Seaside shenanigans

[Anonymous]

Eli caught the smell of the ocean well before he saw it. It was a rich scent, unlike anything he recognized. When he'd asked Cardei what it was, she'd only laughed and said, "You'll see in a couple hours."

"Is that what the ocean smells like?" he persisted.

"Aren't you sharp!" she exclaimed, slapping him hard on the back. "Never been to the seashore, have ya? Well, a poor rural hick like yourself, that's not too hard to believe."

Poor rural hick? he thought, irritated.

"Can't be helped, I guess," Cardei sighed, walking ahead again, and he increased his own pace to keep up. "Remind me to drag you through some of the tourist traps when we get there."

But as it turned out, when they got to Cerenis, she didn't need any reminding, and after obtaining some grilled fish on a stick from a street vendor, she'd dragged Eli straight through to a cobblestoned walk and balustrade overlooking the harbor. It seemed like a popular route, given the density of the crowd already here; the taller adults efficiently blocked his view until Cardei had just about shoved him against the railing.

He yelped, and it took him a second to recover his balance. When he finally managed to look, though, words failed him. The midday sun glinting off the water, far as the eye could see, the dimly audible sounds of sailors working in the harbor below...

"And now you've seen it," said Cardei, taking a seat on the railing as if it belonged to her. Eli didn't notice her lean over and take a bite out of his fish.

[Anonymous]

Razari sat up and stretched, reaching high into the air and arching her spine backwards. She blinked sleepily for a moment before shaking her head to wake herself up. Smoothing down her hair, she glanced around and saw that she had settled down on someone's rooftop. "Huh? How'd... I get up here again?" she asked herself, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. The pink-haired young lady seemed to think over this for a moment before she simply shrugged, apparently deciding it unimportant. She then rose to her feet and proceeded to slide down the slope of the roof, arms raised and bent at the elbows to keep her balance.

When she reached the end of the wood incline, she jumped into the crowd below with a happy cry, nearly landing on a passing woman. The pink-haired female stumbled slightly when she hit the ground, but managed to catch herself before she gave the cobblestone road a big kiss. Around her, there were murmurs and irritated mutterings but, as expected of her, she paid no mind and skipped along, refreshed and happy after her short snooze.

She had to say, it certainly was nice to be in Cerenis. The sweet, salty air wafting in from the sea, the bustling streets and, of course, the ocean itself were a welcome change of atmosphere from the cities she had wandered through previously. Razari cast a longing gaze towards the water, making a note to go swimming later... maybe at night, under the stars, or something silly like that. It did not really matter when because, well, she had no where to be and nothing in particular to do - just the way she liked it. Resting her hands behind her head, she gave a chuckle. Really, how could all of those other Spirits actually do work? She really could not fathom why they would choose to follow someone around and cover their sorry butts day in and day out, especially when they could have her life of freedom and fun.

Speaking of fun, she decided that it was just about time to start having some.

Olive green eyes surveyed those around her - men, women, and some children... every day people. Not too interesting. People went this way and that, some looking busy and others seeming to be as carefree as she was. Razari wondered very briefly just what sort of excitement they had to treasure at the end of each day. Sure, Cerenis was pretty busy considering the location, but did any truly interesting events go on?

Then, an idea popped into her head.

Smiling, her steps slowed as she drew closer to an area overlooking the harbour. Turning towards it to see the crowd of people at the railing, she simply stareded at the scene for a moment before deeming it as an acceptable stage to play out her little game. Razari tossed her hair over her shoulder like a proud horse before she began to stroll towards the railing. Her footsteps were small and slow at first - normal walking pace - but as she drew closer they became faster and swifter until she was almost running. But that was not all; something else occurred as she made her way over. Small balls of fire, like two tiny little suns, started to form in the palms of her hands, and a slight gust was left in her wake. As one would expect, the magnitude of both these things grew with every step Razari took, to the point where the fiery orbs were the size of grapefruits, and the wind had shifted into a brisk breeze.

She shoved people where necessary so that she was able to jump onto the railing, using it as a stepping stone to launch herself into the air. With the help of levitation, of course, she flared up the size of the fireballs so they are about the size of her head, and let a tiny whirlwind brew at her feet while she hovered above the crowd.

