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[Noah Amuel]

74 Spring, 514
Afternoon
Noah hummed to himself as he surveyed the boxes before him. Some were larger than he was tall and those were the ones reserved for groups of men, not he himself. Being a smaller man of a light frame he was tasked with assuring that all cargo paid for was on the ship and that the ship was checked into the dock properly through the captain.

In his hand he held a clipboard and, in the other, a quill. A shipment of grain had come in and was to be transferred to Zeltiva once it had been thoroughly checked at Syliras. He mumbled to himself as he read off the list. His boots clunked against the wooden deck as he paced. With a scribble here and there he confirmed that half the order was on top of the deck with his fellow workers moving it from the hold below, to the deck, and then to the wharf.

He watched as two men, bigger than he was, lugged a large crate together up from the hold. "Where're we puttin' this one 'ere?" one of them said, his mustache moving as he talked.

"Over there," Noah said, gesturing to a corner of the ship unoccupied by crates already. They nodded and grunted as they gripped the sides of the box and started moving. "Thank you," Noah said quietly as they walked past.

Once the box was set down Noah ventured over to it, inspected it, and marked it off of his check list. To his right he noticed several smaller boxes able to to stacked in order to make more room for the cargo being moved from the hold. Noah set his clipboard down on the larger box and leaned over scooping up one of the smaller ones into his arms. Now where to put it? he thought.

He teetered his head in thought before deciding. He placed one box on the larger one beside his clipboard and reached for another, and another, stacking them in a pyramid formation. He hoisted the last box onto his hip -- as it was small enough to fit under his arm -- and let out a small sigh.

On the dock below his eyes fixed on a white haired woman. She was small, lithe even, and her hair flowed in a river of marble down to her waist. He leaned over on the larger box and admired her from a far. Questions swirled in his head, wondering what she was doing here and if she was from Syliras or came on one of the ships that docked today. He also wondered her name.

"What're you lookin' at," on the loaders said coming from behind him. He jumped in fright before pointing at the woman.

"Her."

"Aye, she's a looker," the man returned before laughing heartily. "Well go on and get 'er, boy!" The man, a walking bolder, gave Noah a rough pat on the back propelling him forward and sending the box on his waist flying towards the planks below.

Frantically he ran forward and braced himself on the frame of ship before shouting in warning to the woman. "Look out!"

Speech | Thoughts | Fratavan | Eagle

[Moxie]

Usually the Konti woman would walk with her hood of her cloak up, concealing herself to not draw attention. Today though, she wore it down, enjoying the crisp air running its salty fingers through her stark white hair. Moxie walked slowly across the vast docks, the scent of fish and sea mingled together, and she inhaled deeply. She loved the way the sea scent brought back memories of home. The weather outside was mild, the sky clear of rain clouds, and the sun beat down a bright symphony on the earth. It was a beautiful day to take a stroll along the docks, although it was indeed crowded, being close to the sea was delightful to Moxie.

She looked around at the large dock, hundreds of ships anchored there, with so many people walking and even running across the vessels, some preparing to depart, others preparing to anchor, while some were unloading, and others loading with goods. The small woman shrank into herself, trying to not touch another’s body, but it was impossible at times since there were so many people walking around. She would brush an arm here, an elbow there, and even occasionally a leg, or so she thought it was a leg it was hard to tell at times since some areas were thicker with bodies then others.

As Moxie neared a ship, she saw a slither of a view of the wide expanse of sea and gasped. It was indeed remarkable, tantalizing her eyes with its soft dance, the precious ebb and flow of the waves, intertwining and rushing forward then backward. She became slightly lost in her day dream of the water, its view hypnotizing her and taking her to realms inside her mind of delicious delight. The Konti woman seemed to always find pleasure from the simple of things in life, and at times she became lost in them.

A shout brought her out of her day dream as she looked up to see a box coming towards her. She had no time to really move out of the way, instead she put her hands up and yelled out. The sound coming out a bit strangled from lack of using her voice, with a soft feminine squeal. She went to take a step backward hoping to dodge the box, but stumbled and fell on her rear. The box landed where her head would have been, missing her only by luck of the unlucky fall.

The Konti woman sat there a bit confused and flustered. She looked around at the faces staring at her as she sat there in shock. Her already large eyes widened as the faces kept staring at her, her heart began to race a little in her chest. Moxie looked up to see a small framed man with dark hair. The fragile looking woman bit her bottom lip, she wanted to say something but was unsure of herself, so many people and their attention was all on her, her palms started to tingle and sweat, and she closed her eyes trying to hide herself inside herself.

She did not like the attention of others, she always tried to be invisible and hidden as best as a Konti could anyway. Her hair of moonlight and her luminescent skin seemed to draw the eyes of many, then when they notice her bright violet eyes they seem to not move their eyes from her. After they take that in there is the scales that dance in twirls on various areas of her body that intertwine in opalescent wonder, shimmering in bright pastel colors. The scales are all but hidden underneath her clothing, except her hands are exposed and at this very moment a portion of her legs are exposed to the world as well. The small Konti woman sat there frightened, knowing that all was looking and taking in her features, she could not hear any voices, if someone was talking to her she did not know, she lost herself inside herself, running away from those around her as best she could.

