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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 3:06 pm
The sparkling ocean looked lovely as it crashed along the pristine shoreline. Yet, only a sigh left the girl’s lips as she walked alone through the sands. Matori was lovely, but at what price had she returned here? Pursing her lips in frustrations Nadiya tore at the ribbons which decorated her short hair. As the wind whipped through and stole the brilliant yellow strands the girl just watched them go before turning on her heel. Now that felt good. It was far less stuffy when she didn’t have her hair tied down in knots and twists. She felt even better once she unbuttoned the top layer of the dress that she had been wearing for the majority of the day.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Shaking her head, the girl tossed the thing to the side so that she stood in a simple undershirt and leggings. While it was a relief that she had managed to come home and help her mother’s recovery along Nadiya still couldn’t stand being held up in meetings for hours. An hour or two for a meal with several of papa and Ahren’s business partners. And then she had to sit through the rest of the morning with her mother by helping her to craft some pottery and other materials for the caravan that was leaving in a few days. Afterwards they had yet another meeting and it was this one that made the girl leave in a rush.
Even if she promised to behave so that her mother could rest and recover quickly Nadiya refused to stay around any longer after being stared at like that. What a jerk. Wanting to act like we could become good ‘trade partners’ for the future. Ugh, it gave her a shudder. She had been living as a free woman until coming home and now it was like she expected to become immediately domesticated. Running a hand through her hair, helping the wind to tangle it even more, the girl sighed loudly. She loved her family, but the transition to coming back home after so many years was straining. It made her want to grab her flute and just play, but even that was locked back up at home. So instead the girl just turned towards the rocks and began her normal descent up the cliff side and towards a familiar rock. Then after studying the ocean waves she began to quickly stride without hesitation towards the edge. As her feet left the ground Nadiya twisted her body to tumble towards the rolling waves below...
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 8:55 am
Never once had Skadravi had the opportunity to explore Matori. Like many of his kind and standing (if there really had been 'many' born between slave and master at all- surely at least a few?), he'd spent nearly all of his younger years running barefooted through the desert sands, just enjoying the sun and market and the ever-abundant array of strangers that decorated Oban cities. His only complaint were the discontented looks from passerby. Briefly afterward, he'd visited Jauhar. Shady, warm, murky, and nearly all Shifters seemed very friendly. His only complaint had been the location of the housing. In the trees. 'Up' was quite difficult for someone who had very little experience with such a thing.
And now, just a few short months after seeing the rainforest and experiencing the... unique lifestyle of its natives, Dravi found himself exploring still more of the world than he had in the first decade and a half of his life.
Matori was beautiful, that much he couldn't argue over. Sun, sand, glistening water, comfortable temperature, a constant breeze... And for the first few weeks of his oceanfront escapades, it had been more beautiful still, with a beautiful girl. His beautiful girl.
Formerly his.
It wasn't a big deal, or so he told himself. They hadn't really known each other that long. Never mind that he'd only come here at all because she wanted it, but- Never mind that. Matori was still beautiful. It's beaches were still lovely, and it was still a place worth enjoying. Skadravi wasn't even alone, besides. He had Deigo. The bushi clearly enjoyed the locale as much as one might expect. He was Matori-born, after all.
And today was a day for lazy sunning. Dravi lay sprawled on his animal companion's shell, facing the sky in all its blue glory and paying no mind to his surroundings until...
A swatch of yellow ribbon drifted through the wind overhead. He blinked, sat up, and glanced around for the source. Admittedly, he wasn't exactly conspicuous, himself. Deigo had chosen a splodge of rocks to rest on, and he blended well enough with the shape of them. But the girl standing some several paces away-
Skadravi blinked, and a wave of heat came crashing through his face. Was she just going to strip completely or-? Wait, no, the female retained her shirt and leggings. Should he leave? It seemed grossly inappropriate to stay and watch, especially if she didn't know he was there. But then, she was climbing the cliffside, all on her lonesome, and diving headlong into the water. That seemed an unsafe activity to do unsupervised. She probably wouldn't appreciate his presence (as so few did), but it was only for her benefit that he hung around.
Dravi scrambled from his bushi's back and lingered near the water's edge, where she hoped she might resurface. Unless the water was shallow and full of rocks. He peered out into the sea.
What was an acceptable amount of time before he needed to go check...?
