Closed drown.

[Yra]

fifty-third of summer, 514 av. It began with the sensation of falling, short-lived and eternal. There was a murmur upon the breeze, a whisper of a plea in a voice that sounded like the chiming of musical bells. The spell was comforting. The cold of the water was not. The woman of sun and music thrashed as soon as she registered the sharp sting on warm flesh, a contrast that threatened to send her careening into shock. She screamed. Her voice was not like it was before, when the murmur was as if music, golden and clear and to forever love. The water invaded her mouth. Instinct prevailed. The Ethaefal breached water with horns first, spiralling and jewel-toned; the ornaments were not pointed nor pronged and did they ever glisten in the sunlight. She coughed when she'd surfaced, water spraying from her mouth. With most of it gone, she began taking in big gulps. Her only desire was to breathe, but she could feel the cold creeping in. For a moment, the Ethaefal floundered in the calm sea. In the distance, she could see a city that appeared as if it sparkled. Her lids fluttered. The sparkle diminished. There were ships nearby and from one, an unseen person called out, "man overboard!" as if she knew what it meant, or what it would lead to. She fought to keep herself afloat, though. Trembling, lost, she recognised she was no longer in the Goldenlands. Syna was above, bringing light to her world in this imaginary darkness. Her chest pounded, echoing the rattle that sounded incessant in her head. She knew how to keep afloat. That might have been what saved her, but she was lost on what to do with the knowledge. Swim for help? Swim to Syna? She didn't know where she was, or what she was, and that divine voice was gone.

[Gwin]

.





Each and every city the Akvatari chose to explore was defined, first and foremost, through the waters surrounding it. There was the Bluevein River, but there also was the Suvan Sea, beckoning with its vast masses of refreshingly salty water. While Gwin had come from the east, the first thing she did was head west to taste the ocean.

The water embraced her mismatched form, curling around her furry tail and pushing on her vivid green butterfly wings, but Gwin knew how to move through the waves and in the currents under the surface. The residents were tending to a landscape of coral reefs and beautiful marine life unlike anything she’d ever seen. Her muscular tail propelled her further out, leaving the shaped area behind, so she wouldn’t take her food out of its beauty. The artist in her would hate to leave that lovely garden tainted and with pieces missing.

After doing what she’d planned to, Gwin explored the waters off Riverfall in wide circles. Above her head many ships were sailing, looking as if floating on a dim and blue-green sky. The warm water was caressing her skin and fur, the summer sun was sending her rays down below where they barely touched her. It was peace.

One day she’d try and bring that magnificent world to bipedals through her music and art. The soft and lamenting voice of her violin would do a good job at portraying the strange sadness and mystery. The piece would need a flute for the lower tones too. Listening to the melody unfolding, Gwin slowly let herself be carried up and up towards the light.

Then a body broke the surface, smaller than a ship or boat. Where had it come from? Perhaps a boat had sailed by and dropped them without her noticing. At first she didn’t pay much attention and let the current carry her farther. But the body didn’t move as gracefully as a Konti. In fact that one seemed rather lost, limbs moving with much effort… Shaking her head, Gwin attempted to clear her mind of the warm lethargy.

Within a heartbeat or two she propelled herself under the naked body. All flesh, so exposed and vulnerable. She absentmindedly noted the beautiful skin color before breaking the surface and taking a deep breath. The girl had horns! They reflected Syna’s rays and sparkled with countless salty droplets.

Struggling to keep afloat between the waves, Gwin slid her arms under the girl’s shoulders to support her. “Calm down, it’s alright… I’m here, everything will be alright!” She tried to soothe the girl. With her tail she managed to keep both of them above the waves, but they’d be exhausted soon. “You’re not made for the water, you have to get out of here. Do you understand? I’m going to help you reach that ship.” She repeated it once more before wrapping her arms around the girl’s torso.

Then she started swimming. Shouts coming from the ship’s direction signaled the girl had been seen. Gwin didn’t have enough breath to answer them, but every stroke of her tail brought them closer to the ship.

[Yra]

The Ethaefal had grasped onto her senses briefly before sudden arms startled her again into a panic. She gasped, a sharp sound that bordered on the realm of a pained and fearful cry, perhaps to plead to Syna and beg her mercy. The sound was nothing like her real language, though, and she faltered in it before it died. Her tongue was too heavy and uncomfortable, her mouth not made for the sound she needed to make in order to plead for Syna's guidance.