674

[Noah Amuel]

Noah stood there on the deck of the ship with his mouth ajar and eyes wide. “I’m so sorry!” he called down to the woman before propelling himself up and over the ship’s wall and landing, clumsily, on the dock. He rushed to her, probably startling the girl more than anything. “Are you okay?” he asked, holding his hand tentatively away from her, afraid that touch her would do more harm than good.

“He hit me on the back and – and – the box just slipped and – and it came – and I tried to stop it but I couldn’t. Are you okay?” he asked a second time.

His thoughts raced as he awaited her answer and his wide eyes studied her face for any sign of discomfort aside from the obvious terror. He felt himself swallow hard and finally inhale in a gasp before exhaling in a rasp. “I’m sorry,” he muttered again.

He felt the eyes of those surrounding them stop, stare, and then lift to continue their business. In a dock so busy during this time of day one had little time to actually rest with the constant flow of work coming in from the sea. Yet, this woman deserved a slice of Noah’s time as his concern for her, a stranger, over arched his work in this moment.

Noah felt awkward after his words left his mouth and his breath fell under control. There he crouched in a white tunic and cotton shorts that he had fashioned from old trousers. Nervousness gripped him also and his own thoughts spun a web of scenarios that could follow within the next few seconds. Will she accept his help? Call him a creep with pervasive motivations? Surely she didn't think that… he hoped.

Speech | Thoughts | Fratavan | Eagle

[Moxie]

Many women the Konti women saw around Syliras sought attention through their professions of choice. There was the seducing Harlot, and the mesmerizing Dancer, the lulling singer, and of course the story tellers who captured all who listened. Moxie on the other hand, she did not want attention nor even liked it. She was not one to crave all eyes on her, she wanted to stay hidden. I suppose it was mainly due to the fact that adjusting to life outside of Mura was not as easy as she suspected it would be, and she had yet to really understand everything about Syliras. She was so comfortable on Mura she could be herself, and knew she would not be harmed or judged for it because it was her family, her kin, and her race. Syliras was new, something different and frightening, a journey that although she was steadfast in it, she failed in some ways.

The small Konti woman closed her eyes and kept trying to even out her breathing, slowing down her racing heart. She was shocked at a near injury, then the people, so many people, stopping and looking just added to it. She heard a voice then, close to her, "I'm Sorry.." The Konti woman's face contorted into a frown of thought, her eyes still closed. "Was someone actually talking to me?" Moxie thought to herself, and she knew she would not know unless she opened her eyes.

She inhaled a deep breath to summon up some courage, and pried her bright violet eyes open. It seemed it was not as she suspected, sure people looked her way, but continued on their way dealing with their own business. Panic over took her and muddled her thought process, she had no reason to be afraid, she almost laughed at herself. She knew she struggled with some mental issues, but she also knew she needed to learn to conqueror some of them.

Crouched before her was a kind looking man, wearing a cotton tunic and shorts, his deep blue eyes seemed nervous and maybe a little worried. It only took a few seconds to realize that the man before her was offering his assistance, a faint smile graced her lips and as she looked up at the the man. He appeared to be around the age of 21, with dark hair, and cobalt eyes as deep as the sea. "Thank you." Moxie said in Common, her Konti accent coming through. She accepted his offered hand and brushed herself off. "Were you trying to...hurt me?" Moxie struggled a little with the words of Common. Though she was a fast learner of languages, she felt she was better at it then when she first started speaking it. Some words were more difficult then others to learn. She wanted to say 'kill' but chose hurt in the sentence instead. The Konti woman laughed softly to let him know she was only kidding. Moxie looked up at the man standing before her, he was taller then she was, and smiled a bright smile.

[Noah Amuel]

Noah let out an airy, yet relieved, laugh and shook his head. “No, not at all,” he answered her. He, admittedly, found hard to believe that the woman thought he had intended to hurt her – if she thought that at all – it was hard for Noah to even hunt other animals in his shifted form. Any hurting, let alone killing, he did was out of necessity and not blind blood-lust.

Noah admired the woman, eyeing her calmly as they stood now. She was much shorter than him, a little over five feet and he towered over her at a near looming six feet. Her eyes caught his as she smiled. They were bright and mesmerizing like that of bright tulip. He smiled back, guarding his teeth with his lips.

Her accent had caught his ear midst her speech. It was an accent he was unfamiliar with, an accent unheard of. He scratched the scruff on his chin. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said awkwardly, his own fading Zeltivan accent peeking through. “The box slipped from my hands and…” he trailed off then shrugged, the words to complete the sentence eluded him.

