Beneath the Blue [open~]

Ocean

That which cannot be described

The sand wasn’t as hot as he thought it would even with the sun in the middle of the sky, His bare feet tolerated the warmth though, for that was all it was. In fact it was almost miraculous in his mind, that sand could be so cool... relaxing almost as he dug his toes into the sand, drinking up the sun’s warmth. He cautiously had set foot onto the dunes, knowing full well their blistering heat in the midst of the day and their freezing nature when the moon was at its height. The familiar feeling of sand was from his childhood and he supposed of his adulthood as well and it was not a distant enough memory that he placed such feelings on a pedestal. The temperature of the sand nearly went unnoticed in truth, his feet were calloused and well-adjusted from the blisters that he had received in the past from walking upon the grains in furnace that was his home land, yet still his steps were cautious almost as if he was still remembering those painful days. Hani was fully lost in his mind as he looked on at what they in the city of Asgard called the Crystal Coast, and was lost equally in the sight. Once he had heard his homeland described as an ocean of sand among the more recent freshly captured slaves... if they dared to speak rather than rattle against the chains that held them. Yet despite the description, he could not imagine the relationship, the metaphor between his homeland and the ocean, for while he understood what the word ocean meant... he’d never quite thought it was like this.

His mouth gaped from underneath the mask he halfheartedly carried on his face, old habits die hard he supposed, yet he couldn’t help it... both the gaping and the tentative grip. Water was a scarcity in Cen, it was dunes upon dunes of seas with jagged rock from what he had seen from his meanderings into Illusia. It wasn’t as if this was a surprise to him, the sand even as child seemed so vast that if he stayed outside too long, he was afraid that he very might be swallowed up... and when he saw out the tiny hole during the night, he could see the rocky cropping that designated the mines of his masters. While he knew that the ocean was a large body of salt water... his idea of a large body did not match the sight before him that was looking up right back at him. A large amount of water to him, was a bath, enough to submerge a human in... the ocean far surpassed his definition of quite a bit. In the back of his mind, he could only idly bemuse at the lack of similarities between the ocean of sand that was his home and the true ocean before him... the foreign slave was so wrong... the ocean was so much more. It was intimidating yes, the vast quantity of water before him, but also alluring, he almost couldn’t believe its existence, though Ilusia seemed bent on surprising him. His ears flickered back and forth, raised high, surprise riding his almost mute expression with those telltale signs. The ocean shifted, yes much like the sands did on the wind, but it wasn’t stifflimg or particularly irritating, rather soothing as the deep blue green water lapped onto the edge with tiny little curls of white, before receding peacefully. Every once in a while, as the ocean pulled back itself he could see shells tumbling with the crests which were also pulled back where they belonged.

Tentatively, with arms crossed, Hani, stood at the edge of the ocean, where the sand had turned dark from where the water had seeped in. He half expected the wall of dark sand to lighten almost immediately under the unwavering blaze of the sun, but it did not, the rolling water came once more to soften the sand beneath his feet. The beastman did not mind that his rather strange arrangement of clothes felt heavier with dampness, it was a still a strange feeling to him and he was not going to forsake the kindness of strangers, not when every sense screamed at him for his own protection to cover himself against the sun’s rays. The sun in Cen gave birth to a new day, but it also held the capacity to take it just as swiftly for the heat of the bright orb in the sky radiated off the white sand in the desert, it was only wise to cover up. Hani fidgeted with the plaster in his right hand, a simple mask, used to keep sand and the heat off his face, watching fascinated by the water. Tentatively, he took a step into the wave, rather than merely watch it and with a twitch of his ears and a slight splash, he stood there shocked. The water... was actually freezing, he wasn’t expecting that, and once more put another foot, more tentatively, the hair on the back of his neck raised ever so slightly in response to the change in temperature. It became a dance of sorts as he edged closer to where the water broke upon the sand, his ankles wet by the rolling of the waves.

