River Monster

Sometime during the day

The weather is hot and hazy. Perfect to lounge about the river and enjoy the waters, company and let the heat shimmer across one's ruddy scales. Yet, for some reason, Aelwyn was not really indulging on the the perfect weather to just... bask.

Wearing not much more than his red loincloth, the ruddy (but not short) Sith-makar was seated on a stone and his gaze on the horizon. The glaive was resting against the nook of his neck, pointed behind him, the blade gleaming with deep red within its recesses. The rare wind flutters his behorned ribbons.

Nothing much happening except the wind, the odd beach-goer and the ships passing by in the river. And during one of those little gusts that play with Aelwyn's ribbons, a small hand plaps against the top of his head. Hardly any pressure, just enough to feel the hand.

"Copper for your thoughts, Fluttery.", a scratch female voice says. Balancing atop his head on that hand, Murder giggles, peering down at the ruddy-scale Sith. "Everything alright? You're not even taking advantage of the sun to look magnificent."

Culix is here, in the shade of the bridge, and for once she's not covered from head to toe in shades of grey. She's covered from neck to mid-calf, so that she can dangle her feet from a nearby rock and into the water. She is staying out of the sunlight, though, and to the shade offered by the bridge. Shade which threatens to retreat in time, but for now, the respite is welcome. She has a book, a journal or notebook of some kind, which she is scribbling at, seemingly lost in thought for the time being. With her hood down, and boots off (they are on the rock next to her) it's clear that the grey pigmentation is complete. And her hair is affected too- though it is still mostly black, it's streaked with silver.

Feeling a bit cheated from her last day of relaxation, Eztli decided that a replacement was necessary.

Almost like a crocodile the small Makari pokes their head out of the water just out of potential stabbing distance. "Hey, what are you writing about?" They wonder, before turning back another way. "Hey Aelwyn, Everything alright?"

Aelwyn doesn't move when he feels that hand on his head. "Tch," He replies then, hand sliding to grab the other atop his head. With a loud inhale, he straightens up to his stand and takes Murder with him, pushing her in the air by her hand with his arm. "When is this not? Should this flex more on this riverside?" He rumbles toothily, as he does just that with his bicep.

Slowly lowering Murder down towards the ground, he begins to give her a bit of a spin with large windmill like motion from his hand. "This one is perfectly fine, Shortie aside!"

The Goblin does indeed move upwards, and will gently go downwards when Aelwyn pulls. She squeaks and laughs as he spins her like a windmill. She pulls her hand free of his, and begins to zip around him quickly. "No it looks like you were being moody, which is why I asked about your thoughts. Missing someone? Home? Pondering life, the universe and everything? Maybe the number forty-two?" All questions are rapid fire, one after the other.

She suddenly stops flying about, and slowly descends to the ground, ending up laying flat on the ground. "Hey, you say Shortie like I was irritating you or something!" She huffs, her eyes trailing over to the alligator in the water, her ears perking up. Her glance goes from the face in the water to the Goblin in the shade.

"Hey Culix, long time no see!" Murder manages a wave from her spot on the ground. "You're uh tan is coming along nicely!"

Culix glances up from her notes towards the crocodile floating by in the water. "Oh, uh, nothing much. Just scribbling down a couple things I learned on my last job." she says, and then closes the journal. A flap folds over to hold the book closed, and then it's wound up with a cord. The 'inkless' quill (actually not inkless, more like potless, the ink is inside the quill) is tucked behind an ear. "Scaring the bathers?" she asks in return.

Her attention goes to the voice calling out to her, and she lifts a hand to offer a wave. "Yeah, been a while." she agrees.

"Hmm? I'm not scaring any bathers, I'm not scary! And you're not really a bather either. Relaxing! I wanted to actually go enjoy the beach somewhere a bit less bloody." The small Makari laughs. "You sure Aelwyn? Looks like you're over-correcting a little bit." Eztli points out. "And what's wrong with shortie?"

Aelwyn lets go of Murder with an unneeded flourish, before he leans against his glaive with a rumbling swing of his tail. He knocks some sand over towards the gobbo. "No, she is simply short." The draconian points out with a wiggle of his tongue.

"Hmmh, fine, this was gazing at the sea." He replies to the both of them, "Is it wrong to lust after new worlds and experiences?"

Both Eztli and Culix get bows from him then, "Spellreader, Knives." He greets, in turn.

