angling its body downwards, fins pointing more directly at the source that it perceived as threatening and unfamiliar. Jerking her hand more sharply at the fish, as if she half expected it to swim right into the soul bottle (which, much to her surprise, didn't seem to be filling with water, although it was easy enough to submerge to aim at the fish), Ki winced when she felt a sharp p***k against the back of her hand. It stung, but wasn't anything TOO worrisome...at least, not immediately.
As the pain travelled from the source of the sting up her wrist, Ki furrowed her brow, taking a few more seconds to realize just what she'd gone and done. The pain continued to intensify, burning and throbbing with stronger and stronger waves. Releasing the bottle, the soul capture nearly forgotten, Ki withdrew her hand, eyes widening in displeasure as she realized just what she'd gotten herself into. Already, her hand was swelling, although it wasn't too noticeable yet. Cursing, she blinked away the tears that welled up, preferring an angry outlet in response to the pain. It made her feel less...weak, that way. Cradling the still-throbbing hand, she looked around for a place where she could, at the very least, look into getting the sting treated. Lord, but what if the damn thing was deadly? Refusing to think more on -that- particular vein, she stumbled, scrabbling, off-balance with only one arm free, to make her way back towards the beach, and from there, hopefully someone who knew more about...whatever the hell kind of fish she'd managed to p***k the back of her hand on.
To be Continued...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:06 pm
Of Lionfish and Pirates -- Capture and Drop Off (pt 2)((RP with Natsuki and myself; C+Ped into this post, because I'm lazy when I want to backread through old RPs 8D~)) Muttering an almost ceaseless stream of curses, Ki made her way gingerly (but also speedily) to the first place that appeared busy enough to have someone present who could help her out of her current...predicament. She had her right hand clutched tucked close to her body, and had to forcibly refrain from whimpering when each jolt sent a new wave of pain up her forearm, radiating out from the sting she'd received on the back of her hand. It had only bled a little bit, but that had dried, leaving smeared, nasty-looking brownish-red streaks on her hand, and even partially up her forearm. Her hand was also beginning to swell, and she couldn't help but worry about just how venemous the damn fish had been. She could only hope it wasn't going to be deadly--painful though it was, at least she wasn't feeling like she was going to....well, die.
Hesitating out of the first establishment to cross her path, she made a face. It looked like some sort of...strange...cafe. What the hell were the servers wearing, anyway? Looking around, she tried to spot someone who looked like the might be of some use.
Natsuki hung up the phone completely bewildered. Her heart jumped up and down like a fifteen year old school girl when she saw Dr. Tsu's phone number on the cafe's caller ID. However, the voice on the other end had been his brother, Dr. Kyou. With the Lab still in shambles, and Kyou forced to shack up with his brother and work out their apartment, he called upon her to help assist in storage and transport of fel essences and soul bottles. Compounded with the fact that the Lab Assistant, Chloe & her raevan, Roux were staying at the manager's house, this made Natsuki the ideal go-between. She agreed without a second thought, promising 'The Boys' desserts whenever she'd stop by to make her deliveries.
Naturally, it's all about location. Money. Timing.
As the servers milled around the main floor area, Natsuki was hard at work filling orders at the bar and making sure everything was running smoothly. With the assistance of her intern, Shuura, busy weekends were surprisingly less stressful. Seeing an unfamiliar face at the door, she washed her hands, pulled on her white gloves and advanced quickly, but elegantly to the door.
"Welcome to Cafe Jubilee," Natsuki said, with a brilliant smile and a gleam on her glasses. "How may we serve you today?"
still cradling her right hand, Ki had to admit she was impressed with the efficiency with which the cafe seemed to operate--waitresses moved smoothly and quickly between tables, and the smell...the scent of pastries swirled through the establishment--she'd been able to smell them the second she'd walked in. It was a testament to how she was feeling that she wasn't even thinking of a suitable way to make her way out with a few elegant glasses, or some silverwear. Looking towards the voice that had given her the brief, professional greeting, she opened her mouth to explain her predicament...and hesitated. This woman was familiar. She looked different than the last time she'd seen her, but...
"You were auctioned off at the Summer Festival, to raise money." she said, memory sliding into place. Another twinge of pain reminded her why, precisely, she'd come. She debated how to do so, for a moment, and then extended her injured hand gingerly, displeased with how it looked. "I was...doing an experiment, with a weird sort of fish...and it stung me." she said, making a face.
"You wouldn't happen to know how to treat stings from relatively large red-and-white striped fish with long, apparently venemous spines, would you?" Lord, but she hoped the other woman was more familiar with them than she was.
"Yes, I certainly was. Not something I normally do, but it was for charity," the cafe owner said, giving a polite bow and smiling demurely. Natsuki's eyes widened as her guest didn't require the normal cafe services, but was in desperate need of medical attention. Listening to the description of the fish in question, and the woman's casual concern abou tthe matter.
"Could it have been a Lionfish?" Natsuki said, trying to wrack her brain about the venemous and poisonous marine life in the area. WHen the woman qualified her statement with 'relatively large' and 'apparently venemous', she felt panis well up within her. Her face blanched in concern as she looked over the woman to find the problematic area. "I only know a little first aid, but I can contact someone to find out how to handle it properly. Come with me." She motioned for the woman to follow her, turning on her heel and zipping off to the employee's lounge.
Ki flushed, feeling stupid--it wasn't something she enjoyed...but then, she HAD been the idiot to stick her hand where it didn't belong, after all. "I uh...well, I'm not sure what a...lionfish looks like, so it could be?" This was spoken practically to herself, as the other woman was already heading off in the direction she'd indicated. Striding after her, Ki was impressed by the other woman's cool assessment of the situation. Things were looking up-she hadn't even had to put up with unpleasant hysterics, or irrelevant, stupid questions like "does it hurt?"
Careful to not jar her hand any more than absolutely necessary, she ducked her head in what she hoped passed for a suitably polite nod of greeting when both staff and guest shot the occasional curious glance her way--she was sure she looked a mess (not that that usually bothered her--but in a setting like that, it set her painfully apart...and she preferred to blend into a crowd, dammit), and to boot to have to be asking for help...it was downright irritating. "I appreciate the help, by the way." she said, realizing she hadnt' yet said thank you, since the other woman hadn't given any outward sign of irritation, or having been put out.
"It's worries at all. People come by all the time with beach mishaps. Have a seat here. Do you feel dizzy or nauseated at all?" the cafe manager smiled, spinning the sleek office chair to face the woman. "I'm Natsuki Yanagitani, the owner of this Cafe, by the way."
Natsuki scanned the packed shelf in her office for her book on first aid. Having beachfront property and knowing that beach goers can be careless, she found it beneficial to keep a book and basic medical supplies available, in the event of an emergency. The Gambino Hospital was across town, but she could tend woulds until emergency transport arrived. Gingery plucking the book from the shelf, she turned it backside up, and scanned the index. Finding the page she needed, she flipped pages quickly.
"Here we go, first thing it says is to soak the wound in hot water. Give me a minute, I'll ring the kitchen to heat up some water for us," Natsuki said calmly, slipping a mic from beneath her collar. She speak quickly and politely to her kitchen manager, and he responded in kind, indicating they were take care of it as they spoke. Tucking the radio away, she turned her attention back to the woman, "Where were you stung?"
