As the family made its exodus to the warm sands of the shore, Citrine curled her fingers around the neck of the bottle and downed a healthy 'Maelstrom sized' swig of the velvety liquor. It ran like a sunburst along her throat, spreading its liquid warmth throughout her water-cooled body. After licking her lips, a bright smile lightened her face and with a heavenly swoon, she leaned back, arms outstretched to flip gracefully into the surf, leaving behind the chime of a lyrical giggle. Before she disappeared her head broke the surface and her hair looked like liquid gold on a blanket of blue.
"-That- is the woman's rum, none of it to be shared with those dirty rogues." She chimed, punctuating her weighty decree with a playful smile. "I'll see you on shore."
Her body melted into the sea as though it was returning to its home and she sidled along Cyrus to cut a precise line through the water. The warmth of the rum still heated her from inside out, a sensation she'd come to love over the years. Cool and warm all at once, it felt like magic as she spiraled with Cyrus, moving like a delicate corkscrew.
Her path to the shore was not direct; the day's activities still causing a sickening stir in her stomach. She knew she had to attend, and somewhere inside she did want to, but the getting there had been like pulling teeth. So she lingered within the comfort of the sea, along side Cyrus until like a mother hen he began steering her toward the shore. His actions did not go unchallenged, but even with the vast amount of time she'd spent within the depths of the Suvan; she would never be able to out-swim him. So she just crinkled her nose and crept slowly toward the shore. With fingers spread wide, she used only her hands to pull herself through the resistance of the water, lazy in her efforts. Cyrus kept nudging her to go faster, but she brushed away his advances like a piece of clinging seaweed and did not alter her speed. Eventually, the grade of the sandy bottom made it impossible for her to remain unseen and her body broke the surface.
Like the call of an angel, the first thing she heard was the voice of Topaz. All motion stopped, save the lapping of the surf on her exposed limbs, and she listened, long pale lashes closing to rest on her lightly freckled cheeks. She loved the sound of her sister's voice, how it seemed to reach across any distance to envelope you in its velvety warmth. Some of her earliest memories were of that voice carrying her to sleep. She could have stayed there all day just listening, but as the song ended, all the other sounds she had not heard thrust themselves into her ears like a whirlwind.
A quick turn and she was on her stomach, water covering half of her face as she looked at all the activity on the beach. She blew a slow stream of bubbles past pouted lips and with a simple push of flattened palms, lifted her body from sea to air.
Though she wanted to go and sit at Topaz' feet, listening to her music, she instead, headed toward the working bodies to offer her help. |
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