|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:23 pm
Chantara despised summer storms. The Elidae had gone out to gather herbs earlier in the afternoon when the first fat drops of rain had started pelting the island. Normally it wouldn’t be such a hassle, but the apprentice had ventured further than usual from her little hut and had actually taken a canoe into the Kahi area. The little cove was the perfect spot for growing a rare type of nightshade that Chantara liked to harvest. She had tried to replant some before back at her home, but the vines truly seemed to thrive here in the darker areas of the coast near underwater caves. Normally she could simply spend a few hours harvesting whatever she needed with a sickle before heading back home, but the heavy rains made it too risky for her to get back to the canoe. And so she waited under a weeping willow, her arms crossed with a frown on her face as she continued staring out across the cove with the occasional raindrop slipping through her shelter and pelting her on the face. “What a hassle.” She murmured with yet another sigh crossing her lips as she leaned back against the tree.
[Chantara 1]
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:23 pm
Oh, rain! Haikili let out a laugh of delight as he spun around with his arms spread out wide to catch as many drops as possible. While he normally was never in this area, the hybrid had joined his mother on an excursion to a nearby village where she was trading some of their family’s crafted jewelry for other supplies that they needed. It had been a good excuse for the pair to go off on an adventure, stretching their legs for a bit and camping while things were quiet back home. His other mother didn’t want to leave her family and so it had been just Kai and Haikili, but the boy didn’t mind. It was always refreshing to just spend more time with his Kawena mother, even if the pair of them could be prone to finding trouble. As thunder rumbled in the distance he could only hope that his mother wasn’t too worried since he had slipped away to go on a walk while she worked with others to swap and gather materials.
[Haikili 1]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:23 pm
Was that laughter in the distance? Normally Chantara was the one who scared others with her strange habits and nocturnal schedule, but for once the Elidae was unnerved. What had made such a noise? Her bright green gaze narrowed as she tried to look further into the wall of water, the rain coming down so strongly that everything was a blur while it was so hard to even tell if she actually had heard laughter. “Part of my imagination?” She mused with a tilt of her head before hearing the noise again, a chill going down her spine. “Who is out here?!” Even though she was not much of a fighter, Chantara held out her sickle defensively in case something or someone was about to attack.
[Chantara 2]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:23 pm
A strange noise pierced his ears. Haikili found himself pausing mid-dance to stare around the area. Was someone else out here in this rainstorm? It didn’t sound like any language he had heard before though. They did seem distraught and it did sound like a language else he would have thought it was some local wildlife that he had never heard before. So Haikili did what he thought was best (which others probably would have disagreed with) and he ventured right into the area where he had thought he heard the noise. “Hello? You okay out there?” He called out again, moving forward to see if he could find the source of the noise. Had it come from beneath that huge tree over there?
[Haikili 2]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:23 pm
Things were quiet and so for a second Chantara truly thought that she was alone. Maybe the storm had simply messed with her and somehow she had just misheard things? But then as soon as she dropped her stance a figure emerged from the mists and Chantara found herself pulling her sickle back up. She swore she heard something strange but the word was lost in the rain and whatever she could piece together didn’t sound like anything that she had heard before. For all she knew it could be a battle cry! So Chantara took no risks as she twisted around and swung out with her sickle, the blade stopping less than an inch away from the dark figure.
[Chantara 3]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:23 pm
So maybe he made a mistake. Haikili’s whole body tensed whenever he felt something cold and sharp graze against his neck. Instead of panicking, the hybrid slowly and carefully took a step back so that he actually didn’t lose his head. “I don’t mean any harm.” He attempted his words loudly and slowly. Haikili even raised his hands to try to make it look like he truly didn’t mean anything by his sudden approach. Whenever there was a flash of lightning he saw more of the girl standing before him and he had to blink. Was that one of those strange women who lived on that northern island?
[Haikili 3]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
What was he even saying? Chantara frowned as the foreigner backed away a step and held up their hands. That most definitely wasn’t a sister and the dialect was something she was not familiar with. Still, Chantara recognized body language enough to understand that the stranger was not looking for a fight and so she lowered her sickle. Her hand still kept a tight grip, her fingers digging into the wooden handle, but for the most part her posture relaxed as she studied the stranger. Dark skin with markings…definitely one of these locals and not an earthling like her mother had told her about. The Aishans in her area still did not interact often with the Kahi and so she found herself at a loss to the strange words coming from the person’s mouth. “Gathering.” Chantara slowly expressed before holding up the sickle and a recently cut plant in her other hand.