Shaking her head, Ki smiled, the expression rueful. "I'm Ki'retha." she said, memorizing the other woman's name. It wasn't hard to believe, really, that she was far from the only one to have run into some sort of trouble at the beach, and ended up here...but it really didn't ease her mind to realize that she was on a par with the average -beachgoer- in terms of having done something stupid and gotten herself, in this case, injured. Wasn't she supposed to be used to dealing with the sea, and the life in it?
Watching Natsuki flip through the book, Ki shifted uneasily. Yes, her hand hurt--and it still wasn't showing any sign of abating...but she sincerely hoped that a doctor's visit wasn't required...or any sort of treatment involving needles. It wasn't that she was afraid of them, per se--but she certainly didn't like them.
When all that was mentioned was hot water, Ki relaxed, at least slightly. "Hot water? That's it?" It was hard to believe it was that simple, really. "And...it caught me on the back of my right hand. I was trying to...um...capture it, kind of, and got careless." Gingerly, she held out the hand in question, half wishing she'd at least taken the time to rinse it off again before asking for the cafe owner's help. As it was, she hoped that her hand would be recovered by the time she next made it back to the ship--otherwise, she'd never be hearing the end of it.
"How long have you owned the cafe?" Anything to get her mind off've her damn hand. Also, she had to confess, her curiosity was slightly piqued--Natsuki was not the sort of woman she would have imagined running the cafe, at first glance.
"Well, that's a nasty bite, you've got there, Ki'retha. You might want to see a doctor afterwards, just in case," Natsuki said, her thin brows knitting in concern. When the woman held her hand out, Natsuki took it lightly in her own, looking at the wound and the notes in her book. Releasing it, she set about rolling up Ki'retha's sleeve, so they could get her treatment underway. "Any particular reason you were trying to catch a lethal fish? Are you a collector or trader or something?"
She found the idea of a novice handling venomous fish rather strange. Most tourists and locals know well to leave those creatures alone, as they don't attack unless provoked or frightened. Natsuki examined the puncture wound again, turning her attention to the book. "I've been operating Cafe Jubilee for a year and a half now. However, we've only been in Gambino for a couple of months," Natsuki said, carefully omitted the fact that the previous shop in Durem had been burned to the ground on Friday, April 13th. There was no need to drag up such a dead horse. "I actually prefer the crowd here, than to the ones in Durem. They're mainly tourists with money to burn. Not like the poor university students over at DU and UD."
Her eyes widened like a pair of full silvery moons, as she stared at the book. The kitchen manager brought in a large bowl with hot water, on a silver trolley. "You wouldn't happen to know if part of the spine is stuck in there, would you?" she asked, motioning to Ki'retha to put her hand in the hot water. "If there is, things might get tricky. For now, put you hand in slowly because its's really hot."
"As long as it's life threatening, and isn't going to need antibiotics or anything to clear up, I'd rather just deal with the residual pain, assuming this works." She shrugged. If this didn't work...well, she'd have to debate more strongly on going to see a doctor, if only to see about getting some sort of painkiller.
"And no, no...nothing like that. I uh...well, I signed up to help out with an experiment, actually--and to fulfill the first part of my end of the experiment in question...I needed the soul of a creature of my choosing. The fish just happend to catch my eye, was all. I hadn't seen anything quite like it before." She was tired, and her hand still hurt like hell...otherwise, she'd have tried to think up a better lie...a more believable one.
Nodding at the comment about tourists with money to spend, Ki grinned, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of her face. She was right, of course--and it was that propensity for tourists that made Gambino such a great place for a pirate/sometimes pickpocket, as well. There were enough unfamiliar faces passing in and out of most places on any given day that it was easy to blend into a crowd...and most of them were relaxing, enjoying their holidays...and so weren't really on guard.
"I..don't think so. When it stung me, I didn't think much of it at first, since it took a couple minutes for the real pain to start--I'd think if part of a spine had gotten lodged in the wound, I'd have noticed that right away." From the look on the other's face, she HOPED she hadn't managed to let the damn fish leave her with that kind of souvenir. Slipping her fingertips into the hot water, Ki winced, the expression barely crossing her face before she regained her composure. Exhaling, she slowly slid her hand the rest of the way into the bowl. It was hot, almost uncomfortably so--but it wasn't quite hot enough to burn the skin, and so was tolerable.
"How long am I supposed to leave it in here?"
"Whose experiment are you participating in? A lionfish is beautiful, but equally dangerous," Natsuki asked with interest when Ki mentioned the need to catch a soul. A nostaligic wave washed over her as she thought about the night Noor died, co-incidently on the same beach where they were. "I did a similar thing for a Dr. Kyoupiruchi, since I am participating in his Raevan Experiments. I managed to capture the soul of a djinneyeh."
Natsuki's heart went out to Ki, not that she'd want to change places in any sense of the word.
"It says here that 'Heat denatures proteins of the lionfish venom. A wound caused by a lionfish should be immersed in water of 43 to 45 degrees Celsius for 30 to 40 minutes or until pain diminishes,'" Natsuki said, reading it slowly to make sure that she didn't overlook any critical data. The tension in her face faded. Natsuki and Ki would not have to deal with emergency transport, or the removal of a dead body. What a relief! she sighed inwardly. "It looks like we'll be here a while. On the plus side, if the swelling, itching, and pain go down, no need to see a doctor."
"Heh, listen to this, 'Though lionfish venom is dangerous, it is localized around the spines, making the fish rather safe to eat,'" Natsuki said slyly, turning the book to face Ki. A wicked smirk curled her lips, and she turned mischievous gray eyes upon her attendee, "If you find that fish again, we can make sashimi out of the little b*****d for biting you, after you take it's soul."
((*Note from Wikipedia: Lionfish))
Ki'retha blinked. How many damn people had this Doctor Kyouwhatever given soul bottles to, anyway?! "You captured a soul for...that doctor's experiments as well?" She didn't even attempt to pronounce his full name correctly. A djinneyeh, hmm? While that sounded more exciting than a fish, somehow she still thought she'd made the right soul choice.
However, as Natsuki read the information she'd found on lionfish out loud, Ki's mind shifted from the experiment, intriguing though it was that this other woman was, apparently, involved in it as well...to the issue at hand.
"I am sorry for the inconvenience--it looked pretty busy out there." Let it not be said that she couldn't be polite, HAH. Even better, she likely wouldn't have to go seek out professional medical attention. The rest of the day was looking up. Flexing her submerged hand, she noted that it still hurt. A lot. Ah well, it had only been in the water for a couple of minutes, right?
As Natsuki mentioned that the fish was edible, Ki perked up. Vengeance might just be very sweet, indeeeeeeed. "Assuming we can, and you're willing....I think it would be a very...fitting end to the damn thing." This last was practically a purr, a genuine smile alighting across her face.
"Yes, I was rather surprised that I could strike a bargain with a genie in order to take her soul," Natsuki said, pulling her attention up from the bowl to look Ki in the eyes. The women had the same wickedly bemused expressions in regard to the fate of the young fish, so it looks like sashimi's on the menu tonight. "Its says thirty to forty minutes, and to see medical attention after that if the pain doesn't stop."
