PM to join dog days of summer.

[Caelum]

OOCOpen to all. oh clear water tick-tock, ticky-ticky-tock a little bit bitter but I ain’t bothered gonna keep my mind stocked tick-tock, ticky-ticky-tock the gift of life in a heavy glass bottle fill my soul from the tap like they asked, and it tastes just fine safe for now, now it’s just a matter of time tick-tock, ticky-ticky-tock - danny schmidt - Timestamp: 52 Summer 514 AV "That is not how you make a sandwich, Daddy." A pair of big blue eyes peered dolefully up at the ethaefal where he stood at the counter in Alement's kitchen. He was doing his best to feed the child, but not only was he the poorest cook this side of Cyphrus, the four year old konti who had adopted him was a picky eater. Lillian was almost as bad as Kavala had been when she was pregnant, but at least the owner of the Sanctuary had the excuse of being physically incapable of keeping food down. Lillian, on the other hand, just liked to be difficult. "Tell me how to make it in kontinese," Caelum prompted. He was trying to make sure Lillian learned her mother's tongue. He felt it would have been important to Lillis had she lived to see her daughter come under the dubiously equipped parenting of her former husband. As it happened, Lillian was fluent in Pavi and could stumble her way through the common language, but the beauty of Mura's language melted like ice in her mouth. The toddler sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and eyeballed the spread of fresh baked bread loaves, cheeses, cold meats, and vegetables spread over the counter. Caelum had pulled the items from the pantry and the ice house when business dwindled to a halt in the heat of the summer day. He had already mixed up a giant batch of melon elixer and chipped out enough ice slivers to keep it all cool. His plan was to haul Lillian out onto Alement's sprawling patio, move aside several of the tables, and spread out a worn quilt for a picnic and possibly a swim. Well, if someone showed up who was better at swimming than he was. He had a stack of sandwiches already made resting on a copper tripped tray. They were of varying kinds, but mostly a chicken salad Cadra had sent with him that morning from the Sanctuary and tomato and cheese (Caelum's personal favorite, though Lillian always wrinkled her nose at him when he ate it). While Lillian went into a peculiar and babbling description of exactly how he was construct her sandwich, Caelum's relaxed degree by degree. He was a driven man, eternally at work here at Alements handling business or home at the Sanctuary treating animals and apprenticing various people in herbalism and medicine. He carved out time for Lillian as much as he was able and dedicated even more hours to his research and intelligence work, attempting to gather and analyze all of the necessary information he felt he was going to need in order to pursue his next business goal. It was wide spread and daunting, but then Caelum had never been the sort to balk at a challenge. He had been tilting at windmills since he fell into the sea off the coast of Black Rock a decade gone. And he was never going to stop. "Okay, done!" Lillian tossed up her hands, little fingers grabbing for the sandwich -- comprised of pickled cucumbers, a bean spread, and goat cheese -- until Caelum set it on a cloth napkin and handed it down to her. The smile that sprawled across his mouth never failed to be startling. "Done," he agreed. He hefted up the tray of sandwiches and fruit to curve around and follow the bouncing toddler out of the kitchen, through the day bright tavern, and out the door and into the sunshine. Shade spilled over half of it due to the rock awning, but beyond there was sun and water splashing up along the dock's pylons. The dock slips were currently empty. Caelum had walked into town this morning. "Lils, what are you doing?" The ethaefal, sun shining off of summer violet and gold horns, put his tray down on a table and stared as Lillian put her sandwich right on the ground and began to tug at the ties of her simple cotton dress. "Going swimming," she informed him, not in the least bit shy in bossing her rescuer around. She played shy just fine with most everyone else though. Caelum considered for a moment, tilting his head in order to look over the bay and the sultry bustle of people in the heat. She was a konti. She could breathe under water. He dropped down to the spread out blanket in a fluid motion and began to remove his own boots. They creaked as he hauled them off and stripped away his socks next with a sigh. This was a day meant for wearing as little as possible. "Alright, c'mere so I can help you."

[Jaye]

The sound of the waterfall at the other end of plunge pool bay could be heard over the quiet din of passerby's. Map stretched out before her Jaye traced her path carefully along its surface as she paced the harbour. To her read shivered the wavering crests of Plunge Pool Bay. At the beginning of summer it had been the deep throbbing heart of the city, deep bellows breathing life into the water clung city. As summer had passed it's finger tips had pitter pattered away from the shoreline retreating into itself. A long shelf of white sand spread out before her pieces falling and tumbling over her bare feet. Long sandals dangled from her fingers as she slid the map she was given upon entering the city into her back pack they clunked gently against her back.

