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 Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:49 pm
(PRP for Zoisite Kaari (Divena) and Malachite Kaari (Angelique DelaMort))  The water was calm and cool and clear - rather tranquil, if we were gonna get specific about things. It almost seemed a shame that they were about to stir it all up into their customary chaos. "They" being himself, Malachite, Mal to his friends and his dear brother Zoisite, Zo to...everyone, honestly. Little brother wasn't much for boundaries. He'd talk the ear off a clam if you gave him half a chance. Today "they" also included an alligator who was demonstrating yet again just how helpful she could be. Mal had at least warmed up to the idea of keeping the she-gator around when he figured out that she did not consider either of the brothers to be on the menu. In fact, Crescent Coeur (CC to them, they liked nicknames in their little group) was proving to be incredibly helpful right at this very moment. You see, the brothers were an enterprising pair of business mers going wherever their trade took them. They specialized primarily in underwater salvage and lived by the rule that anything underwater was salvageable. That included the very nice pearl necklace that the pretty unicorn was wearing as she drank from water above him. The dark base of the lagoon was perfect camouflage - as long as he remained still he was practically invisible under the peaceful waters. Those same calm waters allowed his brother and himself to seek out their targets at their leisure by offering them a clear view of the surface. Being part kelpi, they had better above water sight than their mer brethren, but they still couldn't see too far and it had been a little tricky to encourage the ground walkers to part with their treasures. But that gator, she could be downright persuasive.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:55 pm
 It was an initiation. Nothing Mal told him would convince him otherwise. Not that Mal had actually SAID it was anything but. Still, the little she-gator had been trailing behind his big brother like a pilot fish alongside a shark for awhile now. Well, longer than any other creature tended to stick around them. Zo liked her. She was a useful little bugger, being quick and, you know, legged. There was something to be said about having a critter that could walk on land to help them out. Plus those teeth of hers were wicked awesome! But this… little game… was an initiation to see how she’d handle their lifestyle. At least, that was what Zo thought it was. It was how he was treating it.
Now, Zo was an impulsive sort, and this had caused his brother no few headaches, as he knew. He had often been mistaken for impatient, but he wasn’t. Anyone who knew him, truly knew him, knew just how patient he could be. Of course, the only one who knew him that well was his brother. As they watched the horned mare sipping peacefully, he kept his eyes trained on the shiny necklace she wore. Barely a fin twitched as his whole world narrowed down to her. He couldn’t have described the mare to save his life, but the necklace…that he could have recreated down to every nick, every contour, every tiny detail of that necklace. He stayed utterly still, letting his brother call the shots. Letting the little alligator prove her worth in this odd initiation of theirs. Waiting for that shiny bauble to become free game.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:32 pm
Mal grinned over at Zo, sensing the anticipation in the stallion. Any moment now... he thought to himself. He'd gone over the plan with CC until he was certain that the gator had it down (it didn't take too long, she was not a stupid reptile by any means). And since that unicorn had some of the best (read most expensive) fashion sense of anyone who'd stopped by the pond all day, he had faith that CC would have tagged this mark and was preparing to strike at any...
He heard the piercing scream echo above the water.
"Right on time!" He laughed outloud as he swam closer to the surface. "Come on, CC! Make her drop the goods!"
A second later the sound of a satisfying kerplunk answered all their prayers.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:40 pm
Zo let out a cheerful whoop as he sprung from his position in the depths of the pond. He shot a grin at his brother and, with a flashy twist, tried to snatch the necklace before his brother could. He had no doubt that Mal would let him handle the necklace, but he liked to play at competition sometimes. "Way to go, CC!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:51 pm
Mal let Zo grab the falling necklace (there was no point in getting between the magpie and the shiny - it just didn't work out well for anyone involved). Just then his attention was immediately captured but a loud splash and he quickly found himself face to face with a few rows of teeth a color not unlock the necklace they'd just...salvaged. "Nice work, gator girl," he grinned. "That went even better than I planned!" CC grinned even wider with that huge chopper of hers and beamed at her good work.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:04 pm
Zo snatched up the necklace and admired it, rather pleased. "Very nice, Ceese," he told the gator, not in the least disturbed by those rather formidable teeth. He laughed in the face of danger! Besides, he was far too enraptured with the necklace. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship." It was hard to tell if he was talking about the gator, or the necklace.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:27 pm
For a second Mal was concerned about the deep, throaty growl that was emitting from the gator, until he realized the sound was just the old girl laughing at his brother. A gator with a sense of humor, yep she could fit in alright. But for now, they had business to attend to, "Alright Zo, what do you think that string of evolved sand is worth?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 1:01 pm
Zo eyed the necklace critically, turning it every which way so that he could see every flaw and chip. He didn't really need to, of course. He already had every detail lovingly memorized, but he made a show of it anyway. After all, it was a new shiny, and his ability judge the value of such shinies was, most likely, the biggest reason Mal hasn't throttled him yet. Well, that and they were brothers, but family ties only went so far.
