Opposites Attract!

[Ivory]

Akala wiggled her bared toes in the sand, enjoying the way the sand squished up between her toes.  In spite of the warm water, the sand here was cool, creating a delicious, shivering sensation that ran up her spine.

From where she knelt, she could see the celebration -- a feast, really -- to celebrate the birth of a beautiful little girl to the tribe.  In spite of the mother's young age, it had been an easy birth with no complications, and the little girl had barely shed a tear as her new tribemates came to know her.  The gods had blessed this one, surely, but only time would tell to what end.

There were a few things left to do before Akala could properly join the celebration.  Already, the music was beginning, luring people from the laden tables to dance.  She watched for a moment, laughing as one of the tribe elders swept the baby up and twirled the young girl around with him.  Yes, she loved a good birthing festival!

Bowing her head over the sands, Akala began to murmur her thanks to the ancestors -- her own, who were always with her, as well as those who walked the village.  It was her ritual -- a moment of private reflection and gratitude.

[Paradox]

Not far from where the young woman stood, admiring the celebration, a sleek dorsal fin emerged from the ocean waves. The fin moved at an unhurried pace, but its movements appeared to be analogous of a methodical predator. A handful of gulls sat near the shallows, floating on the waves not so very far from where the fin emerged. The silly birds didn't seem to pay the fin much mind until the speed of the fin's approach gradually increased til it reached a full charge that would have taken any careless prey off guard.

Three out of five gulls were intelligent enough to panic and take flight before the fin could reach them. Two were not so fortunate, however. The water near the fin suddenly exploded, revealing a peculiar and,perhaps, rarely seen creature. One of the slow gulls was met with a swift end and brutal and it was all over in a matter of seconds, lost in a curtain of wave, blood and feathers.

As soon as this brief carnage had ended and the waters calmed, there was in the water a man floating in there where the gulls had been. In his hands he held the limp body of the gull which he did not hesitate to raise to his mouth and tear into it like a starved piranha.  In less than a minute, the poor bird was gone ,swallowed whole by the voracious predator it had fallen victim to.

Now the beast turned its head, seeming to be attracted by the noise coming from the land where the humans lived. He cautiously swam into the shallows, drawn to the music more than anything .  He hesitated , however, when he noticed Akala. He smelled her first. Knew she was human. Female. Little more for his eyesight was poor. He "stood" up, eyeing her with predatory eyes then he smiled, flashing rows of large and very sharp white teeth that were freshly stained crimson , "Bad food," The creature spoke her language but it was very broken and primitive, his inflection a deep rumbling sound, " It greets."It could have been regarded as a friendly greeting were it not for the sinister look on the strange man's face.  "It comes see. Not want bad food."

Ooc: Ha'aheo, the best conversationalist ever. I uh...kinda fell asleep while writing this so there's bound to be special!

[Ivory]

(OOC: You're pretty special.  :P  But that's why we love you!)

Akala's eyes opened at the sound of the gulls' cries, and she lifted her head a moment later to find a strange figure wading ashore towards her.  He could almost pass for human but for the coarse language and the teeth, which Akala could see even at this distance.

A more cautious person would have run.

Instead, Akala lifted herself smoothly off of the sand with a smile.  "Hi," she ventured.  She remained where she stood rather than approach the newcomer -- which was probably fairly sensible, considering.  Thinking over his words, she prompted helpfully, "Are you looking for something?"

[Paradox]

The creature blinked stupidly and stared at her. His eyes widened, confusion and surprise twisting his rough features. This human did not run from him and she spoke to him. He had not expected this. She did not scream. The hunters would not come with their pointy sticks. Yet. How refreshing.

It took him a moment to respond, " It comes see," He repeated and pointed towards the celebration. He had no words in his vocabulary for what his intentions were. He did not know the word for music or else he would have told her as much. He had come to listen and observe. And he was still hungry...but he always was. He gestured to her with hand, "Not fear? "

ooc:   Aw!

He makes no sense, but he tries! *flails*

[Ivory]

Akala laughed quietly.  Well, he had the basic grasp of human language down.  "No," she answered softly.  "I'm not afraid of you."  She probably should be -- but he was making an effort, and the least she could do is make an effort as well.