Reaching back she pulled the backpack toward her front to stuff the sandals into their depths making the pouch bulge slightly. Work had been long and arduous of late, demanding every ounce of patience. She had taken to long workouts on the beach with her spear, pent up anger and frustration directed outward along the long staff.

Before her a short almost beached dock stretched out across the bay a scrawling sign carving out the name Alements before the door. The business was as fresh and elegant as every building in the city allowing Jayes eyes to pass over its entrance passively. Along the dock scuttled a little Konti child throwing off her clothes with reckless abandon making Jaye smirk. It was so rare she saw someone as comfortable in their skin as she, a Kelvic, was naturally.

It seemed only children cared so little for the naked form. Men coveted and idolized the naked female form while females either escalated it to art or treasured it as a gift they must be careful to bestow. Only the few whores she had seen trolling the otherwise decadent streets seemed as free and dispassionate about their own bodies as she. Yet, when she spoke with reference about these woman she received confused and judgmental tones and expressions.

Pressing along the wavering line of the beach Jaye moved toward the business eyes wandering the windows and stature before turning her eyes to the curious rock dock. A slab of rock stretched out into the bay a dark overhang obscuring the Konti childs father. As he stepped out into Synas grace Jayes eyes widened halting her meandering approach.

The same curious crown of horns adorned the mans brow as caressed Natalias brow making her wrinkle her nose. Was he of Caiyha too? She pondered shifting uneasily in the sand no longer sure of her approach. Were there really so many gods and goddesses making Riverfall their home. The idea intimidated her dreadfully.

Would Syna herself fall from the sky to dance among the Akalak? Staring at the sky warily, half expecting the sun to fall right then and there. Skittering sideways away from the water Jaye removed her pack and clothes slowly, eyeing the meandering God as he strode out across the dock. Slipping into the muzzle and legs of her horse form as easily as donning clothes she gazed through new eyes upon them.

Though colour leached from the scene she saw movement she would never have sussed out as a human. Lowered head she approached the dock slowly. If he were Caiyha born he would know her as more than a horse. There was little danger in Riverfall she was dubious she would need to use her legs but it was an easy assessment of the curious stranger who bore such a keen resemblance to the woman who had drawn her from her home into the strange city sprawling before her.

Word Count628
.

[Caelum]

"Only at the very end, Lillian!" Caelum called after Laviku's daughter. Due to the summer drought, only the water at the furthest point of Alement's dock was deep enough to make a paranoid father feel comfortable with his daughter taking a head first dive into it. The little konti shrieked happily and leaped off the end while Caelum watched, caught somewhere between enchanted indulgence and anxiety caused irritation. Caelum was convinced that he was not equipped to be a single father and was basically in a constant state of upheaval over how to raise a little girl, let alone one that had suffered some trauma. If it wasn't for Elise and Kavala, he would be entirely lost. He followed at a more sedate pace and bent down to gather up Lillian's discarded clothing. With the waters far and the tide at its lowest point, he took a far less wild route to the water himself by using a ladder sculpted into the side of one of the six pylons. Bare feet landed on damp white sand with a thud, ocean water splashing up as he turned to watch Lillian bob to the surface and roll round and round. She was chortling to herself and Caelum made a mental note to try and persuade Kavala to take her out into real exploration of her divine father's watery realm. She was the only person he would trust with such a venture, being both his best friend and a konti herself. "Daddy, pony loose!" Lillian shouted, spouting no little bit of sea water as she did so. Caelum blinked, accustomed to exactly this cry when back home at the Sanctuary, but not while here in town. His head turned and he saw the "pony" that had so captured Lillian's attention. Eyebrows swept up as he took in the sheer glory of the horse's shining coat and was immediately confused. What the hell was one of the Kavala's Djed Storm horses doing all the way out here? Habit had him giving the horse a friendly whistle. He reached up high to set Lillian's clothes on the edge of the dock before turning to walk hip shot and languid toward the horse, heading down the slope of sand. Automatically, he looked around for sign of a resident or employee of the Sanctuary, making the natural assumption that someone had taken the horse out for a ride and decided to swing by Alements for a cool drink and some company. Seeing no one, he returned his attention to the horse he was approaching and began a more thorough, visual examination. "Hey, girl," he murmured once he was within earshot. "What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?" Behind and the left of the horse Lillian began to splash her way into shallower water towards them. It was right about then Caelum realized that this was not a horse of the Sanctuary. He knew his horseflesh and once he looked beyond the fantastic coloring and took stock of her personal details -- the unusually high withers, the strong arch of her neck, and so forth -- it wasn't one of the horses he knew and helped care for. Surprise splashed over his face and he stood there, a few yards in front of the horse, with his hands falling to the sharp jut of his hips and strong shoulders slumping with consternation. "Where did you come from?" Not expecting an answer, he shouted at the toddler, "That's a sand dollar! Throw it back." There was a giggle and a splash.

