A Trip to the Isles (Aea/Keoni)

[Aea]

The waves of the ocean crashed rhythmically against the side of the medium sized cargo sloop, the salty sea breeze blowing across the deck of the ship as the sound of gulls overhead persisted just as it had for the past few hours. Aea stood on the bow of the ship, her hands on the wooden railing, in the event the ship were to toss and turn or hit something, so that she could still hopefully retain her balance. After weeks of sea travel, the ship stopping at a few ports along the way, Aea could finally see the Western Isles on the horizon. She has payed the captain of the ship so that she could hitch a ride to the Isles, as her recent conversation with Theo about travelling across the rest of Elibe had renewed her interest in the Isles. She hoped to see some of the exotic places there, maybe even just spending some time relaxing on the beaches and wilderness locales.

Once the ship had made port about an hour later, Aea thanked the captain and crew before stepping off the ship.So this is the city of Jutes, huh? Well, I suppose it doesn't look all that different from other cities, albeit maybe a bit.. dirtier. Walking at a brisk pace, Aea was quick to get away from the salty, fishy smell of the docks. She tried to find a place to eat, as she was quite hungry after a long voyage of minimal and admittedly bland rations as food. However, she found that the street bazaars all had either useless trinkets or food that didn't look all that edible to her. In fact, she questioned whether some of the stuff was actually even okay to consider as food. Where do I have to go to just find a traditional restaurant around here? Ugh.. maybe if I ask one of the locals...

Mustering up all the courage she had, Aea reached her hand out towards one stranger nearby. "U-um.. hello..?" Alas, the stranger took little notice of the soft spoken girl, if any at all. Aea tried this a few more times, failing every single time due to her intense anxiety around strangers. Downtrodden, and now lost in the large and crowded city streets, Aea began to mildly panic, and she started to breathe a bit faster as she tried to find a way to get somewhere where there would hopefully be less people, regardless of whether there was any food there or not.

[Keoni]

Keoni took his time keeping his head down in recent days, taking comfort in familiar territory. He had been taking his time taking the occasional odd job and just generally helping the good people of the Isles. It was nice for such a man to be a wandering helper, regardless of whether or not he got gold out of it. Luckily, Keoni was fortunate enough to be getting a little richer from his deeds, though he rarely stays around for long. As much as he enjoys the company of humans, he knew he was a constant danger to them.

Keoni could feel himself stirring from within, like an inner fire burning him from the inside out. There was a beast under his skin, a beast that he prayed he would never need to use. The wanderer had been keeping his mind occupied with errands, but part of him couldn't help but feel anxious. Among the crowds of the city of Jutes, Keoni felt like an outsider ready to burst into flames at any moment. He needed control, if not for his sake but for the sake of his home.

Something did catch the corner of Keoni's eye, however, breaking him out of his thoughts. He noticed a lone girl asking for help, the denizens of Jutes ignoring her every word. The girl herself would've been completely unnoticeable if it weren't for her mane of purple hair that flowed as she moved. Keoni wasn't one to ignore someone in a spot of trouble, and he could use the company to keep his mind busy. The wanderer tried to catch up to her, waving his hand to help catch her attention.

"Miss! Miss, did you need help?", Keoni shouted out to the mysterious girl.

[Aea]

Oh gods, I haven't even been here for half an hour, and I'm already lost. And now nobody will listen to me... What do I do.. What do I- Aea's anxious thoughts ceased immediately as she jumped a bit at the sound of someone calling out to her. Who is that? Oh, I see.. When Aea whipped around instinctively, her hair spun with her in a long flowing mane of purple, and allowed her ears to show just briefly before being covered up again, and a perceptive eye may have noticed her ears were much pointer than a human's should be, though this would elude anyone but the most perceptive of people, which nearly all the bystanders and pedestrians were not.

A bit intimidated by the man making his way towards her, she mustered up an introduction. "O-oh, hello. M-my name is Aea, and yes, I very much need help. I-I was just trying to find somewhere to sit down and eat, but.. w-well.. I got lost after just getting here... I-I wouldn't want to put this on you, b-but, would you maybe be able to show me around a bit, a-at least until I'm at a restaurant of some kind..?" Aea hoped that she wasn't coming across as a total wimpy pushover, but to be honest, at this point, she had accepted that that was the impression she likely made amongst strangers. "S-so, um.. Do you have a name? Er, of course you have a name, stupid me! Um.. so, what's your name?"