SUMMER

Angkar: Wet season. Precipitation is common during the late afternoon and evening hours. Vegetation grows significantly during the summer, but flooding is a danger due to the monsoons that ravage the country. The rainforest sees evenly distributed rainfall throughout the season.

Ashoka: Desert: Extremely hot and dry. Violent, heavy downpours following long dryspells. Jungle: Hot and humid with frequent, violent rainstorms.

Morrim: Relatively hot and dry, but with a chance of thunderstorms from time to time. The heat may cause forest fires.

Soto: Hot and humid, tree cover is dense while ground growth is restricted. Thunderstorms see the most amount of rainfall during the season, and it can be very windy. On occasion, there are flash floods that can destroy homes and farms built on flood plains.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

March 30th, 2018 As you might have noticed, Elenlond has changed hands and is now under new management! If you have any questions, please direct them to DaringRaven! As for the rest of the announcements, including a season change, you can find them over here at the following link!

January 16, 2018 As you might have noticed, Elenlond has a new skin, all thanks to Mel! Don't forget to check out the new OTMs as well!

December 2, 2017 Winter has settled on Elenlond, bringing sleep for some and new life for others.

September 26, 2017 With the belated arrival of autumn come some interesting developments: new OTMs, a Town Crier and the release of the Elly Awards winners!

July 14, 2017 After a bit of forum clean-up, Elly Awards season has arrived! Head on over to make your nominations!

May 31, 2017 Summer has arrived and so has activity check! That's not all though – we also have some new OTMs for you and some staff changes!


WHAT IS ELENLOND?

Elenlond is an original free-form medieval fantasy RPG set on the continent of Soare and the Scattered Isles, which are located to the south in the Sea of Diverging Waters. The four chief nations of the western side of the world—Ashoka in northern Soare, Soto in western Soare, Morrim in eastern Soare, and Angkar, the largest of the Scattered Isles—continue to experience growth and prosperity since the fall of the Mianorite gods, although power struggles within the countries—or outside of them—continue to ensue.


QUICK TIDBITS

  • We accept any member who wants to RP here;
  • We are an intermediate-level RPG;
  • We have been open since June 2004;
  • Elly's layouts work best in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. It is not optimized for IE.

  • CURRENT EVENTS

    Angkar: To honour the reinvigoration of the ancient city of Mondrágon, the majestic Queen Eulalia has permitted the opening of a Coliseum where people from around the world and all walks of life can test their combat skills against one another. Many have already done battle in search of honour, glory, prizes and money.

    Ashoka: In an otherwise peaceful times, Ashokans are beset with the relatively minor inconveniences of wandering undead and occasionally-aggressive giant rock worms. There has also been some controversy over the recent re-legalisation of human sacrifice.

    Morrim: Rumour has it that Emperor Leofric de Hollemark is mustering forces for a war. Though the threat from Soto’s forests has passed, the forces previously employed in watching the forest now linger at the border. Rumours also circulate of a small group that has been dispatched to make contact with the tribes of the Do’suul Mountains.

    Soto: The Sotoans have defeated the fey and liberated themselves from Méadaigh’s oppression! Preliminary efforts have been made at rebuilding the city of Madrid, which had been captured at the beginning of the war. However, the Sotoans are hindered from recovery famine. Méadaigh’s magic caused summer to persist in the Erth’netora Forest through the winter. Her power has been withdrawn and the plants die as if preparing for winter – even though it is now summer. The Sotoans must sustain off what food they can get, what creatures they can kill and what can be imported into the city from Morrim and Angkar.

    For a fuller description of our most recent events, check out our most recent edition of The Town Crier!

    daringraven
    Administrator
    Qayin Graves
    SHADOW
    Supporting Admin.

    Kestrel Sumner (Shadow)
    Kindle Blackheath
    Orion de Lacey
    Sinadryn Arsydian
    Welcome to our home, a world in which anything can happen. From sprawling deserts and vast forests to massive volcanoes and luscious hot springs, Soare and the Scattered Isles are beautiful places just waiting to be explored. For the brave and the bold or the cautious and the wary, creatures of all kinds roam the earth, looking for adventure or for a place to call their own. Species of all kinds - the well-known and the unknown - thrive here, though not always in harmony.

    Elenlond is an original medieval fantasy RPG with a world that's as broad as it is unique. Calling on characters of all kinds, the sky's the limit in a world where boundaries are blurred and the imagination runs rampant. Restrictions are limited and members are encouraged to embrace their creativity, to see where they can go and what they can do. It's no longer just text on a page - it becomes real.

    Enter Our World

    Username:   Password:
    There's Always a Bigger Fish; ~ Lola ~
    Topic Started: Oct 31 2014, 10:22 PM (209 Views)
    Nyhm
    Member Avatar
    A helix turning in an opposite perpendicular direction to its counterpart.

    Though summer rained fair yet, the coast was cool, a chill wind powering across from the west, skirling over the sea and whipping them to white foam set the gooseflesh prickling across her arms as she hefted the thick poles and set them sturdily into the ground. She'd wanted to set the camp down on the beach but since it was mostly pebble and shale, there wasn't much of a chance of the poles staying where they were meant to, not with the wind constantly buffeting the sides of her lean-to as well. That was just fine all the same.