"It's good crafting, good materials. Clear, clean gems. I'd say it's pretty valuable. We could get a month's worth of feed, the good stuff, if we bargained right.... but we're not gonna."
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 1:20 pm
"We're.....not," Mal repeated slowly, flatly. They'd been down this road about a hundred times. They could be living the good life, they could have been living it for the rest of their lives if only he could part his little brother from his not so little hoard. But as always, just as soon as Zo got a hold of a shiny, new piece of treasure it was near impossible to part him from it. Mal glanced over at CC to get her input, after all, the gator did most of the work for this particular haul. The gator, being a good natured creature and generally seeking only their company replied with a smile and a shrug. She clearly didn't much care what happened with the necklace and was clearly entertained by his little bother's adoration of the sparkling pearls.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 1:33 pm
“Of course not!” Zo stared at his brother in horror. “Have you LOOKED at this necklace? The art, the sparkle, the shine! It belongs somewhere it can catch the light just so. No one else could appreciate it as well as me…er… us. We can’t just trade away something so perfect as this!” he nuzzled the necklace affectionately. “I know just where I’ll put it.” He knew Mal considered his little treasure trove to be excessive and nothing more than a well hidden mountain of shiny baubles, but it was a very carefully arranged mountain of shiny baubles. Every piece was placed just so, and yeah, some of the pieces weren’t really that valuable. He just liked the way they caught the light.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:05 pm
"Of course..." Mal said exchanging half smiles with CC. The gator seemed to understand that this was typical for the pair and was plainly amused by it. He also had a pretty good idea of where that necklace was going. All together they had enough for a king's ransom, maybe two or three kings...of course, that did them absolutely no good because Zo wouldn't part with his hoard for anything.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:29 pm
Zo grinned at his older brother, knowing that he would get what he wanted. He always go to keep the shinies that he wanted to keep. Honestly, he did try not to abuse it. He did his best to part with enough so that they could eat… but what would either of them do with a fortune, anyway? Mal wasn’t the type to just lie about in luxury without DOING anything. Zo was simply making sure Mal maintained a purpose in life… yeah… that was it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 2:09 pm
"Alright," Mal said flipping in the water and heading back to deeper territory. "We'd better get your loot locked down and then we'll have to see about finding grub for tonight. I almost feel obliged to help Miss CC find her meal since she did so much to help us with this latest escapade, but I'm not entirely sure what gators like to eat. Aside from not Merponys."
A quick glance over caught the gator rolling her eyes in a friendly sort of way. He knew those sharp teeth of hers weren't meant for them, but that didn't mean he lacked a healthy respect for them. Quite the opposite really.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2014 1:14 pm
"Are you sure she doesn't? Maybe she just likes us," Zo suggested, grinning brightly at the gator. He was not at all opposed to being an exception. But then he wasn't one to worry too much about anyone outside his own immediate circle.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2014 1:31 pm
Mal opted to ignore the gator's chortling that time. "Regardless...after we get that trinket locked down we'll grab some sea grasses, maybe even some sweet sea grasses if we're really lucky...." He swished his tail, treading water while he thought, "Maybe find some lobsters or a few crabs for this old girl." He spared a look to Cresent Couer, "Sound good CC?" he was gratified to see the gator grin with her wide rows of teeth and nod her head in agreement.
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