The other Gobbo grins at Eztli. "She bathes just fine.", Murder says matter-of-factly to Eztli. Looking back to Aelwyn, and snorts, "Simply short. Simply short?!" As the Sith turns to Etzli and Culix, the Gobbo stands, and climbs up his back. And begins to gnaw on his horns.

Pausing, she grins to Culix, "You've discovered the secrets of the uhm... shadow? Working with it?"

Culix grins at Eztli, "I'm bathing my feet. Prefer somewhere more private to bathe the rest of me." she retorts and then looks over towards Murder. "Mmm, some of them." and she pushes herself up to a standing position, book tucked under one arm, she picks up her boots with the other arm, and takes a step back on the rock, merging seamlessly with the shadows. Or trying to, at any rate. With that done, she traces her steps through the shade and the shallows back towards the shore, before she emerges once more from the shade. "Red." she decides on a nickname for Aelwyn.

GAME: Culix rolls stealth+1: (13)+17+1: 31

GAME: Murder rolls Perception: (12)+18: 30

"No, it is wrong to to not be open with your friends." The small Makari huffs as she pulls herself onto the beach and takes a seat, wearing a bright yellow two piece bathing suit. "Noted, then, I'm just saying that I'm not scaring anyone, that's all, but I get it, not everyone can go around wearing nothing but a loincloth and feel comfortable." Eztli laughs. Only for the Makari to blink and be left alone. "Huh, guess her discoveries are going alright, then."

Aelwyn lets out another hiss as he is clambered on - giving his horns a shake as Murder once again attempts to gnaw through his horns. "Not chewable!" The draconian hisses - but as a way of bribery, gives her a ginger stick to chew up on instead.

"This one does look ravishing in red, does he not?" He flashes his teeth at the pair - before once again trying to wrestle with Murder and his poor, red ribboned horns.

At least until Eztli says about friends. He pauses for a moment; well, there was being upfront with friends. There was also being upfront with things better left unsa- "Not so hard, Shortie!"

The Goblin clings to Aelwyn's head, perhaps anticipating some headbanging or thrashing to happen. Her attention is on the disappearance of Culix, Murder's eyes tracking back and forth. She glances at the spot where Culix emerges, grinning broadly. "That's a neat trick!", she exclaims. "I lost track of you there. Til ya stepped back out." There's a clack of teeth as she snaps up the ginger stick, gnawing noisily at it. Murder clings tightly as the expecting wrestling arrives.

Suddenly, she lets go and drops off behind him.

GAME: Murder rolls stealth+5: (18)+12+5: 35

Culix shrugs her shoulder at Eztli, "Plenty of reasons not to be open with your friends." she says then as she saunters over to peer behind Aelwyn and find Murder gone. "Ought to check your coinpurse." she suggests to the Sith, and then turns back towards the river croc. "Could be what you're hiding is for their own good. Like a curse or somethin'" she suggests then. "Or maybe you got geasa'd. Heard of that happening." she adds then. "Or maybe it's just too much information."

She turns her attention back towards Red then, "Still, though, I get what you're saying. Want to go exploring? Been a while since I took any work outside the city, myself. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm getting used to the whole camping thing and looking forwards to my next jaunt." a beat, as she seems to remember something. "Wait, bloody beach? What happened at the beach?" she asks Eztli.

The small brass and white Makari shrugs, transitioning to a long stretch as she gets to her feet. "Well, I'd rather know about those things than not." Eztli huffs. "And they can just tell me if they can't or don't want to talk about it if that's the case. Course I'd be bothered if Aelwyn wants to go off somewhere else, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know if he's feeling that way."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, big beach party, but the local creatures weren't too happy about people being there." Eztli sighs. "Tried to kill us all, put a real damper on everything."

Aelwyn looks towards Culix. Well, wasn't the little gobbo spot on. "Hmmh, everyone carries too many words that are left unsaid around here, don't they?" He tells her with an amused sway of his tail. He leans against his glaive and clicks his teeth. "This one does deliver packages often outside the gates. Plenty of coin in that. Bigger runs mean bigger coin." Flash of teeth.

The way the other Makari was talking makes Aelwyn pause again, but he rolls his shoulders and shakes his head. "This one will be straight with her - besides, it is probably nothing more than wanderlust spurred by a mirage of something familiar." Or as it was in his case, a murderous jester clad in red.