    Nyhm took her time setting up the simple shelter, large enough to give both herself and Dangerous Ham cover, should the weather turn. It wouldn't have surprised her, as the sky had been gradually growing steadily more overcast over the course of the morning.
    Eventually she finished setting up, the small sleeping roll and heap of furs on the ground that made the bed the only thing occupying the shelter for now, other than the cooking pot and numerous pans of course. By herself it would have been a haul and then some, on top of her armor. But with the warg she might as well have had a pony because he was bigger, sturdier and could fill the exact same task, though he complained about being used for a packhorse.

    He sat now, half on the bed, fastidiously cleaning bits of shell from between his toes and nibbling. Great. That would be so damned comfortable when she threw herself down later.

    The hunter stretched, checked her provisions then shouldered Basarios and trudged on down to check her traps. She'd set them up first, all the better to catch something faster, filling the time with setting down her little camping ground in the hollow of the cliff, where the wall would hopefully shield it from weather coming in the other direction.
    Pebbles, loose cracked shells and dried seaweed crunched underfoot, damp tendrils grasping from the salt-sprayed rocks as she drew nearer to the water, then began climbing the rocks. They jutted right out over the wild frothy water, the constant hissing ebb and flow of it as it smashed itself endlessly against her perch soothing in its constant calamity. She could have crouched there forever just watching the ocean, smelling the distant scent of ice on the wind as it blew from home, somewhere out there past the horizon.

    Part of her wanted to go back, but why, when she'd never really gelled with the people? She'd never been good enough, oh a good enough fisher, certainly. She'd spent long enough hunting everything else on the island too, but she was too..adventurous, she supposed. Always wanting something more outside, the thrill of the hunt the only real excitement she got. Too tall, too flat, too much muscle and too much mouth. Too hard, and too brittle for their tastes. Well it suited her just fine. She had Ham, and there was always work if you were willing to throw your pride down the can for it.

    Armor scraped noisily on sodden crusty stone as she puled herself forward and lay flat, dangling her arms over the ledge to check the trap casings. In the lake there might be things deep down, but nobody knew how deep it really went. Anything could be down there really, it was so big that you couldn't see the other side on the horizon, and that was fine for small game. But real fishing, you had to go to sea for. She'd need to put the time into building a proper boat some time, a bigger sturdier coracle that might withstand the battering of the ocean. Then the real game would begin.
    But for now she'd have to settle for traps and lines. The game was still bigger, just not quite as..dangerous.

    The fur of her hood whipped with the familiar keening of the air, and Nyhm smiled a touch, the ravaged side of her face twisting into an uncomfortable grin as she dropped the casings one by one back into the water and looped the snags over the small pegs she'd hammered into the rock.
    Nothing ye-
    The one furthest from her jerked violently, drawing the line taught and dragging the coloured bobber beneath the surface. With interest she watched it plop back up again, then submerge. Something had run slap bang into the net, and it must have been fairly big because by the rate it was struggling, it was gonna pull the damned thing right off the wall and carry it away with the current.

    "Alright alright hold yer fukken horses already..."
    Nyhm grabbed the snag and reeled it up, fixing her hands firmly around the rough rope and dragging the slack length of it over the lip of the rock. That done, she got to her feet and braced her legs, muscles tensing as she heaved it up with no small effort, up,up...put her foot on it to hold it there and panting, leaned out to get a look now the net was clear of the water.
    "Wat."
    She glowered, positively could have butchered the caught prey if looks could kill. Luckily for her, they couldn't.
    "OI. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YA DOIN' IN MY NET? YA DUN LOOK MUCH LIKE NO SEAMAID TA ME."
    (OFFLINE) PROFILE QUOTE GO TO TOP
     
    Lola


    The muffled yet echoing sounds of the world from beneath the waves were further drowned out by the reverberating helmet which ensconced her head, held in place by spikes driven into her flesh around her neck, to ensure her vision was focused only on the single narrow crack which served as a window out.

    Her whole world was currently darkness. The all-encompassing blackness was accompanied by the gentle swaying pressure of ocean currents attempting to move her along with its will. She stood stationary both by choice and by the chains which bound her feet to the seafloor. Her duty was to wait here, wait for the command, no matter how long it took.

    The constant white-noise of the ocean was interrupted by distinctive and unfamiliar splashing. Finally the command came, a soft light appeared before her eyes and formed into a rune which she understood as the command to rise. After an unknown length of time bent at the waist she finally stood upright and her head breached the surface of the water, as the water poured from the thin slits in the thick metal which kept her separated from the world. What had been near silence was now a rage of sound. Distant shouting voices, lost on howling winds and crashing waves. The rumble of thunder reverberated inside her helmet prison. All this stirred an anger at the world of sound and noise, the chaos that was so difficult for a simple mind to grasp. There was one ship, bobbing unsteadily on the water which she now towered over, and above it burned the green glowing rune. The others were not afforded the same protection.

