Kern River by way of Bakersfield
5–20 Bakemes and onward, 333
Slavina
After wiping the fish-blood-goo from her hands, Slavina begins the process of containing all the hair she neglected to braid this morning - pulling it back into a simple bun at the nape of her neck. When she catches the salutation in the corner of her eye, she turns her upper body halfway around and meets the river-woman's eyes from under the bend of her arm. The white shirt she wears billows in the wind like clouds above a shimmering blue-green skirts.
Slavina releases the bun (not yet secured) to return the river-woman's gesture. Her movements match the strange, fluid pattern f the stranger's, incorperated into a deep Liudzi-style bow. Mother of pearl lines ripple with the sinews of her arm and calf. When the motion is finished, she looks up at the river-woman through strands of hair: the kind of look that one falls into, the kind of look that is close enough it could be your own reflection. Then at the moment, the heartbeat before that closeness would break the surface, Slavina looks away and it's gone.
Illusion-influence to pique her curiosity
9
Fate
Weeeeell... she really doesn't stand a chance against that roll, so. Success.
But I'll see how much of a success.
There's a falter as the young woman makes for her dive. Still, the water in the vicinity of the ship doesn't appear to be breached again after she enters it.
At that, the captain begins reining in her crew, sending them all back to their duties with some sharp words and gestures. The route continues as scheduled—just with the company of a trout now too.
Daina
Daina smiles a little bit at the woman and gives Slavina a faint grin of appreciation at her engaging demonstration, impressed. She keeps her stance casual and attempts to seem reassuring and welcoming. In counter to the mystery of Slavina but perhaps if one doesn't work the other will. She was surely curious about this person.
Aaren
Aaren stands on the port side of the ship, hair in thick braids tied back over her shoulders. She sings healing down to the fish. The breeze catches in her clothes, sending strands of color snapping around her.
Aaren also heals Kelly and continues to work on Janin's new song.
"Kelly, are you okay now?" Aaren sings quietly, holding out her arms for a hug. (More for her reassurance then his.)
Slavina
Now that everything's settled and safe, Slavina curls up in her usual corner and goes back to her current favorite hobby: staring into space!
Fate
Kelly continues wiping himself off. "Yep." He takes a couple of slow breaths, just to remind himself that it's a habit. "Don't want to smell fish ever again, though." But then he catches Aaren's hug-gesture and pauses. "Um. I'm covered in fishgut goo." This isn't a refusal, just a warning.
He slides a look Daina's way. "Did she come from where you come from?" he asks, clearly unconcerned about having a different but simultaneous conversation.
Aaren
Aaren gestures again, more insistent.
Daina
Daina glances over "hmm I .. don't think so, I've never seen anyone like her before" she notes as she looks over the side of the boat. Trying to call out in the womans language "come find us if you want to have a chat" not holding out much hope but wanting to make the offer at least.
Aaren
"Which language are you speaking?" Aaren asks. "When you speak to her, I mean. The one you learned from your mother?"
Fate
With a brief couple of extra wipes, Kelly drops his dirty towel and hugs Aaren with a little bit of an unpleasant slimy squelch.
As he does so, he says, "You speak her —" but as Aaren proves on top of that he falls silent.
Daina
Daina smiles and rubs the back of her neck. "eh... did it sound like anything I've said before.. I just sort of .. went with it to be honest"
Fate
"No."
(Leave it to Kelly to keep it simple.)
Aaren
Aaren squeezes her brother and then withdraws from the hug. She turns one of her voices to singing both of their fish guts dry and loose. "Nope. You can't remember where you learned it?"
Daina
Daina hmms and shakes her head a little. She tries then to say something else in the woman's language to see if she's still able...
Fate
For good measure, Kelly wordlessly offers Daina a hug.
Daina
Daina smiles a little and gives Kelly a hug, warming them both up so they at least smell like cooked fish.
Aaren
Aaren frowns. "Oh well. Maybe she can tell you if she comes back up."
Aaren says, "Kelly, would you like me to shut down your sense of smell for a bit?"
Daina
Daina smiles "sure or if we meet another person like her? all sorts of possibilities right?" she seems chipper enough as she starts brushing off bits of cooked fish from her front side.
