Seagull Bait [anyone]

[Anonymous]

It was a sad, lowly life Tsisir lived, she was sure. Her last master said he didn't want her anymore. Her downright defiance for wearing that rediculous servant gown had pushed him to hate her. He wanted submissive little children to do as they were told, or forty lashes with a cat-o-nine. By sixteen lashes, Tsisir had passed out, and she was sure the master had passed her on to his younger sister, who had probably put her to rest on that creaky chair in the back of his rediculously unsturdy boat. How he had never drowned would remain a mystery to her, as well as how she hadn't.

Only, that changed quickly. She remembered waking briefly in the sea, taking in a mouthful of salty water and choking it out, struggling all her might before she had slipped out of consciousness again. She awoke to a nicer feeling. Sand, the soft warm sand, sun glowing on her face, the waves washing upon her outfit, cleaning away the old dirt and leaving fresh ocean remains.

She pushed to sit up, light brown curls clinging to her cheeks and forehead. She wiped them away hastily, her right eye closed a moment as her left eye scanned the area. Sand, water, the sun... this was a beach! Where did she wash upon shore? The young girl sighed softly. "Tsisir lonely... where is Tsisir's Masta' again?" she asked herself. Her other eye opened by this point, and although her sight didn't change, she felt more normal. She then let herself drop on shore again, figuring she probably looked like a dead body that reached land, even though she was very much alive. "Tsisir wants Masta'... no, Tsisir wants dry clothes... and usage of Tsisir's legs..." With the pants drenched as they were, moving it seemed like too much of a hastle. Laying on the sandy ground quietly, she sat quietly, waiting quietly for the sake of waiting. Someone would come and explain what was going on, right?

[Anonymous]

Someone came, someone she hadn't seen before because he was behind her, still in the water.  "Oh, good," his child's voice rang out over the lapping waters, "I was worried you'd drowned."  If she got up the gumption to turn and look, she would see a head sticking out of the water, but only that at the moment.  It belonged to a young boy, perhaps close to her own age, with average skin tone and dark gray hair.  Closer inspection would reveal large and rich brown eyes.  Currently, he was rubbing at his nose.  The water would carry his muttering to her, despite its low volume, "I still can't get used to this smell thing.  Noses are so strange."

[Anonymous]

Tsisir shifted as the sound of another wafted to her ears, and she looked up, eyes wide and staring. So far, she didn't see anyone... Wha? What happened to the person who was talking to her? Just where was he?! He had to be somewhere, she was sure. Sitting up once more, and letting out a soft groan as she tried moving her legs - a failed attempt, for the big pants were much too drenched - she glanced around.

That was when her eyes landed on the boy, who's hair was... odd. But pretty, in her opinion. He seemed confused, almost, she guessed, as he rubbed at his nose. "No-no, Tsisir struggles greatly in water, Tsisir not drowneded." She then tilted her head to the side, almost tilting over completely, but she caught herself by placing a hand flat on the ground, looking up at him. "Mwa... smell? Noses? Natural, just sniff, or just breathe!" She grinned. "Tsisir thinks you ush silly."

She smiled slightly, until her arm gave way, and with a soft "Wai!", she fell over to the sand once more. From there, she giggled. Hah, poor her, she was so clumsy. But that could probably be because her limbs were achy - or more achy than usual. Oh well. Turning to her other side, now with one side of her coated in sand, she smiled towards the boy. It was easier seeing him at this angle. "Ahyo... Tsisir wants to know your name."

[Anonymous]

Avuikx loved the beach. It was a very religous place for him -- the perfect reminder of just what it was he trying to achieve all the world. Balance -- permanent change. The ocean took from the beach and the beach braced itself, over the couse of decades reclaiming once lost pieces of land. It was quite a sight to see. If only he had someone to share it with.

But all of his former monks were a world away, and it was his mission to spread the message to the few who needed to know. He knew that he absolutely should go to the orphanage soon, as he had intended since arriving, and find a child young enough for a forced transformation, perhaps two or three more to undergo quickened initiation, and ensure a next generation. And gather a few adolescents as well, you could be initiated up to twenty for humans, forty for elves, and... he ran through all the statistics in his head.

And there were some kids now. He was still Lefty, still a friendly farmer who was jsut checking on some kids. He walked up to the pair of them and was met with a rather odd sight. "Are you all ok?" he asked cheerfully.