    Slowly she raised one arm, on the end hung the metal weight which surrounded and kept all her fingers trapped inside, bolted in place by more spikes sunk into her flesh and bone. She then raised its twin, and the two massive weights came crashing down upon the ships which were already buffeted by the waves. They splintered instantly and the cries from on board were all made silent. An echoing bellow of rage loosed itself from her chest and rang forth from her metal helmet and another heavy blow sunk another pair of ships. Others near them were knocked over by the waves created from these mighty splashes and only one target remained.

    One metal clad fist raised towards the furious heavens in preparation for one last strike. The peal of thunder shook the heavens in conjunction with the sudden bolt of lightning that connected with her fist, and the dark world suddenly turned white.





    Lola stirred, realizing she had dozed off beneath the surface of the lake, and wasn’t quite sure why. The reason for her waking up was readily apparent enough. Her stomach was growling, hunger driving her to action and alertness. Looking around the murk of the water and how she was positioned in it, memory slowly started flowing back into her sluggish mind. The constant pulling and jerking on her left arm helped facilitate the memory. She had been doing some fishing.

    Lola had sunk her arm into a particularly large cavern in hopes that something tasty would bite and she could pull it to the surface. It was a brilliant plan, and she’d seen it done in the swamps of Soto. However, there was a difference between waist deep swamp water, and 50 meters down in a lake. A rather large difference she had not anticipated. The fish had the advantage here.

    The catfish which had grabbed her arm was a big fella; and while trying to pull him above water, with firm footing on the ground might have been achievable, trying to out-swim a hundred pound fish was not so easy. Lola remembered she’d decided to try to tire the fish out by not letting go of her hold inside its mouth, and preventing it from retreating into its lair. That must have been when she dozed off, because waiting for a fish to get tired of struggling was boring to say the least.

    Judging by its pulls, the creature was tired now, and Lola took advantage of the moment to try to bring them both to the surface. It was time to eat and she was tired of waiting! Bracing both legs against the rocky wall, Lola heaved and the fish came forward. Finally having it in the open, she pounded the damn thing on the head, and stunned it. The body went still and Lola attempted to cheer in triumph only to remember that lungs full of water didn’t allow for vocalization. This did not stop her from pumping her fist emphatically before she began dragging the thing through the water behind her, one arm still in its mouth.

    Lola’s progress was slow, but ever upward, as she looked down and admired the murky depths. The area seemed largely devoid of sealife and she wondered if her struggle with the big catfish had done this, or if something else was at work. For a moment she thought she saw movement in the darkness below her; but before she could try to focus on it more clearly a more pressing matter stole here attention.

    The fish stirred. It was waking up, and Lola knew if it started to swim at full strength, it would drag her right back to that cave, delaying mealtime, if not escaping and canceling it for the evening altogether! Looking around for any kind of handhold, Lola saw something dangling in the water and lunged with all her strength just as the fish attempted to pull backwards. What she had thought might be a floating plant or fallen tree, soon turned out to be a net. Lola did not concern herself with it too greatly as she held tight while the big fish tried to pull away, but dare not apply enough strength to tear its gill around which her hand was hooked. The entire net sunk lower, and Lola attempted to paddle towards the surface despite her encumbrance, only winding up further tangled.

    Suddenly, the net began to move on its own. Lola made her attempts to help it towards the surface while most of her attention went to making sure the fish did not get away from her. Lola’s head breached the water and the increase in light momentarily obscured her vision as her tired eyes adjusted to the new surface environment. Lola grunted as she continued to pull on the fish which was decidedly outside the net and still trying to escape from the impending surface.

    The sound of agitated shouting caught her attention. Lola turned to see who might be yelling and whatever for when she saw the armored figure gesturing in her direction. Lola’s response was a blank stare as she slowly processed what was happening, but slowly an all too pleased smile crept over her face.

    If Lola could see herself, she might disagree with the assessment that she did not look much like a seamaid. Clad in little more than the ankle wraps adorined with rattling shells, her breechcloth, and the tortoiseshells which ensconced her chest, Lola was certainly dressed the part. The addition of lips turned blue from oxygen deprivation and aquatic plantlife tangled in her hair certainly might have helped; but perhaps the fact that this was a lake rather than a sea had been the deciding factor?

    Whatever their reason for shouting, Lola was happy to see another person. Their armor was shiny and she had enough awareness to realize they had been the one to help her by throwing this net, which was very considerate of them. Lola’s closed lipped grin turned into an open one as she decided it would only be polite to introduce herself.

    However, when she opened her mouth to form words, all that came out was choking and lake water. Lungs full of water was not an unordinary side-effect of sleeping under water. A fit of coughing and spluttering later, and an upheaval of lakewater from her stomach and Lola was all sorted. She shook her head once as if to dislodge the event from herself and then looked back at the armored stranger again.
    “Hola!” she chimed out in enthusiastic greeting. “M’name’s Lola! Your net was helping me catch this fishy.”
    To illustrate her point, Lola shifted to a crouching position with int henet, while one arm was still under the water, and then attempted to heave herself into a standing position. The fish, swallowed arm arced over head, displaying the decidedly net-free fish splendidly as the 6’ creature was arced overhead and slammed on its back on the ground beside the person who had dragged Lola from the depths. The impact with the ground forced the consciousness out of the fish and freed Lola’s arm at long last.

