The Smell of the Sea (Open)

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

While some people might be put-off by the smell as they entered Newman's Fish Market, Kuni hadn't even needed time to get adjusted to the scent when he started working there.  In fact, he felt closer to home there than he did anywhere else - the damp atmosphere, the salty air, picking fresh seafood from their tanks and making them suitable for the public to eat.  Of course, there wasn't a market for whale here (or pretty much anywhere apart from where he'd grown up, he'd found out), but he did well enough with fish, crustaceans, shellfish, the like.  And, on the plus side, he could sneak in a snack or two of shrimp when he got hungry and craved the little things.

He was working on a small order of salmon, having gotten the freshest batch just a few hours previous, so he was practically drooling himself over what was bound to be an amazing meal, if cooked correctly.  Kuni wrapped the order up and handed it over the counter with a smile, then wiped his brow of the sweat that was starting to accumulate at his temples.  Even with only a sleeveless shirt and shorts on, it was still musty and warm.

But still, he loved his work.  Kuni saw the next customer in line approaching the table and offered the same service-genuine smile.  "What can I get for you today?" he asked, leaning against the counter friendily.  

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa pushed Christian in the stroller, heading down to the Newman Fish Market. She had seen the place before, always eyeing it up, but never having enough funds to buy the seafood. The bills seemed to burn in the pocket of her jeans, reminding the Hispanic girl of what had happened only a few nights prior. She'd found Kai, fortunately, but may or may not have causes a huge fight between him and his friend Zach. She still felt incredibly guilty about that night, especially considering that Kai had given her a couple hundred dollars, no problem. What was he, some sort of ATM?

Still, Vanessa decided to spoil herself on the occasion. The loan was paid back and she had just enough to go buy some seafood, enough for a substantial meal. She got into the line, gently moving the stroller back and forth so that Christian wouldn't become fussy. She eyed the options, her stomach growling in response.

Finally, it was her turn. Vanessa looked behind her, thankful that she was the last one in line. "Hello." she greeted, still looking at all of the choices. "I... I have no idea." Vanessa admitted with a laugh. "What do you suggest?"

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni didn't recall seeing the woman in the market before, which wasn't totally unusual - while they had many returning customers that came on a regular basis, they always had new people as well, which were always welcome. The shop did well, for which he was grateful.

The baby in the stroller caught his eye, and the gentle man smiled down at the little boy, though his attention was drawn back up as the woman he assumed was the baby's mother spoke. "Mmmm," he pondered, glancing over their menu, and a list of the latest catch that had just come in. "Well, I have a particular fondness for the shrimp, but that's just me," he chuckled. "We got some fresh Atlantic salmon earlier today, too. I can guarantee that will be good." He didn't want to say anything about budgeting, of course - seafood could be expensive, but he knew she had come in here for a reason, so she must be able to afford something.

Unable to contain himself, Kuni glanced down at the baby again with a smile. "He's beautiful," he mentioned kindly. "What's his name?" It wasn't rude to ask, was it?

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Vanessa eyed all of the options, licking her lips in response. Man, it really had been too long since she last tasted seafood. She looked up at the man, smiling as she saw him take notice Christian. She had to admit, her son was quite the showstopper, and garnered a lot of attention in public as did most babies. "Shrimp does sound good." She agreed, her attention back on the man. Salmon. Her hand slipped into her pocket, fingering the bills.

Yeah, she had enough to get both. A little sample of each.

"Maybe... I'll get a little bit of both. I haven't had seafood in forever." Vanessa rambled, glancing at Christian again. "Thank you. If he could talk, I'm sure he'd love the compliment." She joked with a laugh. "His name is Christian." She added with a nod. No real reason behind the name, Vanessa just liked it.

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni's smile widened at the woman's response, glad she didn't cringe at his suggestion. It wouldn't have been a first time - not everyone had a craving for the little creatures like he did. Then again, he hadn't developed it until after he'd manifested. Something to do with his whalishness, apparently.

"A bit of both?" he repeated, nodding. "Sounds excellent." Kuni gave a soft laugh. "I grew up on seafood, I don't know how I'd live without it." He didn't understand how anyone could not like seafood. He just figured maybe those kinds of people had never had fresh salmon right out of the water. Mmm... Now he was practically salivating. "How much of each would you like?" he asked, tapping his fingers against the counter. He motioned to the prices for each on a menu taped down beside him, so she could determine how much her budget would allow for.

He grinned down at the little guy, making a silly face for a moment before laughing it off. "Hey there Christian," he cooed. Kuni had always loved kids, especially after his sister had been born. "I don't think I've seen you guys in here before," he chatted idly as he packaged whatever she ordered, since there was no need to hurry with no one in line behind her. "New in town?" he guessed. It was possible, but more likely she just hadn't come in before.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Living in a less than well off family hadn't allowed Vanessa as a child to grow up on seafood. She appreciated it whenever she had the opportunity to indulge in fish, her personal favourite, or other types of seafood. "You grow up close to the water then?" Vanessa asked. The less it travelled, the less expensive it probably was. Then, whenever the dark haired girl got seafood, it was usually pre-packaged for sale in the store. She mused to herself about the prices, debating. She'd rather not spend all the money Kai gave to her, just in case something were to happen and she would need extra change. "Maybe... about 20 shrimp?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Vanessa blushed. "I've never ordered fresh from a market... so however you're suppose to say about that many. And enough fish for a couple of meals. I don't have a huge appetite." The usually proud girl felt awkward, standing in front of Kuni and making a fool of herself.