As time passed, the swelling appeared to go down. The floor manager kept Natsuki abreast of shop opperations via a headset, and glancing at the video cameras, she tended to her client without must reservation. Taking out some supplies from the first aid box, she set the ointments, anti-bacterial medications, and bandages on the desktop. "I can dress you wound when you are ready," Natsuki said, giving Ki's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and a genuine smile. "Then let's catch us some fishies."
Nodding once, Ki wondered how it was that Natsuki had come across the genie to begin with--it wasn't as though they were thick on the ground, after all. That said, it wasn't her place to pry, and such a question, while something she was determined to find out at some point, wasn't one she felt she could ask now.
Sitting quietly, Ki stared at her hand as the minutes passed, as if willing it to get better. She reaaaaaally didn't want to have to see a doctor, after all. When Natsuki squeezed her shoulder, she started, somewhat surprised at her own lack of attention. "I'll take it out and see how it's feeling now, then." she said, pleased to note, when she looked at it, that it seemed to be looking better than it when she'd first put it in...although it was also looking distinctly pruney, much to her distaste.
Pulling her hand gingerly out of the water, Ki was pleasantly surprised-it still hurt, but it was now manageable, and something that she could push aside and ignore. Moving her fingers as if to make sure it wasn't going to come racing back the second she tried to do something, Ki smiled, turning her head to look up at Natsuki. "I'm ready, and thank you again for going to so much trouble." Truth be told, had she been doing this herself, even after the hot water, the likelihood that she'd have done anything else for the hand was...minimal.
Now, to finish up and get back to that fish. She was looking forward to their second meeting, especially if it meant paying it back for the affront--never mind that she'd brought it on herself by sticking her hand so close to something she didn't know a thing about.
"All righty. Hold on, this might sting a bit. You might want to bite down on this," Natsuki said, passing the woman a flat wooden before whispering into her radio. In a few seconds time, a kitchen staff member hurried in and wheeled the now tepid water out. Natsuki put some strong antibacterial ointment for stings and cuts, and felt rather relieved she wasn't in Ki's shoes. Having used it in the past, the burning sensation only lasted a couple of seconds before relief washed over quickly. Immediately after swabbing the wound, she bandaged it quickly. "Make sure to keep that dry now. Give me three minutes to change. I'll meet you at the door."
Opening the office door, she pointed Ki in the direction of the main entrance and hurried off to the women's locker room. She didn't care that it was still in the midst of operation hours, which in itself was rather unusual for the demanding and exacting cafe manager. With revenge on the menu, and a little dose of revenge for a fellow raevan owner, Natsuki felt surprisingly spry and wound up. She exited through the back door, her policy strictly requires staff to remain in costume and in character at all times.
"Ki, over here," she mouthed at the piratess, tapping on the window. Natsuki was ready with a pair of board shorts, a long sleeved rash guard, and a really think vulcanized rubber gloves.
Shaking her head, Ki declined the flat wooden object. She'd cope with the pain, thankyouverymuch. She did, however, wince slightly at the ointment's application. It didn't hurt too bad.
As the cafe's owner bustled about, giving her instructions as to how to find her way out, Ki was left with little to do besides nod. Making her way carefully to the front of the cafe, she stood by the entrance, not quite sure where Natsuki would be looking for her. When the other woman tapped on the glass, she grinned. The red-haired woman looked ready to take on just about anything that damn fish could dish out.
Stepping outside, injured (but neatly bandaged!) hand held loosely at her waist, Ki grinned. "Ready to help me bring that spiney sucker down, then?" she asked, feeling more herself now that she wasn't in as much pain.
"There's a grotto with a beautiful reef, just over there, Ki," Natsuki said, pausing and motioning in the direction of a small rocky crag area close by. "Is that where our little friend, awaits us?"
Considering the nature of their mission, Natsuki brought long a first aid kit, in the event of a repeat performance. When Ki joined her outside, they made their way to the beach. The sky was clear and beautiful, too bad, it will be painted in a faint shade of murder. Granted, their duos victim would be a fish, but her own apprehension grew when Natsuki realized this beach in particular, was of great consequence to her.
Not too long ago, Natsuki filled Ki's shoes, posed with the challenge of finding a suitable soul to weave with her own fel essence. She hadn't visited that section of the beach since the full moonlit night when she took Noor's soul. Unfortunately, returning to the location was unavoidable, as she promised Ki she'd help serve up a healthy, heaping platter of revenge sashimi.
"It's a bit ironic really, Ki," Natsuki mused, while powdwery sand crunched soft beneath their feet. "I caputured my the soul for my raevan on this beach as well. I didn'd figure I would be visiting here again, so soon."
Nodding, Ki walked alongside Natsuki, forcing herself to not actively cradle her much-abused hand, instead allowing it to dangle, somewhat limply, at her side as the walked. "Yes. There's a good-sized pool of water trapped amongst the rocks down there." The sand shifted comfortingly underneath the soles of her shoes--a familiar sensation in the midst of a very stressful, not to mention UNordinary day.
The continued thoughts of sweet revenge against her unfortunate 'attacker' had Ki picking up the pace as they approached the rocks.
When Natsuki mentioned capturing her own soul on this beach, Ki perked up. "Really?" The other woman had captured a Djinneh, she'd said--it seemed an odd place to encounter one, the beach, at least in the she-pirate's mind. "How did you come about doing that here, of all places?" The other woman looked slightly uncomfortable, if she weren't mistaken, but her curiosity niggled at her, regardless.
"It's a nice beach though, I do have to say--there aren't many ports that we stop in that have such soft, sandy beaches, without a lot of pollution muddying up the waters."
"I was born and raised around here, Ki. My parents own a Traditional Hot Springs Resort, not too far from here. Though one doesn't find many djinneyeh laying here on the beach. I came upon her lamp purely by chance. She wanted to be free of her lamp, and I needed a soul," Natsuki said, scooting down the sand toward the craggy inlet. She hadn't realized it, but lately, more and more of her time was spent handling guardians and discussing raevans, and truth be told, Natsuki didn't know too much about the entire process. The part-time volunteer decided a little self-study on her own might help her become more useful to the community in general.
"I am probably leaving all the juicy details out, but the long and the short of it is, that I she needed to be released, and by released-- I mean killed on a night with a full moon. She wanted to see the ocean for the first and last time in her life," Natsuki said, feeling a tightness in her chest. She'd casually mentioned the capture of Noor's soul to other guardians, but she'd never really gone into detail with anyone before. Again, Fate had a unique sense of humor, seeing as Natsuki started disclosing rather personal information to a woman she'd met less than a few hours ago. "Sorry, Ki, I hope you don't think less of me. Sometimes, I think that's one of the finite details they gloss over in the fine print when we sign up for this adventure."
A flush swept her cheeks, as Natsuki heard a stab of frustration rang clearly in her voice. Shaking her head, she scooped up some salt water and splashed it on her face. "Sorry, that sounded way more catty than I intended," Natsuki apologized, hoisting herself up onto a rock beside the pool. Slipping on a pair of gloves, she handed Ki her spare pair. Looking down into the pool below, she saw beautiful corals and colorful fish swimming about. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of brown and white lingering near one of the rocks.
"Ki, my dear, I do believe we've got company," Natsuki grinned, pointing down at the banded fish floundering near the rock. "They move rather slowly, don't they? Any idea how we're going to catch him, aside from using out bare hands?"