    Turning back to the net-owner she grinned, pleased as a dog that had just brought a fresh kill to its master. The color was returning to her lips and skin, giving her less of a drowning-victim appearance. ”If ya help me cook it I’ll share it with ya!” Lola offered kindly, before attempting to walk towards the fish and falling over in the tangle of nets which was making movement increasingly difficult. ”Hey friend, help me out?”
    (OFFLINE) PROFILE QUOTE GO TO TOP
     
    Nyhm
    Member Avatar
    A helix turning in an opposite perpendicular direction to its counterpart.

    Alright maybe she did look a bit like a seamaid and that was problematic in itself. She should just throw her back, didn't want no seal ladies in her nets to bring her bad luck even if they did offer wishes and stuff. The daft bint must have thought it was some kind of game or joke or something, cause she had the goofiest grin breaking out on her face, putting the grump firmly in the hunter's bones.

    "Gods...shit on this."

    She blinked as her freshly caught golem hefted the fish from the water, as big as Nyhm herself, and flung it up arcing over the rock to splat ungraciously behind her. It flopped once, then fell still, mouth twitching and gaping.
    Well she couldn't honestly argue with that. It seemed a sound bargain, even if she was aware that making such bargains with mythical beings could be incredibly dangerous. No more dangerous than actually hunting a large monster with the risk of sudden and messy death though so...

    "Stop wrigglin' ya liddle carp! Just..gimme a moment will ya?"
    To be fair the sea maiden didn't much look 'little' but...well she wasn't gonna quibble over semantics. The woman planted her feet wide, and heaved, slowly dragging the net and Lola's bulk up hand over hand. Air whooshed through her nose with each breath, the effort of hauling the larger female up along with the net itself, sodden with saltwater, no easy task. She felt her boots sliding slightly on the slick stone more than once, changed her stance and put more weight behind her, throwing it all back on her left as she forcibly dragged her catch up over the curve of the ledge and away from the water, into safer territory.
    "By Agloolik, you're a big one aincha?"
    Cautiously she crouched, her hands working deftly to unpick the knots that would prevent all but the mightiest of fish from tearing their way loose. Monsters,she thought, didn't count as fish, seeing as her nets would be unlikely to hold one for more than a few moments, if she was lucky. Not even that, she thought, recalling the enormous dark visage of the beast that had felled her not once, but twice to her shame.

    The net came loose and she tugged roughly at it, widening the gap and stepping close, dropping it over Lola's head to free her.
    "I'm Nyhm. Sorry ya got stuck in my net there, friend. I was hopin' to catch somethin', just not people, or seamaids."
    She paced backwards, the wind buffeting them and throwing sea spray at the pair, until she knelt by the dazed fish, and drew the long machete strapped at her side. One hand rested, palm spread soothingly on the creature's side as she murmured the rite of thanks to the soul within, that it would be understanding and not take vengeance on them for killing and eating it. The blade rose, a slash of silver lighter than the overcast sky, and cracked the hilt down hard against the skull, silencing it.
    The wave of loss assaulted her as it always did, knowing the act was a terrible one, but they had to eat, and life, for them at least, would go on. The spirits would be placated, and the cycle would continue.

    "Aye girl, come get dry by the fire, and ya can tell me all about your adventures while I dice this sucker."
    The weapon snicked softly as she slid it into the hide scabbard, gloved fingers curling tight about the wide tail and dragging the thing towards the lean-to. She only hoped the wind would ease a little that she could get a good flame going long enough before the gale put it out. Before long it would be cutting the great woman to the bone, dressed as she was.

    Nyhm left off dragging the fish once in range of the camp, leaving it on the shingle while she jogged back and forth collecting scraps of driftwood. The stack she had built up was small, had intended to fetch more while waiting for the traps, but it was enough to start a fire and keep it going for a little while yet.
    "Crouch down, out of the wind. You'll catch a death o' cold."
    No worse than the sea she figured, but windchill was one of the worst and most deadly things to fear, besides the cold itself.
    The hunter fumbled clumsily, her hands gloved as they were, insensitive, then removed them with her teeth, and set to starting the fire. It didn't take long at all, thanks to the fact she'd had the foresight to carry a coal with her, packed inside a horn and nestled with dry earth. She removed the casing from her hip, gently tipped it into her kindling and blew until it began to smolder and breathe for itself. Gradually she added more, making sure there was plenty of air to get at it, then began adding the smaller pieces of driftwood, sending sparks popping and fizzing into the sky.
    "Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Ya hungry, uh..Lola?"
    (OFFLINE) PROFILE QUOTE GO TO TOP
     
    Lola


    Even as the hulking woman asked for help, she struggled against the nets. Lola gripped a piece of net with both hands, ready to try to rip it with all of her strength. When she heard the voice order her to stop wiggling and she immediately stopped what she was doing. Lola emitted a small, muffled whine like a small child being told to sit still and waited as patiently as she could to be let out of the net.

