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Post by dandan on Nov 25, 2007 21:38:03 GMT -5
"Stupid thing," Dan-dan muttered. The gangly waterbender approached the entrance to his home, but stopped a few steps short of the doorway. A quick glance down at his body reminded him that he was still covered in mud. Dan-dan gave a sudden, rigorous shake througout his whole body, using a bit of bending to aid in the removal of all the muck. After several seconds of flailing like a wet dog, he deemed himself clean enough to enter the tree house and stepp through the open doorway.
The fisherman deposited the oar he'd been carrying against the wall beside the entrance and pulled off his hat. A long-winded sigh escaped him as he draped the hat, which was made from a large folded leaf, on the paddle of the oar and strode over towards the hammock in the corner of the room. Dan-dan collapsed backward into the length of suspended fabric and swung lazily back and forth with his feet hanging over the edge. He blew out another sigh and rubbed an itch on his nose.
"Kulap?" he called out, not even having bothered to locate his wife on the way in, "You ready fer a funny story?" He asked without any evident humor in his voice, though a smile still managed to creep onto the corners of his mouth.
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Post by choji on Nov 25, 2007 21:53:19 GMT -5
Kulap had cermonial paint on her face and step out of the backroom she threw a back of sweet herbs into the fire and wiped her face of the paint, and poured some pomegrante juice with acai berries and gave a cup to her husband who look beat from work.
"A funny story? Whut happen Dan-dan, Hogmonkeys stole Du's hat again?" She asked as she when to grab some honey bread for her husband. "Hun you sound beat. yew want me to make dinner? It's yer turn but I dun mine doin' it again." She was about to get some fresh water clams and roasted those with a pheasant-swan. When Butchie thunder in covered in mud he shook and sat in the corner munching on his bone. "Looks like mah boys are quiet tired today. Had a rough day too lying in the sun? Or wus it the females?" She joked petting her familar.
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Post by dandan on Nov 25, 2007 23:03:29 GMT -5
"Nah, nah," Dan-dan declined as Kulap attempted to guess the cause of his state while offering to mke dinner. He sat up straight in the hammock, grunting from the effort and took a sip of the juice he'd been handed. "But get this..." He squared himself to look at his wife and cleared his throat before retelling the story.
"So I' out making the rounds as usual, and when I get to the last pond of the day it turns out that old Slim felt like takin' a nap in our fishin' hole. He must be gettin' up in years cuz he didn't even hear when I pulled the skiff up near him and got ready to toss the net in. Then I...." Dan-dan blew out a sigh. "Ya know what... long story short, I spent the next ten minutes trying to untangle the catfish-gator from the net til he started rollin' like he'd caught a coon-dog. The net's trashed, and I need to go into town an' buy a new one."
Dan-dan downed the rest of the juice in his cup, smacking his lips as the concentrated taste of berries lingered on his tongue. "I got some money from the village coffers and I'll probably head out tomorrow," he stated, "It's prime fishin' season and we can't afford the time it'll take to make a replacement."
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Post by choji on Nov 26, 2007 16:06:54 GMT -5
"Whooo Dan..it sounds naaasty. Yer hear that Butchie, looks like yer old friend doesn't like the fishermen." She giggled and sat with Dan-dan. "We won't need too much money I have plenty from working as well as the extra I nabbed from Dao. Hee hee. Yer ain't the only bread winner." Kulap got up and rubbed her husbands back, "Looks like Imma coming too. I like a good adventure and you know that. And you know where ever yew go Imma comin' along." She kissed his cheek, and wrapped her arms around him.
"Well have a nice big dinner tonight, You'll like that. We'll worry about the net tommarra like ya said." Kulap walked over to the kitchen and the prepared pheasant-swan. She took the bird and rubbed it with aromatics and lots of spices. She threw some freshwater clams into pot of water and put in the fire to boil. She laid the pheasant-swan in mixture of egg-batter and rolled it in dried bread crumbs and tossed it the oven with some large breaded mushrooms. "Well now we have decient meal at least. I could git the cider too." She sat next Dan-dan and kissed his cheek, "Ya know, now that I think about it I never been outside tha swamp."
