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 Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2021 1:53 pm
The warm sunlight was a welcomed change after her adventures into the caverns. As much as Mina enjoyed visiting her friends the depths of the ocean were a great deal cooler than she was used to. The young Hapuna much preferred the comfort of her reef where she could lounge as much as she wanted without risking hypothermia. Dressed in clothing far less formal than her uniform, she meandered through the shallow waters with a few other children; laughing and squealing as they chased a few Lono.
Their smaller prey scuttled around the ocean floor, buoyed by the current as their little pincers clipped up toward the excitable Hapuna.
"Watch out, Mina! It's going to get your toes!"
On cue the closest Lono clipped up at her and Mina tucked her legs as close to her chest as possible with a gasp that quickly turned into a laugh.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:07 pm
It was extremely rare for Nanami to get to venture away from the caverns that she had lived in for her whole life, but today was a special day where she had gotten to tag along with her mother who had business in the area. Of course the older kawena had already left to participate in meetings with other healers from different regions, but it didn't matter to Ami since she already had a goal in mind. Her mother trusted her to be responsible and they had set a meeting place where Ami more than likely was supposed to be studying for the whole day....but Ami just made certain to note the area in her memory before darting off. Mina was nearby after all and she was not going to miss out on the chance to meet her friend in her home waters!
It was definitely a bit warmer around the reefs and Ami was thankful for the light material of her pale halter dress and laced up sandals that kept her skin cool as she floated through the brighter waters. Her excitement died, however, when she heard a group of other younglings playing about and Ami suddenly felt extremely shy. Maybe...maybe she could look somewhere else for Mina? But then she heard her friend's name and she found herself stumbling to a halt, her hands clasped together nervously as she caught herself before tumbling into some coral. Ami would have much preferred to back away and try again later but a rogue lono decided to pinch the back of her calf instead and the girl let out a surprised yelp.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:53 pm
There were three other girls with Mina as they swam around the reef. When they weren't pestering the Lono they were pushing one another closer to the creatures, and laughing when someone would get too spooked by the 'scary' little things.
"Look at that one! It's shell is super pretty!" Mina pointed out. Her friends came closer to 'ooo' and 'aww' over it before a sound caught their attention.
"What was that?"
"Maybe it's one of Mina's monsters coming to gobble us up." One of the girls held her hands up like claws and 'attacked' another who cried out in surprise.
"That's not a monster." Mina huffed. She'd heard enough monsters to be an expert on them by now! At least, in her opinion. Looking at the group around her, the little Hapuna floated little straighter and started toward the sound. "I'll check it out!"
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2021 4:36 pm
A deep flush decorated Ami's cheeks as she realized she had been heard by the other girls. Still feeling very shy though the kawena swam away from the lono so that she could peek around a larger piece of coral. "Minaaaa." Ami called out softly, her expression sheepish as she peeked around and waved towards her friend.
Did she see her? Should she come closer and introduce herself? The youngling tried to take a few steps forward but then her heart tightened with anxiety. Maybe...maybe not. Another pinch had her squeak again and the girl sent a glare towards the lono before darting forward into the open. Oh what a tricky little thing!
"Hello." Ami managed with a swallow, her hand raising in greeting as the others approached.
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Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:55 pm
"Why are you hiding?" Mina tried her best to whisper, but the distance made it impossible. She looked behind her to the other hapuna who had come closer to one another to whisper. They were trying their best to see the hidden figure and the obviousness of it made Mina roll her eyes. Honestly!
She hadn't seen Ami's wave, but she couldn't help jumping when the kawena jerked. "Are you okay?" Mina swam closer and looked her friend over for injuries. While she started her inspection the other girls came closer as well although they were a little more cautious.
"Whose your friend, Mina?"
"Oh, sorry! This is Nanami!" She put her hands on Ami's shoulder and offered all parties involved a bright smile. "And these are Ekahi, Lua, and Kolu." The one called Lua waved to Ami in return while Kolu remained cautious and Ekahi's expression was more snobbish than anything. Still, Mina didn't remain focused on them for long. "I didn't know you were coming topside! If I'd known I would have come out to meet you."
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 1:59 pm
Oh there were so many others with her! Ami felt her cheeks darken even more at the question from Mina and she bowed her head almost sheepishly. "I'm adjusting to the brightness?" She finally offered with a small smile before waving towards everyone. "It's nice to meet you." She managed softly before glancing back at Mina and shaking her head.
"It-it's okay! I didn't know my family had business here until this morning so there was no time to tell you." Ami replied quickly before glancing towards Ekahi, Lua and Kolu. What did she do now? Did she ask to stay or just say her greetings and swim quickly away? She wanted to spend time with Mina but she didn't want to bother her friends if they were already doing things!
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 2:40 pm
"Oh yeah? You must be really tired then." Mina knew from first hand experience how exhausting a straight trip up or down could be. She really should have left Nanami alone to rest, but she just couldn't! Unlike her other friends she didn't get to see her everyday and Mina wanted to treat it like the special occasion it was.
"Or if you want you could hunt Lono with us? We saw some really pretty ones a little bit ago."
"Yeah, before you scared them off." Ekahi groused. Lua elbowed her, but the little Hapuna held her ground. "What? She did."
"Then we'll just find different ones." Mina supplied with a hearty grin. Surely there would be more around, right? It's not like they were rare!
