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 Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:34 am
As a group of excitable younglings played in the little brook before her, Ilsa propped herself up on a nearby stone and crossed one leg under her. Their instructors had allowed them to finish up early for the day which meant extra play time for the girls; most of them, anyway. Ilsa had been allowed to tag along, but Mako's group had made it explicitly clear she was not allowed in the water lest she muddy it up. So, she could only watch as the alkidikes splashed around and took turns dunking one another under the waterfall.
Ilsa backed up until her spine was flush with the tree bark behind her. She dug around her bag for a bit before pulling out a little jar of healing salve; one she'd grown far too used to using on her various bruises and cuts. It stung to apply, but not as much as hearing their laughter. Somedays she wondered if it wouldn't be best to just go home, but she always hoped that maybe, one day, they might change their minds.
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:50 am
[Hummus via Discord]
Quynh was still adjusting to being in this area of Chibale. The youngling didn't really get much of a chance to make friends because of her mothers' constant traveling which displaced her every few months to some new region where they had family or new prey to hunt. Though she had to admit even if she was in one set location for a period of time it would not be surprising if she still didn't acquire many friends considering her prickly nature and the constant fights about her stranger Aishan roots. The girl huffed at the thought before continuing to pluck at the fat berries hanging from the lower brushes, the violet juices coating her pale fingers as she placed some in a bag at her side while others ventured closer towards her mouth as a snack. Eventually the bag and her stomach both felt full enough so the youngling went towards where she heard running water. Unfortunately she caught sight of the other Alkidike younglings playing in the waters and with a heavy sigh started forward. If they wanted to pick a fight then she would deal with it then but for now she just wanted to rinse off her hands and face.
Her steps paused though when she realized that someone was right against the tree she was passing. Quynh almost kept going before her gaze narrowed in confusion as she took a slow step back and then another so that she could stare at the strange girl. She wasn't quite Elarian nor was she Alkidike....just like me. The realization allowed laughter to escape her lips before realization turned from glee into annoyance. "Why aren't you splashing with the others?" She knew the answer would be painfully obvious but it did nothing to settle the knot of displeasure growing within her own chest. It seemed some aspects were kept in every region that the Aishans lived in after all. So much for just having a preference against earthlings...
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:56 am
[2/10]
At first Ilsa spared little more than a sideways glance toward the newcomer. For as many times as she'd been bullied the youngling had never been jumped, and more often than not if someone was approaching them it would be an older alkidike to pick up her daughter. When her eyes caught sight of the other girl they immediately narrowed in on her eyes. If not for them then she might have been able to overlook the other aspects of her, at least from that first glance.
Her fingers paused in the salve, a rather large glob slowly dripping off her fingers as she stared at the back walking creature. She'd...never actually seen anyone else like her before. Her markings were so light that at first Ilsa didn't even think she had any, but the closer she came the more obvious they became.
Ah, and she was irritated with her. At least she isn't so different from the others.
"...I'm a bad swimmer?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:17 am
[Roasted Red Pepper via Discord]
"Uh huh." Quynh almost rolled her eyes as she studied the other girl before finally just plopping down on the ground next to the stranger. "They seem so concerned that their friend isn't able to swim with them." She mused almost sarcastically before noticing the ointment. A frown crossed her lips before she wiped her fingers along the grasses, hoping that would take away some of the berry juices. She would have loved to go towards the water but now something else more important had come up and she wanted to spend more time with the girl instead. Why waste an opportunity to get to know someone else like her? That and she did so hate seeing other girls leaving someone excluded like this.
"Would you like to learn how to swim?" She finally offered after a moment, her green gaze thoughtful as she studied the other hybrid.
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:22 am
[3/10]
Before too much of it was wasted, Ilsa calmly applied what was left on her fingers to the bruising around her jaw. The left side of her face had taken the most of Mako's ire and if the swelling was any indication she knew her eye had to be puckered.
"Maybe later? There isn't much room and they're already here." Of course the brook wasn't nearly as big as a lake, but there was plenty of area for a handful of younglings to go in, let alone a simple two. Ilsa almost suggested that the new girl should go if she wanted too, but then found herself at a loss. If she was like her then wouldn't Mako hurt her?
