Ask Wherever the Tide Takes Her

[Kyveli]

"Yo keerios, you hiring?"

The middle-aged man looked over at the girl treading water in front of him, his forehead further wrinkled by the furrow in his brows. She had a casual air about her, and despite addressing him respectfully as an elder, her tone of voice didn't quite reflect that same respect. He didn't seem to take offense, but he didn't seem particularly receptive to the girl's inquires either.

"You look a little young to join this sort of crew," he observed gruffly, his already bass tone lowered further by the second set of vocal cords that rumbled underneath. "How old are you anyways?"

"Sixteen, but I'll be seventeen in a month." Kyveli answered his question smoothly, sailing through the lie like a ship on calm waters. She was smart enough to know no one was going to hire a fifteen-year-old for a job like this, especially if they were being honest about their age. And though it was true her birthday wasn't far off, she certainly wasn't a year away from adulthood.

"Right," the man grumbled, still sizing her up behind his dark eyes. "And have you ever been past the surface?"

"Well- no, but- "

"Then that's a no from me." Short. Curt. End of story.

"What?!" Kyveli, sick of being turned down left and right by then, was at her wit's end. "You're telling me you won't hire me just 'cause I've never spent time past the surface? That doesn't mean Anything! I'd adapt faster than anyone else!" So what if she'd never had the chance to adapt to an oxygen atmosphere? She could do it whenever! She'd happily suffer through a few days of aches and pains if it meant getting what she wanted.

"I'm not wasting days of my time to cater to you just to hire you when there are plenty of others to- "

"Fine then! Whatever!" Kyveli whipped away, intent on storming off. Mostly unintentionally, though certainly not unthought of, the Wrean teen sent a wave of force behind her as she turned, and a current of water shot out from behind her and crashed into the man and his associates behind him. Their shouts of anger caused her to glance behind to see what all the fuss was about, and when she saw them beginning to swim her way, she made an "oh shit" face and realized her mistake.

More intentionally this time, Kyveli pressed her thumb and two middle fingers together, gathering the ocean around her into a stream, and sped away from her angry pursuers.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Currents were hard to predict, at times. There was a science to it, sure, but the smallest little things, the most minuscule change, could turn the flutter of butterfly wings into a mighty hurricane.

However in this case they just took a young girl away from a rough-and-tumble Abyss-Diver crew. Armed submersibles plumbed the depths to collect resources and keep track of leviathan populations, that sort of thing. It was grueling, but important and well-paid work. It also required the submersible to be largely air-filled for several reasons, ranging from buoyancy to the use of radar.

Kyveli's haphazard path carried her- well, elsewhere. And her unintentional antics drew attention. As soon as she checked behind her-

"Hello there," said a deeply baritoned voice. Its source was an older, relatively tall Wrean in Kyveli's path. Their skin was marked by scar and tattoo both, native and foreign styles mixed together. A relaxed grin sat easy on their face, with fangs just a little too long and sharp below eyes just a little too wild.

"Didn't steal from them, did ya?"

@lizziie

 

[Kyveli]

"Oh shit!" Nakoa's presence behind her was completely unexpected, and the girl practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. She floated back a few feet before coming to a stop, during which she took the time to size up the stranger in front of her. He was a good deal older than her and quite a bit taller. They were also much more tattooed and much more muscular. They were a Wrean, of course, but something about their appearance seemed off. She didn't have time to place it before he spoke again.

Steal? "Hell nah, I'm not a thief," she replied, voice sharp as if she was offended he'd even make that assumption. Not that she was necessarily against thievery, but even alone in the city she'd yet to need to resort to it. "I was just presenting myself as a candidate to hire, and when he said no, I er- Well, I got a bit pissed off and I may have accidentally crashed a current into him." She made a sort of sheepish face, but not too much so, because she didn't actually have any regrets about it. Unless the man caught up to her, then she'd absolutely and totally regret it.

"Why? What are you, a cop?" she asked suddenly and accusingly with a standoffish squint of her eyes. Last thing she needed was to be dragged back home to parents that probably hadn't realized she'd left and siblings they cared more about anyways.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Getting a good look at the younger Wrean, Nakoa noticed- well, mostly how young she was and a certain youthful spite about her. The older Wrean's grin widened slightly at the younger's denial of theft, instant admission of the actual problem, and subsequent suspicion. Nakoa tutted and wiggled a finger.