Ki nodded, a small smile flickering across her expression as Natsuki started to tell her how she'd come to capture her djinneh soul. However, as she continued, surprisingly blunt, the she-pirate hesitated. She was openly curious, often too much so for her own good--but she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for dredging up something that was, apparently, still a sore spot for the cafe owner.
Allowing silence to fall, thinking a little more about what to say before opening her mouth, Ki shook her head when Natsuki apologized. "Nothing to be sorry for--taking a life isn't an easy thing, especially the first time." She wasn't overly sentimental--there were times, in her line of work, where you did what had to be done...but that didn't mean she was the sort who saw no problem with killing needlessly, either.
Turning to glare at the banded fish when Natsuki pointed him out, Ki nodded, injured hand twitching with the urge to strangle the damn thing--had it not been for the risk of getting stung again, she'd have probably gone for it, too. Putting on the proffered gloves, she couldn't help but laugh at the image the pair of them made, standing as they were, with thick rubber gloves on their hands.
"Hmm...worst comes to worst, I could skewer him on one of my knives." Much as she liked that option, she didn't think that it'd help with the soul capture itself...unfortunately.
"Or...I have a shirt on underneath this white one--we could use the overshirt to net him, so to speak?" She reached up, using one hand to unbutton it even as she said it. "It'd also give us something to carry him back in, unless you plan on slicing and dicing here?" She grinned as she said it, in good spirits as she looked down at the doomed fish. Spotting the soul capture bottle she'd forgotten bobbing cheerfully, not too far from the fish, she set down the shirt on the rock beside her, and reached over, mindful of the fish as she plucked it out of the water.
"Well, turning him into shikebab will be our plan B, then. Have BBQ Pit. Can Grill!" Natsuki cackled appreciatively of she-pirate's surprising bold and adventurous thinking. The practicality of the suggestion made her smile wickedly. "Great minds think alike. I love where your head's at, Ki. That'll come in handy," she continued motioning to the shirt while the piratess disrobed. Looking down at the rocks and coral, she pictured the best places to step without disrupting the coral or members of the marine community. Her eyes widened at the sight of the soul bottle bobbing along the water. Thankfully, it hadn't strayed from the small alcove while Ki was in the cafe getting her wounds tended to.
"Tie off the sleeves and make a knot in the collar, Ki. I think that'll help catch the little b*****d. We can worry about catching the soul once we are inside. The lionfish will have to die, and you'll have to capture the soul, before we slice him up" Natsuki said, gingerly slipping her feet into the water. Sliding herself down into the chilly water, she sat on a smooth rock. Splashing lightly in the water, she took a stick to poke around at the rogue fish, in an attempt to corral him toward Ki's makeshift net.
Knotting the shirt, Ki followed Natsuki's advice, deciding that that was, indeed, the best way to tie it off for use as a net. "As long as the little s**t dies, I don't particularly care what ends up causing the death," she murmured, hesitating for a moment before slipping partway into the water as well, her reluctance clear as day in her expression--for all that she was a sailor, Ki was not a swimmer, and so water-play (or, as in this case, getting in for a purpose) was not among her favorite ways to pass time.
Angling the opening of the imaginative net towards her prey, Ki grinned when the fish, propelled by Natsuki's proddings, slowly made his way towards the desired place, looking strangely regal (inasmuch as a fish COULD look regal, anyway), stopping for a moment directly in front of the shirt, where he seemed to look directly at Ki for a moment before moving into the 'net'. It stopped the she-pirate cold, rendering her immobile for a few seconds as she absorbed the surreal (she must have imagined it, right?) connection the fish had seemed to make before behaving according to the plan. maybe some of its poison had gotten to her brain--the gods only knew.
Shaking her head and carefully pulling the shirt out of the water, she grinned when the weight of the fish was easily detected. "Capture successful!" She practically crowed, pushing the odd thoughts from her head and focusing again on her revenge...and, less prominently, the soul capture at hand. >3.
Natsuki practically held her breath as she poked around the water, more so when the lion fish wriggled its way from it safe haven and swam directly at Ki. 'Don't get stung! Don't get stung!' she chanted to herself, wading through the water. Any real fisherman would have fallen off his boat had he'd taken one glance at the piratess and the cafe owner's master plan. Then, the fish simply swam directly into Ki's shirt. Talk about luck!
Natsuki didn't release her breath until Ki hoisted the wet shirt out of the water. "Yes! Great job, Ki! Next step is the soul bottle. It might be best to take the soul here, with nobody around instead of near the cafe where I know people will be watching," Natsuki advised, climbing out of the water and sitting down on a rock. She slipped off her sandals and stuck her feet in the sand. Considering all the trouble the fish gave Ki, Natsuki expected it to be much larger. Then again, poisonous fish weren't famed for their size but their potency.
"Plus, it'll make it easier to transport him back to the shop. I think I have a nice wine that will go well with fish. All you need to do is take off the top and lay the bottle near the fish. Just make sure its not close to you or I. Don't want the wrong soul getting taken!" Natsuki said, toweling her feet off and drying her sandals.
Slogging her way over to the shallower part of the pool she'd entered from, Ki made a face, observing that the damn fish was heavier than it'd looked. Mercifully, it didn't seem to be squirming around, much.
Turning to Natsuki, she flashed a grin, nodding. "Sounds good!" Fumbling for a moment, she held the corked bottle in her teeth as she opened up the shirt, peering down at the fish, who, aside from opening and closing his massive mouth a few times, gills working to pull in water that just wasn't there, didn't move.
Shifting her grip on the shirt-opening to one hand, Ki uncorked the bottle with the other, laying down the shirt carefully (so as not to catch her hand on those sharp spines a second time), and simultaneously setting the bottle down, its mouth near the fish's own gaping lips.
Stepping back, Ki nearly tripped over one of the nearby rocks, catching herself at the last moment, straightening and removing the rubber gloves. "How long does this part usually take?" She found herself whispering, although she couldn't have said why.
"It shouldn't take long because a fish can't breath outside of water, right? The soul bottle will help speed up the process, and that guy's also injured. Don't think we'll need to wait long," Natsuki said thoughtfully. Her skin crept a little. Unlike when she took Noor's soul, this time she actually sat there to watch something die. It's not that she hadn't seen a dead fish before, she'd just never watched one die by suffocation. All the fish that she'd ever bought from the Gambino Market, were fresh and dead.
"Honestly, I don't think there is a specific collection time. When I caught mine, I couldn't be near the site after I killed her, since a genie has a human form, it felt more like murder than anything else," she said, in a soft voice, rubbing her arm gentle. Color slightly drained from her fair complexion. Months later, she still felt the haunting remnants of that painful night. "I've been told that souls have colors, so I'd be curious to see what color this guy has. Perhaps, its brown and white like his bold stripes?"
Nodding, Ki watched the bottle intently, conveniently ignoring all those old sayings about watched pots and boiling. "At least there's that--hopefully he's considerate, in that case, and gives it up relatively quickly." It was apparent from the brusqueness in her tone, that she in no way had forgiven the fish for her present sore condition.
