Ships Aren't Fortes [[Voxxus]][[Closed]]

[Canali]

Canali barely used any of the water. Just simply a handful to wipe off the crusty sand from her face. Wrinkling her nose, she used one finger to brush the sand from beside it. After setting the water skin aside, Canali turned to the side and aired out of her top. There was sand stuck to her stomach. It came off easily, though; with a stroke of her pale hand. Politely, Canali handed the water skin back to Voxxus.

"I am Canali, by the way," she told as the realization that she neither knew his name, nor him her. Grey eyes twinkled with humor at his words. A light blush stained her cheeks from embarrassment. "Pfft. He'd need a bunch of his pals to 'rescue' me." Childishly, Canali stuck her pink tongue out at him. "I can swim… In foot deep water."

Moving her clothes off to the side, Canali decided against slipping her jacket on. The hair upon her head was still wet and there was no reason to wet the jacket. Besides, the weather was still slightly warm. It would be cool soon, though. Clouds were gathering in the sky. If she had to guess, Canali would say it was going to rain. Well… Storm, really.

"What type of fish is this?" Intrigued, Canali shifted to face him; sitting cross legged upon the sand. Squirming slightly uncomfortably with his gaze, Canali's own eyes slid away to glance around. If she so happened to run her eyes over his form… So be it. Oops.


"And what exactly happened?" A soft sigh fell from her. All she could remember was up to where she screamed and flailed from the bird dive-bombing her. Damn that bird. The sand had shifted beneath her feet. Obviously Canali had been close to the drop off point, because one second she was touching and the next… Nothing. After that, it was all a blur up until she woke up.

[Voxxus]

“Voxxus” his introduction was as well spoken as any of his part of the conversation. Humbleness was perhaps one of the few positive qualities of him that were so easily noticeable. A very rare feature for an individual who considers themselves a manipulator, but Voxxus had lived his life as a victim under his master; this made him use odd hypnotism tactics that most, who are privy to the art, would not consider. Even still, his desires to better himself at the skill fell short in this girl’s presence.

“I know it as a ‘Spotted Sugartail’. You don’t see it that large in these waters; I had to catch it. Do you like it?” Another cruel suspicion grew in him as he wondered if she knew it wasn’t cooked. She looked at it and nibbled as if she had little experience with fish. He would wait for her response before saying, “It only stays sweet when it’s raw…” He would then take a large bite out of a piece and masticate it like an animal.

“I don’t know… I saw you walk into the water, next thing I knew, you had disappeared under. I thought you were perhaps diving, but then I saw you thrashing like a dying animal. When I finally got to you… well you were fairly lifeless.” He didn’t want to mention what he did after. If she didn’t know how to swim, then she would assuredly not know his bizarre tactic to revive her. This understanding made his tone drop and he looked away like a child reluctantly holding the truth from his mother. 'When did I get so bad about withholding the truth?’ he said recognizing his beginner mistakes. Manipulation was a tool with many heads. Body language, tone of voice, word usage, it was all parts of the synergy. Yet he could not even use his basic tactics on this girl. Canali. She made him so translucent.

[Canali]

"Wherever did you get your name? It's so… Exotic." Puzzlement brought Canali's eyebrows together. How strange of a name to own. Did his mother name him? Or his father? Was Voxxus still in touch with his parents? Canali knew of so many people nowadays who were left without family and suffered through life without relatives. Many were children.

Canali had been one of them. After her father left… Things were different within her. Even at such a young age, she began to accept responsibility for what were not even her mistakes. Slowly, Canali was beginning to open back up; beginning to smile more and chatter like she did when she was a child. Definitely a long process to deal with and accept. However, pity party done, and long story short, Canali was beginning to adopt her friends; the few of them; as family.

Absorbing Voxxus's words, Canali truly looked at the fish she was eating with a chef's eye. Her fingers pried it apart, smashed it, and then delivered it to her tongue again. Deciding from how the meat practically fell apart and how much water came out of it, Canali decided it was raw. The fact that there was still a watery flavor to it helped in the decision. Pink and unseasoned her taste buds screamed at her. "It's raw. I think it would be better with a pinch of salt. Or, perhaps smoked? Being smoked would capture the taste."

A seagull screamed as it dived for the water, aiming for a fish, back where Canali had almost drowned. The wind blew the fresh scent of precipitation off the bay; whispering of the slow moving storm. Thunder rumbled softly, sounding far away. The sun was setting. It threw flames of orange and blue across the sky, interlacing with the clouds.

Pink lips twitched into an ironic smile. "Yeah… Thrashing like a dying animal goes hand in hand with being fairly lifeless." Scrunching up her face at him, Canali smiled fully. A row of straight white teeth shined at Voxxus; her eyes twinkled and were crinkled at the edge. "I've heard of sailors doing… Mouth to mouth? on those who swallowed too much water." A rosey stain colored her unblemished cheeks.

