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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