Lost at Sea [Open]

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Some like the high road. I like the low road.

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Free from the grief and strife.

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Give me the simple life

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Maude watched the scene unfold with amusement. Seeing Nex this upset was almost funny. Had she thought he was actually being slandered then she might try and sympathize more but the situation was fairly harmless. If this was what Farrah and Jon meant when they said they liked seeing her angry, then she could kind of understand the appeal. It was all a bit ridiculous, but she kept that humor to herself to be polite. Instead, she nodded along to parts of Nex's rant supportively. Maude never had been quite sure why Nex acted so strange around her, not that she really could have known. She was not a master of interpreting social cues when they were plain and obvious, let alone with Nex. Like she'd said, she ended up just chalked it up to a strange character, but she had been willing to accept any explanation no matter how horrifying. Romantic feelings didn't end up being the motivation (goddesses bless) but fear was actually a fantastic explanation. She didn't even disagree or take any offense. Nex had every reason to fear Maude. I mean she was bigger than him. She was violent. She'd threatened him before, mainly because he was pursuing her daughter and he even admitted to doing so. She let a small, shocked "Ooooooh" slip out as the realization dawned on her. She'd never considered it before it was stated explicitly to hear, but it made complete sense. And now she could keep that in mind for the future for better or worse.
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It seemed that Nex and she had scared Maedhra off. Despite so clearly explaining that their relationship was nothing more than awkward at the worst, Maedhra had substituted one misinterpretation for another. Any cause for concern at this point seemed well beyond her. Still, it was very kind of the stranger to come to Maude's defense, even if Maude had turned out to be the real danger. Thus Maude still waved her hero off politely as she fleed quickly through stage right. At any other point in time, Maude probably would have agreed she needed better, less "shady" friends, but today she thought that wasn't entirely fair. Hearing why Nex chose to keep his distance from her, changed her perspective slightly. Despite Nex and Maude both disliking and floundering in social settings, the two seemed to just almost understand each other, or perhaps it was because of that. Neither had a solid grip on either the use or inferencing of communication, but their reasoning seemed very similar. Although, this similarity didn't seem to help them converse clearly with each other, it did provide a kind of foundational equally. They were both starting from the same place and often ran in similar directions, even if it wasn't usually the correct direction. One could get the impression that if they both stopped trying to utilize social cues that they were clearly unskilled in and simply spoke to each other in a way that made sense to them, they might have a such easier time getting along. What seemed obvious to others, was unclear to them and what was mixed signals to others might be very straight forward to them. And perhaps that was the route they were travelling down as they slowly became more familiar and less likely to try to be polite to each other. It was a peculiar kind of relationship they were developing, but it worked for them in a way. They spoke a different language so to speak and if they continued to become more explicit with their thoughts and feelings, they one day find common ground.
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That left the two of them together alone at the water's edge. Comfortable silence filled the air for a time, as nether necessarily felt the need to speak. Introverts were quiet like that, but Maude did have a thought she wanted to share, "I don't think her assertion was very unreasonable. It's very hard to understand some of your actions." It was probably not something Nex really wanted to talk about right now. In fact, hearing that it might be "reasonable" for people to believe he had an interest in Maude was truly as awful thing to say to anyone. Yet Maude of course had no consideration for these feelings and simply continued speaking her mind. "I didn't know you only shook hands for business dealings." It seemed all this back and forth about Nex's actions verses his intentions had made her curious about him. The only thing Maude had ever thought of other creatures that they often acted in strange ways that didn't align with what she'd been taught. However, now she considered that perhaps they simply had different ways of saying things than hylians. If a handshake mean something else to Nex than it meant to her then she wondered if there were other things he was trying to say that she hadn't understood before. Probably yes, but if she could know the differences between hylian gestures and zora gestures then maybe that would make things easier in the future. Perhaps not even Nex knew that his messages weren't coming through very well.  

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tagged Nex

Note: "the fuck is a culture?" - Maude Lif 2020 

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[Nex]

▲

The Zora kept his eye on the retreating Maedhra, bubbling against the surface of the water. Everything below his nose was obscured by the rippling waters, his body shifting beneath with an effortlessness Nex failed to show on land. Zora were known to hold themselves with poise and grace, but not Nex. The lad was a bumbling entrepreneur of calamities if one left him to his own devices; a lanky beast of two left flippers, as it were. When the young woman was out of sight the Zora found peace to swim back to land, cerulean eyes drifting to Maude as she agreed with the duchess' assertions of his queer disposition. It was not as if he could help his mannerisms. They were a coping mechanism keenly build atop defensive behaviors fed by a threatening world. He reached the bank, arms coming up like the gangly limbs of an octopus before he hoisted himself up. Like this one could see his lithe form. The cloak often obscured his build, but he did have muscle, as expected of someone who traveled and swam often, but his height and racial traits distributed that weight quite differently. As he pulled onto the land his legs tucked up underneath him, leaving him in a squatting position, arms slung forward. He turned his gaze ahead.

