In time you'll find, I've got baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

The crash and swell of waves filled the air with a quiet rumble. A storm had swept through the other night, and the ocean was still upset, still heaving and churning, thrashing its displeasure at the turbulent sky like a petulant child. But even with the sand still wet from the torrentuous rain, even as seaweed and driftwood littered the beaches amidst treasure spewed up from the terrible depths, the sun warmed the onshore winds. And the sky was blue, the clouds swift, and the song of seabirds was a chorus of life to counterpoint the halfeaten carcass of whatever creature had not survived the night.

Maea gave it only a passing glance as she padded barefoot across the sand. Half a thought spared for the circle of life and death, the mercilessness of Rae's laws... but really, her mind was on other things today.

"So, any thoughts on where we are going?" she asked, and turned to walk backwards before Sunjata, hands on her back and her expression bright with excitement. "As far out as we can? I'm all ready to go wherever." She tapped the necklace tied about her neck meaningfully. Thin leather cord had been braided around a small crystal to let it rest against her throat, and she looked quite eager to try it out again.

For once, most of her clothes had been stripped off, save for a pair of loose fitting trousers tied off just below the knees and some cut of version of a shirt that only really covered her chest. The dark shawl had been left behind, and save for one of the elegant daggers he had gifted her tied to a belt, she was unarmed.

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep

SUNJATA

the flood

but is this what you want? what you wanted?
do you need love? am i enough for you?

Even with or without the storms, Torchline was a place to be reckoned with. The usual time he’d spent here had been fully incorporated in mostly fine weather, but as the seasons begin to change so too do the temperaments of the weather. Even if the storm had ravaged and left carnage behind, Sunjata didn’t mind. The place was beautiful, regardless, and it was a vibrating song in his blood of coming home.

He’s too busy watching the choppy waves to notice that she’s turned to face him, stepping backwards along the wet sands, and when his gaze returns to her – bright, the same as hers, he offers her a charming grin. “As far as we can.” He winks to her, before he picks up his pace a bit more, aiming to reach her and grasp her arm. “Just remember that I can’t talk to you when I’m fully shifted, alright?” A raise of his brow, a look of seriousness crossing his face.

“So if something happens, I’ll hear you if you try to speak to me but I can’t say anything back.” Just in case there were sharks roaming the water, dangers within the layers of the choppy waters out there. She might be able to breathe under water with the crystal, but that didn’t mean something couldn’t take her. But with the warning given, he aims for her hand with his, to curl his fingers within turning to face the water – no fear but sheer excitement at the prospect of the rough waters ahead. “It’ll be a bit colder than we're used to.” He informs her, glancing down toward her, letting her take the lead to ensure the crystal works.

in time you'll find i've got my baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

She smiled at seeing him so transfixed by the sea. It was easy to forget that his nickname was not just because of a relentless personality and tendency to forge ahead no matter the obstacle. He really loved the ocean. Truly, deeply. And Maea was coming to love it too, the more time she spent by it, with him. Never again could she smell salt and brine without recalling steel gray eyes behind charcoal lashes, and that boyish grin of his.

"I remember," she assured him, and turned when he reached for her arm, fell in to walk beside him. "And don't worry about the cold, it doesn't bother me. I can walk barefoot on snow these days, and hardly even feel numb." A perk of being part-time resident of Halo, and full time student at the Academy. You picked up a trick or two.

Braiding her fingers in with his, Maea turned to the sea as he did, her grin wide and enthusiastic. She led the way into the water and forged ahead until it reached her waist. Only then did she let go, and in a smooth, easy motion she dived into the waves. It was no trick of the eye - the surge really did rise up to accommodate her not entirely practiced arch... but was it really cheating, when commanding the water came as easy as breathing?

The girl certainly didn't care; she was already swimming straight out from the shore, a little too swiftly to be propelled only by her own arms and legs. Judging by her determination, she was not about to turn back any time soon.

