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Back in Etzos, the communal bathing pools of the Steaming Dream were mostly used by adult citizens. Children were occasionally given a wash there, their parents usually monitoring their behavior. More often though, they either bathed in the Southwood River, or if they were part of the lucky minority, their parents had tubs at home for them to use.
One such parent, overseeing one such child's play, in one such a tub, might have been reminded of the toy ships and monsters that children delighted in while bathing, were they now witness to that which rose from the waves behind Agronel's vessel. Glistening scales towered over the crashing waves, the wake of its rising nudging the vessel closer to the rocks, as birds and sea beasts cried, grunted or scuttled silently away from the figure whose multi-lidded eyes now glared down upon the doomed below.
Tentacles surged up from beneath the vessel, cupping it in the inescapable webbing beneath the individual tendrils that now lifted the dripping hulk from the sea. "Traitor." the female giant growled, shameless in her scale-armored nudity. Agronel pleaded the error of his mistress' interpretation of events, but knew in his heart that it fell on deaf ears. His crewmen simply grovelled in the deck, in hopes that the Immortal would judge them innocent by reason of their subordinate status.
As Agronel pleaded his case, he may have believed that his words swayed her a little, for her face softened somewhat, and her head moved in angled ticks, like a watch, taking new poses that gave her eyes to peer from different angles at the man. Often they did not look at him at all as her head changed angles. Birds there were in plenty, but only one flying presence was being tracked by her awareness, and she set the sloop down to herd the small flying rodent between gargantuan hands, closing upon it with webbing that filled all potential gaps.
Now even as she lowered her hands, bidding her captive to return to his normal form as she released him onto the deck, much of this movement was accomplished simply by the reduction of her size. But she was still twice the height of the mast, the glare of betrayal still holding the mortals in check. "One there is here that has attempted no treachery." she crooned, with a sudden expression of utter doting love fixing itself upon Nauta.
The gentleness with which this was spoken was probably as startling as the swiftness with which it turned venomous upon the three others. "Two there are whose crime could be attributed to their poor choice of master." she hissed. The two crewmen stayed prostrate, but found a slim measure of hope they would not be slain. She sighed heavily now, and the breath caught the sails, threatening to put the vessel upon the rocks once and for all.
Chrien caught hold of the mast to stall this ending, continuing with her judgment. "...and even I must confess to have been such fool as to be taken in by sweet words; lies veiled in worshipful poetry. Therefore they shall live." Her head continued to twitch as though there may yet be some angle of view that could betray yet some new aspect of duplicity.
Agronel made a last bid to explain, but it was met with unforgiving fury. "SILENCE! she shrieked, her still massive hand sweeping out to seize him with lightning suddenness and back-breaking inertia. His strangled cry was lost in her raging. "TASK YOU, I DID, TO FIND ME AN ALCHEMIST. ONE TO AID IN MY SEARCH OF LOST CARGO. I GRANT YOUR SUCCESS IN THAT, FOR HE HAS DONE ADMIRABLY IN LOCATING WHAT I SOUGHT, SOMETHING YOU HAVE PROVEN UNABLE TO DO!"
Her mein was made even more ghastly by the grimace which forced her to continue through gritted teeth. Agronel writhed in her hand, though the pain may well have been from his eardrums being subjected to her deafening shrieks at such close proximity.
"And in what manner would you have me be known to show gratitude for service well rendered? MURDER? And not even one done from face on? But rather, the coward's version; done from one of sneaking from behind! She lifted him over the side, ignoring his pained grunts of protest.
"And how would you maintain this falsity, fool?" She pointed at Nauta, "It was HIS skill that brought success here, not yours. What then do you do the next time? And the one after that? You would rob me of a skilled agent, to bolster a claim that you MUST know would ultimately fail, BRINGING ME TO FAILURE ALONG WITH YOU!"
Agronel could do nothing but howl in terror now as Chrien raised herself more erect, her hand taking an obvious position to thrust him into the water. "I will NOT fail! Perhaps you will be a success in some OTHER way!" Her hand dove beneath the waves, taking Agronel with it, as she once again turned a benevolent look to Nauta. "You have my blessing good chemist, you have not only found what was lost, but exposed what was rotten. He may be salvaged, but he must die first to be reborn in better image."
Almost as an afterthought, she leaned in and swiped her fingers across the aukari's torso. It felt as if he was drenched through his clothes, though only the few drops of a wet hand actually soaked in. If he opened his shirt to investigate the odd sensation, he would find an image, as a birthmark, but taking the shape of an actually rotating depiction of a hurricane's pattern slowly spinning there.