She looked at the festival, then looked back to the stranger.  "Would you like to come to the celebration?"  She gestured over to the group of people.  "They're celebrating a birth."

Perhaps that was too complicated for him...  She thought a moment, then said, "Do you have a name?"  Bringing her hands to her chest, she said, "My name is Akala."

[Paradox]

He swam forward, coming as close as he could to land without beaching himself. As the water level lowered to shallow, the rest of his body became for visible. Half man, half fish or, to be more specific, shark. An ignorant soul might have confused him for a merman.

"What....'celebr-brayshun birth'? Words. Not know." He tilted his head, curiously like a quizzical dog. Although his confusion melted away upon hearing key words that he recognized. He nodded and pointed at her, "Akala." He pounded his chest with a fist, " It no name. Bad food name it Ha'aeho. "   

[Ivory]

"Oh," she breathed, her surprise evident.  Akala had heard of such creatures, but they were rare...and they were usually the cause of much fear in a community.  She glanced over her shoulder at the party, and then, in a few quick strides, she, stepped into the water.  This particular creature seemed to be making an effort to be friendly -- and he would never learn to be friendly if no one ever tried to teach him.

"There was a baby born today.  A baby is...like a little person."  Yoreiqi certainly wasn't his native tongue, made evident by his clumsy speech.  She found it rather endearing, really.  "And a celebration is a party.  There's food and dancing and music.  It's something humans do together when we're happy."

"Hello, Ha'aeho."  She was up to her ankles in the warm water, the low waves splashing only a bit higher on her legs.  "Can I come closer to you so we can talk properly?"

[Paradox]

Ha'aheo didn't move. His eyes narrowed though, and his expression was inquiring and a little dubious.  He wasn't threatened by her approach though because she seemed harmless. She had no weapon from what he could see. She could have had magic though. Ha'aheo did not like magic very much. It could freeze him, burn him, shock him...it could do far worse things than any spear could do to his flesh. Though he considered the possibility of this woman being a magic user, he doubted it and convinced himself that she could not possibly harm a big, strong hunter such as himself.

More confusing words came from the woman's mouth. Ha'aeho grew frustrated at his lack of ability to comprehend. He ground his teeth and his face grew tight with apparent irritation. He knew what 'little meant' but 'person' , 'party', celebration', 'dancing' and 'music', 'humans' or 'happy'....these words were foreign to him. "Words big. Not know. It knows food. It knows little."

Ha'aheo tilted his head at her question, not quite comprehending her meaning, " It talks to Akala. Akala make it see big words. See big words to talk good."

[Ivory]

Akala laughed softly, a good-natured, cheerful laugh.  She didn't advance any further though, deciding, instead, to let him set the pace of their meeting.  "I can help you learn to talk better," she promised.  "You already know more than you think you do.  You must be very clever."

After all, she doubted anyone had ever taken the time to speak to the poor creature before...  He must have somehow worked out most of this on his own!

"First of all, you aren't an 'it.'  You're a person.  I'm a person too.  And when people speak about themselves, they use the word 'I'.  For example.  I like to talk.  I like to swim.  I like to eat."

That gave her pause.  "Are you hungry, Ha'aheo?  I could bring you some food.  I'm sure they have enough to spare."

[Paradox]

Ha'aheo tried his best to process this information. He was indeed a clever creature, but all of these new words and experiences were a little overwhelming for him. It confused, made his head spin. He felt his frustration flare up again. He did not like not knowing something and his impatience did not help. He expected to get everything the first time around. He did not. He clenched his fists at his sides. He started swimming in slow, lazy circles out of habit of being impatient and not being able to remain still for long.

He didn't fully understand what she was trying to explain. He had learned human language from listening to snippets of multiple conversations. He identified meanings with images, gestures. It was not so different from the way a small child learned to speak. "It person? Person Akala. Person....Ha'aheo?" He beat his chest with his fist, "Ha'aheo."

Everything else was lost on him but the mention of 'hungry' and 'food' ...this he understood very well. He nodded with a great deal of enthusiasm, " It hungry! Ha'aeho want food!" Akala's scent already made him salivate but he'd tasted human flesh before and knew- or perhaps believed now that humans were  , as he put it , "bad food". 

