Song of the waves - RPLOG
Participants
Date
11/7/477
Log
Just before noon out over the ocean, south of the small lighthouse that marks the naval outpost on the rugged island and its rocky shores. The pounding of the surf against limestone provides a steady backbeat to the singing that drifts outwards from the jetty, faint at a distance but strangely alluring and mesmerising.
It was early, far too early for Cass, yet, for whatever reason, she was up and about. And she was here. Strolling lightly down the jetty cane in hand and hat on head. Eventually she pauses and leans forward, listening attentively. "Sounds nice, at least," she murmurs to nobody in particular.
Kalt humms as she appears to be carrying a small amount of gear, namely a fishing bucket, fishing pole, and a net as she makes her way. The Vixen's steps stopping near Cassidy as she flicks her ears and nods. "... Yeah..." Aparantly a little focused to not give a proper greeting.
Samira wanders in from her walk through town, a simple dress hugging her form while a sachel dangles at her side, the scent of freshly baked pastries following her as she timidly aproaches the pair of beings already present. She doesn't quite introduce herself yet though, as the music steals her attention away. One of her ears flicks a little before she edges a little closer to the coastline to take a seat.
Hartford clumps along the beach, weighted down a bit with a pole and net of his own, as well as a large pack and a number of small parcels and fishing hooks draped on his antlers. "Wait up, Miss Kalt!" he calls after the vixen, "It's hard for me to keep up on the sa-" The stag stumbles to a stop on the sand behind the others and stares out into the ocean, his ears perked up high. "Wow!" he breathes in his low, slow way, "That sure is pretty! Who do you s'pose is singin'?
From further inland strides a darkened figure, enshrouded by a heavy leather travelers cloak; Sara the dragoness. The new sights motives apparently being the exploration of the town-proper. Eventually the dragoness reaches the docks and the strange sound meets her ears, causing the once inquisitive expression to fade to a look of awe. Slowly she weaves through the gathered people until finally stoping at the edge and musing, "Wonder what it is.. sure is beautiful."
With her morning's work done, Natska finds herself killing time before the next boat back. The jaguar is in the process of walking a sedate circuit of the little island, expression slightly vacant and ears attentive, hands in her jacket pockets and tail waving languidly as she approaches the jetty from the other side of the beach.
Over the sea sails Shelly
Over the sea, sails sing.
Under the salt spray we strive
Under the ocean's misty sting.
It's an old work song - one of those which need not necessarily make any sense, but just gives voices and minds something to do while the body labours. The lyrics are there, but surpassing them is the melody that drifts outward from the jetty, built over a steep drop under the water's surface. Perched on its end is a water-clanned sea krait, the source of the voice...and not just the only one, for something deep beneath the water is responding in kind with a low melody of its own, a deep, low thrumming.
Cassidy gives a smile and a nod towards Kalt as she listens. "Hello. And good morning. Interesting thing, isn't it? I came all the way out here to find the source. Very intriguing indeed." She taps the butt of her can on the ground a few times before resuming her lean. "Suppose we should go over and say hello?"
Kalt blinks some and looks back to Hartford as if she just remembered. "O-Oh go an' be careful then right? Aint wantin' you fallin'... An' yeah, hey there Cassidy. I'd be considerin' it but... M'not sure I wanna go interuptin' them an' all..." The Vixen's tail flicking some with the song, as she gently tilts her head while watching the Krait.
Hartford sighs as he listens to the music. "Sure is pretty," he repeats vacantly, then shakes his head to clear it. "Do you s'pose we should go ask if it's alright if we start fishin' here, Miss Kalt?" he asks, "I wouldn't want to accidently catch any folk that were under. . . the. ." The stag pauses as his synapses start to fire a bit. "Is there somebody singin' from under the water!?" he exclaims loudly.
Sara turns her gaze to look to the krait on the edge of the jetty, "S'nice. What is it?" she asks the singer before looking down into the water, wait, was there something singing underneath too? "A friend of yours?" expecting some water clan under the waves to be singing with. Though she shakes her head and waves, "Y'know? Nevermind.. don't want to disturb." After taking a few steps to widen the gap between herself and the krait, Sara sits down herself and looks to the water, peacefully watching the waves lap at the stonework below her.
Natska's meandering stroll takes her up next to the two foxes and she stops, inclining her head at the small group. "M'ladies," she murmurs. "Mister Hartford." Sara gets a polite nod of greeting as well, and then Natska turns her attention back towards the end of the jetty. Her notched ear tiwtches, and she bobs her head at Hartford's question. "Mmm. Sounds like it. And we can certainly say hi inbetween songs."
"Haul on the bowline, we haul.
Haul on the..." Finally realising that there are others about, the krait stops singing and looks around her at the small crowd that's gathered. "Oh. I..." A sudden bout of stage fright, perhaps? "I thought I was alone here with my friend."
