The Contest

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class='ooc'><tr><td>Ladeda, I am just getting back into the swing of roleplaying so dont mind me. ^^ Looking for anyone to join mah Fujjeyj in an amateur sailing contest. Anyone and everyone is welcome. More the merrier. ^^

Tria 16, 81381 Midmorning</td></tr></table>


Fujjeyj leaned his large bulk over the railing and sighed, throwing his arms over and resting his muzzle on the wood. He stared gloomily out to sea. He was getting land crazy. He could not remember the last time he had been out for a proper voyage, and he longed for the caress of the open waters. What he needed was a boat, and a small crew, but he hadn't the money nor the connections to acquire either.

He cast a lazy glance over at his fishing pole. It had undoubtedly failed to do anything. As it had done for the last hour. He sighed again, and wiped a lock of matted black hair out of his face. He took the fishing pole in his hands again and leaned back in his folding chair, throwing one leg over the other. He was out on the pier, in a lonely spot, hoping that some half-minded fish would swim into his hook. He didnÂ’t have the skill or willpower to catch a fish any other way. The fact of the mater was that he wanted an excuse to come and stare at the endless waters without being considered a light bulb short of illumination.

He put his fishing pole down and walked down the pier to get something to stir his brain up a bit. As he made his way back with a steaming cup of coffee in his paw, a sign caught his eye. It read "Sailing Contest, winner takes home their boat." Fujjeyj raised an eyebrow and looked around, to make sure he didnÂ’t see anyone he knew. It was not unlike his sister and some of her friends to play a joke like this on him. Seeing no one, he indulged himself and read the details. It was a promotional contest for a company that made one-manned sail boats. The winner would get to keep their boat.

Fujjeyj smiled, sipped his coffee, and went to fetch his fishing pole and folding chair. This could be fun. He checked the address on the sign as he passed, and proceeded down the piers.

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class='ooc'><tr><td>Oh posh, anyone can join, sailor or not. I guess we will just make it a contest for amateurs and Fujjeyj is just a dirty cheater. Hehe. ^^</td></tr></table>


Fujjeyj sipped his coffee and adjusted the folding chair under his arm. It was starting to get warm as the sun rose higher in the sky. It was at times like this he cursed his thick fur, especially the mane around his neck. But, he speculated, he would be happy for it once he was out on the water, in the brunt of the wind and the cold waves.

He smiled to himself at the thought of the wind in his fur again, the spray in his face. He lifted his paw to take another sip of coffee when a book came flying at him and knocked the cup out of his hands. <span style='color:red'>"GRAH!"</span> he exclaimed, dropping his folding chair, the fishing pole still in his other paw. Hot coffee was splashed across his front, and he stood wincing, teeth gritted, for a few seconds while it cooled down. This was not particularly what he had in mind when he had speculated about spray in his face. Eventually, he leaned down and picked up his folding chair, and as he did, he spotted the projectile that had assaulted him. He picked up the book and examined its cover. With a smirk, he stood and walked over to a girl who, by means of complex trajectory calculations, he could safely assume had thrown it.

<span style='color:red'>"Excuse me,"</span> he ventured in his deep gruff voice, <span style='color:red'>"I think you...er...dropped this."</span> He held out the book with one large muscular arm.

 

Fujjeyj sunk lower and lower as the girl spoke. From the moment she turned to face him it was clear in her eyes she was less than comfortable at the sight of him. He knew he was large and imposing, but most people did not have such an imediate reaction. They usually waited till he accidentaly broke a table in half to start fearing him. He lifted his arms in a defencive posture and tried his best not to look so large and looming.

<span style='color:red'>"No, no, lass,"</span> he began, <span style='color:red'>"Its no problem really. I was nearly finished anyway,"</span> he let out an awquard gruff chuckle and scratched the back of his neck. <span style='color:red'>"Really, lass, no harm done."</span>

He watched in silent reverence as the mug floated towards the girl. He held out a large paw as gently as he could to accept the mug. <span style='color:red'>"Nice trick there. Wish I could do that..."</span> he mumbled hoarsely.

He shuffled the folding chair under his arm, trying to hold the mug and fishing pole in the same hand. <span style='color:red'>"No need to make it up to me lass. It was an honest mistake,"</span> he said quickly. The sound she had made prompted him to turn his head down, to hide his imposing eyes. He was begining to feel uncomfortable and awquard. He pointed to the book now in her paw, <span style='color:red'>"Planning on doing a little sailing?"</span> he asked, trying to put the girl, and himself, more at ease.

 

Fujjeyj was relieved to see the girl relax. He watched once more in silent reverance as his his belongings hovered out of his clumsy grasp. He looked down and smiled at the girl. Her shyness reminded him briefly of his own little sister, but only slightly, and the thought passed his mind quickly.