"Town of Cerenis!" she said grandly, "B'hold! I am your new ruler!" Razari peered down at the faces, gauging reactions with a small smile played upon her lips. "And I'm giving you lucky duckies the chance to join my ranks and become my allies before I take this town for my own pleasure."

Flaring up both of the fireballs so they were just a bit larger than her head, she caught the eye of a dark-haired girl in the crowd and winked. "So who's with me? I'll pick if I have to..."

[OoC: Thanks for making the topic. xD <3 Anyway, I hope this is shenanigany enough to work, ahah...]

[Anonymous]

Somewhere within the town of Cerenis, a mighty beast was awakening.

It was remarkable what wide variety of forms a beast could take, from great and terrible creatures capable of terrifying an entire countryside to equally horrendous personalities that reign over a single household. Equally varied are the reasons which may spark such a monster into its rampage; some may set out in search of a mate, others wish to enjoy money, power, or a sense of importance. This particular beast resided within the anatomy of a woman, and it was hungry. Food was its purpose - quite literally its very reason for being. As such, as the beast woke from its slumber it let forth its mighty roar, informing its host that it was once again time to feed:

Gurgle...

A young dragon sat upon the shoulder of a fully grown and unusually tall woman whose features seemed an odd patchwork of human and draconic parts. Upon hearing the sound his mouth curled into a grin that may one day be terrifying for those who may bear witness to it, but at his current size could be more accurately described as 'cute'. "Hungry again?" he asked, his voice remarkably like that of your average human male.

Of course the question was rhetorical; for one, Sherah was almost always hungry. Secondly, even if she was inclined to answer it would be difficult to do so in the absence of a functional voice. Of course, even if this were not the case the two shared a psychic link that would make such communication unnecessary. So why bother asking the question? The answer was simple: sometimes a hungry friend needs to be teased for it.

It wasn't hard for Sherah to make her way through the crowd. After all, she was large, strong, and looked intimidating enough to motivate most to give her plenty of space - especially around the tail, with its four deadly spikes which could turn any walk into tragedy with the slightest accidental step or inattentive turn. Her left eye - which saw the world as either blobs of heat or the absence thereof - was kept closed, as with a crowd like this it was almost impossible to pick one form out from another. It was more a distraction than anything in this case.

The two had come to this bustling town in pursuit of their quest to find their way home. It seemed a nice enough place, with its cool, refreshing sea breeze and wonderful view of the endless waters which contained, somewhere, the island that was their home. As such, never would they have suspected the shenanigans that were about to ensue. At this point, all that they were concerned with was either finding some clue that may lead them home, or finding food. However, they were interrupted from their quest by a shout from the skies, proclaiming itself to be their new ruler. This caused the two to stop immediately and cast their gazes skyward as Sherah's other eye opened for a view of the source from a broader spectrum. The two orbs she held were like tiny suns, nearly causing her to close the eye once more from their intensity.

...Should we do something? Sherah asked silently of her companion.

I don't know. Maybe this is how they pick new rulers around here? was his response.

Responding with a shrug, Sherah opted to simply watch the airborne girl for now.

[Anonymous]

While Eli stared, entranced, at the boats, Cardei sat with her back to the harbor, sizing up the constituents of the crowd instead. It was a real mishmash assortment, and not all human, as was to be expected, but they did have in common a general practicality of wardrobe and lack of visible jewelry. Her lips tightened in annoyance. This wasn't gonna be where they got supper.

Just then, a light out of the corner of her eye caught her attention; she had only enough time to realize it was headed in their direction, not who or what was actually causing it, and acted accordingly. With one hand, she pushed Eli and herself in opposite directions. Eli stumbled back - "Hey!" - while Cardei merely leaned out of the way, and thus neither of them had to be shoved (at least, not by the fireball girl) to allow her enough clear railing between them for a good leap.

Dumbfounded, Eli squinted at the pink-haired girl as she announced her claim on the city. This was bad. They'd just barely arrived, and somebody was trying to take over the town? He couldn't guess whether that kind of thing was considered normal around here, and looked down to Cardei for guidance.

She provided none. He found her still seated, though turned halfway in place, and staring intently into the light of the fireballs with an expression somewhere between disbelief and the discovery of an nasty smell.

Her train of thought ran more along the lines of She can't be farking serious.

