Surf's up, dude! [open!]

[Rhindeer]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Rhindeer]

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?"

[Anonymous]

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.

[Rhindeer]

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.

[Anonymous]

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."

[Rhindeer]

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."

[Anonymous]

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."

[Anonymous]

"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?"

[Rhindeer]

"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!"

[Anonymous]

"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."

[Anonymous]

"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'"

[Anonymous]

"Jai-leeth?" Noelani made a face, still unable to say the word, "Don't you help her lie. Fish are white skinned! Not people."

[Rhindeer]

"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?

[Anonymous]

"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."

[Anonymous]

"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?

[Anonymous]

"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.

[Rhindeer]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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."