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 6:37 pm
Ah, the rush of cool water around her body screamed relief to Nadiya. In fact once the breath rushed out of her body, the girl almost wanted to scream herself into the waters. Here no one could hear the frustrations that had built up inside of her or could see the wild nature that bubbled so much beneath the image of a good daughter. As much as she hated being tied down to duty and the house, Nadiya couldn't see any other options. Her mother was sick so how could she abandon her now? The best thing she could do was just simply hope that the older Matori would regain some strength so that she could say her goodbyes properly this time and hopefully have more opportunities to visit her home.
So caught up in her thoughts was Nadiya that she didn't even notice the shadow lingering over the water. It was only as she emerged face to face with a stranger hovering over the water's surface that the girl gasped in surprise, "Oh!" Gaze widening at the sight of the hybrid Nadiya reacted by slipping back under the water's surface....it was a few strokes later that she reemerged a few feet away from him. Floating up and down with the tides, Nadiya raised a flushed face towards the stranger before calling out. "Can...can I help you?" What a dumb question. Still, he had been looking so intently into the water that she was curious. What had held his attention like that?
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:10 am
Oh. Dravi blinked at the girl as she popped from the water for the first time, very near to where he stood at the shore's edge. Well, it was nice that she hadn't taken a dive to her death amidst a pool of sharp and very hard rocks. He grinned when she emerged, but had little time to do anything else, before the Water female disappeared again. Admittedly, he could see how this might look moderately unsavory. A guy, hovering alone over a mostly nude girl that didn't really expect him. Yeah, pretty strange.
But it was really as much her fault as it was his. She shouldn't be doing questionably safe activities with no one around to look out for her well being. And in a public place, no less.
He crouched down just near the water as she reappeared slightly farther away once more. "Well, ah..." Skadravi tangled a hand in the curls of his hair, then shrugged. "No, I don't guess so. It was just surprising to see you jump in like that, all..." He made a straight downward motion with his arm and added a 'plispoosh' of sound for effect. "Wasn't all that sure what you were doing, so I figured I'd just make sure you would come back up, is all."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:29 am
Nadiya peered towards the hybrid from beneath strands of wet hair, "Then..." Why was he there? Was he just creeping on a girl alone in the waters? The thought made her cheeks flush lightly before his explanation actually brought a soft laugh from her. Oh. "I suppose that would seem a bit surprising to see someone just..." Here she raised her own arm and copied his previous movements, "Sploosh into the waves like that." At least he cared enough to make sure that she wasn't drowning? Feeling a bit more at ease, Nadiya began to splash through the waters towards the other earthling.
"What would ya have done if I hadn't?" Pulling herself out of the water, Nadiya shook her head -scattering water droplets everywhere like a soaked animal- before stopping to glance over at the stranger, "Pretty slow reaction for someone drowning." She teased lightly, "But have you really never seen anyone cliff diving before?" The Matori studied him slightly - was it that he wasn't actually from Matori perhaps?
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:59 am
Well, if she was going to talk, Dravi supposed he could start taking the situation a little more casually. He slid from his crouch to dip his feet in the water and eased back against his arms. "You looked like you had purpose," he admitted with a shrug. "Didn't know if that was good or bad, but thought the least I could do was stay to find out." Because, admittedly, no, there weren't a great lot of places to cliff dive from in Oba.
Or, there were, just the terrain wasn't as forgiving with the stop. "I'm not sure what I would've done," he replied with a scritch at his chin. "I suppose I would've waited to see if the water started turning red from if you'd smashed your head real hard or maybe just given you a minute or two... I dunno how long you folk can go without air, but it looks like you should be able to last a little while."
"Anyway, I guess if the conditions looked any more unfavorable than they already were, I woulda had to jump in after you. ...Not that I have a whole lot of swimming experience, and none while carrying bodies, but I'd have tried."
Unlike him, she looked pretty comfortable out here in the sun and rocks and water. Not that Dravi thought he looked especially out of place, but it still wasn't as great a fit as what she had. "Nah, I lived in Oba most of my life. We don't really do that there." Not that there was much 'we' about that, either. "Anyways, name's Skadravi. You can just call me Dravi, if it's too much. Or anything else you come up with, really."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:03 pm
Nadiya frowned slightly. She had purpose? "Oh no you didn't think..." Trailing off her flush deepened. Had she seemed so crazy? But then again to anyone not used to the cliffs and the pool below that actually wasn't full of jagged rocks it may have indeed seemed like a death wish, "I would never." She blurted quietly before glancing away. Here she wanted a bit alone so that she could get over her frustrations, but now she was getting flustered by some stranger.