[Jaye]

"Only at the very end, Lillian!" The God called out across the dock, directed at the pale child who had catapulted herself toward the water. The child threw herself into the water with as much indulgence as Atoll making Jaye smile softly to herself. Everyone in Riverfall seemed to adore the ocean as much as the land, as if it were as much a part of their lives as land.

The shriek that throbbed through the air instinctively startled the mare making her jump slightly, skin rippling with tension. "Daddy, pony loose!" Jaye watched Caelums reaction carefully, catching the climbing of his eyebrows. Did that mean he was surprised to see a Kelvic in the open? Or did all he see is a horse roaming about?

A soft whistle, akin to the kind she used on her own birds, pressed past his lips making Jaye snort irritably. He couldn't possibly be a god and treat her so... Holding still as the horned creature swayed towards her Jaye warily walked toward him. Less certain of his divinity she was wary of what he could or would do to a stray horse.

"Hey, girl," His voice was quiet and soothing. Stopping before him Jaye reached her muzzle out, stretching her neck to its limit as she sniffed his chest inhaling the unfamiliar scent deeply. "What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?" Does he expect an answer? Does he know? Or is it rhetorical? Jaye wondered curiously and took a small step closer to run her muzzle timidly over his arm. He certainly didn't smell like Natalia, or any other human for that matter.

The human filly was moving toward them excitedly, legs and arms creating frantic splashes as she disengaged from the water. Taking a step back Jaye scanned his face critically, waiting for a movement or action that would betray him.

"Where did you come from?" He pondered, shoulders slumping in confusion. He doesn't know... Well, if he didn't know she wasn't about to betray herself. She had seen the way Kelvics were treated in Riverfall and wasn't about to hand herself over as slave or pet.

Like her own father, he had a knack for knowing exactly what his daughter was up to without so much as a visible glance. Skirting the horned creature Jaye turned her attention to the white speck that thrashed like froth on the top of the lake. So many creatures in this city were beyond understanding and left the wary mare uneasy.

Trotting the few yards to the water front Jaye entered the water carefully. Her human toes could feel the slope of the ground beneath her but her hooves were far less sensitive. Moving up to her knees toward the Konti Jaye reached out her breath tousling the toddlers fair hair.

Wiggling her lips curiously lipping at the creature between her legs Jaye inhaled her scent deeply. She didn't smell anything like her father, it was crisper with a tinge of salt on the edges of the scent. Glancing back up at the supposed father Jaye curled her lips back drawing his distant scent toward her the gentle wind aiding in the travel. He smelled of something ineffable, something she had never smelled before. There was a lick of herb on the edge of his scent but the rest was unrecognizable.

Perhaps it is time to leave? Something with such an unusual smell could hardly be safe...

Word Count577

.

[Caelum]

Caelum held himself still and relaxed when the horse performed her snuffling inspection. That easy smile lingered, tinged with bemusement, as he waited for her to come to a conclusion. Most horses liked him, frankly, because he knew his way around them and spent half his time beneath the sky in the skin of a Drykas. While he was not bonded to any strider, he rode them now and again and labored plenty of hours in the stables and pastures of the Sanctuary when an extra hand was needed. When the horse skirted around him, his eyebrows rocked up and he shrugged a little to himself. Turning, he followed at a sedate pace and came to a halt at the edge of the water to duck down and roll up the hems of his pants in revelation of muscles calves. That accomplished he stepped into the water after the horse and his abruptly delighted daughter. “Pony likes me, Daddy,” Lillian burbled happily when her hair was sniffed. She stood upright in the water where it reached her shoulders, drops sparking off the tip of her nose as little hands reached up to pat at the horse’s cheeks. “Careful,” Caelum muttered, eyeballing this. He sidled closed and dropped a hand to Lillian’s shoulder, ready to sweep her up and out of the way of sharp and deadly hooves should the strange horse startle. “Can the pretty pony come home with us?” The toddler turned big blue eyes up at the ethaefal who squinted in return. He looked past the horse to look at the dock and the surrounding streets, stills searching for someone who might be the horse’s owner. “I’m sure someone’s looking for the pony right now, Lily,” he explained. Golden eyes traveled thoughtfully back to the horse. “Are you hungry?” He asked directly, quite as if he expected a reply.

