Aden She Said Welcome

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AI GADA KLIRNES IN Nuala had a decision to make. She had been standing near the doorway to the room for a short while now, unsure whether to enter or to stay outside and wait for the other person to leave. The door was open, allowing Nuala to peek in the room and see that the boy was inside but only by a small crack. She had so far managed to keep herself hidden, staying out of his sight apart from when she was peeked inside to check that he was still there and to see how he looked. The boy was new to the rig. He was young and looked like he couldn't be more than a couple of years older than her, although the fact that she was sure of him being older made her more hesitant than she might otherwise be to approach him now. It was a thing she liked to do, to welcome any new kids that came to Floukru and to make sure they knew they had friends here. All the kids were in a tight knit group and looked out for each other. This new boy would fit in just as well as all the others, Nuala was sure he would. If he was there, he had run away from some sort of war or violence just like the rest of them. And while Nuala wasn't always good at dealing with how other kids felt, she could at least make sure they made friends. With that thought and that reminder, Nuala nodded her head to herself, putting on her confident face. It was one her mother had taught her to put on before battle. As she knocked on the door, the expression faded into a smile. "Hi, can I come in?" she asked, poking her head inside the door. The smile on her face felt slightly strained with the nerves she felt, unfamiliar nerves for the familiar task she was doing. But they wouldn't stop her. "I'm Nuala." Aden || Let me know if you'd like anything changed!

[Aden]

Aden wasn’t completely sure how he’d come to be on the rig, he should’ve been in Polis preparing for his conclave with the other natblida’s. The news of Lexa’s death had come as a shock to everyone, they were not expecting their commander to pass so unexpectedly, they weren’t ready for the conclave, despite what other might think. Shortly after hearing of the commander’s death, Aden had made the decision to leave and so when his siblings had gone to bed that night, he’d slipped from their room and out of Polis without detection. Lexa had taught them that the three pillars of being commander were strength, compassion and wisdom and he didn’t think that slaughtering children, some much younger than himself would prove that he was worthy of being commander, if that was what being the commander meant, he didn’t want it.

The memories that he had of growing up in Polis were mainly good, it made him smile to think back to the times when he’d sit on the floor of the throne room and listen to Lexa’s teachings or the times when he’d spar with the other natblida’s. He swallowed back the emotions that came with these memories, the thought that Lexa was dead and soon most of his siblings would follow, he’d done nothing to prevent their deaths, now he just wouldn’t be the one to kill them. He knew that he couldn’t stay there, the guilt of leaving was nothing compared to what he would have been facing if he’d had to partake in the conclave and kill those that he viewed as family.

Aden was sat on the bed in the room that he’d been shown to when he’d arrived and made it known that he’d wished to stay on the rig among the floukru people. He turned when he heard the knock at the door and hurried to stand when the girl poked her head into the room. Folding his hands in front him, he stood up straight as he had been taught to do in Polis, he didn’t know if it was necessary or expected of him on the rig, but he was used to acting a certain way now and breaking those habits would be hard. “...Hello?” he muttered a greeting but when the word left his mouth, he was painfully aware about how unsure it sounded, almost like it was a question. He wasn’t used to being asked that question, in Polis the only people that were likely to enter his room was Lexa or Titus and they didn’t need permission to enter “You can… Come in” he invited her, the words felt weird saying and unfamiliar. The smile on her face was somewhat reassuring, it made him feel like maybe she was friendly, like maybe he could befriend her and start anew in floukru and forget about everything that had happened in Polis. When she introduced herself, a small smile appeared on his face, he felt sure that it was the first time that he’d smiled since leaving his home “Aden” he told her his name, sounding more confident this time “it’s nice to meet you”