"Hey - you're a folk too." She protested before looking back at him with a slight glare, if not pout. "Either way you...wait, you would have tried?" The Matori stared at him while chastising herself for nearly jumping the gun on him. Thinking he was some crazed person who delights in watching people die might not be the best first impression, Diya. She quipped silently while her cheeks warmed again at her own thoughts.
"Thank you for the thought, I suppose." She added hastily, "Just be glad I wasn't trying to dive into the waters permanently. It would have been dangerous if you can't swim and then the tide could have taken you...hard to carry a body if you're drowning yourself." Nadiya grinned lightly before studying him, "Oban, that makes sense then. Ya missed out - from my time there I definitely prefer Matori." Hearing his name Nadiya nodded slowly, "Skadravi...so Stranger Danger or Ska-Ska or Hey You? I'll probably rotate some names then until I come up with something better~" She teased as she tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully, "But you can call me Nadiya. Ooor if you really want to be creative try a hand at it - I still don't have many nicknames myself save for Diya."
A low breeze rustled through remind her of her damp underclothes, crossing her arms Nadiya tried to hide the goosebumps before studying the hybrid carefully. "So Oban, eh? What brings you all the way out here to Matori?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2016 2:00 pm
Ahhh, there we go. Now she was getting it. Dravi closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and nodded sagely. At least she understood what he was getting at, even if he'd been wrong from the get-go. "You can't really blame me for thinkin' you might," he argued with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Not as if I know you, or anything." And the practice just looked extremely questionable and unsafe. He eyed the sloping cliffs off to their side warily. Such a long way up... Then his yellow gaze traveled back to the murky beach water before them. Too murky to tell what lay beneath.
Regardless, she was fine, and it didn't seem worth dwelling on. "It's good you weren't planning to, though," Skadravi told her lightly. "Even if I had tried, the results probably would have been... Not the greatest, and- Oh! Well, ya know what, I bet my bushi can swim." He pointed off in the direction he'd been in originally, where the giant turtle still sat mostly camouflaged among a nest of rocks. "If he swam down, saved you, and brought you back, I could give you the all-important kiss of life. I'd say he could handle that part too, but I always thought it'd be more pleasant if you opened your eyes to someone... well, someone that was your own species, I guess."
But no, he certainly didn't plan on dying anytime soon, himself, and even if it was a selfish thought, he wasn't exactly entirely prepared to risk his life for some weird beach girl. The thought that he might've tried seemed like plenty.
Dravi eased back, crossing his arms behind his head as he lay on his back and stared at the sky above. "That 'Hey You' one isn't real unfamiliar. Might get my attention, if that's your goal." He grinned at her. "Ska-Ska is kinda cute, though. A little weird, but I don't mind it. Whatever you wanna say." He hummed softly as he stared at her after learning the Matori woman's name. "Yours is real pretty, too. Doesn't much sound like you need a nickname. But if you want one, I guess... Hm... Could just call you Suicide Girl? Maybe Cliff Jumper. Mmm... I'm not very creative, it seems."
As for why he was here, change? Nowhere better to be? "Well, pleasure, of course." If only slightly dampened now. But it was true.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:22 am
Nadiya slowly nodded as the realization sank in, "I suppose that would be a good dramatic way to go." Mused the bard thoughtfully, "Allowing myself to sink into the depths of the great waters so that my spirit may roam the beaches forever more. A great conclusion to a sad story and the beginning of a scary one with the lost soul who walks alone on the cliffs at night." She grinned towards the other earthling, "I do love a good story after all."
Gaze narrowing Nadiya tried to see what he was pointing to. A bushi? I just see a few rocks...oh wait...maybe. Ahah! Cheeks flushed with excitement as she noticed bushi was there Nadiya grinned before the rest of the sentence slowly registered, "What about life?" She blinked and glanced back over towards Dravi, "I uh suppose in that situation if it was necessary then I would have been okay with that. Would have liked to have gotten to know you a bit first of course, but life is life right?" She flushed sheepishly before glancing away. Kiss of life, bah! What a tease! I guess it's a good thing I wasn't actually drowning...maybe...
