Neziul
X Fiendfyre X
Sadu
Some Cole Cuts
ICanBeAnyone
piss bottle
Snowdrops
ctrlsaltdel
ChronicleMan
VixereUpon the vast oceans of Destiny Islands, a lone row boat pressed against the waves. Hoshi's arms had begun to burn with each stroke of the heavy wooden oars as they pushed against the water. The sole occupant of the small vessel, the labor of venturing out to the open seas had fallen squarely upon her shoulders. Despite that she was just about in the spot she meant to be, a look back towards the glimmering shores in the distance had her wishing she hadn't come out so far alone; what difference would another few minutes to wake a friend to keep her company and share the burden of work with have made? Not much, she figured, noting that even as the sun peeked over the far off horizon, hers was the only boat for at least a quarter of a mile.
The others she had passed on the way out had either warned against or chastised her for venturing so far from dry land. But she knew that if she worked quickly and efficiently, she'd have her haul for the day in half the usual time and have plenty of daylight left to get back to the dock.
And quickly she did work. No sooner had the boat drifted into position did she pull in the oars and retrieve the fishing rod secured on the seat next to her. In haste she baited the line, fixing a prepared hook and lure, and cast it out. The line sunk into the deep, falling one, maybe two hundred feet down before Hoshi locked the spool. From that point on it was a matter of waiting...
And waiting...
... And waiting...
"Come on!" She spat in frustration. Thirty minutes and not even a minnow to show for a morning's effort. Sighing, she reeled her line; perhaps it was foolish to think going out so far would haul in more fish. But if she could move fast she might be able to catch something closer to the shore; the best of it was probably congregating where the other boats had gathered; more bait tantalizing more fish. She began undoing the hook and lure. Her head rang with the voices of villagers saying "we told you so." She gritted and ground her teeth.
Suddenly, her boat rocked with undue violence against a strong wave. The fishing pole dislodged itself from her grip and splashed into the ocean as she just barely caught the edge to keep from going over herself. Remembering the wisdom of the elder fishermen, she held herself low to the floor and braced against another surge that lifted her vessel several feet upon the water.
There wasn't supposed to be a storm today, Hoshi thought to herself. She scoffed at her own thoughts, knowing full and well how quickly the weather could shift. She held firmly against another swell that nearly capsized her. It was strange, as she realized that even amid the darkening skies, aggressive waves, and the rising gale that there seemed to be no sign of rain as the calamity persisted... was it just a rogue storm that hadn't quite developed? She peered upward to an unusual cloud formation. The usual dark grays were giving way to a mass of black, as though a night sky was about to pour out. A flash of purple cast a light, and a bolt of lightning streaked down with surprising force against the water's surface mere inches away.
The impact sent the sea crashing over both her and the boat. Hoshi was flung from her space between the seats and dropped below the waves. Despite all effort on her part, the undertow dragged her downward into the ocean depths. Any light filtering through the surface faded quickly. Darkness enveloped her from every direction, cold, living tendrils and claws entangling her until she could no longer move, and dragged her ever deeper...
The others she had passed on the way out had either warned against or chastised her for venturing so far from dry land. But she knew that if she worked quickly and efficiently, she'd have her haul for the day in half the usual time and have plenty of daylight left to get back to the dock.
And quickly she did work. No sooner had the boat drifted into position did she pull in the oars and retrieve the fishing rod secured on the seat next to her. In haste she baited the line, fixing a prepared hook and lure, and cast it out. The line sunk into the deep, falling one, maybe two hundred feet down before Hoshi locked the spool. From that point on it was a matter of waiting...
And waiting...
... And waiting...
"Come on!" She spat in frustration. Thirty minutes and not even a minnow to show for a morning's effort. Sighing, she reeled her line; perhaps it was foolish to think going out so far would haul in more fish. But if she could move fast she might be able to catch something closer to the shore; the best of it was probably congregating where the other boats had gathered; more bait tantalizing more fish. She began undoing the hook and lure. Her head rang with the voices of villagers saying "we told you so." She gritted and ground her teeth.
Suddenly, her boat rocked with undue violence against a strong wave. The fishing pole dislodged itself from her grip and splashed into the ocean as she just barely caught the edge to keep from going over herself. Remembering the wisdom of the elder fishermen, she held herself low to the floor and braced against another surge that lifted her vessel several feet upon the water.
There wasn't supposed to be a storm today, Hoshi thought to herself. She scoffed at her own thoughts, knowing full and well how quickly the weather could shift. She held firmly against another swell that nearly capsized her. It was strange, as she realized that even amid the darkening skies, aggressive waves, and the rising gale that there seemed to be no sign of rain as the calamity persisted... was it just a rogue storm that hadn't quite developed? She peered upward to an unusual cloud formation. The usual dark grays were giving way to a mass of black, as though a night sky was about to pour out. A flash of purple cast a light, and a bolt of lightning streaked down with surprising force against the water's surface mere inches away.
