What a beautiful island

[SanctifiedSavage]

If only her ship could be made of some giant corpse. It wasn't the first time that Vailea had wished as much. Undead flesh she could repair easily. Raid another ship, kill a couple living mortals, and use their lives to fix up or watch what might be necessary, and she'd never have to dock unless she wanted to. It's what kept her half her crew from ever needing to eat or sleep or... stop from doing what they needed to keep the Red Jewel moving.

Alas, the ship itself was not like Vailea or the untiring, ragged crew and they would have to run aground at some point and fix parts of it.

What a pain. Especially when that last fight some enterprising mage had blasted a hole in the side. Not so low she was taking in a lot of water, but it was a problem. One that needed addressed. So bright and early, before the sun had properly clipped the horizon, the call for land rose up and they made they way toward what she thought was a quaint little place to stop. Restock, fix the ship, and they could be on their way.

That was, of course, still Vailea's plan but the island was proving to be a nice place to relax during that time. She was hardly a shipwright so Vailea didn't stick around the docks as the repairs were underway and, instead, went exploring with a bottle of something fruity that burned on the way down and a slim cigar that what equally sweet. The entire island gave her a sense of déjà vu. Granted, a lot of smaller islands did. She'd been alive for so long, had landed in so many places but they were always different but not. Changing in ways she didn't. She'd left in the early morning, drink and cigar a plenty.

It never ceased to delight Vailea. Barefoot and dressed down in breeches that reached her knees and a halter top, she was utterly convinced she was not only alone, but would remain so as she eventually sat down on a beach quite far from where she'd docked. There was more to look at, more to explore, but for now she was happy to enjoy her bottle, cigars, and the crashing of the waves to watch the sunset. A day of walking, of exploring. Night never bothered her and, in all likelihood, she'd remain there. It wasn't like the undead needed sleep. It was just something she occasionally indulged in just because she could. 

[Icy]

Today was a day for hunting! Kaihe could smell it in the air upon their first breath of wakefulness a full hour before the sun rose, and so the maha made preparations early. Dressing in a sarong of large leaves that left the lower half of their legs bare, with nothing on their feet or torso aside from the necklace of tiny animal bones they always wore, Kaihe grabbed a bow, several arrows, and their spear tipped with the bill of a marlin before setting out into the outskirts of the village.

Skulking across the ground of the jungle, their bare feet made little noise on the ground as their eyes scanned carefully for any other movement aside from their own... Unfortunately, this lasted for an hour and a half with no sign of any living creatures at all! The spirits of the jungle were clearly playing tricks on Kaihe today, so with a heavy sigh, they decided to retreat to the beach, where they'd make their way back to the village in relative safety.

When they reached the beach, the maha spotted the first animated creature that day! Thinking it to be one of their tribe, they ran toward them, shouting, "E! Hiki iaʻu ke hui pū meʻoe?!" The sudden appearance of a stranger shouting unfamiliar words, wielding a spear and bow didn't really cross Kaihe's mind, but the maha did soon notice that the person did not belong to her tribe, or any nearby tribe, either. "Ahh... ʻAʻole maopopo iāʻoe?" They asked in a calmer tone, slowing their pace to a walk.

Kaihe's figure, decently toned with a small chest and so-so hips, would make it difficult to discern their gender. However, in a strange, primal sort of way, the tattoos that were so expertly woven into their skin, covering parts of their face, chest, arms, and legs, added to a sort of beauty about the Yoreiq.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Were it any other person, or certainly another mortal, they might have been concerned. Certainly surprised. But half a bottle in and utterly convinced of her own immortality, Vailea's head rolled to regard the strange noises coming from what looked to be someone running at her with weapons.

She half expected a fight and did prepare for one. Seeking out something dead she might animate, but that halfhearted desire died when the approaching person slowed and the tone went from excited and loud to calm and confused. Her sea green eyes regarded the person. A local islander then, or they had to be, dressed as they were. Splashed with setting sunlight. Just another beautiful decoration to the island. Certainly not something or someone to break.

