[FIN/Matori] Creepy Crawlers (Nyko/Sajahka)

[Painted Moose]

Nyko hadn't been out much since arriving in Matori.

The young man had spent most of his days lying on his stomach, having some healer or another attend to the wounds on his back. Occasionally they would let him sit up, even walk, but Nyko wanted more. Yeah sure it hurt, but he wasn't content with sitting around like some ninny while there were things to be done.

"Don't strain yourself...you're still healing, you should take it easy...just because we've fixed the worst of it doesn't mean you should..." Blah blah blah. Nothing, but white noise to him.

Now, these creatures though, the ones 'haunting' the beaches...That was something Nyko could get behind. After 'sneaking' out, masterfully, in his mind, the bandaged boy hobbled his way down to the shoreline.

"Only the bravest of souls could help us chase it off." He tried to do an impression of the pompous old healer who first spoke the words, right before snorting and holding a stolen net in front of him like a grand mastermind.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajah was restless.

With Nyko hurt and holed up in the care of his healers, there was only so much time he could rationally spend hovering over or around him without giving the wrong impression, and in any case, he was fairly certain his friend was almost as sick of looming as he was of being bedridden in the first place. And, of course, the healers had assured him a dozen times that Nyko was being cared for. That he wouldn’t be allowed out without supervision and until he was physically prepared for it. Yes, he would be watched. Yes, they knew what a stubborn patient was, this was not their first time around the block and they could handle it.

‘Trust us.’

It didn’t help that Sajah didn’t trust anyone.

Particularly strangers. Particularly healers. Particularly anyone who underestimated Nyko and his capacity for doing stupid things.

And particularly Nyko for that matter.

But in this instance, Sajahka had forced himself out. Out of Nyko’s room. Out of his own temporary housing space, and to the beaches—which were everywhere, but also a favorite tramping ground of his since arriving in Matori. If he happened to be near to where Nyko was holed up, who was there to judge? The healers wouldn’t care, surely. And Nyko would never—

Sajah narrowed his eyes at a figure hobbling out of the building Nyko inhabited.

—be any the wiser.  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

Nyko walked with a notable limp in his step, with slightly hunched posture, but walk he did. Occasionally he would stop to catch his breath, maybe even murmur a few curses, but the water tribesman carried on. If nothing else the boy was persistent. And if he could catch this 'haunted creature' then perhaps he would be allowed to do more then stay cooped up in one room all day, listening to an endless water source that incessantly gave him the urge to piss.

And maybe then Sajah wouldn't hover so much.

Doubtful, but Nyko felt guilty enough for compromising the mission. Part of him was indignant; if anything he had shown those Obans a thing or two by telling them what they needed to hear! Of course it was necessary. Then the more logical side reminded him that it could have ended a lot worse for the lot of them.

Unaware of his being watched - why bother looking over your shoulder, in a place you were supposed to be safe? - Nyko continued on. At least until he saw several odd prints in the sand - like little slashes, then bits of pinched wet sand. "Ah-ha! You're brilliant Nyko, oh why thank you Nyko-"  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

“Ah-ha! You're brilliant Nyko, oh why thank you Nyko-”

Though muffled by distance, night breezes, and the gentle roll of the surf, Nyko’s voice was distinct and immediately recognizable to Sajah’s ear. He pursed his lips. That man was not even supposed to be out of bed let alone—

And yet, he couldn’t say he was surprised, and Nyko was not a child — regardless of how he acted on occasion — and he did seem to be at least functionally mobile on his own. Still. Sajah strode toward him, footfalls soft and effectively silent under the overarching sounds of wind and sea. There was also no more substantial way to announce his approach, “Nyko!” being impossible, and a verbal, formless outcry being likely just as unpleasant and startling as anything else.

So, he settled for a hand on the man’s shoulder from behind.  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

Little, sharp tracks in the sand...at least, they looked sharp. It was hard to tell, since sand had a habit of shifting to fit it's moods and filling in holes. In all honesty Nyko had expected to at least have some idea of what he was tracking by now; some little inkling, a hunch really, but it just seemed further out of his mindset-

"AIIIIEEEEEE-"


Nyko shrieked the moment a hand was placed on his shoulder. His wail very well might have carried across the ocean to Yael. He jumped on impulse, immediately half buckling when pain soared up his back, and thankfully he didn't fall over. When he looked back he didn't waste any time and threw his net on impulse, thinking it was the creature-

-and bagging a Sajahka instead.

"Goddess! What are you doing out here? Beyond trying to stop my heart." Nyko groaned, tossing his head back dramatically.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Nyko’s screech, echoing and loud though it was, earned little more than briefly grit teeth. Hard on the ears, but not entirely unexpected, and at least here, no one was going to whip either of them for making unnecessary disturbances in the middle of the—

Nyko’s net dropped over his face, and Sajah pursed his lips.

—night.

His stare was initially unimpressed at best, but managed to slide down the arch of Nyko’s throat when he tossed his head back, groaning, and—Sajah scoffed, pulling the net off of himself, rolling it and folding it messily under his arm before signing the instant Nyko’s eyes were in his general direction again. «You should not be out here.»  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

"Oh come on Sajah, cut me some slack. This is the first time I've been out in days and look - I'm walking so that's- " Nyko stalled, canting his head to the side while listening to a buzzing sound. A buzz, then silence, and something...clacked? He turned to look over his shoulder, unaware that he was moving away from his friend until his legs had already decided to move.