Slavina
Slavina speaks in a slow, syrupy monotone: "Presumably it's what they speak in Tir na Tearmann."
Daina
Daina looks up "oh... do you really think?" frowning a little and walking over to sit nearish to Slavina. "Hey... you ok? Do you .. I mean .. can I help somehow?"
Fate
That—the mention of Tír na Tearmann—draws some of the crews' eyes, though no one comments.
After Kelly gives Daina a hug, he shakes his head to Aaren and redoubles his efforts to clean himself off, starting by moving to the very edge of the deck and dumping the bucket of water over his head.
Slavina
Slavina shrugs, an almost invisibly-small motion. "Probably." She drags her eyes over to Daina and says, in Liudzi, "Mostly just burnt-out, Dainochka." The term is wayfinder jargon for the kind of spiritual exhaustion that happens when one overextends themselves Between.
Daina
Daina hmms softly and holds out a hand, a slight sunlight looking glow at the fingertips. "A little warmth maybe?" she offers uncertainly. "or.. I could make you some tea for a nice nap?"
Slavina
The question stalls Slavina. Her mouth opens and closes, once, without making any sound. Finally, after an uncomfortably long time, she answers. "Ask Aaren and Janin."
Aaren
"Yes on tea, no on warmth!" Aaren calls from across the deck.
"I want some more observation time before we start medicating."
Fate
(Janin, on the other hand, is currently busy swabbing the deck of fish blood and goop.)
Daina
Daina pauses "well ok" she goes to the galley and makes a tea with just calming herbs ya know.. chamomile and stuff. She hums a upbeat but calm song as she does so, her movements in time with it as she turns over the goings on of the past little bit, quite exciting.
Fate
The day goes on—a few more riverboats of varying sizes pass, and some villages enter sight only to leave a few minutes later. After the trout is fully healed it leaves with a grateful splash of its tail, and life aboard the ship quickly returns to normal (though the scent of burned offerings does waft from the captain's cabin briefly sometime around sunset). Night falls without much ado, and soon the ship slumbers.
Fate
Kelly's startled song breaks through Aaren's dreams, harmonized by the river woman's song, as close as his. Both settle into taut waiting.
And then Kelly laughs. This breaks the tension in the river woman's song... and she laughs too. It's a surprisingly barking kind of laugh, from somewhere deep down in the throat.
Aaren
Aaren wakes up enough to assess what is going on.
Fate
Judging by the muted-ness of Kelly's song, he's abovedecks. Likely on watch, or doing chores. Clearly the river woman is with him.
Then, from the opposite side of the ship: "What's so funny, swabbie?"
The river woman's music goes tense again. Kelly's music takes on a patient, exaggerated sort of calm air. Then he calls back, "You had to be there, man."
Little by little, the river woman's music begins to calm.
Aaren
Aaren listens, confident that Kelly can handle it and that he'll sing the 'hey Aaren come here' song if he wants her.
Fate
After it's quiet for a bit, Kelly says, at a more regulated volume and with sharper enunciation, "Kelly." Then he sings a small snippet of his song.
It's another long moment before a response comes. "Esta."
Indeed, he seems to have got it handled.
The night wears on and more passes between the two, covert to all but a certain big sister: mostly Kelly making gestures, sharing songs, and continuing his chore-doing; and the river woman watching and listening with a song edging into her own throat but being held back by wariness. The last thing Aaren remembers before falling back to sleep is Kelly singing the lightning-strike ditty.
Dawn breaks and soon the next day starts.
The day proceeds as usual. There's never a shortage of tasks aboard a ship.
Thus Janin finds himself practicing his newly learned knot-tying skills, and then some. Every so often he passes some water or food or a hug Slavina's way, but she's mostly left to her own devices. The rest of the crew tends to steer clear of Slavina—though not contagious, it's generally safest to avoid someone who's ill in the confines of a ship.
Sometime in the early afternoon, in the shadow of the ship, something pokes up from the water in Slavina's view.
Slavina
The latest mug of tea Janin brought sits, half-sipped, by her feet. On her lap, Janin's coat which she is—in theory—finishing sewing. And then, the thing pokes up. Slavina glances in that direction without turning her head away from her sewing.
