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 Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:31 pm
Menelie Much to their mother's consternation, Aysun and Nanna had been concocting a plan to find a way to visit their brother Sindri, who seemed, at least to Aysun, to be almost a mythical figure. It was hard to believe he was real sometimes, even though Kadri's stories were so vivid.
But, after so many tides of writing letters and settling logistics, it was finally happening! They were meeting Sindri in Sunrise Terrace, which was close enough to the water for them, and safe because they had other family there. Kadri had agreed to accompany them (at Mother's insistence), though he wouldn't actually come ashore.
Aysun, for her part, was quietly excited about their first time on land. She couldn't wait to see different plants and creatures, taste different food, and of course spend time with Sindri. She imagined him as incredibly wise and well-traveled, with a great sense of humor and big heart. Of course, only some of this was based on what she'd heard from Kadri and their parents. Some of it was totally invented. Daisicle Sindri, in taking his first trip from Breeheart in so very long, glanced back from the way his cart had come. It was his first time leaving the little feathernuggets without personal long-term supervision. Sure, he'd enlisted the watchful gaze of the nuisance-turned-significantly-less-annoying, and he wanted to believe his offer of all the eggs laid while she watched over them would keep the harpy interested in keeping his birds safe.... but it was hard to really trust her. There was a part of him nervous of coming home to an empty coop.
But he couldn't just turn around now.
This would be his first time meeting his younger sisters, and from the letters they'd shared, they seemed excited. Given it's distance from water, Breeheart was too much for them. So they'd settled on another home of family - honestly, a home of much more family than where he lived. Sunrise Terrace. It'd be nice to see his Uncle... er... Nephew again, along with the... uh... great niece. Putting it that way really made him feel old, even though he was younger than them both. Weird.
Turning to look ahead as the NPC pulled his shared cart along, Sindri watched the edge of the Lake from the distance and noted the silhouette of buildings coming into view. Menelie Even though Kadri had never been to Sunrise Terrace himself, he knew the Lake well enough to know how to get there. For his part, he was definitely amused that their mother had let him take the girls instead of insisting on doing it herself, but he had his suspicions that their father had had something to do with that decision. Either way, he was also enjoying the trip and, if he were being honest, the responsibility of having the girls. Not that they were very much trouble. He was also excited to see Sindri again, though he wouldn't let it show through his breezy demeanor. They hadn't seen each other since they were teens. He wouldn't come ashore all the way, though, especially since this was Aysun and Nanna's trip. But he'd probably hop up on a dock somewhere, say his hellos, introduce the girls, laugh at them being awkward on their feet, then hand them off to Sindri and hop back in the water until it was time for everyone to come home. Could Sindri join them all in the water? Sure. Was Kadri expecting him to at all? Nope.
The three swam at the surface as they neared the village, as the water started to get more shallow anyway. Luckily the main dock looked like it went way out into the water, as their tails began to drag in the lakebed. "Sindri ought to be waiting for us, assuming he isn't late," said Kadri. "Why don't we hop up on this dock so you girls can get your legs under you."Aysun had been beginning to get anxious as they'd gotten closer. Everything was about to be so new and different. She was ordinarily a fairly slow swimmer, but she may have been even more hesitant today. She lagged behind Kadri as they approached the dock. "Y-you go first, Nanna," she said. She wanted to watch what happened so she'd know what to expect. Daisicle Nanna looked on eagerly ahead as the trio approached the surface - the first time she'd seen it so close! Or, for that matter, at all. Period. She had practically been bubbling during their long trip, her expectations far outweighing the general fatigue she'd felt from the distance. She scoffed at Kadri's comment - there was NO WAY Sindri would ever think to be late meeting his adorable little sisters for the first time. Nanna was a little peeved he'd yet to come and visit them, but he apparently had a reason for it. One she didn't really get - how could he be a naiad with legs? weird af - but whatever. They'd see him now.
And part of her hoped they'd be able to convince him to come back down to the Spring. It was (probably) less fun with some family missing, and didn't he get lonely up here with all those horrible land pae? Grandma and Granny had made absolutely sure to tell the pair of them growing up what nonsense they liked to get up to! Up here was no place for a naiad.