The comment about the beach makes him tilt his head, then he looks towards Culix. "How come this one never hears of these parties? Should this one feel left out?"

Culix's nose wrinkles a little, "Beach party? In this weather? I'd burn to a crisp." she says then. "Or get eaten, by the sound of things." and then she looks to Aelwyn. "Right? I wouldn't have gone, but an invitation would have been nice." she complains. She sets her backside down on a convenient rock, and then works on getting her boots back on again, wriggling her feet into them. "See, yet another reason I prefer to bathe at the TaRaCe. There's only one sea monster there, and she never tries to eat me." she says. "Well. Hardly ever."

Eztli wanders over, pats Aelwyn on the head. "Thanks for being straight with me, I appreciate it." The small Makari grins. "You just let me know if it's not more than just a passing urge."

"Well, I saw it advertised at the arcanist's society, and it was kind of spur of the moment. I should have checked in with you then, but maybe it's for the best somehow. Don't have to deal with all the violence, and look at that! Still get to see me in this swimsuit anyways." She jokes.

"That's what sunscreen is for, you know. I think if it wasn't for the attack, it was a real nice time, even was okay after with how good it was to begin with." She chuckles, stopping to raise one brow. "You're talking about Irshya, right?"

Aelwyn tilts his head. "It is unlike Sharkie to not serve a great feast." He flashes his own, macabre as usual. "Especially to her favourite customers, this one would presume." Tail tip makes a playful sway.

His orange eyes then roll over towards Eztli at the headpat, and he does take a step back, giving her all attention she duly deserves - before he steps over and puts his arms around her. "And it is a treat to this one's eyes. A bastion of delight in this otherwise brilliant day." He croons.

Culix can't help but crack a hint of a smile on her usually laconic face, and she gives a nod. "Mhmm." she confirms to Eztli. And then shrugs at Aelwyn, "She feeds me well, that's true." she says and then glances over towards Eztli, surveying her bathing suit. "You know- actually, nevermind." she decides better of giving voice to whatever intrusive thought just popped up in her head.

"All this talk about the TaRaCe has me thinking I might go pay a visit. See if a certain Sea Monster is around." she says then, having finally gotten her boots on and laced up.

"Yeah, she's a real good host, that's for certain. No wonder that place is still doing so well." Eztli nods, tilting their head for a moment and smiling. "Hmm?" The small Makari wonders with another raised brow. "Ah, don't worry about it, I know you like keeping what you're thinking close." Eztli muses. "Say hi to Irshya for me if you see her, and it's not interrupting anything."

And then Aelwyn has his arms around the small sorceress, and she sighs, propping one hand up on Aelwyn's shoulder. "Flatterer." They chuckle. "But, thanks, I've been feeling a lot better about myself, so it's nice to hear, even if you'd give anyone a compliment like that."

"Tch, this one suspects maybe interruption she is in search for." Aelwyn flashes his sharp teeth at Cuztli, before he bows his head. "Make sure her teeth stay sharp."

Returning towards Eztli, the ruddy Sith-makar shakes his head vigorously. "Now, why would this one compliment anyone but the nicest of flowers, in search of a blossom?" The Dragoon rumbles in amusement. "Shall we race across the riverside to truly let her colours show?"

Culix's lips are pressed into a thin line, but upturned at the corners despite herself as she bites her tongue once more, but she nods, "I'll let her know." she adds after a moment. She adjusts the seat of her book- it's rather large compared to her frame- and then offers a little wave as she turns. "I'll leave you two to it." she muses, and then starts her way towards the slope back up along the bank.

"Because you compliment all sorts of people, don't you?" Eztli chuckles, turning for a moment to Culix, and grinning again. "Either holding back a laugh or a smile, either one is good." She chuckles again. "Nice to meet you! Name's Eztli, since I don't think I mentioned it."

"A race across the riverside? Sure, I was swimming, but I didn't really work up a sweat." They agree, stepping back and away. "Course, I doubt I could beat you in a race, but still, sounds fun!"

Aelwyn bows his head, as he picks up his glaive. "Then let us see who is faster to the end, shan't we? Loser buys the drinks at TarRaCe." Another flash of sharp teeth, and with swaying tilt of his hips, moves over to draw a 'starting line' to the sand. "On the count of three?"

And so the weather goes.