Yawning, Koi stretched out on her board and let her arms dangle over the sides and into the clear water.
It was a rather disappointing day, the sea calm though she'd managed to catch a few good waves--but now she was once again at that boring place in between decent waves, waiting for a good one to come in. But that was okay. The sun felt good on her tattooed back and the rocking of the waves was soothing. It would have been easy to doze off here and now, but she didn't want to wind up miles off shore--or mistaken for a seal by some hungry shark. It didn't happen often enough that she was worried about it, but it could happen!
Paddling lazily with her arms, she glanced up toward the sun, which was high in the sky. She should probably also head home to help with chores, but--oh!
Movement caught her eye and she saw it coming. It wasn't the perfect wave, but it was a decent swell, and with a grin, Koi paddled toward it. About time! With a quick thanks to the ocean spirit, Koi hopped up into a crouch, balancing on the carved wooden board and feeling the water beneath her, and it wasn't long before she was riding the wave.
Unfortunately, it just didn't last long.
Maneuvering skillfully, she attempted one of the new moves she'd been working on, ducking and attempting to go under the crest--and promptly ate it. Her timing was off, she was too close to the shore, and the wave crashed down onto her, knocking her off her board and sucking her under, throwing her into a barrel roll beneath the wave.
It always felt like forever, somersaulting through the water, and for a moment she didn't know up from down. But as soon as the pressure let up, her feet found the ground and she pushed to the surface and came up sputtering and spitting out salt water. Blech! So nasty--ack!
She managed to duck back under the water just in time to avoid getting smacked into my her board, which was a couple seconds behind her. Resurfacing, she made a grab for it, then sighed and waded for the shore.
Hopefully she hadn't had an audience. That had looked so much cooler in her head.
She did have an audience though, a man named Jailith sitting under some nearby foliage. The shadow cast by the foliage made it harder to spot him as the shadows blended with his dark colored cloak, although it was not impossible to see him. A person would merely have to look carefully.
He was simply sitting there, leaning against the trunk of the tree that served as the main bulk of the foliage he was resting under. Jailith had unstrapped his scabbard from his belt and was letting one end rest on his shoulder while the other used the ground as support. Occasionally he would wipe his forehead free of sweat. He was heavily clothed for such a climate but it was what Jailith was use to. He didn't like not wearing his half-mask since it was often the only thing that kept conversations with strangers civilized. It also didn't help that he didn't have any changes of clothes either. Suffer is what he would have to do. Besides, the heat didn't bother him as much when he thought about why he was hear.
He had heard a rumor of a rumor, possibly one of the weakest leads he had acquired in forever, but at the time it was all he had. The trip to the area had been long and for Jailith quite frustrating. He hated not doing anything for long periods of time and so two months on a vessel was absolutely infuriating. He would endure it though, he was here for his main goal in life.
But for now he was simply resting. He had been walking around since sunrise, only now stopping since the sun was at it's highest and he desired to eat. He had eaten already some dried food he had taken and now all he had to do was rest and wait for the worst of the heat to pass. The only thing that kept his mind from going crazy with boredom was watching the lone surfer, a sport he had never before seen in person.
Koi dragged her board onto the shore and, once it was safe and away from the water's reach, she headed for the foliage to retrieve her sarong. That was enough for today; she could have gone longer, but she was a little tired and the sun was starting to get to her. Out there, floating in the water, it was easy to get dehydrated.
She had just reached the edge of the trees when she noticed, abruptly, that she wasn't alone: there was a man there sitting among the plants and shrubbery.
Koi gave a surprised yelp, more startled that she wasn't as alone as she thought she was than anything, and jumped back out of reflex. It was a second or two before her brain caught up with her reflexes and she let out a sigh of relief as her mind finally processed everything.
"Oh. Whew. Hi, sorry! Didn't see you--oh! Wow! What are those clothes? You're not from here, are you? Who are you?" she gushed in Yoreiqi, beaming openly and curiously at him and forgetting, for the moment, about fetching her sarong--which left her naked, but she didn't care; nudity simply wasn't a big deal.
It was obvious that he was a foreigner with his pale skin and brown hair so he was immediately a curiosity to her--and it didn't occur to her that he might not be able to understand her. She crouched down near him to be more on his level, forgetting about personal space for the moment so she could get a better look. "Isn't it hot in that? Those are so funny looking! Why do you wear those?"
Jailith had heard of how nudity among the Yoreiqi was not nearly as big a deal as it was amongst most other cultures, but it still was a little bit of a cultural shock to see her completely bare and not seeming to care at all. He was blushing quite a bit, though his half mask covered most of the blush since it covered from part way up his nose down. He decided to try and concentrate on the intricate textured tattoos that adorned the girl. The language was also the other thing he focused his attention on, which was in fact a good idea.
During the two months it had taken to get to the area he hadn't had much to do, a fact that was infuriating to him. So as a way of trying to keep his mind occupied he had taken lessons on the Yoreiq language from a fellow passenger who was very fluent in the language. With only two months of learning he himself was obviously not fluent in the language and in fact he had a really hard time speaking it. It did help him in understanding though, so he was not completely lost when this girl tried talking with him.
It took him a few moments to process what she had said for two reasons: one was that it took him a little bit to process the foreign language in his mind into what he understood. The second reason was that she not regarding personal space was a rather disquieting thing, made even more so since she was completely nude. He maintained his posture though, barely moving at all except to move his head to look at her in the eyes.
