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 Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:38 pm
Minke 1 That first meeting on the beach with the talkative and bossy Hapuna had left an odd impression upon Minke. A kind of confusion over how to feel about her. On one hand, she had really annoyed him. Demanding that he talk to her and give her his name when he very clearly just wanted to be left in peace. A fact that she had boldly said she didn't care about. On the other hand, he wasn't as bothered by her as he'd expected to be. She almost reminded him of his sister in that regard, always pushing him, albeit more nicely, to come out of his shell. He was used to that sort of pushiness. So when she kept returning to his corner of the beach, he wasn't as bothered by her presence as he normally would have been. Maybe he just missed it in the absence of his sister. Elias was a great friend, but he almost coddled Minke a little too much. Just because he was shy, didn't mean he was weak. Well, okay....That was unfair. He was weak. He could barely function with anyone new.
Tucking a curl of hair behind his ear, the pale hybrid bent down at his feet and picked up a beautifully yellow striped shell, holding it up to inspect before moving over to Auli'i nearby, her head also ducked down to look at the sand.
"Here...."
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:40 pm
Auli'i 1 For the Hapuna in question, that day also marked something different. It wasn't difficult for her to find others to hang out with or talk to. Sometimes she walked into the nearby village and found a random person to strike up a conversation with, be they her age or older. Just last week, she had sat on a bench with an elderly Matori man who told her stories about what it was like to live near the borders to Oba. Long before her parents' parents were even born, there had been so much fear and sadness, it made her glad she had been born in Matori way after all that had stopped happening. When she could wander around in relative safety without a parent hovering over her shoulder. If someone tried to swipe her now, she'd just scream and bite.
But the quiet boy down the beach had drawn her attention in a different way. He seemed so peaceful. So at one with the ocean just like a Hapuna, though he was clearly not even a Kahikinan. He had such pretty pale hair that her parents told her was common over in Belrea.
His soft voice cut into her thoughts. She turned, the spiral shell in her hands still dripping wet from where she'd pulled it out of the waves to inspect. No one lived inside it. She would leave it somewhere for a tiny creature to find.
"Oh! Thank you." Taking the shell from him, Auli'i held it up to the bright sun, turning it over with one hand. "I think I can do something with this." At her feet sat a tiny basket, where she gently placed the shell to rest on top the others they had found that day. These would make great bracelets for everyone.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:41 pm
Minke 2 Minke exhaled quietly, letting go all the stress that had quickly built up when he had started walking towards the other teenager. Though she'd bothered him many, many times by now, so many that he was certain he knew her well enough, people still made him nervous. Maybe would always make him this nervous. Besides, she had a way of embarrassing him sometimes by doing things such as complimenting him or touching his arm. Every time she came close, he fretted over what she might say or do. At the same time, he felt himself being drawn to her. Apparently he had been more lonely than he had first thought.
"Good...." He tugged at the hood over his hairm pulling it down over his forehead. He felt so exposed suddenly. "What....What are you making?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:43 pm
Auli'i 2 Still bent over her basket, sorting through the different shells they had collected so far, Auli'i pretended to think about this. Of course, she knew what she wanted to do. Had known before they started. She could take the easy way out and make necklaces, with a small assortment of shells at the end of the string to dangle against the chest. But a bracelet took more effort. It was more of a challenge to find a good matching set of shells and pretty rocks to go together. She liked a challenge.
Finished with her looking, figuring she had at least one good bracelet here, Auli'i stood back up, looking out over the ocean instead of back at Minke. "Guess you'll just have to see." She turned with a smile, the other shell still held between her fingers. She trailed a finger over it, feeling the ridges and bumps. To get it back to a good place for some homeless creature to find, she'd have to go into the water. It wouldn't be safe for its next occupant up on the shore.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:44 pm
Minke 3 Guess you'll just have to see.
The answer didn't have the intended affect on the Earthling. Minke merely shrugged lightly, watching her play with the shell in her hands. He was confused why she wasn't putting it down into the basket with the rest. It was a very pretty one, with beautiful colors and patterns and seemed in perfect condition. Perhaps it was a tad too big? He regularly picked up shells from the beach himself, taking them home to store in his own collection. But he never did anything else with them other than take them out and look at them from time to time. Auli'i had them around her neck. Hanging off her wrists. Even curled into her hair, three sitting in a cluster on the left side of her head. He never considered wearing the shells.
Looking around at the sand, he started to move off in another direction.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:45 pm
Auli'i 3 A small smile drifted across the girl's lips. Auli'i felt very clever with her answer. Oh, she could only imagine how the curiosity would be eating at him inside. And she would never tell. Not until the day she presented him with the prettiest of the shell bracelets she would make. Two for her parents. One for herself if she had enough materials left over, but it wasn't a big priority. She could make something for herself any ole time.
Than something strange happened. Minke shrugged and turned away. He didn't seem bothered at all by the mystery of what she was doing! The Hapuna started to pout, her fingers instinctively roaming over the shell. She looked down at it. She had a better idea.