Her voice died at the words and the tone carried therein. Perhaps it was the Ethaefal seeking comfort that allowed herself be soothed by what she immediately understood as a stranger (the coarse voice was nothing like the sound she remembered vividly), but she scrabbled to find purchase on this strange form of fur, wing, and flesh. She was panicked briefly at sudden motion, tasting the acrid flavour of salt on her tongue before clamping her mouth shut, holding her breath, and going along for the ride. She would have responded to the strange creature holding her if the instinct to survive did not dictate that opening her mouth would give her the opportunity to drown.

The fact that she understood the woman's speech, despite it not being the blessed language she had attempted to speak, was not lost on the newborn. It was a poor substitute, but it was all that she had to go on; it must be the only tool she possessed. Her mind churned even as she allowed herself be dragged to what she understood as safety- to a ship that was nearby.

[Gwin]

.





The woman Gwin understood to be an Ethaefal didn’t respond to her words. All she did was cling to the Akvatari like she’d told her to. Still, Gwin wasn’t sure if the woman spoke her tongue. Perhaps she was in shock. Gwin had no medical knowledge, so she couldn’t tell. The woman seemed intent not to swallow any water though, a wise thing to do.

Her tail was propelling them through the water, although Gwin had to struggle with the waves and the additional weight. As soon as the fragile woman clung to her tightly, she could paddle with her hands too. Blinking, she gauged the distance to the ship. If the woman managed to keep calm and not hinder her, they’d make it. Gwin moved her tail with more strength, fueled by determination. As a creature of the sea and sky, she’d manage as much at least! Flying would be faster, of course, but damp hair and countless droplets on their skin would only weigh them down.

While she swam, Gwin caught a few glimpses of two dark figures on the small ship or rather, boat. It looked like the Svefra casinors she’d seen in Zeltiva. During her time there she’d met two Svefras, both seafarers as well as musicians. A friendly people, they’d certainly help the Ethaefal get back to land. Biting her lip as sweat collected on her forehead, Gwin debated lifting an arm and waving. It’d take too much energy though. Their shout still rang in her ears and they seemed to be looking their way.

Was the boat moving closer? She couldn’t tell as the waves still veiled her vision at regular intervals. Her breathing grew ragged. “Don’t worry, you’re doing great. We’re almost there…” she managed although she’d no idea if the Ethaefal heard words over the voice of the sea. They were directed at herself just as much.

The ship was growing. Already she could discern ropes and other details. The two dark-haired residents were looking their way indeed, although their expressions were still hard to make out.

OOCFeel free to reach the ship in your next post.

[Yra]

For all the Ethaefal was worth, she hung on for her life, fledgling as it was. It had not yet registered to her, not yet pierced the veil of shock and disbelief; this was a mortal life, and if not for this strange creature propelling them both to the safety of the ship in the distance, the Ethaefal would have succumbed to the grasp of the sea and drowned- to whatever end that would be for a child of Synas as she was.

There were no words, but the woman was understood at least. The Ethaefal fought to remain still, to not struggle and bring them both down. In some way, she understood that they'd both be doomed if the strange creature lost her strength, and she understood that it would be horrible. Senseless.

The Ethaefal could barely remember the sound of her own name. The loss of it rendered her further at a loss.

She remained completely silent and still, quietly holding her breath before releasing it in a large gasp and quickly swallowing more air, afraid of the rushing water that wished to fill her until no air could enter. She clung to this female that had saved her so tightly that, when they'd made it to the ship and the Ethaefal released her, her own fingers ached. She grabbed onto a sheet of netting that had been draped over the side of the small ship and hesitated, looking for the creature that had helped her so kindly, worry gnawing that the creature could not climb.

Above, the Svefra pair scurried back and forth, talking to each other in loud voices with a strange language that rang a faint bell within the Ethaefal. Her brow furrowed delicately and a hand was offered to the female that had brought her to this boat, and to the safety it provided. "Come." Her only word, it was spoken in such a horrible voice to the Ethaefal's ears that she immediately flinched, swallowed, and tried again. The sound she tried to make that imitated the chiming in her head failed to match the majesty of her native language. A strange sensation flourished at the corners of her eyes, glistening tears welling, which she wiped away on the offered hand before returning it to the woman. "Up." The second word, and a good start to opening up a vocabulary, it was spoken with uncertainty. From above, the two Svefra offered their own help, reaching over the side of the ship to grab at one, or both, of the women.

[Gwin]

.





When they reached the small ship, Gwin was half-expecting the woman to be unconscious or worse. While she noticed the occasional gasps for air, she was far too busy swimming and keeping above surface to realize their meaning. However, near the net she reached out and pulled herself up entirely without the Akvatari's help.

