[RP]

[withoutharbor]

Who: Note and Muirin
Where: An Island
When: King's Year 192ish?? (before Note met his own crew)
What: An Encounter

[The night is still fairly young, the sea calm and the breeze balmy. It's a gentle night, and the sailors are in good spirits despite their situation, as they had the luck to come across this small, secluded island just when their ship was badly in need of emergency repairs. The jagged rise of land is softened by the thick foliage that has made it's determined way over much of the island, leaving only the sandy cove bare, where the ship now rests, hidden by the island itself and its many broad-leafed trees.

Nothaniel, having taken his meal and his turn at the watch, decides to stretch his legs on the island a bit with some of the others while the tide is low and the captain will allow it (to the hoots and friendly jeering of their peers, warning them of sea spirits and the like).

The firefly dance of Messenger's Flames over a ridge of stones lures him away from the rest of the sailors and now he stands at the top of a rocky outcropping by the shore, watching the bugs flit through the water...]

Comments

[ofstormandsea]

[ If it wasn't for the movement, she probably wouldn't be noticeable at all-- dark hair and skin and tight, clinging clothing(or what could be called such) that blended into the nearly-black waves. Even then, her movement is only made obvious by the strange gaps in the Flames' lights, wandering nonchalantly along the shore as she was. This far, it's far too dark to see much but her shape, but certainly it's strange enough to be suspicious on a seemingly abandoned island... ]

[withoutharbor]

[Drops to a crouch when he spots the movement, his hand reaching for the pistol in his belt. With everyone still on alert for pirates, all the sailors had been issued a weapon to hold on to until they were safely to port again. Nothaniel was only a deck-hand, so the pistol he received was small and didn't hold many shots, but he knew he could use it accurately.

Drawing the gun, he carefully and quietly makes his way down the rocks to the edge of the water, heading toward the wandering figure.]

[ofstormandsea]

[ It isn't as if the figure had noticed much, facing away as she is-- she doesn't quite seem to be doing anything at all; in fact, she appears to be watching the fireflies dance much as he was.

Perhaps the alarming thing is the pony-sized horse creature that comes down from the shadows of the trees on shore, tromping easily across the sand to meet her. She turns away from the water to raise her hands to its face, the odd language uttered from her lips only just barely audible above the reaching waves.

Turned towards the moonlight, he might be able to better catch details-- most noticeably what appear to be some sort of webbing extending down from her wrists...? ]

[withoutharbor]

[Well, that is certainly strange, but one meets all sorts of people on the seas and it's better to be cautious. Moving quietly until he's close enough not to miss and then leveling the pistol at her, letting it make an audible click as he draws back the hammer]

Don't move just yet, Miss. I've a gun trained on you.

[ofstormandsea]

[ All at once she's tense and whipping around, backing in against the horse-thing and... she looks completely human. Blind in one eye with a curling brand over the brow and cheek around it, it's in pretty stark contrast to the relatively dark color scheme of the rest of her, grass-green healthy eye included.

But she simply looks surprised and frightened, eyeing that gun even as the horse-thing tosses its head, stomping a hoof irritably. ]

--What do you want?

[ Her Delphinian is fairly good but... accented strangely. ]

[withoutharbor]

[Frowns, wondering if the moonlight was playing tricks.. But that horse creature is still there...]

. . . To determine what it is you're doing here. To all appearances this island was deserted.

[ofstormandsea]

... I am only-- resting. Passing through...

[withoutharbor]

Am I expected to believe that you do so alone?

[ofstormandsea]

[ Glancing up at the horse-creature, then back, eyeing the gun... ]

I would not lie.

[withoutharbor]

[Doesn't seem to believe her]

I would see your ship, then, or whatever serves as your vessel. Lead me to it.

[ofstormandsea]

[ . . . . . . . . GLANCES BACK AT HER HORSE ]

I do not have a ship.

[withoutharbor]

[. . . why do you keep doing that]

And yet you claim to be passing through. How did you get here, then?

[ofstormandsea]

[ because i'm making sure he doesn't try to bite your face

but at the words she just... points to it... ]

I rode.

[withoutharbor]

[For a moment just looks... almost offended that she'd take such a ridiculous story that far, but then he recalls some of the stories and warnings his shipmates told earlier...

Eying the creature behind her again as well and lowering his gun, just a fraction...]

...Drop your illusion. You are wearing one, are you not?

[ofstormandsea]

[ She frowns, looking more nervous than irritated at his assumption-- but a quick word in a strange language and she flicks her fingers towards the waves; the creature behind her snorts and backs up, turning its stride instead to wade into the sea.

It's a blink-and-you-miss-it sort of thing, really, one moment perfectly human and the next standing awkwardly, hands on her arms, in a weak attempt to bring less attention to the fins and scales glistening in the moonlight. They travel up and down her body, lining edges and curves, around the gills on her neck and the fins of her ears.

She watches him, though, through her single eye, the movements of his hand on his gun, fearful and wary. ]

[withoutharbor]

[So it wasn't a trick of the light... Kind of seems to forget what he was doing with the gun and lowers it completely as he stares]

[ofstormandsea]

[ Visibly relaxes as the gun lowers. The horse-creature shifts a little to lay down in the surf-- now visibly different, all scales and back end a large, powerful tail. ]

...are you satisfied?

[withoutharbor]

[jolts out of his staring. Kind of half brings the gun back up, but he takes his finger off the trigger and doesn't aim it at her so much as just keeping it at ready.]

To be quite honest, it feels as if this could still be a trick. [WITCHCRAFT!] But if it is, it is becoming rather elaborate...

[ofstormandsea]

[ Tenses up all over again, frowning. ]

--You have stories of my kind, do you not? Especially in Delphinus. We are not fable.

[withoutharbor]

Ah... Well, I can't be quite certain, there are stories of many kinds of spirits in Delphinus. But mainly my concern is that our ship anchored here to avoid pursuers. If it can be proven that you're not with them, I suppose it doesn't matter to me what you are...

[ofstormandsea]

I am alone. And have been for many years, except for Kunan.

[withoutharbor]

[Slight expression of contrite, since he has been upsetting her, but... THIS IS IMPORTANT....]

Kunan?

[ofstormandsea]

[ motions to the kelpie ]

[withoutharbor]

[. . .]

I see.

. . . Is it customary to spend so much time traveling without company?

[ofstormandsea]

[ Another night, another time to watch the little fire-bugs wave in with the surf and flit upwards into the night.

A woman watches the trail of the moon on this night instead, perched on a stone above the sea. ]