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 Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:22 pm
 The tiger that shouldn't be....is.... "Alright then. I'm sure you'll do fine though. We'll take it nice and easy." Joshua told her with a smile. He felt his heart warm as she said he made her feel safer. He turned away though, so he wouldn't blush. He stepped out onto the path, moving slowly and carefully.
He kept glancing back at Tianara to make sure she was doing okay. When they reached the narrow stretch, he took a few steps out, then turned to face her, smiling encouragingly. "Come on now. This is the worst part. Once you're part here, it's smooth sailing the rest of the way." He coaxed her. He didn't move too far ahead of her though, ready to be there in case she froze up or needed help.  The tiger that should be....isn't....
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Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 7:00 pm
So now what? A good question. The boat really was a good ways away by now, and it didn't seem to be worth the effort going after it at this point. Should probably start playing the pity card to get a little shelter. Waving a hand towards the dying feeding frenzy going on nearby, Daniel made a proposition: "Look, I am terribly sorry about attracting sharks to and polluting your waters, but, you have to understand. Those men had kidnapped me during a swim, using some sort of net. After taking a good look, they'd threatened to kill me and I... I had to retaliate." Daniel tried to sound as scared and pitiful as he could as he told his tale, then changed his facial expression to one of resolve. "But, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make up for it..." The tell-tale looked about himself- No land in sight. "In exchange for a place to stay." As much of a lie as his story was, the boy was atleast honest about the 'making up for it' bit.
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Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:19 pm
Tianara hesitated for a minute more, and then nodded. "Okay," she said. Watching where he stepped, she made a game out of trying to follow his footsteps exactly - it kept her mind off the disturbing drop at their side. She began to breathe a little easier, but was still very aware of the edge.
When they reached the narrow area, she went still. She could practically see the edge of it creeping towards her. Shaking her head once, quickly, she raised her eyes to meet Joshua's. His smile went a long way towards boosting her confidence. It was only a few steps. And this was the worst of it. Inching along slowly, she went to him. She didn't see it as getting past the narrow part, or going to the wider path - she saw it as going to Joshua, and that made it easier.
She gave him a weak smile once she finally made it. "Are we almost there?" she asked, determinedly not looking behind her.
~
Citara looked him over hesitantly. Much as she still disliked what he'd done to her waters, she couldn't just abandon him. And he sounded like he was telling the truth. Maybe not about all of it, but at least some.
"I..." She was uncomfortable with bringing him back home, but what choice, really, did she have? At least she had no clan to worry about - Citara had been an outcast for many decades now. And though she would never have admitted it, she was lonely. "Come with me," she said at last, her voice resigned. "I'll take you home to my cavern until I can find a place for you to stay more...permanently."
She gestured to him to follow, then turned and began to swim away - slowly enough for him to keep up.
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Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:30 pm
"Thank-you" Daniel said, half whispered, with total gratitude on his face and in his smile. Once Citara had turned around, his smile melted into a wicked grin. The stranger took a deep breath and dove underwater, resurfacing a few feet away into a strong breast-stroke, then turned into a normal swim as he came up behind her, slowing down to match her pace and keeping off to the side to avoid her splashes. "So," He began, in between strokes, "What's the-" another stroke, "Family like?" In an attempt to make light chatter.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:16 pm
Citara irritably flicked her tail while they moved through the water. "Save it," she said flatly. "You're not staying long." And as soon as she got rid of him, she was moving. She didn't like the aura of this stranger, Ocean Child or no. And at some point, she'd be looking for his family to see if she could find out how exactly they'd raised this...thing.
He seemed so ridiculously incognizant of how one behaved, and it bothered her.
She stiffened at his question, and turned to give him a piercing stare. Only for the briefest of seconds. Then she was back to swimming along slowly enough for him to keep up, as though nothing had happened. Her voice was cool and clipped when she answered, "I wouldn't know. I haven't seen them in over a century."
Then she turned left abruptly. "It's this way. Come on."
