[PRP Matori] Gloomy Days (Gael/Nadiya)

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

It had been several days since he had lost his cousin and Gael was still feeling like a dark cloud hung over the world. Of course today it seemed to actually reflect his mood as storm clouds lingered in the distance. They were getting closer but he didn't seem to pay attention to them. Instead he was doing very mundane tasks. With his zanteer at his side he walked along the shore side, shirtless and without shoes, to bring in the fishing nets that his aunt had had thrown out earlier. It amazed him that daily chores still happened in the wake of a loss, but at the same time he understood why.

It was busy work and he needed it to keep his mind from spiraling into depression. Gael had been doing a lot of it lately. Working out, doing chores, cleaning, or just going on long runs, anything to keep him occupied. He was pretty sure his familiar was ready for a break but he couldn't stop, couldn't slo w down. He was afraid that if he did then the pain would catch up to him.  

[Sabra Knight]

Heras Box

Sorry, grad school devoured my spirit there for a couple of days. xD

Nadiya danced along the shores as she burned off the frustrations from the day. Her brother's arrival back home had allowed her some more freedom away from the children, but most of the time her father tried dragging her into their business talks. Like I would want to learn about that. She made a face as she jumped over a piece of drift wood. Trading, money, numbers, all that business stuff was not for her. If only they would understand that...

Trailing off the girl paused as she spotted something in the distance. How far had she wandered this time? Nadiya frowned thoughtfully as she spun on her heel to glance around. This wasn't her normal stretch of beach since she had left the market to get away from her brother after all. A different area. She just hoped she was far enough away so that they couldn't easily find her. Her thoughts carried her away until she almost stumbled into the other Matorian, "Oh!" Flushing the girl glanced at the stranger, "Sorry about that."

Awkwardly she took a step backward before pausing. Why did she get such a sad feeling from this man? Forcing a small smile Nadiya glanced around the beach, "I suppose the weather is rather gloomy today, isn't it? I was wandering for so long that I didn't even notice." Indeed there were storm clouds coming towards them, but rather than being fearful Nadiya was excited. She loved dancing in the rain after all. Slowly she peeked back towards the stranger, "Aren't you afraid of the storm catching you out here like this?"
 

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

He was far too busy glaring at the sands to notice that he wasn't alone. Heck, Gael didn't even pay attention to Bastul when the Zanteer tried to get his attention. Then all of a sudden he felt someone bump into him. It was an instant reaction for him to reach out and make sure the person didn't fall. Then he noticed that it was a female. The young matorian blinked then quickly dropped his hand away from him. "S'alright." In his gloom and doom mood he didn't feel like enunciating his words so he mashed them together.

About to go back to his chore he heard the girl speak about the weather. Storm? He lifted his eyes to the sky and took in the clouds. For a moment he was silent as he seemed to scowl at the things. "No, I'm not afraid of it." Gael lifted one shoulder in a jerky motion then lowered it just the same way. He failed to notice that he had been peeked at by the girl. Though he did take in a deep breath before sighing and speaking to her again, finally bringing his eyes toward her. "If you're lost then head that way." He pointed off into the distance. "You'll find a village and get directions from there." He seemed so distant and angry. Once he was done speaking he turned away from her and headed toward the water where the fishing nets awaited.  

[Sabra Knight]

Sabra Knight

As she was grabbed, Nadiya flushed. As he quickly let go the girl took a step back, "Thanks for the save." She smiled faintly as she studied the other Matori, "Good reflexes...if not we might have both gone for a swim." She teased lightly as she brushed off her embarrassment. At least he didn't seem bothered by her mistake. Though the thought made Nadiya frown. Was she missing something here? His reactions just seemed so...indifferent.

"I suppose that's a bold trait to have." The girl followed his motion before shaking her head, "I'm not too lost, plus it's more fun this way. I actually...don't want to go back. For a bit at least." As he moved away Nadiya pursed her lips in thought. Should she go after him? Her brow creasing in a thoughtful frown the girl finally shrugged. Surely it wouldn't hurt to try.

Moving forward she kicked off her own sandals so that she could join him in the water, "Is there any way I can help? Since you know..." She motioned towards the clouds over the horizon, "I hear it's hard to fish in a storm so perhaps having another pair of hands will make things go faster."
 

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

He could understand not wanting to go back. He didn't want to go back home either. There was too much misery there. Gael was in the middle of pulling on the net's rope when he heard her enter the water. Turning his head he looked at her, about to ask what she was doing before she asked a question herself. It took him a moment of staring at her before he finally nodded. "Sure, why not." It wasn't like he had any reason to say no other than just because.