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep

SUNJATA

the flood

but is this what you want? what you wanted?
do you need love? am i enough for you?

He offers her a small snort when she tells him that she doesn’t feel the cold anymore, that she could walk barefoot on snow and not feel a thing. Something of which he never wants to attempt – preferring sand to snow any day. And so he nods to her with another rogue grin until they reach the water and he focuses on her easily, breaking his gaze from the water to watch her lead the way – following until her hand releases its hold with his.

She might not feel the cold, but he does. And it’s evident in the goosebumps that rise against his skin as he wades with her, pausing with the waves to watch her as she dives in – watching the water swell and move with her in such a way that it always surprised him yet endeared her to him more. Water magic to quell the ocean just enough, the very same that rampaged through his heart.

Her speed is quick and she’s beginning to get away as he remains waist deep, and so he partially shifts to swim after her, taking a deep breath to propel himself far enough into the ocean he wont beach himself. And when he reaches that point, he shifts fully – propelling himself fully now, it’s no issue to catch up. The orca dives toward the pale woman, aiming to swim far enough away to not impede her own swimming, but still enough to show off regardless.

in time you'll find i've got my baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

She could feel him approach behind her. It was not so much the shift of water pressure around her as some primal instinct warning against a looming danger, some incoming threat. Maea threw a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the dark fin cut through the waves, behind her, then by her side, and with a laugh she ducked down beneath the waves, into the ocean.

He was magnificent. Huge, black, with shimmering patches of white that were near incandescent in the filtered light. Despite the choppy waves, the view was surprisingly good below the surf, and Maea could see a lot further than she thought. She kept swimming, holding her breath for as long as she could. But then the rough part began; the struggle not to rise to the surface to get more air, the instinct not to inhale water battling against her faith in the Cloud Manta crystal's ability to let her breathe. Her pace slackened a bit, made her fall behind as focus turned from propelling her forward with magic to simply inhaling.

But then she was there. A deep, desperate intake of what should be water, what probably was water, only it did not feel painful at all. Just like... well. Breathing. Only then could she look up again, and give a thumbs up to Sunjata.

"I hate that part," she told him, amused to find that her words made bubbles of air stream up from her mouth. Whether he could hear her or not, if she was legible at all, was difficult to say.

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep

SUNJATA

the flood

but is this what you want? what you wanted?
do you need love? am i enough for you?

Oh, he notices immediately when she begins to slow, and he turns in the water ahead of her, spinning slightly as he turns enough within the water that his fin slaps against a wave that’s incoming. He nears her somewhat, steel eyes watching her as she struggles briefly… And then doesn’t. Mentally, he exhales a sigh of relief at the thumbs up, nearing her to offer his face to her as if to say ‘I knew you could do it’ before he rises to the surface again for a breath of air — a steady stream of water from a space along the top of his body before he inhales again and continues to dive.

He meets up with her again, near her side, but he spins somewhat in the water, sticking a fin up into the surface and revealing his pale stomach to her as he does so. A few of the scars have transferred over, mostly along his sides — though near his head that wound from Korofi that would have been fatal is a vibrant white line against the black.

He spins around her somewhat before aiming to land right side up, offering a fin to hold onto.

in time you'll find i've got my baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

He was there, never leaving. With how easily he moved through the water it would be easy to think he flew rather than swam, and she could have believed it if she didn't feel the currents shift when he came closer to see she was alright.

She smiled in delight at the sight of him as he turned and spun in the water. Breaching to breathe, only to come down and keep her company again. Maea reached out and brushed her hand along his white belly, found it the same smooth, rubbery texture as she recalled from the first time they swam together. She eagerly grabbed hold of his fin when he offered it to him, and brought herself closer to his body, so she would create as little resistance as possible in the water.

