Stretching a little after waking up, Kelioni began swimming from the place of his rest. Instead of spending time in the water today, he would walk on the surface. He had planned this earlier, as the rock he slept on was much closer to the human city on land than to the nearest underwater city of the was-erfalk. He loved how beautiful and untouched the sea was. Although man's inventions were indeed interesting, they could never beat the raw power and beauty of nature.
He swam quickly but gracefully, for he was a more advanced swimmer than the average was-erfalk. His body smooth and naked with nothing on him but a bag, he felt wonderfully free in the water. His moment of tranquility was interrupted as he approached the canals of the city. He arose from a spot that rarely had visitors and dressed himself in his human attire. Today he would be searching for a job because he was very low on money, more low than he usually allowed himself to get. He set off in search of someone who needed help, but he did not have to go very far.
Kelioni arrived near a shop that had a few posters hanging about, only to find a glorious opportunity. He barely read the last word of the poster before excitedly running off to the eastern city gates. Getting paid to go on an adventure? That sounded like the perfect job for such a was-erfalk as he. Kelioni had been getting bored lately, but now eagerly paced by the statue of the guard captain for the poster's author.
Kelioni halted his pacing as he watched a woman nearby, who came up to the statue and continued to look upon it. He wondered whether she was the author of the poster, another adventurer, or just a passerby. He decided, as always, that a little friendliness couldn't hurt no matter who she was.
He simply approached her a spoke a small phrase accompanied by a smile. "He was a true hero, wasn't he? This guard captain..." It was pretty common knowledge what the great man had done, so he hoped that wasn't an odd comment to make.
Kelioni was afraid he had startled the woman too much at first, as her hand jumped back to her and the color drained from her face. He wondered if there was something threatening about him, for he thought of himself as easily approachable. Many was-erfalk definitely preferred the water and never walked on land in their lives, so it may have been uncommon. He listened to her father's story of the guard captain, but before he could reply the young woman spoke again, asking a question this time.
She seemed to be deep in thought, and turned around right after stepping towards him, speaking to herself this time. The was-erfalk was mildly confused and was not sure what to do at first, or what he had gotten himself into. Kelioni supposed he was certainly not one of the more human-looking was-erfalk, although his skin was a similar color. He was definitely a creature of the ocean, yet somehow he had become skilled at navigating the surface world.
He hesitantly took a small step towards her, and spoke although her back was still turned. "In answer to your question... Yes. I can breathe above land and under water, as many of my people are able to." Kelioni began to wonder about this interesting woman. "Have you never seen a was-erfalk on land?" He asked her curiously.
Being a pretty laid-back guy, Kelioni did not mind that the woman was treating him as a specimen instead of a person. He was flattered to be drawn, even just in the name of science, but he decided to continue the somewhat awkward conversation.
"Many of my people prefer the water to the surface, as it is their homeland. The ones who are more suited to live in the water are less often to walk upon land. Although I seem to be more built for underwater, I prefer to explore both areas." Kelioni stopped, slightly embarrassed to be talking about himself and his people so much.
He didn't want to seem full of himself, but since the woman was interested in his kind, he decided it was the nice thing to help her out. "Do you want to know anything else about was-erfalk?" He asked kindly. Kelioni watched her curiously.
Being a pretty laid-back guy, Kelioni did not mind that the woman was treating him as a specimen instead of a person. He was flattered to be drawn, even just in the name of science, but he decided to continue the somewhat awkward conversation.
"Many of my people prefer the water to the surface, as it is their homeland. The ones who are more suited to live in the water are less often to walk upon land. Although I seem to be more built for underwater, I prefer to explore both areas." Kelioni stopped, slightly embarrassed to be talking about himself and his people so much.
He didn't want to seem full of himself, but since the woman was interested in his kind, he decided it was the nice thing to help her out. "Do you want to know anything else about was-erfalk?" He asked kindly. Kelioni watched her curiously.
Kelioni could not help but view Rynn as slightly sinister. He had known that the adventure offered on the poster could only be dangerous, as it was a paid job. Perhaps that was why he got such a feel from Rynn, but again he did not feel threatened. Glad to finally meet the author, this was-erfalk seemed experienced, and somewhat like a leader. The excitement continued to rise within Kelioni.
"Good to meet you Rynn, my name is Kelioni." He would have added something like 'and I'm ready for adventure', but that seemed rather cheesy. Instead, he waited to hear the response of the woman, as he did not yet know her name.
So her name was Haddy. An interesting name for an interesting woman; it fit. As she asked Rynn a question, Kelioni wondered the same and watched the other was-erfalk for an answer.
As he listened to Rynn describe the journey they were about to take, he only became more elated. Adventure was definitely his kind of job, and he had explored enough on land and in water to be skilled at navigating all types of landscapes. Although his hands and feet were webbed, he learned to use them to travel efficiently over land. His body was much more suited for the water, but Kelioni had forced his physical aspects to support him on land as well.
The jungle was a fascinating place, and he was happy to be exploring it once again. Danger only made such a trip more exciting, although Kelioni knew not to be foolish about it. One does not go looking for danger. He also felt mildly insulted that Rynn thought he needed protecting. Kelioni had been protecting himself since the day he left home. However, he said nothing of this to the other was-erfalk.
"Alright, well what are we waiting for?" He smiled. "Let's start walking!" Kelioni did not have very much in his bag, but he was capable of finding food in the jungle. He could identify certain plants as non-poisonous, but he did not eat much in general so food would not be a problem. He carried all of his belongings on him at all time, so there was nothing else to pack. He was ready for an adventure.