Gael lifted up the end of the rope and held it out for Nadiya to take. "Just... don't hurt yourself." He had no way to heal her if she did and there wasn't any supplies nearby to treat an open wound.  

[Sabra Knight]

Heras Box

Was the question that surprising? Probably because I'm so tiny. She had always been made fun of by her family for being so petite. Even her younger sister had almost passed her in height now, but that didn't stop the energetic girl. "Great!" Beaming she moved forward through the waters, "Though I might need some directions." She flushed lightly. Sure she lived in Matori, but being in a merchant family didn't give her much of a chance to experience fishing...surely it couldn't be so hard, right?

Taking the rope, Nadiya held onto it firmly as she glanced towards the other Matori. "You don't have to worry about that. I'll be careful~" She had to wrangle younger siblings all the time so some fish surely wouldn't be that big of a hassle. As she glanced around her gaze rested back on the rope in her hands, "So we just tug the net back, correct?"
 

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

He nodded his head to her question. "Yeah." Gael didn't feel like going into detail about the work. So having her just pull the net to shore would work fine. He could do the rest. He gave a pointed nod of his head toward the beach. "You pull it out so I don't trip on it." At least she could be helpful on that part.

Then without so much as a "begin" he turned back to the rolling waters and started to grab and pull on the net. His muscles mimicked the waves and rolled beneath his skin. Flexing and relaxing. Gael didn't bother to pay attention to how fast he was going and if the girl could keep up.  

[Sabra Knight]

Heras Box

Surely I can do this easily enough. Gritting her teeth the girl reached out to pull the net. A small smile flickered across her features as he pulled on the net, "I'm guessing you're not much of a talker." She mused out loud, almost as if she didn't expect him to hear her. As the waves rolled around them the girl felt her feet slip just a bit. Still that was enough to make her lose momentum and to fall behind.

Tittering in the waters Nadiya felt another push from the rolling waters, "Oh!" With a little yelp she nearly dropped the rope as she fell on her butt in the shallow waters. Moving quickly she stumbled back onto her feet before tightening her hold on the ropes again, "Ahaha...wasn't expecting the water to push just then." Flushing the girl glanced towards the other Matori, "Sorry." In the distance it appeared that the storm clouds were suddenly much closer and Nadiya had to wonder when the first drops would land around them.
 

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

When he heard the girl yelp he turned quickly to see what was wrong. Gael saw nothing until he dropped his gaze down. Apparently she'd fallen. Just as she moved to get back up he shifted so that he could hold a hand out toward her. "Be careful. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." Her apology was met with a head shake. "Don't. It was my fault for not paying attention. Come up here." He motioned with his head for her to join him. At least that way he could make sure she didn't fall.

If she moved up with him then he'd position her in front of him with his arms around her to show her where to grab the net ropes. Gael didn't seem to be paying much attention to the clouds that got closer and closer.  

[Sabra Knight]

Heras Box

Taking the hand for support, Nadiya couldn't help the flush that spread across her face. Back home she was the one who always helped her younger siblings when they fell. But that was back in the safety of her home where she never had to pull nets in before...

"No, no." Nadiya felt bad as he blamed himself. At least it was something different from the melancholy she had seen before. Not that there's much change though. Frowning slightly the girl splashed through the waters to join him, "So how long have you done this?" Her face felt like it was on fire as she got closer to the male.

She tried to follow the net ropes, "Alright. No more falling I promise." She laughed quietly, "Wouldn't count as much if you pulled a girl up in your nets instead of fish, would it?" She could already imagine the spectacle, "Some may even be bigger than me.." The more she talked the more she felt herself relaxing. This was fine, she could be helpful...she just had to do her best!

She was so distracted by her own thoughts that the girl didn't even realize how dark the area was getting...
 

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

Once Nadiya was in front of him he seemed to work a bit slower, his eyes and movements mindful of where she was and how well she was working. "It's a family business." Gael had only done it a couple of times himself, since it was mostly his aunt and cousin that fished, but since recent events he'd been helping out more and more.

A chuckle came from him when he heard her say that some of the fish would likely be bigger than her if he caught her in the net. "That is true, there are some large ones out there." At least she'd gotten some joking out of him.