[Voxxus]

“My name…? I don’t know. I have always been called Voxxus. I never knew my parents, so I couldn’t tell you why they called me this name. Why you don’t like it? What about your name, does it mean something?” He was truly interested, but more importantly wanted to talk about anything besides his past. It is such a burden to try and decipher chaos that his convoluted memories portray in a scattered collage that retains no real timeline. Pretty much, until he was 12, everything is a blur.

“Raw meat doesn’t bother you?” he said in a surprised tone. “That’s the only way you can eat certain fish. I’m no cook, but the taste of a fresh catch, its… invigorating.” He could detect her relaxed posture and it made him enjoy the moment even more. Her playful tone was quiet enough for his. Her sincerity about the things she knows, it brought a grin to his face. Just as he enjoyed the taste of his fresh game, he enjoyed they way she reacted to him. He instinctively provided her security when she was in trouble, and she reacted affectionately. The thought of her pressing herself against his chest as he lifted her began to rise in his mind, and he looked at her with a soft smile, realizing what he really wanted from this. Even if her feeling was not mutual, Voxxus would call few a friend. ‘This girl… Woman... She is special.’ He came to terms with his emotions. Honest emotions. For a man who prided himself on confusing the thoughts of others, he was no exception to the natural difficulties a person goes through when they are emotionally offset. But, he felt the connection between them was something that he needed to pursue. Not even so much because of the way she causes his mind to recollect strange memories, though it was important. He hoped she felt the same.

The beauty in the dying day was going completely unnoticed by Voxxus. He was absorbed into this person. She was unlike any other women. Voxxus had been offered women before. Once when he was working on a slave ship, they threw some young girl in his room, and she looked at him and started to cry. He didn’t feel anything except guilt as he determined that she thinks of him as a monster. He hated slave ships and despised slavers. But he had to work with these monsters as his master owed them a debt and Voxxus was his payment. ‘Ill sleep on the floor, and you can sleep in my bed… if you shut up’. He remembers her shaky tone and the emotion he manipulated for her was to be calm. One of the few times he used hypnotism for honest reasons. The floor in that decrepit vessel was particularly hard.

When Canali called Voxxus out on his method for reviving her, his heart jumped and he looked away. He began to realize that he had never attempted to lie to someone he had no control over. He couldn’t even try it with her. His eyes moved slowly up to hers and he said in a soft tone, “I did what was necessary…” his eyes dropped to her lips, and he admired them for their qualities. Something he started to wish he could have done when his own made contact with them earlier.

He was nervous now, and he felt as if he could not continue with this till he got something off his mind. He stood up and knelt next to her, forcing his nerves out of his mind, he brought his eyes to hers, inches away, and said “Canali… I’m very sorry for how I acted at the tavern…I wish I had never acted like that to you.” Satisfaction could not come until he heard her response, but he wanted her to know how genuine he was.

[Canali]

A frown graced Canali's face at his comment. Never knew his parents? Did they die a horrible death? Was Voxxus kidnapped? Left on the hard doorstep of an orphanage? Or, the worst possibility yet, did Voxxus care for himself on the mean and bitter streets of Sunberth? Where the drug lords and thieves ran rampant; plotting evil plans for the innocent bystanders who are forced to review their psychological views on life? "I happen to like your name. It's unique. Something you can build a personality around." An affirmative nod of her head threw a strand of hair into her face. Going cross-eyed and blowing it away, Canali huffed.

"My father named me; upon my mother's wishing. Sarah, my mother, had a friend long ago who was named Canali. Canali took her own life; so my mother decided to give Canali a new life; in me. I never met the woman, but my father told me she was a gentle soul. Unfortunately, the deceased Canali was, uh, favorable with the men. In fact, to put it bluntly, Canali had been a prostitute who enjoyed singing. Sarah hoped, wished, that I would bring a new meaning to the name." The soft look Canali wore was colored by a touch of sadness. "Anywho, off depressing topics!"

Thunder rumbled in the distance. The small breeze had picked up; enough to rustle the leaves around them. Since the sun was setting, the tide had gone out and now only light slapping noises came from the waves. Voices mingling with voices; it was a peaceful sound and almost too calm for the oncoming storm. Anyone who had glanced from the pier or happened by taking a stroll would assume they were a couple having a private moment by the way Canali and Voxxus were situated.

"I cook. No, raw meat doesn't bother me." Again, Canali was tempted to stick her tongue out at him. Again, she followed through with the thought. "I've heard of some fish being wrapped in dried seaweed and steamed. Never had the chance to try it, though. Do you fish often?"