He liked to think the hunch in his back was due to the predatory instinct of hiding from one's prey and not the pain in his flesh. Surely Sajah heard it...? And - Nyko inhaled sharply as a dark figure sailed over his head, low flying and finally settling on the sand to their right. There was no way for him to see it clearly, since it had chosen a spot next to some beach grass, but that didn't stop Nyko from hurriedly gesticulating his hands at Sajah. "The neeeettttt, " he hissed, "toss the neeetttt."  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

When Nyko’s words cut off, Sajah stiffened.

For starters, rarely did his friend ever simply decide his words simply weren’t worth being heard, and thus pity on the person or event which happened to cut him off in the first place, generally speaking. Further, though, in this particular case—his eyes flicked about the night, alert for signs of the source—there was definitely something out there. He could hear it, the click and insectile whirrr as though of wings or something else.

Either way, his hand moved, settling on a hilt at his hip.

Then it landed. And it was…

Hideous.

Though he couldn’t say as much aloud, of course, Sajahka was fairly sure his face showed his opinion of the thing well enough. Nyko’s hissing drew his attention that way, and his expression morphed from disgusted to puzzled. ‘Net…?’ Oh, oh, yes. The thing in his arms. That Nyko had thrown on him. Sajah scoffed, flicking his fingers instead.

«Why? It’s disgusting and could be toxic. We should leave.»  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

Though Nyko himself couldn't see it clearly Sajahka's expression told him all he needed to know. Maybe...maybe they were better off leaving it alone - No! If he wanted to prove he was alright to get around then he had to catch it, horrifyingly disgusting or not.

"The healers were talking about something haunting the bea-" Nyko cut his hissed tirade off with an impressively vulgar curse. The creature was moving, Sajah obviously wasn't going to be of much help and he had to catch it!

There wasn't much thought put into what he did next. Nyko ran at it, ignoring whatever protests his body gave at the moment and leapt at the creature just as it decided to fly off. He didn't land on the thing - as was intended - but rather he hit the sand with an audible 'omph', arms scrambling to grab hold of the thing. It struggled against him, but Nyko held on as tightly as he could. "NET. GET THE NET - OW OW OWOWWOWW-" WHY was it pinching his hair?!  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

There were a number of things in this world that Sajah did not want. He had thought he’d left most of them behind in Oba.

He was wrong.

“Hhhhnn—” The verbal expression, if not a word, was sudden and reactive as Nyko — of all the sane things he could have done — chose instead to leap at the foreign and hideous insect, and the following string of disgruntled and objecting sounds from Sajah as he approached, this time jerking out the net as indicated, were similarly indicative of his disapproval. You ridiculous, mad, injured, spontaneous, impulsive idiot of a man— ran through his head like a rolling mantra.

Aloud, however, he of course said nothing and instead, tossed the woven fishnet, attempting to loop it over the beast now either in Nyko’s grasp or—tangled in his hair? Between the scrambling and hissing and clicking and various noises and flailing movements coming from both beast and man, he couldn’t quite tell.  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

[6/7]

It's pinchers were snapping at locks of Nyko's hair, which was just as painful as it was annoying. Through sheer force of will he pulled it close to his torso and wrestled with the best, all the while bellowing for the stupid net.

And thus the net came - landing over his head instead of on the beast itself. Nyko fumbled with the stupid thing for a minute, taking one hand off the insect to snatch the net. It didn't take as long to capture it after that as he assumed it would.

Eventually Nyko had one very pissed, very ugly creature trapped in a net. Sweat soaked, breathless, and with some blood seeping through his bandages, Nyko looked a fright. Still, through his now very loose, very wild hair he was able to grin up at Sajah, "G-got it."  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Sajah stared.

For the whole ordeal he felt distinctly as though he ought to help—somehow. How, though, was beyond him, and between the scrambling, conflicting movements, and flurrying arms and pincers, it seemed that, particularly with Nyko in the state he was, any direct interaction had just as much likelihood of doing harm than good.

So he ended up standing fairly uselessly while Nyko scrabbled about, and when he did catch the beast, he couldn’t say he was sure how he felt about it. Got it. He observed the mess that was his friend, the beast, and then Nyko again.

«Congratulations,» he signed. «What is it? We should kill it.»  

[Painted Moose]

The Only Black Uke

"It's a- can't you see that it's...it's that haunted thing." Nyko gestured to the insect as if it were totally obvious what it was when honestly...he had no clue.

"We aren't going to kill it, we'll take it back and show everyone. Tell them the story of my hunting prowess." Even as he spoke Nyko was taking in great gasps of air into his burning lungs. It shouldn't have been that hard just to catch this stupid thing!

He tied off the edges of the net, just to make sure the little beast couldn't escape. Once that was done he held his hands up to Sajahka, "Can you help me up? And maybe when we tell people about this we can spice up the story a little bit. Make it seem a little less...like a big screw up."  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

That haunted thing.

Sajah eyed his friend, nonplussed, disbelieving, and generally unimpressed. «It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.» He did, however, offer a hand, clasping at Nyko’s when he reached and helping him up—careful to stay on the opposite side of Nyko as the ‘haunted thing.’ It was incredibly unappealing, more so every time Sajah looked at it, but at the thought of attempting to turn the entire ordeal into one outlining Nyko’s hunting prowess—Sajah snorted on something that was almost a laugh.

«Very heroic,» he signed. Crawling out with a bleeding back in the dead of night to fall on a hideous flying sand bug and have a screeching flail-fit with it and hair and pincers. «They will write songs about you, I am sure of it.»