Since it didn't seem they'd be fighting, Vailea took another swig of her drink, a pull from her cigar, then narrowed her eyes a little. The lich knew a lot of languages and probably forgotten more than some would learn in their lifetime, but that didn't mean she knew them all. Rather, the fact she didn't know this one charmed her to it. After a certain point, it wasn't about collecting just silver and gold any more.

So. She had a project. Wasn't that just fun. Vailea settled her bottle in the sand and held the cigar in her mouth, gesturing with both palms up that, first, she had nothing on her and was, in essence, harmless. Well, at least observably harmless. Then, she tapped her chest while the other hand pulled the cigar free. "Veilea." One more tap to her chest, a repeat of her name, then she gestured toward her new found friend expectantly.

[Icy]

The islander tilted their head from one side to the other, a look of utter confusion on their face as they tried to make sense of the outsider's expression and mannerisms. When she raised her hands to show harmlessness, Kaihe's own posture didn't change much, as it wasn't hostile to begin with. "Vei-lea," The maha, whose voice sounded a bit more on the feminine side, repeated the name. Patting themself on the chest, they replied, "Kaihe."

Unsure of what to do at that point, Kaihe turned to the left, toward the northern stretch of the beach. "Uhm... Kaihe kauhale..." They then pointed ahead. "Kaihe... Kaihe... oh!" Kaihe pressed their hands together and rested them against the side of their head and began to make snoring sounds, then made gestures to mimic eating. "Kauhale! Veilea hui pū Kaihe?" They made their best effort to communicate, but the language barrier was starting to hurt Kaihe's brain.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea might not be able to understand what they were saying, but the expression was entertaining and she chuckled. A simple nod clarified her name was correct when the other tried it and it sounded good enough. It didn't have to be perfect and Vailea couldn't be assed to correct beyond that anyways. To show her own understanding of the new person's name, she likewise repeated, "Kaihe."

At the gesture of sleeping, she nodded a little and stood up with her bottle. After a pull from her cigar, she made a vague gesture with her bottle and took one step forward to indicate that she'd follow. Vailea wasn't worried that something would happen to her – she never thought that something would – and a new experience and new people were always something to go get lost on an island for.

And, because she was the friendly sort, Vailea held out her bottle at arm's length. With a grin, she said, "Drink." Not that the other would know what she was saying but, just to clarify, she brought it back once she had Kaihe's attention, took a quick swill, then offered it once more. It was a sweet rum and Vailea had already downed half the bottle in her exploration of the island, but rum was always best when shared with pleasant company.

[Icy]

Kaihe smiled and nodded when Vailea indicated that she would follow, skipping off a few steps before quickly being called to look back at their new friend. "Drink?" They repeated, watching with 'o' shaped lips as Vailea raised the strange container to her lips, then offered it to Kaihe. "Ahh. Drink!" They giggled, moving back to the pirate to accept the bottle. First, they sniffed it a few times to get an idea of how it would taste, then raised it to their lips. Within seconds, another full 1/4th of the bottle was gone, and Kaihe smacked their lips, letting out a relieved sigh. "Drink," They said in an oddly playful tone as they held the bottle back to Vailea, indicating that she liked the rum.

As they progressed down the beach, a small village came into view. It was comprised of a large, open area in the middle, with several small huts on raised stilts surrounding it, with tattooed people who looked like Kaihe with their black and earthy-red tattoos calmly going about their days. "Kauhale," She repeated, motioning to the village. "Um... Omnomnom," She made eating gestures, then motioned to the bottle that she'd given back to Vailea, "drink!"

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea was quite happy that the rum seemed to go well with the other – Kaihe – and she was happy to follow them down the steadily darkening beach. It was an island, after all. She couldn't very well get lost on an island. Vailea's pace wasn't rushed but she tried not to lag behind. The lich didn't do anything with any manner of hurry unless it was... well, no, she just didn't hurry.