[Anonymous]

Pretty was not a word he would have used to describe the short, tangled mop that was his salt encrusted hair.  He smiled with an open mouth, "Of course you're not drowned, silly.  I saved your life.  You might have, though, if I hadn't brought you to shore.  It sure was lucky that I found you out in the water.  You call me silly, but you always have a nose.  I'm not that unlucky.  I don't have to deal with that kind of sense all the time."  He watched her struggle and wondered, "You're okay, right?  You didn't look injured before...  My name?"  His expression shifted from the unsure concern back into a carefree smile, "I'm Elip.  Are you Tsisir?"

Just as they were getting acquainted, an adult went and showed up.  Still sitting with only his shoulders and head sticking out of the water, he shouted across the beach, "We're fine.  I'm fine.  She might be a little tired, though."  He was skeptical about the man since he was so much older than the two of them.  He thought he was going to have some kind of fun with this silly girl who'd been floating way out in the deep ocean for some reason, and now they had to deal with a grown up.

[Anonymous]

Such a strange, strange boy. He saved her? Well, that was an interesting predicament. Considering how she figured she couldn't struggle very well after all, she figured she probably had been in need of saving. It was sad; Tsisir knew she needed a new master or someone to take care of her if she wanted to live. She was shameful, such a weakling. Her last master would be very upset if he saw her... but he was probably halfway across the ocean by now. Just one more disposable orphan for him, he could always buy a new one.

She grinned slightly a him. "Tsisir thanks you," she spoke. She looked up, just listening calmly. He was really an odd one, and she gathered his name when he told her. But she was still a bit hung up on his nose comment. "Elip not have a nose before? Why? And if smelling is a problem, breathe through mouth!" She smiled slightly, though found herself now looking up at another person who had come towards them.

Odd, who was this person? He seemed concerned almost when he spoke to them, but it was probably minor worry. She guessed they looked like they were playing around. As Elip responded for them, Tsisir grinned slightly. "Yes, Tsisir is very tired, Tsisir struggled very hard for a little while... guess Tsisir not struggle hard enough." She then grinned slightly, before yawning. "Tsisir wants usage of legs now..." she told her feet, though they didn't move.

[Anonymous]

"You kids are out here all alone? My, your parents must really trust you. Or maybe you ran away from home." Lefty smiled to show he was kidding, but Avuikx wasn't nearly so sure it wasn't true. The girl certainly looked like she hadn't spent time anywhwere comfortable in a long while. If that was true, he had just lucked out in finding new recruits -- though things were going to require some finesse, he had rarely met a relations challenge he couldn't handle. Fighting, that was something else, but here, thanks to the nature of his ability, he had an infinite number of tries.

"Tsisir, if you're tired, perhaps you'd like to come with me and find a nice place to rest? If your legs hurt, I can carry you." He looked out at the ocean -- had they come from parts unknown? Probably, afterall, he was only looking into rumors of a healthy local rebellion going on closer in. It was sheer luck he had been here now in the first place -- his fondness for the beach had led to make a quick stop here.

And it looked like it could turn out to be a very valuable one. He smiled at the children with genuine warmth, not that it made a noticeable difference -- he could fake genuine emotions flawlessly.

[Anonymous]

Perfect actor or not, you couldn't fool instinct.  Elip smelled something fishy, and it wasn't with his human nose.  His dolphin form may not have had a sense of smell, but it was sniffing out something very ingenuine about this particular adult.  He'd heard about bad humans, but he didn't know he'd run into his first one right after he'd met his first good human.  Human expressions were hard to disguise for him, too, so one could tell just by looking at his face that he didn't like the man.  "We're just playin', mister.  She's just a little tired right now is all."  Elip was not a very good liar, unlike this man.  "I was gonna take her home later, by myself.  I can take care of her just fine."  He looked between him and Tsisir with, for him, a very uncharacteristic expression of concern.

[Anonymous]

Tsisir was still laying there, not really wanting to move after all. She was fine just laying there. Of course, later when she really wanted to move, she'd probably need assistance, but until then, she was content on the sand. A small smile worked its way on her lips as she looked up at this guy. He seemed really nice; did he want to take her home? Would he treat her like the other little kids were treated? There was still the chance he'd return her to the life she had gotten used to...

Still, she said nothing, just staring at him. Until Elip piped in, telling this guy that they were playing. Was Elip trying to prevent her from going with him? Well, she didn't know either of them, or what they were planning, and only lay there. Somehow, she managed to move a hand to her face, fingers delicately brushing away sand, leaving her with a calm, serene look. Strangely, for a poor child, she was oddly pretty, and she could never figure out why. Her old Master called her his little angel right before he beat her, and she took his term of endearment to heart, before wanting to strangle him, while committing her services.

Strange thing to think about, now that he wasn't around anymore. He was headed to the northern lands, and was now probably aware she wasn't on board, probably thinking she was dead. Hah, was this her freedom, or another switching of masters? She just blinked, sinking back into reality.