@nuala

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AI GADA KLIRNES IN When Nuala looked into the room after knocking, she did notice that Aden stood quickly and he stood straight, the way that adults sometimes did when they were trying to look big and important. It was weird to see someone standing like that on the rig, especially someone as young as the boy, but if Nuala thought back to her days in Azgeda, she would probably find the stance more familiar. Looking big was something that a warrior needed to do. They were taught to look scary as much as they were taught to fight well. Nuala was thankful that she had dropped many of those sort of habits and while she didn't feel like she could point it out to the boy yet, he definitely needed to know that he didn't have to stand like that here. Or ever again really. Things were always calm and relaxed on the rig and that was what Nuala loved so much. As unsure as the boy sounded in saying Hello, Nuala stood near the door when she entered the room. She was being careful as much for her own safety as his comfort. He was new and he stood like a warrior. He was also a lot bigger than her, taller and more muscular. The last thing Nuala wanted was to get hurt and with how new this boy was, it was a possibility Nuala had to think about. Even if she hated thinking about it. Violence in her mind only made her feel scared, a feeling that she liked to not have to feel. Her smile became more confident, at least, when the boy introduced himself. Aden. It was comforting to see a smile on his own face, bellieving that smiles didn't usually come from people meaning to be violent. "It's nice to meet you, too." She took another small step into the room. There was so much that Nuala wanted to say and yet she had no idea what to say. It was like there were so many things that needed to be said to the point where a decision felt pretty much impossible but she guessed there were polite things that could be said first, before anything else. "Welcome to the rig," she told him, knowing he had probably already been welcomed by adults. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from asking why he was there, what he had run from. It was something she used to ask right away when she met someone new but it had sent one kid into tears and Nuala had learnt not to. Although it wasn't always easy. "I see you found your sea legs." That was said as a joke and was using a saying that Nuala had never actually heard before she arrived on the rig.  Aden || They're gonna be real cuties, these little kiddies (:

[Aden]

Aden found it reassuring to know that there were other children on the rig, this way he could at least attempt to make friends. He didn’t know what these children were like or if he would understand their ways. He’d adapted to life in Polis easily enough but he’d been much younger then and these people were very different from those that he encountered whilst living in the capitol. Nuala seemed to be friendly and willing to welcome him, she was the first child that he’d actually spoken to since arriving on the rig, no others had come to greet him, any that he’d seen had just seemed to be content with watching him from a distance. It was weird to think that they might be afraid of him, even when he knew that they had every right to be when they had no idea who he was or where he’d come from.

“I’m happy to be here” he admitted, watching as she seemed to stay close to the door and he wondered if she was afraid of him too. He wondered if he should sit down to make her feel more comfortable with being around him but just as the thought entered his mind, the girl took a step further into the room and Aden interpreted that as meaning that she’d moved past her apprehension of him. ‘I see you found your sea legs’ he heard her say to him and was immediately confused. He looked down at his own legs before looking back up at her, a confused expression on his face “what are sea legs? I wasn’t aware that I’d found them…” he asked her, nobody had mentioned that he’d have to find his ‘sea legs’ and he figured that he was lucky that he’d stumbled upon them accidentally because otherwise he would’ve never thought to seek them out.

“Do you have your sea legs? How can you tell that I’ve found mine?” he asked what he thought were perfectly reasonable questions. He could see no difference in the appearance of his legs, they looked just as they always had and he was grateful for that. Nobody had told him that his legs would change when he got on the rig “where’d I find them?” he stared at her questioningly, expecting her to have all of the answers. After all, she was the one who’d told him that he’d found his sea legs and because of that, he expected her to explain.