By the time the small village came to view, the bottle was empty and her cigar was gone. Vailea produced another from a pocket and idly chewed on the end. She'd light it given the first chance. She casually took in the village, as though meeting new people she couldn't understand was an utterly common occurrence, and even laughed some when Kaihe made the supposed noise of eating. Hey, if they wanted to share something, Vailea wasn't going to say no. "Kauhale," Vailea repeated, assuming that meant the village it its entirety. Then, she nodded once and said "food" if only to share her own word and made another vague, arm waved gesture to indicate she'd follow. At this point, she was likely to follow Kaihe anywhere.

Her attention danced from person to person, taking in what they were wearing, how they spoke, what they were saying. Vailea didn't understand it, certainly, but she was processing the sounds. How they said it and trying to pick up any familiar noises she might have already heard. It was still very early, but it was what the lich did. She liked languages. Given enough time – and all she had was time – she'd certainly be able to speak the same language as those in the village.

[Icy]

An outsider coming into the village was one that didn't happen very often, and so upon the first sighting of Vailea by one of the children, a group began to form around her! At first it was only the kids, none of who bore the tattoos that Kaihe did, a noticeable distinction as they warmly but excitedly greeted her by tugging on the pirate's clothes. Soon, with all of the raucous talking, the adults began to form up, all of whom, male and female, had tattoos similar, but not identical, to the ones Kaihe had. In fact, each design was different, reflecting each of their personalities in abstract ways. The adults, too, greeted Vailea warmly, but pulled their children away to stop them from ruining Vailea's clothes further!

Kaihe laughed and spoke in Yoreiq to everyone, trying to answer all of their questions, but when it all became too much they attempted to take hold of Vailea's hand to pull her toward one of the huts. "Make lākou, nā keiki..." They muttered to themselves.

Upon reaching the hut, Kaihe showed Vailea inside. There wasn't much to see: unsteady woodwork for the floor, a bed made of leaves piled up atop one another, and a roof made of leaves that let in little sunlight made the room feel a bit claustrophobic. "E kali maʻaneʻi, eʻai wau-- ahh... uhm. Food. Drink?" They asked. By the doorway, adults were already peeking in, holding wooden trays of food and drink for their guest.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea didn't mind the children at all. She grinned, crouched, and encouraged them to tug at her clothes, her hair if they wanted, and talk to her. Taking in as much as she could. It wasn't so much trying to process what they were saying just yet so much as how. The way everything sounded was just as important as what it all meant. Children were easy like that. They just talked and talked.

When the adults arrived, Vailea did a very generic wave – a greeting – and smiled. She said her name a couple of times, so they'd know what to call her and, in turn, received names. Or what she assumed were names. It was easier when tribespeople were this damn friendly. Some were closed off and required a lot more persuasion before they even started talking, but these people – whatever they were called – approached her with a sort of innocent, excited curiosity.

In that, Vailea envied them. She'd been alive for so long there was certainly no innocence left in her, but her curiously was voracious. That they shared.

Vailea peered inside the hut before walking in, making a noise of appreciation. It wasn't like she could make a hut. She turned in place, taking it all in, before Vailea glanced at Kaihe. They spoke quick, then stopped and tried the trade tongue. Her own eyes narrowed some. " ʻAe koa." Yes, please. Sounded right to her. The inflection would be all wrong, granted, and she might've stumbled some on the start of it... But... Vailea flashed Kaihe a smile.

[Icy]

The children tended to rub noses and forehead with Vailea once she'd crouched down, suggesting that it was a form of greeting in their culture. Everyone was kind, but there were a few shy stragglers, mostly younger children, who stayed back, though they did repeat her name when she said it.

"Oooh!" She cooed as Vailea spoke their language! "E hele mai i nā mea a pau!" Kaihe excitedly declared, and three people, two women and one man who all seemed to be around Kaihe's age, entered. One carried a tray of various island fruits like pineapples, starfruit, papayas, and several other obscure ones, all cut up for Vailea to simply pop into her mouth as she so pleased.

