The berth surrounding my body, crushing every bit of bone

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 the goddess of the sea was angry. a peal of thunder tore the sky apart as a torrential rain came down upon her home. waves crashed along the shoreline, rushing past the sand to reach for her ankles. the siren did not dance away, merely stood to let the saltwater cover her paws, feeling the sandy dirt shift beneath her toes.

 the fresh and unique smell of the thunderstorm hanging over the ocean, the electric feel of the air... 

in...
 

...

out...

 esmerelda could feel it as she inhaled, filling her with life, with a familiar sense of conviction. 

 saltwoods was different. this, she knew. this, she could sense, as if her soul was attached to the land. it was not, but then again, could anyone be so sure? when she was done taking in the storm, the sea witch would venture out and explore, see what was whispering to her so.

 and yet all the while, she had no idea that something was missing. her wife. her children. pieces of her soul that someone had stolen away, tucked them somewhere for safekeeping.

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 Her arrival coincides with the tide, rushing her in with a hefty wave. This time, she is conscious, with a makeshift raft as her guide. Though it does not keep her completely dry, wet with the salty dredge of water she's basically known since birth, it is enough to keep her afloat when she is too tired to paddle. The sight of land brings a sparkle to her eye, and it doesn't take long for her to hit the shoreline; where her raft deconstructs upon impact, the loosely tied ropes and improved seaweed having served its purpose. 

 Maui, at the touch of sand, hits the ground and rolls in the tide. "Thank fuckin' Gods." There is a hefty inhale of the sea air before she takes a moment to look around, eyes searching for any other signs of life along the shoreline — 

 And there she is, a vision of merled silver and greys, and possibly a product of the ocean herself? "Oi!" She hollered, a voice that is more masculine than feminine, "Are'ya a local?" Maui takes a few steps closer, trying to hold her haste, interest evident in her eyes.

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Lo!, the storm swept in another piece of the sea, part of some greater puzzle that mortals could only glimpse upon.

“Aye, driftwood.” Her voice lifted, carried by the wind that whipped through her fur like so many fingers. Her chin lifted, a glint to her eye that could certainly be explained away by lightning, lighting, or perhaps something more. “More than that, this is the land gifted to me by Mother Sea.”

She moved, easing through the waves that came and went with a sureness about her that was unquestionable. The sea was her home; her home was the sea.

“It seems she has bestowed another gift upon me, si?” A soft laugh. “Come, let us get you dry at the very least, driftwood.”

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 It's been quite a while since she's seen a woman with such exuberance. One that does not meld to the causal conformities of the land — but the sea. Her voice is gathered like the tide as it calls out to Maui's spot, where she's crash-landed. The sand in her fur does little to slow her down as she hops through the tidewater, "Oh yeah?" Her grin spreads as she thinks of her own Deity lurking within every water vortex. "Mighty good thing 'm on yer land then, innit?"

 There was no doubt that they were both made of the same molecules, a touch of the water is enough to prove them both worthy of the sea. "If thas whatcha want to call me." A gift was a very lenient term of what Maui was — sure maybe to some lands she had been; remembrance of those long gone, and to others, just a thieving pirate. 

 She nears the other sea witch with her pace slowing, finding herself a rock among a seashell; the lass a little smaller than she'd once thought from afar. "Might need some help dryin' my back if we're gettin' out, lil lass." Half joking, but the keen look in her eye and the toothy grin might read for the other part, testing the waters. 

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Something in her stirred, a faint memory swirling to the surface, hooking its claws in her mind to try and drag her down into the depths. Had she been alone, perhaps the Mystic would have given into the almost-comforting feeling, but she was not alone. As if underlining the last thought, the other splashed through the water with a hop and a skip, pulling her attention to the here and now.

“Si. A might good thing.” Esme unintentionally parroted the woman’s words back to her, watching as the distance between them closed, another roil of thunder shaking the skies above. “There will be no drying if we get caught in this storm. Come.” A quick gesture of her head preceded the silver woman turning and taking a few steps towards the forest that would offer more protection than the open skies.