Fireballs? Flashy. Levitation? Show-off. 'Lucky duckies'? So she was five. But the biggest tip-off was the wink. Even with the light how it was, she was sure she'd seen that girl wink at her. A challenge? An invitation?

Cardei wasn't one to overthink these things.

In one smooth motion, she stood up on top of the balustrade, facing the quote-unquote "new ruler of Cerenis" with her hands on her hips. "And just who are you supposed to be?" she demanded, raising her voice above the clamor of the crowd behind her.

[Anonymous]

What did she think she was doing?

That... that was a good question.

As usual, she did not have an answer. Honestly, it seemed like a damn good idea when she started running... Well! She would have a lot of fun working her way through this now, wouldn't she?

While she waited for responses to her invitation, she continued to scan the crowd below. She saw a wide variety of expressions - some faces were painted with fear, and others with apparent skepticism. Some eyes were in awe of the flames at her fingertips, and others seemed to be rather unimpressed. A mixed bag, then. Razari quickly tired of observing reactions and moved on to pick out some civilians who could prove to be fun toys... er, rather, recruits.

The pink-haired woman's gaze soon fell on a rather curious looking being - a tall female with reddish hair and... scales? She then noticed the long, powerful-looking tail and the small dragon perched on her shoulder. Surely one of the more intriguing people around here... she stared at this woman for a moment, a smirk played across her lips, until her attention was snatched away by a voice: "And just who are you supposed to be?"

"Ohh?" Razari's smile only brightened as she looked over and saw the dark-haired girl she had winked at standing up from the crowd, hands planted on hips in a defiant kind of gesture. "My, my, is that any way to talk to your new ruler?" As she playfully spoke, the fireballs slowly began to shrink until there was nothing left in her hands; in addition, the whirlwind at her feet dissappated into mere nothingness. Then, as soon as the words left her mouth, she lowered herself to the other female's level so that she was literally almost face-to-face, her eyes meeting hers. One might expect a glare from this 'new ruler' but Razari only continued to grin, her olive green eyes alive with amusement. For a moment she merely floated here with her knees tucked to her chest, an elbow resting on her thigh and her chin cradled in her hand. "You know, you seem like fun," she whispered, reaching out to gently caress her chin with a finger and a giggle. "So come and get me, sweetie pie, and let's make a playdate."

Laughing some more, she straightened up and pushed off the air in front of her, launching herself back up to her previous height. Honestly, she hadn't the slightest idea what she was doing; whatever came to mind first was what she said or did. In addtion, she also had no clue as to what she was going to do now - the only thing she was focused on was the peculiar looking dragon-lady that had piqued her interest earlier. "So!" Razari addressed the crowd again. "I see that you're all so shy, so let me pick some people out, yes?" The levitating lady pretended like she was looking over the crowd before her gaze settled on the tall, auburn-haired woman. Without a word, she made her slow descent, aiming so that she would be floating at eye level with her, much like the case was with the other girl.

"How 'bout you?" she said chipperly, tilting her head slightly to the side, curiously examining the scales and horns on the redhead. "What do you think about my new rulership, my dear? I wouldn't mind having you, ya know..."

Razari held eye-contact with this draconian woman - who seemed to have two different eye colours, she noted - for a moment, before she glanced over her shoulder, making sure she would be ready if that other girl took this chance to come and play.

[Anonymous]

Out of curiosity the pair continued to watch the lively girl in the air as they wondered what she would do next. Had she established her dominance over this town? Would anyone rise to meet her challenge? Neither Sherah nor Omri were interested in doing so, that was for sure - they were too occupied trying to find their own home to worry about establishing dominance over some other city. If this was the way that people settled things around here, they weren't about to get themselves involved.

As they watched the girl above, so too did her eyes fall upon the draconic pair, resulting in a brief but somewhat awkward two-way stare during which Sherah was able to notice the smirk that was being directed toward her. They would be interrupted by another voice coming from the crowd, which seemed enough to draw the airborne girl's attention away from them for the moment. Sherah continued to watch in silence as the pink-haired girl - who sported a rather interesting hairstyle - drifted to answer the second voice. However, while she made no audible sound her mind was buzzing with activity.

You saw that, right?

Looks like she likes you.

Well, maybe she can help us.

Maybe. Maybe not. Guess it couldn't hurt to try, though.