Falling back, Gwin gasped for air, gently rocked by the waves under her tail. She was breathing heavily and her entire body was tingling from exhaustion. Then a voice rose over the noise of the waves. As she looked up, surprise painted her features. The Ethaefal had spoken the words! Over the railing two faces were peering, hands outstretched like her, but with a more worried expression. Hadn't they noticed her wings? With a light shake of her head Gwin concluded it must be fatigue or shock that took the details from their minds.

A hand shot up and grabbed the Ethaefal's as it'd have been rude not to accept what was offered. Using that and the net to pull herself up, she managed to shake the water from her large butterfly wings. A single beat sent drops flying from magnificent turquoise and black patterns, not unlike stained glass if they'd ever seen any. With another beat she rose into the air before sinking down on the railing.

The two humans on the ship had attempted to help, so she took care to hang her dripping tail over the water instead of the deck. If the poor horned girl needed any more help, she'd be happy to lend her a hand once more. “How do you feel? Have you swallowed any water?”

Biting her lip, she scolded herself. Surely the journey through water had been exhausting for her just as much as for the Akvatari. Her gaze came to rest on the humans. “Thank you for allowing us on your ship. Perhaps you have a blanket or something for her?” She nodded towards the naked woman. Words were mostly inappropriate, but after rescuing an Ethaefal about to drown any silver tongue would've been washed out with salt water. “It is strange though...” she whispered, half talking to herself, with a glance at the girl. Even soaking wet, she was beautiful and her horns glistened in the sun.

[Yra]

That was unexpected.

The Ethaefal drew back her hand as if that glistening, winged woman with her strange tail had burnt her. Her fingers flexed and curled, but she was oddly not repulsed... even going so far as to look back and verify whether or not she had a tail, before remembering her early panic and the sensation of legs kicking the water. No, she was no remarkable thing with wings and a tail.

The two people on the ship's deck suddenly seemed to grow tired of waiting for the soaked Ethaefal to climb her way up; she could not find the strangth in her arms to do so, and simply hung there. They leaned out further, grasped at her wrists, each taking one, and actually pulled her up, without warning and without flourish. When she was properly on board, they released her swiftly; the female recoiled, much as the Ethaefal herself had when she'd seen that strange woman launch herself into flight, and the male scoured her with a stern gaze. They shared words again; the Ethaefal was once more struck with that strange sense of familiarity, but she did not understand. The sounds simply resonated within her.

She shivered as she rose to her feet from where the pair had dropped her, bracing herself upon the ship and wracked with the trembling. Her eyes, a vivid shade of citrine not unlike the peel of a fresh orange, flitted between the winged woman and the two that had offered them help. She did not recognise either of them. She did not know their names, why they'd brought her here. No, she did not consider them the reason why she was not in that blessed life she found herself unmoored from... they were simply the only means to discover why that was available to her.

"Yes, a blanket. Wait." The female of the two that had pulled the Ethaefal from the netting started off. It took but a few chimes before she'd returned with two blankets, quickly draping it over the Ethaefal's shoulders and following suit with the Akvatari. "Where are you two from? Is the undertow that strong at this bell?" The woman spoke with the edge of a jest, as if to make light- or as if she genuinely believed the Ethaefal and Akvatari were simply swimming. The male at her side frowned, muttered quickly in that other language, and the female looked expectantly between Ethaefal and Akvatari.

The Ethaefal herself had no answers. She'd taken the conversation as mildly boring and was instead fascinated with the rosy shimmer her wet skin seemed to have when she turned it in the sun, and was sitting there twisting her arm back and forth, utterly taken by it. She heard the woman that had saved her speak, but in a low murmur, and could not help the surge of curiosity. "What is strange?" Her words were quick, almost chirped, and lacked inflection that would have betrayed familiarity. It was hard to describe the ease at which she spoke while keeping in mind that she had not been taught the language: it simply took form on her tongue with her thoughts, and she opened her mouth to let the sounds out. "Where am I? What is this? Syna?" The last word was spoken with an edge of panic, the same panic that had her thrashing in the water in the first place.

The Ethaefal slanted her eyes between the different faces turned towards her and reflexively drew herself further into her blanket, as if it would shield her from more than a chill.

[Gwin]

.