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Post by dandan on Nov 27, 2007 9:36:20 GMT -5
Dan-dan scratched his head while Kulap went about her dinner preparations and wasn't too surprised when she expressed a desire to join him on the trip. He hadn't considered that possibility on his way home, but his wife was not one to pass up something out of the ordinary like that. Still, though, he began thinking of a few precautions he would need to take before unleashing Kulap onto the ouside world. Dan-dan had been to the nearby towns on a few occasions and remembered how differently things worked there.
"I guess there's no stoppin' ya," he said with mock lament, flashing a smile at Kulap. "But if yer comin' too then there's a few things ya need to remember. It ain't like the Swamp out there, and lots o' stuff we do normally can get'cha into trouble..... Oh, and Butchie's gonna have to stay an' guard the house." Dan-dan said that last part quickly, figuring that Kulap would likely object to and so he hoped she would unwittingly agree before she had a chance to argue against it.
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Post by choji on Nov 27, 2007 16:38:15 GMT -5
Kulap began taking a few premade bread loaves from the window sill, and prepared to throw them in soon, As soon as the Pheasent-swan was done. Kulap washed her hands as Dan-dan spoke . "But if yer comin' too then there's a few things ya need to remember. It ain't like the Swamp out there, and lots o' stuff we do normally can get'cha into trouble..... Oh, and Butchie's gonna have to stay an' guard the house."
Kulap was mixing a sauce for the phesant-swan and clams when she heard that. "Whut do you mean hun? Whut can't I do outside of the swamp? Whut would get me into trouble Dan?" She finished the sauce and pulled out the pheasant swan and sat in the window sill to cool as Kulap began to bake the bread. She pulled the boiled clams out as well and drained them.
"Why does Butchers have to go stay here? You reckoned that Earth Folk would be scared of him. You know he is friendly, he just loves people. Ain't that right yew over grown hand-bag yew." She said playfully to Butchie who growled and rolled over showing his underside. "Yer a goodboy Butchie...gassy, but a good boy." Kulap added as she too a wiff of her familar. She started serving dinner and fetched the cider.
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Post by dandan on Nov 27, 2007 19:51:35 GMT -5
Dan-dan smiled slightly at Kulap's interaction with her familiar, but at the same time he realized that things like that were exactly what would cause them troubles in town. "Yer just gonna have to trust me on this one. And I'm sure Butchie would be dry enough to crumble by the time we get back to the swamp... They got dry paved streets where we're goin' and for some reason they're very selfish with their water."
The fisherman stood up then, taking advantage of Kulap's momentary distraction with fetching the cider, and wandered over to the cooked bird on the window sill. Butchie growled as he watched Dan-dan sneaking toward the ood, but a 'shh!' from the waterbender quieted the beast. Dan-dan yanked off a wing and bounced it between his hands in order to avoid burning his skin. After a few moments of blowing frosty air at the wing with his ending, it was cool enough to eat and he quickly stripped the meat from the bones with a single bite.
Glancing at Butchie, who was still looking at him as though he'd commited grand theft dinner, Dan-dan tossed the wing bone out the window and sat back down on the hammock.
"Oh," he suddenly said as an important thought crept up in his mind, "We're gonna need to get'cha a shirt."
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Post by choji on Nov 27, 2007 23:24:49 GMT -5
Kulap heard what her husband said and nodded. "Point...Butchie is water critter, he needs it as much as I do. So I reckon yer right." She struggled looking for the cider cursing as she did so. She didn't even know what happend. As she stood up she did notice one of the wings was missing. "BUTCHIE! BAD BOY! Yew don't take food like that. That ain't gator food," Butchie looked shocked as Kulap repremaided him. "NO Yew git outside and go hunt." Butchie whimpered and with his head lowered looking quiet hurt.