Amusement danced through Canali at Voxxus's discomfort. Obviously he was not used to innocent flirting. An eyebrow raised as his eyes slid to her lips. Canali watched as he shifted; then moved in close to her face. Her own eyes grew a little wider, running over his face; hesitating a few extra seconds on his lips. Distractedly, she noted the stubble upon his face. Subconsciously, her tongue darted out to wet her still dry lips. Then her palm hit softly upon his head in a whack. "That was for how you revived me." Her eyes laughed mischievously.


"Don't fret. Forgive and forget, eh?"

[Voxxus]

Voxxus let the overpowering sound of the waves consume the conversation during the silence that gapped their talking. He gave her a look to say that he was satisfied with her background. She was a real woman. Not naïve to the world of terror and destruction that was so rampant, but in fact she learned to retain her grace and poise despite the turmoil. He admired her for that to the point he had to ask, “Well does the woman who inherited the name, also inherit the reputation?” he said with a snide grin, but a string in his heart was tensioned for the sincerity of the question. Voxxus was not the type to sleep around for the hell of it.

He looked at the ocean and let his eyes fill his soul with the homage of his element. “I try to fish every day… I would have to say the sea is more a home for me than any house I have lived in. Someday I would like to make that statement accurate.” He looked back at her. The waves still glistened in his eyes. Voxxus felt that the ocean was more civil than any part of Mizahar. There is order, no corruption. Humanity is hindered to venture into these waters, and the lack of sapience is what makes the waters perfect.

His heart jumped to his throat as she leaned in, surprised at how fast she grew affectionately to him, so much that a thought in the back of his head said, ‘You idiot, she is manipulating YOU’. He didn’t care. For once he enjoyed not tact, but pure, clean, and thoughtless impulse. SMACK! He closed one eye as he accepted the blow, grinning back with a tightened smile; his open eye failing at refraining his portraition of admiration for her. He unlocked his muscles in his face and relaxed to show the same coy smile, “Next time, I won’t use those methods then…” He would, and accept more than a smack for his actions, but he told himself that next time he would be sure to appreciate the contact he would have with her.

His playing with her subsided as he realized how close the two had some how managed to get. Her smell, something sweet that mixed with the sea, made him believe that this moment could not get any more perfect, and that nothing in the world would make him desire to be somewhere else; save one thing. His expression swelled with admiration for her until his eyes bounced from hers, to over her shoulder. Black sails. His heart dropped to hell as he remembered why he would never be good for her. Gritting his teeth he stood up and said, “I’m sorry Canali, but I should go…” he said making the scene behind her obvious. At this point he did not want to hide anything from her, and before their relationship became more than friends he would have to assume the role of honesty with her.

[Canali]

Canali reached for her book. The inks which lay nearby were left untouched. Rough against her fingers, Canali pulled the book towards her. The pages were a light brown, such as recycled goods or a young oak. Her eyes scanned drawing; noting the arc of the lines and the shape of the birds. It was half-finished; the horizon still left to be drawing. No color leaked on the page. There was no shape other than black.

Voxxus's words snapped her back to the present. "No. Though my mother did have a few doubts about such a person's name being her kids', she let me choose my own path. Besides just that, everyone is different. Simply because she chose such a pathway, does not mean I had to." Laying the drawing book in her lap, Canali glanced up at him.

Canali couldn't fathom living on the sea. On top of the water. Those evil waters which pulled Sailors down and under; churning and turning. The swimmers had no chance, pulled them under and filled their nostrils with liquid. Not breathing, the shipmates struggled to find the surface. More often than not, if the boat didn't finish them off, the sharks did. A shudder raced through her at the idea. Canali figured she could never live on the sea. Too afraid of it was she.

A dark eyebrow arched at Voxxus; though a ghost of a smile laced her lips. "I guess we'll just have to repeat this all over again. Just to find out, ya know?" Growing confused as seriousness seeped into his face, Canali turned her head to see why. Curiosity fluttered through her when she saw the ship. Having always been curious over the pirates, but cautious, Canali stared.

And nearly had a heart attack when Voxxus shifted away; then stood. It was so unexpected. "Alright…" Yes, her mind wandered to the possibilities. "Friends of yours?" Again, her eyebrow arched towards him. The smile was gone and a young innocence twinkled in her eyes. Looking away when a large clap of thunder shook the ground, Canali nodded. Then nodded again, as if to reassure herself before pushing to her own feet. On the way up, she swiped her book under her arm; danging carelessly from her hand. Slipping her jacket and skirt on, Canali muttered, "I see." No emotion soaked in.

Going to walk past him, she stopped abreast. Canali's hand rested upon his arm. "I'll see you around." And then she walked away; hips gently swaying. Never did it cross her mind about her inks. One hand raked through her hair and all that were left were footprints.