Patiently, Sherah continued to watch as the pink-haired girl spoke to the other one, noting how relentlessly cheerful she seemed to be, despite the appearance of this challenger. As much as the girl herself may have had no idea what she was doing, so were she and Omri left to guess her motives. However, as aware as they were of their own ignorance of social customs in these parts, they were willing to assume that this may be completely normal for these people.

It seemed as though the distraction that the other girl had provided would let them off the hook. At least, Sherah thought that it had, right up until the pink-haired girl flew back into the air and, eventually, set eyes upon her again. Sure enough, in moments she was descending toward the pair. It would be met with the same warm smile that greets most stranger that the young woman comes into contact with. As she spoke, the young dragon's head swiveled in her direction, and he gave his response in lieu of one from Sherah.

"You're cute and all, but I don't think we're interested. Unless, of course, you'd happen to be able to help us get home."


(Just a note for clarity's sake: In the italicized text, black text indicates Sherah's thoughts while whatever you would call this color indicates Omri's.)

[Anonymous]

Now, Cardei had what she thought of as a personal bubble, the entering of which people simply did not do. This girl extending a vaguely flirtatious hand into said bubble prompted her to lean back involuntarily, almost as far as she could without falling off the railing, staring disdainfully at the offending hand rather than its owner.

Altogether, the effect was much less subtle than she intended.

But a second later, the weird chick had found something else shiny to be interested in, and it was only as Cardei straightened back up that the full impact of her words sank in. Sweetie pie?! What the shit?!

Snarling, she stepped down from the railing, following the would-be conqueress with her eyes. "Oh, we'll make a playdate," she muttered under her breath, rolling up her left sleeve. "I'll pencil you in for right the hell now-"

Just then, there was a sudden yank on that sleeve, and she glared over to see Eli hanging off of it. "Leggo, kid," she snapped.

"It's not - don't," he stammered. It was difficult to tell which terrified him more: the idea of getting beat up by association, or of losing his guide so far from home.

Cardei sniffed derisively. What was the kid so damn worried about? She'd said, back in Connlaoth, that she had his back, and she did. But who she picked a fight with was her own business. Nobody was forcing him to get involved. "Get off," she repeated, shoving him back enough to lose his grip.

Who she picked a fight with was her own business, and nobody talked down to Cardei like that. The rapidly thinning crowd allowed her ample line of sight to find the pink-haired girl again, now talking to an oddly costumed woman across the way (from this distance she couldn't tell the scales were real). Just then, a plan formed in her head - although, like many of Cardei's plans, it consisted of only the first step, and would be classified more as an impulse by anyone else. She snatched Eli's fried fish-on-a-stick out of his hand (not without a token protest from him, of course) and lobbed it with pinpoint accuracy at the back of what's-her-name's head.

That the girl happened to turn her head a split second later was pure coincidence, but it did deepen Cardei's sneer a bit. Oh, bugger me. So much for the element of surprise.

(ooc: Ack! Sorry, didn't realize how long it had been.)

[Anonymous]

Razari was enjoying herself.

Although she had to admit that this was not one of her more thought out and elegantly executed plans, it was still quite satisfactory.

Especially, she found, as the dragon replied... er, the actual one, that is.

Her eyebrows arched and her eyes widened, her lips shrinking into a small, surprised ring. Amazed, her gaze jumped from the small dragon who had spoken to the scale-covered lady, and back. The little thing spoke? It wasn't everyday one came across a creature like this. Green eyes dancing with wonder and discovery, she let out a girlish sort of squeal... and then proceeded to say something completely unrelated to her astonishment: "Aw, well aren't you the sweetest. You really think I'm cute?" With a light giggle, she leaned in closer to the woman, her index finger pressed to her lips as she met the other female's eyes curiously. "You're quite pretty too, I must say." For a moment after she added these words, Razari merely observed the woman's different coloured eyes before moving onto her other features, quite fascinated by the way she looked. However, she soon straightened up, as she apparently had her fill of staring for now.

"But! I'm interested in the fact that you're not interested. You should be, since..." Er, what did they just say? Something about a glass dome? She took a moment to reach back into her short-term memory bank and soon pulled out the answer with a snap of her fingers. "Oh yeah, 'cause I will help you guys out with getting home. Listen to you an' all that, plus whatever else you need." Though, as one could probably expect, she really had no idea just how she would be able to aid this pair... but, well, she figured that she would be able to figure something out. Maybe. Hey, she was a Guardian Spirit - it seemed like being able to help others was a built-in feature so, as far as she concerned, there was no problem here.