Tearing her eyes away from the soul bottle, she turned back to Natsuki as the woman spoke a bit more about her own soul capture experience. "At least you have the knowledge that it was something that she wanted?" It seemed almost trite, the idea of offering some sort of comfort being very, very unfamiliar for the rather rough-edged she-pirate. Moving on, she cleared her throat. "The souls...they have colors?" She finally asked, after a moment of silence, head tilting to the side thoughtfully. The whole process was so strange, and left her with so many questions--not the least of which remained just what she'd gotten herself into, when she'd applied for this "experiment".
Eyeing the bottle once again, as the minutes slipped by, Ki finally straightened--was that a hint of movement, swirling in the bottle's depths?
"Ya know, Ki, I was glad to share this experience with you. I know it might sound a bit childish, but its nice to know that not all these soul captures are utterly emotionally scarring events," Natsuki confided in the pirate lass. For all her hard-nosed management techniques, there were still some situations where the young cafe manager wilted like a rose in the desert.
An opalescent smoke danced in the bottom of the bottle. As it grew denser and denser, bands of glittering chocolate brown emerged. After a few minutes, the final swirls of soul and life traveled from the lion fish to settle inside the soul bottle. Natsuki watched with the same interest as Ki, seeing as she missed her own soul capture experience. All she could remember were the floating amethyst swirls after she took Noor's soul.
"Just stick the stopper back in, and that's all she wrote. I'll deliver the materials to Dr. Kyou after I close up tonight," Natsuki said, carefully picking up the fish with her thick gloves and placing it in a plastic bag. Not one to go back on an offer, she mused over her fish recipes, thinking up an ideal menu fit for Pirate Queen. "All that's left is our little dinner date!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:32 am
Opening the door to the appartment, Ki set her duffel bag down gently, mindful of some of the loot she'd stuffed inside. Much as she loved the time she spent out at sea, she had to confess that there was something to be said about coming home after a month or two away, too. Home? When did this become home? Shaking her head, she wondered when she'd become such a homebody.
Wrinkling her nose, she looked around, pleased to note that, while dusty, the appartment still looked the same as when she'd left it. She assumed that the vial had been properly received by the lab, and...Dr. Kyou, Natsuki had mentioned? Not one to worry or fret unduly, however, she hadn't thought much about it, other than idly speculating as to what sort of creature would come from that damned fish's soul. That said, for all the pain it'd caused, it had turned out to be quite tasty~
Oberon, glad to be settled back on dry land, and familiar dry land to boot, made a beeline to reclaim his favorite spot, on Ki's pillow. He, much like his she-pirate companion, hadn't slept well the past couple of nights, and was more than ready to spend the rest of the afternoon curled up in a fuzzy ball, napping.
Sighing, Ki eyed her duffel, debating just how ambitious she was feeling, and whether she really wanted to unpack now, and maybe head out to grab some groceries...or if she wanted to try to catch up on some of the sleep she'd been deprived of.
After a moment of indecision, she sighed, giving one last, longing look to the sofa before checking to see if she had enough money in her changepurse, and heading out to pick up at least a few basic necessities at the store--if nothing else, this way she wouldn't have to do so later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:34 pm
Vashtya Finally, solid ground beneath her boot-heels. Having hit port less than an hour ago, Ki'retha was enjoying renewing her acquaintance with the earth--this last trip had been pushing the boundaries, for her. But, she wouldn't trade her current life for anything--even with the difficulties it gave her, given her strong ties to the woodlands, and earth, there was something about the open sea that she just couldn't resist. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and her usual loose-fitting overshirt was unlaced, allowing some of the seabreeze to give her some marginal degree of relief from the heat.
Pointedly ignoring Oberon, who was panting insistently in her ear, absolutely miserable in the summer heat, Ki made her way through the boisterous port of gambino, the trip yielding a few more coins than she'd started with.
Irritated by his companion's lack of sympathy for his plight (it was hot when you had a full coat of fur!) Oberon nipped Ki on the ear, before darting off into the crowd.
"You little shi-" Ki cursed, eyes quickly losing sight of the temperamental butterflox. Sighing, she supposed that she really should go look for him--tempting though it might be to abandon him to his fate, since she'd agreed to participate in an ongoing experiment involving the strange vial of amber, she figured it wouldn't go over very well that managed to lose track of the creature she'd won during the summer festival the previous year. Glaring pointedly at a man who looked as though he were about to attempt striking up a conversation, she nonetheless snagged his wallet as she pushed past him, hoping that Oberon hadn't gone far. soutou Kinsey finally had a day off today. First time she had a day off in...well, since she had moved out of her mother's place, even! Oh, sure. She had time off from work every now and again, she wouldn't let that damn restaurant eat up all her time, but she had been spending quite a lot of time making her apartment more like home. What? It was harder than it sounded! There was a lot of painting involved, arranging furniture, and generally having some sense of design.
No, seriously. It was hard!
So, on her first totally free weekend, Miss Kinsey Finch had decided to treat herself to some fishing. Yes. Fishing. There was nothing wrong with enjoying a perfect summer day at the beach. Everyone did it. Kinsey just happened to prefer to spend them away from the crowd with a line in the water. Or in the crowd, as today's case might be. The boyish youth wandered through Gambino's port, a bucket of bait in one hand, a rod and a net in the other. She just needed to find a good place to settle down-
What was that?
Did that fox have wings?
Thinking quickly, Kinsey dropped the bucket and rod, swinging the net around as she made a wild leap towards the small, agile creature. Her net was a pretty decent size, but that wasn't the question. It was if she calculated right. The young woman hit the deck with a thud and scrambled forward to check her net. Vashtya Not paying attention to where he was flying, other than to avoid obvious obstacles, Oberon yelped in surprise as Kinsey's net flew up and over his head, tangling in his wings and forcing him to the ground with an audible, solid thud. Struggling to his feet, Oberon glared up at his captor through the netting, growling low in his throat, his heart beating fast, the beginning of panic setting trickling in. It was sinking in that he was not very large, comparatively, and was now stuck completely at this person's mercy, without even the ability to take flight to safety, should he need it.
Ki, not too far behind her wayward 'pet', took in the scene before her at a glance, not quite sure as to her own reaction. She was...concerned, to see Oberon in such a state. No, she corrected herself, shaking her head--she was upset that someone else might get to pawn the annoying beast off on some collector of rare creatures, and make a fortune.
Straightening, she took a moment to catch her breath, tossing her shoulder-length hair back, expression cool and confident as she stepped over to where Kinsey and Oberon were having their face-off. Hands on her hips, she unconsciously gathered her presence, much as she did when directing the crew. She was relatively tall, and slender, as was typical of her race, but it was a muscular sort of slim--she was no starving waif!
While her clothing was hardly noteworthy, or impressive (she was dressed in leather pants that laced up the sides, and flared out slightly below the knee, dropping casually over the tops of her boots, and a long-sleeved lace-up shirt whose sleeves flared out slightly as well, with one silver cuff worn on each of her upper arms--the attire was rather worn, and since she'd only just arrived at port, was distinctly dingy), she oozed confidence.