The second tray held an absolute feast of meat, with an entire roast bird as the centerpiece with several perfectly roasted fish surrounding it, all on a bed of leaves that was edible, but mostly for aesthetics. The third and final tray had food that wasn't meat, such as seaweed, a doughy-looking food served in a bowl, and of course, drinks! There were four hollowed out coconut shells with flat bottoms, each holding a clear-ish spirit within them.

With a, "Mahalo," in thanks to the three, Kaihe and Vailea were left alone, and Kaihe lifted one of the coconuts to give it to their new friend while taking one of her own, and raised it to clank against Vailea's. "Aloha!" They cheered, then took a long sip of the strong alcohol.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea, being the easy person that she was, simply sat on the floor and was happy to have more of the intricately tattooed and sometimes winged people join them. The more chatter, the better, in her opinion. When there was food involved, she was doubly delighted. Vailea didn't need to eat, but she loved to. Tasting things was a joy and one she'd partake of when it was offered.

Her eyes were wide but a smile stretched across her face. She echoed the "Mahalo!" as thanks, easily recognizing it as such before she was promptly graced with a drink, to start. Much to the lich's surprise, it burned like alcohol. Which meant it vanished quickly, after which she barked a laugh and stumbled through a rudimentary, "Maikaʻi loa." Grinning, she translated into her own trade tongue. "Very good." At least, that's what she hoped she was saying.

At the very base, Kaihe would know that Vailea was quite delighted with the spread. Especially because she quite literally wanted to sample everything to start. Picking up pieces of fruit, of the meat, trying them in different flavor combinations, and even the leaves they were served on. Nothing was out of bounds of her. She gestured toward all of it and considered, but Vailea didn't have any idea how to convey both her thanks and gratitude at the simple, but extremely warm welcome. So, dipping her head in a small bow, she just said, "Mahalo."

[Icy]

"Ooh! 'Ae, ver-y, uhm... good!" Kaihe replied and took another sip. They seemed to be able to down the rather harsh alcohol well, but it started to have an impact soon enough, since it was on top of the rum they'd had earlier. "Ahh... drink, uhm... whewww, hehe," They made an exaggerated wobbling motion to show it was kicking in.

Only when Vailea had sampled some of everything did Kaihe begin to eat. They lifted up a coconut bowl with some kind of doughy looking substance in it and ripped out pieces that they put into their mouth. "Mmh... poa," They told Vailea, "Ver-y good," Then offered it out for her to try more. It was made from taro, a root, mashed up with water. "Very..." The maha flexed to indicate its healthiness.

When thanked for their hospitality, Kaihe giggled and replied with an enthusiatic, "Aʻole pilikia!" before lifting their drink for another cheer and downing the rest of it. Now wobbling a bit unintentionally, they asked, "Umm, Vailea, no hea mai 'oe?  Ka'āina nui?" The maha crawled a bit toward the door and made a wide motion toward the sea. Kaihe knew of the mainlanders, and Vailea certainly looked foreign.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea chuckled a little at the wobble, though it would take a lot more to get her sloshed. Being undead had it's perks and downsides. Being resistant to most impairing affects being one of them. Taking a bit to get both drunk or high was, well, one of the down sides. Not that it ever stopped Vailea from doing both.

Her consumption of the food had slowed some, but she was consistently sampling things. Popping flavorful bites into her mouth and making happy sounds. She didn't need to say with any word just how delighted she was to be eating and drinking, especially when it was such a spread like this. When something was offered, such as the odd, squishy dough, she tried it without hesitation. Then, she tried it with a couple other things to get a variance of flavor and texture in her mouth. When she found out it tasted good around a bite of roasted bird, she likewise offered it to Kaihe. It only seemed fair and appropriate.

Her eyes narrowed a little while she chewed a piece of mango and pineapple together as Kaihe spoke, trying to figure out what it was they were referring to. The gesture away seemed to indicate, well, not here. Vailea could only assume she was being asked where she was from. It was a pretty reasonable question, all things considering.