[Copper]

The young Akalak had not lead him astray it seemed. When Copper set foot on the stone dock jutting into the waters beside the Ethaefal's establishment, he paused to examine the party. Green eyes moved between Konti, God creature, and the enormous horse accompanying them. It was an odd sight, really. Most of his attention was focused on Caelum. Kavala and Lyn'nice both spoke of him in high regards, and curiosity had driven him here today. Curiosity to see the dual natured God creature, what he looked like, and meet him for himself. They seemed enraptured by the mare currently, so he hailed their attention a little awkwardly. "You are Caelum?" he called out in Common with his thick grassland accent. The Kelvic was dressed appropriately for city and heat. He'd reluctantly decided on discretion and clothing. Copper knew not many took kindly to a naked man walking throughout the city. Any city, even Endrykas. He wore soft leather pants but nothing else. His tan chest was bare to the sun and he wore no shoes. Russet curls hung wild and messy at his shoulders. "Name is Copper," the Kelvic introduced himself, carefully enunciating the words. "Brought to Sanctuary in spring. Told about you and wanted to meet. Never have seen horned man blessed by sun." His eyes were on the splendid horns gracefully curving around Caelum's head like a crown. He'd never witnessed anything like it, or even heard of anything like him for that matter until Kavala had mentioned him after he first woke up in the Sanctuary. She'd spoken true. Not that he doubted her, but Copper wanted to see with his own eyes. The curious Kelvic signed a Pavi greeting out of habit, and offered a smile. OOCSorry for the awkwardness of this post. I couldn't think of a better way to hop in and interrupt.

[Caelum]

OOCChanging thread tag to thread to PM to join. Copper, don't worry. Your start is totally fine. The ethaeful turned at the sound of his name. As he did so, he hooked his hands beneath Lillian's arms and lifted her cleanly out of the water and against his hip. This placed her high enough to continue petting the gloriously colored horse but also kept him from worrying about her potentially being trampled. Salt water lapped just below his knees and sunlight reflected off the surface, turning this strange trio in the shallows illuminate. "I'm Caelum," he called back to the man. His free hand rose to shade his eyes and he squinted through the glare. He made a study of the man on his dock, from wind swept hair to lean hips and back again. "Hi, Red!" The toddler in his arms chose that moment to notice the new arrival. Her bright greeting was punctuated by a shy smile. As Caelum's adopted daughter, she also lived at the Sanctuary. But she tended to spend a great more time there than her father since Alements had opened, often under the watchful eye of Lyn'nice or Cadra and sometimes even Kavala or Larik depending on what everyone was up to on any given day. Copper had doubtless come across her there, bustled into the rest of the pack of children. She loved dogs. The line of Caelum's shoulders relaxed when Lillian thereby verified the man's claim of being from the Sanctuary. A smiled skewed, charming with self deprecation and his hand tumbled back down in an automatic combination of grasslands sign of welcome and friendship. "Hey, Copper. Red? It's good to meet you. I see you know my Lils here." He tilted his head toward the strange horse they were still standing besides. "I, uh, guess I'm somewhat of a rarity." He scoffed softly and added. "I don't suppose you recognize the horse? I know she's not of the Sanctuary, but maybe Kavala's treated her before. Oh, hey, help yourself to something to drink on the patio if you want."

[Mayhem1]

You're an excited PC roaming around a thread.

You're not paying attention that the story's over.

Then...BAM! You're hit with a Grade.

I'm Mayhem, the ever-present Junior ST of Cyphrus. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this grade, please don't hesitate to shoot me a PM! And please, please remove or edit your grading request once you see this. Thank you!

 

Caelum

XP

• Cooking - 1
• Socialization - 2

LORES

• Cooking: Lillian's Sandwich

 

Jaye

If you come back, PM me for a grade!

 

Copper

If you come back, PM me for a grade!

Notes: Another nice thread that was cut short. As always, I love Lillian's antics.

With Regards,
- Mayhem