"Boy should have known his manners. What was he thinking. Dan-dan sit down we're gonna eat." Kulap served food to her husband while glaring at Butchie who was still whining outside. "Butchie go hunt...go git yer own dinner and leave mama Kulap with her mate. Git now.." The catgator made the most saddest expression on his face. Kulap made an exatarated expression and said. "Yew said something about me in a shirt? Won't tha be kinda odd?"
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Post by dandan on Nov 28, 2007 17:07:42 GMT -5
Dan-dan felt only a little remorse for the catfish-gator's punishment, but he kept any guilt from showing on his face. Butchie had interrupted him and Kulap enough times during inappropriate moments so he didn't dwell on this injustice too much.
"Jus' trust me," he said in response to her questioning, "You don't want the attention. I think I'ma wear one too...." Dan-dan scratched his nose and conjured up a mental image of the uproar Kulap would cause if she were to enter the town in full Foggy Swamp regalia. The thought brought a smile to his face, but he decided to postpone any further discussion while dinner was waiting to be eaten.
"But let's deal with that later," he said, reaching for another piece of the pheasant-swan, "I'm hungry."
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Shortly after dawn the next day, Dan-dan was woken by the sound of chirping birds. The night before he had put together a travelling pack filled with some supplies as well as a pair of waterskins. He doubted that the trip would last too long, but in the off-chance that it took longer than a day to acquire the net and start heading back to the Swamp, he didn't want to waste the village's money on food or a place to stay. Leeting loose a great yawn, he rolled out of bed and stretched.
"All set to go?" he asked Kulap, giving her a gentle nudge as she lie.
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Post by choji on Nov 28, 2007 21:56:26 GMT -5
Kulap grunted a "No" and rolled over, taking most of the blankets with her. She already had her outfit ready from last night and now sitting in the back room. Kulap was still groggy however and refused to get up. "Nnnn, I dun wanna git up." Mumbled Kulap, as her long hair stood up at odd angles. Butchie however played alarm clock and banged his food dish. Kulap twitched eatch time he thew it down. Finally Butchie walked over and pulled the blankets off his mistresse's body.
Cold Kulap got up and hobbled over the backroom cussing in every flavor. Butchie felt acomplished and went to the balcony to bask. Kulap got dressed, starting with clothes. She undid her loincloth and threw it a pile of dirty clothes. "We need to do laundry Dan-dan" Kulap noted as she shivered now naked. She took a clean breechcloth and wrapped it around her. She wrapped her breasts next. "Hate these things." She grumbled, poking her head out she shouted to her husband
"Dan-dan go git ready and get some breakfast, ok?" She popped back in and finish getting dressed. She slipped on a billowy loose apple green top. That lack sleves and had V shape collar cut. She slipped on a new loincloth and finished her outfit with an apple green sarong with gold trim and gold flowers printed on it. She braided her hair adding a feather or to in it and threw on some bangles and few earrings. She got of the backroom adding her noserings putting on her sandals.
"Ok I am ready now. So how do I look?" She turned in a circle before Dan-dan and show off her new look. Butchie grunted from outside. Kulap swung her arms making the bangles jingle. "So are you ready?"
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Post by dandan on Nov 28, 2007 23:51:21 GMT -5
While Kulap had gone in the back room to get dressed, Dan-dan had taken a more direct route to preparing himself. Slipping into a simple olive green poncho that hung down to his knees, he tied a rope around the middle to cover his sides and called it a success. His oar, hat, and supplies were all piled up beside the door and he enjoyed a breakfast composed of swamp apples while he waited for his wife.
As she entered the room fully dressed and asked for his opinion, Dan-dan simply replied, "Ya look great. Now let's go." He tossed her two apples in rapid succession and then scooped up his supplies on the way out the door.