[Chantara 4]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
At first Haikili thought that he was safe but then the stranger was raising a sickle again. His gaze widened before he realized that she was holding up something else in her other hand. A plant? “Gathering…” He repeated the strangely accented word before grinning. “I see!” So she was looking for plants then? That was why she was out here? He hadn’t simply wandered into Aishan territory, right? Haikili glanced around trying his best to see through the pouring rain, but so far he didn’t see any other figures. If he was invading Aishan territory then he would definitely be seeing more than one, right? So maybe she was simply away from home to gather some herbs or something? Did something rare grow out here? He was still unfamiliar with the landscape since he was only visiting himself, but the very idea interested him. What if he brought back something rare for his mother? Not like he could ask many questions…the boy’s mouth pursed thoughtfully before he finally gestured to his own chest. “Haikili.” He stated as the rain seemingly lessened around them, giving some sunlight a chance to escape through the gray clouds so that the foreigner could easily see Haikili gesturing to himself and repeating his name.
[Haikili 4]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
“Haikili.” Chantara tried to repeat the strange word as she watched the foreigner tap at his chest, her head tilting slightly to the side as the foreigner repeated it once more. “Hey-kale…eh.” She tried again before making a face and shaking her head. “Kili.” Chantara did not plan on knowing this stranger for long so it was much simpler to just repeat what she could easily remember. It was hard enough to keep up with the various plant names that she had to memorize so why waste time on this? Did she even bother to introduce herself? Chantara paused as she frowned towards the stranger, pondering her options which included simply turning away and leaving.
[Chantara 5]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
“Kili, okay.” The very shortening of his name brought a grin to Haikili’s lips as he simply nodded. The Elidae were a strange race and so new to Kahi that they didn’t truly understand their other languages of the islands yet. Haikili had thought it would be smart to venture further north, searching for treasure or just anything fun to pass the time, but now he had found someone else even more entertaining. Rather than simply letting her leave though, Kahi boldly took a step forward and repeated his name, pointing at himself, before moving to point towards her. Would she not introduce herself? Surely despite the language barrier she could understand what he was trying to imply with his gestures!
[Haikili 5]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
A sigh left Chantara’s lips. The foreigner definitely was going to be stubborn. The Elidae shrugged her shoulders before gesturing to herself. “Chantara.” She repeated her name slowly and carefully to make certain that the Kahi got it. Could she leave now? Actually….Chantara glanced down at the loose sand around her feet. What if this Kili could help? Bending down she carefully started to draw in the sand with her sickle, the vines that she was looking for quickly taking shape under her blade.
[Chantara 6]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
“Chantara. Tara!” Haikili grinned as he also shortened what he assumed was the Elidae’s name. So they were making progress despite the language barrier! His mothers would be so proud of him for handling this situation on his own instead of running off. Haikili’s expression brightened even more before he realized that Chantara was drawing on the ground. What was she doing? Frowning, he crouched down and studied the drawing before snapping his fingers at the realization of what she wanted. “You need help finding this vine? I actually think I’ve seen this one before!” Haikili chuckled before straightening up and gesturing back the way he had come from. He totally had seen those vines with purple berries before!
[Haikili 6]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
At least Kili seemed to understand what she wanted. Chantara nodded before trudging along after the Kahi, her only expression a pout as it was still drizzling outside. At least the worst of the summer rainstorm was past and now she could actually see parts of the cove again. If Kili could get her to that final plant she needed then surely the ocean would be calm within a few hours and she could go back home. For now though Chantara focused on following the Kahi and tried her best to keep up with his flurry of strange words and gestures as he pointed out things along the cove.
[Chantara 7]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:24 pm
“And there’s this and that!” Kili was bursting with energy as the sun came back, the final rainclouds finally scattering as the blue skies of the island came back. Not that he minded rain, Haikili actually preferred some stormy weather but he noticed that the Elidae’s attitude was changing with the weather. It definitely looked like she wasn’t a fan of rain! Another chuckle escaped his lips as he continued guiding her along the coast until they finally came to the edge of the cove where the plants grew. Once she was finished harvesting them the hybrid realized it would be late afternoon. If he didn’t rush back soon then he would be in trouble! So for now all he could do was enjoy a few final moments, trying to get a bit more information from the Elidae before going along his way back to the village while she went back towards the ocean.
[Haikili 7]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
