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Post by choji on Apr 18, 2008 14:45:13 GMT -5
The walk back home was very quiet. Kulap wasn't sure if she got all her facts straighten, though there have be other liasions since her first. She still wasn't positive she had a bun in the oven. She hoped she wasn't. She wasn't ready for children.
Finally home after boat ride back. Butchie was rather exicted to see her. Thumping his tail on the ground he nuzzled Kulap as she leaned over to kiss him on the snout.
"Heya Butchie yew been a good boy?" Feeling rather exausted she looked at the hammock before getting undress to catch some much wanted sleep. Her stomach growled suggesting hunger. She looked down at it before frowning.
"Yer gonna be the bane of mah exstiants aren't yew?" She added more logs to stoke a fire before undoing her hair. Her mind deep in thought she. Sighed before looking at Dan-Dan.
"Whut do you think about all this Dan-dan?"
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Post by dandan on Apr 20, 2008 22:49:57 GMT -5
The day had been a typical example of life in the Swamp. Dan-dan had been asked once or twice to recount a little of his and Kulap's latest escapades in the town of Chin, but otherwise work went on as normal. They hauled in a decent catch and distributed the fresh meat among the fisherman, giving Dan-dan a rack lined with swamp-bass fillets for dinner.
Kulap didn't come home until shortly after sun-down, but Dan-dan had expected her to be out late. He cooked the fish himself over the fire that burned in the sandpit at the center of their tree-house. Though he was alone, save for butchie, he kept himself entertained by starting to whittle a little totemic figurine out of a thick piece of tree branch he'd found on the way home. By the time his wife arrived, he had stripped the bark clean and shaped the wood into smooth cylinder.
Dan-dan called out a greeting to her as she walked in,. but Kulap seemed exhausted and intent on making herself ready for bed. The fisherman moved one of the sticks skewered with cooked fish closer to the flames in order to reheat them for Kulap to eat. However, when she asked his opinion, he was caught a little off-balance.
"'Bout what?" he asked for clarity. Dan-dan wasn't entirely sure what sort of answer she was looing for. Part of him came to the conclusion she was referring to her suspected pregnancy, but there could be other things on her mind. "A baby? Shoot... soon as yer sure I'm thinkin' my Ma an' Pa'll wanna know."
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Post by choji on Apr 21, 2008 14:13:19 GMT -5
A baby? Shoot... soon as yer sure I'm thinkin' my Ma an' Pa'll wanna know."
Was Dan-dan's response. Kulap sighed she wasn't ready for this, and she felt very very confused about it as well. She didn't know who to talk to or to go to. She didn't know much about her inlaws and her relatives are dead or unknown. She shook her head and took one of the cooking fish before eating little bit.
"Yeah about the baby...I'm sure yer Ma is gonna be thrilled fer a grandbaby. " She said almost dejectedly.
Kulaps turned in early, not wanting to do her nightly divinations and prayers. A she figured that the spirits did this to her and she didn't feel like acknowledging them.
*******
As morning came around again, Kulap woke up still pensive and she was also feeling quesy. Gripping her stomach she had a headach as well, fighting down nausa she walked outside and emptied her stomach from the balcony. Growling curses and hexes under her breath she muched on some crystalized ginger to help with the morning sickness. She felt queasy before but she had quiet a consitution, this was the first she time she tossed her cookies because of this. She sighed and made a short breakfast for Dan-dan. Muttering darkly that it was his fault..
Lighting Nagchampa incense and sitting facing the river and sun. Kulap was in deep mediation her eyes close and breath even she was in trance. Deep in the trance she could feel the tiny presence within her. It was very faint and almost non-existiant but she could tell that energy wasn't her's. Sighing as she pulled back into reality. She got up to prepare for customers that should be coming.
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Post by yun on Apr 21, 2008 19:01:35 GMT -5
Yun gripped the rope down from her home ready to set off for the day, she didn't plan on coming back until her stomach began to uncomfortably rumble forcing her home for dinner. Still as she half leaned over the edge of her porch she couldn't help but cringe as she heard her mother call out from the hutch. "It seems like it will he a bit cold today!." As her stomach and neck bristled there was a spark of a horrid mood.
