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 Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:43 pm
Night was going to fall soon. The sunset was gorgeous, blazing across the harbor's waters and casting shadows - and it was peaceful. Water was becoming more and more peaceful for the girl to be around lately and so she'd been spending more and more time beside it. Yectli, her ever companion, was coiled around her wrist, snug up against her mistress's chest, and she seemed content with the body heat being fed to her.
"You know, Yectli," She spoke, Spanish easily spilling past her lips, "There needs to be more times like this in life. Peaceful, quiet."
Yesss, missstresss. I agree.
"Good."
Zy's eyes slipped closed and she lay back against the dock, blue hued hair sprawled out around her - the teal snake wrapped around jade easily seen around her neck and glinting in what light was left.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:56 pm
There was nothing quite like a tuna sandwich, fresh from a Harbor-based restaurant, to complement the end of a hard day's work. Especially when he'd been spending all day in Harbor, falling back on an older line of work in lieu of his official boss enforcing time off for the injured Godling.
Here, it was matter of fact. No questions asked. All able-bodied (and damn it, Foreman, he was able-bodied!) men just had to assemble on the docks, line up next to the biggest liner, and start unloading. Crates and boxes, bags and chests. Everything had to make it off the dock.
The catch of the day was the worst. All those fish, squirming, wriggling, far healthier than the usual fare caught in Harbor - it was enough to make his stomach rumble as his back broke carrying the load.
But the day was done, and he had his reward in hand; smoked fish caught between crumbling sourdough rolls. Simple fare, but delicious. And he had a beautiful sunset to watch, as well. The light shone on the water, bouncing like diamonds riding the waves; his eye was distracted, though, by a similar diamond glinting from the shoreline amongst the warped and wooden boards of the dock below his perch.
A woman, down there? His ears pricked up in concern, and he looked around the dock. No aggressors around. He slid off his rooftop perch, landing lightly on the cobblestone a few short feet below, tentatively walking closer. Her eyes were closed, and she was strangely familiar--
"Excuse me, miss, but are you alright?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:05 pm
Brown eyes opened at the voice, trying to focus on the person standing over her. Startled, she sat up quickly, head spinning from the quick movement. Hand shot up against her head, causing an unhappy hiss from the colorful snake around her wrist. "Mierda," she muttered, "Lo siento." To the snake, apparently.
Finally her attention went back to...Vale? A smile lit her face, "Hola, Vale. It's been a while since I've seen you."
She looked...Well, quite obviously older, blue hair, darker marks under her face....But she hadn't changed a whole lot since seeing Vale in the market place. Same snake too!
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:12 pm
He blinked in bemusement as the girl shot up to sit, squinting in puzzlement at her words.
"Really?" He tried to place her. "How-"
And then it struck him. He'd been younger, too, only a Prophet when he'd met her that day in the marketplace.
"You!" The surprise shone on his face. "I remember you. The nice young girl, v'ith the trinket, and the pretty snake. Zyanya, and Yectli." The pretty snake whose hissing reminded him that she was still there. "I didn't know you v'ere a Player as v'ell," he confessed, grinning lightly. "This is a surprise. And here I thought there v'as a drowned girl on the pier."
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:20 pm
"Si, that would be me. I still wear it." She reached down with her non-occupied wrist to the pendant around her neck and trailed a finger down against it. "Has not left my neck. It was the first thing someone had ever given me. It's special."
Zyanya pushed herself up carefully as not to hurt Yectli and wiggled a bit to straighten out her skirts. "But yes...I am. Unfortunately. And sorry, not drowned either." Obviously not too happy with being a player as of late. So many complications. "How are you, Vale? You're...different. Another growth spurt?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:30 pm
He smiled wider, obviously pleased that a gift of his was considered special.
"I am glad I have that honor, then," he admitted, simply, extending a hand to help her up. It definitely made him happy; even if he'd just paid for it. It was obviously something important to her, and meaningful things could bring great comfort.
He didn't question the unfortunately, knowing all too well what she might mean. Not too many godlings considered their stance as fortunate.
"I'm alright," he said, easily, and it was true; he'd had a good day's work, had made some money, and had eaten a delicious sandwich. By all means, he was alright. "Da, another one. Freckles and a renewed need for fitting clothes this time around." And cannibalism, but that wasn't exactly polite conversation around young ladies. "You are lucky you have not grown much taller."
Ah, yes. Height. He had to admit, he enjoyed all that he could survey, now.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:36 pm
Ouch. Sore spot. "I got plenty taller!" she protested. Sure, she only had...two...things that actually fit at the moment but that would be remedied once she could find some cheap material at the market. Oh, and some spare time. That one would be the hardest thing to find, she was sure. "But it does make it easier to take care of my siblings now that I am a bit taller. Lugging around a two year old who is half your size is a little daunting."
And Daniel was a little bit of a chubb bucket. Adorable, she loved him, but Christ was he a big boy. Like his father. Well, at least Vale and Zy had that in common. Siblings they had to take care of.
"Do you still have my feather?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:47 pm
He laughed at the thought.
"I definitely understand. I v'as much, much shorter v'hen I started, and there is nothing quite like a child who has just learned to v'alk, and decides she hates being held." He could definitely sympathize.
"And now? Now she is so picky about food," he grumbled. "Trouble, so much trouble. Not even a teenager yet."
Amused, he tucked his hands into his pockets. It was nice to meet another godling who had the horror of siblings; so many of them were only children, he'd found.
