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 Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:01 pm
There was nothing better in the world than the blessing of Ubeli'ae on a nice warm day. The sea was calm and quiet, it's waves lapping gently at the sides of Xewai's canoe rather than raging like the storms a few days ago. It was as if a sweet peace had come over the goddess and she happily allowed the fishermen and women to perform their duties unhindered. Or atleast most of them!
Xewai, in his endless ambition, was determined to bring in a whole net of fish on his own! A canoe could only go so far though, and his net floated lazily beside it as the young man stared into the endless blue sky. He was laying back in the small canoe, bored of the quiet, but too prideful to go back empty handed. After a few more minutes of of staring into the wide blue yonder, he sighed, gathering up the nets and making multiple layers out of them before throwing them over himself. It was one way to prevent sunburn while he took a brief nap. A few z's would be too detrimental to his goals for the day.
And yet the z's became ZZZZZ's and the lazy boy slept the entire day away! Enough time had passed that the sun was beginning to dip into the horizon and the sea was beginning to recede in it's low tied. With the way the waves moved, they rocked and drifted the small canoe all the way back to shore, where it remained lodged in the sand, it's passenger none the wiser.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:10 pm
It wasn't quite dinner time so she was out looking for pretty things to take home. A shiny shell. A pearl. Or even something that had washed up onto the wet sands. Masika walked at a leisurely pace since she was in no hurry to get anywhere. Walking along side her was the Janarim that her mother had went and gotten for her. Thankfully it had been pre-tamed and all she had to do was learn the few commands as well as bond with it. The bright blue and yellow beast was instantly her best friend. Though it wasn't hard to see why, Masika gave him snacks all the time and played games with him. Edaj, the beast at her side, moved his muzzle up to sniff at her antennae in a playful manner and when she ducked her head he would push his nose into her neck and snort. "Edaj! That tickles!" She managed to giggle out but then her laughs grew quiet as she noticed the boat. "Oh!" Her immediate reaction was to look around the area. Normally boats weren't parked on this stretch of the shore so it seemed odd. Then, once she came to the conclusion there was no one around she approached so that she could look in.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:28 pm
A chill ran along Xewai's ear as the seabreeze blew past the cold damp nets. It wasn't quite like when the sun was baking him, where everything was warm and steamy. Nope, it was cold and uncomfortable enough to stir him from his snoozing. Enough to wake him up, but not enough to convince him to actually move yet. The canoe floor was just too nice.
He was content with his place at this time, vaguely wondering if he had happened to catch any fish on the one net he managed to leave in the water. Just as he was awake enough to sit up, he heard a girl's giggling voice. Atleast, he thought he heard it. It didn't seem threatening at all, so he decided to greet the voice, but without getting up and startling them. How rude would that be?
"Hello!" He called out in a chipper tone to the person who might have been nearby.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:45 pm
The closer she got the more she tried to look in, which had her up on her tip toes. Masika hadn't inherited her mother's height after all. Then once she was close enough to see there was a body, or person, in it she started to worry. Were they hurt? Dead? What? And all of a sudden, it moved! And spoke! Having not been expecting that she jumped and squealed. "Ahh!" A hand instantly flew to her chest as her heart pounded beneath the surface. "Edaj! It's alive!" The blue, half Alk stepped closer to her Janarim so that she could tuck herself up under his chin and peer out at Xewai from there. "Hello..?" Her reply to the boy in the boat was hesitant and soft toned.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:05 pm
Xewai's hands came up quickly to cover his ears from the girl's squeal. What in maker's name could have caused her to be so startled?! Oh, wait... That was him, wasn't it? Oops... He really didn't mean to startle her! And with that, he quickly threw off the nets and peered over the side with a smile. A good smile! A harmless one! Atleast that's what he was going for.
To his surprised, she was not alone! He had not expected to see a Janarim out here on the Eastern Shores of Matori! Weren't they desert creatures? He supposed there WAS sand here but that didn't quite mean the same thing... Atleast this one didn't seem vicious! The LAST one he encounter nearly tried to take his hide!
But the girl, she was something to behold! Xewai was actually rather stunned into quiet for a moment as she had traits he hadn't seen on a water earthling before. What was coming out of her forehead? And here ears were long and pointy, but only in one spot.. How strange.. But rather than stare longer with wide, curious eyes and be rude, he closed his gaping mouth and smiled again.
"Yes! Uh... Hello! It looks like you found me, thank you!" Another moment was taken as he looked at their surroundings. The beach wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him, but he knew this was further down the beach than he had meant to go. The paddle back was going to suck!
"I apologize for startling you! I fell asleep in my canoe and.. Welp, Ended up here!"
