[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]

[ 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]

...I have no choice, as it is.

[withoutharbor]

No choice?

[ofstormandsea]

[ Taps the brand over her eye. ]

No choice. Do humans not have outcasts as well?

[withoutharbor]

[thinks about this for a while... finally holstering his gun.]

A criminal?

[ofstormandsea]

[ Thinks about that for a moment. ]

... A traitor.