"Da, I do. I did not v'ant it getting dirty-" He gestured to his roughened and grungy work outfit, and the dirt and dust smudging his face still. "So I keep it at home v'ith my other special things. Out of harm's v'ay." Right next to the repaired ceramic cats on his mantle. He didn't have much up there yet, but the feather filled the space wonderfully.
Plus, the feather probably wouldn't survive a day with him. Even his clothes didn't survive. It would've been burnt, blackened, bloody, shredded, pummeled, battered, and stir-fried before the sun had fallen.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:55 pm
"Daniel decides he's too lazy to walk. He whines and wants me to pick him up all the time..." She gave a soft laugh, "Though I don't know how long my parents will trust me with him and Cecilia. They are very superstitious and were very frightened by my sudden change. I tried to explain to them and it didn't go very well."
And she'd found out her mama was going to die - she hadn't had the heart to tell her family that yet. She didn't think they'd believe her anyway. It was not likely.
"I'm glad you still have it. It's a special feather." She winked at him. "I love feathers. They're so...soft. And...Just...delicate. But sturdy!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:07 am
"I could only v'ish my sister likes my company that much," he sighed, wistfully, and remembered the days when she idolized him. Days long gone. Now, he was the parent, and an enemy. "Do not v'orry. They are your parents, and they love you. They v'ill come around in time," he reassured with all the conviction in the world; he knew, he knew, when he found his father and mother, they wouldn't care. That was the special thing about children and their parents. "It is just a huge thing to understand."
He tilted his head at the wink, curious.
"A special feather? Really?" Well, special to him, at least. But special-special? How so?
"I like them too. It v'ould have been nice, to have v'ings." He gestured to the curse he called his tail. "Imagine, flying? I v'onder v'hat it's like."
Typical. A girl admired the feel and look of a feather, and Valeriu could only think about the practical uses.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:22 am
"She will someday," She told Vale, "I think. You just need to think positive!" Well, wasn't she being a little hypocritical? Head was already shaking at the idea of her parents coming around. "My parents are very traditional. They already are upset with me for refusing to marry the boy they want me to marry. They are appalled by my independence, because I am a woman, and I should not have it." Zyanya rolled her eyes. "Traditions are lovely. I just want my own."
Which was exactly why her parents disapproved. "Guess I'm making them now, huh?" There was a laugh. Yeah, definitely paving her own path now and she didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing.
"Not literally a special feather. I don't think it is, anyway. I could be wrong." The thought of flying interested her, "Mmm, yes, well. Wings would be interesting, that's for sure, but not really...Practical, I don't think. Humans weren't meant to fly."
...One wondered if they counted as humans anymore, though, really.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:30 am
"Yes, shame on you," he said, quite seriously. "V'omen should be in the kitchen at all times. Making sandv'iches and guacamole dip." His lips twitched in amusement, trying to keep the face, but only ended up breaking into a joking smile. "My family v'as somev'hat traditional as v'ell. But I think it is because older folks do not v'ish to lose their identity to this City, da?"
Identity. That was a big theme to these mish-mashed races of people. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, unable to leave without more than some pocket change on hand. No country to differentiate them anymore; just language, and tradition, as even skin color started blending too much. He didn't blame them for trying to carve out and keep their own uniqueness.
"But new traditions can be just as important," he added, cheerfully. "You'll figure it out." What would happen, would happen. It would all work out in the end. This, he very much so believed.
"And humans v'ere meant to do everything." He tapped his head. "Because v'e v'ere given this."
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:54 am
"I do make a mean guacamole." Zyanya said with amusement, "Mama taught me how to make a lot of the more traditional foods. She said it was important for me to learn. I like cooking, though." Pause. "Don't tell them that. I'm in the rebellious stage of life!" Vale made sense when he spoke about them not wanting to lose their identity to the city - but the traditions were so old fashioned and really their views on females and their place in the world was quite daunting to a girl who was nothing like that.
"Yes, everything always ends up okay in the end." A smile was offered to Vale, "Things work themselves out. Hacer de tripas corazon. I think that's what mama would say. Or Procura lo mejor, espera lo peor y toma lo que viniere. As for me..." There was a laugh, "I prefer the Quien canta sus males espanta theory."
Zyanya paused. "Mama's full of old Spanish proverbs. I've heard them so much. Though I have to admit they all make a lot of sense. I find myself thinking of them often."
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:19 pm
The words flew right over his head, though he laughed as they passed.
"I have no clue v'hat you just said," he confessed. "I am not the best at languages."
Took him several years just to learn English, the City's language. He blamed his parents.
"But I do know about proverbs, and songs. Like," he mused, and thought, "Aruncă binele în stânga şi în dreapta, şi la nevoie o să-l găseşti." He thought it fit her situation pretty well. "If you throw the good to your left and your right, you v'ill find it v'hen you need it."
That's one he always kept in mind; help others, help yourself, find the good in life, and fortune will come. He was still waiting for his fortune, but he figured it was coming.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:38 pm
"The first is: What can't be cured must be endured. The second was: Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The third was: Problems don't seem so bad if you keep cheerful." Zyanya translated easily, "The only languages I know are English and Spanish - though my Goddess does wish me to learn Nahuatl. I'm not sure the purpose of it, considering it's a long dead language..." Though it was an interesting thing, for the most part.
"But I like yours too." She said hearing his proverb and leaning against one of the posts on the dock. "Quite a bit, actually."
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