The sand was white, not pure white, but they were close enough back home if one cared to truly look, yet the ocean was vibrant with blue and green hues only made brighter by the emptiness of the grains around it. Hani looked up for a moment, and there was another distinction that he could make rather easily... the ocean almost appeared to be reflecting the sky itself, the white crests, the clouds that dotted the bright lucid blue of the sky. It need not be said that it too reflected the colors that the sky held, though with an artist’s rendition of colors, a simple blue hue became many shades. His ears flickered back and forth, still upright and alert, though the angle had softened a bit as Hani found himself fascinated with the ocean. With another flicker of ears, he looked down at the little crest seeing creatures with fins, small, little red darts that lived with the shallow waters yet with white stripes, contrasting with its surroundings. The creature was unheeding of the Beastman, but Hani bent down to look at the creatures further, for there were protrusions from their side and a unique tail... it was a fish, a live fish. While perhaps a simple revelation to many, in truth he had only seen on the very rare occasion if he was lucky enough to be in the kitchens that night, cooked fish, their bodies no longer recognizable after the preparations had been done. He bent down and reached out with a single finger in the shallows of the ocean and touched the water’s surface. The waves were not as frequent as they appeared and before he could touch the illusive creature, the slight ripples caused by his finger alerted the minuscule creature to his presence. They as any mildly intelligent created darted away from the source with a slightly confused onlooker who placed the offending finger on his lips. He hadn’t meant to disturb them... but, maybe he could take a shell?

Though he was relaxed in mentally, almost unheeding of the world, his body was still tense as he thought he faintly heard a faint splash. His ears swiveled in that direction, and he coiled just a bit, unconsciously. Vaguely, he wondered why... those that had described his home as an ocean of sand, seemed to put so much hate on the word ocean... the new slaves that is as he watched the tiny creatures slowly return. A tiny smile graced his lips, though he felt troubled... because something wasn’t right. There was something that he had forgotten or dismissed... for he could not see how those born free could hate the ocean as much as their bodies spoke of it.

words

1347

tags

#Ariadne #First Time Ocean

notes

Male check. Beastman... check.

I sort of imagine that Merfolk are almost like...monsters under the bed in Monsters INC to Hani. They exists, but everything else tells you that they can't. Also time to ruin Hani already.

Ocean

That which cannot be described

VWhile it was true that he was fascinated by the tiny fish that were so unheeding of his presence as he stood there much akin to that of a statue, his ears caught something. It sounded like a small splash, but much to his body’s dismay, he ignored it, as it blended in with the lapping of the waves around his ankles. For a brief moment though, the beastman froze, twisted his ears slightly as they remained upright and looked about, before coming to the conclusion that it was nothing all the while staring at nothing. The sound was not enough to break him out of his dreamlike state and wonderment at the large body of water which had far exceeded his imagination. With another flick of his ears, he turned his attention back to the shallows of the ocean, although the splash had done nothing to ease the slight tension in his body. Somewhere in his mind, he felt something... felt another presence, but yet he had dismissed it... there was nothing here, except perhaps the white winged birds that hovered above the water’s surface and the tiny little ones around his bare feet. It wasn’t the noise that caused him to remained tense, just almost habit for he was hypersensitive... it took time for him to calm and settle into the surroundings, particularly unfamiliar ones for there was little of the idea of peace in his life. There was nothing here, no one here, and with that he took a deep breath, a small smile surfacing as he almost laughed at himself for the increased pounding in his heart, for he was afraid... of nothing. It was a bemusing thought, though he kept it to himself as to not disturb the surroundings for while there were no people to disturb, there was still life going about its business.

Gingerly he touched the top of his head, pulling the mask down a bit, as his muscles relaxed ever so slightly, one eye watching the small white birds that had come to congregate in the shallows. Funny, really, how much life there was... even though there was sand just the same, Illusia was all so very different than Cen. The animal as well as the plant life were not hiding against the red white sand in a bid for survival, rather it was abound almost disregarding their safety for the flash of white that dove into the waves was evidence to this. A stark white bird, it would not survive where it is brown, where it cannot safely land without some danger falling upon it. It was different, in a good way, the energy of Illusia itself was separate from that of Cen and perhaps the world, though he had not seen much of it even if he admittedly had seen more of it than he had expected to in his life. The white bird returned to shore with a silver in its tiny claws and he went back to observing the little life before him, moving a bit deeper into the water. The fish predictable scrambled as the once solid object began to move. The beastman’s toes instinctively grabbed onto the loose sand, clinging to the little bit of land as he moved forward, his eyes set on a mottled shell which had been taken into the sea’s grasp. It rolled with the waves, tumbling with the sand as it came and left all the same. The shell was trapped within a loop and Hani followed it, deeper into the ocean, until his clothes clung to his knees. With care, he bent down and fished around with an arm, finally catching the wayward shell.