"Alright, Ska-Ska." Replied Nadiya before laughing, "As Suicide Girl I have to question a pleasure visit. Are you just sight seeing then and nothing more? No family no nothin?" Well that wouldn't be a story to tell. She studied him quietly. Couldn't there be a story to get out of this meeting or was this it? A simple random encounter on the beach...though it was rather enjoyable. Nadiya blinked at the realization, "I don't think I've laughed or smiled so much in days." The words blurted out of her mouth before she raised a hand to cover her traitorous mouth, "Too much going on, ya know? So I'll have to say thanks for that."
"As thanks I can always give you a tour if you need or somethin'. I'm actually from a merchant family that lives in town, but I usually travel so it's kinda like a trip here for me as well." Far from one for pleasure of course, but a visit none-the-less.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 10:21 am
A sad story? Skadravi blinked, confusion entering his dark-rimmed yellow eyes as he stared at the Water female. It didn't sound like she meant anything by it. Probably just lost in the fantastical sounding words of what he thought she'd been up to and the tales she could spin of it. But to Dravi, Nadiya made it sound as though that sadness could've been possible. Was hers a sad story? He had no way of knowing, and he didn't think it fit the mood to ask. Instead, he grinned back at her as she did and let the subject drift.
It took about as long as he expected it might for her to scout out Deigo from amidst his rocks, but when she did, the spark of excitement that went through her was not lost on him. He picked himself from the bank, dusted the back of his trousers, and offered a hand down to help her up as well. "Wanna meet him? He's a better swimmer than me, and if you really do wanna show me around, you can do so from atop his back, if you're feeling up to it."
He hadn't had much chance to explore all Matori had to offer, and so long as the opportunity was there and willing, he might as well take it, right? Besides, if Nadiya was telling the truth about all that smiling and laughing, then she probably wouldn't mind.
"Hm, well..." He shrugged. "I don't really know what I'm doing here, to be honest," he admitted as his gaze flicked out over the water before them. "No family here that I'd know. Not much interest in the landscape. I uh..." He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully.
"I had a reason when I came initially, but it's not very important, anymore."
And that was that. There wasn't much else to say about the girl that had made him come out here, and certainly not much about why he still chose to stay. But it was nice to have a conversation with someone else. He leaned down to poke the woman in the cheek, grinning as he did. "Suicide Girl, you better stop all that blushing, though, don't you think?" he questioned teasingly. "You got a legacy of depressed cliff-jumping to uphold."
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 7:52 pm
Nadiya bounced on the balls of her feet at the question, "Can I? I mean he's okay with strangers?" Sure she had seen a bushi or two before, but never had the chance to truly get some good interactions with them! Let alone ride one! Her mother had always thought it was too dangerous when she was a child and since leaving Matori the girl had never truly seen more Bushi. Though in the midst of her excitement she did stop bouncing so that she could give him a look, "A ride together on a bushi, hmm?" She smirked teasingly, "I suppose that's one way to get close to a gal easily."
"Ah." Her expression did drop at his confession. He didn't have a reason to be here? Had something happened to him? Perhaps a spat with someone? She opened her mouth as if to dig for more information before quickly closing it, "Then I suppose we'll just give you a good time so that your visit isn't wasted." Even if she loved a good tale the girl's own personal troubles with her family had taught her that some things just needed to come naturally out if ever. So if he didn't want to talk about it just yet then she wouldn't bother him.
At his poke her cheeks flushed a bit darker, "I should, shouldn't I?" She managed as she glanced away, "Let me get back into character then..." Holding a hand over her face Nadiya finally lowered it so that she could give him a lifeless stare, "I hope...this...is better." She drawled out slowly before walking past with a faint moan, "Time to haunt some beaches..."
"Or we could go on that ride." She added quietly as she peeked back towards him, "Though that might make me seem a bit more lively again...."
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:59 am
She was literally bouncing with excitement, so on the off chance that Skadravi's bushi wasn't great with strangers, he certainly wouldn't have been able to tell her so. He wasn't that cruel. Besides, that eagerness was infectious, and despite a few initial reservations regarding her person and intentions, Dravi was starting to feel it too. He laughed, and headed off to keep pace with her as they moved toward the conglomeration of rocks that shielded his pet. "Nah, nah, don't worry about it. Deigo loves people. He's very friendly! You'll get along great, I'm sure."
Nadiya was kind of a weirdo, a bit theatrical, teasing (perhaps more so than he was, himself), not rude, and not really what he'd expected of a lone woman jumping from the cliffs. But, he decided he was fine with the turn the day had taken. It certainly could've been worse.