Fate
It's the head of some strange creature. It looks catlike and yet doglike at the same time, with large, round eyes and no distinctive ears. It catches her look but doesn't seem to shy away from it. Quite the opposite, even.
Slavina
Can I get a mystery-ping on this creature?
Fate
Sure.
Slavina
Slavina says nothing, but flicks her eyes across the deck. No one in direct sight—she'd purposely chosen an out of the way corner, after all. She slowly picks up the mug of tea and the plate of dumplings, slides them to sit halfway between herself and the railing, and then pats the deck next to her with one palm.
Daina
Daina is busy walk.dancing along what ever rigging there is, catching lines thrown to her and tying a simple knot to hold them where they need or a slip not to be tugged loose at a moments notice. Curls and ribbons fluttering in the breeze as she piroettes in place and bends with one leg extended out and 'en point on her toes a moment on the other before bare foot is flat and then curled around wooden supports.
Fate
Where Daina goes, good cheer follows. A bounce livens a fair number of steps. Her popularity aboard the ship is rivaled only by Aaren's, to whom more than one drunken, extemporaneous ode has already been dedicated (the most entertaining of which featuring the immense relief of no longer needing to scratch one's crotch every ten minutes).
There's a long pause, then the creature's head disappears under the water. Just a few moments later, the river woman slides next to Slavina, briefly scanning the area before settling out of arm's reach.
Slavina
"Hello." Her voice is low, quiet, deep as she speaks the river-woman's language. She makes no move in the stranger's direction, but acknowledges her presence with a nod and a slight movement of the lips. "My name is Zdeslava. You are?"
Fate
She's silent a long moment, as if considering. Then she murmurs, "Vivia." After another pause, she asks, at just as low a volume, "Where am I?"
(To Slavina)
She's lying about her name.
Slavina
"Kern river." Slavina parses her words carefully for the next part, as it borders on unfamiliar territory: "We come from Bakersfield. Four days we go... not like the river goes." She illustrates with her hands, making one the boat and the other the water and sliding them in opposite directions.
Fate
The woman who calls herself Vivia stares at Slavina for an uncomfortable length of time. Clearly she doesn't understand—though not because the language is poorly spoken.
Then she tries again. "Where is my home?"
Slavina
"Is Tir na Tearmann your home?"
Fate
She hesitates, caught, her gaze intent. Finally, she settles on, "Yes."
(To Slavina)
That is a half-truth.
Daina
Daina mean while has grown bored and all the knots are tied for now so she's doing little flips and and summersaults on the deck railing. Barely managing to avoid splinters in her feet, somehow.
Slavina
Slavina nods to show she heard while she finds her next words. "We go to Tir na Tearmann. It is very far." She pauses just long enough to be a teensy bit dramatic, and asks, "You want to go with us?"
Fate
Once Daina completes her routine, a round of applause starts up from the deck. It's soon followed by a slyly shouted, "Hey, do you do private dances?"
The river woman tenses at this applause, and looks as if she's going to bolt, but after she scans the area she settles again (though a little frazzled). Then she nods, slow, keeping her eyes intent on Slavina.
Slavina
Slavina doesn't miss the tension. "Come back when you see the moon. I am here with a boy you like and sister."
Daina
Daina looks up and bows and then with a laugh shakes her head. "Not for you any of you scallywags!" She was really liking the nautical terms, some of them anyway. Hopping down onto the deck she glances about for a way to make herself useful.
Aaren
Aaren is over by Janin, mending fishing nets and singing. There's plenty of work for plenty of hands.
Fate
More than one disappointed "Aww!" goes up at Daina's refusal. Then another voice pipes up, "Maybe you'll make an exception?"
"Not for your ugly ass!" jeers another.
Meanwhile, the river woman nods and begins to rise, glances at the dumplings, snatches one real quick, and then disappears back into the water.
Slavina
Slavina sighs, folds her sewing carefully, then climbs over the barrels that've been hiding her and makes her way over to Janin and Aaren.
Daina
Daina smiles a bit just laughs a little more as she looks to Aaren and Janin and dances over to the two, a sun shiny smile on her features "Need some help?" she questions as she plunks down on her rear near the two and holds out her hands for the work mentioned. Smiling as she see's Slavina joining along as well. "'lo"
Fate
Janin offers a bright nod to Slavina as she makes her way over, but continues working.