<span style='color:red'>"I dont need another coffee, but thank you all the same,"</span> he mumbled. He looked briefly at the flier she presented, and a smile spread across his face. <span style='color:red'>"What a coincidence. Im going to that contest too,"</span> he said, <span style='color:red'>"Don't worry. I dont think the contest will be very difficult, it seems to be marketed towards amateurs."</span> He pointed towards the book in her hand, <span style='color:red'>"And dont mind all that technical stuff they say in there, what with wind and sail angles and whatnot. Its really not so difficult once you actually get out there and do it."</span>

Fujjeyj accepted her paw and smiled warmly, his red eyes glinting in the sunlight. <span style='color:red'>"My name is Fujjeyj,"</span> he replied, <span style='color:red'>" 'Dragons just call my Jeyj."</span> He lowered his head awquardly in responce to the rest of what the girl said, he was not quite sure how to respond. He ventured a timid chuckle, and added a mumbled, <span style='color:red'>"Sorry 'bout that...sneaking up on you and all..."</span>

He pulled himself together and forced himself to stand slightly straiter. He glanced at his floating belongings. <span style='color:red'>"How about this,"</span> he said in a friendly tone, <span style='color:red'>"Since you seem so keen on repaying me, you can carry my stuff to the contest for me. And on the way I will teach you a little bit about sailing. Im a pretty good sailor myself."</span>

 

Fujjeyj looked up at the little pendragon and scratched the back of his neck, smiling apologetically. <span style='color:red'>"Oh, my mind wandered."</span> He caught up to her and fell in step, watching his juggled belongings out of the corner of one glistening crimson eye.

He hunched his shoulders and smiled the best evil grin he could manage, which was quite commical, <span style='color:red'>"I guess Im just a dirty cheater then,"</span> he said, <span style='color:red'>"Im used to not being on the right side of justice,"</span> he stopped himself before he said more. He really did not want to go into some of the things he and his sister, mostly his sister, had done. Most of the time it was Gejusa who pulled them to the darker side of life, and Fujjeyj simply followed her, to try and keep her from falling in too deep. Cheating in a contest was not below him. He shrugged and tried to change the subject, <span style='color:red'>"But the prize is really worth it anyway. I've been looking for a boat of my own. And winning one free is very oportune."</span>

He paused, walking along in silence. Then added by way of being conversational, <span style='color:red'>"What made you decide to join the contest?"</span> he asked.

 

Fujjeyj listened very carefully as the Ramaithian words rolled off her tounge. Once more he found a respect for the girl. He had never been very good at Ramaithian, no matter how much anyone tried to teach him. The only language he knew was sailor-slang, and that had always gotten the message as far as he needed it gone. He had not gotten through life without picking up a few words here and there though, and he was able to catch the jist of what the girl said, and guessed from there. He did not want her to realize that he had not understood most of what she had said. He stayed quiet for a moment, in thought, trying to sort out all that she had said so his reply would not sound stupid. <span style='color:red'>"Well,"</span> he finally managed, <span style='color:red'>"You can never let other pendragons tell you what you can and can't do. Only you can judge that..."</span> he said quietly. He paused, then rallied himself and added, <span style='color:red'>"If you think you can do it, then you can do it."</span>

He looked up at her exclamation, realizing that they were indeed already where the contest was being held. He looked around. It did not seem like many pendragons were there yet. He checked the time, realizing that they still had a few minutes. He looked down at the girl, noticing that the blasted book had materialized back into her paws. As if the girl wasn't stressed out enough. <span style='color:red'>"Don't worry, we still have a while before it starts...and put that stupid book down. You are going to get yourself seasick before you even set foot on the boat."</span>

He sighed and stooped his bulk over her, reaching a large paw over to pluck the book from her paws. He held it above his head. <span style='color:red'>"Look, this is all a beginner like you really needs to know. With single sail boats like these, don't try to said with the wind, or against the wind. Sail across the wind, back and forth. Zigzaging, you know? What is it...um perpendicular I think, yeah perpendicular to the wind. Thats called tacking. The sail goes to the opposite side of the boat everytime you tack, so every time you tack you should go sit on the opposite side of the boat. And dont let the boom, the pole, hit you as it passes to the other side. Use the tiller to steer yourself. Pull the jib...er rope to make the boat go faster, and if you feel like you are going to fall over, dont panic, just let go of the rope. Then gently pull it back in until you start movin' again. Thats all you need to know."</span>

 

Fujjeyj smiled back at her, glad that his advice could do someone good. He could not help but think though, as she thanked him, that her heart was not in the words. He brushed this thought away as silly. The girl seemed passionate enough at the prospect of sailing. Perhaps his lesson had been a little too easily understood. Sorta took all the excitement out of the sport if it could be drummed down to such simplicity.