Indeed, whatever was replying to the song has went on for a little while until, it, too, realises the music has faded - the low, thrumming song, more felt than heard, turns into an unhappy moan as a gigantic eye ringed by rough, grey skin and barnacles breaks the water's surface.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" The krait practically wails. "My friend gets all upset when we break off in the middle of a tune. It confuses her."
Cassidy gives a nod to Natska as well, looking the krait over before leaning to the side to give a little wave to the larger sea creature. "Hello over there! How's the sea?" She asks nonchalantly, and genuinely, before glancing back towards the krait. "It was a nice song, you two. Quite lovely. No need to be nervous, with a voice like that, yes."
Kalt opens her mouth for a moment, before closing it as she watches the creature pops up from below, the Vixen's eyes widening for a moment before she looks back to the Krait. "Aw uh... Don't worry two much 'bout it. Ain't meanin' to go an' throw you off uhm... If'n you want m'supposin' we could go an' help you finish up the song for your 'friend' an' all."
Hartford stumbles back a bit in surprise and finds himself falling hard into the sand. "Holy Hells!" he cries, "What is THAT!" It is not often the stag meets something bigger than he is, and he has never seen anything like this creature!
With her attention on the water instead of anywhere else, Sara does not notice Natska's greeting, and treats everything else as background noise.. until the singing ends. "Huh? Why'd you stop?" Sara asks having been genuinely intruiged by the Krait's singing. "You were goo--.." her voice is cut off by the unhappy moan which causes her to look to the source, "What in the hell is that?!" she asks, joining in Hartford's shock, and jumping back further away from the leviathan!
Natska puts on her best reassuring smile and wanders up closer, now that they've been noticed. "Your voices are excellent," she echoes, adding to the praises being heaped on the singer. "Go on and finish." She turns, and eyes the giant eye, letting out a low whistle. Then she raise a hand, waggles her fingers in greeting, and turns back to the kriat. With her back to the leviathan.
Cassidy glances towards Hartford and Sara, gesturing towards the water with a whitegloved hand. "That is the leviathan! A leviathan? Could be more than one, I am not really certain. They're not so bad, really. They can be rather friendly at times, if you ask me! Just don't go agitating them." She turns her hand and gives another little wave to the sea creature.
Calming somewhat, the krait takes a deep breath and sings the last few verses, which elicits a pleasant mooing sound from the gargantuan shadow under the waves, followed by a large spout of water that spreads out into a fine mist. The krait pauses a moment to catch her breath, then turns to everyone and smiles.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting. I'm Naija, and I'm with the outpost at the lighthouse. As you can see -" she looks askance abashedly- "I do like to sing, but the old Commander doesn't want me doing it indoors, so that's why I came to the jetty, and one day my friend just turned up...
"I don't think my friend understands the words, but she likes our voices. I'm quite sure she can hear things we can't." She thinks a moment, then adds after some consideration. "Do you want to join in on the next song? I could lead you...or maybe if you can't sing, you can always beat out an accompaniment..."
Kalt nods slightly as she adjusts her gear for a moment before setting it all down as she goes to approach the Krait, and nods slightly. "I uh... Sure. Ain't figurin' there'll be many times M'gonna get to go an' sing to a leviathon an' all."
Hartford sets his things aside and rises carefully to his feet. He still had his doubts about the monster just under the water's surface, but it seemed friendly enough so far. "I ain't a professional or anythin'" he says, "But people say I got a pretty nice bass." He flaps his ears in embarrassment, "Long as the song ain't too hard." He walks toward the dock a bit, the fish hooks in his antlers swinging.
"Uh.. sorry." Sara calls into the water after hearing Cassidy's description on just who that creature was, the bit about not agitating them sticking with the dragoness. While the leviathan itself probably did not understand, it still made her feel a bit safer. Though soon enough the thought of apologizing, and angering the creature had faded into nothingness, replaced by the krait's singing. "Thanks." Sara tells the krait after the song fades, and the question begins, ".. but no thanks, my singing voice is somewhere on par with 'a dead frog in the throat'. So if it's all the same to you, and your friend, I'll sit out and just listen."
"An honor to meet you, Naija," Natska responds. Cass' behavior, and her explanation, helps put the jaguar at ease and she turns a little to marvel at the giant when asked to sing, though, her ears immediately fold. "I don't normally sing for Beings," she nearly stammers. "But... but I can make an exception, sure." She rubs the back of her neck, then sets her shoulders and grins. "So what's the next song?"
Cassidy dips into a polite bow. "It is nice to meet you, Naija. I would be happy to join you in a song." She reaches up towards her neck and fiddles around with her pendant before dropping her hand to her side. "Yes, it's not often I would have such an audience." She takes a soft breath and removes her mask. "I will follow your lead."