Slavina
Slavina tucks herself down next to Janin, leaning her head and shoulder against him but keeping clear of his arms. "The river-woman visited me just now."
Aaren
Aaren sings curiosity, handing Daina one of the nets and the rope to fix it.
Fate
Briefly Janin rests his head against Slavina's, the closest to a hug he can manage presently.
Daina
Daina takes the work and starts at it absently but more so curious what she might have learned. Ears perked as it were.
Aaren
Aaren sings a hug song for Slavina.
Slavina
Slavina continues, plodding on at a snail's pace. "She's from somewhere near Tir na Tearmann, I think.... she wants to come with us." She tenses a little and looks at each member of the group. "Is that okay?"
Aaren
"I don't see why not!" Aaren chirps.
Daina
Daina shrugs and her song is one of 'why wouldn't it be?' fingers working on the rope fairly dexterously even if it's not like the threads she'd been a little more used to.
Fate
Janin hesitates. "Is there a reason it maybe shouldn't be?" This question is a matter of course now, rather than fueled by any sense of taut concern. "She's not going to try and drown us or something?"
Slavina
Slavina tenses again, takes a deep breath, and says"No. She's not mean. Just cagey. I'm more likely to drown you than she is."
Daina
Daina frowns "why d'you ask that... not like the sailors tried to drown us.. why should she?"
Fate
Janin accepts Slavina's assessment. But then he eyes Daina, mildly uncertain. "That tends to be how river spirits operate. At least, that's what the stories say."
Aaren
"Hmm, fair point. The lake spirits at home try to drown people when they're around."
She wrinkles her nose. "I'm sure it will be fine, at least until she gets home." Aaren looks to Slavina. "Did she say why she was out here?"
Daina
Daina points out offhandedly "they were nice to me, but then again maybe Momma scares them or Bogulya.. " Shrugs "I'm all for more company though" she points out and then listens for Slavina's response to Aaren.
Slavina
Slavina shrugs a little, although the topic is a welcome change from morbid things like drownings. She takes a sip of Aaren's tea. "Not sure. She didn't seem to know where she was. Or how to get home."
Aaren
Aaren nods decisively. "I'm all for her coming with us then. If she was trying to drown us, she'd be taking us off to somewhere convenient as we sing."
"And Daina, weren't they trying to convince you to come home with them when Vir came to get you? Those lake spirits live undewater."
Daina
Daina hums consideringly "I mean maybe they were but maybe they thought I could breath underwater like they do, I can now after all.."
Fate
Janin considers the request seriously a moment, then eases and says, "Okay, well, I don't mind her coming along either."
Slavina
Slavina nods into Janin's shoulder. "Okay. She'll meet us at moonrise in my nook." She stops talking like she's done, then says tentatively, "I gave her my dumplings. Does that mean I have to have more?"
Aaren
Aaren listens for a moment. "She only took one. If you eat the rest, you don't have to have more."
Slavina
"Thanks."
Daina
Daina smiles a little "Aaren is like.. group mom now, that's so weird" she grins and shakes her head "how am I gonna find ways to thwart you.. that's a thing you do to moms that aren't Jeri right?"
Slavina
Slavina looks.... well, 'horrified' would be too energetic, but she's certianly confused and distressed by Daina's assertion. "Why would that be a thing you do to your mom?"
Fate
Janin furrows his brow. "No... ?" He glances around. "Why?" A corner of his lip comes up in puzzlement. "Every time I've done that with my mom I've regretted it." After a moment he adds, "Still do."
Daina
Daina shrugs a little "It's from stories like from a long time ago.. I just remember kids doing dumb stuff and getting caught and then " air quotes " learning a lesson" .. Lots of stories had that but I don't remember.. the .. specific stuff"
Aaren
Aaren's initial reaction is one of pique (since if Daina doesn't want to be momm'ed she can just say), but she supresses it and gives a dutiful laugh instead.
After Daina tries to explain, Aaren shrugs. "I don't know, I was into 'thwarting' a bit when I was young. Did I tell you about the time I ran away from home, Daina?"