"I'm not sure if I fully understand you," admitted Jailith, speaking in Common. "Nor do I know if you understand me. Do you understand Common?" He decided not to answer the girl's prying questions at the time since he wasn't sure what tongue to speak to her in and he didn't want to waste his breath.
This wasn't the first time Koi had met a foreigner, but she had never really interacted with any in any great detail and she knew only a few words of Common--and the main phrases she understood were 'do you speak Common?' and 'I don't understand.' She laughed and shook her head, then held up her hand, finger and thumb spaced apart about a centimeter.
"Little," she answered in Common, carefully enunciating. "Speak Yoreiqi?"
His discomfort with her closeness and nudity went completely unnoticed, outweighed by her fascination. Besides, it just wasn't something people were uncomfortable with, and it was hard to tell much of anything when he was wearing a mask.
Jailith sighed a little, mostly in frustration but at two things. He shifted ever so slightly without rudely distancing himself from the girl, making sure that no actual physical contact was made. He also looked away briefly as his mind raced trying to think of what Yoreqi language he had learned. He supposed that he might know more of her language then she did of his.
"I know some." he said, carefully speaking the Yoreqi language. "Not speak very well though." Even Jailith winced when he heard him speaking it, he was more practiced in understanding it then speaking it and knew that he was probably butchering the language. He decided that practice would be the best way to improve himself and so he continued to try and speak with the girl, speaking exclusively in Yoreqi.
"Not from here I am." he said, struggling occasionally as he chocked the words out of his mouth. "I looking for some..." he paused a moment, not sure how to put it. Was what he was looking for a someone or a something? He tossed the words around in his head a little then finally decided on one. "Something. I looking for something. Not sure how long I be here."
That she could understand! It sounded funny, but she bet if she tried speaking more Common she would probably sound the same to him. Still, it was an effort not to giggle at his pronunciation and structure; he sounded like a baby! She pressed her lips together and listened, stifling the urge out of politeness.
"It's okay!" she said, switching back to Yoreiqi. "That works, I can understand you fine now. So what's your name? Where're you from? Why do you wear that thing on your face? Oh! I'm Koi, by the way!" Smiling, she leaned in and lightly bumped her nose against...well, against where his nose ought to be. "I never really see people like you here."
Jailith grunted a little in frustration. He knew he was new to the language and that his pronunciation was most likely absolutely terrible. He still felt a little frustrated when he saw the girl's held back laughing. It was obvious she found it amusing. The strain of her holding it back was quite obvious.
Jailith was about to answer the girl's prying questions when she touched his nose with his, though his was covered. He was stunned into silence, his whole body going tense. He almost panicked for a moment, the cultural shock almost too great. Here was a naked woman, pressing her nose against his for a moment! He had to take a few deep breaths before he spoke.
"My name Jailith, Jailith Fflamdwyn." he said, voice occasionally fluctuating a little due to his nervousness. "I came from far away, the mainland. I have been wandering for few years now." Few years...ha, ten years was more then a few years. He didn't want to spill his whole life history to this girl though. "I wear mask so others aren't scared."
"Koi! Koooooi!" Noelani picked her way down to the beach, calling for her sister. She was supposed to help her roast some boar, but the girl was no where to be found. Which meant she was off riding the waves.
While an illness had left her blind, she had another sight that helped her easily pick her way down the path to the beach, lacking none of the hesitancy many blind people displayed. She could sense her sister down below and she wasn't paying much attention to what was around her, speaking in rapid Yoreiqi, "Koi! What am I going to do with you? Spending all day on the water, then you come home hungry and expect-oh."
Noelani cocked her head, turning in the direction of Jailith, her loving exasperation fading from her face, replaced by a puzzled look. There was a dark, frightening power around the stranger. Something dangerous and wicked.
"Koi, who is your friend?"
"So others aren't scared?" Koi tilted her head curiously and knit her brow in confusion. "Why would they be scared? Why do--"
She cut off as another voice caught her attention--and then she winced. Oh no. So her absence had been noted! She turned slowly and looked over her shoulder, then smiled sheepishly, though Noelani wouldn't be able to see it.
"Oh, uh...heh, sorry! I kinda sorta maybe lost track of time," Koi said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Plus I found him! His name's Jai...uh..." She turned back to Jailith and frowned, trying to figure out how to pronounce that. "Jai-leeth. He's from the mainland and he's so white!"
"Oh? Is he?" Noelani's lips curled up slightly, moving a little closer to her sister, "Jai-leeth is it?" The word was strange on her tongue, "You shouldn't tell lies Koi, they are bad for the soul. People can't be white."
"It is true." said Jailith, still struggling with the foreign language. He shifted away so that he was able to stand without making physical contact with Koi. He gripped his sheathed sword tightly in his left hand, his gaze falling upon the newcomer.
"I what you would call white-skinned." He continually twinged, quite aware of his butchering of the language. There was at least one thing he could pronounce correctly. "But my name is said like 'Jay-lith'"
"Jai-leeth?" Noelani made a face, still unable to say the word, "Don't you help her lie. Fish are white skinned! Not people."