"C'mon Aysun, don't you be getting wet feet now." Granny would probably scold her for her tone, as it wasn't becoming of a Lady, but she wasn't here now. "It's just the surface, right?" She made a little circling motion to gain momentum before launching herself up, out of the water, and onto the deck. Or halfway onto it - her tail flapped water this way and that behind her. "What the heck?!" Nanna struggled to keep from falling back in before she felt her tail begin to split and, sure enough, a pair of dainty little legs was soon kicking behind her as she tried to pull herself up, toes and all.Meanwhile, the cart carrying Sindri was nearing the village pretty close to on-schedule. He waved to the sentry keeping watch as they passed through the village boundary.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:33 pm
Menelie Aysun peeked her nose above water to see Nanna. "Your tail!" She exclaimed, gasping even though she had known what would happen. She looked down at her own heart-shaped tailfins. "Your turn, Aysun," said Kadri gently to his shy sister. He was actually a little glad Sindri didn't appear to be here yet, as then he wouldn't have to see Kadri pull his own maneuver to get up onto the dock.Aysun nodded, then copied Nanna's movements and hopped up onto the dock. She landed squarely on her tail, which became legs as she did so, and she ended up in a kneeling position. Flawless execution. She smiled a little and got to her new feet, taking Nanna's hand."Okay, my turn," said Kadri softly to himself. He, being larger, had to do an even deeper swirling maneuver before shooting himself our of the water toward the dock. Only he didn't quite make it, and wound up hanging onto the edge by his hands. He swore under his breath and pulled himself up, with great effort, swinging his tail back and forth until he had tho momentum to swing up all the way. Panting, he curled his tail underneath himself, as if he was sitting on the lakebed. Suddenly he was glad he had left his flour sack with Laoise for the trip. "Easy-peasy," he said coolly, shaking his hair out of his face.Aysun was giggling at Kadri's "gracefulness". Daisicle Nanna, still splayed out on her stomach but with her thighs now firmly onto the platform and her body no longer at risk of falling off, made a face as Aysun perfectly nailed her landing. Not that she was mad or anything, just a little frustraited... and maybe a little jealous. Then she looked over at her other brother and furrowed her brows before bringing her legs under her and sitting up and smiling smugly. "What're you talking about? You about fell back into the Lake."Sindri thanked the nice pae who's cart he'd shared for the trip from Breeheart and left him a token of gratitude via coin as he jumped down and began to walk over to the piers. There was a modest satchel slung on his shoulder, filled (not to the brim) with traveling necessities and some souvenirs for the family. He waved at Theron as he passed with a, "Hey man, let's catch up later!" before continuing.
A smile touched his lips as one familiar - and two new - figures on the docks became obvious. "Eyyyy, Kadri!" He yelled out as he walked over, stopping a short distance away. He placed a hand on his hip, then ran it through his hair - combed and braided out of his face - as he looked between the two he was meeting for the first time. "You two must be Aysun and Nanna - it's nice to finally meet you."Nanna gasped at the very pink and very much legged with a big-a** finned tail pae walked over. "Wooooooah, you look just like what Kadri said. That tail's so weeeeeird." She giggled. Menelie Aysun, who'd had her back in the direction of the town as she'd watched Kadri, jumped with a little "eep!" and skittered to stand next to--and slightly behind--Nanna. She peered at the adult before her, and looked back and forth a few times between him and Kadri. They didn't look a thing alike.Kadri broke into a grin and made a large, open-armed gesture as Sindri approached. "Heyyy Sindri!" he called. He was surprised to see how much his brother had grown. Not that it made sense, but he'd almost expected to see him as he was when he'd left, a gangly and awkward teen. "Nice of you to finally show up," he teased, twinkle in his eye. "You look great, man, good to see you."Kadri's easy way with Sindri put Aysun slightly more at ease. She felt a little guilty, being so shy around her own brother. She studied him, resting her chin on Nanna's shoulder. Then, suddenly everything clicked into place. She'd always noticed that she and Kadri looked alike, with Mama's dappled skin. Seeing Sindri now made her realize that he and Nanna shared Papa's light body and darker tail pattern...but Sindri's hair was just the color of her own. Aysun smiled finally, seeing how they all fit together. "Hi," she said softly. Daisicle Sindri, although he kept on a smile, visibly winced a bit at the combination of one teenager poking his metaphorical weak spot and the other running away from him - Kadri was probably the only one that would have noticed though. Thankfully, said brother was quick to distract with his hellos.