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:24 pm
As she stopped and turned, Daniel followed suit and began to tread water, beginning to regret that he'd asked even before she'd answered the question. "I'm sorry to hear that, and, trust me, I know how you feel." Perhaps not entirely true, it had only been 19 years, after all. When she made that sharp turn left, he took the gap between them as an opportunity to cut the corner swiftly and come up along side her. Probablly not to her likeing, but that's the kind of guy he is. "Well, how would you like the idea of a little brother?" He asked whimsically in between strokes. Considering the age difference, he probably fits the category of little brother. With no parental guidance, most likely the personality, too. Just... A little more deadly. The question was just for fun, anyway. He couldn't possibly confine himself to stay with one person in one place for a long time. Especially not a stranger.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 3:15 pm
The tiger that shouldn't be....is.... Joshua held his breath as she inched across the path. He sighed in relief as she made it with no problems. "Almost." He said in response to her question. "Not far now. After that, the rest should be easy." He saith soothingly then started off down the path again.
He didn't stop again until they'd reached the bottom and were again on flat ground, the forest just ahead of them. There he stopped and turned to Tianara. "Congratulations." He told her with a grin. "You've made it up and down the cliff. It wasn't that bad, now was it? It gets easier the more often you do it." The tiger that should be....isn't....
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:59 pm
Tianara laughed, waving a hand at him lightly. "Oh, shush," she replied with a grin. "I'm not doing it again without you, that's for sure. I never would have made it if you weren't there."
Then she trotted up until they walked together along the forest path. "Come on - let's go see if Sorry and the others are back. They probably are. It's been a while. They might help us unload the boat," she said, sounding surprisingly optimistic. After tackling the cliff and getting through it, she felt good.
And she was hoping that somewhere in all this, she'd be able to sneak a few minutes with Sorry - and later with Kiro, when and if he would come.
~
Citara only rolled her eyes. "No," she replied calmly, "I really don't think you do." Even if he, too, was outcast, how could he hope to understand the dull ache it left to have been sent away from a family that meant everything to you - and to remain away for over a hundred years? At best, it was a fresher verson of the same blow.
When he came up beside her, she shifted to the side to keep her distance. She still did not want him too close to her. At the question, though, she slammed on the brakes and stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Then she just shook her head and kept going again. "Pushing your luck kind of early in the game, aren't you?" she inquired coldly.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:09 pm
The tiger that shouldn't be....is.... "You'll get used to it." Joshua assured her with a laugh. He walked alongside her easily, enjoying the day. "It's nice to see you in such a good mood though." He commented offhandedly. After their trip into town, something he knew that made her nervous, it was good to see her smiling and laughing again.
As they neared the cove, he opened his mind, seeking to feel if Katalina and the others were nearby. He glanced around the calm waters as they broke through the treeline and onto the beach, looking for the merfolk. The tiger that should be....isn't....
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:17 pm
She wasn't entirely correct, the fact of death took his family away from him. Atleast she may have an opportunity to see them again, before the afterlife. One could see it to be a birth orphan against a fresh orphan, sort of thing. Her somewhat angered reaction only served to make Daniel smile on the inside. "Well, I do tend to-" He thought about his dock-side nap, "Take risks. Besides, you know you're starting to like me." Daniel took little offense to her backing away, he was quite used to it. Though these things were always a bad omen of nightmares to come. Nightmares that feuled Daniels hatred. His murderous intent. But she, unlike the humans, probably didn't mean much harm by it. Deciding not to loom around the thought, Daniel continued his swim, expressionless. "How far away are we, um, I'm sorry. What was your name, again?" Oh, darn that bad memory.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:12 pm
((OOC: *totally cannot recall what Tianara wanted to ask Katalina about*))
Tianara smiled and shrugged a little bit. "If you say so," she replied, not really believing it. But usually, when Joshua said something, it turned out right - or close to it, anyway. So she told herself to let it go. Either way, did it really matter.
She looked up, startled, and blushed at his words. "I...oh." She looked a little confused, but gamely went on anyway. "I like being in the woods. It feels calming." Most of the time. Every now and then, what Kiro had said about creatures in the woods made her look over her shoulder a few times.