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:22 pm
Her eyes blinked several times as she watched the body come into half view. At least now she could tell that there was no need to be quite as scared. However, she noticed that he was staring. Jaw dropped, eyes wide, staring. Masika looked away awkwardly and felt her cheeks blush, turning her blue cheeks a cute purple. Once words came from the boy, at least she thought it was a boy, then she returned her eyes to him. "Found you? Were you lost?" With this being a possibility she moved out from under her Janarim's chin so that she was more plainly in view. His explanation about how he'd ended up there had her looking toward the ocean. The salty air was a comfort and she loved how the water moved, so Masika could see how this boy had been rocked to sleep. Not feeling threatened she seemed to relax as she looked back at Xewai and smiled sweetly. Along with her smile came another giggle. "I see." She lifted a hand up to rest on Edaj's nose, a sign that everything was alright, and her other tucked her hair behind her long pointed ear. "Sorry I screamed, I didn't know you were alive." After all she'd heard about random boats drifting off with someone in them and staying out at sea too long only to wash back up with a body but no soul.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:50 pm
What a giggly fair maiden! Xewai was very pleased with how nice she turned out to be! From what he could tell anyway. How could someone be mean or grouchy with such a nice smile! It was contagious, and his own smile grew wider in return.
"No, no... Well, Uh.. No, not lost! Just.. I mean, you DID find me here, right? So you found me! It's great to be found and greeted with smiles than alone, you know!" Rolling away from the side of the boat and back into it's depths, Xewai began to untangle himself from the nets. Oh man... This was going to suck to untangle later, but no matter! The goal was to get free and actually have a proper introduction to the young girl.
Once he deemed himself sufficiently free, he attempted to bound out of the boat, neglecting that his foot was still caught in the one of the nets. With the grace of a quhar in a tea house, he met the sands below the canoe with a loud thump.
"Hahaha.. Ow.."
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:59 pm
He had a point. She had discovered his boat and found him laying inside. Masika nodded her head and watched as he rolled back into the depths of the canoe. Curious she stepped closer, and did her best to peek at what he was doing. Once the hybrid saw that he was attempting to untangle himself she brought a hand up to cover her mouth and hide her smile. It wasn't nice to laugh at that. When Xewai felt he was free enough to hop out she moved a little out of the way so that he could land on the sands. However, right before he leaped she saw that his foot was still stuck. "Oh wait-- Oof." Masika had tried to warn him and in doing so had gotten in the way. So he ended up fallin on her and the both of them hit the sand, though with her small frame being pinned beneath his. She gave a cough then blew her bangs away from her face. "I was gonna say your foot was still caught."
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:21 pm
It took a moment for the young lad to register what had just happened. He tried to get up, caught his foot, and landed in the sand. But it wasn't just the sand. It was another thing that was soft and warm, like sunlight. He sat back on his calfs, still straddling the warm thing beneath him as he took a moment to clear the sand from his eyes and mouth. It was gritty like rock candy but tasted NOTHING like it.
Blinking away the last bit of sand, he finally took a moment to look down at what the soft thing was. And it was the girl. In an instant, he was off of her, scrambling to his feet in a panic!
"I am so sorry!! I didn't mean to hurt you! I mean, you're hurt aren't you? Oh I'm so sorry! I just... I'm a clumsy kid sometimes! Here, let me help you up!" He certainly was flustered by the situation, but there was no tinge to his cheeks or ears. If anything, he paled a bit. He was honestly concerned for the young lass' well being. After wiping his hands on the rags about his hips, he offered both of his hands to her.
"Here.. Let me help you up." He said once more, unsure if he had said it already.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:30 pm
When Xewai sat up and was still atop Masika, Edaj moved closer and sniffed at him. Since his mistress had yet to tell him to attack he didn't, though it was obvious by how close he was getting that he was not pleased with the young man being on his person. Masika continued to blow air, sometimes shaking her head, because as he wiped sand from his face it came down on her. His weight was no where near what she felt was her max, thanks to training with her mother, so he wasn't squishing her per-say but it was nice when he got off her. Free of the restraint she lifted her hands and fussed with her hair, trying to get it just right again. "It's fine, I'm not bleeding." Which was a good thing. Her Janarim was trained to go on the offensive if she were to bleed. When both hands were extended to her she took them and got to her feet. "Thank you." Once she was on her feet Masika set to brushing off the sand that was now stuck to her clothes and skin. As she was half way done with that she glanced at the Matori boy. "I'm Masika by the way. I live just over there." She used one hand to point in the direction she'd come from and kept her other busy brushing sand off her bottom.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 7:36 am
A brief moment of even MORE panic came over Xewai when Edaj sniffed at him, but once realizing it was just a sniff, he smiled again and made a sniffing motion back at the beastie. "Smells like a good companion! Good boy!"