    The large blunderer's expression changed to one of impressed awe as the small woman began to drag her out of the water. Lola watched the flex and heave of her muscles as the woman strained to drag her up onto the shore. She was so busy watching in awe she forgot to do anything about helping move herself, and just sat there as unhelpful as the fish she'd bashed upon the shore. When Nyhm remakred on her size, Lola took it as a compliment and responded in a prideful but still slightly awed tone. “I'm the biggest one!”

    Now fully clear of the water, the shorter woman worked at the knots. The cogs of Lola's mind began to turn ever slowly. 'Knots, net, armor, muscles. Knots, net, armor, muscles...' the slow train of thought chugged along trying to put the pieces together and make her realize why it was so familiar. That particular line was shoved to the background when the opening was made and Lola sprung up and tossed both her hands in the air “I'm freeeeee!~” she cheered as she bounced out of the net and shook the water off her body. The shaking started with her hair and working down to her feet like some giant dog. Water sprayed in every direction around her as she did this, without concern for the proximity of others.

    Lola realized her body wasn't moving quite the way she wanted it too. Her body felt stiff and resistant to motion, heavier in places and wound tighter in others. Some of the sensation was familiar. She'd been locked in position with the fish for a long time in the water, and her body had settled. The rush of the struggle had prevented her from noticing in the water. Now that she was on the land, and not fighting for her meal, Lola was more aware of the things her body was doing, as she regained feeling in her limbs which had gone numb from cold. The wind blasted, but her skin was already prickled with goosebumps and then numbed by the deep waters. Lola did not feel the chill even as it set into her body and slowed her movements.

    The large woman expiramented with her fingers and her toes. Trying every tiny apendage to make sure they were all still on right and worked well. She then stretched her legs, rotated and bent her back in every proper direction, next her arms, and finally her neck, jaw, and head. Because of this she had missed the solemn moment with the fish, which probably saved them both an awkward and confusing conversation.

    Oh! Fire! Warm! Those were good ideas! Lola also liked the bit about telling adventures. She had lots of those and back home people didn't seem interested anymore. Strangers neither, but this one was different. Whatever it was. Spiky and tough, Lola wasn't sure what to make of them. They were strong for sure, and they had cool armor that reminded her of hers. Their face was kind of manly but a little soft. They had an interesting eye-patch like a pirate, and their armor didn't jut out in the chest like hers did; but even if it did that could just be plating. Their voice was just high enough that it didn't sound quite like a man and this was starting to confuse Lola because she didn't know what to call them. They were a Nyhm though, that was a neat name, they were strong, and they were going to cook the food so Lola liked Nyhm, whatever they were.

    Lola strode over to the fire with slow lumbering strides. With each step, the shell covered wrappings around her ankles rattled and jingled. It took her about as long as it would have taken nyhm to walk the distance, despite her longer legs, as the cold had made her slow. At least it gave her time to remember to answer the apology! “Thanks for having your net in the water! The fish was going to drag me down for another go if I hadn't got a hold! I'm staaaarvin' and I didn't want to wait that long!” the vacant grin returned to her lips once more. Her broad, white, toothy smile was on display, coming to her face with little resistance.

    The only problem with walking to the fire was, there wasn't one yet. The fleshgolem looked this way and that for some kind of smoke or blaze, and didn't see anything, so her grin vanished and her brow furrowed with concentration. She glanced back at Nyhm to understand the dilemma and guessed that what fire there was supposed to be was near that shelter where she put the fish. When in doubt, follow the food she reminded herself.

    Still no fire. Lola looked to Nyhm again and saw how they were running about grabbing bits of wood. Ooooooooh! So the fire wasn't there yet. Not one to be a slacker, Lola decided to do her part. Glancing around she tried to remember where she put her things, and then saw the large driftwood tree-trunk not too far away. She'd used that wood to make sure her things didn't get stolen by giant crabs. In her line of work that sort of thing was not unheard of.

    Lola trudged over, and with a little effort, rolled the wood over and underneath it she saw... nothing. Apparently she had left her things under a different log. Oh well, this would do for now! Lola wormed both her arms under the large piece of sun-dried wood , squatted, and then lifted using her knees, and a fair bit of strain. Lola heard Nyhm talking to her, but wasn't exactly in position to crouch by the fire, though the concern was appreciated. As Lola drew near she smelled the faint smell of smoke, and grinned broadly once more. 'Just in time' she thought as drew closer.

    Lola heard the question about food come her way and immediately dropped the log with a tremendous crash, just next to the tiny fire. “Yeah I'm Hnugry! I'm starvin!” It was only after sharing this enthusiastic sentiment that she realized just how much sand she had kicked up over the still smoking fire, and her company, by dropping the great log. “Oops!”

    Quick as she could Lola moved to grab Nyhm and attempt to dust them off when she hesitated. There didn't seem to be a good place to grab something that spiky without putting holes in her hands. “Sorry bout the sand! I like your armor though!”

