The worst luck. ((Aderyn))

[Anonymous]

Raphael awoke to the gentle lapping of the waves against his favorite leather boots. That, and a splitting headache which he felt sure was indicative of some colossal  head wound. My Boots! He thought with alarm. He tried quickly to rise, but fell backwards when his vision began to swim. Ugh, right. Head first. Gingerly his fingers performed a blind examination of his scalp whilst he lay on the damp sand. A wash of pain confirmed that he had been hit squarely from behind. A quick survey of his hands showed no blood, indicating that while painful, the wound was far from fatal.

   Rapheal sighed in relief, his fear abating. He lay on the sand, eyes closed, for several moments. The soft ebb of the waves tickled his his heel as it washed into his boots. His finely crafted, expensive, leather, boots. Raphael's eyes shot open, and he lifted his legs straight up into the air. Water that had built up in his boots came splashing down onto this chest and face, causing him to cough and spit in disgust. He tried to roll away without further damaging his boots, but manged only flop sideways into the sand, now being parallel to the coastline. He stared out into the shimmering sea with resignation.

   "You win." He said to no-one in particular. A wave that was larger then the rest swept towards him, breaking its momentum on his inert form. He blinked as the brine stung his eyes, soaked the rest of his clothing, and made one final assault on his treasured footwear. He rolled lazily several feet away from the shoreline to avoid further saturation. He then lay for several minutes, considering his position.

   It was not the first time he'd been stranded, but it was the first time he had no idea where he was. This lack of knowledge didn't particularly bother him, for he figured with his ability to live off of other people's gains, he'd get by just about anywhere.
   So long as there were people. He sat up abruptly, grimacing as a wave of pain hit him. After a few seconds of silent agony, he opened his eyes to gaze suspiciously at his surroundings. If those two-timing backstabbing ungrateful good-for-nothing brigands left me on an uncharted island... Ah-ha.
   In the distance, Raphael could see what appeared to be a coastal town. It was hard to judge at this distance, whether seaside village or trade port, but he was sure at least that he wasn't along on some Gods forsaken isle.

   Thus comforted, he lay down once more, intent on sleeping his headache away. He had no real goal to accomplish, and neither was he particularly hungry at the moment, so it seemed only logical to let his clothes dry out and his wound heal for awhile in the warm rays of the sun. In a matter of moments he was fast asleep, oblivious to the passage of time and the world around him.

((OOC: The general idea would be to happen upon him while he sleeps. If this turns out to be the case, feel free to punch, kick, roll, verbally abuse, or any other relatively damage free method of waking him, including dragging him to his feet, depending on who you are. Or, do something totally different and creative. I'm easy. (: ))

[Anonymous]

The young woman that walked down the beach walked it as if it was her own personal property. With her chin up in the air, a set of books cradled against her chest and a shapeless, flexible leather bag hanging from her shoulder she gazed around, seeing everything, her eyes burning upon each individual shape and object as if determined to brand them on her retinas. She wore a simple blue dress, with long sleeves, and the flat black shoes that were supposed to go with it were stashed in the bag on her side. There was a light blue shawl around her arms and shoulders, and her long brown curls were rocked by the wind.

Merryn Sunniva inhaled deeply, cherishing the salty breeze brought by the sea. This was her domain, this was where she felt at home. Just she and the raw power of nature, with no veil between her and the true beauty of the world. She sighed happily, a smile curving her lips when she gazed down at the books in her arms. The one she had finished not an hour ago had been simply breathtaking, marvellous as it was written. The thought that she was expected by her mother couldn't dampen her spirits right now, neither the fact that she could expect a long reprimanding speech when she got home. She was still in her own little world now.

That was, until she saw something that was rather out of place. Merryn tilted her head, watching the speck further down the beach get larger as she approached. Passing the sandy path up the dunes where she was supposed to go in to go home, she broke into a half run. It was a man!

Stopping a few feet away from him, Merryn stared at the figure in the sand. He was handsome. Immediately, a scenario started forming in her mind. This was her prince charming from a faraway land, stranded on a beach because his ship had capsized during a horrible storm. Merryn grinned at herself, happy in her hopelessness, before she turned to the matter at hand and kneeled next to the man. He had dark hair and a tan skin, and was not so strategically positioned right in the surf. Merryn watched the waves for a moment, knowing that the tide was coming in. She poked his chest, and when he didn't react she placed her ear over his heart. It was still beating happily, though a little slow, and his chest was going up and down with his breathing.