[Ivory]

Akala laughed again at his enthusiasm, and she nodded cheerfully.  "Then I'll be right back with some food."

True to her word, it didn't take Akala long at all.  She kept half an eye on the shape out in the water, hoping he would wait for her.  After all, his understanding of language was limited, and she didn't want him to think she had abandoned him!

It didn't take long to gather up the aforementioned food and return to the shore.  She held two plates -- one of fish for him and one of fruit for her.  He had probably never eaten off of a plate before...or cooked food, for that matter.  She had debated bringing silverware, but that hardly seemed worth the effort...

"This is fish," she told him, curious if he knew the word.  Cautiously, she stepped further out into the water than she had been previously.  "Do you like fish?"

[Paradox]

Akala was right. Ha'aheo did not understand her meaning and felt disappointed that the strange human was leaving him. He did not think to follow her though. Idly, he wondered if she would betray his trust and alert the hunters. Humans could be sneaky, he thought.  But none had dared to talk to him or stand that close voluntarily.

He was about to turn, swim away but then he noticed her glance back over her shoulder at him. He lingered,hopeful. He had a hungry curiosity. He wanted new words. Foolish to wait. He thought, frowning. She wasn't coming back. He started pacing. Swimming back and forth impatiently though he'd hardly been kept waiting for very long. Again, he thought of leaving multiple times, but never acted on those impulses because he honestly had little to do with his life.

She surprised him. It showed on his face , "Akala no go." He could smell the food before he could see it and when she stepped near him he said nothing. He snatched the plate from her hands and proceeded to devour the fish she had offered him ravenously. It was gone within a matter of seconds and now he held the plate in his hands curiously. "Not know...what? " He held the strange thing up , staring at it for quite a while, not sure what to make of it. " Food?" He brought it to his nose and sniffed it. He then bit into it, breaking the plate and getting a mouthful. Seconds later he spat the bits of plate out and gasped. He threw the plate down in the water and pointed at it, " Bad food! No eat! "

[Ivory]

Akala watched this display with some amusement.  Heavens, but the poor creature had clearly never been introduced to human culture!  That wasn't to say their culture was any better than what Ha'aheo was accustomed to -- but it certainly caused some confusion.

"No," she agreed, amused.  She moved backwards a few feet, to where the water was approximately up to her knees.  Then, happily, she sat down in the water, unmindful of how sopping wet her clothing would be.  She could dry them later!

"This is called a plate.  Humans put our food on the plate, and then we eat from it.  Like this."  She picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite of the sweet pineapple.  It was quite good, and she relished the flavor a moment before smiling at Ha'aheo again.  "Do you like fruit?"

She wasn't sure how far inland he could come, but she held a piece of pineapple towards him in offering.  "This is called pineapple.  Do you want to try it?"

[Paradox]

Ha'aheo looked at her with his brow curiously elevated, " Plate for food? " He scratched his chin, looking even more puzzled. "Why?" What was the point ? He backed away a bit when she presented the pineapple. It was a very strange sight and as it was with the plate, he didn't know what to make of it.

He watched her eat it and he could smell it's sweetness. It was not a familiar scent to him. He had only ever taken from fisherman, claiming their catches. He ate meat and only meat. However this thing Akala ate, this 'fruit' did smell good. He wondered if it tasted as good as it smelled, unlike human meat.

He stared at her offering hand and blinked stupidly a couple times,"Pineapple?  Pineapple fruit? Not know fruit. Not know pineapple. Pineapple good food?"

[Ivory]

"Fruit...grows."  She wasn't really sure how to clarify that, nor did she think it was necessary.  Instead, she said, "Pineapple grows on trees.  Do you know what a tree is?"  She wasn't sure if he did -- he was a mershark, after all.  Turning, she gestured to several trees near the beach.  "See those tall brown and green things just there?  Those are trees.  And that's where you find pineapple."

Close enough.

She grinned at him.  "Go on.  You can have this piece of pineapple if you want.  And if you don't like it, you can just spit it out.  Like you did with the plate."