To say she didn't feel the cold at all would be untrue. It wasn't freezing, but rather like a cool embrace closing in around her. Do doubt she would need to return to warm up properly in the sun eventually, but for now she was comfortable, eager to explore and see what the ocean was really about. As she grabbed on to the flipper firmly, Maea looked up, then down to the deep blackness below. Searched it as far as her eyes would allow, and saw the shimmering bodies of fish dart away whenever their shadows crossed over them.

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep

SUNJATA

the flood

but is this what you want? what you wanted?
do you need love? am i enough for you?

He doesn’t have the ability to raise goosebumps in this form, but he would have the moment her hand outstretches to stroke along his stomach. The chill, now that he’s fully shifted, is gone thanks to the blubbery that encompasses him now — and only as she grasps onto his fin does he notice the warmth that leeches from her. He blinks to her to ensure that she’s got a good tight hold before he begins to dive a bit deeper, keeping her close and splicing them through the water a far enough amount that he notices the fish that swim beneath them, that vanish with the predator in their midst.

He finds himself distracted a small amount by it, before he redirects his course — keeping his predatory instincts on a leash as much as he can. And with it, he finds they’ve gotten quite far from shore. His tail propels them back, closer to the blue sky above that’s distorted with the way the waves crash above them. But from this position it’s relatively easy to keep beneath the tremoring waves.

He blinks to her again, focusing to ensure she’s still doing alright, slowing the swimming speed enough to check on her as the light from above comes down in dappling rays that dance across her pale skin.

in time you'll find i've got my baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

Oh, she was more than fine. There was a thrill in her stomach when he shot forward, bringing them deeper down and faster forward than she thought was possible. Maea's ears popped with the increasing pressure, and she realized that it would be quite difficult to go too far down, lest she be crushed by the sheer mass of the water. But Sunjata seemed to know this too, or possibly just didn't want to take her too far into the darkness, where even the sun wouldn't reach. There was a twitch in him at the sight of the fish, and she laughed, patting his side in a half comforting, half teasing gesture.

"I recall you wolfing down a great deal for breakfast. Still hungry?" she asked, in another stream of bubbles, knowing she would get no real reply.

The difference in temperature was quite remarkable as he brought them back up into the sunlit areas, far enough down that the waves were not a problem. While still cold compared to the warm tidal pools she had dipped her feet in before, it was comfortable, easy. Looking around, Maea spotted a coral reef loom up in the distance to the right, and after tapping Sunjata's fin to call his attention, she pointed to it. Smiled eagerly, wanting to go there and see what could be seen.

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep

SUNJATA

the flood

but is this what you want? what you wanted?
do you need love? am i enough for you?

A knowing look is sent toward her. A look that seems to say when isn’t he? It doesn’t help that he typically gives in more fully in his shifts than he used to — taking the Alchemists advice and letting that wild side of him take charge. But he can’t with her there, not wanting to attract any unwanted company with the off chance he bites off more than he can chew.

But he brings them back near the surface, and Sunjata twists a small amount to breach the surface again and exhales and inhales once more before she catches his attention — and he looks over, spotting the reef. Turning in the water, he pulls her along with him toward it — only slowing when they’re near. And he hums a quiet whale sound she may or may not hear, giving her the okay to let go if she wishes to go into it a bit closer than his large body will allow.

in time you'll find i've got my baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

The look he gave her made her laugh, a breathless sound expressed by bubbles more than anything, and she held on tigh as he broght them towards the reef. Breathing along with him when he surfaced, forced herself to get used to the shift between breathing water and breathing air, until the difference wasn't as panic-inducing as before.

His vocals were just within her ability to hear. A quiet humming in the water, a vibration more felt than heard, so deep and melancholy that she wanted to hear more of it. But she let go of his fin, and approached the reef slowly, so as not to startle away any fish. And there were plenty of them. Colorful, vibrant, schools of fish in every size and shape imaginable. Corals grew dense in the shallows near the water surface and were incredibly colorful, vivid in hues of all the colors of a rainbow. Maea swam slowly among the jagged shapes, wary of touching them too much as she had cut herself on similar growths before, when helping Remi build a memorial at Hale Ka'aila.