At this point, she had turned around to look back, only to met by the sight of what seemed to be fish impaled on a stick flying right towards her head. With a small yelp she swiftly ducked, as she hadn't enough time or space to stop it in mid-air.

When the flying seafood snack had passed over her - Razari apparently did not care enough to look where it ended up - she jumped back onto her feet and began laughing. "Was that an offering? My, you're much too kind," she said, clapping her hands jovially. "So then, I'll take that gift as a 'yes' to the playdate right?" While she spoke, the young woman seemed genuinely excited; there was still a twinkle in her eye, and a bright joy that simply radiated from her voice. "If so, then maybe we can all have some fun together," the pink-haired female continued, jerking a thumb over her shoulder in reference to the draconian pair to whom she had been speaking with earlier.

"The more the merrier, right?" She smiled, tossing her head to the side and throwing her hair over her shoulder like a proud lion. As she did this, she caught a glimpse of a group of uniformed men in the distance, led by what she supposed was one of the bystanders in the crowd. Former bystander, anyway.Huh, so this place actually has authorities hanging about...?

"Hm... but, it seems as though we should play some games in another place," Razari went on to point out, directing a finger in the direction of the approaching group. "Others want to join, but it can only work with so many people, yeah?" Chuckling, she spun around and began to levitate backwards, her feet barely skimming over the ground. Her gaze shifted from the dragon-lady to the dark-haired girl before she extended a hand, hovering in place not too far away from both of them.

"So how 'bouts it?" Razari held the human female's gaze for a moment. "You're not going to run away on our date, are you? Even before we got started?"

[OoC: No worries~ Also, don't feel obliged or anything to have them run right now if some potential action interests you~]

[Anonymous]

(Har. Now I've taken too long. Sorry 'bout that.)

It was fortunate that Sherah did not have similar issues with personal space. As an advocate of hugging and other such physical contact, she wasn't bothered in the least by the pink-haired girl's close proximity. The girl's surprise at Omri's ability to speak was as noticable as it was expected. The two hadn't met a person yet that hadn't expected for the mostly-human woman to do the talking rather than the lizard with wings that was so commonly perched on her shoulder. The squeal had been somewhat unexpected though, and caused the scaled woman to let loose a silent giggle which manifested as a slight convulsion without the usual sound behind it. This was followed by a nod in response to the question that came next. Sherah studied the girl's eyes as they were brought closer still, finding them to show as much youthful exhuberance as was shown by her attitude. After a moment her own eyes would drift to meet Omri's.

She's very...friendly, isn't she?

Then they heard something involving the word 'home,' which brought their attention right back to the rather excitable girl. Could she help them get home? Even the possibility was enough to endear this girl to them. However, they knew it wasn't going to be easy, especially since they still had no idea of where they were and where home actually was. Then again, if it was easy then they wouldn't need to seek help would they?

So caught up were they with the girl in front of them, neither Sherah nor Omri noticed the other girl in the distance or her edible projectile. They were hardly left with time to wonder why the pink-haired girl ducked before having their answer, as Sherah was struck in the face by the improvised weapon with a splat. The fish seemed to stick for a moment - at least, long enough for it not to fall before she could grab the protruding stick and examine the object. She quickly came to all of the most obvious - and most important - conclusions:

1. It's a fish.
2. On a stick.
3. It smells tasty.
4. I'm hungry.
5. I should eat the fish. (Stick optional.)

Without consideration as to where this snack had come from, Sherah decided that now wasn't a time to look a gift horse in the mouth.* It didn't take long before all that remained was the stick, prompting her to smile happily and discard the less edible object. It was then that her attention was directed to the approaching contingent of guards, and suddenly Pinkie seemed eager to vacate the area. It wasn't hard to figure out that the armed group of men had something to do with that. When she started to float away, Sherah followed, only now noticing the other brown-haired girl that had been addressed earlier. The lively girl extended a hand, which Sherah took as a cue. After she and Omri exchanged a glance and a shrug, she extended a scaly hand toward Razari's outstretched one and grabbed it, assuming she meant to float them off to somewhere else or somesuch thing.


*The fact that she felt at that moment like she could eat a horse might have had something to do with it.