The sprite took notice in his brother's growth - damn, had it really been so long? Whereas Kadri had filled into his phisique with slim and aerodynamic muscles fitting of one that moved through water, particularly in the abdomen section, Sindri had noticably bulked up his arms, legs, and back from working on the surface. While not glaring, it would have been obvious enough upon a closer comparison. Everything from his skin to hair textures would have seemed different, yet nearly the same despite it all. He crinkled his nose just like his mother as he smiled back. "Yeah man, it's been ages. See you didn't grow out of the lack of land legs." A shame, to be honest. It'd make it more of a pain to introduce him to the rest of the family... Though he did have the upper body strength by now to just literally carry him... Probably.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:35 pm
Menelie Kadri had noticed Sindri's expression, but wisely decided to keep that to himself, although it did privately amuse him that his brother didn't know what to expect around teenagers. "See you've finally grown into yours," he responded with a grin. It was so good to go back and forth like this again. Nobody could keep up with him like Sindri. Noticing their sisters gawking, he shifted their attention to the girls. "I, uh, guess I should make introductions or something," he said, chuckling and putting his hands on his hips. "Girls, this is Sindri. Obviously. Sindri, meet your sisters. Nanna's got the mouth, and Aysun's the shrinking anemone." As an aside to Sindri, he added, "Don't take it personal, she's literally always like this. But she'll come out of her shell. Won't you, Aysun?"Aysun stuck her tongue out at Kadri. She'd wrapped her arms around Nanna's arm, almost like she used to do with their mother. She rested her chin on Nanna's shoulder and was just...observing how Kadri and Sindri interacted. It seemed like she and Nanna got along better than their brothers did. She'd never speak to Nanna in such a way. "Hi," she repeated herself, slightly more audibly this time, as Sindri's attention shifted to the sisters. "I'm very glad to meet you." Daisicle Eyyy, nice comeback. This sort of bantering was kind of nostalgic, and a metaphorical manly tear slid down his cheek. Just metaphorical. He would never shed a tear in front of his siblings. He glanced over at Kadri and nodded before waving at the girls. "Let's try this again - I'm your big brother, Sindri. It's nice to finally meet you two."Nanna had fully gotten her feet beneath her at this point and crossed her arms as she more carefully inspected the tall, pink weirdo in front of her. Then she moved some wet strands of hair back behind her earfins before crossing her arms again. "Aysuuuuun, you're dripping water on meeeee..." She quietly whined to her sister and slightly adjusted her shoulder to make it more comfortable.
When addressed again, she gave a small wave in return with a curt, "Heyo. You may bask in -all- of our glory. I'll allow it." Menelie At Nanna's complaint, Aysun straightened up and wrung her hair out over the water, then shook her hands out and returned to the same position. She gave a little wave to Sindri. "It's nice to meet you too," she responded quietly with a shy smile.Kadri mentally facepalmed at Nanna, though he was also privately amused. Teenagers. "Nanna, be nice," he said. She was not ready for Sindri's level of snark. Daisicle Nanna looked over at Kadri and pouted before sticking out her tongue at him and giving a small "Hmmp!" through her nose. Now that she was actually here, she wondered why she needed to be nice when her older brother had never actually visited them since they'd been born. Rude! The surface must have rubbed off on him.
"So, did you bring your adorable little sisters any souvenirs?"Sindri's eyebrow twitched at the sheer audacity of this one - had they been like that when they were younger? Good gracious. He shifted the satchel resting on his shoulder. "I dunno, I might have, or I might have forgotten something..." If she was gonna sass, he'd sass back.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:38 pm
Menelie Aysun hadn't even thought of souvenirs. What could he even have brought them that wouldn't get ruined when they went home? She eyed Sindri's satchel curiously. She hoped he hadn't forgotten. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him but he didn't seem to be in the mood.Kadri made a little snrk noise and folded his arms over his chest. This would be fun to watch. Daisicle "Damn, you must be a real s**t older brother to not even bring a gift for your little sisters that you haven't bothered to meet until now." She crossed her arms as she spoke, then looked down at a fingernail while feigning disinterest. "How stupid - guess the water isn't always clearer on the other side. Can we, like, go home now Kadri? This air feels gross on my skin and I kind of hate being on the surface already." Woah woah woah, now -that- was just uncalled for. His smile took on a more decidedly-forced and -awkward note as he struggled to figure out how to address what he perceived to be as outright hostility. He glanced over at Kadri to signal a silent cry for help. Menelie Nanna's tone bothered Aysun. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Nanna, we must be kind," she said in a low voice. "Or else he might never want to come home." Her eyes tried to read Sindri's body language but it was difficult without really knowing him. She also glanced over at Kadri to see what his reaction was.Kadri shook his head. "Nuh-uh. This was your idea, Nanna. I didn't drag your tails all the way out here for five minutes of surface time." He felt just a little sorry for Sindri, though if he was honest he'd also been feeling hurt that Sindri never came to visit. Not that he'd mention it. And he did understand why Sindri had gone. He himself might've as well, if he'd been feeling that out-of-place. Anyway, it looked like everyone was reaping what they'd sown and Kadri wasn't gonna get in the middle of it."I want to stay," said Aysun, at a volume everyone could hear. She so badly wanted Sindri to love them. "Can you show us around?" she asked him. Daisicle Nanna looked over at Aysun, mildly confused by her statement. "But he's obviously just a land pae now. Why would I need to be nice to something like that." Grammie had been right - it was just so gross up here. Everynaiad had talked it up like some cool place with cool new things, but if they didn't even have the decency to bring a gift, the lot of them really must be seamonkeys. She decidedly ignored Sindri to walk over and sit down besides Kadri. "I'm, like, done with all this. Go away." This seemed like a real overreaction to some teasing regarding gifts - what in Alu's name had happened while they grew up to give them such a nasty attitude? Surely this wasn't normal? He lifted the top off the satchel to produce two wrapped boxes of cookies, which he awkwardly presented to the girls. "Look, I did actually bring you two something. They're cookies from where I live, made with sugar and fruit and other things you can't get back home."She looked back and grimaced. "Ugh. You actually had something and instead of giving it outright you decided to pretend otherwise. I can't believe surface pae are so rude. And don't talk like the Spring's your home."
"I don't even want it anymore - you can just give it to Aysun.""Are you sure you don't want to come see the village? Some of our family lives up here you know...""Like I want that filth near me. Go away."Sindri just stood there silently for a moment before placing one of the boxes in his bag and offering the now-empty hand to Aysun. "How about I show you around Aysun? You can eat these in the meantime..." He felt pretty hurt about the whole thing, and Kadri could probably tell, but he at least tried to put on a half-decent smile.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:41 pm
Menelie "Nanna," said Kadri firmly, arms folded over his chest again. "He was joking. He was trying to get a reaction out of you and it clearly worked." He rubbed a hand over his face. The girls obviously needed to spent a lot less time with their grandmothers.Aysun froze. She looked back and forth between Sindri, then Nanna, then at Kadri, then at the cookies, then at Nanna again, then helplessly at Kadri. What was the right move here?
She was horrified that Nanna would speak to their brother that way. Even if he was a surface pae, which she wasn't sure she believed, his tail was even bigger than theirs, it still wasn't right to talk like that. On the other fin, didn't she have an obligation to stay with her? She did want to go with Sindri, they'd come all the way to see him and she wanted to get to know him better. And if they had other family here she was eager to meet them as well. But Nanna...but those cookies...Kadri noted the building panic in Aysun's face. "You go," he encouraged her. "Me and Nanna will hang out in the shallows and rehydrate, or whatever." Daisicle Nanna crossed her arms and stubbornly refused to acknowledge she could be in the wrong here with a single, "Hmph! It wasn't funny - must be land pae humor." Why should she treat a stranger like family just because someone said they were - how stupid.
Aysun really was such an angelfish though. Sindri was disappointed that one little joke had somehow managed to take such a turn, but he did his best to try and put it behind him as he again offered the cookies to Aysun. "There's a lot to see around the village... maybe we'll even run into one of our nephews." Menelie "You do realize he spent more time in the water than out of it, and got his sense of humor--y'know what? Im not arguing with you." Kadri, at this point, was very tempted to push Nanna into the water. Maybe that'd cool her off. He restrained himself--for now--and shrugged apologetically at Sindri. "Brother-sister bonding time?" He joked. It'd do Aysun some good to get out from behind Nanna anyway.Aysun bit her bottom lip and crossed to where Sindri was and took his hand with one hand and the box of cookies with the other. "You wrapped it so pretty," she observed softly. Daisicle Sindri softly took Aysun's hand as he began to lead her away from the pier and towards the village. "Actually... I didn't wrap it - the bakery did. I can let them know you liked it when I get back if you want." A small pause as he looked forward, then to the sky, then back down at her with a more relaxed smile. He was cognizant about trying to walk slowly, figuring it might be a bit difficult for her first time. "So... how's life?" Nanna waited for Sindri and Aysun to walk off before she kicked her feel and then rolled backwards, such that she lay on her back, looking up at the sky, and her feet dangled off the the pier's edge. She huffed through her nose, somewhat pleased at having 'won' the argument.