"OKAY MA!" Now she was ready to get going, her brothers had made off much earlier, her eldest brother Tok had dissapeared before the sun rose rumor had it he had found himself a girlfriend, she'd have to rag on him later, she added it to her mental list of things to do. Rohit had to get out to mess with his friends, Yun was too tired to get up and join her, plus the gloppy rice porridge was too tempting to leave, she had an appetite, she was a growing girl.
" Yew should take a shawl with yew!" Yun now started to growl, was her mother TRYING to get on her nervers now. " GAWT IT MA!" Not wanting to hear another word she dropped down the rope easily her hands snagging before she hit bottom, with the rope still swinging she jumped the rest of the way landing in her feet dusting herself off. From Up in the tree she heard shouts about her sass and what would happen when her father got hom.
The swamp girl simply rolled her eyes trotting off at a brisk pace. There were a lot of things to do today, she wanted to collect some clams from the river, get some elbow leeches, collect cloves and henna. It was a busy schedule. Also it wouldn't hurt if she passed by some of her friends, perhaps even Kulap. Her mother had been nagging her about that, recently Yun had been skipping out on her own, if she didn't get serious about becoming Kulap's apprentice she'd never hear the end of it.
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Post by hok on Apr 22, 2008 1:31:04 GMT -5
After a yawn and exuberant skyward stretching of his arms, belly full of mango and lychee porridge, Hok soon scurried down the ladder to his house as expertly as a hogmonkey. He even skipped a few rungs, knowing the way down like second nature. Like this, so many things had ingrained themselves deeply into Hok's daily life, but that was where it ended. Ah, such a grand time in one's life. Hok was old enough to venture to the deepest, darkest parts of the jungle all by his lonesome, but still young enough to eschew any responsibilities. On the other hand, perhaps it wasn't a question of age so much as maturity.
His feet pattering on slightly dampened earth, he heard his mother call out a familiar caveat. One he heard each and every day. "Love yew, Hok! Don' git in too much trouble, and be back before dinner!" From behind, it was impossible to tell that Hok was mouthing her words exactly, though his snickering was a healthy indication of such things. Returning a listless affirmation to her words, as well as a split-second turn to meet his eyes with hers, he took off.
So much on the agenda that day, though he didn't even know what would happen. He merely knew the day would be full of...something. Adventures, probably. Something fun and fulfilling, even if it was life-threatening. His mother would die if she knew some of the things Hok did, but he sure didn't care. He was sure she and his father did some foolish things in their past, and was certain to use that to counter any guilt trips.
After a bit of peaceful wandering, he saw that girl. Not one he had a crush on, far from it. It was Yun, that notorious girl with the tremendous attitude. Sure, she had a good idea or two for adventures, but she was sure to boss him into doing what she wanted. In careful deliberation, during which his steps slowed considerably and became more muddled and disorganized, Hok settled on a decision.
While he would inevitably wind up following Yun into the swamp, but he would ditch her when she first looked away. A perfect plan...but only if she talked to him first. The two may have had a 'good' time or two together, but there was little chance he would spark a conversation with the little fireball. And with that in mind, he wandered in the opposite direction very slowly.
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Post by yun on Apr 22, 2008 12:59:46 GMT -5
Yun as usual was at her most perceptive when she was irritated, her mother and her pseudo concerned nagging fit the bill nicely. Now she was looking for someone to take it out on, sure it wasn't the most mature thing to do, and while she recognized this she didn't much care about the possible consiquences. She needed to find someone with enough pride to not cry and enough stupidity to loose to her rather easily. Hok was spotted and targeted easy enough. She continued on her way mentally scrolling through her days duties all the while keeping up the ruse that she hadn't noticed him. At her first chance she skittered up into a tree.