Merryn arched her eyebrows and grabbed a part of his sleeve, noting it was damp, but not so wet as if he'd just came swimming in. Probably the previous tide that pushed him on the beach.

"Uhm... sir?" Merryn tried, pushing against his arm after laying her books down. She nudged him again, but there was no reaction whatsoever. Anxiously, Merryn glared at the surf that kept approaching him further. It wouldn't be long before he would be drifting in the water again. Quickly, she stood up and placed her book a bit further up the beach so they wouldn't be threatened by the water, together with her bag and her shawl. Then she went back to the man and grabbed his arm. She threw her full weight backwards to pull him with her, away from the sea, but he moved only an inch or two. Again she pulled and prodded on his arm, moving him another couple of inches. His boots were now in the surf, though if he was lucky the water wouldn't be in them yet. Gasping, Merryn managed to drag the man a couple of feet away from the water. Then she fell on her knees next to him and took his face in her hands. "SIR!" she said, louder this time. Still no reaction. This was one hell of a deep sleeper, or he'd just been drunk and was now completely knock-out. Merryn sighed, sitting back for a moment until a light went up in her head and she squeezed his nose shut, and only let go when he woke up gasping for air.

(Heh. Heheh. xD)

[Anonymous]

((Bravo, that was beautifully done.))

"Why yes, I would like some of those." Raphael sat at a long table, its surface covered with all kinds of a foods and beverages. Servers brought more food on wide round dishes, even though there was scare room for what crowded the table already. "Just pile those onto the stuffed turkeys, yes, like that." Raphael through a mouth full of food, directing traffic whilst still eating as much as he possibly could. He took a deep draught of some especially exquisite blackcurrent cordial before a server interrupted him by a server grabbing his arm.
   "Sir?"
   "No, no, I can't be bothered now, there's still so much to eat!" Raphael tried to brush her away but his efforts didn't seem to phase her. Suddenly, the server yanked hard on his arm, throwing him out of his chair onto the floor.
   "Ow! Stop! Leave me alone, there's still so much food..."
   The server bent down and roughly grabbed his face. "SIR!" She screamed.
   "OKAY! I'm listening! What do you want with me?!?" Raphael shouted back, casting a longing glace back at the table heaped with delicacies. The server followed his gaze, then turned back to him with a frown. Suddenly, she grabbed his nose and clamped it shut. Raphael made one last panicked attempt to reach some scones resting precariously on the edge of the table before his vision blacked out from lack of air.


   Raphael gasped, greedily sucking air into his starved lungs. "Let me GO!" He shouted nasally, batting at the hand that held his nose. He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. Sunlight. Sunlight? Wait. Eyes closed, he slowly patted the ground around him. This feels like sand. This is sand. If this is sand, and that's the sun, then where is my table? Eyes now open, he sat straight up, only to come face to face with a beautiful young women. He blinked several times. I suppose there are worse things to find when looking for a table. He tilted his head and examined her more thoroughly.
She was simple, but there was great beauty in the simplicity. Two large brown eyes full of youthful vigor stared back at him, and a gentle dusting of freckles that twinged something in Raphael's chest.
   
   "You wouldn't happen to know where my table is, would you?" He said bluntly. The look of utter confusion on her face caused him to finally examine his surroundings. A beach. Which meant there was no table, no food, and he was still marooned on strange island. He sighed, disappointed, and let his gaze wander. Then he remembered he was not alone. Snapping his head back, Raphael opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words. During the silence. the cool surf washed up to his shins, then quickly receded, depositing water inside his boots. His handcrafted, one of a kind, leather boots.
   
   "AAARGH!!!" Raphael bellowed in frustration. He jumped up and ran several meters inland. He then swiftly removed one boot after the other, draining all the water from them before returning them to his feet. Fleeting relief was quickly overshadowed by the horror of realizing that not only was there a beautiful young woman that he had ignored, but she had witnessed the entire spectacle he had made of himself. Think fast, master thief. Raphael turned away from the shoreline, composed himself, then spun about and bowed.

   "Ah-em, um, Greetings, milady. Allow me to apologize for my behavior... I have in the very recent past been stranded upon this isle, with nothing familiar to me and no-one to to turn to." he smiled apologetically he and drew near. "I realize you were likely trying to wake me for fear of the waves carrying me away once more, yes? My thanks, fair maiden. Allow me to introduce myself." At this he bowed once more, with flourish.
   "People know me by the name Raphael. Freeman, jack of all trades, and very pleased to make your acquaintance Miss.....?" he left the sentence trail invitingly, waiting on her reply.