Leaning back on a hand, she sipped from one of the remaining coconut drinks while she tried to figure out, in the simplest terms, how to explain. Knowing only a few key words she'd heard repeated – thank you, yes, please – she wasn't really going to be able to say or convey a complex thought. So she gestured in the same direction Kaihe had. She was from, well, far away. So she made the same gesture again, but slower and a bit grander, as though to encompass a vaster space or distance. "Far from here. And... well, the ocean, I guess." The last was said a bit too quick that it was likely to be of any use, but Vailea smiled a little.

She sat her coconut down. Mimed sleeping for a brief second, as Kaihe had earlier with two hands clasped, then made a very crude indication of a person walking along her arm. Ending with her pointing to both of them. "Kaihe, Vailea... I'll take you tomorrow." The words were more for herself than anything, but she'd be able to actually take the islander to her ship in the morning. Most wouldn't want to go wandering around at night and it'd probably be a bad idea anyway. She could wait.

Especially since she had a pile of food to go through.

[Icy]

"Far-from-here," They repeated just as slowly as Vailea had said them, then muttered something under their breath. As Vailea made gestures to communicate like Kaihe had done before, there was a look of confusion until they finally got the gist of it. Then their eyes widened. "Akā, ua lōʻihi kēia! ʻAʻole au i kau ma luna o ka moku ma mua!" They said apprehensively, eyes lowering to the arrow points tattooed into their toes.

Upon realizing they'd just let out a stream of Yoreiq rather than make any attempt to communicate, Kaihe attempted to express her worry. "Vailea, Kaihe... very, uhm.. far?" They outstretched their arms wide to either side, then pressed their hands close together without touching. Then, they picked up their second coconut shell of liquor and took a sip, anxious to hear their new friend's response.

Kaihe lay down on their side, propping their head up on their hand as they continued to pick at the fruits offered. There was so much food left over, but it was only customary to offer a guest as much! If Vailea paid any attention to her hosts's chest, she'd notice that there were, in fact, tiny breasts there, indicating that the maha had a physically female form, despite the androgyny of the rest of their body.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea nodded when Kaihe repeated the 'far-from-here'. She hadn't really slowed in her consumption of food. Her body would break it all down and distribute it to organs that still functioned and would process the nutrients. There was rarely a case of too much for the lich. So she was still eating at a steady, exploratory rate. She revisited particular flavors she enjoyed and had some things by themselves, if only to reset her taste buds if something had been rich in flavor.

The quick string of sounds actually made her pause, mid stretch for a piece of the roasted bird, while she tried to process some of the sound. Ultimately, though, it'd been too much and too fast. She shook her head a little and smiled to indicate she'd tried, but didn't understand while gathering up some more bird to eat.

When Kaihe tried to clarify, Vailea pondered. Looking up at the ceiling as she did so. " ʻAʻole,ʻaʻole loa." She pieced together. Yes and no were usually easy. This time, answering in the negative of Kaihe's language. Then, sucked one finger clean before lifted it up. "One... day's... walk." She mimicked the walk again, but she wasn't sure how do mimic day. So she shrugged a little and smiled, repeating that it wasn't far. She'd managed the walk in the jist of a day, after all. And, if at any point Kaihe wanted to turn back, Vailea was hardly going to stop them.

[Icy]

"One d-..day's wawuk," They repeated. Kaihe couldn't be certain of what she meant, but they'd go along with it anyways. Moving to lay down, Kaihe flopped over onto their back and let out a hiccup. "Very drinks. Ke wili nei kuʻu poʻo," They made a swirling gesture with their wrist. "Ua hiamoe au," They added, making mock-snoring sounds with their hands pressed under their head. "Ke hiamoe nei pahaʻoe?"

Whether or not Vaelia replied, Kaihe closed their eyes and breathed softly on the hard wood of the floor, finding it comfortable enough in their drunken state to sleep on. Within minutes, they were out like a light.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea smiled a little more as she watched, and processed, the sounds that Kaihe made. Sentences, clearly, but she didn't understand what was being said. Not yet, anyways. She continued to pick at what remained of the food. It'd be terrible to let it go to waste, wouldn't it? Rather, that's how the lich liked to think of it.