Like a panther boar she stalked along the branches following him, using various vines and her own athletics to wind up just over him. He seemed to be suspicious, anticipating an attack of some sort, he'd hung around her too much. Well she didn't generally come from above so as long as she was quiet the element of surprise was hers. But she did just attack him from above last Sunday.
It made her scowl a bit, she was rehashing old ideas, she was better than that. If she was going to harass someone she should be a little more showy about it. Or subtle, either would work, just what could she do though. Her weight shifted silently from the pads of one foot to another as she took the same route her intended target did. She was already in the tree. Vine bending him up would be amusing but in her haste she always tore the vines to pieces. She needed to work on that more.
Her lightly freckled blue eyes darted around the land scape. Just how could she best wish her friend a good morning. With a shrug of her shoulders she knew that simplicity would be the most conventional manner to take care of this. A simple head lock until he cried gator fish, it was childish, a little crude, but it was effective and that was good enough for her.
Had it been one of her own siblings she might have put more effort into it. Since this was only Hok she didn't feel the need to go the extra mile. Gripping a vine she tugged lightly to make sure it was secure before she jumped down to the swampy floor just behind Hok. If her decent wasn't enough to catch his attention snaking her arms around him would be another good indicator.
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Post by dandan on Apr 22, 2008 17:02:19 GMT -5
It was obvious from Kulap's voice that she wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of having a child. Dan-dan wasn't erribly sure of what to make of her mood. The news was a bit of surprise, and it certainly meant there was going to be some changes in the future, but for the simple fisherman this was what life was all about. He could be the best waterbender in the world, or hold the record for catching the most fish in a single day, but those accomplishments seemed hollow in comparison to raising a family. Or at least, so his parents had always told him...
Dan-dan didn't voice his thoughts to Kulap, though. She seemed tired and lost in her own thoughts. He just let her get some sleep and finished off the remaining fish himself. After a short while of more whittling he joined her in the hammock and went to sleep as well.
***********************************************************************************
The shift on the chorus of wildlife about the Swamp announced that morning had come. Dan-dan slept soundly, even through the disturbance of Kulap leaving the hammock to go vomit. He eventually awoke a few minutes later when the smell of some eggs cooking over a fire reached his nostrils.
"Mornin'," he grunted through a long yawn as he stretched his limbs out to their limits. The groggy fisherman scratched along the waistband of his breech-cloth and eventually rolled sideays out of the hammock.
Still picking the crust from his eyes, Dan-dan wandered over to partake of the breakfast Kulap had fashioned while his wife disappeared into the backroom where she liked to do her meditation. He knew better than to disrupt her from her quiet time, even to thank her for the meal, and so he ate alone, content with silence. Butchie shuffled around on the opposite side of the room, and Dan-dan tossed the household catfish-gator a strip of egg white. Butchie snapped his powerful jaws and devoured the tiny morsel in a heartbeat, prompting Dan-dan to say, "Easy now... Take yer time. I bet'cha didn't even taste it."
A small belch was the only response the catfish-gator gave before trudging his way out the front door and began picking his way down spiral walkway to the ground. Dan-dan figured he was off to take a swim or maybe just use the bathroom.
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Post by hok on Apr 22, 2008 18:17:30 GMT -5
Hok wasn't the most observant sort, causing him to overlook the most obvious hints that mischief was afoot. He also lowered his guard a bit, seeing Yun nowhere in sight. Figuring he had lost her, there was no reason to worry. Surely...that made the most sense. But he was sorely mistaken.
Looking around one last time before darting away, Hok seemed to erase all worry and apprehension from his mind. For the time being, he would presume that nothing was wrong, and life could go on peacefully. He could wander off into the swamp, acquire a few small injuries, and feel fulfilled. But the sound of a wet slap on the ground behind him immediately caught his attention. There was Yun, ready to pounce or something.
Heart racing, his widened eyes and short leap showed he was clearly startled. Perhaps it would teach him to be more prepared next time, since Yun was inclined to sneak up on him like that. That, as well as his next words proved that he should have known better. His lame attempt at a quip would earn a fine retribution. "Oh, it's yew, Yun...thought ah smelled somethin' gross."