"You really shouldn't be here. It isn't safe."
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:49 am
[Caramelized Onion via Discord]
Quynh pursed her lips angrily. "Isn't safe?" She repeated as she studied the girl's injuries and then looked back towards the group of Aishans. "Ah. I'm guessing it wasn't a wild radaku that did that, right?" The young hybrid shook her head with frustration. It didn't even look like the other girls were sporting injuries! She would have given them something to go home with as well. Still, Quynh found herself almost dismayed that the other girl shared similar issues that she had while trying to play with other sisters. She had somewhat hoped that maybe....well even she wasn't certain what she was expecting to find in other settlements.
"So what you're saying is we can either find a place to swim that's not here or....we help the other girls out by placing some itching herbs or dyes upstream that will float towards them while they're playing around." She mused with a wicked grin as she glanced towards the other girl. "I'll deal with either option if you'd like. Then we can maybe share names and have fun without uppities."
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:55 am
[4/10]
"You can't do that, that's-" Isla looked almost petrified by the thought. "You'll be caught and even if you're not you'll - we'll - get blamed for it." It didn't really matter if it was a natural occurrence or not; if Mako spun the story the right way then the elders would be quick to toss blame on the darker hybrid. This girl might have been passing through, but Isla had to live with them and she had no intention of making things worse if she didn't have to.
Goddess, was she trying to get them killed?
"L-let's just go find somewhere else." Maybe if she got the other girl away from the little group then they wouldn't notice she was there and hopefully she wouldn't try starting a war with them. A war neither one of them could win.
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:43 am
[Organic Simply Roasted Pine Nut via Discord]
"Only if it doesn't look natural." Replied Quynh with her lips pursed before letting out a soft sigh. "But I 'spose if that's not your style then I won't force you." The other girl already looked like she was having a rough day so the little hybrid figured she would let things pass....this time. But if she was in the area for longer than a few days then those other girls were in so much trouble! She had pulled pranks before and would not be deterred by any thoughts of punishment. She was determined to see justice even if it was personally up to her to do something!
"Let's go then." Quynh stuck her tongue out towards the other girls. "Not like I wanted to deal with them today anyways." She quickly bounced up from the ground, wiped her fingers on her skirts one final time before glancing towards the other girl. "I'm Quynh by the way. You are?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:46 am
[5/10]
Thank Aisha. Her eyes traveled over to the other girls who were too busy in their games to even spare them a glance, despite the fact that Ilsa was speaking with someone else. It was just fortunate for them that their conversation couldn't be heard over all their squealing and laughter.
Ilsa slipped her ointment back into the pouch at her side before sliding off her stone. When she landed on her feet she grit her teeth, but stoically held back a wince. The little one didn't linger on it; choosing instead to walk away, only pausing to make sure that Quynh was following her. It was...strange to have someone willing to be around her in front of others. In fact, it was a first.
"I'm Ilsa." She sparred one last look back at the group before leading the way through the jungle to another spot upstream. "Are you new here?" Or rather 'Where are you from because I know you don't live here'?
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Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:22 am
[Taco Inspired via Discord]
A small frown crossed her lips but Quynh was surprisingly quiet about her opinions as she followed along after the other girl. "Sorta?" She replied finally as she pushed a vine out of her way. "My mothers travel through all of the Aishan regions because they feel settling down makes one grow lax and weak. We've been between Zinris, Chibale and a few farther out settlements over the years. My Alkidike mother has distant cousins here and we'll be staying with them for a bit until my mothers catch sight of some new prey." Perhaps it seemed silly or even insulting to others but Quynh held onto her mothers' pride. If they were to be the best warriors then why get comfortable in a settlement, relying on others and chasing the same prey day after day? Surely it would grow boring anyways since they wouldn't be able to test their limits as they did while chasing the rare and strongest of prey across the countries.
"Have you always lived here? I've never met someone mixed like me before." She acknowledged as she stopped to pick up a few more berries along the way.