"You don't make promises unless you plan to keep them, shaking hands indicates you have made a promise, swore an oath. I may be many things, but at heart this was one of the important things my father told me: never shake another's hand unless you mean it." He held up his right gloved hand, left finger tucking under the fabric to lift it slightly, revealing the pale palm. "It isn't comfortable touching hands with others anyway. I get rashes." It was the best he could explain the phenomenon induced by his numerous, irrational fears. "I was born in the sea, but raised in the river with my father's family. So the rules of my family's business are instilled quite early." In fact when selling his goods or trading Nex had a very different attitude.

Was it something easy to recall he spoke with more clarity, confidence that was a mere shadow of what he was normally. He stood straight and scrutinized everything the other said, deliberately testing and pulling to see how far he could get. He was a typical merchant, but he had a flair of sale unique to his Zoran roots of bartering. It could seem a bit more aggressive than Hylian trade, but theirs involved more subdued physical cues involving posturing. Perhaps the Hylians too did this, but in subtly different ways.He stood to his feet, the man's height diminished by his habitual slouch. Tucking his hands into his pocket he sneered as a sigh escaped him, his head turning away.

"That girl was a pain, talking about weird things she doesn't understand." Nex didn't understand much, but love was something he was keenly aware of as his attachment was something that was slow to develop and complicated to present. "Not everyone feels the same, besides." He reached up to grab his chest, pulling at his wetsuit, which was exposed as his cloak was open and he did not have his usual blouse on top. "Hey Maude..." His arms fell to his sides, the slinking urchin looking sheepish in the sudden exposure of the air.

He bit down on his lower lip, his upper fangs pinching into the flesh, but barely. One could sometimes forget he was a Zora because of his clumsy, obtrusive mannerisms, but those teeth made it clear where his nature sat. Some blamed his ornery temperaments to his River Zora roots, many claiming their barbaric roots a cause for their more combative nature. It was far from the truth, his father a grand example of passivity. No, it was a simpler fact that drove Nex to bristle more easily and his unstable mental resolve. He simply could not maintain the hugs he so desperately needed.

"Do you think...you'd let me c-court Farrah?" It seemed hardly appropriate to ask when they were both dressed in their swimming suits, Nex less so, and after such a difficult conversation, but for Nex it now weighed heavily on his mind. "I'm not -- leading anyone on. It's just --" How could he excuse that? It had been so long that it did not seem an important matter any more. "--I guess the idea of losing someone else, bred excessive caution." He was at least aware of his maladies, though little could he resist their influence on his life.

It was a simple request, as simple as they could be with the complicated jelly.

@maude ● 785 ● Bubbles in nervousness

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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Some like the high road. I like the low road.

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Free from the grief and strife.