[Paradox]

"Not know words. Lots. Word tree," Ha'aeho admitted. He gazed in the direction that Akala pointed and studied them. He pointed, "Trees. " Then he looked at the pineapple and tried to imagine what it had to do with trees. "Pineapple trees? " Did she mean to say that the delicious smelling fruit came from those tall , leafy things that she called trees? He could have been wrong though. That seemed like a strange concept to him...that something could grow up so high.

"Trees big. " He observed and then eyed the pineapple again and took the bit that was offered from her. He tossed the pineapple bit into his mouth and licked his lips. Yes. He did like how it tasted. It was almost as good as fish. "Pineapple good. What Akala eat?"He was eyeing the rest of the pineapple, practically salivating and about ready to pounce on the poor girl and take the rest. He started at her but he drew back, fighting his usual instincts. "Smell good. It hungry. "

[Ivory]

"You're still hungry?" Akala asked, surprised.  Her expression faded into a look of amusement, however; well, she wasn't likely to starve to death anytime soon.  "You can have mine if you want it.  But, first, let's see...  This yellow stuff is the pineapple."  She neatly pulled the yellow cubes aside from the rest.

"Oranges grow on trees too.  That's what these are."  She held out a slice of orange for him to see expectantly.  "And these small purple round ones are grapes.  And this -- this is my favorite -- is watermelon."  She stole a piece of watermelon for herself, taking care to spit out the seeds.

"These are seeds.  That's how the watermelons grow."  She explained, holding one up so he could see it.  "When you bite into the melon, you'll feel something hard.  That's the seed.  You can spit the seed out if you want.  Like this."  She demonstrated, spitting the seeds into the water around her.

She could go back for another plate later!  So, without reservation, she handed the whole plate over to him with a smile.  "Now, remember, you don't eat the plate."

[Paradox]

Ha'aheo took an orange slice and tossed it into his mouth. Seconds later he spat the thing out. Fortunately, he had not spat it on her! The man made a face," Bad! Orange bad! " He immediately forgot about that when she showed him the grapes. He took one, popped it into his mouth and then took the rest off of her hands. "Good grapes."  At last they came to the watermelon and he watched her spit the seeds out curiously, wondering if they tasted bad.

He didn't understand the concept of growing. "Not eat seed? Seed bad, " he asked after accepting the plate from her.When he was hungry, he never hesitated. He practically inhaled everything on the plate and choked. He dropped the plate and grasped at his throat, coughing and gagging for air.

ooc: And then she left him to suffocate to death. The end!

[Ivory]

OOC: May be slightly disturbing for some viewers.

Akala watched, amused -- until he started to choke.  She practically jumped to her feet in her haste to stand.  Fortunately, he wasn't very far away, so she only had to wade a short distance out to him.

Wide-eyed and worried, she watched him for a moment.  How he had inhaled the fish -- which were much larger -- and managed only to choke on the fruit was beyond her, but she certainly couldn't just let him suffocate!

"Stay calm," she murmured, reaching into a hidden pocket in her outfit to pull out a knife.  There was no time to prepare a ritual or to find a sacrifice; her blood would have to do.  With a murmured blessing, she slid the blade sharply across her palm.  Blood welled up immediately, and she made a fist to attempt to keep it from falling away.

A mere second later, she was standing above him with her eyes closed and her hand extended out over his face.  Prayers to the goddesses of healing left her lips as blood dribbled onto the mershark's face and into his mouth.  Each bead lit up, suddenly, glowing with the power of the gods to save Ha'aheo from his fate.

[Paradox]

Ha'aheo was anything but calm, but he was too preoccupied with trying to dislodge the fruit caught in his windpipe. But when he saw her draw a knife he assumed that she was going to kill him. He drew back , but didn't get far as his coughing intensified and his face turned purple.

The lack of air made him too weak to resist her. He could only watch with wide eyes. Then she did something that was unexpected. She stood over him and let her blood spill into his mouth. The smell was intoxicating but the taste was absolutely foul. What was she doing?

Then...he gave a final hack and grape went flying out of his open mouth. Ha'aheo greedily sucked in lungfulls of air, the color returning to his cheeks.