"But he is white! See? He said so himself! I'm not lying." Koi mock pouted, sticking out her bottom lip though Noelani couldn't see it. "If you could see, you'd see I'm telling the truth. Oh!"
Turning back to Jailith, Koi grinned. "This is my sister, Noelani. She can't see you but--oh. Hey, what's that?" she asked abruptly, rising to her feet and pointing to the sheathed sword. Was it...? But how would he have gotten it here?
"People aren't white. Both of you should be ashamed." Noelani huffed, crossing her arms under her bare breasts, her colorful sarong only wrapped around her waist, her grooved tattoos easily visible, as well as the large amount of jewelry she wore.
"That is a-" Noelani frowned, their language not having a word for the weapon, though she could tell what its spirit was, "It's a weapon. Like a spear."
"This?" he said, pointing to his weapon. It struck him then, he had forgotten to hide his sword when the first girl had approached. He had been quite a bit distracted with her being naked and all. Sure it wasn't much to people of this area but it was quite a bit of a shock to Jailith.
"It my walking cane." Cursing in his mind Jailith wished he could kill himself then and there. A walking cane?! How stupid of a lie was that?! He found himself occasionally stealing a glance at the still naked girl next to him and the bare-chested newcomer. Each time he did though he mentally slapped himself again and again. Maybe it was a bad idea to come to the area after all.
"It is true though, my skin different from those who call this place home." he realized that many natives of the area may not have even seen a white-skinned person. It would be hard to believe it without seeing it. However he couldn't think of a way to confirm his skin color to the newcomer...then again, why was it important anyways?
"You shouldn't lie." Noelani frowned, staring intently with her cloudy gold eyes, "It is bad for the soul and I can see your lies."
The talk of skin colors was brushed aside, not really sure she could believe either of them. It had been years since she could see normally, but she still remembered what skins color was, and it wasn't white.
Koi let out a groan. "But it's true! I wouldn't lie about something like this! He doesn't have normal skin."
The talk of walking sticks, though, made her burst out laughing. Okay, she had to agree with her sister there. "That's no walking stick!" she said, giving the man a playful nudge. "I can tell it's a weapon. Some kind of club?" She turned and gave her sister an inquisitive look. "It isn't sharp like a spear. It's blunt." But, of course, she had no way of knowing that it was sheathed, and that the sheath wasn't part of the weapon.
She did notice that the man kept looking at her oddly, but she ignored it. He was probably just as curious about how she looked as she was about him.
For a moment Jailith twinged in fear, it felt as if she had seen his lies. But then he realized something else, she seemed so sure that he and Koi were lying about his skin color. She obviously couldn't see lies....could she?
At this point he wasn't sure what he should do. He didn't want to be thought of as a constant liar but he didn't want to be arrested, or worse, for sneaking his sword into the area though. He struggled inwardly, also taking into consideration what Koi had said. Would he get off easier if it was just a club? No...that wasn't right...lying was lying...if they tried to arrest him or such he would just escape somehow. He didn't want to lie, not like the cursed demon who had lied to him...
"The truth this." he said, still struggling with the language. "I am different colored. This also is weapon. It not a club, it is called a 'sword'." He concentrated on the conversation as best he could, distracting himself from the nakedness of the woman. It was natural for them so there was no reason to think anything of it. Such words were not easily executed in action though.
Noelani blinked at that, taking a slight step back. Swords weren't allowed. They weren't a hunters weapon, they were for killing other men, a practice that the people of Yoreiq didn't approve of. She reached out and grabbed her sister's arm, a little frightened of the man now.
"We don't like violence here. No killing."
"I not plan on killing." said Jailith, worried now that he frightened the two of them. "I had to take it with me. It my only protection from him." It was at that moment that he realized that now was a good chance to find out some information.
"Have you seen or heard of demon in this area?" he asked, his voice tainted with a little bit of hope. "I am searching for a demon, that what brought me here." Then he remembered what information he had heard from some of the other travelers on the vessel that had traveled here, demons as creatures were a foreign concept to many of the natives. They wouldn't know what he was talking about.
"A demon is.... really bad spirit that look like person."
Noelani shook her head, "No. Nothing like that here." She kept the area's spirits happy and content, occasionally she had to banish rough ones. But she didn't allow them to harm anyone. And nothing like the evil that hovered around the man.
It was part of him, yet not, twined tightly into his fate, "What you are looking for isn't here."
Jailith audibly, though barely above a whisper, cursed, though it was in his normal language, not that of the Yoreiqi. He had wasted months. And it was a long time before he would be able to leave this place.
Maybe though the newcomer was wrong. Maybe that cursed demon was on one of the other islands, or had left a clue behind somewhere. He would have to search later. In the mean time he could take a vacation from his travels. It was sort of forced upon him anyways.
"Thank you anyway." he said, bowing a little even though the newcomer couldn't see. "I guess I continue search when next boat comes. Not sure what do before that though..."
"Um..." Koi looked nervously back and forth between the two. She didn't like seeing her sister so upset, didn't understand what a 'demon' was, and still didn't fully understand what a 'sword' was. All in all, she felt rather lost in this exchange, and after a moment she rested a calming hand on her sister's shoulder.
"It's okay, Noelani. Ah...yeah, the spirits here are friendly. Why do you want to find a bad one? That doesn't sound like a good idea. They're not to be messed with."