@nuala

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AI GADA KLIRNES IN There was another small boost in Nuala's comfort and confidence in being in the room with Aden. He was happy to be there and she had to hope that it meant he was happy to be non-violent and to fit in with Floukru ways. Even with that, Nuala didn't move to step any further into the room, still staying as close as she could to the door, only having taken one small step inside. Once she got to know Aden and she learnt of why he was there and what he was like, she would trust him more. She wasn't someone that enjoyed distrust and worry, she was especially someone who hated fear, but she held no choice. She had always been warned to be both caring and cautious around new people and she knew Aden was the type of new person that the advice really talked about.  Her little joke about sea legs affected Aden more than she would have expected it to. A small smile settled onto her face as she watched him, the way he looked down at his legs and back up at her, confusion written all over his face. It was adorabell and completely understandabell. Nuala had never heard the saying before arriving at Floukru and she wouldn't expect others to either. It was very specific and fitting for those of them that lived out on the rig, surrounded by the sea. Honestly, she didn't like to play tricks like some of the other kids, make up things or do things to get a laugh. Still, she liked to laugh. His confusion about the saying gave her that chance, without her having to do anything too drastically mean to him. Light giggles escaped her lips as he asked what sea legs were and then continued on to ask her other questions, including whether she had her own. It was cute. It was making Aden seem a lot less intimidating. Once he had finished and once Nuala had finished with her giggling, she grinned at him, eyes glittering with humor. It was tempting to make something up, to tell him something like he needed to wrap his legs in seaweed to really get his sea legs... but Nuala bit her tongue and resisted the urge. She took another step, and another, into the room, still keeping some space between herself and Aden. "It's a saying," she explained. "Sort of means you're comfortable on the water, with like the moving of the rig and all." Nuala made a swaying motion with her arms and then shrugged, her smile still bright. Some of the other kids probably wouldn't be happy she explained this to Aden. "It's more used when talking about boats."  || She laughed at him, so rude XD

[Aden]

“Why are you laughing at me?” Aden asked Nuala as he heard her giggling, he thought that he’d asked perfectly reasonable questions and he thought that it was rude of her to laugh. He was also kind of hurt by her laughter, back in Polis the natblida’s would taunt and tease each other about the most trivial things and sometimes they’d go too far and upset each other. Aden wondered if that was what was happening at that moment, if this girl was taking advantage of his lack of knowledge about the sea and using it as ammunition to tease him. When she explained that it was a saying, he at first continued to stare at her in confusion before finally realising that he wouldn’t have to worry about his legs changing in any way and the smile reappeared on his face “Oh… Just a saying?” he let out a nervous chuckle, embarrassed that he’d thought that sea legs were a real thing.

“I guess I adapt quickly” he told her in response to the meaning of the saying, he’d had to learn to adapt to life in Polis quickly and this was no different, the only difference was that he’d chosen to go find a better life for himself with these people, he’d had no choice when he’d been taken to Polis. Already he liked the rig more than Polis, it would take some getting used to and he did miss the family that he'd adopted back in the capitol but on the rig there just seemed to be so much more freedom. It was a relief for Aden to find a community that was so peaceful and didn't revolve around a life as violent as the one he led in Polis, he didn't think that he could remember a day back in Polis that he wasn't expected to spar with the other natblida's in preparation for their conclave. They never imagined that it would come so soon, but fighting was a big part of their life, Aden was tired of living that life and he was ready for his new life on the rig with these people, he was grateful for the change from the violence.

"What do you do around here for fun?" he asked Nuala, figuring that their games would be far different than the ones that he was used to playing, of course he could be mistaken but that was the assumption that he'd jumped to. In Polis the natblida's used to play rough and tumble games, all of their games seemed to either involve running or some form of play fighting, they all had a lot of energy and they never seemed to tire. "This place is so different from where I come from" he'd never left land before, he hadn't thought that anybody lived out at sea and was surprised when he'd found that they did. In some ways the sea was scary, there was so much he didn't know about it and so much that could be hiding in the dark waters, but in other ways he could see that it offered the people on the rig safety. Aden couldn't think of anyone who would risk taking their army out to sea to attack the clan, he couldn't think of anyone who'd know how to navigate the waters.