Xewai looked over Masika once she was on her feet, gently dusting off any further offending sand off of her shoulders and back and off of her hair, not even thinking about how much he may have been invading her personal space. He had caused her to get messy so he had to make up for it! Once he completed his quick one-over of the young girl, he stepped back, proud of how brilliant she looked, even if she was still speckled in sand here and there. Himself, yeah, he was still a sand-encrusted mess, but hey, he enjoyed it!
"Masika! A fantastic name!" There was a vague familiarity with the direction in which she pointed. There were some huts over there, but he really didn't know many people on this part of the beach. Which was fine! He supposed he knew someone now! "I'm Xewai, and I live aaaalllllllllll the way over that way!"
His own hand came up and pointed the opposite direction, more towards the sea than straight down the shore. If he remembered correctly, the beach curved that a few leagues further that way. It seemed pretty far on foot, but the canoe was nice and quick in the water, and his arms didn't know the meaning of being tired! But his stomach knew pain and in it's anger, growled angrily like it was it's own creature!
"It'll probably be night before I get home... Geesh, I should have packed a snack or something... Oh well, atleast it's not like the time chose to LINE fish out on the water! I was super toasty burnt by the end of that day. You wouldn't have seen a Matori that purple! I was peeling like a snake for a week! And everything I touched... Geesh, it was hard to even think!" It was funny to think about now, but at the time he was pretty sure he was crying non stop. Not even the ocean could soothe those burns!
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 7:56 am
The help in getting the sand off was welcome. Clearly there were spots she couldn't see or reach. Listening to his excitement made her giggle again. "Nice to meet you Xewai." Her eyes followed to where he pointed. Noticing that he was pointing more to the water she figured he lived on the other side of the curve. He was right about one thing, it would be dark before he made it home, either on foot or in the water. "Oh, well, I'm sure my mother could make you something before you go." Masika knew her mother was always worried about the younger people so she hoped that she would help Xewai. "Just, be careful, my Muma has been known to adopt stray kids." Her went to the back of her neck as she said the last part. It wasn't that her mother taking people in was a bad thing, after all that's how she got her brother, Draven, but the woman could be persistent.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 9:34 am
A momma's home cooking? Oh man, Xewai's mouth simply began water. He hadn't partaken in such a meal in a long time! The food that the people in the barracks made was tasty, but never really had that same hardiness like a momma's fish stew or a home made loaf of bread.
"Do you really think she wouldn't mind? That would be great!" How could he say no to free food? That would be so rude when an offer was so kindly made! And the comment about adopting kids made HIM giggle this time. To think there were such kindly folks nearby! Why hadn't he come this way before?
"I'm not THAT stray! I'm only a little stray! The Buhawi are my family! Though, I do like the idea of having an actual mom one of these days. Does she bake good sweets? If not, that's a deal breaker." Of course he was only kidding. Kinda. He did love sweets. If he was going to go to her house, he would have to atleast clean up a bit. After pulling his canoe a little further on shore, so that the sea wouldn't take it away again, he went to the water to quickly splash off the sand on his hands and feet.
"This would be clean enough for your ma, right? If I'm still too dirty, I don't mind sitting outside! The weather is super nice this evening!"
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 12:52 pm
Masika shook her head. "She won't mind." With a smile she watched him attempt to clean himself off and then pull the canoe in a bit more. "Don't worry, my siblings bring in more dirt than you could." Not to mention her mother's familiars. Speaking of! The hybrid girl looked at Edaj and smiled. "Isn't that right boy." Masika included the beast in her conversation only so that she could get a gentle nudge from him. Giggling at the Janarim she turned to look at Xewai once again. "My Muma makes sweets all the time by the way. And since we have a large family, there is always a LOT of food." Something she was grateful for since her brother ate quite a bit.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 1:49 pm
"Well, that's a relief! Go ahead and lead the way!" How cool would that be, to have a mom or moms or parents that didn't care about dirt! Palagia, the leader of the Buhawi and closest thing he had to a mom, would go ballistic if the huts they used as a base weren't spotless. He'd have to throw himself into the ocean before he could get inside!
"I'm starving! I'm sure I could eat a whole... A whole... I dunno, something huge for sure!" His stomach let out a large gurgle in agreement and he gently shushed it, patting it in comfort. "There there, we'll be all full soon!"
As they walked, with Xewai a few paces behind, the young waterling took this time, study the beast that was was staying so close and protecting Masika. "He's really cool looking, you know? And so well behaved! I'm kinda jealous!"
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