Tilting her head, she frowned. "Our village isn't far. You should visit there, talk to people, not chase angry spirits! You'll just make it more angry! It doesn't want to be found for a reason."
"I need to get rid of him..." he mumbled, not sure if either of them could hear him. He wasn't sure if he was even talking to them or if it was form himself.
"I'm not sure if I be welcome in village." he said clearly, directing it at Koi. "It because of what bad spirit did to me..." He felt an urge to expose himself here and now, get a reading on what the village's reaction would be to his marked face. Even if they knew not what a demon was many would probably be able to sense the darkness that cursed him because of the mark.
His eyes narrowed, determination now upon his face. It was wiser to reveal himself now in front of only two people instead of a whole village of people. He could fight off two, a whole group he wouldn't be able to, not without hurting them.
"It because of this." he said, pulling the mask down with one of his hands. His lower part of his head was now fully exposed, revealing the mark upon the left side of his face. Jailith fought with all his might against the instinct to hide the mark and pull the mask back up. He had to endure it for now.
Pulling down the mask didn't mean anything to Noelani, she could already see the mark on him, with or without a mask. She just shook her head, "That's not a good path. You made your bargain, and trying to break it upsets the balance. You gotta pay your price for what you got."
She couldn't tell all the details, didn't know exactly what went on, but she could read some of the fate that wrapped around the man.
The mark didn't mean much at all to Koi, either, though she felt alarmed that a spirit had done that. She grimaced, recoiling. She didn't understand what her sister was saying; she sometimes spoke like that, in vague phrases that Koi couldn't always understand, seeing things that she couldn't see, but she was usually right, too. She was blind but she had a sight that went beyond the physical, and that was far more valuable.
"And you're still going after it? Don't be stupid! You don't wanna mess with things like that," she said, walking a little past Jailith so she could retrieve her sarong. She tied it around her waist, small breasts still bare, and turned back to look at him with her arms crossed disapprovingly.
"Noelani's right. She usually is. You should pay attention to her."
Normally Jailith would have said some praises in his mind or such for Koi retrieving her sarong and covering her lower half. Right now though he was actually getting caught up in the conversation and didn't think much of it.
"You seem to know lot about my past." he said to the newcomer. "I made deal, yes. But he lied. He responsible for deaths of many."
Interrupting his talking he looked over at Koi. "It no matter, either way I not welcome in village because of 'mark'" He wished he could have been welcome, he so desired that he could not wear his mask for once and not have people become greatly feared by him. But he thought that such could never be the case.
Koi tilted her head curiously. "Why should anyone care about it?" she asked, confused. She understood that a spirit had done that to him, but... "It's just a scar."
"You made the deal, but you weren't careful. Spirits like to twist words." Noelani glanced over at her sister, confused as well, "People might ask about it, but your sword is what makes you unwelcome."
Jailith visibly, at least to Koi, winced. The newcomer was actually completely right.
He had been the one to make the deal and pursuing the demon for vengeance alone was wrong. The demon was evil though, that much he knew. If he were left alive he would quite likely be responsible for the death of more people. Vengeance was just a bonus.
"It more then scar..." Jailith mumbled, though he wasn't sure if Koi would hear him.
"As for sword though, what if I do this?" He stabbed the sword, while it was still in the scabbard, into the sand. It was now standing on its own, Jailith putting his hands on the ground, one on each side of the sheathed blade. As he willed his power to course through his arms and hands his mind briefly wandered. Why was he doing this? Why was visiting this village so desirable?
Then it struck him, it was because he might for once be able to be around people without having to worry about hiding his mark. Maybe they would still be wary but he could live with that, at least they wouldn't be trying to kill him.
The power within him now becoming stronger Jailith focused his mind back on the task at hand. He slowly lifted his hands but they never left the sand, the sand traveled with his hands. It was acting like it had the consistency of some sort of thick slime but it was quite obvious that the sand was still sand. Eventually he had lifted his hands high enough that the entire sword, scabbard and all, had become encased in sand. Jailith willed his power through the sand, then lifted his hands away. The sand around the sword stayed as it was, becoming a solid mass that completely encased the weapon. Not a speck of the sand fell from the magically made encasement, it was solid like a rock. Jailith lifted the encased sword, which took some effort but not too terribly much. The layer of rock was thin but still strong enough to not be able to be broken by human hands.
"Sword now sealed in sand-rock." he said. "I can't use it for now. Will that be fine?"
"Whoa!"
That made Koi jump back in surprise, eyes wide in shock as the earth began to move, casing his club-sword-thing in sand. It was surreal to watch the sand writhe and encase his weapon like some living thing, and once the shock died down, Koi watched it happen with fascination. Elemental magic was rare here and Koi had never witnessed it in person. Spirits, but even her own magic was very minor, just a small talent in healing tiny cuts and bruises.
When it was done, Koi reached a hand out and gingerly touched it, surprised to find it quite solid. "Wooow...Noelani, if only you could've seen that!"
"I saw it. Just different than you did." The magic was strange to her eyes and she was wide eyed and shocked. It was impressive to say the least. Her own magic was impressive, much stronger than her sister's, but it was simple blood magic.
"That was amazing. I have never seen magic like that. But I'm glad you bound your weapon." Turning, Noelani started back up to the village, "We will be eating soon. Someone was supposed to help me with the pig roast."