Chrien now turned her voice upon the two crewmen, "It is my wish that you return him to his land. These elements have their source there and it may be of benefit to me later." She gave a pointed nod of the head, first to Nauta, then to her submerged hand. "Serve THIS one well. Or suffer THAT one's fate."
One such parent, overseeing one such child's play, in one such a tub, might have been reminded of the toy ships and monsters that children delighted in while bathing, were they now witness to that which rose from the waves behind Agronel's vessel. Glistening scales towered over the crashing waves, the wake of its rising nudging the vessel closer to the rocks, as birds and sea beasts cried, grunted or scuttled silently away from the figure whose multi-lidded eyes now glared down upon the doomed below.
Tentacles surged up from beneath the vessel, cupping it in the inescapable webbing beneath the individual tendrils that now lifted the dripping hulk from the sea. "Traitor." the female giant growled, shameless in her scale-armored nudity. Agronel pleaded the error of his mistress' interpretation of events, but knew in his heart that it fell on deaf ears. His crewmen simply grovelled in the deck, in hopes that the Immortal would judge them innocent by reason of their subordinate status.
As Agronel pleaded his case, he may have believed that his words swayed her a little, for her face softened somewhat, and her head moved in angled ticks, like a watch, taking new poses that gave her eyes to peer from different angles at the man. Often they did not look at him at all as her head changed angles. Birds there were in plenty, but only one flying presence was being tracked by her awareness, and she set the sloop down to herd the small flying rodent between gargantuan hands, closing upon it with webbing that filled all potential gaps.
Now even as she lowered her hands, bidding her captive to return to his normal form as she released him onto the deck, much of this movement was accomplished simply by the reduction of her size. But she was still twice the height of the mast, the glare of betrayal still holding the mortals in check. "One there is here that has attempted no treachery." she crooned, with a sudden expression of utter doting love fixing itself upon Nauta.
The gentleness with which this was spoken was probably as startling as the swiftness with which it turned venomous upon the three others. "Two there are whose crime could be attributed to their poor choice of master." she hissed. The two crewmen stayed prostrate, but found a slim measure of hope they would not be slain. She sighed heavily now, and the breath caught the sails, threatening to put the vessel upon the rocks once and for all.
Chrien caught hold of the mast to stall this ending, continuing with her judgment. "...and even I must confess to have been such fool as to be taken in by sweet words; lies veiled in worshipful poetry. Therefore they shall live." Her head continued to twitch as though there may yet be some angle of view that could betray yet some new aspect of duplicity.
Agronel made a last bid to explain, but it was met with unforgiving fury. "SILENCE! she shrieked, her still massive hand sweeping out to seize him with lightning suddenness and back-breaking inertia. His strangled cry was lost in her raging. "TASK YOU, I DID, TO FIND ME AN ALCHEMIST. ONE TO AID IN MY SEARCH OF LOST CARGO. I GRANT YOUR SUCCESS IN THAT, FOR HE HAS DONE ADMIRABLY IN LOCATING WHAT I SOUGHT, SOMETHING YOU HAVE PROVEN UNABLE TO DO!"
Her mein was made even more ghastly by the grimace which forced her to continue through gritted teeth. Agronel writhed in her hand, though the pain may well have been from his eardrums being subjected to her deafening shrieks at such close proximity.
"And in what manner would you have me be known to show gratitude for service well rendered? MURDER? And not even one done from face on? But rather, the coward's version; done from one of sneaking from behind! She lifted him over the side, ignoring his pained grunts of protest.
"And how would you maintain this falsity, fool?" She pointed at Nauta, "It was HIS skill that brought success here, not yours. What then do you do the next time? And the one after that? You would rob me of a skilled agent, to bolster a claim that you MUST know would ultimately fail, BRINGING ME TO FAILURE ALONG WITH YOU!"
Agronel could do nothing but howl in terror now as Chrien raised herself more erect, her hand taking an obvious position to thrust him into the water. "I will NOT fail! Perhaps you will be a success in some OTHER way!" Her hand dove beneath the waves, taking Agronel with it, as she once again turned a benevolent look to Nauta. "You have my blessing good chemist, you have not only found what was lost, but exposed what was rotten. He may be salvaged, but he must die first to be reborn in better image."
Almost as an afterthought, she leaned in and swiped her fingers across the aukari's torso. It felt as if he was drenched through his clothes, though only the few drops of a wet hand actually soaked in. If he opened his shirt to investigate the odd sensation, he would find an image, as a birthmark, but taking the shape of an actually rotating depiction of a hurricane's pattern slowly spinning there.
Chrien now turned her voice upon the two crewmen, "It is my wish that you return him to his land. These elements have their source there and it may be of benefit to me later." She gave a pointed nod of the head, first to Nauta, then to her submerged hand. "Serve THIS one well. Or suffer THAT one's fate."