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:08 pm
Ami nodded shyly. She was pretty exhausted but it was worth it if she could see Mina! "Lono? Those are the little ones with the pinchers, right?" She asked with curiosity. The very thing that had pinched her out of hiding! What little trouble makers...though she did suppose that they could be cute now that she wasn't being attacked by one.
Ami's cheeks darkened with embarrassment at the accusation. "Oh...I'm sorry." She managed with a slight frown. "I didn't realize what was going on and never meant to chase them away." She glanced towards Mina and a smile crossed her lips at the positivity. Surely they could! "I'll help you find more!" She promised as she glanced about the group, her gaze already sweeping past them to look for more lono.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:42 am
Mina nodded. "Yep! The little ones that chased you." She couldn't help smirking a little and gave a good natured nudge to her friend's side. "There's plenty of us here. I'm sure if we fan out we can find all kinds of-"
"Sorry, Mina, but I'm going to go home. It's getting late." Ekahi spoke up and as she did Kolu hesitantly nodded.
The little Hapuna turned her head toward the surface and noticed that the sun was still fully visible in the sky. What were they talking about? "Are you sure? It's still really early."
"Yeah...we're pretty tired." Kolu 'yawned' behind her hand, and the two turned to leave. "We'll...see you some other time, okay?"
As she watched them leave Mina couldn't help becoming a little cross. They were obviously leaving because they didn't want to be there and as much as she wanted to call them out for it she didn't want to cause a scene. When she turned toward Lua, though, the other Hapuna awkwardly smiled.
"I'd like to still look for Lono if that's okay?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:34 pm
Ami couldn't hide the disappointment that crossed her features whenever the other two girls left. It was one thing when back home she had gotten so focused in her studies that she had missed out but this was the first time she was experiencing being openly ignored after actually trying to socialize. The youngling felt her heart drop before she realized that one of the other girls had actually stayed behind. Oh! Ami's lips curled into a small, hopeful smile as she nodded towards the other hapuna.
"That would be great." She replied with a smile. "I'm Ami and it's nice to meet you. Sooo...how do we find Lono?" Already though she caught sight of something shimmering around the fauna and she found herself darting forward so that she could investigate. A pair of beady eyes greeted her and Ami found herself staring down a lono, its pearly white body a stark contrast to the colorful coral surrounding it.
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 9:37 am
While Mina may have tried schooling her temper her physical features weren't very good at hiding. Every single one of her fins were extended as far as they could be and a scowl covered her features. This wasn't going to be the end of this! She would have a talk with them later, but right now she was just happy that Lua stayed.
When she turned to look at the other girl she looked nervous, almost as if she were going to get the brunt of Mina's ire, but why would she? Lua had always been kind and when Ami smiled at her she returned it.
"It would be better if we had a basket or something to chase them into. If you spook them they'll scuttle back into it!"
"What if one of us hid somewhere and the other two chased them over? Would that work?" They weren't anywhere close enough to pick up a basket and Mina hadn't really brought anything with her. Looking at the other two she could guess they hadn't either.
For a moment the two Hapuna were so busy discussing how to find the Lono that they didn't even notice Ami already had! "What do you think Ami?" Mina turned toward her friend and had a momentary panic before she saw her. The bright little Hapuna darted forward and slowed as she got closer. "What is it? What did you see?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:05 am
They needed a basket? What if they crafted something out of some seaweed? Ami found herself pondering over the situation before the white lono caught her attention. "A lono, I think?" She whispered quietly as she waited for the others to join her. "So do we chase it and hope someone can grab it?" She offered with a sheepish smile though her gaze drifted back towards the seaweed.
"I could craft a net out of seaweed too..." She offered though she was worried about the striking lono darting away while she took the time to make the net. It could be made quickly but it may not be as stable as she preferred.
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:17 am
Mina pursed her lips together and cooed. "It's gorgeous, Ami. It looks like a little pearl." The Lono was so pretty that for a moment Mina could look past the way it's little nippers snapped her way in warning. She wanted to reach down for it, but the little one knew better! They needed a plan and leave it to Ami to find a solution!
"How about if Lua and I keep it busy while you make it? Between the two of us we should be able to keep an eye on it." She kept looking at the little thing, her eye drawn toward the white creature.
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:21 am
Ami's expression brightened at the thought. "I'll leave it to you two then!" She chirped before darting away so that she could gather some seaweed. She just hoped that she could craft quickly enough so that the lono didn't get time to escape. Some bright red seaweed, some violet and some yellow quickly twisted together into a makeshift net and Ami even managed to find an old broken piece of coral that she could wrap in more seaweed and use as a handle.
Giving it a few test swishes, Ami spun it around before Mina and Lua. "Want to give it a try?" She offered, her expression hopeful as she held out the net towards them.
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:28 am
Mina passed Ami a two thumbs up before turning her gaze to Lua. When the other girl nodded her way the two set off. Keeping an eye on their target wasn't hard, but keeping it in one spot was! It was like as soon as the little creature caught on that it was being spied all it wanted to do was get away! Thankfully for them (and unfortunately for it), Mina was fast. She could dart as fast as any of the faster swimmers and every time it tried to shoot away she was there to stop it.
"It looks great, Ami!"
"I can hold it, if you want." Lua held her hands out. "I'll go over there, by the taller coral and hide. My scales are the same color so it shouldn't be able to see me as easily." She had a point; the bright red of her scales would blend in a lot easier with the scenery than either one of the other girls.
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