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Give me the simple life

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The chill from this morning had begun to fade away as the sun rose into the sky. Maude had all but dried out from her time in the lake. Only her hair remained damp as she was beginning to learn would be the standard from now on. The feeling of wet hair on her back was kind of uncomfortable so she begun tying it up in a bun Nerina had taught her how to do. She wasn't quite good at it yet, but it would keep her hair off of her, theoretically anyways. After a couple tries, she succeeded well enough. It was a touch messy, but it made her feel almost, kind of, just the littlest bit cute. For all her complaining, she did like her hair at this length. She wasn't sure if she would keep it, but she was putting her new found confidence into her appearance. She was enjoying practicing more feminine presentations. She liked to be pretty sometimes. Or she liked to think that maybe she could potentially be pretty.
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She spoke up while she worked, "Handshakes are used as a greeting when meeting someone for the first time. If you don't shake hands then people will think you are rude and unfriendly. They expect you to so you have to do it, even if you don't like touching other people's hands." It was clear she was parroting something that had been told to her. It was one of the lectures she'd received from her mother time and time again when she failed to perform the correct social functions. It took a while before the instructions could be boiled down into something understandable to her. She still didn't see the significance of this action, but she'd long since given up on the idea that she shouldn't be forced to participate in actions that made her uncomfortable. She'd just accepted that her comfort was not as important as her presentation. Thankfully, she now had people in her life who allowed her to communicate or not communicate however she wished. She maintained her perspective that social cues were largely unnecessary and wholly confusing, but it did still sometimes upset her to see others not following the rules like she tried so hard to. In Nex's case she thought he simply didn't know what the rules were. Maybe it was a difference of county or a difference of species, but either way she was trying to be helpful, since she knew how difficult it could be to keep track of. She was kind of interesting in other things Nex's dad told him, but the conversation before she could ask.
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She peered over to Nex when she was called and hummed a response, "Hmm?" Maude hadn't actually ever seen Nex without his larger clothing. Whether he was climbing into or out of the water, he seemed constantly shrouded in shadows somehow. Now that she got a good look at him, she could truly appreciate just how gangly and sickly he looked. His lose of muscle and paralysis really gave him an offputting shamble didn't it? He seemed so tall in the water, but on land, he really shrunk. He ought to fix his back. Proper posture is very important, especially if you lift things a lot, which Nex probably didn't do, but you know. Wait, wasn't it rude to stare?
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Nex's question seemed to come out of nowhere. Maude supposed that they had been talking vaguely about Farrah previously, but this wasn't really the direction she was expecting. Actually, she didn't know if she expected anyone to ask for her blessing at all. Everyone just seemed to dismiss her protectiveness. Not to mention that time Nerina got very very upset with her about it. Not even Farrah really acknowledged Maude's thoughts on her relationships and this was just the one she knew about. That made Nex a kind of curiosity as the only person who valued her approval. And he wasn't wrong. Maude did not really approve of him as a suitor. Especially when they first met, she found him to be conniving, untrustworthy, and just downright creepy. The idea of that unpleasant merchant having an interest in Farrah was highly suspicious. "What are your intentions with Farrah?" Having known Nex for longer now, Maude knew that he wasn't as dangerous as she first worried he was. She didn't think he was going to pull a knife on her or eat her, even if those seemed like very real possibilities. However, that didn't mean Nex wasn't capable of having an ulterior motive. Whether he was purposefully taking advantage of Farrah or simply playing with her, Maude couldn't assume his motivations were pure. It wasn't like she'd ever heard of him asking her out or taking her on a date. His approach to their relationship thus far showed no indication of genuine interest.
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"Will you treat her with the respect and kindness?" Moreover, Maude and Nex were allowed to be stilted and sometimes hostile to each other. They didn't need to show affection or commit time to one another. That just wasn't the kind of relationship they had. However, she had much different expectations should he enter a relationship with Farrah. She'd seen what he was like. She disliked socializing as much as he did and she understood the disdain he often felt for people, but she wouldn't be happy if he treated Farrah the same as he treated other people. Tolerance would not do. She needed to be sure that Nex thought of Farrah as an equal, someone he'd listen to, someone who's feelings were worth considering, someone who's best interested he had in mind. As of yet, Maude wasn't sure she'd seen Nex even acknowledge another person, let along position them in equivalent importance to himself.
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She watched him carefully. It wasn't the vague disinterest or even the anger with which she usually gave him. It wasn't kind or cruel, merely stern. These were matters she considered of grave importance and she expect, demanded even that he respond in kind. "Would you put her before yourself and aim to make her happy?" There were no threats or warning. She felt like she'd already established the consequences for bringing harm to her loved ones. But even without, she considered the possibility of failing to meet her standards to be an undesirable enough outcome. 

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tagged Nex

Note: Deep waters, thread carefully 

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[Nex]

▲

What a stupid ass concept. Nex knew Hylians were full of shit most of the time, but shaking hands as a greeting? He heard of it but he felt that it was one of those things Hylians told people to mess with them. The left side of his face upturned in a sneer as Maude explained to him this bizarre ritual. So far he's had his back smacked, head put in a lock and side ground into by a man's elbow. They had found ever conceivable way to introduce themselves, save this. Though when the man kept his arms tucked against his side and had a glower like a deep-sea lurker it was easy to determine that the brute would, in no way, initiate contact. That was the vibe he sent out and most people were smart enough to follow through. He was not a man of ill-repute but he did not seem one to put on unnecessary airs in order to satisfy a status quo he had no intention of maintaining.

"Ha?" He leaned forward, mouth parting at the incredulous words. "That sounds like made up shit." he was not shy to say so, because he was sure Maude felt the same way about extending hands with a person. "The thought is shriveling." He hissed before looking away.

What nonsense. It was difficult enough overcoming the delicate balances of social conduct without having to add layers of ritual that required meticulous planning. The man had enough of a time deciding if he even wanted to get out of his bedding in the morning, let alone escalate or extend his social confrontations with people. He wanted to make sure all his transactions were short and to the point. He already had his narratives ready for customers memorized. He needn't any new information to sort. It was tiring, in any case. People were a scourge and the predator would like nothing more than isolating himself in a watery cave somewhere to take a damn nap.