    'Knots, net, armor, muscles. Knots, net, armor, muscles...' -click- The thought finally came into place and Lola's grin returned with a vengeance. An excited giggle escaped her lips and she couldn't help but bounce a few times.”Ooooh goody! You're a hunter aren't you!? Ya'are!” One large fist beat against one firm turtle shell in an exuberant and proud gesture towards herself. “Me too! Oh goody! We're going to have so many stories to share!”

    Just as her excitement seemed like it would build with no end, a low grumble emitted from her stomach. Lola stopped in her display of joy and instead frowned slightly. “How much longer till dinner? I'm really starvin!”

    The great giant of a woman then plopped down on the sand and curled in as small as she could make herself, while extending her hands and feet towards the tiny beginnings of a fire, much abused as they were, as if any second now it would be a roaring blaze capable of warming her up.
    Edited by Lola, Nov 18 2014, 11:44 AM.
    (OFFLINE) PROFILE QUOTE GO TO TOP
     
    Nyhm
    Member Avatar
    A helix turning in an opposite perpendicular direction to its counterpart.

    The immediate reaction to the sudden spray of water was for the hunter to raise one heavy hand and shield her own face, the ruffed fur of her hood catching most of it, hung like tiny jewels. Funny how the water from the sea barely bothered her, especially when her attention was focused on something else, but should a person, or a dog start deliberately dislodging the moisture, the instinct was to cover one's face.
    A short laugh huffed from her lips however, amused by the giantess' actions.

    Nyhm merely shook her head at the chatter, nonplussed. The language was difficult to follow, quick and clipped compared to her own, though that was no surprise. She always felt slow and rough with the common tongue. Coming to the mainland had required her learn that much at least, but it did make things easier in the long run. If it meant she had to think a little more about the words she used before actually saying them, then she figured they could stand to wait a few seconds longer too. Being prone to long silences and a lack of speech wasn't a bad thing either. Seemed like the giant sea-maid had enough voice trapped in her to fill up an entire ger for both of them, and more besides.

    "How'd ya hold yer breath so long down there anyway?"
    She spared her a curious glance, lavender eyes gone grey as steel in the washed out chill light. But for her hair, hidden under the thick ruff of fur, she was as bleached of colour as the monochrome beach. But then, that was the point wasn't it? Blending in was key.

    Nyhm merely watched, her attention swinging between the fire and Lola walking away from her. Not worried about where she intended to go. There was a lot of beach, and it appeared mostly uninhabited. There was a moment where she did a double take, her eyes nearly popping in disbelief as the golem lifted the entire trunk, stunned into speechlessness. Such feats of strength were not possible, were they? Not by anything human, perhaps the spirits themselves rode in the flesh of this one and lent her their aid?
    Swearing profusely the hunter fell backwards, scrambled and dragged herself clumsily to her feet to avoid the scattered embers, the sudden vibration of the log hitting the ground sending the coal bouncing out of the little depression.

    before she was even halfway up though the big hands grabbed at her, yanking her the rest of the way and attempting to thump the sand from her like a parent and child. Given the fact that her armor bore resemblance to the carapace of a beetle, with a roughness to it that could take a layer of skin off her hands, not to mention the spiny studs and protrusions, she winced on the girl's behalf.
    "Gods what are ya, crazy? Just sit yer arse down and let me handle it, aight? Mind yer hands..."
    She caught Lola's bronze hands in her own red ones, turned them over with a frown to check for damage, and shook her head in wonderment.
    "Bloody lucky..."
    Just as quickly she released them as if burned, and pulled her gloves back on, turning her attention to trying to salvage what she could of the fire. The wood would be useful, for sure, if she broke it up first. Given the opportunity to watch the stranger, she snuck glances while digging most of the sand out of the pit hurriedly with her hands, with not a little bit of envy. For all her height and the weird scars crisscrossing her skin, like someone had casually taken a cleaver to her, she was overly shapely, in a way that suggested almost improbably so. Despite the fact that Nyhm often told herself she was fine as she was, there were those times she wished she had a killer figure with curves as soft as white butter. She didn't though, and that was that. Truth of it was, under the armor, she was skinny as a wild dog, all jutting angles and long legged lankiness. In her youth it hadn't mattered, she'd been fine with running around a half starved, and often filthy beast, had resented the thought of having heavy bosoms for some man to fondle and milk instead of tiny buds of breasts, and the shape that drew men's eyes. All she'd wanted then was to run as fast as a wild deer, to smash her way through the snow and bay with the hounds. Every now and then, though...
    She pushed the thoughts from her head briskly, battling them as they returned, piling a handful of kindling onto the smoldering flames to bolster it. It was good to be treated equal. But with her low voice and coarse hands, her ironing-board frame and slashed face, she'd long since gotten used to envying women with Lola's sort of build.

    It didn't make her dislike the newcomer. Not exactly. It was hard to explain even to herself, but she was used to being invisible. At least armored, it was as if she ceased to even be human. It was much easier to act out believing nobody gave two shits about what you looked like, easier to let 'em believe you were a bloke.