"Do you make a habit of netting other people's pets often?" She raised an eyebrow, expression faintly amused--she'd never been the sort to fly off the handle unless seriously provoked, and seeing as the girl had hardly been discreet in netting Oberon, she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Additionally, the use of the word 'pet', rather than companion, or 'beast' was meant for Oberon, a deliberate slight on her part to the butterflox, small recompense for having to dash all through the back alleys like a common street urchin. soutou Kinsey sucked in a desperate breath, the deck proving to make a much rougher landing than she originally assumed. She wasn't concerned with the breathing, though. She had caught the creature. Still unconcerned with the fact she was sprawled in the middle of a public walkway, the young woman reached out to touch the little butterflox. Well, that was, until someone else marched over and inquired after it.
Kinsey rolled over and sat up, still keeping a firm hand on the net's handle as she eyed the stranger. "It's yours?" she questioned, glancing back at the fascinating creature. What a shame! He would certainly be more interesting than any fish she managed to hook. She gave the butterflox one last, longing look before raising the net. "Too bad," she muttered, slowly hoisting herself to her feet. She brushed off her jeans and her shirt, bracelets clinking as she went about her cleaning ritual. There wasn't much to clean. Kinsey dressed simply enough, and she had the build of a boy. A very lanky, skinny boy. She was all angles, no curves. There was no chest to speak of.
Kinsey pushed some of her short hair behind her ear, only to have it fall forward again. "So, what do you call that thing, anyways?" she asked, waving a hand at the stranger's pet. Kinsey blinked. Wait. Was it rude to ask for someone's pet's name before asking for theirs? The youth blinked again, frowning to herself as she offered her hand for a shake. "I'm Kinsey, by the way." Vashtya Oberon blinked in surprise when the net was lifted away, interrupting the glare he'd fired at Ki, upon her referring to him as a 'pet'. With an indignant snort, he shook himself out, fur fluffing up--surely he was intimidating now!
Ki was unimpressed. Raising an eyebrow, her expression clearly stated that the butterflox owed her one, whether he liked it or not. "Yeah, it's mine...assuming I don't sell it to some sort've freak show." This last was, once again, directed pointedly towards Oberon.
After glowering for what he deemed a suitable period of time, Oberon flapped his wings, darting nimbly to return to his usual perch, on Ki's shoulder. Eyes narrowing, he nipped at her ear, hard enough to prompt her to inhale sharply. Satisfied, although his expression was still somewhat indignant, he then settled down, returning his gaze to Kinsey.
Ki smirked, although the expression had a slightly sharp edge to it--she was already beginning to regret recovering the pest. "When in polite company, and he's behaving, I call him Oberon--if I recall correctly, when I received him he was referred to as being a butterflox." She refused to rub at her ear, although the spot that the little fox had nipped at was still sore.
Extending her own hand in return, Ki shook the girl's hand firmly, her palm rough and callused. "Ki'retha." She was impressed--the other girl hadn't fallen over herself apologizing, as most would have been wont to do in such an awkward situation--she had balls, Ki would give her that. soutou Kinsey was very silently, and very secretly, slightly thankful Ki'retha didn't seem to mind the capture of her pet very much. Not that she'd ever admit to it, oh no. Even if Ki'retha was angry, she still wouldn't have apologized, of backed down. Just gotten angry back, and that would really put a damper on a perfect weekend now, wouldn't it? But that aside, the whole ordeal didn't seem like a very big deal. In fact, it seemed like they didn't like each other very much at all. If that butterflox, was it, knew what was good for him, he'd stop biting the hand that fed him. Or the ear of the person who fed him, as the case may by.
"Ki'retha," Kinsey murmured, making sure to remember the stranger's name. She'd probably never forgot the way she looked, that was for certain. Who could forget a seafaring women, especially one with a winged fox? Those certainly didn't walk by everyday. (Or maybe they did, in which case, Kinsey should clearly be spending more time at the beach.) "Where'd you get him?" she inquired, waving her hand at Oberon. There was no denying, she wanted one!
A butterflox wouldn't compare to a pet fish, not ev- Oh! "My rod!" Kinsey exclaimed suddenly, whipping around to look for her precious tool. Tossed to the side of the docks, she was quite lucky it hadn't been kicked into the water yet. Darting sideways, Kinsey scooping it up, scowling at the person who gave her a nasty look as she cut him off. Damn men. Didn't know what they were doing. Tucking the rod and her net against her side safely, Kinsey quickly walked back over to Ki'retha. "I think going after the bait is hopeless," she muttered, quirking a smile.
In a battle of worms versus feet, the feet were sure to win. Vashtya Ki hesitated a moment before opening her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Kinsey, darting to pick up her fishing rod. When the man fixed first the girl, and then herself with an annoyed glare, she stared back, deliberately shifting to the side so that when he walked by, his shoulder bumped into hers roughly. At the same time, with her other hand, she nimbly lifted the wallet out of his back pocket--not bad at all...it was surprisingly heavy. When he turned his head to give her another glare, she shrugged, her own expression shifting to pleasantly deadpan.
"I won him--he was a door prize at a summer festival I attended last year." She still wasn't quite sure how it had gotten to be so long, without her having killed him, or sold him to the circus already.
Looking thoughtful for a moment, Ki met Kinsey's eyes with her own. "You could always see if one of the fish-sellers around here has leftover bits of fish they've cleaned--I don't fish myself, but I've heard they make for decent bait." She'd never really understood the appeal of fishing--she liked eating, and that included fish, but she'd never had the urge to take a day and give it a go.
Grunting, the man finally turned and continued on his way without anymore of a fuss, obviously in a hurry to get to wherever he was going. Satisfied, she grinned, tucking the wallet behind her belt. soutou Kinsey watched quietly as the other woman seemingly bumped into the grouchy man -she had stepped in his way, didn't she?- and then gave him an innocent look. Well, as innocent as uninterested gets. That was odd. They hardly knew each other, why would she defend- Oh. Kinsey flipped some hair behind her ear again, frowning thoughtfully. "Did you just-" No, no. It was probably better not to ask. She shook her head and pretended like she hadn't started.
"Door prize, huh?" Kinsey's face fell a little. "So chances would be, I couldn't get one." Alas. She'd have to stick with trying to catch something interesting one of these days. The fish in pet stores weren't really the same. (And come to think, they didn't have anything like butterfloxes, either.) She shrugged and shook her had, looking back down at her rod as Ki'retha made her suggestion.
Not bad. Kinsey shrugged and nodded. She didn't fish with fish guts too often. Smelled funny. "You wanna come along?" she offered. "I'm sure someone around here has a rod they'd be willing to lend." Kinsey paused before adding, "Or a rod they aren't watching closely," she mused, shifting. She had 'borrowed' more than her fair share of rods when hers had broken or been pulled in when she wasn't near a shop. "Well, whaddya say?" Vashtya Ki's smile widened, her whole expression lightening somewhat, into an almost childlike expression of joy, when Kinsey made no move to draw attention to her nimble fingers, or to start preaching as to the 'wrongness' of her actions. This girl might just be worth spending a little more time with, especially since she'd managed to ruffle Obe's feathers, so to speak.
Shrugging, she gave Kinsey a slightly odd look, as if she couldn't understand why she'd want a little pest pet like Oberon. "That'd depend, I guess--I mean, I can't imagine that there won't ever be any more of them or anything, you know?"
Glancing over at Obe, who was still pointedly ignoring her, Ki nodded decisively--it wasn't as though she was in any hurry to get back to the appartment after being cooped up on a ship for so long, anyway.