[Anonymous]

When he finally woke up and looked at her with those wide eyes, Merryn felt herself drown in the fantasy of what might be. A prince he was indeed, who had lost his memory when he hit his head while his ship was capsizing. And now he was here, instantly falling in love with her, staying with her until someone from his old kingdom finally found him. That would be when he discovered he was a prince, Merryn calculated. And then they would get married and live happily ever after in a great palace, where she could do anything she wanted, and had a big, MASSIVE library all for herself. She let out a quiet, semi-dramatic sigh. What a good dream.

Then she blinked, the image before her eyes torn to pieces by the scene the prince was suddenly making. In complete awe, she watched how, after asking if she had seen his table, ran up the beach yelling frantically, emptying the water out of his boots as if his life depended on it. Then suddenly he seemed to remember that she was there, because he started talking again. Merryn first thought he was rambling again, but after a while she figured out it was really she whom he was addressing. The way he spoke was really the final straw.

A burst of giggles escaped Merryn's mouth, and she desperately tried to stifle them behind her hand. This was certainly the weirdest thing that had happened in a year. Trying to hold back her laughter, she stood up from her kneeling position, and after brushing the sand off her dress she politely made a curtsey for him, though the effect was diminished by another chuckle she couldn't oppress.

"I'm sorry," she managed, breathing several times to calm herself down. When she was finally able to look at him again without laughing, she finally dared to speak.

"It is nice to meet you, Raphael. My name is Merryn. And you have not stranded on an island," she grinned amusedly, "this is Serendipity. The coast of it, anyway." Feeling the surf against her heels, Merryn ran up the beach some steps, circling Raphael, and picked up her stuff from the ground, wrapping the shawl around her arms again and hanging the bag over her shoulder. Then she pointed at his boots.

"I tried to prevent that from happening, but the tide was coming in and I wasn't strong enough to pull you away fast enough. And I'm sorry about the nose thing, but you would have been drifting in the ocean again by now if I hadn't."

[Anonymous]

Raphael sniffed with an air of slightly injured pride. "Yes, well, it was rather comical, I suppose. I was having a marvelous dream, mind you, but, ah, that is of no matter." As she retrieved her personal items, Raphael gazed about the land once more, as if knowing its name set it within focus. Serendipidy. Sounds like my kind of island. He then joined her in examining his soggy footwear. He sighed, not for the first time, over his newly acquired yet quickly fading boots. Upon deeper thought, he knew what he had stumbled across- or rather, what had stumbled across him- was far worthier of his attentions.
   
"When one looks at the whole of life, wet feet are not such a trial as could be had. Again, thank you for saving me from the waves." His gaze drifted back to Merryn. He was fully awake, and she was still just as beautiful to him upon the second appraisal. Young, attractive, and foolish or naive enough to approach a strange man washed up on the beach. Definitely my kind of island.
   
Raphael had calmed much since his rude awakening, and now felt better from his nap. In fact, his head didn't hurt in the least. This pain had been promptly replaced by the whining in his stomach. As though stirred by the dream, it rumbled mightily in his chest, causing him to grimace.
   
"Forgive my rudeness, maiden, but may I ask, no, implore you, one small favor..." He paused regally for several moments before bending over in hunger pains. "Could you please direct me to the nearest dining establishment? Or perhaps some edible plant matter?" His stomach growled with audible gusto, clearly defining his state of want.

[Anonymous]

Merryn smiled at him and shrugged. "Common decency is what I call it," she said as if it was the unwritten law that all lived by, while in fact she knew that many would have let him lie there in their passing. With her arms around her book, she watched Raphael. He was ruggedly good-looking, but no prince material. She giggled when she, too, heard his stomach growl.

"There aren't that many edible plants around here for miles," she said. "But I know somewhere you can go."

With a wave of her hand, she gestured for him to follow, and walked back the way she came until a small track in the dunes gave away the position of her secret hideout. It was a small wooden shack, nothing much really, but it was the perfect place to find shelter against the rain or hide from her mother when she was late again. The good thing was, Merryn always had some food stored there.

In front of a crooked door almost falling from its hinges, she turned around. "Now," she started with a half serious, half embarrassed look on her face. "This is my secret hideout. I like you, so I'm going to let you in here, but first you must promise me you won't tell anyone about it, unless it's a matter of life and death."