    "You?"
    Her eyes darkened a touch, danced back to Lola.
    "You hunt big?"
    What were the odds? This giant, exuberant puppy of a woman was a hunter. Well. She'd believe it when she saw it, probably. Nyhm pooched air through her lips in an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes heavenward.
    "Food'll be done when it's done. Don't kick the fire out this time."
    Most people wouldn't need to be told once, let alone twice. She eyed Lola skeptically once more, then fetched the fish and crouched beside the small blaze, drawing her long ceramic knife from the sheath at her back, and began gutting it. Every moment or so she stopped, alternating between feeding the fire larger and brighter, to making a neat filet.
    "Find me a nice big flat rock. Thin too, if ya can. And some smaller ones to prop it up."
    Really she could have cut it smaller to actually fit in the pan she'd bought with her, but that would take forever to cook, and who knew how much the woman would eat? And where was her gear if she was a hunter? And what was she doing floating in the ocean?
    Nyhm rose, leaving the prepared fish where it was, while Lola hunted rocks. Somehow that seemed grossly appropriate for all the wrong reasons. Not that she thought in the last five minutes that the giantess was stupid. Just...noisy, if well-meaning.
    "Hoy..." she muttered under her breath, dropping low to check the status of the net after its catch, and reset the trap back to its former position. With any luck, the next catch wouldn't be a giant water-breathing woman.
    (OFFLINE) PROFILE QUOTE GO TO TOP
     
    Lola


    Lola answered the question asked of her when she heard them, plus a bit of time for her distracted mind to process and understood she’d been asked a question. As she’d stood still dripping despite her efforts to shake the water from her body she replied. “My Mami dived for pearls. She taught me how, and I got a big chest so I hold more air.” The answer was not given without an inflection of pride similar to that of a child boasting that they were smarter than their sibling.

    When Lola had dropped the heavy piece of wood, she’d expected angry shouting or disapproving words to come her way. This was not the first time she’d made this kind of mistake when camping with other people. Sure enough the swearing came; but it was more out of surprise than directed at Lola. The clumsy creature thought nothing of the fact that the scolding had not come towards her yet, until it did but for reasons she hadn’t expected. The Nyhm didn’t seem angry about the fire or the sand, but more surprised and scolding that she’d tried to dust off the spiky armor. She couldn’t quite understand why; but it was nice to not be in trouble.

    The Nyhm took Lola’s hands in hers and started to look at them. The way she did it reminded the tribal girl of when her mami would shout and take her hands when Lola grabbed a pot off of the fire when she didn’t realize it was hot. Nyhm wasn’t sure why she’d done that; but she didn’t mind. While Nyhm glanced at them for injury, Lola observed the differences in mild fascination. Nyhm’s hands were so small in her’s, like everyone’s. Like everyone else, Nyhm’s hands didn’t have faint scars at every joint, but there were some. They were rougher than Mami’s, more like Papi’s. The most interesting part was the different colors. The backs of Lola’s hands were bronze while Nyhm’s looked more red, a skin color she was not used to seeing, let alone contrasted against her own.

    Nyhm dropped Lola’s hands quickly like something about them had startled her. This was a reaction Lola was also familiar with when someone new looked at her hands closely. She had gotten used to it ever since leaving home.

    When she realized that the Nyhm was a hunter, it had filled Lola with excitement. She liked finding other hunters and talking about monsters with them. None of them had liked listening to her stories, or wanted to tell much of their own to her yet; but she held on to the hope of finding a fun one eventually. “I hunt the biggest!” Lola answered the question with that same childish pride. “I left my things round here somewhere; but I’ll find ‘em after food!”

    Nyhm was gunna cook and Lola would be able to eat soon enough. She told herself this a few more times in her head and tried to sit still to little success. Instead squirming where she sat and wriggling her toes to try to feel them again as the fire began to grow. Mami had taught her to be patient but it still wasn’t easy, especially when she was hungry!

    Lola was glad for the distraction when Nyhm gave her a chore to do and practically leapt up from her seat as the order was given. “Big flat rock!” she repeated back as she waved in acknowledgement and trundled off along the beach. Her shell ankle-wraps jingling and rattling as she strode away.

    The construct had been given a simple, albeit somewhat vague, command and followed it eagerly. She continued walking in one direction looking around for a rock she thought was big and flat. After a while, she started to get bored, and was still hungry, so her brain began to mull over a new plan. Looking at some of the larger stones on the beach, she wondered how long it would take to make one of them flat. Without her swax, longer than she wanted probably; but if she didn’t try she’d never know. Lola found a large stone that certainly wasn’t flat, and it took her both arms to lift it. She carried the stone to a boulder that was large enough for her to crouch behind if she wished, and smashed the rock against the other.