Grinning, he quickened his pace into a trot, nabbed up her hand as he moved past, and tugged her along down the sands with him.
"Y'know, I don't think I mind lively," he admitted with a shrug, as they approached the hunched form of his bushi. Ruindego raised his head to peer at them as they approached, but didn't seem especially interested in moving beyond that. He yawned and snorted. Dravi let out a scoff of his own as he freed Nadiya's captured appendage to move closer to his familiar. "C'mon, buddy," Dravi encouraged hopefully as he knocked his head to the bushi's face. "Be polite. Can't you show a pretty girl some respect?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:53 am
"Oh good!" Nadiya beamed towards him, "Honestly I'm hoping to one day have one of these guys. Seems to be a perfect companion to have if you enjoy writing~" She could just curl up on his back and relax there in the sunlight some days while practicing a lazy tune. The thought made her gaze gleam. If only she could do that one day so that she could finally show her mother what music was about!
Latching onto his hand, Nadiya found herself flying forward with Skadravi across the sands. All the while the girl couldn't help smiling. It was simply too much! She had went from feeling all that bottled sadness and frustration to actually enjoying her evening...all because some nice and rather attractive stranger appeared on the beaches...Nadiya's cheeks flushed slightly with excitement. Was she finally living through one of her stories?
"That's good." Nadiya laughed softly, "I don't think I'm much good at holding the dead spirit mindset." Even if she was frustrated at her current home situation the girl had a brilliant flare for life and wasn't letting go of it anytime soon, "Oh wow." The words slipped lightly from her lips as she stared up at the bushi before them.
"He's so pretty." Nadiya commented as she slowly took a step forward to study the bushi, "Did we interrupt your lazy time?" She questioned with a small grin, "If so then I understand the reaction." Nadiya teased as she glanced to Skadravi, "I probably would do the same if I was napping and then awoken to meet some stranger out of the blue. Can't fault him then for that." She glanced back over towards the bushi before reaching down to grab a tuft of grass, "Is this something they would eat?" She mused before holding it out as if to offer it to the familiar, "I know it's not fish, but it's the best I have right now."
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 11:03 am
Well, if she was right about one thing, it was that bushi did make wonderful companions. Ruindego went with Dravi everywhere, a precious, unobtrusive, nonjudgmental constant in his life that was as close to family as he'd ever had. If anything, their time in Matori had only made Skadravi realize even more what his animal companion meant to him. Loyalty was such a beautiful thing. And not something he was getting from anywhere else, apparently.
"I dunno how good he is at helping writers," Skadravi admitted with a short laugh and a scratch at the back of his head. "But he'd help you do most anything, I think. So long as you don't mind if his 'help' just comes in the form of sitting and observing." Dego was good at listening, though, and would hear out all of Dravi's ideas whether they were good or not. So maybe that was a useful skill for writers? Just being there to listen.
As Nadiya offered the great creature a handful of grass, Dego sniffed warily at the foliage, then snorted the fronds from her palm with a puff of air from his nose. Skadravi elbowed him in the leg. "Don't be like that," he grunted quietly, as if trying to keep the woman from hearing him.
"He's really gotten kind of picky," Dravi assured her hastily, despite knowing that she wouldn't likely be offended by his animal's food habits. "We used to live in Oba, in the desert, so he'd eat anything green we could get our hands on! But, ah... well, I suppose his tastes have changed, since we started living here. It's quite the change of scenery..."
Skadravi grinned, as Dego scoffed softly and slowly rose to his feet. "So, you want a hand up?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 11:46 am
"That's fine." Nadiya grinned. She could use someone to sit and watch her antics some days. Truly she was in awe of how intimidating such gentle beasts could be. Shaking her head at his refusal of the food, the girl simply laughed before laying down her offering. "I see, I see. Forgive me, mister Bushi. Next time I'll bring you a bucket of fish and crab."
"It is, isn't it?" Nadiya nodded, "I suppose Matori definitely can spoil you after living in that desert for so long." She pursed her lips, "I think if I had to choose then I would definitely pick somewhere other than Oba to live for long. The people are interesting, but the sands are a bit too hot. Jahaur however...those jungles are full of adventure."
As the bushi got up on his feet, Nadiya's gaze gleamed with excitement. "Yes, please!" She held out her hand towards Skadravi, "If you don't mind helping me out, sir?" She asked politely before preparing to be lifted onto the Bushi.
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