A gull called out overhead as it flew above them and around them the footsteps of working men and women rapped on the planks. The day was bright with few clouds hung in the air. A salty breeze gusted in from the sea, mussing up Noah’s already unkempt hair and fluttering his loose tunic and shorts.

Speech | Thoughts | Fratavan | Eagle

[Moxie]

She was glad that he caught on to the joke, or at least she hoped he did. He did not look the type to hurt another on purpose, but one can never tell, and she wasn’t one to be able to tell such things. Though the way his smile reached his eyes and made them brighter, she wanted to believe he would never do such things, that he was a kind and tender soul.

The towering man eyed her calmly as she did the same to him, adjusting to the situation. Kindness in this world was something beautiful, and for another to worry about someone else was something the Konti admired. Especially since she was a stranger, and he could of went back to what he was doing, with no care in the world about whether or not she was hurt. The fact that he did though, spoke volumes of his character to the Konti.

Moxie peered up at the man standing before her, apologizing once again if he had hurt her, trying to explain what had happened. He held an accent that was peculiar but she quite liked the way it sounded on his voice, it was different and intriguing. The Konti nodded and smiled, ”It is okay, accident.” Her soft voice said watching as the salt filled breeze mused up the man’s unkempt hair. “Thank you for concern.” Moxie said brightly in her silk filled voice.

She peered up at the ship, a slight frown on her face, running over the words that the man was saying. He said something about a box slipping from his hands… Or at least that is what she thought she had heard. It sounded like box slipped hands. The frown deepened and an idea sprung inside her mind, “You working? Moxie asked a little confused, as she pointed up at the ship with boxes, then looking back at the man for the answer.

[Noah Amuel]

Noah followed her eyes to the ship where the box had flew from and nodded. “Yeah, I am working.” Her use of words and fragmented sentences and accent gave Noah a feeling that she wasn’t from a Common speaking region and that it wasn’t her mother language. He looked at her and studied her features up-close. Her alabaster hair, pale skin, and a violently piercing eyes pointed to a race that Noah at only heard of: the Kontinese.

His mother had told him of them. They were a quiet people with iridescent scales that covered their skin in only the most graceful of ways. They had webbed hands and feet, gills, and pale skin that would almost shine in the sunlight. He found himself looking at her longer than usual yet found no evidence of gills. His gaze drifted towards her webbed hands, confirming his assumptions.

Feeling rude, he forced himself to look her in the eyes and nodded at her question, answering it again. “I’m nearly done though,” he said. “There’re are a few more crates that need to be counted before I can leave here.” He bit on his lip, eyeing her still with his own intruding eyes.

“What brings you here?” he asked, shifting his weight. It wasn’t something you expected to see – a Kontinese girl – especially in the harbor. Knowing her motivation might further give Noah lead and evidence to assume something further about the girl besides her being limited in her Common speaking abilities. Which, he assumed again, wasn’t rare for a Kontinese woman.

Speech | Thoughts | Fratavan | Eagle

[Moxie]

The man standing before her confirmed that he was indeed working. She slightly envied the man, being so close to the sea, being able to fill his lungs with the salty air, it seemed like a great job. Well to the small Konti woman it did anyway, the frown disappeared with a face of solace and calm, as she watched the man standing over her inspect her.

A slight blush crept her on her cheeks as he continued his inspection. "Is it normal for men to examine women like this...? The delicate woman asked herself, as his eyes landed on her webbed hands and a look of confirmation appeared in his eyes. "So that is why.. Moxie let out a relieved sigh and smiled. She supposed some have never seen a Konti before, and would wonder the same thing from meeting someone with graceful features as herself, though it may seem rude to do that she understood why he did.

The man standing before her spoke again, and she looked up into his deep gaze listening to him intently. She had interrupted his work and he wasn't done just yet. She felt bad for being such a burden on the man, "Should of never came here I guess. Just in the way.." Moxie thought to herself, a small pout wanting to form on her mouth but she eased it away, trying to force a indifferent look on her face.

Then he asked a question, asking her why she was here. She gave a small laugh and looked up at him, being silent this whole time probably made the guy feel a little weird, once again she was being a burden, "The Sea. Beautiful." Moxie replied in a soft voice. "Sorry for bothering you. I did not mean to be... trouble." Moxie said apologetically, the pout she tried to force away, appearing slightly on her mouth. "I am Moxie, you?" Forgetting to introduce herself made her feel a bit rude, so she did it the best she could, softly smiling willing the pout away. "I will leave you alone, so you can go back to..work. The Konti suggested, not wanting to further be a burden to the man, she inhaled softly loving the salt air filling her lungs, and backing away a bit from the man, so he could get back to his job.

[Devi]

Your Grades have arrived! Noah Skills: Leadership: 1 Observation: 4 Planning: 1 Acrobatics: 1 Socialisation: 3 Lores: Moxie: the shy Konti Moxie Skills: Observation: 4 Socialisation: 3 Lores: Acquaintance: The kind man at the harbour. Let me know if you have any questions and don't forget to edit your post in the Grade Request Thread. Happy Writing!