With that, she giggled slightly, letting her hand drop on her forehead. "Tsisir still tired... want nap..." She yawned, then laid there for a moment, wondering if the males would end up fighting for who would possess her next.

[Anonymous]

Now one would think, animals being what they are, Avuikx's failure to master smell would be somewhat of a problem with them. A year or two and he would have that trick down too, and no more of this. But, people being mostly humanoids, somehow he hadn't thought it most important, focusing on voice and sight first. But no! Werewolves, vampires, sea cucumbers! Or whatever this guy was, other than not very hard to read. Maybe he was a kind of fish...

But in any case, two years at the most, he wasn't going to this problem. In the meantime, he had an excellent defense -- he was telling the truth. "If you're looking for somewhere to stay, I can provide it for you. I always wanted a child of my very own." To Elip, he said, "Perhaps you'd better take her home now. Of course I don't want to take your friend away from you now, but surely she won't be able to stay with you permanently. I'll tell you what, how abotu we go and see your parents, we can get this all worked out while Tsisir has her nap, and then you two can play? Does that sound acceptable?"

[Anonymous]

Parents?  Oh, yeah, he'd heard about those.  Humans usually mate for life, and children stay with them for much longer than dolphins.  But his parents?  That would be a little more difficult.  He still saw them once in a while since they were in the same pod, but he'd gone out of his way to come here.  It would take him a while to find his pod again, and even if he could do it sooner, he doubted the man knew what he had in store if he agreed to take him to his parents.  "My parents aren't really around right now.  I don't think you'd want to meet them anyway."  It wasn't really a lie, but maybe it would throw him off.  He wouldn't know that it was more likely to raise the suspicion that he was an orphan, too.  "And, um, she wanted to take a nap before I took her home," he saw her simply laying there while he and this man spoke.  "We were done playing."

[Anonymous]

Tsisir just listened to the two speak. She liked the man's offer - well, she liked the second half. Her nap, then playtime. Actual playtime! Tsisir hadn't really played in a while, not since her last master made her work until she used all her breaks for sleeping. At least the other ones let her run around in the yard with the pets after she finished her duties.

But Elip had a reason to decline; she knew he was lying, but she really didn't care. Did Elip have parents around? She doubted it; or maybe they were parents he didn't want anyone to meet. Did his parents hit him? Or maybe they did strange things and didn't seem like normal people. Tsisir made a note to ask Elip about that - and his nose comment - after they were alone again.

Slowly, she pushed herself to sit up, then grinned slightly, her arms weakly stretching over for Elip. "Nap later," she said. "I want to play again." She wasn't even sure if they hadn't been playing earlier or had, but she knew she wanted to go do something now, before she really did fall asleep. Hopefully, she wouldn't almost drown this time.

[Anonymous]

"If neither of you have parents anymore..." Avuikx glanced briefly at Elip. Something was strange about that child, but he really didn't care what. Anyway, it looked like there would be no one else in the equation. He just needed time, patience, and goodwill.

"Then you really shouldn't be out here all by yourselves. Something could happen, and we don't want that. Don't worry, I won't be a bother. Uncle Lefty knows when he's not to be a bother." Avuikx walked a few hundred meters away and seated himself in a comfortable area, relaxing and simply watching the two children. He certainly had nothing against them playing.

The girl would accompany him, or maybe not. But for now it seemed he was going to watch children at play. Odd, that... He had never played much as a child himself, and while it seemed to soothe other people to watch small members frolic and run around, he'd never gotten any real pleasure from it. But now he needed something, so he smiled to himself and just prepared to watch.

[Anonymous]

Neither of them?  Why would he assume something like that?  True, it wasn't Elip's forte, per se, to read people just by looking at them since he'd really only met these people so far, but why wouldn't Tsisir have any parents?  Where did he get the idea that he didn't have any parents, even after he said he did?  "Whatever, mister."

Tsisir mentioned her willingness to "keep playing".  "You're not tired anymore?" he asked.  The man walked a fair distance away, and Elip thought he might be able to talk to Tsisir freely about his feelings about him.  All this while, he'd never left the water, and nothing more than his head and shoulders had been exposed to the air.  He doubted the man could hear him from that far away, so he called over to Tsisir.  "Hey, could you come a little closer?  I don't feel like yelling anymore."  The first thing she'd notice, if she were actually able to move her legs again, was that there was a good reason Elip hadn't stood out of the water.  He wasn't wearing anything.  He wasn't modest, really, but the wind on his bare skin was pretty cold, and his human body didn't have skin nearly as thick as he did in his dolphin form.