As they broke out of the trees and onto the beach, Tianara smiled. "There they are," she said, gesturing. Katalina was in the shallows already, close to beached, waiting for them. Nezik and Jinx were out in the deeper waters, seemingly playing some kind of splashing game.
Tianara's eyes softened. How could anyone want to hurt these creatures?
She looked at Joshua. "Let's go," she said.
~
Citara looked behind them at where the water still frothed with the movement of the sharks. "Clearly," she replied, her voice very dry. "And you can continue to think that as long as it comforts you." The boy was turning out to be more of an annoyance than she'd bargained for, and considering how bad she'd already expected it to be, that was saying something.
She flicked her tail again, and continued moving. "What?" she asked when he spoke again. "Oh. It's Citara. And we're close." She darted him a look. "So you can see it's more of an inconvenience, since now w--," she stopped - guests, no matter how little she wanted them, did not get guard duty, "I get to guard the cavern against sharks until the corpses and the smell of blood are swept out to sea." She sighed. "They're rather stupid creatures, but I don't like to harm them."
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:39 pm
Daniel chuckled, allowing the sea water pass through his clenched teeth and continue through the gills on the inside of his throat that were dry from lack of use. Among the other oddities of his physical make up, Daniel's gills were also strange in that his mouth must be open for him to breathe underwater. And, even then, he could not swallow underwater, or he could not swallow anything but the water or he would choke. Thus, he didn't bother with it too much.
Hm, fending off sharks with minimum force did not sound like something he would be too good at. But, "Y'know, you absolutely must let me do something" He pleaded, but never made eye contact with the woman. Her stares were beginning to intimidate him. How strange.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 9:08 pm
The tiger that shouldn't be....is.... ((Um.....Something about feelings I think. And her confusion towards Joshua. Maybe. *is unsure*))
Joshua looked both relieved and happy to see Katalina and the younger pair. He hailed them, waving at them. He trotted down to the beach happily, entering the water without a second thought. He swam out to meet Katalina rather than make her come too shallow. "Hey!" He greeted her happily. "How're things on your end?" The tiger that should be....isn't....
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:45 am
((OOC: I think that was Kiro. Meh. Doesn't matter. I'll make up something. razz ))
Katalina smiled a little bit upon seeing the two of them. "All right," she replied. "Those merfolk clans who are not already busy with their own...difficulties promised to pass on the message to others. All are taking in their children or letting them know to come here if they have no other safe shelter when it comes down to it."
She didn't specify exactly what the 'difficulties' were, and Tianara didn't want to press. The girl was fairly sure she already knew. So she put aside what she'd wanted to ask Sorry. It would have to wait - there were more pressing concerns right now.
"We have some things set up," she said instead. "We'll need more. But what we have is a good start - at least that's what Joshua said." She glanced his way as though unsure. "We still need to unload it, though."
~
Citara gave him a strange look. "Long as you've been on land, even you must remember that guests don't pull guard duty," she replied tartly. No matter how much I wish I could feed you to those idiot sharks at the moment. "If you absolutely want to do something, I'll figure something out when we get there."
She turned right this time, and made her way to what appeared to be a fantastically twisted and gnarled cliff face. Turning back, she lifted a brow at him. "Coming?" With a flick of her tail, she turned away from him again and dived, heading for the cavern opening that was barely visible under a large outcropping of rock.
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:53 am
The tiger that shouldn't be....is.... ((Eh, who knows. *shrug*))
Joshua nodded, glad to hear that the message was being passed along. He too, didn't press about the 'difficulties'. He could guess and he didn't want to know more. At Tianara's words, he nodded again.
"We've got heaters brought up to the caverns, so they won't be nearly so cold. And a start to a food supply, though those still need to go up." He explained further. "It's a good start, but we really know know how many are coming or how long we'll be there. That makes it hard to truly determine how much we need. I've been going on the safe side and estimating a lot. The stuff will last for years, so I'm not too worried about that. Mostly I'm worried about not getting enough." The tiger that should be....isn't....
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