"The melody is what's important. She seems to like everything from simple work songs to fancier stuff you can find in the theatres, so long as it's not the jarring kind." Naija thinks a moment. "I know! We can start with 'Green Greens' - I was going to do that next, anyways. Don't be alarmed if you feel anything off - my friend here just likes to sing along, too. I don't know why she seems to like my voice and not just anyone's - but then, it's always run in my family. My mother could draw birds and small animals to her with her voice, strangely enough. Anyway, shall we begin?"
Cassidy chuckles softly and adjusts her hat. "Please, do begin! We will fall in behind you, I am sure. I will, at least." A look to the sea creature. "And yes, I don't mind if she joins in! I think it'd be lovely. I am sure she sings well!"
Kalt nods as she smiles, clasping her hands behind her back. "Well, ain't that a fancy feat to go an' do eh? Guessin' you just got a magic voice an' all... But yeah, m'ready to follow your lead an' all! Just go givin' a start." The Vixen's tail swishing happily behind her as she looks between everyone for a moment.
Hartford grins, he actually knows this one! The big stag starts to hum the tune in a rumbling low base. "Like that?" he asks after a moment, realizing that they have not begun the song yet. His ears flap a bit in embarrassment, and he waits for the others to start.
Being a woman of her word, Sara presses her back against a mooring pylon and turns her gaze to the future singers. The crimson and gold flecked irises intently watching each from underneath the cloaks hood. "Guess it's a good thing I won't be singing. Don't even know that one.." the woman muses.
Natska nods her head to Naija, indicating her readiness to join in, and her ear twitches towards Hartford as he hums, noting the melody. Natska's tail swishes and she relaxes, looking out over the waves.
The song is a simple one, both in melody and lyrics, common amongst the simple folk of the farmlands west of Firmament. It tells of rolling fields, the pastures, the simple pleasure of looking at the green...well, greens. Those singing soon fall in Naija's lead, and from the shadow in the water, a deep gentle voice not quite in tune with everyone else, but definitely in rhythm.
It's not a long song - a simple one from simple folk, a few minutes at best - but it is quite satisfying. Or at least, the leviathan thinks so, for at the song's conclusion, it turns tail and disappears into the deeps, creating a small wave that sloshes about the jetty with a smack of a fin.
Cassidy isn't entirely familiar with the song, but it seems simple enough, so she falls in with the krait and does her best. And by the time it's over, she's smiling softly. A polite bow is given to the leviathan as it departs before she looks back to the lead singer. "Mm. Does she come often?"
Kalt falls in line natrally with Naija, the Vixen's tail swaying gently as she puts her time practiced to good use, before the song finally ends and the leviathon turns to depart. The Vixen waving after the beast, before turning to Naija. "Well, that was some good fun... Figurin' it's gotta be nice havin' such a big admirer an' all."
Hartford smiles and rumbles along to the song happily. The stag has not heard the old song in a while. Working at the Blackback manor does not lend itself to the singing of folk songs. But the old tune and lyrics roll blithely off the big guy's tongue. As the song winds up, he waves in reply to the leviathan's flipper slap. "Nice fella, that one," he says then looks to the krait again, "He come by every time you sing?"
Natska watches the leviathan depart and sighs softly, content. She stands there on the jetty and watches the ocean, listening as the others ask their questions. When she turns back to the group she has a small smile as well, but she remains quiet.
"Every time I sing, actually," Naija replies with a small smile. "Although that hasn't been that often of late. But since there were more folk around today, I think she liked it."
She sighs, perhaps a little wistfully, and looks back out over the ocean. "I think there's more to this, you know? I don't claim to understand everything about why her kind behave as they do, or the things they've done for Sweetwater, but...it's peaceful, calming in a way."
Cassidy replaces the mask on her face and folds her arms. "I can't say I know, either. I know many things, but I don't know that. I suppose we may find out in the future, though." She looks over her companions and smiles. "Interesting start to the day, huh?"
Kalt chuckles gently as she shrugs and rubs the back of her head. "M'figurin' they like you an' all... But yeah, s'never good to go boggin' down in worry too much an' all. They're good things an' such if'n they're treated kindly an' all." Her gaze turning to Cassidy as she nods with a smile. "Were interestin' to go sayin' the least."
Hartford waves again toward the waves. "I like him!" the stag says, "I hope he visits again." He looks at the collection of fishing gear and hesitates a little. "You don't suppose the leviathans mind if we have our fishin' trip anyway, do you, Miss Kalt?" he asks.
Natska's grin spreads. "I know, right?" she replies to Cassidy. "An /excellent/ way to cap the morning. And a good omen for a day of adventure." The jaguar rocks a little on her feet, then nods at Hartford. "Doubt it spends much time in the shallows. Or that you'd catch enough fish to impact his next meal. He was a big guy." She pauses then, and gives Niaja a short bow. "Thank you miss. Very much."
