Roleplay

((@Staruniverse I am subbed! I hope you are as well ^^))

Submerged beneath the calm waters of his lake, the young-looking monk’s facial expression mirrored the serenity of his surroundings. It was still. He listened for the gentle ebb and flow of the springwaters and icy cold runoff, he felt the tug of the wind across the lake’s surface sending ripples traveling from one end to the other. In this meditative state he sat cross legged to finely hone his energies, gathering and condensing power in accordance to his affinities. This was simply one of the many steps he took to ensure that his human form didn’t fall behind. The passage of time hardly mattered to a spirit and the earthly definitions of hours and days melted away when he was surrounded by his element.

What broke his concentration was a rift to the ethereal plane - now disturbances were common, faint as they were, the ripples fading out into nothingness. The births and deaths of spirits, for example, were hardly worth batting an eye about. This, however, was as if someone took a rusty saw and slashed through that neverending surface, breaching it so violently it nearly made him ill. Whatever happened, it happened close.

And seemingly on cue, something fell into his lake. It appeared that he would not need to venture far to investigate. In the blink of an eye his body lengthened, clothes and hair morphing into scales and sinew as the dragon blitzed up towards the surface. His streamlined form faced little resistance from water, plus he could give himself a mighty boost whenever he was in his element. The spirit approached the faint blob splashing on the water’s surface and found himself surprised by the presence of a human treading water and desperately clawing towards shore.

Nearing the stricken woman his pace slowed. There was something that felt off about this individual. He couldn’t place a finger on it, but clearly she was not a local. No, this was something else entirely. Something he’d never seen before.

He commanded the water around the wayward human to support her, keep her head above water, then gently pushed her towards shore. The longer he spent trying to make heads or tails of the situation the less it all made sense. Regardless, it was important that he ensured the woman made it to shore safely. It seemed she was tiring quickly and losing strength - he would need to intervene. His mind made up, he shifted back to his human form and popped his head up within arm’s reach of the panicked human.

”Take my hand,” he commanded, voice firm but gentle, and quickly took her hand. He elected not to explain his presence yet. Best to get everyone on solid ground before the questions came. He assumed the rescue pose to ensure her head remained above water and brought them to shore at an inhuman pace. Once arrived, he let the woman sit down at the edge of the water.

”I saw you fall into my lake,” he said lamely, unsure of how to approach the subject. ”You aren’t hurt, I hope?”

((It has occurred to me that we didn’t discuss the technology of this world… I hope you are okay with it being pre-digital. If we want some modern technology akin to what Mia is used to that would be an easy change though! Ku’rahn still wouldn’t have immediate access to anything like a phone though :P))

Ku’rahn looked at the other with furrowed brows and an expression of concern as she stumbled over her words. At least there was no coughing, nor could he feel any trapped water in her lungs. It seemed she was stuck in a flurry of her own thoughts. Not that he could blame her - it seemed she’d been displaced a great distance from where she called home.

”This is Lake Nali,” he said calmly, putting his hands on her shoulders when she attempted to stand. He wondered if anyone knew where that was, given how small and insignificant the lake was in the greater area. He was going to try and reference the town downstream, and if that failed, the city by the bay, but she seemed far too distraught and was trying to use… some kind of glass and metallic slate she’d conjured up from one of her pockets.

”I, uh. What is that?” He asked blankly, unsure of what this phone she spoke of was. ”First things first, let’s get you dried off. You’ll fall ill with those soaked clothes.” He lifted a hand and mimicked the motion of shutting a drawstring bag. In that instant the water wicked into her sodden clothing and hair was drawn out into a bubble that hovered briefly beside her before being flung into the lake. For good measure, he did the same to that odd device she held, though nothing seemed to happen.

”Better? I’m afraid you’re far from home… wherever that may be, but I know it is not here. It’ll be dark soon and it may be best if we took this conversation indoors. Then we can figure out how to get you home.” He pointed at the small cottage on the lakeside, ”you look like you could do with some proper rest.”

((She’s shockingly calm for someone who just witnessed magic haha, poor girl does need a proper sit down and a cup of tea. Shorter replies are fine! They're engaged in conversation after all ^^))

The river spirit offered up a smile at the human’s thanks and took a step back as she stood. His eyes widened at her comment, though, and he let out a nervous sigh.

”Right, where are my manners? I am Ku’rahn, spirit of the River Rahn, guardian of its tributaries, protector of Lake Nali. These are my headwaters, and is where I call home.” He bowed with a small flourish, the breeze and life nearby having gone silent out of respect as he introduced himself. When he brought himself back up to full height everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

To an outsider, it may seem completely ludicrous that this twenty-something looking monk could be protector of anything, let alone an entire river system. Yet here he stood, talking about it like it was nothing at all.

”It would be rude to not offer. Plus, it seems that you might need some time to establish your bearings. You must be exhausted from treading water for so long. Why don’t we go and sit down inside. I’m sure you have many questions for me, even if I might not be able to answer all of them.”

((@Allknowing11 To interrupt is generally considered bad form. We can take this to an OOC chat if Star is inclined as I’m not opposed provided that your writing is up to snuff.)) ((Mia’s having a rough day [emoji=guardian sad size=1] but I hope she’ll cheer up once she’s brought inside… This patented spirit tea is sure to help! Well, it’s regular tea, but Ku’rahn might have shenanigans and enchanted it [i]a wee bit[/i] to help get her calmer and rejuvenated :P)) Ku’rahn took her hand and shook it. It was a gesture that he was still getting used to around humans, though becoming more and more fluent. [b]”Wonderful, now if you don’t mind, Mia, please follow me to my humble abode.”[/b] The small thatched cottage was nothing out of the ordinary. Mud and brick inlaid with smaller stones for texture, wood framed windows and door, and a small chimney at one end. One long side faced the water, the other had the door that opened to a small gravel path that wandered off towards the horizon before being intercepted by trees. Ku’rahn led the way up the shallow bank and opened the door for Mia. At his command, the lanterns flickered to life, bathing the interior in a warm glow. It was a simple home - the side with the chimney was evidently the kitchen, containing an ice chest, stove, and sink. The middle section housed a worn, wooden table that comfortably sat four, possibly six, under a hanging lantern. The other end was walled off with two doors. Presumably one was the bedroom, the other a washroom. [b]”Sit, please, while I make you some tea.”[/b] He said softly, gesturing at the dining table. The spirit walked into the small kitchen and sparked the stove, stoking it until a fire crackled within its iron belly. He stepped away and waved a hand before walking back to the table. As he sat down, behind him, there was a flurry of activity in the kitchen. A jar magically popped its lid to allow a floating spoon to scoop out a generous quantity of glistening golden syrup. Water whisked its way from spout into teapot before the teapot plonked down firmly atop the stove to be brought to a boil. The thick syrup got deposited into two teacups that flew over to the table, one setting down before each individual as Ku’rahn took his seat. [b]”It’s not every day that someone falls into my lake out of nowhere. You’re a long way from home, that much is obvious,”[/b] he began, keeping the [i]you’re not from this world[/i] to himself. [b]”I’m sure you have many questions for me. Drink this first to soothe your nerves and regain some strength, then ask away.”[/b] On cue, the teapot whistled and flew off the stove, daintily pouring its contents into the two cups on the table. A pair of spoons stirred the fragrant liquid that smelled of fruit and honey before neatly settling on the platter.