Fall Into Fish

[Nixie]

Timestamp: 77th of Summer, 512 AV.

Having arrived in Zeltiva a few days prior, Nixie decided to spend the first couple recovering from the long trip and settling in to her new room. After so many days on the road it was nice to have a real bed with real pillows and real blankets; a luxury she had taken for granted until her only choice was a bedroll. It was odd at first, not having to worry about the road shifting beneath her, but after a few days she had grown accustomed to it. Zeltiva was a city though, with people and buildings; it was refreshing to know that things would remain grounded here and that people wouldn't vanish at a glance.

Once Nixie felt she had the energy, she decided it was time to take a tour of the city even if she was by herself. She wasn't in a rush though as the days light slowly slipped away to night in her arrival at the Cerulean Pier, her last destination. When the familiar smell of salt and fish assaulted her nose-- however unpleasant --she realized how much she had missed the sea during the trek inland. Taking a deep breathe she strode out onto the spacious pier, the echo of each step resounding through it's wooden planks. The jetty stretched out toward the horizon where the suns light painted an ever changing picture in cool dark purples and rich warm reds, a temporary farewell that seemed to go unnoticed by most of those present. The piers occupants were slowly evacuating to retire for the evening or participate in whatever went on in Zeltiva during the late hours. While most of them walked in silence or quiet conversation, in the distance she could make out the happy chortle of childrens laughter and stomping feet. Glancing in the direction she watched as the worn parents pleaded playfully that their young ones would slow, small gentle hands pulling at their parent's strong ones. Those people, that family, seemed so alien to her; she wished she could relate to them. Soon they too were gone though, and she was left the the early nights quiet and sound of lapping waves moving below her.

It was something she appreciated, that quietness, and something she did not have the pleasure of enjoying for most of the trip to Zeltiva. If somebody wasn't talking than it was the horses hooves and jostling wagon making a ruckus. But at night when others were sound asleep she could find peace and watch the stars without interference of illusions. It was beautiful.

As the sky grew darker and went from purple to navy blue, the embers at the end of Nixie's pipe grew brighter against it. The tendrils of smoke lost to the night. Emerging from amongst the cluster of buildings that gathered at the shore, her gaze went to the horizon. All that met her were capsizing waves that turned to blips of white for a moment before disappearing to be followed by another and another. When she could walk no further, a strong new rail stopped her from stepping off the end of the pier, her hands going to it. Hoisting herself up until she was leaning over the edge, she lifted her legs up and over the top to sit comfortably. In an effort to maintain some balance, she hooked her feet back behind the bars. From there she watched light disappear completely. The beautiful quiet leaving her oblivious to whomever else might have been lingering the same as she.

[Remliel]

Timestamp: 77th of Summer, 512 AV. There was something Remliel had missed during his travels that the cold of night reminded him of immensely. It was a feeling of being underwater. It drummed lightly against his thoughts, causing an ebb and flow to over take his dreams. Even from the hillsides, the wind blowing against his blue skin always felt like an odd sensation. He had slowly let his Kavinka Paintedmount named Ero pace slowly next to a small family who he had happened to find himself traveling on the road. The human children of the couple had not stopped staring at the large fin on his head. For some thirty minutes he shared stories of his home city of Charoda to the children as the parents smiled at the innocent awe in their eyes. Obviuosly it was the children’s first time seeing one of his kind which Remliel found odd considering they were heading to a port side city. He found himself telling them about his time leaning how to make wine from kelp as he spoke to the strangers in a distracted way. Before he had noticed they had worked their way down the road past the narrow Mirahil pass, and into the city itself soon parting ways with the kind family after letting the kids touch the fin on his head. *** The sensation of the water was so strong that it effected his physical movement's. His head grew heavy, his hands felt like like led, and his feet were asleep. Before going to check into an inn, Remliel set off to the The Cerulean Pier. The Charodan bartender quickly slid of of his horse as the thud of his low boots briskly echoed along the dry wooden boards beneath him. The smirk on Remliel's lips easily showed his amusement at looking out to the sea wishing to jump into the waters embrace. The off beats of his horse's hooves clicked along the pier going against the sounds of his boots. After securing his horse to a side rail he consider the possibility that perhaps, just maybe he should settled down and maybe start that tavern he had always wanted to make. Remliel held an offbeat regal elegance to his appearance as his white linen long sleeve shirt could be seen under his black Leather Doublet. The black of his clothing bringing out the bright Blue-green hue of of his skin. His eyes never appeared to close because of the translucent eyelids he held which gave him the awareness of a fish. Setting his hand on the railing, he walked forward until he stood next to a "young man" smoking a pipe. "Wonderful night to be enjoyed lad? It is good to see others taking in the sights of the sea." It was true he thought she was a man considering the way he or she carried him or herself.