With a small huff, Oberon settled himself more comfortably onto Ki's shoulder, finally shifting his attention off've Kinsey to look around the bustling port with an idle sort of interest.
"Sure." She finally said, tucking one thumb loosely behind her belt. "Although I've never actually...fished before, so the odds of my hooking something I shouldn't is pretty likely." soutou Kinsey shrugged back, brushing her hair out of her face. Again. "Well, I guess I'll have to look around and see?" she chirped, looking thoughtful. No use getting all done about it. "Where'd you say you got him, again? Party? Who held the party?" she rattled, already turning on her heel to head for the fish mongers. They'd probably be pretty easy to get to part with their unneeded fish pieces.
"Never fished before, and you live around here?" It was an assumption, but she did seem like she knew the docks pretty well. "Right waste," she said. She'd fish every day if she lived around here! "But, you'll probably have beginner's luck. I sit around all day, don't catch a damn thing sometimes. But new kids go, catch a whole pile a' fish. You'll be like my good luck charm!" Kinsey smiled, and wrinkled her nose.
"I think they have the fish." Vashtya Inclining her head at Kinsey in a noncommittal sort of agreement, Ki propped one hand easily on her hip. "It was a summer festival, not a party-I don't remember how all it was organized, but there were all sorts of booths, and one of them happened to be some sort of door-prize raffle, with different creatures as the 'prizes'" she shrugged, then, as if the whole process really wasn't a concern for her...she really wasn't sure how much about the 'experiment' was safe to discuss with others, and so avoided giving away anything more specific.
At the other's new line of conversation, Ki grinned, shaking her head. "Nope." Until recently, when she'd finally condescended to get her own appartment, she'd not even really 'lived' here, anyway.
"So really, it's often just a way to spend a day lazing in the sun?" This said with an almost lazy, mischievious expression that made it hard to tell just to what extent she was teasing.
When it became apparent that neither Ki nor Kinsey was going to do anything drastic anytime soon, Oberon took off again, landing a few feet away on the ground and sniffing around curiously, although he frequently looked back over his shoulder, as if to make sure that Ki hadn't wandered off too far.
"So, what do you do, besides fish?" She asked a moment later, content to let the girl lead the way, given that she was the one with prior experience. soutou "Yep. Damn right it is," Kinsey replied, flashing Ki a toothy grin before turning to the fish monger they had come upon. It was actually a little funny; the older woman had never fished before, but she already knew exactly what the past time actually was. Most people who fished couldn't even enjoy the real beauty of it. It wasn't about the fish, not at all.
A few moments later, the youth turned around with a bucket of fish, wrinkling her nose a little. It smelled a little, but once they got down to the edge of the docks, the breeze would take care of that. She began to lead Ki down to her fishing spot and considered the question. "Well. I have a job. I waitress the late shift." She shrugged. "I go visit my family...and...that's it. I need more hobbies." The girl stuck her tongue out and sat down at the edge of one 'her' dock, deserted by whoever actually owned it, and patted the wood next to her. "Well, gonna fish, or what?" Vashtya Ki laughed, shaking her head at Kinsey's bluntness. It was a trait she enjoyed. Immensely. Additionally, she noted privately, the pasttime also had the potential to provide a mostly-free dinner, if things went well--and that was something she appreciated even more.
Standing a couple of paces back, she left Kinsey to talking the fish seller out've a bucket of fishy bits, scritching at Obe's chin thoughtfully, as he'd taken it upon himself to perch on her shoulder when she and the youth had moved. When Kinsey turned back around, success evident by the bucket of fish she now held, Ki raised her eyebrows. While certainly not her favorite smell, odour was something that she'd long since learned to ignore--a necessity when one was sometimes out at sea for months at a time with men who, in some cases, seemed to consider bathing an option.
presuming that this girl didn't waitress at one of the dingy, dockside taverns that Ki and her crewmates were likely to frequent--she seemed a little too clean-cut for that. "You still live at home, then?" Her tone was neutral, although she couldn't help but wonder just how young the girl was, if that was the case. soutou Kinsey had long since outgrown 'girly' traits such as recoiling at foul smells; it was a necessity when growing up with brothers, after all. She settled down on the dock, plucking off her boots and wading her socks deep inside said boots before addressing the hook and fish guts. Good thing she didn't mind touching gross things anymore, either. Once the bait was properly secured, she offered the line to Ki. "You want to have first go?" she offered, leaning down to dip her fishy hand in the water.
"Hmm? No, I moved out," she replied, chuckling. "But, I dunno. My mom likes to have meals with the whole family a few times a week, and who am I to say no to a free, home-cooked meal?" It went without saying that it was far better than anything Kinsey tried to create. She was good at serving food, at that was as far as her domestication went. "What about you? Hobbies? Vashtya Shaking her head, Ki crouched down beside the bucket, eyeing the fish-bits thoughtfully. "Nah, I'd rather see how it's done, first, I think." She tended to be a fast learner, and really didn't think there was all that much to fishing, anyway-but it gave her a little more time to observe, and measure the girl's personality a bit more thoroughly.
"Free meals are nothing to sniff at," she responded easily, amused. The closest she came to 'family' meals was eating with the rest of the crew on board the ship, or when more than one of them ended up at the same dockside tavern and grabbed something to eat. She didn't cook herself--aside from the occasional frozen dinner or instant noodles, anyway.
Shrugging, Ki braced her hands on her knees, debating between taking a seat, and remaining as she was a bit longer. Did lifting valuables from unsuspecting passers-by count as a hobby? She wondered how the girl would take that, a smirk flitting briefly across her face.
"Not really." she replied after a brief silence. "I don't really have all that much free time on a steady basis, so while I have interests, like most, I don't really have any one activity that I'd label a 'hobby'." The sea remained her first love, which her lifestyle certainly reflected--and if it meant that she had very few close relationships, then that was a price she was willing to pay. She enjoyed the freedom, the constant change, and the excitement that her life so often brought. soutou Kinsey nodded and motioned for Ki to give her some room. Once the older woman was a few feet back, Kinsey cast her line with a mighty swing, smiling as the hook went buzzing through the air. Her lips twinged. Her old fishing buddy would be appalled to see her cast her line like that, a good way to ruin the bait, but she was very fond of showing off her arm. "That was a little overkill," she murmured, "it ruins the bait a little. Unless you have it on real well, like I do." A cheeky smile.
"Oh, well, that's cool, I guess, as long as you enjoy your job. I think I'd die, though." Being a waitress is nice and all, but some people could really grate the nerves, and she would definitely be fired for dumping hot coffee in someone's lap. Something tugged on the line. "Oh hey! That was fast." It better not be a boot.
Kinsey grinned like a wildcat as she began to reel her line in. Vashtya Ki grinned back. The maneuver had been impressive--even Obe had eyed the flying hook cautiously until it had disappeared beneath the waves. Moving forward again, she remained slightly behind Kinsey, taking a moment to observe some of the other people casting along the water's edge.
"Mmmm. Well, I work on a ship, so I'm sometimes away from port for months at a time--you either find portable hobbies, or you tend to make the sea itself a hobby." Which wasn't to say, of course, that tension didn't sometimes run high--being kept in such close quarters for so long, some disputes were bound to crop up, after all.