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The pair of Swamp dwellers made their way to the village wharf and boarded their skiff. Within minutes they were off along the main waterway to the south and out of the swamp and within an hour they were on the trail to the town of Chin.
"From here it should be a few hours walk to the town," he told Kulap as they embarked down the beaten path.
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Post by choji on Nov 29, 2007 16:17:17 GMT -5
Kulap got out the skift and tied it to a treebranch. She adjusted the leaf hat and took her rucksack and spear/staff, she convently took off the head off the main shaff at home and just had the staff.
Now on the main road Kulap pace was very upbeat she liked a good adventure even if it mean a simple trip to get a new net. Kulap hummed a wordless tune and followed Dan-dan as they got out of a wooded are and into a more open expanse. Kulap looked around and shifted her hat. Trying to pass the time in a very long and boring walk. Kulap bored became evendent when she asked Dan-dan to play a game.
"Lets play Eye-Spy Dan, c'mon we ain't got nuthin' better to do." Kulap looked around her muddy brown eyes searching something on the horzion. "Ummmm I spy sumthin'....Tall!" Kulap added as the turned her head at Dan-dan
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Post by dandan on Dec 3, 2007 15:52:25 GMT -5
As they made their way along the path to the city it seemed Kulap was beginning to grow tired with the monotony of walking. Her attempt to spruce things up with a game were not necessarily unwelcome, but they seemed distracting to the single minded Dan-dan. He'd already realized early on during this land stage of the journey that he couldn't walk as fast as he'd like without leaving Kulap behind. His stride was simply too long for her to keep up without jogging, and the slow pace weighed on the back of his mind.
"Hmm?" he hummed in response to Kulap's assertion that she spied something tall. The fisherman turned his head to either side, spying nothing but open fields for a good distance in either direction. Behind them and far off to their left were some mountains, but he didn't think Kulap was taking such far-off objecs into account. He thought for a few moments and then chanced at an answer. "Ummmm... Me?" he guessed.
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Post by choji on Dec 4, 2007 21:39:21 GMT -5
Kulap giggled "Yep yur turn." After while of playing Eye Spy with Dan-dan Kulap just became slient. The child-like laughter her voice seem to fade slightly she was bored again, and with that she just continued to walk. They were now climbing hills and Kulap was getting tired. Her cheerfulness returned when she spied a stone statue, she smiled. She was almost there. "Jest a little ferther Dan!"
Finally after walked what felt like aeons to the shaman, the couple has reached the akward hamlet of Chin. Kulap looked at the folk with interested as the the rest of them started oddly at them. A few whispered odd remarks at them "Why are they wearing leaves" "What an ugly poncho" "She's has some odd pericing on her face." Kulap paid no heed to the remarks and kept walking. "Dan-dan why are they starin' at us?" She asked almost frighten. She felt wary in this place but as soon as they reached a market place her worry became excitment. "WOW!" She exlamed at the vendors and booths in the square. " "LOOKIT SHINEHS!" She shouted as she took the purse and ran over to the jewierly booth.
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Post by dandan on Dec 6, 2007 21:23:16 GMT -5
"Kulap! Hold on a minute!" Dan-dan started to say, reaching out a hand futily towards hs wife as she pulled away from him. He started after her, but a man wheeling a cart full of cabbages cut him off for a moment. Dan-dan stopped short of running into the cart, side-skipped around it and quickly began looking for his wife. "Kulap?" he mouthed quietly, not wanting to shout in the middle of the plaza and draw a crowd. His eyes scanned over the crowd for a moment, but everyone seemed to be wearing the same shade of of pale green that camouflaged Kulap.
After several seconds, though, he managed to catch sight of Kulap over by some jeweler's stand. Mumbling some incoherent string of syllables that expressed his distate for her running off, he started over toward her at a swift walk.
"Kulap," he called out as he stopped beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back, "We should try an' stick together. It's easy to get lost."
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