Pausing, she waited for the other to catch up before carrying onward. “Do you remember your name? Or anything of yourself?”
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 Maui's mischievous grin stayed slanted across her lips, lopsided. Might. Of course, it could go either way, Maui was at the will of her own whims, and usually those were to drink and roughhouse, maybe get a little dirty—

 The sky rumbled overhead, making the pirate advert her gaze upwards to the rolling, gray clouds, looking as if they could spill out on them at any moment. And in an instant, the smaller woman is heading towards the forested area. Maui's head swiveled back to the ocean, from which she'd come, and her abandoned raft before leaving the sea behind as well. Into the woods, she went. 

 Parting from the cold waters, she joined the woman through the sand and onto the grass. "Hm?" Maui quirked an eyebrow up at this, "Yea, 'course I do. Didn't crash land that rough." She commented as if this was a silly thing to ask, "Name's Maui. I remember a lot considerin' how much I drink." And party. The last memories of the before in the infirmary recovering from a failed looting, getting out, having too much to drink at the Guild, and finding out that she'd been ratted out by her own — she remembered more than she would have liked to. 

 There's worry for a quick second, the depths of her black pearl eyes, a ship sunk deep underwater, peer over her, "Why, you missin' some pieces?" 

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She laughed again, the soft peal of a crystalline bell, eyes bright and playful. “Some might say so but no, as far as I know, no missing pieces.” Save for the hole in her heart, the one she could not quite remember the shape of, Esmerelda had everything she could have ever needed. With her home and the Mother Sea, the Siren could say that she was mostly happy.

“I am Esmerelda, Mystic of the Saltwoods,” She would state as they stepped across the forest threshold to tuck themselves away beneath the cover of the foliage. “I asked because it is quite normal for wolves to appear in these lands, and upon these very shores, with little memory or idea of who they were before. And no one remembers how they got here.” Her explanation wasn't troubled in the least, only matter of fact and easy. Simple, when somethings weren't simple in the least.

“But it is good that you do. Less to figure out on your end, hm?”
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 A laugh exited Esmerelda's maw, musical and playful — it made the pirate's grin widen, throwing in a chuckle as well at her answer. “Glad t' hear it. Think we're all missin' some pieces in a way.” Whether it be of the heart, mind, or past, they were always missing something. For Maui, it was the part, yet only a small part of her. She'd seen a lot in the time she'd been alive, but nothing quite like Theia.

 Stepping out of the way of the oncoming storm and underneath cover, her eyes meet Esmerelda's. “Esmerelda— Can I call ya Esme?—, Mystic... Is that like a leader or somethin'?” She knew some cultures had other words for 'alpha'/'leader' but this one, she couldn't tell. Maui's ears flicked at the information, curious as her darkened gaze cast back towards the crashing waves. “Interestin'. Nope, can remember most things. Like comin' in on the raft... Can't say I didn' fall asleep out thar though.” Who knew which way she'd come in from? All she remember is riding the wave that inevitably led to here — but her memories before that were still intact.

 She's brought back to the moment by Esme's voice and nodding slowly, “Yar, tha's for sure. Nice to remember.” A hearty chuckle left her lips, settling onto her hind hauches in a sit. “So, what're Saltwoods?” An open-ended question that could lead Maui to either an answer about what 'Mystic' of them meant, a leader, or maybe just a territory?

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It was true. There were pieces of all beings scattered to the wind; pieces they missed, pieces they had yet to meet, pieces that they could not yet fathom... No one was whole, no one had everything. Some had none, and to them — if they let her — Esme would offer one of her own. Those that accepted became an extension of her, a piece of her, traded for a piece of herself.

She hummed a sound of approval at the nickname of Esme. It was a frequent alias of hers, an easy way to shorten her mouthful of a name. “Si. Mystic is akin to Alpha, and the Saltwoods is the home I claim. We are an island just off the shore, only a skip across to the mainland. Forest and beach both grant us many amenities.” It was an ecosystem all its own, and Esme was proud to call it hers.

“You are welcome to stay here for as long as you like, so long as you do not bring harm to any of the women who live here with me.” A small smile as she thought of the female-focused life she'd built for herself. Men were mostly useless anyway. Only good for their seed and strength and nothing more. “Of course, you are welcome to stay here permanently, as well. I'd be happy to have you.” She seemed fiery. Strong. Fierce.

She would be a perfect addition to the matriocracy she was watching over.
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