Daina
Daina snorts "no but I don't doubt it.. yeah see you were so good at it I never knew except when you told me! .. I'm doomed for those stories I guess! Better make some new ones"
Aaren
"Please don't." Aaren sings, her voice somehow managing to convey dry. "You get into enough trouble as is."
Daina
Daina scoffs "I'm so responcible and what not.. with like seeds and plants an wolves.. I mean I totally didn't freak out and cut Trout free when he was all oww oww oww" her tone indicates that was a thought.
Slavina
Slavina follows this conversation with eyes like saucers - not that she's never heard people she's friends with talk like this before, but they've all been.... Katya. But Daina's talking about trees now, which is less weird, so she tries to join in again. "Wait... You're responsible with wolves?"
Daina
Daina pauses "well they're half wolves.. and half plants and .. I made 'em and they take care of the town while I'm gone.. incase some monsters come and.. well that was the point of them I hope they're doing their jobs.." fretful face.
Slavina
"Oh. Those things." Slavina tucks her knees up to her chest and pulls her robe to cover them better as she flicks a glance to Seedless. "Thanks for reminding me... they're terrifying." After another pause, she says, "I thought you meant Frankie, which obviously was confusing."
Daina
Daina smiles a little "oh nah .. Frankie.. he's um.. not mine and has ya know his instructions.. I know he does what I ask but I think.. probably it has limits I just didn't find yet"
Slavina
Slavina flounders for a response for a few minutes, goes limp, and gives up. "Right."
Daina
Daina frowns "did I.. say something wrong?"
Aaren
Aaren snorts, and then sings, to her amused song, "Slavina was trying to gently imply that you aren't always responsible with your authority over Frankie. She's apparently having some trouble articulating this."
Fate
Janin simply listens quietly instead of offering his take on a topic that he's got no experience with.
Daina
Daina frowns a little and glances to Slavina.. "hey.. Frankie is old enough to know what he shouldn't do.. and I always try to make sure he'll be ok before I ask him to do things.."
Slavina
Slavina presses a little harder against Janin when Aaren gives her summary, arms wrapped around her knees. Her mouth tightens a little at Daina's statement. "I'm not worried about Frankie, I'm worried about the people around him. You scared the ghost out of poor Esteban, and that shopkeeper too, for no good reason." She swallows hard, but resists the urge to stare at the deck.
Daina
Daina pauses "It's not like being scared kills a person.. I dont' let anyone get hurt.." she seems torn between a sense of protestation and not wanting to have a confrontation. "Besides .. a scare like that makes for a great story to tell when they get home, a laugh a sense of like... I lived past that. Not that, that's a reason for it.. but well since I'm thinkin' about it .. I think it's not so bad.." she stammers and rolls around her words with a slight reluctance and self directed annoyance.
Fate
Janin can't help but react to Daina's justification—he looks quite incredulous. But still, he's not saying a word, instead glancing to Slavina, then Aaren, then Slavina again.
Aaren
Aaren gives Daina a long look. Then she hears the annoyance and stammering, and leans over and gives Daina a big hug. "Daina, it's okay that you made this mistake in the past. Now you know, and you can be more considerate in the future."
Slavina
Slavina composes herself before speaking to try and figure out what the La Dama-approved level of expressing herself is. She decides to postpone her response to see what Daina says.
Daina
Daina takes the hug but protests. "I don't feel like it was a mistake.. after thinking about it.. it's scary but also.. excitement to someone .. it's a new story for their dinner table or around their barrel of drink. If I hurt someone I'd be sorry, but a scare.. not really. Life is full of things more scary than Frankie and things that could have a bad ending for them.. Frakie is a.. like the ride of the slide at the rainbow, or flying the first time.. things that .. get your blood pumping you know.. let you know you're alive and not.. just existing."
Slavina
Slavina snaps, "So does pain. Do you ask him to bite people, too?"
Daina
Daina's brows furrow.. "Of course not, nor do I encourage him to scare people.. but it's not part of a plan.. it's part of life.. things like this happen. I don't see why I should feel bad"
Aaren
Aaren pulls back, pauses, and then sings quietly. "It has to do with consent. When people go sliding or flying, they know what's coming and they ask for it. It is inconsiderate to give people a surprise they aren't expecting." She pauses here, singing emphasis into her song.