[Anonymous]

Tsisir figured that this would just be another one of those times when she'd have to get used to having achy limbs and moving about while tired. She didn't mind, though, since she'd still get to talk to this boy, and figure out why noses confused him. Calmly, her eyes turned up to the man as he spoke of parents. She wasn't quite sure about Elip, but the parent thing seemed suitable for her. She hadn't seen hers in years, when her father had sold her to help her ailing mother.

As Uncle Lefty began to walk away, to possibly give them playing space, and as Elip called her over, Tsisir struggled to stand, finding herself unsturdy on her tired legs. She forced herself to move anyway, walking with her arms outstretched, trudging towards him. She then shifted to slide in the water, coming closer to Elip, but around three meters away from him. In the water, her back stung painfully from the whip, meaning that she had probably sufferend open wounds when still on the seacraft. She whimpered a moment, then fought herself to just ignore it.

She looked up at Elip, then yawned lightly. "Tsisir ush very tired. You looked a-like you wanted Mister man gone, so Tsisir act not tired, and Mister man go." She smiled slightly, then looked over her shoulder at the man, making sure he couldn't hear them, as she glanced back at Elip. "Ahyo... Tsisir wants to know where your parents are, Elip," she asked.

[Anonymous]

Avuikx's ears perked up. When you looked so very dull and human, no one expected you to have the senses that he did.

((Erm... you guys can go on, I'll jump back in when it's more logical.))

[Anonymous]

ooc:so sorry!

"Oh," Elip felt a little bad about making her move around if she was still tired, but didn't dwell on it very long.  "My parents are back with my pod.  They're probably pretty far away by now, but that's okay.  I'll find them again, eventually."  He stumbled a bit now, and he lowered his voice for no particular reason.  "I don't like that guy very much.  He gives me a creepy feeling.  There's something about him that just feels... I don't know, fake, or something.  When I brought you here, I was just gonna leave you when I found out if you were okay, but I don't think I want to leave you here with this guy.

[Anonymous]

((Me too! I plead forgiveness!))

As Elip spoke about a pod, Tsisir watched him calmly, not really understanding what he was saying, but she didn't bother question him on the minor details. Maybe it was like a pea, maybe they were on a giant pea pod on the other side of the world. "Tsisir hopes you find them," she told him.

From there, she blinked, looking at him as hee began to speak of Uncle Lefty. She didn't see what was so wrong with him, he seemed very nice. But Elip said he was fake, or looked like it. "Um... maybe he's pretending to be nice to you and Tsisir?" she asked. She then perked up, her eyes widening in fear. "Maybe he wants to take Tsisir and be Tsisir's new master!" With that, she let out a soft cry, then leaned back slightly, dunking herself underwater. She thought she had room to lay down a little, but ended up going under completely. From there, Tsisir began flailing around, trying to pull herself back to above the surface.

[Anonymous]

ooc: hehe, maybe we can get our posts in more frequently than once a month!


"Are you okay?!"  Elip pulled Tsisir upright once more, working around her flailing limbs.  Once she calmed down he would say, "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but it sounds like you don't want another master.  Maybe he is just pretending, I'm not really sure, but something's not right about him.  If you think it's too risky to go back to him, I can always just take you away from here.  I'm just worried that you might be too tired to hold onto me while I swim.  It wouldn't be very far, only as far as we'd need to get away from him.  What do you think?"

[Anonymous]

((OoC: Lol! I'm not all that sure how it'll work, but we sure can try! ^___^ Zomg, finally, a post! Teehee.))


Tsisir couldn't help but feel rather glad that she had Elip around to help her and make sure she didn't end up drowning. It took her a moment or two of just flopping about like a fish out of water - ironic comparison for such a situation - before she just clung to Elip tiredly. Being in the water was painful, and although she was a child with quite a bit of energy, she was positively exhausted.

He didn't seem to get what she had said, and she just blinked. It wasn't that Tsisir had a problem with people being her masters, but she didn't like to be hit. Too many times she had already been beaten - that day alone served as an example - and she didn't want to be abused any further. But she was used to it. Having a master and serving people were the only things she was used to in life.

She was a pathetic excuse for a child sometimes, it was strange. But Elip did have plausible excuse for why he didn't want her to go with him. Reasonable. The man was shady, even though Tsisir didn't notice much of it. He could've just been joking, but she couldn't be sure. After all, what if he was just going to be nice? But then... what if he really was a bad guy?

These were hard decisions to make when exhausted. Tsisir sighed then yawned, letting her head flop onto Elip's shoulder. "I'm sleepy, Elip," she told him calmly. "I mean... I dunno now... he seemed nice, but he could be pretending and be really mean... Where would you take me?"