"Well, if I eat with, I request that I be allowed to help somehow." Jailith said, an idea already forming in his mind in how he could help. "I can also control fire, so I can help with roast if you want."
He did indeed want to help if he were to visit, he felt that it was the least he could do. He was a complete stranger to them, one cursed with a terrible mark.
Jailith grabbed a hold of his bound weapon, carrying it over his shoulder with one hand gripping where the handle would be. He looked between Koi and the newcomer, unsure exactly of what to do.
"Um...so do I follow?" he asked Koi, since she was still somewhat close to him.
"Ehehe." Koi grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck, ducking her head. "Enoka? He ditched ya? Wow, what a lazy brat! He should know better! I mean, he's supposed to be setting a good example here."
Of course she knew that she was the one supposed to help out and that Enoka would never do something like that, especially not where it involved Noelani. (He fawned over her and viewed her as some sort of delicate flower, even though she so wasn't.) But she decided to tease just a little--and try to dodge her own guilt. She hadn't meant to ditch, not completely. She'd meant to return earlier! She'd just...sort of...forgotten.
She gave Noelani a playful nudge in the ribs and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry. I meant to come back sooner...I can make it up with surfing lessons?"
To Jailith's question, she smiled and nodded, then fell into step beside him. She wanted to learn more about him. "Yep! Just follow us. It's not that far away."
"Okay then." said Jailith, following the newcomer. He realized then that he had never found out her name.
"So, what is her name?" Jailith asked, hoping he wasn't too forward. "And I was serious, if I can help with meal, I want to help."
"Oh! Sorry! How dumb of me. That's my sister, Noelani," Koi said, gesturing to the other girl. "And I'm Koi. And I don't think Noelani will mind the help one bit, right, sis?" she added cheerfully, kind of hoping this meant she would get out of it if the newcomer took over. Maaaybe that was a little rude, but hey, he'd offered! He was willing!
And it was such boring, tedious work. Koi much preferred being the hunter than the one preparing the meal.
Noelani was sure they have given names earlier, but he had probably forgotten. His own name was hard to remember, strange on the tongue. She reached over and grabbed a strand of her sister's hair, tugging it, "Like I need your help surfing. You wiped out earlier."
She hadn't been there to see that, but she knew in her own way. She glanced over at the sword the man carried. He could bring it to the edge of the village, but even wrapped in stone, she wasn't letting it inside.
"Thank you for the offer, but we have already started the slow roast. I'm sure we will have plenty of work for your hands if you want to work."
Once they had reached the edge of the village Jailith used his powers of controlling earth and buried his sword underground, unable to be reached by anyone who desired it, even if they dug. He had enchanted the ground directly around the sword so if anyone tried to dig it up it would skin farther into the ground.
Jailith was too nervous and wary to take the first step into the village himself. Instead he glanced at the two females he had accompanied, wondering exactly what he should do.
"So....this village?" he awkwardly asked. He knew it was a rather dumb question but he couldn't think of much else to say.
"Yes, this is the village." Noelani was surprised that the man had buried his sword like that. It was handy though, saved her from having to ask. She moved easily between the huts, toward the center there was a pit, covered with palms and slowly cooking.
"The pig still has a bit of time and the other food is roasting as well. So relax and enjoy." Noelani smiled, gesturing to the village, "Our home is your home."
"Ack, you know about that?" Koi groaned and tugged her hair free. "That was just a bad wave, man. It would've happened to anyone! Still, the offer stands. Freak Enoka out good!"
Once again, she was surprised by yet another feat of earth magic, though it was less shocking the second time around--if just as fascinating. Man, surrounded by so many people with amazing talents, she felt a little out of place...though she at least had surfing on her side! She liked to think of herself as pretty decent at that, and she was a strong swimmer and bold cliff diver. What she lacked in abilities she liked she think she made up for in guts.
"Ohh, that smells so gooood," she said as they approached the pit, taking a deep breath of the smoke escaping from the palms. "Did Maki make her coconut soup tonight? She makes the best coconut soup."
Jailith looked about, unable to help but feel nervous. He was now in the village and was gaining quite a few glances from the locals. He couldn't tell if they were ones of interest or of fear though.
"So um....there anything I help with?" he humbly asked. He didn't want to just stand around and be some sort of attraction, he wanted to help out in some sort of way.
He also wondered what the food would taste like. From what he had heard there were at least roasted pig, something he had consumed before. Coconut soup though on the other hand was something completely new to him. He hadn't even tried just plain coconut before, though he had heard of it.
"No no. It's all going." Noelani shook her head, smiling again, "We cook things a long time here, slow and long." They didn't have metal or ceramic, so they used natural things, like gourds to cook with. Which they had to be careful to not burn, so most cooking was done with hot stones rather than direct fire.
"You just rest, get comfortable." Noelani gave her sister's hair another tug, "I'll take you up on the surfing, and you should teach Kai too. She idolizes you." Kai was her oldest, a girl of 10 and she surfed any chance she could.
"You tell Kai that anytime she's up for it, she knows where to find me!" Koi said with a grin, swatting playfully at her sister's hand. "But seriously, I'd love to take her. I've seen her in action. She's actually pretty good for her age."
She settled down on the ground, legs folded beneath her, and glanced over at the newcomer, who seemed nervous. "Sooo...whatcha doing here and where'd ya come from?"