"Hey, Minke. Want to join me in returning this shell?" Without waiting for a response, Auli'i pulled at the string holding her skirt together so that it fell to the ground, leaving her in a two piece suit perfect for diving. With a giggle, she sprang forward towards the water, splashing in the warmth of it.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:47 pm
Minke 4 His mind had already started to drift off as his pale eyes searched all around him when the sound of the girl's voice brought him back to face her. Just in time to see her pulling at the ties on her skirt. A squeak uttered from between his lips as a quick blush covered his cheeks. What was she doing, stripping? Out here in the open? In front of him? He quickly turned his head away, but not before he saw the flash of her red legs moving. Not like he hadn't seen them before. Peeking out from underneath clothing, though.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:50 pm
Auli'i 4 The ocean enveloped her in Her embrace, the waves crashing against her knees. For a moment, Auli'i forgot about the Earthling behind her as she walked further out into the water, her toes sinking into the soft sand and the smell of the sea strong in her nose. She felt at her best when she was in the water, safely held in the Mother's many arms. Small fish darted about her legs, taking tiny test nibbles at her skin with their gentle mouths, as if nature itself was offering her kisses. She sighed, spreading her arms above her head, the shell still held tightly in one hand.
"I don't hear any splashing," she giggled, feeling light of heart. She turned her body around to see Minke still on the beach, his eyes shut tight and his head turned away. Why? Hadn't he seen girls swimming before? He had a sister, after all. "Come on. Join me in the water. I want to show you something."
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:51 pm
Minke 5 I don't hear any splashing. What was he supposed to say to that? Wasn't it obvious why he was now embarrassed? Minke continued to keep his head pointed away from the Hapuna. That was until she made an interesting offer.
The pale hybrid looked then, opening his eyes slowly. He quickly closed them once more when he saw the state she was in, the curve of her lower body easily outlined against the backdrop of the ocean behind her. Yes, she sure did want to show him something. He debated if he could start running, would she be able to keep up with him? Maybe she wouldn't want to leave her basket and discarded skirt behind.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:52 pm
Auli'i 5 The Earthling boy continued to stand there, ignoring her. Auli'i huffed, turning her body around to face him, fists planted on her hips. Or as best she could manage with the shell in one.
"How can you spend all your time near the water and be this bashful of skin?" she said outloud, not really expecting an answer to the rhetorical question. When he still didn't move, she huffed loudly and walked over to him, close enough to reach out and grab his arm, pulling him towards the water with her. "Don't be such a hermit crab."
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:53 pm
Minke 6 Another tiny squeak came from the hybrid as he was pulled towards the water, his eyes now opened wide and his body froze. Too much was happening all at once for his brain to keep up with. There was so much skin on display. She was touching him. He was being pulled away from where he had wanted to go. He could feel himself shutting down as was common during high stress situations.
Fortunately, Auli'i seemed to realize this after a while, only taking him as far as ankle deep. She even let go of him and stood back, hands back on her hips as she stared at him impatiently. At least she wasn't talking anymore or pushing him around as much, giving him some time to breath slowly and calm down his wildly beating heart. He even shed his shirt after a few minutes, tossing it back on the sand behind him. His own skin, at least down to his waist, was okay to show.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:57 pm
Auli'i 6 Auli'i was indeed impatient. She had an idea and, when she was unable to execute said idea in a timely manner, she got fussy. But she'd also been around the pale hybrid long enough to know his habits. And the fact that pushing him when he stared to freeze up wouldn't help anyone. He became a tree and her strength would never be able to move him. So she waited for him to calm himself, than instantly asked, "Good now? Come on!" and rushed back to the ocean, wading in until it was up to her chin and she was treading water. Minke quietly followed behind, easily keeping up with her as if he had also been born a Kahikinan. With a smile, she bobbed once in the water and went under, tugging on his wrist for him to follow her down, where she slowly floated down towards the bottom. Fish swam all around her in small schools and she drifted in the current, almost forgetting the shell in her hand.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:58 pm
Minke 7 Heart still racing faster than normal, Minke only nodded in response. He felt as good as he probably would feel. He still kept his eyes as high as he could, to avoid looking down at her barely covered body. Not for any other reason than embarrassment at suddenly seeing it. It had nothing to do with who it belonged to. Even Elias embarrassed him the first few times, until he'd gotten used to his friend's more fit body. It didn't matter who it was. Skin made him uncomfortable. He hoped one day it wouldn't or that people in general wouldn't make his throat want to close up on itself.
But as soon as the water started to rise above his knees, getting closer and closer to his chest, he started to calm. Like covering up in a blanket at night when you're scared or cold, he felt protected. He ducked his face down into the water, closing his eyes long enough to transition between air and water. When he opened them, Auli'i was swimming away, pointing at something in the distance.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:59 pm
Auli'i 7 With the ease of someone who was born for the water, the Hapuna girl made for deeper waters, searching the bottom of the ocean for a good spot to set down the shell. She kept looking back at Minke to make sure he was still following, noticing with amusement how he kept his eyes away from her. How flattering if he thought she was alluring enough to avoid eye contact with. Her long hair floated freely around her face when she stopped and waited for him to catch up. As good as he was, he would never be as good as a Kahikinan. In speed and one other important factor. He started pointing up at the surface, indicating he needed to breath. Already? Such baby lungs, still. They would need to work on this if he was going to dive more with her in the future. Because she had decided. She wanted this ocean-bound Earthling to enjoy the deeper parts of the ocean with. She wanted to show him her world, that he was so obsessed with.
She followed him up to the surface, where she broke the surface with barely a gasp for air. "Don't worry. We won't have to go far."
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2023 4:01 pm
Minke 8 Won't have to go far. She needed worry. He wasn't about to follow her if it was too far. Minke wasn't an amateur when it came to diving. He dived all the time. Just...Not too far out. At least not without a boat. For her, this was no problem. She could swim out as far as she wanted, dive as deep as she wanted, and be fine. How long could she even hold her breath? He had never seen her dive before. Swim, yes. At least not very far down.
"What are we doing?"
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