When the girl began to reel in her line, Ki watched with a vague sort of interest--she'd always perceived fishing to be one of those hobbies where you often sat all day without any tangible gratification. "Is it a big one? How can you tell it's a fish, and not just a piece of debris that the hook got snagged on?" soutou "Huh. Well, kudos to you," she chuckled. Kinsey bit her lip and tugged the line, fighting with the thing at the supposed creature of the end. "See, the thing is, I doooon't exactly know what's on the end of the hook," she drawled, giving another good tug. "By the way it's movin' around, I'd reckon it to be a fish. But, you never really know. Sometimes a boot catches a flow and moves all over the place, you think you've hooked yourself a nice'un but noooooo."
The youth gave a good tug when her line got close to the dock, and a small popped out of the water, flailing all over the place as Kinsey tried to bring the creature to the deck. "Damnit. He's too little." Kinsey made a grab for the fish, fumbling around with the wild little beast before finally getting a good hold on him. She popped the hook out of his mouth and let the fish slip free. Kinsey sighed and wiped her hand on the deck. "Hardly worth the effort." A small grin. "I kinda throw them all back, anyways."
Kinsey turned and offered the pole to the older woman. "Wanna turn? Or you still watchin'?" Vashtya Still not quite sure she saw the appeal of this particular pasttime, particularly since nothing seemed to be gained from it, Ki was, nonetheless, willing to give it a try herself. Besides, it wasn't as though she'd had any other pressing plans for this afternoon, and she was flush enough with cash after the voyage she'd just returned from that funds weren't an immediate concern.
Holding out one sun-bronzed hand expectantly, she gave the other girl a small grin, raising one eyebrow. "I think I'm ready to give it a try." she said, eyeing Obe warily, as if she half expected him to do something foolish, like get in the way of the hook when she went to cast.
Landing gracefully by the she-pirate's feet, Oberon twined himself around her ankles, eyeing the now-rapidly disappearing fish with an air of mourning. It had been a flash of silvery temptation, before the girl had released it back into the water.
Mimicking Kinsey's grip on the fishing pole, Ki attempted a cast, barely avoiding getting hooked herself when she forgot to release the button, line swinging dangerously close to Obe's thick fur, as well.
"...This isn't quite as easy as it looks, is it?" she offered a moment later, cocking her head to the side as she looked at Kinsey, clearly waiting for some sort of explanation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:36 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:40 pm
[reserved for Ki + kumo RP (pre Tang, I'm stupid and forgot to reserve the post...d'oh >w<)]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:42 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:21 pm
[Solo RP: Getting Acquainted (Ki + Tang; will post this up hopefully in next couple days as I finish typing it up)]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:58 pm
Hovering in the kitchen area, Tangaroa eyed the shelves curiously, rummaging until he found what he wanted--a box of cookies--and then headed back out into the small living room area. Ki was gone for the day, having said something about helping to sell the ship's cargo, and he was bored already.
He much preferred being on board the Maiden's Purse--there was a lot to see, and always things to be done...not to mention, even the more rough crew members gave him (or perhaps, more specifically, his fins) a respectfully wide berth, leaving him to observe, and absorb, the sights and smells on the ocean as he pleased. However, since Ki had seen fit to leave him at the appartment, without even Oberon for company, he was now faced with the task of entertaining himself. Hovering in the doorway to Ki's bedroom, he didn't even hesitate before moving directly towards the small closet off to one side, where he proceeded to make a mess of every last article of clothing...and to leave a number of cookie crumbs tangled in the folds of cloth left in his wake (and more still scattered on the floor).
Having absorbed most of the sugar from the entire package of cookies, he dropped the box somewhere in Ki's room, losing interest in it, but feeling a lot more energetic now that the sugars that had been present in them were gone. Making his way into the bathroom, Tang opened up the small medecine cabinet mounted on the wall near the door, peering at the bottle of advil that sat on one shelf with mild curiosity before turning his attention to the box of band-aids that sat next to it.
Opening the box, he wrinkled his brow, staring at one of the sealed strips curiously (they were disney ones, and so rather brightly colored) for a moment before tearing it open, picking at the flaps until one came off, surprising him briefly--and causing him, in his inattention, to wind up with the band-aid sticking firmly to his thumb, to his almost comical chagrin. Quite gratified that no one was home, it took some severe shaking before the band-aid fluttered into the sink, where it adhered to the drain.
Looking from the band-aid to the box still in his hand with interest, he smiled, the expression downright devilish as he opened another band-aid, making his way back out into Ki's bedroom, practically sashaying.
When he shut the door behind him a short time later, he was looking peculiarly serene, and more than a little self-satisfied as he made his way over to the couch, where he sprawled out, flipping on the television that Ki had bought in a vain attempt at providing him with distraction, and thus reining in his ability to get into mischief in the appartment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:15 pm
Prompt A Taken by : Vashyta Title : Troublemakers Description : CRASH!! A loud noise of of glass breaking can be heard from a nearby room. There it goes again, that was the third time in the week that some foreign object had flown through the glass windows, breaking the third window. This one was just replaced by your guardian yesterday too! Your guardian isn't around right now, but you distinctively heard little children giggling from outside as you approach the broken window. Unfortunately for your guardian, the baseball that flew through the glass window also hit a glass ornament in the house. It now lay on the floor in many broken pieces. Your guardian would be furious when they get back. What should you do? Perhaps it's time the troublemakers learn a lesson? Or maybe you would prefer to lecture them politely? Requirements : None. Working on getting this posted THISWEEK. >w< *fail*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:48 pm
Hovering on deck, Tang watched with interest as Ki's crew loaded up supplies, their deep bellows periodically ringing out, informing bystanders to move out of the way. Interspersed were frequent bouts of cursing as someone slipped on the slick wooden walkway, or had some other minor (but often rather painful) accident. They paid little attention to the raevan, except that needed to give him a fairly wide berth--it wasn't dislike, per se, but more than one of them had learned the hard way that he wasn't completely defenseless, much as his initially very naive personality might have led some to believe he could be pushed around and bullied.
Propping his elbows on the railing, Tang sniffed appreciatively. He'd missed the smell of ocean salt (and other less pleasant things) while he and Ki had stayed at her appartment here in town, and while they would be returning this evening, he'd overheard Ki informing the crew that they'd be 'shipping out' sometime in the next few days. Not quite certain just what they did on board when not in port, he was looking forward to getting to see it firsthand. With a small grunt, Tang bumped against the railing, caught off guard by an unexpectedly forceful wave. The water was fairly choppy, with a brisk wind lending a distinct bite to the air.
Making his way belowdecks, Tang opened the door to Ki's cabin, making his way inside without hesitation. Running his fingertips lightly along the surface of the desk that was bolted down in one corner, he slumped with a haphazard sort of elegance into her chair, shifting slightly when one of his fins dug sharply into the leather. Listening carefully for a moment, he nodded to himself distractedly, already feeling around inside one of the many drawers that decorated the desk's front panels. Grinning with satisfaction, Tang pulled a bag of shortbread cookies out, and set about absorbing the sugars that provided his energy. Replete and satisfied, he carefully returned the bag to where Ki had stashed it before drifting towards the door again, shutting it quietly behind him.
He couldn't help but wonder how long it would take Ki to notice that he'd gotten to the cookies first...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