"D-don't ask such embarrassing things! As if!" He barked, the shark snapping his teeth together as if in threat, but Maude like knew that his snap was empty, jaws strong enough to scrape off icing from a cake, to be sure. His face turned red as he tucked his head low, reaching up to pull his hood over his skull. "I'll treat her however the hell I want." He spat. "It isn't like I don't treat her well." He couldn't honestly say he was nice to her, he had a habit of hissing defensively that Maude could see quite clearly. He pouted and pursed his lips. Her questions were not difficult, but they put him in a difficult place. "I'm not selfish," He regarded. "I always watch her back." He had before and he was not keen on the idea of letting someone get the better of her.

He definitely shouldn't tell Maude about the one time he cut a guy's tongue out because he talked shit about Farrah. That doesn't sound so good out loud as it does in one's head. Asshole had it coming! He sulked, realizing none of his answers seemed at all satisfactory. They were defensive and, at best, scathing. He was self aware and could do little of the shell he closed himself inside of. Pulling up his arm he rubbed his wet sleeve across his face. He hoped the water dripping from his hair would hide the absentminded tears as he battled his thoughts.

"I don't like anyone. People are useless bags of flesh and bones. All they do is talk shit and act like they are better than the person in front of them!" He sneered out from the cover of his hood, which now shadowed his face. His foot tapped uneasily against the ground, a slapping noise plapping from the wet sole. "...'cept, I like listening to Farrah and... she doesn't think I'm..." He reached his right hand up to hold the side of his face. " --some spineless jellyfish..." he'd say, tracing the brand. "I dunno. I just wanna be with her." He was quiet a moment, the word stuck in his throat. "...I don't like her." He admitted. "I love her." He scoffed, grossed out by his own weakness.

Maybe he was just a spineless jellyfish.

He has yet to say these things to her face.

He's practiced.

But when he looks at her his throat becomes p a r c h e d.

@maude ● 741 ● A fish on land

MADE BY VEL OF GS

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Some like the high road. I like the low road.

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Free from the grief and strife.

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Give me the simple life

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It went without saying that the first half of Nex's response failed to impressed. She felt annoyed more than anything, like she'd just lobbed him as easy ball and watched him throw the bat down without swinging. The look she gave him expressed as much, not that he had been looking at her. As simple as her questioned had been he somehow still found a way to take offense from them. She found this childish even though she probably would have been equally defensive in the same scenario. She didn't know what she expected really. Nex didn't seemed to even try to abide by the rules even when it was important. It bothered her, but she still, she listened.
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Nex was very different from the kind of person Maude would have liked to talk to about this, which was to say he was very different from Jon. He wasn't noble or gentlemanly or cheerful. He didn't like to declare his affections or jump at the opportunity to express his feelings. Instead, he was introverted, uncooperative, and stubborn, which was to say he was a lot more like Maude. The similarities between them worked as a negative as much as a positive. However, she did understand what he meant. It wasn't very poetic or eloquently phrased, but she recognized what Nex was feeling and struggling to put into words. She wondered if this was how she wounded when she first confessed to Jon. What had first driven her to him was that he was different from everyone else. Even during her worst days, he somehow managed to pull a smile or a laugh out of her. She couldn't tell what it was exactly, but it was something very important. She just liked to be around him and for whatever reason, he seemed to feel the same. He didn't seem to see the volatile, ornery drunkard she was. He didn't see view her the way she viewed herself. He saw something much much more. It was a powerful thing to meet something to thinks the world of you. For her, it had ended up making all the difference. It was very clear that Nex was in the same position she had been in years prior. She was very grateful Jon saw through her jumbled stuttering at the time and only heard what she'd meant, so it was only fair she did the same here.
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She sighed, forced to admit defeat. "I'm happy for you" she told him. She meant it genuinely, not just as the stock phrase she was supposed to say to someone with good news. "It's lucky to fall in love. It feels... nice." To love and to be loved was a special thing. The fire that filled your heart when thinking about the person you adore felt wonderful. The warmth their memory brought was comforting and thrill of seeing them was elating. It was an experience she was happy to have and she couldn't deny it to someone else. "You have my blessing." Regardless of her reasoning, it was very difficult to say. Maude had only met Farrah was she was 16. They hadn't gotten to see most of the girl's childhood and the validity of their relationship was sometimes questionable. Now Farrah was an adult, having left home years ago to live fully independently. But despite all that, it still felt as if Maude was letting her baby daughter go. Nex really had better hope he makes Farrah happy, because Maude would take her back any moment she had the excuse to.
[break][break]

