01-30-2012, 12:59 AM
Liliya busied herself as long as she could, making what normally took just seconds draw out into minutes as though she was not a skilled and practiced fisher woman, but she could not dodge the questions her brother was bound to ask for long. Soon enough he was at her side, appealing to her for help against their mother's misinterpretations. At first all she could do was give her brother a sorrowful, apologetic look, and then she cast her gaze down the length of the dock. “I think zhis vhill be as good a place as any to feesh. Feesh bit here, vhe vhill have a good night.” She said, as though she hadn't noticed anything that had just gone one, and then started making her way down the dock. At the end, between the last two supporting pillars, there was width enough for four people to sit aloft.
Verusha stared out at the beach for a moment, as though she was looking for something, and then turned around with jaw parted to say something. But when her eyes caught sight of her daughter pacing down the dock, she hurried to catch up, and whatever had been on her mind was quickly forgotten, replaced by a pacified grin as she followed her daughter like a duckling.
“Mother,” Liliya said, turning to the dusty brown coyote woman. “We need bait.”
Verusha nodded obligingly and turned and walked back down the dock, patting her son on the shoulder as she passed, and then she was just a blot against the beach as she walked along the shoreline.
Liliya set the fishing gear down at the end of the dock and turned to Anatoliy, her eyes brilliant, worried round orbs. There was a pain behind them, a pain that she had done so well at masking that she hadn't felt it in months. Salsola truly was taking over within her, and she didn't even realize that a proprietary piece of herself had been slipping away all this time.
“I am sorry, Toliy,” she started, then knelt down and started working with the poles. First she checked their lines, and then how well the hooks were affixed, and then the sharpness of the hooks, and then the integrity of the wood. All the while, as she inspected the gear, she explained; “Maybe I should have warned you, but I did not know how. The years have been very hard on her. Some days she is worse, some days she is not so bad at all.”
She shifted so her rump was now on the wooden planks, the very wooden planks that she had placed here. Would Anatoliy be proud of her if he knew that she had built this fine dock? Sadly, now wasn't really the right time to brag about it. Somewhere from the pile of supplies she proffered a small container. Popping open the top, she pulled out a fat, languid worm. Bait. Her eyes looked at Anatoliy again, guilt behind them. She had sent their mother off to get bait when she knew she had some here. In actuality, she just needed to buy them a few minutes to speak in private. Verusha would be back soon enough, and who knew if she would remember the bait or not.
“Her memory is goingk, she acts peculiar more often than not. But somevhere, deep down inside, she is still mother. She is vharm and lovingk. She still cares for us, and she still worries for us, and she still dotes on me every minute she can get. She just... doesn't really understand the things that are goingk on around her all zhe time anymore.
“I am knowingk that you can not stay. You have pack and family to get back to. But, don't vorry about her. You don't need to be explainingk to her, just enjoy eet while you are here. She vhill not think you abandon her or anythingk vhen you go. She vhill remember you visitingk, she remembers things that happen, she just changes them in mind later. Probly she vhill make up that you have adventure to be being on or somethingk.”
A strange sound rolled up the coast, some weird wail from their mother. It wasn't pained or fearful, and Liliya shook her head. “She is not likingk the sand crabs,” there was a small laugh in her voice as she filled Anatoliy in.
Patting the plank beside her, she offered him to sit. One fishing pole was prepped and ready, and she held it out in offer for him. There were a few things, possible questions, that Liliya didn't quite answer with her explanation. They were things she hoped he wouldn't ask, but assumed were coming all the same.
((wc 800))
Verusha stared out at the beach for a moment, as though she was looking for something, and then turned around with jaw parted to say something. But when her eyes caught sight of her daughter pacing down the dock, she hurried to catch up, and whatever had been on her mind was quickly forgotten, replaced by a pacified grin as she followed her daughter like a duckling.
“Mother,” Liliya said, turning to the dusty brown coyote woman. “We need bait.”
Verusha nodded obligingly and turned and walked back down the dock, patting her son on the shoulder as she passed, and then she was just a blot against the beach as she walked along the shoreline.
Liliya set the fishing gear down at the end of the dock and turned to Anatoliy, her eyes brilliant, worried round orbs. There was a pain behind them, a pain that she had done so well at masking that she hadn't felt it in months. Salsola truly was taking over within her, and she didn't even realize that a proprietary piece of herself had been slipping away all this time.
“I am sorry, Toliy,” she started, then knelt down and started working with the poles. First she checked their lines, and then how well the hooks were affixed, and then the sharpness of the hooks, and then the integrity of the wood. All the while, as she inspected the gear, she explained; “Maybe I should have warned you, but I did not know how. The years have been very hard on her. Some days she is worse, some days she is not so bad at all.”
She shifted so her rump was now on the wooden planks, the very wooden planks that she had placed here. Would Anatoliy be proud of her if he knew that she had built this fine dock? Sadly, now wasn't really the right time to brag about it. Somewhere from the pile of supplies she proffered a small container. Popping open the top, she pulled out a fat, languid worm. Bait. Her eyes looked at Anatoliy again, guilt behind them. She had sent their mother off to get bait when she knew she had some here. In actuality, she just needed to buy them a few minutes to speak in private. Verusha would be back soon enough, and who knew if she would remember the bait or not.
“Her memory is goingk, she acts peculiar more often than not. But somevhere, deep down inside, she is still mother. She is vharm and lovingk. She still cares for us, and she still worries for us, and she still dotes on me every minute she can get. She just... doesn't really understand the things that are goingk on around her all zhe time anymore.
“I am knowingk that you can not stay. You have pack and family to get back to. But, don't vorry about her. You don't need to be explainingk to her, just enjoy eet while you are here. She vhill not think you abandon her or anythingk vhen you go. She vhill remember you visitingk, she remembers things that happen, she just changes them in mind later. Probly she vhill make up that you have adventure to be being on or somethingk.”
A strange sound rolled up the coast, some weird wail from their mother. It wasn't pained or fearful, and Liliya shook her head. “She is not likingk the sand crabs,” there was a small laugh in her voice as she filled Anatoliy in.
Patting the plank beside her, she offered him to sit. One fishing pole was prepped and ready, and she held it out in offer for him. There were a few things, possible questions, that Liliya didn't quite answer with her explanation. They were things she hoped he wouldn't ask, but assumed were coming all the same.
((wc 800))