The impact sent the sea crashing over both her and the boat. Hoshi was flung from her space between the seats and dropped below the waves. Despite all effort on her part, the undertow dragged her downward into the ocean depths. Any light filtering through the surface faded quickly. Darkness enveloped her from every direction, cold, living tendrils and claws entangling her until she could no longer move, and dragged her ever deeper...
"LET GO!"
Hoshi catapulted upright as she was forced awake. She scrambled her hands across dampened bed covers, arms and legs flailing recklessly in their freshly granted freedom. By the time she had processed that she had awoken, she had fallen from her bed and onto the floor in a messy heap of linens. Untangling herself from the sheets she got her feet under herself and stood next to her bed. She was motionless, save for her eyes, which bounced in every possible way as they took in the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. As her breaths relaxed and her pulse slowed, she dried herself with a nearby cloth and tossed it back onto her bedside table.
The new awareness of birds singing outside brought her attention to the window. Undoing her feet from the mess of bedding beneath them, she strode across the room and drew up the shade. Early morning light as vivid and real as in her dream shot through in a widening ray, causing her to wince and squint until her eyes could properly adjust. The familiar sight of the shoreline and ocean from her bedroom window was enough to calm her from her restless night and wrest her back into waking reality…
Or was it?
Had it been a dream? It felt more real than any other she had experienced. It had been her boat… HIS boat. And HIS fishing rod.
Hoshi turned from the window as a teardrop traveled down her freshly dried cheek. Another droplet formed from her opposite eye when she looked upon the down-faced picture frame upon the floor next to the nightstand. She knelt down with an almost prayer-like respect and grabbed the downturned frame with her right hand. She froze for a second, contemplating turning it towards herself so she might look upon the picture encased behind the glass. With a hesitant resilience, she stood up and placed the frame back upon the nightstand, facing it towards the wall behind her as it had been over four long years.
She took in a sustained breath. She held for a count to ten. Like a weight being released from her grasp, the air escaped her. The droplets hanging dry upon her cheeks, she gathered the bedding on the floor and began setting properly over her bed.
She would tell Alias about the dream later.
Hoshi catapulted upright as she was forced awake. She scrambled her hands across dampened bed covers, arms and legs flailing recklessly in their freshly granted freedom. By the time she had processed that she had awoken, she had fallen from her bed and onto the floor in a messy heap of linens. Untangling herself from the sheets she got her feet under herself and stood next to her bed. She was motionless, save for her eyes, which bounced in every possible way as they took in the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. As her breaths relaxed and her pulse slowed, she dried herself with a nearby cloth and tossed it back onto her bedside table.
The new awareness of birds singing outside brought her attention to the window. Undoing her feet from the mess of bedding beneath them, she strode across the room and drew up the shade. Early morning light as vivid and real as in her dream shot through in a widening ray, causing her to wince and squint until her eyes could properly adjust. The familiar sight of the shoreline and ocean from her bedroom window was enough to calm her from her restless night and wrest her back into waking reality…
Or was it?
Had it been a dream? It felt more real than any other she had experienced. It had been her boat… HIS boat. And HIS fishing rod.
Hoshi turned from the window as a teardrop traveled down her freshly dried cheek. Another droplet formed from her opposite eye when she looked upon the down-faced picture frame upon the floor next to the nightstand. She knelt down with an almost prayer-like respect and grabbed the downturned frame with her right hand. She froze for a second, contemplating turning it towards herself so she might look upon the picture encased behind the glass. With a hesitant resilience, she stood up and placed the frame back upon the nightstand, facing it towards the wall behind her as it had been over four long years.
She took in a sustained breath. She held for a count to ten. Like a weight being released from her grasp, the air escaped her. The droplets hanging dry upon her cheeks, she gathered the bedding on the floor and began setting properly over her bed.
She would tell Alias about the dream later.
Hoshi's mind didn't settle properly until her boat was safely tied off on the dock of the small island. As she ground her feet across the sand towards the raft, she worked out how she'd spill the bean about her dream. As she neared the makeshift craft, she spotted Alias and Levi already hard at work. Her brisk walk turned into a sprint, quickly covering the distance to them. "Hey!" She said, with plenty of breath to spare. "Looks like you two got off to an early start today!" She beamed a smile at the pair, but locked eyes with Alias, and pointed with her head to an area a little ways off, indicating for him to follow her.