[Nixie]

The sea was all that filled Nixie's senses in that moment. She watched the waves dance, listened to them whisper, and felt them crash against the pier when they were occasionally large and violent enough. Breathing in, she could smell and taste the salt on the air mixed with the flavor of her tobacco. It's soothing effect allowing her to completely immerse herself in what was before her. But it was that immersion that sent her heart flipping in her chest when a voice sounded from nearby and tore her from the serenity. Her surprise only showing externally in the way her fingers fastened hard to the rail and the way her muscles tensed. Replying with little more than a subtle nod it seemed she would let him believe his assumption of her gender was correct. And for a while that was the end of it, sitting there in what she felt might have been a mutual and unspoken agreement that they were both enjoying the quiet.

As time passed though, Nixie thought about how she had come to be in this foreign place and wandered if the stranger had a reason for his being here too.
"What brings you here, to this city," she asked, turning to glance in his direction. But she never expected the extraordinary figure that would greet her... Strange green blue skin wrapped in cloth, and eyes that felt so unnatural to her. He, it, was a frightful site that sent Nixie twisting where she sat in an effort to put some more distance between her and it. But in the hurried movement she lost her balance and was sent from her perch with a short and quick gasp. Her stomach lurched and eyes grew wide when her pipe fell away from parted lips. And despite the dangerous situation she had tumbled into, her only thoughts were to retrieve the pipe before it sank and was lost to the dark depths. But as water's surface neared and cold water stabbed at warm flesh, night's sky disappeared. Then all noise, aside from the beating of her own heart left her ears, the situation's gravity sinking in... Nixie had never learned how to swim.

[Remliel]

Remliel had traveled on ships before in his past on his journeys along side sailors. The silence held a respect that each man was entitled to view the wonder of the deep blue in their own internally personal way. Resting the palm of his webbed hand against the railing of the pier Remliel supported his weight as he lend forwards. He didn’t expect for the young man to fall, yet in the brief moment of seeing his face Remliel couldn’t shake the fact he seemed to look like a female. It confused him which added to the effect of slowing his reaction time; being unable catch her before the fall. In that moment the peace of mind he held about the sea was destroyed. Her voice was clearly female which made it clean he had insulted the young lady. Surely she could swim? were the words that echoed though his mind as he waited for a moment to see if the girl would pop up. As he waited the sheer fact he had insulted the women's gender plagued his good natured heart. Once a minute with no sign of her resurfacing past the duality of the ocean quickly pushed the Charoda into action. How many times had he seen the unforgiving abyss drag someone into a watery grave? Taking off his boots to let his webbed feet free, Remliel found himself leaping over the railing in a graceful dive feeling the crush of the waters surface engulf him. Not wanting to see another person drown ever in his life, Remliel's body fell with the speed of the momentum of his fall until the added thrusts of his kicks propelled him towards the drowning women. Greeting her with a tight hug once he had found her the embrace was to simply keep her in his arms while he swam back to the surface. Reemerging to fresh air as he looked at at her making sure she was still conscious. "Hold onto me, your safe." Talking to her while he slowly tried to make his way back to the shore, keeping her above the water.

[Nixie]

While bubbles rose up to caress Nixie in their escape to the surface, her figure slowly sank. Spending what little air she had caught before disappearing on fruitlessly struggling for the pipe she had lost mid-fall. Soon her lungs begged for air though, gasping in reflex only to have water sucked in to fill them, then sending her into a panic of wide eyes, kicks, and thrashing arms. But she was forced to still when something strange wrapped around her, pinning arms to ribs. In that dark abyss the strange slimy feeling did little to calm her. Only persuading her to struggle against her unmoving confines. But what was this? She was racing toward the surface, to air and land.

Breaking the water's surface Nixie tried to gulp at the air but only managed to cough and spit the water that had filled her lungs, turning her face red and shoulders lurching. When they were mostly clear she struggled to force a couple words.
"The pipe!" And once they were completely clear she started struggling to push herself from the strange blue skinned thing. She was weak though, and so her attempts weren't very effective at all. "I've got to get it back!" Kicking and throwing fists at him, she even tried scratching him in hopes he would release her. She couldn't have known how deep the water was, nor would she be able to see very far in that darkness, but logic and sense had left her in that moment of desperation over such a simple object. "Let me go," she yelled hysterically, at one point even attempting to bite the creature. Working herself into a tizzy, a touch of dizziness rushed over her and forced tense muscles to relax. "You've got to get it," she stammered, trying to keep her head from falling against the thing's shoulder.

[Nixie]

Even though the thing never did find the pipe for Nixie, it eventually washed up on the shore. Most of her time in Zeltiva was spent returning to that beach in hopes of finding her trinket, and eventually she did. But by then it was time to move on to Ravok. What a wasted visit.

[Net]

Nixie

As it is required for you to pay for your expenses during the season of Summer 512 I cannot grade this currently. Please update your expenses and resubmit for grading.

Sorry for the inconvenience of this.

Remliel

If you return please update your seasonal expenses for Summer 512 and resubmit for grading.

Sorry for the inconvenience of this.