Perhaps it was child like his amusement as he looked at the mottled object in his hand, but he could not bring himself to care, for it felt like for a moment the world was peaceful. His ears fell from their alerted position slightly, as he kept the small smile to himself. It was certainly childish, but similarly as he found himself not caring, he could not think it was wrong either, to be simply happy at watching the swarm of life around him. Perhaps he was being a child, fascinated by a part of the world he had never known, that was something similar to a myth to him, a dream. The ocean was dulling his senses. He was not and was aware of it, felt as if his guard had slipped a bit, but at the same time, he once more found himself not caring, not worrying for at the moment he was simply by himself.

Because they could take away everything, the world could take anything in the blink of an eye, but they could never take away the small pleasures which are not physical, not even there, the feelings of being alive. They couldn’t take the small joy of a memory if it was engraved.

The beastman looked down however as he felt a slight pulling on his legs as the waves continued their eternal cycle, and began to slowly back away for he noticed in the shimmering green water had become darker... it was deeper. There was a shelf before him and while perhaps it would occur to others more worldly than him, he did not immediately think that the ocean could be as vast as it was wide. The vast part was of concern, for he was not familiar with the art of swimming. He knew of it yes, but there was no need for him to learn it.

His ears flickered back up as he tried to scramble back as fast possible, a low hiss emanating from the rapidly approaching creature with purple scales, disrupting the illusion of peace he had begun to relax in. He didn’t catch a good look, just the flash of purple against the green blue waters and the aggressive sound of a hiss was enough to kick his quiet heart into overdrive as his eyes became wide, but were not seeing. His heart pumped quickly as he tried to make for shallower waters, finding his now slightly wet clothes, a hindrance to his movement. While he didn’t have his back turned, the young beastman froze as the hiss became a voice, a shout... his features stone as well as his body as he half winced at the commanding tone filled with loathing. He barely listened to the words as he blinked, the monster gone, now replaced with a pink haired woman, though that did not calm him. Hani winced as the words began to make sense to him through the haze of panic and placed a hand on his chest, the other now empty, for in his slight scramble, he had dropped the shell that had brought him so far in. There was a part of him still screaming that he should continue running , but years of hearing such a similar tone and yielding to ingrained obedience to it. He didn’t comprehend... he didn’t comprehend what he had done, other than come to the ocean, other than being a beastman... and what was a flatwalker? His ears fell, a sign of submission of obedience, understanding that the young girl before him was of similar mind to those of his masters. Yet... the ocean was so vast and wide... it was like laying claim to the desert, an impossible task, one that no one could claim entirely was their home despite the efforts of his masters. He did not voice this, however and remained silent, hoping that perhaps in silence and quiet submission she would stop casting the spell upon him. It was a spell of obedience... that she would let him leave, for it was her that kept him bound to his place... or not her specifically. Perhaps it would be apt to say that her mannerisms were reminiscent of his masters for even if the mind knew the differences, the body was not one to easily forget.

He shrank away as he heard her tone deep dangerously low... filled with venom and he flickered his eyes up to try to assess the other. That was a terrible idea for he was slightly more petrified as he never made it to her eyes, just to her hands, which cracked menacingly. He knew where this was going and he turned to the side slightly, breaking the paralysis if for a moment just to brace himself for the “vengeance” that she was going to take for his transgression. He waited, yet there was not a blow, at least not immediately, but he found himself shaking his head in genuine horror at the other’s suggestion. Internally he protested, knowing that it at this point didn’t matter what he said... for he had done nothing of the sort. He hadn’t even known she was there in truth, let alone would... ever. A slight quiet strangled cry of frustration escaped his lips... because he knew what it meant as much as he was ignorant of the world. He wasn’t ignorant of this world however... he always knew, he just never realized until it was too late, because simply he didn’t want to know. Hani closed his eyes to it once before, and that too was a crime of his, even though he was powerless to stop it and a hatred of sort began to gnaw at him for he could do nothing. Her accusation hit closer to his heart than the pink haired woman would know... because he wasn’t like them, and it was a sick parody of what he saw silently in the other servants. He couldn’t escape it could he, no matter where he ran it seemed.