"You're supposed to ask that first, kid." They shook their head. "Do I look like a cop?" Nakoa didn't think he did, personally. "What'd they say 'no' for?" was asked, glossing right over the 'crashed a current into him' part as if they hadn't heard it. Or maybe they just hadn't gotten to that part yet. "Don't seem a slow swimmer." Both a literal comment and, in Tethysian culture, a euphemism for stupidity. One of the relatively polite ones.

"Oh, that them?" Nakoa abruptly commented. Two rough-looking Wreans were, as a matter of fact, swimming on over toward them- or more specifically, toward Kyveli.

@lizziie

 

[Kyveli]

Kyveli blinked. "Right." She probably should have asked that first. 'Damn, there's so much to learn about the city.' Back home, they didn't even have cops. They didn't need them. Everyone knew everyone, and if what had just happened here had happened back home, it'd go a bit more like: "What'd you do, Kyveli?" / "Nothing! It was an accident!" / "Alright, I'm taking you back and calling your parents." Or something like that. It did depend on who. Her Yiayia, for example, would have her back. She was the only one who ever did.

But no, they didn't even look like a cop. "Yeahhh okay. No, not really." Maybe she'd jumped the gun a bit there. "They said no since I've never been acclimated to air," she answered, averting her eyes when she did. "I think it's bullshit. I'm built different."

Before she could say anything further, Nakoa interrupted to point out the two pursuing Wrean men. One was the man who'd rejected her, and the other was one of his lackeys. Kyveli froze. Her flight or fight reflexes were fighting one another for her course of action. On one hand, she was worried about what the men would do — Would they turn her into an actual cop? Would they beat her up? — but on the other, surely they wouldn't do anything with this guy here.

"Yeah, that's them!" she declared, her second set of vocal cords carrying the sound of her voice through the water. She pointed a finger their way and banished any hint of nervousness from her face. If she was lucky, maybe she could get this stranger to play along. They were kind of wild-looking; maybe it'd intimidate the guys. "Those are the men who threatened me!" She said it even louder this time, hoping to catch the attention of the bystanders loitering nearby.

"Don't listen to the little shit! She needs to learn a little respect," growled the lackey. The older of the two, the one Kyveli had spoken to, slowed to a halt and said nothing for now, his dark eyes burrowing into Nakoa's.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

An eyebrow raised. "Isn't that a childhood thing, usually?" Their voice wasn't judgemental so much as curious, though that never stopped others from misinterpreting. Nakoa didn't know what 'built different' was supposed to mean, but it was ironically funny in a way they didn't bother elaborating on.

Then the rough-and-tumble duo showed up. Some others around glanced over at the commotion, eyeing the situation with a whole slew of different thoughts and emotions. They otherwise seemed to mind their own business.

The older glared at Nakoa. Nakoa, body language infinitely unbothered, looked right back with the same nonchalance as one might observe a passing school of fish. Except for the eyes. For a singular moment, those amber-golds were as sharp and piercing as a hawk's. Then the edge was gone as if it was never there at all.

"Respect is an earned thing, gentlemen. All I see is two full-grown chasing some kid. Is this respectable behavior?" Something in the cadence and pronunciation of Nakoa's words carried hints of the Tethysian Mafia families that kept outsider smugglers in line. The younger Wrean rankled at Nakoa's insinuation. The older's eyes narrowed. "She started it!" insisted the younger man. "Ah? You look unharmed to me save some redness of face."

They were speaking to the older and calmer one directly now, the one sizing Nakoa up, not the angry one. Nakoa raised a hand in a placating gesture."If my niece has offended you, I apologize. This is worth letting go." A statement rather than a question or request. There was a few moments' silence. The older one crossed his arms.

"We'll let it go. Wan' no trouble wit' sea-witches. Jus' keep 'er outta trouble." A corner of Nakoa's lips near-imperceptibly curled upward. "Just so. Before you descend; avoid the south-eastern caldera." And so, with one of the two still fuming and loudly complaining while the older one shushed him and muttered curses, the two departed relatively peacefully.

"So," Nakoa began, breaking the quiet that followed, idly floating semi-sideways. "You mentioned a crashing of currents?"

@lizziie