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Post by choji on Apr 22, 2008 18:48:28 GMT -5
Kulap returned from the backroom muttering about something with bad weather. She made some tea and watched Butchie wander down the ramp she watched him go before sighing and gathering her bandages and dressing she got a loose top on and sighed rubbed her temples.
"Sorry I didn't eat with ya I had to double check sumthin...by the way.. I think I am postive now. Imma gonna be a mom." She said sitting across the table. She sighed dramaticly before saying.
"Damnit..how could of this happen..." She quickly added.
"That wus rherotical...Dun answer." Kulap buried her face in her hands. "I ain't ready fer children...I ain't ready It's mah fault should of been careful but..awww damnit." Sighing she looked at Dan-dan and felt guilty she shouldn't been so negitive. Dan-dan was probably looking forward to being a dad. Still Kulap sighed and got up.
"Imma sorry Dan-dan...Imma jest scared ya know...kinda worried." She smiled softly and hugged Dan-dan. I'm gonna go out and get some herbs. "I love you beloved." She said using a privite name. She took her spear and hat and walked out down the walkway.
A couple mintues later she was picking rosewhips and chanting. She heard noise.
..."Oh not those two."
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Post by yun on Apr 22, 2008 19:59:21 GMT -5
Yun scowled and with an arm around his neck and another chicken winging his arm against his back she tightened her grip forcing Hok's arm up tighter into the lock. On her right shoulder henna from the previous day was beginning to flake off, she never rubbed it off on her own, she allowed it to settle and naturally fall off. From where she was she could smell the cloves and wine from her own heated skin, he was just being a jerk and she knew it. Her brothers always teased her about smelling like herbs, that wasn't something she'd get riled up about. If he'd made fun of her face or body he'd be on the ground right now instead of just being held in place.
Her body was half pushed up to him as she attempted to rope her legs between his and further immobilize him and cause a slight bit of pain. She didn't go all out on him, maybe she was sweet on him but she'd never admit it and it would be rather hard to catch onto anyway, especially since she harassed everyone. " Morn'n to yew tew Hok." She gave an extra tug to his arm with a small smile though her eyes were hooded in a half glare, her malice didn't need furrowed brows to make them more apparent.
Quickly her arms snaked away from him leaving him standing just a bit in front of her to which she raised her leg and pushed intending to push his behind with the arch of her foot, hopefully he would stumble though she wished her would fall so she could laugh at him in amusement. Still her eyes glittered with a successful surprise attack and her now freed arms crossed under her chest reaffirming her smug grin.
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Post by hok on Apr 24, 2008 17:15:43 GMT -5
"Hey!" he shouted, doing nothing at all to resist Yun's bullying. He allowed her to subdue him, no matter how much or how little pain was inflicted. He was that way with anyone. If they wanted to push him around, the most they would hear was a single peep out of him. Maybe two, on the rare occasion where he felt bold. However, one would never see Hok running home to his mom and dad crying.
This time around, he knew he deserved it, but still didn't care. He even sprouted a smug grin before Yun so delicately pushed him to the ground. With a wet thud he landed, face first on the slightly moistened earth. Rolling to his back, knowing he would earn a bout of laughter by Yun and other onlookers, the most his did was wince and rub the back of his head. "Yew always gotta do that? Yer a mean one..."
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Post by yun on Apr 24, 2008 20:35:05 GMT -5
Yun grinned settling her hands on her hips jutting one out to her side feeling rather proud of herself, but he didn't really fight back, that upset her a little, if she provoked him he may get a little fire in him. She'd whip him in time, right now she was content to have him as her own personal punching bag. Running a hand through her mop of sheared hairs she left out a small breath of air rolling her eyes and shifting her weight to the other hip making a bit of a show about moving her body. She'd seen him starring at other girls, she could be feminine and stuff, it wasn't that hard.