Obviously, Kaihe meant to go to sleep. She'd picked up on that much. Since the lich didn't have to right away, she continued to munch until she was certain Kaihe was well into her sleep. Then, dumping some fruit in one of the coconuts, she quietly picked her way out of the hut so she could go and attempt to converse with some of the remaining tribes people who were still awake.

Which was what she did until everyone was ready to sleep and she was in the dark, though not quiet, village. Rather than sit inside, Vailea sat against the outside wall of the hut with another drink that had been provided by a sweet villager and remained there. Tracing the star patterns she could see and constellations she'd learned about. It was a great thing to do now that she'd felt the buzz of the alcohol. Vailea continued to do just that until the creep of morning started to chase the stars away.

[Icy]

The villagers were all very friendly toward Vailea, each of them offering some sort of gift, whether in food, drink, or trinkets such as anklets, wristbands, and necklaces made of shiny stones or animal bones. An older woman even offered a colorful yellow sarong! But by the time the sun had already been down for two hours, almost everyone had gone to sleep or were relaxing in their huts. Vailea might have noticed that there was no sort of order as to who went where; family units did not exist in Yoreiqi culture, but there was always at least one adult wherever a child without tattoos went.

For once, Kaihe woke up rather late into the morning, when the sun was just rising. Tossing and turning on the floor for a few minutes, the maha only opened their eyes when a ray of sun shined over them and they realized how late it was! Sitting up immediately, the maha's head swiveled around the small hut, looking for Vailea, only to find out that she'd left! This was no good.

Scrambling out of the cabin, Kaihe exclaimed, "VAILEA!" At the top of her lungs. Naturally, the half-asleep maha with dried drool at the corner of their mouth and wild, unkempt sleep-hair was met by a round of laughter from the villagers who were already well awake at that point, getting ready for their day. Blushing and looking away bashfully, it was then that Kaihe noticed their friend standing there. "O-..Oh. Vailea. Manaʻo wau ua lawe kahi holoholona iāʻoe i ka pō..." They muttered, then hopped down from the raised platform the hut stood on, raising their hand to give Vailea some assistance in getting down.

"Umm... Vailea," They made a sleeping gesture, "very good?"

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea had accepted everything that had been given to her, be it food, drink, trinket, and the sarong – which she now wore over her breeches.  She'd wished some of the villagers a good morning, both in the trader's tongue and their own when they responded to her in kind.

By the time Kaihe woke up, others were already milling around and doing... whatever it was villagers did. Build things, tend to children, tools, plants. Whatever. She did flinch some when her name was shouted, but she chuckled alongside the others and took Kaihe's hand if only because it was offered. She studied Kaihe at the string of sounds and eventually nodded slowly. "aloha kakahiaka," she said first, then echoed in trader, "Good morning." Seemed to be the way to start the morning. Then, she nodded more casually with a smile. " hiamoe maikaʻi. Slept good."

She wasn't about to tell Kaihe or the others she didn't sleep, so she'd stumbled through telling them she'd had a good sleep. Or at least that's what she hoped she was saying. It seemed to be the right words with the right gesture and had the appropriate response.

[Icy]

"Good morn-ning," They repeated with a somewhat surprised smile, moving her head close to her friend's to press their noses and foreheads against one another in greeting. Vailea was picking up their language so quickly, so Kaihe felt she'd have to pick up the pace as well! Stepping back, the maha stood at attention and spoke formally to show Vailea that they had also picked up on new words. "Uhm-- good! Kaihe slept... hewa," They blinked, not knowing what the opposite of good was in the trader's tongue.

Walking along toward the edge of the village that they'd come from the day before, the maha asked, "Vailea, Kaihe, ahh, one day's walk?" They still didn't know what it meant, but they trusted Vailea enough to go along with it. Enthusiastic, they said, "Alakaʻi i ke ala!" and motioned toward the beach.