When the sky lit up with lightning it pulled his attention to the sky. Things were getting really dark and from the feel of the water it was about to get rough. Gael looked out and sure enough, there was a big wave coming in about to slam right into them. Acting quickly he put one arm around Nadiya's waist and lifted her up as he turned so that his back was to the incoming wave. Keeping her against his chest he did his best to make sure her face wouldn't be slashed too much. When the wave crashed down over them he swayed a little under the weight of it but didn't fall over. "I think we should get you out of the water, Nadiya."  

[Sabra Knight]

Heras Box

"Ah." She knew very well how family business worked. It was the reason that she could calculate trade costs so easily and even do bartering in her sleep. The joys of being a merchant. She truly was glad to not be in her brother's spot. He could enjoy such things, but she had grown weary of it all.

Her gaze widened rather happily to hear a chuckle, "Oh!" Grinning, Nadiya peered up towards the other Matori. "So you do know how to laugh a bit! It's a good noise to hear. You should do it more~" She winked teasingly, "It might keep some of those bigger fish away and from thinking I'm some sort of smaller fish bait...though then again those are what you would like to catch. So just pull me up quickly if you bait with me~" Not that she ever planned on such a thing, but the idea of her on a string dangling above the waters made the girl smile. It was just too goofy an image for her.

However, her demeanor shifted with the weather. "Oh!" Flushing at how she squeaked at the sight of lightning the girl looked towards Gael, "What about the nets?" Though her question was hard to hear against the crashing waves. As she was lifted Nadiya had to take a moment to enjoy the sensation. So this was what it was like to be rescued by some hero...her cheeks darkened as another wave crashed into them making her tighten her hold on Gael, "Will you be okay? I mean I'm small, but I - " Another rolling movement cut her words, "Alrighty then. I guess this is a good uh training moment for you!" She joked lightly.

Surprisingly, the girl didn't seem too terrified and instead was enjoying the thrill of the storm rolling in around them. "Do you think we can make it to shore before the heavier rains? I mean this is beautiful, but I think you are right. It probably would be better to enjoy this from the shore rather than in the waters." Already there was a drizzle and she could see the darkness moving in over the ocean. I do enjoy watching a storm roll in. Though usually she wasn't watching it from such a close perspective. She could feel the sharp winds on her face which were bringing the heavy wall of rain and the storm closer.
 

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

"I'll keep that in mind for later." Came his reply to her mention of his laughter. While he did crack a smile at her joke about being bait he wasn't about to do such a thing in a storm. So once she agreed that getting out of the ocean was a good idea he lifted her up and carried her, bridal style, to the shore. "I'm sure the rain is the least of our issues at the moment."

It took some effort on his part to make it to shore without being knocked over since the waves kept pummeling down. Gael was more worried about keep Nadiya safe than the speed it took to reach somewhat dry land. "You do know how to swim, don't you?" He had no intention of dropping her but just in case he was over taken he wanted to be sure she could swim. Or at the very least hold her breath.  

[Sabra Knight]

Heras Box

Sorry for the super delay!

Flushing Nadiya clung tightly to the other Matori, "You think?" She asked, though she had to yell over the pounding sound of the rain meeting the crashing waves. It was fun feeling the rush of them swaying, but perhaps Nadiya only enjoyed it because she trusted Gael to keep her afloat. Even if she did fall the girl could swim, but standing in this mess would be hopeless. Her petite frame could easily be drowned by the towering waves...

"Yep!" Nadiya nodded before tightening her hold once more as another wave threatened to crash into them, "If you need to let go then do it! I'm sure I can work my way back." She smiled mischievously, "It's not a true adventure without some danger after all!" Not that she ever had tried to swim in such a mess before....

At the thought a huge crack of thunder made her ears ring.

It sounded like the storm was far from being over...
 

[Heras Box]

Sabra Knight

The sound of the storm was drowning out the girl's voice but she seemed to understand this and spoke louder. Gael lifted one of his brows at her when he heard her say that he could let go of her if he needed to. There was a shake of his head right as the thunder clapped overhead and he leaned in close to her ear. "What kind of man would I be if I did that?" He might not be in a good mood or even cheery, but he wasn't in such a foul mood that he forgot to be a gentleman.

Instead he adjusted his hold on her and pressed her more tightly against his chest as he fought with the waves to stay on his feet. Another couple of minutes and he managed to make it to where the water was at calf level though he didn't set Nadiya down just yet. Instead he made it the rest of the way out of the water and headed toward the trees so that they could have some shelter from the falling rain. "You're not cold are you?" He asked. If she was then he'd have to make sure to keep her wrapped in his arms a bit more to ensure she didn't freeze.