A brief moment of confusion crossed Jailith's mind. Had they not already discussed these questions? He tried to think back and couldn't remember for sure if they had. He decided to answer them again anyways, it didn't hurt he supposed.
Jailith sat down on the ground in a crossed-legged position, glancing over at Koi. "Well, I came because I heard rumor." began Jailith. "I wanted to see if enemy here. Seems like he not." Sighing for a moment he then thought on how he should continue. How should he answer where he came from? He did use to have a home, but he had been cast out, so he wasn't sure if he should count it. He decided to and thus continued talking. "Home far in mainland. Nestled in the mountains, it got cold often. That long time ago though, been traveling for few years now."
Noelani sighed, shaking her head, "My sister's head is filled with nothing but surfing. She forgets everything else. Though, is that all? You do nothing but hunt to kill this spirit? That is not good, filling the heart and body with vengeance. You can't live your life full of hate and rage."
Jailith winced, Noelani's words were as piercing as a well-shot arrow. It was true, he lived with mostly hate and vengeance in his heart. There was one other thing though, something other then hate.
"Redemption." he said, the words barely above a audible mumbling. "I do for redemption as well...and to prevent same thing from happening again." His gaze cast downwards as his thoughts briefly thought of that painful part of his past. This was his only path, one that he had foolishly set himself upon.
"Killing will never bring redemption. And you can't save no one from their own stupidity. If you kill this one spirit, others will still tempt mortals. Better than killing, you should educate others. Teach them your mistake and how to prevent it."
"To teach, good." Jailith admitted. "But, what to do about demon- I mean bad spirit? Do I let him go around killing others?"
"This...bad spirit work in shadows. Very few know him. I one of the only who can stop him. If I don't, others die..." His face was grim, it always became such when he talked about his enemy. He hated him so much, but thinking of the enemy also reminded Jailith of his own foolish decision.
"They only die if they make a bad choice like you." Noelani touched his chest, over his heart, "You teach them to not listen to the words he speaks. That is how you win. Killing never wins. Vengeance is only a poison."
Jailith felt very confused and frustrated. Her words seemed both completely right and completely wrong. His whole body tensed when her hand touched his chest.
"You not understand..." he said, clearly frustrated. "He not always manipulate, he often kill with his own hands. He never makes deaths peaceful ones. Should I really just sit by and let him kill many people?"
"I just can't stand idea of him running about, free to kill."
"Killing is always wrong. Holding that anger and rage inside will kill you faster then a demon ever could." Noelani shook her head again, not understanding his situation, not really. It was to far outside of the world she knew and understood. Violence and brutality on that level was unknown to her.
Jailith sighed, shaking his head a little. It was only now that he realized that their was a hurdle between them in this matter. Their cultures were quite different in many matters, which included violence it seems. He supposed that it wasn't that surprising, the Yoreiq hadn't really experienced much warfare, if any at all.
Nor had they encountered a true demon before. That was one thing he hoped would never change for this island.
"I suppose this matter just is hard to agree on." sighed Jailith. "But for now, I not fight. I guess I visit for while, if I can that is."
Koi's eyes moved back and forth between the pair as they spoke, but she kept quiet during the exchange. This was Noelani's area, not hers! Noelani was the one with all the crazy knowledge and understanding and while Koi had some knowledge of spirits, it wasn't on nearly the same level as what Noelani knew and saw. Like her sister said, her head was filled with surfing.
"Ah..." It was an awkward conversation, though, that was for sure. All this talk of killing and death and murder was really making her feel uncomfortable. She fidgeted, picking idly at her sarong. "So...uh..."
Perking up, she put on a bright smile. Subject change! Now looked like a good time for one of those. "Ever been surfing?"
Yeah, subtle, Koi, subtle. There she went reaffirming Noelani's words.
Jailith looked at Koi, a small smile cracking it's way onto his face. He actually appreciated the girl's changing the subject. He admitted inwardly that he thought about the death of his enemy quite a bit which was mentally exhausting at times.
Plus there seemed to be something special about this girl. She seemed to carry a joyful spirit about her that was contagious. It felt almost refreshing, yet exhausting in a good way at the same time.
"No, I haven't" replied Jailith. "But if I can stay and visit, I like to learn. I find it...interesting."
Noelani gave a small laugh, "I'm sorry. I am lecturing you and you never asked for my advice. I shouldn't have brought up such dark topics. If you want to learn to surf, don't go with Koi. She'll forget all about you as soon as the waves call her."
Noelani reached over and with uncanny ability, tugged on a hunk of Koi's hair, "You always heard the ocean too strongly. It blocks everything else out."
"No, it alright..." said Jailith, looking back at Noelani for a moment. "Most of what you said is totally right."
"Though maybe I learn from Koi." said Jailith. "If I learn listening to ocean like she, then maybe I not listen to anger so much." He also didn't want to learn from another villager either. Although he had only know the two of them for a few minutes it was more then how much time he knew the other villagers, which was none. He would prefer to learn from someone he had already met then a complete and total stranger.
"You can if you like, I wont stop you. Just know that you'll just watch her surf. I know my sister, she loves the waves more than anything." Noelani laughed, teeth flashing against her dark skin, "Would you like a drink? We have coconut milk or water or juice."