She stood and took a spot next to him. If they were going to do this, it didn't feel right to have distance between them. "I hope she finds a way to teach you some manners, but it is Farrah so I guess I'll have to keep my expectations low on that. You know how she is." She turned to him with a small smile. "I also expect you to visit for the holidays and I'm going to make sure that you eat enough. You're too skinny. Maybe I should put you to work in the fields too and see if that puts some muscle on you. Do you even sleep?" With all of the hard stuff out of the way, she started muttering to herself out loud. Nex may not have considered that his relationship with Farrah now made him family with Maude, but like it or not, that was what she thought of him as now. She'd already adopted one child and she was prepared to take another, especially if it needed as much care as Nex did. Hopefully, her doting would calm down in time.  

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tagged Nex

Note: *Final Fantasy Victory music 

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[Nex]

▲

That had been a disaster, were he to be given a chance to label it. Though he had struggled with his responses because of the daunting subject matter he was also at a loss to inventively describe the aberration that were his emotions. Sometimes he feared he cultivated absurdist ideas in his head fueled by pure fantasy, with next to no conjecture to measure them from. Nex had often felt events in his life flowed unevenly and without justification as to why they occurred. Where, in his youth, he had once had held belief River Zora hibernated over the winter months, locked frozen as nightmarish sculptures that dotted the river's banks like headstones was proven false and he would have no such peace from his cousin come the off seasons.

Reaching up he tapped the right side of his face, left arm moving to tuck under his elbow to shelf the anxious motions as he rocked on his heels. He seemed deep in thought, quite distressed by his excessive responses. They were too cold and just heartless. Nex was not like many people any have met. While an ascetic would have you believe we were all the same deep beneath that surface: Nex's surface was caked in grime and disillusion.

His whole face had become a burning red, his heart struggling to remain barred in his chest and he fret over his callous reactions. His head would snap up when Maude's voice carried to his ears, eyes narrowing as he focused on her face, as if searching for signs of cracking beneath what he could only deem a farce. Certainly Maude was smarter than that! He did not know her well, but that which he did know she was no fool. The farmer was quite difficult to haggle with and had him a challenge when negotiating. It was a bit of a thrill to find someone so mentally capable running about backwater towns where the stereotypes of bumbling, naive farmhands was rife.

But, to his surprise, she continued.

His arms would fall to their sides as his defenses all but shut down. His racing heart slowed to such indiscernible beats the jellyfish would almost think death come to embrace him. His expression softened as his features seemed to slacken from their usual, tense pinch. He glanced down to his arms, long and wrapped in thin sinew, as his legs did much of the work in the water. His gloved hand came up to rub at his sides, a bit self conscious of his malnutrition, his inability to hunt and eat on his own a source of shame. His jaws tensed slightly, the power of his bite having long since diminished in the wake of his self-branding. He shook his head at her question.

"N-no..." He regarded, eyes lowering, like a pup being scolded by its mother. "I don't get very much sleep on the roads these days." He shrugged and rubbed at his arm pitifully. "Been on my own for a bit... " If he hadn't bumped into Farrah when he did in the Gerudo's village he'd of like collapsed from exhaustion. He was at his limit. "... You..."

The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't want to taste the butter sting of the possible and most probable answer. He dare not put himself in such an exposed position. He didn't know Maude and he still had a touch of fright as he knew not what she was fully capable of. She was far more astute and capable than some of the coral-brained brutes he has come across. He shook his head, turning to spit out the thought with a scornful scoff.

"You really trust too easily. But I guess. We'll see what she's able to teach me!" Though he spoke those words he grimaced as pain wormed its way through his extremities. "I know very well the weight of love, its pains and discomforts. But I also know the warm feeling... " He touched his hand to rest over his heart. "Warm." He sighed, pocked tongue poking out to brush at his lips as he returned to a slouching position, defenses molding back into place as he seemed to melt into his cloak, vanishing into the shielding confines of its folds of fabric. "...thanks." he whispered before turning his back to her and made his start to amble off.

He glanced back over his shoulder, eyes pinched closed as he sneered. He felt he was far enough and would hiss out towards the farmer. "You need to work on your form, you splash way too much!" He heckled, as if to shift back into their comfortable state of agitated acquaintanceship.

[Exit]

@maude ● 783 ● Guess it's time to get out of the pool

MADE BY VEL OF GS