[Voxxus]

Her warmth was elating, as she played her words honestly seductive towards him. Her lips fashioned them with every effeminate detail that made him desire to simply hold her. His body breached his mind as he was about to place a rugged hand on her soft cheek. He was going to kiss her. He was going to allow himself to open for this girl, until the one thing that could stop him reared its ugliness, destroying his emotions. Saddened and lost eyes would return to those who had brought life to him as he said his words.

The ship was a decrepit and offensively robust floating nightmare. The very presence was a foreshadow of death to its victims. Voxxus never could shake the despair he felt while he was on it. Corpses of poor fools hung from poles jutting through its bubbled dark wood; their stink a reminder to the inhabitants of what will happen to them if they betray their captain. Voxxus once decided that because terrible things he was forced to do, he would jump from the bow and spend the rest of his life as far away from that darkness, as possible; even if it killed him. The smell of a dead man brought reality to him. Years spent, and he grew tolerant of the terrors from the vessel, but never comfortable. In his knowledge now, he would know that his master views his crew as a symbol. Fearfully loyal. And he knew that if he were to flee now, he would be one of those corpses on the hull, as he himself partook of the hunting that claimed three of the men. He imagined himself on the hull, and a shudder crawled under his skin. Then he began to imagine Canali to receive the same treatment, but he refused to picture it. Thunder resonated in his lost mind, and he was brought back to the setting. It was as if the beautiful images were now viewed through a tainted looking glass. How he wanted to stay with her.

His shame kept him silent to all of her words. He felt that dark ship burning his side, his impending doom. It may as well be an inch away from his head, as he tried to focus on her. His mind ached as he could not disobey his ‘nature’. ‘Please… help me leave all this… tell me you want me to go with you…’ he wished the part of his brain that honestly yearned for those words, controlled the motor skills required to communicate it. As she approached him, his eyes darted from hers to the sand at his feet, listening to her small feet approach. His heart pounded as he pondered what she may say to him. He tried to think realistically. ‘She is far too good for me, and she has to realize this. A criminal, no matter how reluctant, is still a criminal, and she will most likely despise me forever because of this.’ He remembered how vague he was to her about himself. He may as well have lied to her. He tried to think of a way for there two life styles to coexist. He imagined introducing her to his master; the thought brought a shudder up his spine. Voxxus’s master, an admirable man for his knowledge and skill, was less than admirable for his morality and lust for young women.

When she touched him, one last time, the ache in his head soothed. His eyes met hers and he felt that his conflictions were going to subside, until she said those four words. Her fingers slid away from their contact, and Voxxus was left with the feeling as if he was just about to remember a dream. ‘Perhaps she really wants to see me; perhaps her womanly nature was being polite. Yes. She would ask for a time and a place… a reason for me to go to her.’ His heart pounded quieter and quieter, as her foot prints got smaller and smaller. When she disappeared Voxxus felt the dark feelings from prior set in and his face returned to the solemn complexion he wore earlier that day. A sigh left his lungs as he felt a familiar weight set on his chest.

He stood there in a ghost of a memory of the surreal moment. ‘This girl brought from me something that has been locked away my whole life… and now she’s gone.’ His desire for her presence faded like a dying ember, as the overpowering presence of his ‘nature’ dominated his thoughts.

“Why did I say those words…” he muttered as he turned and stepped on something. ‘Her quill… and her ink. She seems to love drawing very much, how could she forget this? Did she forget it?’ his head ached one last time as he realized the conundrum at his feet. He was afraid of picking up those items up. He grew wary of what it would mean; what he would do, or even what could never happen. He felt his head slowly clear as he came to the consensus that he would never be happy without the hope that he now carried. Forgetting these items meant forgetting the strange, yet wonderful things Canali brought to his memory. Made him feel. Voxxus realized a true purpose to his own life, that something misguided him away from it, he was going to understand himself. Canali started to unlock his heart, and he needed her to finish it.

Voxxus felt the water lick his toes as he was satisfied with this commitment. He placed the quill softly to his nose and the scent brought him the image of the quill’s owner. Securing the items in his bag, he looked at the dark waters. His only guide to the deathly vessel was a single yellow light at the bow. Before he would dive in, he would let his ambitious words escape his mouth, “Canali…I think tonight you actually rescued me.” He grinned and dove in.

[Archelon]

Thread Award "Glub, Glub, Glub ,Glub!" And the Results!!!!: Canali : SkillName 1-5 How/why? Observation 1 Bird watching Drawing 2 Swimming 1 For impeccable drowning skills to start one off Lores: Seagulls are evil birds! Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? : Hmm.. wish this could have been finished. Voxus if you're around pm me and I'll reward xp's.