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 2:48 pm
Menelie "What's a bakery?" asked Aysun. She forced herself not to look back over her shoulder at Nanna and Kadri. They were her safe base...but Sindri was also her brother. Maybe he could be a safe base too. She wanted to open the package but couldn't quite figure how to do it while holding his hand, which seemed more important. At his next question, she blushed. "I'm, uh, not very good at talking about myself," she admitted very quietly. "I'm quite shy...." She was making an extraordinary effort here; it usually took her several meetings to "warm up" to new people.Kadri couldn't help but chuckle. "Y'know, I actually expected you and Sindri to get along," he observed casually, leaning back on his hands. "Guess it'll be good for Aysun to get out of her shell, though." He shrugged a bit. Then, after a pause, "You okay?" He asked. Daisicle "Oh, that's right, there aren't any in the Spring..." Sindri's voice trailed off as he pondered how to explain it. "...it's basically a cafe, but they sell you sweet items." Perhaps that was too general, but he couldn't really explain the nuances of the ingredients when she wasn't familiar with them.Nanna pouted at Kadri's observation, then crossed her arms as he pushed on. Very much the young teen, meeting her 'long lost brother' had caused a lot of emotions. "I just decided I didn't want to meet someone like him anymore. We clearly aren't important to him, why should he be for us."
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He returned to the docks some time later as she began to grow dehydrated and the sun began to fall. His mood had improved considerably by this point, and he waved over to Kadri as they got back. "You're staying the night here, right?" Menelie By the time they'd returned to the docks, Aysun had opened up considerably. The sweets had probably helped. She was even being chatty, or as much as could be considered chatty for her. She mostly talked about Nanna, since she felt like it was unfair that Sindri was getting to know her and not Nanna, and also because she spent the vast majority of her time with Nanna. She also talked about playing music, tea with their grandmothers, and she even hinted at her budding friendship with I'a.
The cookies she'd adored, and had made Sindri promise he'd bring more the next time they visited. They were sweeter than anything she'd ever tasted, and the crumbly texture was entirely new to her and she was delighted.
She'd also enjoyed meeting their....nephew? Their family was so complicated. But Dysmas had been very pleasant, and seeing him helped her connect the dots. Xoana had looked after her and Nanna as children now and again (and she'd apparently done the same for Kadri and Sindri), and Anxo was her father, and Dysmas was Anxo's brother. It comforted Aysun to know she had family all over, not just in the Spring.Kadri....hadn't felt like getting in the middle of this, so he'd simply shrugged at Nanna's observation. Which probably had the added bonus of irritating her further. He waved at Sindri and Aysun as they approached, then made a puffing sound through his lips, almost like a scoff. "I'm not carting these two back in the dark, so, yes. We're staying in one'a those little alcoves down there," he waved a hand at the cliff face. "Fancy a swim in the morning?" Daisicle That was good to hear - Sindri would also be staying in town the next few days. That said, he'd planned on staying above the water... He'd not actually spent an extended period in it since he'd left in his teenaged years. Not that he'd avoided it outright, he just... Hadn't had a reason to.
He offered Nanna a cordial smile and decided he'd try again with her cookies in the morning, see if she was more receptive to it after a rest. She responded with glancing away and not really saying anything. No matter.
"Good thing - I can't imagine Mom would let you bring them around in the dark." Now that was for sure. "Maybe we can grab some dinner together before you three turn in...?" He let the question hand in the air for a moment, then shrugged with a '********' attitude. "Sure, why not. Don't you make fun of me being slow though - it's been a while." Menelie Kadri put a hand on Sindri's shoulder and responded very sincerely, "I would never do that, dear brother, when there are so many other things I could make fun of you for." He broke out in a grin and shook Sindri's shoulder while laughing. "Dinner sounds great. What'd you have in mind?" That is, if Nanna hadn't gone on a hunger strike or something. "I remember this being a fishing village, I bet we could get something tasty."Aysun tugged on Sindri's hand once there was a lull in the conversation and confided quietly, "I'm a slow swimmer too." She offered a small smile. Then she went to sit with Nanna. Sitting on the dock, near the water, cooled her skin and she felt much refreshed. "I missed you," she said, leaning her head on Nanna's shoulder affectionately.
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