    Nothing but noise. Lola tried again, swinging the rock a bit harder, but with little more result. A third strike and a loud crack noise was heard. Still, when Lola looked at the stone in her hands it was the same as when she found it. Brow furrowing, face frowning in concentration, the giantess refused to be beaten by the stone. Taking several steps back, the big hunter began spinning with the stone in her arms and then hurled it as hard as she could at the boulder. An explosion of sand and rockdust accompanied this time an even louder noise. As it cleared, Lola could see that while her stone had remained unchanged, the larger boulder was now not as large. In the pieces that had broken off of it, one seemed suitably large and flatish. Lola jumped and clapped with glee before she advanced on her prize. Placing a few of the smaller stones on the flat one, she then used both hands to heft the slab up and looked around for the fire.

    After a moment of trying to remember which way she had come from, Lola noticed her own footprints in the sandy, gravely shore, and in the distance the faint whisps of smoke and glimmer of light that indicated the camp Nyhm had set up.

    Eagerly the large creature carried back her stone catch eventually returning to the fireside. “I got it!” she proclaimed as she approached the fire and nearly repeated the incident with the log. Lola remembered just in time, that dropping stones on the fire was a bad idea, so instead looked to Nyhm for guidance. “Where should I put it?” she asked, and waited to do as instructed. Her face still painted with a vacant, self-satisfied smile at having been successful and knowing food was soon.


    (OFFLINE) PROFILE QUOTE GO TO TOP
     
    Nyhm
    Member Avatar
    A helix turning in an opposite perpendicular direction to its counterpart.

    Honestly she was starting to wonder about the mental state of her new...well, let's say friend for now. She behaved as though she was a few sandwiches short of a picnic, and how the hell had she been breathing water anyway? Normal people didn't do that. On second thoughts she ought to take that one back, normal was a differing standard for everyone.

    At this rate she was going to have a permanent frown etched onto her face, though whether that was from the effort of thinking so hard, or the general annoyance of the altogether lighthearted stranger, she couldn't tell. Either way she should stop, unless the wind changed and her face stuck like that. She was ugly enough to look at without adding a beastly grimace to it for now.

    ...Then again maybe she should, it might terrify people into reacting quicker in her presence.

    "Take your time. Ain't no rush, food won't be ready til the rocks're hot enough."
    One day she might scrape enough earnings together to make her own kitchen. For all that she could go out and collect bits of bone and tusk, hide and sinew, it still took a careful hand and skills that she didn't possess to grow the things she cooked. Perhaps that was stupid, it always sounded stupid to her when she said it aloud. Her hands always looked too rough and scarred, too clumsy to do anything like preparing a gourmet meal. Best not to think of it. One day they'd be able to eat meat cooked in an oven instead of over a fire.

    Wait they?

    Nyhm shook her head to herself. When had she just accepted that this hunter was now a part of her life? They'd only just met! Yet it felt as though they knew each other for longer than that, with an ease that said 'family.'

    Her eyes bulged a little at the sight of the giantess carrying the rock, sheared clean in half. Her mouth parted slightly, a dark slash curving down even as the scowl of bewilderment clarified itself.
    "Wat."
    As heavy as it looked, Lola was cheerful still. She blinked, her gaze shifting to the sputtering fire, then pointed beside it, face still fixed in an expression of befuddled annoyance.
    "Put it there, carefully. Tilt it this way so it's over the fire...aye that'll do."
    She waited as Lola positioned it, so that the protruding edge would heat. Better than nothing anyway, she didn't have a pan big enough to handle the catfish, though the one she took up from within the little shelter would do for flash frying smaller bits while a larger cut cooked on the rock.

    Her hands moved with practiced motion, slapping one fillet onto the warming rock, and crushing a tiny amount of salt onto the ripe pink flesh. Hopefully she might trade for more soon, though that meant going to the bloody city. Her mouth twisted at the thought, and she busied herself with cutting the other half of the fish into smaller parts that might, with some wiggling, fit into the pan, which sat on the edge of the flames.

    "So..."
    Why did she feel the need to fill the empty silence with baseless chatter? She'd never been good at it, was better off being quiet. But as the silence drew out, she began to feel uncomfortable. People were such a chore. Give her something scaled and hungry for blood any day, but talk to another human being?
    "How'd you get in my nets? Call it the price of dinner."
    She poured a little water from her waterskin into the pan, tilted her head as it sizzled into steam, then tossed in one of the pieces of fish. The smell was immediate, rich and fatty, the furious hiss as it began to flash fry, a delight. Now if she just had some onions...
    (OFFLINE) PROFILE QUOTE GO TO TOP
     
    1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
    ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
    Enjoy forums? Start your own community for free.
    « Previous Topic · Roleplays · Next Topic »

    affiliates


    Join us on Facebook!
    Join/follow our deviantArt group!

    Vote for Us and Check Out Our Listings!
    RPGfix Total Drama Website - The Best Role-Play Sites Top RPG Sites Top RP Sites
    RPG-D Seductive Directory
    Nerd Listings

    Affiliates
    'Souls RPG Warden's Vigil: A Dragon Age Roleplaying Community Black & White
    Tales of Illyria Tir Dearthair The Games

    Beyond the Fall
    Edolon

    Word Counter provided by Fission

    Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]