Because... in those simple sentences, he couldn’t close his eyes and pretend he didn’t hear the undercurrents of those accusations. In the short time he had been with outside of his tiny world, he began to notice differences between those that had been... fancied by his masters and those that were free. Those that were free... they were carefree for they knew not what certain slaves had suffered, their conclusions were harsh, but they had no need to fear him other than his so called animal instincts. He didn’t know exactly what, but he knew something... just a sickening feeling that would not leave him. Perhaps it was because she practically screamed at him in an almost paranoid way, the hatred she held for him without even knowing him, it all pointed to it. She probably didn’t even know it... that this was part of the reason he did not answer her, why his throat had clenched up at him as hidden by sleeves his worn nails dug into the center of his palm. He... felt pity... yes, he felt it, despite the terror he still felt. Before he could muster anything to say, his mind scattered, confused, another revelation hit him... in the face. The flash of purple scales once more shone as a large wave of water was generate by the splash of tail at his face. He barely closed his eyes in time and his mouth opened a bit in shock as his emotions and mind became more confused as he put the dots together, just in time to begin sputtering on the salty water that had crept into his mouth.

The monster he had seen before, and the woman were the same... such would have been an easy observation, however he did not see it. Perhaps he didn’t want to see it, but he staggered slightly as he shook his head violently trying to shake off the water that was now rolling down his face. If anything he was more terrified than before... he didn’t think they existed... there was no reason to as he barely could imagine the ocean let alone someone living within one. A great deal of strange things had begun to make sense, the use of the word flatwalkers, the fact that the ocean was her home rather than merely stating that she was entitled to it.... A great many things that should have been obvious yet escaped him, in his confusion and panic. He let out an oomph as he felt a weight against his chest, his eyes barely opening as he felt himself fall down into the ocean, his head, against the cool wet sand and subsequently under the water. It was instinctual, he reared his head up his eyes burning as he tried to escape from his captor’s grasp, escape from the impending harm that was no doubt coming in the next few seconds. Being pinned down by the weight on his stomach, Hani squirmed, his mind ignoring the slight pain of sea water in his eyes and brought his face up, in a bid to escape the other’s grasp. He couldn’t move though, but at least he stopped sputtering sea water... yet he wished he hadn’t opened his eyes.

She was above him with a maniacal grin on her face and he was trapped not only by her weight, but by a strong grip on his clothes. Understandably... he paled slightly as he tried desperate to avert his gaze yet to no avail. He stammered out, finding words somehow in his brain, “... You’re going to do that anyway aren’t you?”. She was a water demon... they drowned and killed his kind without discrimination, that was what he knew of them. He didn’t know how else to answer, there was nothing that he could say... because the reason why he was here... was exactly what she had stated. It was the truth, but not the truth that she wanted to hear. He could almost feel the snarl forming and... while his body was still struggling for the sake of life, his mind had resigned in a manner, a quiet... unfamiliar feeling settling in his stomach. No, that was a lie... they were real the water demons, they were... they killed his own kind, he just never thought they were real, they were so far away. It was an emotion that was ugly, dark, he felt it before, but it was cold... and that is what he felt too, cold. Simply put, it was hatred, though it wasn’t directed towards the water demon, it was just... he didn’t quite know, maybe it was simply put a hatred of the world he had known, and then a world he barely had learned of taken away.

There was little doubt that he was going to end up drowning, that was simply an unalterable fact... yet still he found himself speaking, stuttering, though... it was the same as before, devoid of something. It was devoid of caring, perhaps did the best way to describe it, a resignation in his voice as he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the water devil, “... I didn’t even know you existed, let alone your presence.” He laughed, despite himself, a strange smile of sorrow and bemusement that matched his captors, though it was cut a bit short as a wave hit his head. He shook his head, “I don’t have a better excuse, really... it is as you say mostly, I wanted to see an ocean. I never saw it before. It surpassed my imagination.” Hani shook his head, still wearing his strange smile, even though he felt cold... well more than cold, it was a mixture of emotions that he could quite identify. He cared, yet he didn’t care, and he laughed again, “So what will it be water devil?”.

He already knew the answer, she told him not a moment before.

words

2,611

tags

#Ariadne #Water Devil #Ariadne Ruining Shit

notes

Hani's muse is... being weird, sorry, I didn't give you much, bleeeeeeh. Crappy post