@nuala

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AI GADA KLIRNES IN Nuala probably should have felt a bit bad when Aden asked why she was laughing at him. It wasn't the nicest thing for her to do but she honestly was enjoying her little bit of joy too much to care. Everyone got laughed at every once in a while, it was that mean. Watching his face continued to be entertaining, how it changed after she explained to him what sea legs were. The way it stayed put in confusion and then just shifted into what looked to Nuala to be relief. Yeah, that made sense. When Nuala had learnt the saying, she remembered being relieved as well, that she didn't need to do anything to her legs to make them "sea worthy." "Just a saying," Nuala repeated, her smile still bright. "It confused me at first too, and some kid told me I had to put seaweed on my legs." She giggled again, feeling happy that she hadn't done that same thing to Aden. She liked thinking she was a nice person when she needed to be. Smile still on her face, Nuala nodded, feeling like she could agree with what Aden had said about himself. Everyone could adapt and it was definitely a skill that needed to be put to good use when joining the rig. Things were so different and the quicker a person got used to them, the better. "You'll like it here," she told Aden, nodding her head. "You'll eat a lot of a fish and you eventually get used to the smell of seaweed." It had taken Nuala a while to adjust but she had been helped greatly by the love and patience of both Luna and Derrick. If they hadn't been so willing to take her in and look after her like they did, Nuala didn't know if she would have adjusted so well. It was why she liked helping new kids who arrived, giving them a friend and someone to talk to when they might be feeling scared or sad. The topic of fun, now that was a good one. Nuala's smile became brighter. "Lots of things! Everyone likes storytelling, whether telling themselves or listening. We play a lot of games, like hide and seek. This rig has the best hiding spots. I'll have to show you some!" Nuala paused a moment, half waiting to see if Aden was interested in her showing him hiding spots and half breathing. "We can run around a bit, but not too much and," she paused again, this time suddenly feeling a bit shy about what she was going to say. It was a bit stupid, after all, and so she said it in a bit of a mumble. "It's cool to look at all the fish from the side of the rig." There were lots of different types of fish that swam by the rig and while Nuala thought it to be a fun thing to do, she didn't know many of the older kids that agreed. She tended to more often show the younger kids all the fish. Aden

[Aden]

Aden laughed when she told him what one of the other kids had told her to do when she'd first arrived on the rig and heard the saying "well, I'm glad you didn't try to trick me into doing that" Aden admitted. He wasn't a stranger to pranks, he was used to playing practical jokes on his adopted siblings and even falling victim to a few himself, but it thought that it would be nice for him to get used to his new home before the other kids tried to make a fool out of him. When Nuala told him that he'd like it on the rig, Aden gave a sad smile "I hope so" he didn't know if he would like it on the rig, all he knew was that it was the only place that was safe for him. He'd liked it in Polis but it wasn't possible for him to return to his old home, he had to adjust to his new home and make new friends. Nuala seemed like a good place to start, she'd been kind enough to come and introduce herself to him and hadn't even tried to trick him and she hadn't asked him any personal questions that he might feel uncomfortable about answering.

"The smell doesn't bother me" the boy answered truthfully, chuckling slightly "I actually enjoy it" it was a scent that he perhaps wasn't used to, there wasn't much seaweed in Polis, but it was a good type of different. He didn't know how many people agreed with him, but he found that he enjoyed the smell of the sea and of the seaweed. He didn't know if that would change, or if he'd become bored of it, but for the time being he could say that it was nice. He listened as she started talking about the different things that the kids on the rig did for fun, when she offered to show him some of the hiding places on the rig, he nodded enthusiastically "sure! I'd love that" hide and seek had been a great game to play back in Polis. The tower had so many places where they could hide and with so many children taking part, the game could stretch on for quite a while.

"Wait, you can actually see the fish swimming in the water?!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. He'd seen dead fish, he'd eaten fish before but never had he actually seen them swimming and alive before. Being a nightblood had it's disadvantages, it was considered too risky to take them out of the capital and so he'd never had the opportunity to see anything cool like that. There had been plenty of ways inside the tower for the young nightbloods to entertain themselves but it seemed as though there was a whole world out there that Aden didn't even know about because this girl had actually seen fish swimming in the water when he'd only ever seen dead fish being served as food "can you show me?".

@nuala