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Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 9:20 am
[6/10]
Occasionally Ilsa would flick her dark eyes back to the other girl before moving forward. She walked around familiar roots, careful not to add to her injuries, and felt her toes squish through puddles of mud. "You've been to Zinris?" Her eyes widened at the thought. What must that have been like? She'd only ever seen a handful of Elaria, barely noticeable in the see of Alkidike, and the thought of going to her mother's homeland had always intrigued her. Maybe they would have been more accepting of her since she looked more like them.
"I have. My mothers used to travel a lot before they came back to Chibale. I don't think it was to make them stronger, though." She wasn't really sure why they moved around so much to be honest. They seemed happy enough here, even if frustrations over Ilsa did make things tense, so then why had they gone all over Tendaji?
"I've never left Chibale." And as she admitted that truth she could start to hear the water. It didn't take much longer for the darker Aishan to lead the other girl toward a small, active stream.
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 4:37 pm
[Dark Chocolate Dessert Dip via Discord]
"Yes." Replied Quynh proudly as she gingerly danced around the puddles of mud. Even if she was going to be a tough warrior it did not mean she had to look like a mess! Her lips did purse into a slight pout as she thought about Zinris though. "It's rockier and I feel like they're a bit tougher overseas but once I taught them that I could bite back I get along fairly well with others." Even if it was an indirect comment about the earlier situation the girl continued moving without missing a beat. It wasn't truly her business how the other hybrid girl got along with others after all....right? Right.
"Ah, that makes a lot of sense then." Ilsa definitely was the living example of what her mothers had warned her about. Quynh felt no disdain towards the other girl, perhaps a bit more concern than anything really, but maybe seeing the world could help her to not seem quite so....meek? If it had been solely up to Quynh earlier the girl would have charged forward and claimed the stream as her own playground regardless of the Aishans already there. As she approached the stream with Ilsa the girl tilted her head with interest before moving forward so that she could scoop up the clear water in her hands and finally remove the lingering berry juices. "Are you ever going to leave Chibale?" She suddenly found herself asking as she continued to ponder over the situation. Maybe that was what Ilsa needed? "If your mothers aren't fond of traveling anymore then maybe my mothers could take you with us to Zinris? We don't stay in one place for too long and I'm sure we'd be back before the next year..."
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 4:46 pm
[7/10]
Maybe...she wouldn't do better in Zinris. Her hand subconsciously went to her side where a soreness lingered even after her broken ribs had healed. The girls here could be vicious and their mothers seemed oblivious to it all. She was doing her best to stand her ground in Chibale, but the continued abuse was tearing her down so Ilsa just...thought she might be better off here.
"I hadn't planned on it." Ilsa got closer to the water, but lingered at it's edge. Now that she could truly see her reflection she couldn't help curling a lip. When her mothers got a look at her they would lose their minds...
But then, Qunyh had another thought that made her balk. "I don't think that would be such a good idea. We just met, that's a long way to go and...if they're tougher than the alkidike...I think I'm okay just staying here."
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 8:01 am
[ Salsa Verde via Discord]
"Oh." It would be a lie if Quynh said she wasn't disappointed but today was not a day to pick fights. The other girl looked so worn down that it tugged at her heart. Like some little radaku pup that had been abandoned. "Well then. Do you actually know how to swim?" She found herself asking after a long pause. "I can help you with that much at least." She couldn't force the other girl to be stronger because that had to he something she wanted first...even if Quynh truly wanted to push the other hybrid from the nest to fly. For once in her life she found herself being considerate...as strange as that felt.
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 8:05 am
[8/10]
After a pause Ilsa shook her head. "No, I can't swim. Last time mama tried to teach me Mako's mother saw us and my mama...might have hit her with a rock..." Normally her mother's were a little more composed with their anger, but mama Kanai was always the one to watch out for. That day she had simply been pushed too far.
"When we tried she said I might be too big to float. Something about not being soft enough." She looked down at her stomach and pinched the little bit of fat around her navel. Compared to others her age Ilsa was large, but not in a plump way. She was already growing into a bruiser's body. "Can I still swim even if I can't float?"
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