"If you know someone, you can consider them. You can think about if they will enjoy it or find it worthwhile, or even get over it. Scaring someone because you were too lazy or preoccupied to think about them is irresponsible because you don't know them. You don't know how scared it will make them, and you won't be there to help them recover."
"Does that make sense?"
Daina
Daina sighs a little "I hear you and I get what you mean.. but I also know that life happens and that if I am so careful and soft around every person.. it would be eshausting. I tamp down dang near -everything- to some point keep other people safe and happy.. if I have slip ups I'm not going freak out about it. I -can't- be responsible for everyone elses feelings all the time.. that's no kind of way to live."
Slavina
Obviously unsatisfied with the response, Slavina tries for a while to find more words, but settles for silence and staring at her own knees.
Aaren
Aaren smiles. "I'm glad you're not going to freak out about it. I agree that wouldn't do any good. And I know you work hard to think about how other people are feeling. Like how careful you are to warn people before you sit in the fire!"
She puts her hands back to work. "I'm a little worried about one thing though. When you explained about how you need to put a limit on how much you worry about others, that made a lot of sense to me. Earlier though, I felt like you were trying to say that people being scared by Frankie wasn't a bad thing, and that was why you didn't need to worry about it." Aaren pauses for a moment.
"Am I making sense? Does that line up with what you were saying?"
Daina
Daina sighs "I admit it can be a bad thing but also it can be good and I don't know which it will be, I can't.. like... I don't know the future and I can't measure every action against every persons feelings just because it 'might' upset them. Life doesn't hold back from people, I have lines and I don't -try- to hurt anyone but if I dance so carefully around every person then it's not a dance it's a march or a trudge.. and that to me isn't worth it"
Fate
Janin frees an arm and wraps it around Slavina, then awkwardly continues his work. He himself is taut with uneasiness.
Aaren
Aaren shrugs. "Alright. I can't ask you to care about how every person feels. Is it easier for you if the same rules apply to everyone? For example, the fire thing. You just assume that anyone who doesn't know you would be freaked out and warn them. That seems to work out well from a 'not freaking people out' perspective. Is that very draining for you?"
Slavina
Slavina leans into the hug and says a few words to him in Kalba. „She's a god. I think a lot of them are probably like this. You get used to it."
Daina
Daina huffs softly at that "I've gotten used to that and I think I do pretty damn well with it, and with not being a wolf most of the time or making sure I warn people.. I check before I help plants to grow even if I think it'll be good for people... I .. am in check.. I'm sorry it's not good enough for you"
Fate
Janin gets tighter. He responds. „I hope not. There's got to be some way to hold them accountable."
Aaren
Aaren lowers her voice even further into a calm song. "I apologize. I didn't mean to imply that you or your actions weren't good enough for me." She pauses. "As I said, I think you do a very good job thinking about other people, and you're getting even better at it as we learn more about the world."
Aaren continues, "I think I'm not doing a good enough job conveying my tone here. I think you're doing a good job. I would like to understand how it works for you. Its easier for me to get what I need if I understand what you need and how you feel."
Slavina
Slavina curls herself tighter and her words come out very soft and muffled. „Not for us. They're so much... bigger than we are. I'm not surprised to hear she considers not stepping on us a burden."
Fate
Janin's tone gets bitter. Then, after a moment of silence, his voice goes soft again. „Then clearly we shouldn't be around for her to step on." Pause. „But it's impolite to talk like this about her, without her knowing."
Slavina
„Oh. I suppose."
Daina
Daina sighs softly and finishes the knot she's working on. "ok how about this... the universe tore my life to bits.. turned it upside down.. and took me from freedom and joy to someplace I've managed to find a life stiffled but still full of love and joy only now with more sadness and fear .. things I barely had to deal with before. Did all that without making sure it was ok with a little kid and turned me out into the cold in more ways than I want to bother thinking about.. so I'm going to do what works for me.. if it hurts others in a way I see and can deal with I will. I've got enough trouble and weight on me.. I'm not going to borrow more" with that she rises with her hand in a slight fist over her stomach as she turns and walks to the other end of the boat.