Jailith had always been a curious person, possibly more then was healthy in many cases. His first thought was to ask for coconut milk, wanting to taste what it was like. However his health was important, he wanted to avoid dehydration, so instead of coconut milk he asked, "May I have water?"
He absentmindedly wiped at the sweat on his brow. His clothes were quite heavy for this type of weather, but it was all he had. He wondered what he should do about it. For now though his temporary solution was to remain inactive during noon-time when it was hottest. Remaining hydrated as well was a must.
"Of course." Noelani made her way over to a large jug of water, fingers lightly trailing along it to find the carved wooden cup. Dipping it into the water, she brought it back to Jailith, "Here. Please, be comfortable and relax."
"Thank you." said Jailith. He took the water, sipping it slowly to savor how it cooled his body. As he did he decided to try and make conversation with either Noelani or Koi.
"So, no stranger come here before?" He wondered if he was the first to ever visit the village. He didn't think so with how friendly they were treating him so far, it just didn't make sense in his mind for them to be friendly to a complete stranger.
"Oh, many strangers come." Noelani smiled, "But we are never really strangers. Just friends who haven't met yet. You are the first with skin like a pigs though. Maybe others who have traveled farther from our village have seen skin like that, but I had never heard of it."
"Skin like pig?" Jailith for a moment almost felt offended, then he realized that he did have skin that was colored similar to that of a pig, something that would be unfamiliar to a tribe of dark-skinned people.
"Ah, I see what you mean." he said, nodding a little. He took another sip of the water and looked about. He was quite fascinated with the different culture and such. He found himself still occasionally stealing glances at Koi and Noelani, though he forced himself to look away, trying to be polite.
Noelani had no idea he kept looking, not at all concerned about her bare breasts. Her tattoos moved across her shoulders, arms and down her spine and she liked showing them off. She nodded, giving a small laugh, "Well, that's what I imagine you have. I remember pale, pink pigs. I don't know if that is what your skin is like."
"Well I suppose skin like pig I have." shrugged Jailith. "I just never thought of it that way." The more he thought of it the more he realized they were mostly right. Sure there was a difference in hue but that was to be expected. It was probably the best way that his skin could be described by these foreigners who had never seen people like him before.
His mind tried it's best to think of a subject to talk about, something to keep the conversation going, despite the terrible pronunciation that he was cursed with for now. He still couldn't help himself from looking ocassionally at the females, it was only natural considering. But that was a subject that was certainly out of the question! It probably didn't mean much to them anyways. He did think of something though, his gaze finding it a interesting subject.
"Question if I may." he said. "The...markings, tattoos you have, how are made? They not like tattoos I've seen before."
Koi had been following along with the conversation, close to bursting with silent laughter. Noelani's observation was spot on--and was exactly what she'd been thinking without wanting to actually say it. He was pig-colored! A giggle escaped her and she clamped a hand over her mouth to repress it and she was thoroughly glad when the conversation moved on to another topic.
Controlling herself, taking a deep breath, she grinned. "Oh, these?" she said, pointing to the facial tattoos that extended to her back and thighs. The places where the tattoos were, the skin was deeply grooved and textures, almost like it had been carved into. "Very carefully! Hah, no, they're made with a chisel and bone needle." She mimed out tapping with a chisel. "It takes a lot of time."
And hurt something awful, but the the result was well worth it. They were a sign of beauty and adulthood and she wore hers with pride.
Jailith felt both a little flustered with frustration and amusement, he never really had thought of it that way, his skin was like that of a pig. He would never look at pigs the same way again.
He was astounded by how the markings were done. A chisel and bone needle?! He couldn't help but give a very tiny shudder, it sounded really painful to him.
"Most tattoos done in home not done like that." said Jailith. "They done with a special ink, it doesn't wash off though."
"Oh, it's done with ink," Koi said, blinking in confusion. Her particular tattoos were black, though some Yoreiqi sported tattoos done with a reddish pigmentation. The process used, however, left behind the deep grooves as surely as it placed the ink under the skin. "How are your peoples' tattoos done if not like that?"
"Oh, I not mean you not use ink, I can tell that." said Jailith, waving his hands a little. "I just saying our tattoos not leave grove like that. It more like drawing on skin. We use needles, make tiny punctures in skin and such. It not leave large grooves in skin with what is done with your tattoos."
Noelani wrinkled her nose at that, one hand reaching up and tracing along a section of Koi's tattoos, "But they are much more beautiful like this. You should teach your people how to do it better." She smiled, "You should meet the artists and then you can show your people how to make even more beauty."
"Hm...Well, not many people where I from have tattoos anyways." shrugged Jailith. "We try not to look on outside appearances, we try to see the beauty of a person through actions. What they do is what they are." Which made him an ugly person then, Jailith realized with a visible wince. That mark on his face reminded him every second of every day of the foolish actions of his...
He pulled at the collar of his clothing, feeling very hot with all of it on him. "Um...I know we not know each other long, but I wonder, are there extra clothing I trade for?" He hated to do this but he would probably suffer a heat stroke if he continued to stay in his heavy clothing in this weather.
Koi blinked blankly at Jailith, not really connecting the pieces here. Perhaps it was just a language barrier issue, but it almost sounded like he was judging them as shallow. "There's nothing wrong with enjoying beauty," she said, tilting her head.