She paused however, rather nervous when she spotted a smooth, predatory shape glide along the rock formations some distance ahead. A slim gray body with the tail fin set vertically, as opposed to Sunjata's horizontal one, and an open mouth full of sharp teeth... It was a shark.

It drifted rather peacefully, zig-zagging lazily in a cloud of solitude as all other creatures stayed just out of reach of it... Maea looked around to make sure she knew where Sunjata was. Both fascinated by the majestic air of the creature, and wary of getting too close to it.

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep

SUNJATA

the flood

but is this what you want? what you wanted?
do you need love? am i enough for you?

She gets used to the change in breathing as he breaches the surface, and soon enough he’s brought her to the reef to let her explore – feeling the relief of warmth where her hand had held onto his fin. He gets used to it quick enough, another humming murmur sent her way as she explores and he lowers himself down below into the dark to find a fish of sorts to munch on. But another larger presence than the fish capture his attention, and he turns in the water to lift himself a small amount, scouting through the water to find a shark. A reef shark, of sorts.

It didn’t seem like much of a threat, but it appeared to be drifting close to Maea and he’s unsure if it’s noticed her yet. And so he abandons his snack to spin in the water to zip toward the shark, hoping that perhaps his presence might be enough to ward off the creature. But if it’s not, he snaps his jaws of sharp teeth near it in a threat – to find other waters. The last thing he wanted was to give into this side of himself, to tear and rip flesh from bone when Maea was right there.

It took roughly a lot of self-control to keep himself from simply knocking the shark over, to be honest.

in time you'll find i've got my baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

When she looked for her friend, it was only to see him come speeding towards the reef like a big menacing shadow. He had obviously seen the shark too, and was not so tolerant of its presence as her. His approach did not go unnoticed, not by anyone. The shark snapped around and sped off, as did most of the fish. In the span of a few seconds, the reef lay empty and silent beneath the rippling rays of light, with even the swaying water lilies withdrawn and still.

A rather disappointing outcome, though she wasn't about to berate him for wanting to make sure she was safe. "I'm alright," she told him, pushing off against a rock to swim over to meet him. holding out her hands, Maea rubbed them over his face, angling herself up and back until she rested on his back, just on the side of his large dorsal fin. She hugged herself to him as best she could, arms nowhere near long enough to encompass him, and as she pressed her chest to his back he would find her heart calm and steady.

"I don't think it's coming back soon... Where do you want to go next?" she asked him. Maea doubted the fish would come back until his looming threat had disappeared, leaving very little left to see here for a while.

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep

SUNJATA

the flood

but is this what you want? what you wanted?
do you need love? am i enough for you?

The shark snaps at him before speeding off, and he’s rather satisfied with that outcome before he turns to spot Maea and a rather empty reef. Well, it hadn’t quite had the correct outcome – but again, he’d let himself get too in depth with that shift of his, the predatory ‘back the fuck off’ nature of this form. She doesn’t snap at him for it, and instead he meets her hands as she offers them, leaning into the touch a small amount as she rubs them along the smoothness of his face.

She clamors onto him and he remains in place, pausing to listen to hear heart through the water, offering a quiet almost sorrowful sounding hum to her. With the fish gone, that also meant his lunch was gone, and he glances around through the water for another place to carry her with. He spies something looming a fair distance away, perhaps a different space that hadn’t realized he’d shown yet, another shadow of a reef the closer he takes her.

He remains off distance from it to try and prevent the fish from departing, lifting to the surface once more to breathe, before waiting to see whether she wants to look here as well. Already from this distance he can see vibrant blue and green shells, some that look almost like oysters in the distance, wondering what kind of pearls they might hold.

in time you'll find i've got my baggage too