" Maybe if yew fought back now and then ah wouldn't be whoop'n you up an; down the swamp" Even with her air of superiority she figured knocking him around all day would give him a bad impression of her, he might stop talking to her, it'd open him up to more abuse. Well it was complicated, she did enjoy pushing him around still she felt like giving him a bit of hope would be crueler in the end. With her grin fading into a small smile she offered him her hand " 'ere...."
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Post by dandan on Apr 27, 2008 21:26:49 GMT -5
Dan-dan turned around on the floor, still maintaining his cross-legged seating position as Kulap flitted back through the main room. She seemed somewhat stressed, and the fisherman wondered if her meditation hadn't been very effective that morning. The first words out of her mouth immediately brought a smile to his face, and for a moment he started to get up in order to give her a hug. "That's great!" he said, loosing one leg from under him as he started to put his weight onto it.
However, her following words stole the wind from his proverbeal sails. By the sound of it, Kulap wasn't just a little concerned about the thought of motherhood... She was downright angry. "ut..." Dan-dan started to protest, not wanting his wife to take such a dim view of this glorious occasion. But it seemed like Kulap wasn't really listening. She was talking to herself more than to him, or so it seemed, and Dan-dan couldn't do much more than sit there as she collected her things and went out the door with a hasty apology.
"Be safe," was all he could manage to get out before she was on her way.
"Love you too..." he added quietly after she was gone. Dan-dan was suddenly feeling a little unsure of his former enthusiasm. He'd always thought of having a family as one of the highlights of adult life. Kulap's pessimism made him question that long-held belief.
Dan-dan breathed out a long sigh and then climbed to his feet. He tossed his breakfast plate into the barrel of water that served as their sink, and then donned his bandage-wrappings on his arms and legs. He suddenly felt like talking to his parents. If nothing else, they deserved to hear the news.
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Post by choji on Apr 28, 2008 15:08:35 GMT -5
Listeing to the children argue was infuriateing to the shaman she had herbs to pick and salves to sell and kids where already wearing on her bad mood
Still she sighed and walked up to both and said gently
"Yew kids are being a little distractin." She put her basket down and watched the children carefully
"How are you both today...Yun I see yer gonna be my new apprentince soon, it's nice to meet you." Kulap said polietly. She change stances as she looks at Hok.
"How are you today Hok how are yer lessons with Huu I hear yer learnin' to vinebend, good luck with it." She picked up her basket and walked away saying.
"Yun if you want to come over today you are allowed. We should git to know each other...Hok if you want to practice you can come too." Invited Kulap walking back home with her basket of rosehips
At home she began to make her salves and poutices....she thought about Dan-dan an the new baby. Uncomforable she contiued her work
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Post by hok on Apr 28, 2008 16:14:51 GMT -5
"Poppa told me never to hit girls," Hok said with a smile, partly knowing he was balanced firmly on moral high ground. Though on the ground, dirtied, and probably in mild danger, he accepted Yun's hand and pulled himself up without hesitation. Even if she were to push him back to the ground, which she thankfully did not, he knew he couldn't be embarrassed any further. Yun managed to humiliate him plenty of times before, but this time wasn't terrible. Predictable, but not exactly worthy of blushing or tears.
Rubbing his head, he soon began to blush for an entirely different reason. There she was, walking with a basket in her hand and as radiant a presence as ever. Kulap, a shaman. Hok had feelings for the older woman, his teenage hormones eliciting body language that made the fact unmistakeable. Putting his hands behind his back and looking to the floor, careful to avoid eye contact, his voice hushed to little more than a peep. His answer to her questions was very meek. "Yes, miss..."
The very idea of going to her home made his heart race, his palms sweat and his lower lip tremble. Even after she walked away, he still seemed like as nervous as a possum-chicken chased by a tomahawk-wielding child. Anxiously, he slid his hand around the back of his neck and drifted his gaze elsewhere in a feeble attempt to seem more casual. "So...we goin' to her house or whut?"
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