He watched as she walked away, then eyed the book still held in his paw. Just then, he remembered his belongings. He set the book on a table, hoping that perhaps someone would find it and the book would kindle in them a love of sailing. He just hoped that this pendragon would not take the book entirely too seriously. He walked down to sign in. He eyed all the boats as he made his way through them, making sailor observations about hull shape, sail size, and whatnot. He stopped by the boat that Alamu had claimed. <span style='color:red'>"Sorry to disturb,"</span> he mumbled, <span style='color:red'>"But could you tell me what you did with my stuff? Did you leave it with the sign in person or something?"</span> he asked. He looked back up the way he had come, seeing a crowd of pendragons coming, ready to compete. He wanted to hurry and get the best boat possible.

 

Fujjeyj eyed his belongings, and then looked up at the abysmal sky. Then he looked back down at the girl and sighed. Then, he plucked his things out of mid-air, tucking the folding chair under his arm. He eyed the sailors that went passed him. The girl was right, not a one of them looked as if they had ever spent more than a year of their lives off the water. Fujjeyj had a very bad image of himself in his mind, he was always mildly surprised to find how large he was whenever he looked in a mirror. But if he had had a good gage on his size, he would also have noticed that they were all roughly the same size.

He looked back at the girl and sympathy flooded through him. One of the pendragons made a snide remark at her, and he watched how she simply seemed to shirvel. She was begining to remind him of his own sister again. His eyes glinted with a slight inner darkness. He growled in their general direction as they passed. He tried to soften his expression, but could not make his anger fully absent from his voice. <span style='color:red'>"Don't worry about them, Alamu,"</span> he said, almost through clenched teeth, <span style='color:red'>"You are here to have fun. Its no matter if you dont win. Not everyone can be the best. Just dont let those cods spoil your experience of sailing."</span>

He turned then, not even glancing in her direction. He did not want to fix her with his angry gaze for fear that she might think it was directed towards her. He stalked away, drawn up to his full bulk and height. Of course, the best boats had all been taken, but one slightly flawed jewel still floated free. He claimed it as his own. As he readied the boat, he glanced to where Alamu's boat sat. He would make SURE that those cods didn't spoil her experience of sailing.

 

Fujjeyj sat, tense in his own little boat. The other group of ragged sailors was purposefully trying to unnerve Alamu. He growled to himself, forcing his body to stay put. However heavy of a hitter Fujjeyj was, he had never been acused of assult and he was not about to break his record. <span style='color:red'>Just beat their butts on the water...</span> he reasured himself.

When the bell rang, Fujjeyj lifted the small anchor, untied the dark mustard painted boat from the dock and shoved off. He still had a few minutes, but he wanted to get to the starting line before the others had a chance to hog up all the space, trying to keep their opponents behind them instead of next to them. He loosened the sail and floated leasurely at the starting line, indicated by two buoys and a rope between them.

He watched as the other boats made their way towards him, picking out Alamu from them. He had forgotten all the triffles about untieign the boat and the anchor and whatnot. And he found himself secretly thanking that she had read that stupid book. It was bound to have explained to full detail all the intricacies involved in untieing a knot.

 

<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span>
<table class='ooc'><tr><td>Ive only ever sailed once in my life. Hehe. So if anyone sees any...er...stupidness in my use of vocabulary or the mechanics of sailing, please let me know. ^^</td></tr></table>


The moment that the bell rang, Fujjeyj rammed his tiller to one side, and hauled on the jib rope. The effect was that his little boat went directly and quickly into the path of the vessel carrying the pendragon who had made the snide remark to Alamu, before he was even able to get his boat into its first tack. This was karma in action. As Fujjeyj had hoped, the pendragon panicked, turned away from the oncoming boat, and tried to go suddenly faster to get out of Fujjeyj's path. The boat leaned precariously, and the pendragon leaned out of the edge of the boat to counter the force. It looked at first as if this might work, but the boat was going perpendicular to the starting line. Boats tried to go around, but one nicked the hull, and sent the boat over.

Fujjeyj smiled in satisfaction, and began a more leasurely tack out to the open waters. He turned a couple times, getting back into the groove of sailing. It was great to be out and at it again. He looked ahead of him, and spied Alamu's little boat not far off. For now, she appeared to be in the lead, but there were a couple of others who had gotten passed all the confusion of the upturned boat and were sailing close to the wind, their boats leaning from the strain of the wind, eager to catch up. Fujjeyj decided not to lag behind as well, and tugged at the jib and leaned his great bulk over the side, the wind rushing through his thick fur, spattered with spray.