At his other question, Koi just laughed. "You could start by taking off your shirt!" she suggested. "It, uh...would probably help a lot."
"Oh no, I not saying there anything wrong with outside beauty." said Jailith. "I guess we just not see it same way. Only natural, being many lands apart, to have different views. Though....now I think, many people from home also like outside beauty, though in way of clothing. They try to look good while keeping warm, since it cold where I come from."
"Speaking of that, I will have to take off shirt." He indeed would, he was sweating a lot now which wasn't surprising. He'd have to look into getting some lighter pants as well, since the ones he had were made of a thick fabric.
Jailith stood for a moment, taking off his cloak and folding it somewhat so it didn't take up too much of the ground. He then slipped off his leather vest that served as some light armor, that revealing the layer of chain-mail he wore underneath, it being only slightly smaller then the vest which covered it fully before. He took that off too, it giving a small thud despite Jailith carefully dropping it on the ground. Then finally he took off his thick tunic, instantly he felt relief, even sighing a little. His lean, yet with well defined muscles, body was glistening thanks to the sweat that he had gathered. Jailith felt a little self conscious being without upper body wear, especially his mask, and no armor either. He tried to shrug it off as he sat back down but he couldn't entirely get rid of the feeling.
"Clothing? Is that why you wear so much?" Noelani's people loved bright pretty clothing and jewelry as much as the next person, though most of that was lost on a blind woman. She was surprised at how much she heard getting pulled off and she gave her sister a confused look, hand fluttering against her hand. It was an unspoken sign from when they were children. She didn't know what was happening around her and needed a description.
She was sure she had heard metal, but he was undressing. Who wore metal?
Koi had never seen someone with so much clothing, put on in layers. She stared as he started to undress, stripping off layer after layer and then getting to a metal layer.
Why would someone do that to themselves?!
When he was done, she closed her mouth, having been gaping, and blinked several times. "Well no wonder you were hot."
Grabbing Noelani's hand, understanding her signal, she leaned closer to her. "He, ah...he dressed in layers. He took off his cloak, then another bit of animal hide, then a shirt made of...uh, of metal." Koi tilted her head, not quite sure how else to describe it. "Then another shirt under that."
Noelani blinked, confused, whispering back to her sister, "Metal? What? You can't wear metal. And why so much clothing? All those? At the same time?"
"Well like I said, it cold where I am from." said Jailith, having overheard what Noelani said, and he shrugging a little as he concentrated on the conversation in a effort to forget the minor awkwardness he felt, his upper body entirely exposed. "The multiple layers to help keep warm. And the 'metal' isn't a solid piece. It made of many little rings linked together, it a type of armor that help protect my body when I in danger." he picked up the chain-mail and leaned forward, holding it towards Noelani so she could feel it with her hands to see that it indeed was not a solid piece of metal.
"From what?" Most of the danger on the island was accidents, "Like when you hunt? Why wear it around the village then?" It was so strange, hearing the man talk of these things. The world away from their island was very different than she had expected.
Her hands moved over the metal shirt, frowning as she touched it. She had never felt anything like it before and it was hard for her to imagine it, but her hands were giving her an idea.
"Well....I suppose hunting is time when it could protect." said Jailith. "But that not the only time, nor its original purpose...My home...well....it not so peaceful....The armor is to help protect body from swords, spears, arrows, and other such things." He sighed, almost a little sad to bring up the subject even somewhat remotely in this place. The peace that he felt here, it was so....wonderful, a rarity found almost nowhere else he had ever been.
Koi made a face.
"It'd just get in the way on a hunt," she said. "It makes too much noise! You'd scare away anything ya were hunting and ya gotta be quick and agile if ya wanna actually catch anything. Anyway, your people sure sound...angry."
She hugged her knees to her chest, the discussion making her feel a little uncomfortable, that people could do that to each other. It wasn't like Yoreiqi never had fights, but they rarely escalated to that kind of violence. Sometimes, but rarely, and those people were quickly shunned.
Noelani's hand reached over and took Koi's in her own. It was unnerving to hear such casual talk of violence, "Let's talk of much better things. Are you still hungry? Do you need a place to stay for the night?"
Jailith grimaced a little, thinking in his mind that he was a blemish upon the peaceful place that was this village. He wondered if he truly was welcome. "I sleep elsewhere if needed." said Jailith, not wanting to intrude. "Though admit I am hungry."
"You can sleep where you like. You are our guest." Noelani smiled again, "I think the food is ready. Let's go eat. Have you tried much food on our island?"
Jailith lightly shook his head. "No. I not try food on this island." he said. "I only been here day or two. I ate...." He stopped for a moment, not quite knowing the Yoreiq equivalent of the word 'preserved'. He racked his brain and eventually thought of something else to replace it. "I ate dried meat I brought."
"Oh, well! We get you more." Noelani gestured to the food being made around them, "What would you like to try? We have very good cooks here. No need to wait for the pig if all you ate was meat. Koi, will you fetch him a plate of food?"
Koi wrinkled her nose at that. "Dried meat. That sounds...pretty gross. Is that what your people eat?"
Rising to her feet, she shook her head and headed off to fetch him a plate. "I'll get ya some real food!"
She returned shortly with a bowl filled with a sort of coconut soup filled with fowl, mushrooms, and other vegetables. She held the steaming bowl out to him. "To hold you over until the pig's done roasting."