"Thank you," Gwin said quietly although the warm fabric felt odd around her shoulders. With some hesitation she rubbed her wet hair, using it as a towel. While her hands were working, she kept her balance by pressing her tail against the hull of the small ship. The woman seemed amiable enough, although her companion stayed quiet. Maybe he didn't speak the Common tongue? Did the Ethaefal even speak it? Her eyes widened at the possibility. "I was exploring the waters off Riverfall when I saw her struggling against the waves... but I didn't see where she came from."

As far as she knew, the silent woman had appeared out of nowhere... but that couldn't be possible. Did she wield some kind of magic? Had she been sent there by someone who did? Perhaps via divine powers? As she turned back to the woman to observe her physical state, Gwin caught her fascinated with what seemed an everyday sight.

Then she spoke and the Akvatari blinked. So she did know Common. Her words had a foreign lilt to it though, as if she had learned it some time ago, but never spoken it much. Gwin couldn't place the accent though... which only meant it couldn't come from Benshira, Akalak or Konti. Did Ethaefal possess their own language? But Turais hadn't displayed as strong an accent. Eventually she shook her head, devoid of words. Every single way she tried to phrase it sounded wrong or rude in her head. Instead the woman spoke again, asking too many questions. Each hang in the air as a sign of utter confusion.

And the way she said the name of the Goddess... like a lost child asking for her mother. Biting her lip, Gwin pointed to the sun far, far over their heads. "Syna would be up there... Don't you remember where you were before you entered the water? Did... did Syna speak to you?" The last question was ignited with a curious undertone. There was disbelief, yes, but also a sad sense of longing in it.

[Yra]

ooc: I'm sorry for how long this took to get to you, but it should be better, now. Thank you for your patience!

The Ethaefal looked up again when her saviour had gestured, eyelids fluttering to rid themselves of water droplets. The sun seared herself a place in her mind, and she knew Syna. She was the most radiant thing in this existence, a flash of colour that should burn the Ethaefal's eyes, but that offered her no such discomfort. The emotions that welled up, though, that brought her discomfort when they lodged in her throat and she found herself looking downward again.

The world was colourless for a brief moment, but the colour returned swiftly when the Ethaefal swallowed what nagged at her. She owed answers, but only when she felt satisfied in the ones they gave her.

The pair of Svefra watched the exchange, expressing their own exasperation in the situation. She forced herself to not pay attention to them. They could be addressed later, for they probably had their own questions, and the Ethaefal could not bear more than what she was currently being offered.

"I was-" Here, she paused. Where was she? She could envision it perfectly, the moment before it changed. She could remember the sound of Syna's voice, the sound of her own. Again, she was struck with disgust at the sound now, even though it was certainly fairer than the voices of these others. Helplessly, she fluttered her hand. "It's colour and sunlight. I was home."

Absently, with great concern, the Ethaefal sucked on her bottom lip, considering questions and answers. "Where is this? Where we are?"

This one, the female Svefra responded to, interrupting suddenly. "You are aboard the Storm's Howl, my casinor," she said to them both.

The Ethaefal frowned. "Not that. Here. As in, here." She realised her folly and managed the barest hint of smile, hollow and wavering before it faded. "Region?"

[Gwin]

.





Gwin watched the beautiful creature with worry and pity, although she couldn't deny the sweet subtle hint of fascination simmering underneath. There was one, helpless and confused like a newborn child, who couldn't even answer questions of her heritage or home. The others wouldn't answer, but she simply couldn't.

Her movements seemed disjointed as if everything she tried to do or say hit a dead end. Color and sunlight, but which color? Did she mean Syna's blinding light? The round orb in the sky that took the yellow color of sunflowers in paintings lacked any color in truth, too bright to even look at it with the naked eye. Was she referring to that when speaking of home? But Gwin didn't understand how that could be. Such truth lay beyond the borders of her imagination and suddenly she was ashamed because of that. "So you were home... with Syna," she exclaimed, not quite asking, trying to wrap her mind around the concept.

As more questions were thrown up and the Svefra answered, Gwin rubbed her hair with the towel until it went from dripping wet to damp. Then she draped the fabric across her naked shoulders and made a vague gesture with both hands. Her fins slapped against the hull with a soft noise as she tried to keep her balance. "Here? We're in Cyphrus, off the coast of Riverfall which lies at the edge of the Sea of Grass. You must've heard of it at least."

For a moment she hesitated. The Ethaefal acted and spoke like a creature not of this world, so she probably didn't even know the names of cities and areas. Where did she come from? That question was setting a pounding rhythm in Gwin's mind, the heart of the riddle. "This is Mizahar," she added slowly.