Closed [The Docks] Fine Day for Fish (Kechaiya)

[Roth Windcarver]

4th Day of Autumn Roth rolled his shoulders, tossing his canvas tunic into the corner of the deck by the door to the sleeping quarters. Syna was already nearly at her peak, and there was no time to waste if he wanted to make it back in time for the golden hour at the Drunken Fish. The best catches would be around dusk, but he wanted to get enough distance from the docks so that the traffic didn’t disturb his fishing. So far there had been a cascade of delays which had kept him from making the morning catch, and he was in a hurry to make up for the time he’d lost already. He turned, grabbing the crank attached to the anchor and pulled, heaving it off the rocky floor. Every pull ached; he still hadn’t fully recovered from the way the storm had tossed him about a few days before and the bruises and tears in his muscles were still fresh. By the time the anchor was fastened to the side of the boat Roth was sweating like a pig and irritable. Gods damn me if I don’t deserve some days without pain in the near future. An instant before he spun on his heels to hoist the sail, he heard a loud squeal and a splash, followed by wild thrashing and calls for help. ”Petchin’… again?!” It seemed like anyone he brushed past nowadays had to go and nearly drown themselves. With an exasperated sigh, he turned to see who had fallen to his curse this time.

[Kechaiya]

Kech growled in frustration toward the male Charoda in front of her. The language barrier aside, his argument was simply flawed.

"Seaweed as bandage only good for Charoda. It dry out when not in water. Crumble, brittle. At best, only good for short time."

The Charoda shook his head, "No, you wrong. If keep damp twice day, as good. No, better than hemp bandage you use."

"You stupid? That make infection. Slow heal." She was now talking wildly with her hands, her frustration starting to be noticed by dockworkers.

His already large eyes widened at the insult, "No. I no stupid. You stupid, sand eater."

That racial slur pushed Kech over the line and she tried to throw a very poorly gripped, never practiced punch at his head. Her fist missed his head by almost an entire hand length, throwing off balance, tumbling into him. The pair fell to the wood, as her forehead smacked into his tiny nose from the downward momentum. He began screeching wildly, slapping at her arms and face, more of annoyance than painful. She made another fist and tried to punch him in his stupid tiny nose, but he managed to roll his body over, tossing her onto her side against the wood. He scramble with his slippery skin to get atop her, still slapping wildly, the high pitched screeching echoing over the docks.

Men were gathered around the fight cheering and jeering, making wagers. Kech started kicking wildly, her arms pushed up to keep the slapping hands away from her face. She tried to push up to get him off but he was just too heavy for her. He began shouting as he slapped at her "You stupid! Stupid stupid stupid!"

Then he stopped with a high pitched squeak as her flailing and kicking legs had found a soft spot, specifically knee to the crux of his legs. Using that as an opening, she pushed him off of her, scrambling to her feet. She moved to kick him in the torso, but he reached out and grabbed her bracing foot. Pulling it out from under her, while her leg was kicking, forcing her to fall backwards, landing bodily against the docks, lucky to not smack her head off the wood. The breath was knocked from her lungs as the Charoda stood and moved over her, baring his intensely sharp teeth. He moved to straddle her once more, his slapping hand now forming a fist. Kech brought her knees to her chest so he couldn't pin her. He bent down punching at her arms and legs, when she saw him move too close. She pushed her legs forward as hard as she could. One leg missed him entirely, but the other struck him in the shoulder, sending him sprawling backwards, tripping over the tie line for the ship, plummeting into the water.

The crowd cheered, assuming Kechaiya the winner in their brief entertainment. One of the men stuck out a massive hand and Kech grabbed it, letting him lift her up. There were several pats on the back and chuckling. She moved to the end of the dock, looking to see if she could see the Charoda once more, dark eyes scanning the waters. She didn't, but as she turned, she saw something flying at her face from the far end of the docks. It looked to be a spiky fish of sorts, yellow in color. She could see the Charoda had pulled itself out and thrown something at her. The fish smacked her in the forehead, and she tumbled backwards into the water.

Immediately panic set in, as Kechaiya had never learned to swim. All of her limbs were flailing wildly as she was dragged by a current below the the surface. Her lungs were already burning as she tried to hold her breath. The current popped her up, as she tried to take a deep breath, only to receive a mouthful of sea water. The current began pulling her down again, deeper and deeper as she tried to fight it, but failed. Her lungs felt ready to burst, but she was trying to hold off swallowing a lungful of water as long as possible.