His interactions with Christian though was helping her feel a little less self conscious. She decided to turn her attention to the two boys, involuntarily smiling when he cooed at her son. Of course, Christian was lapping up all the attention, smiling at the stranger and reaching out. Usually, it meant he wanted to be held. Vanessa approached the front of the stroller, unbuckling her son and taking him into her arms. Adjusting his weight, her gaze went back to Kuni. "As you probably noticed, I haven't been here before." She said with a small laugh. "Kind of, yes. I went here to the University of Vermont for a few years before... my son." Vanessa summarized, not wanting to go into the details. For good reason. "Moved back home afterwards and then came back because it's a nice little town." It wasn't the entire truth, but Pilot Ridge seemed like an alright place for her to settle down in, for now. As long as Kai was around. "You been around here long?"

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni nodded in response, smiling fondly as he thought of his home. "Yeah, up in northwestern Alaska," he responded. "A tiny little village you've probably never heard of. My people hunt whales to survive, among other things." He chuckled. It was sort of ironic, how his ability had worked out. "But we don't have that here." Honestly, he should probably be more careful about throwing that information around - while it was natural for him and his family, many people were horrified to hear that they hunted the large, peaceful creatures. But that was what they had to do to live. Kuni nodded as she ordered, giving a reassuring smile as he went to work getting the order ready. "No worries, Miss," he told her, scooping up some shrimp and placing them in a package to be wrapped up. "As long as I know what you mean, that's all that matters."

Kuni chuckled as he watched the little guy. "I remember when my sister was that little," he sighed, cutting up a piece of salmon that he thought would last a few days. "I miss her a lot. Had to move here to go to Hammel, so..." He trailed off, wrapping up the fish and weighing it. He smiled fondly, watching the woman interact with her son, and listened as she explained her situation. "Oooh, I see," he nodded. "It's a nice place to live. Not too big, not too loud. He pressed a few buttons on the weighing machine before peeking up as she asked about him. "Oh, um, a few years now... Four or five?" It didn't feel like that long. Kuni brought both packages of seafood together and, after calculating the final price, told the woman how much it was. "You mother seems like a very nice lady," he whispered 'secretly' to the baby with a wink.

[Vanessa Rodriguez]

Alaska. Well, that was the complete opposite of her home back in Texas. Vanessa nodded, chuckling. "Probably not. I grew up in Houston. Completely different from Alaska." Colder, less populated... Her jaw dropped a little at him mentioning that his family back home hunted whales. She... just couldn't imagine that sort of thing, hunting the majestic creatures. Then again, they probably led different lives up there and relied on the animals to get by the harsh winters. "As long as it's not whale I'm getting." Vanessa lamely joked before smiling through her still prominent blush. "trying my best here." Maybe with Kai giving her hundreds of dollars after their first meeting without even blinking, Vanessa could... rely on him for living a little more luxuriously than her current job and budget allowed for.

"Awww, how old is she now?" Vanessa asked, watching Kuni as packed her salmon and shrimp. She raised an eyebrow when he said that he had to attend Hammel. To her, the school was an elusive mystery. It seemed that a lot of teens went to the school, almost all of them out of state. Vanessa figured something was up, but didn't know what. "Got a scholarship there or something? Looks like a private school or something." She commented innocently, assuming that that was the school's purpose. She understood scholarships, as that's why Vanessa had attended the U of V. "Exactly." The Hispanic girl agreed, nodding at the price. Before, she would have felt incredibly selfish but... it was nice to treat herself. She handed over the bill with a sweet smile.

Christian giggled, clapping his hands together. Vanessa smirked, leaning down to kiss the top of his hand. "I'm sure if he could talk he would agree." She joked.

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

"Oh, wow," Kuni whistled. "Texas. I... Haven't been there. I'm afraid I would shrivel up and die from the heat," he joked. He got hot in anything above mid-sixties. Fortunately Vermont wasn't too hot, but summers were still rough. He had to go practically naked in order to not overheat. "Oh, no, I promise you're not getting anything you didn't ask for," he laughed, continuing to prepare the order. "And to be honest, I'm more partial to shrimp than anything else these days." It would be... Weird to eat his old diet, considering his ability. It was like.... Cannibalism.

He smiled wider as the woman asked about his sister. "Kesuk is ten now," he replied, the little girl's face coming to mind. "I was able to go home for her birthday. It's amazing, how fast they grow up... I swear she grew half a foot since I last saw her." There was a faint bittersweet tone to his voice; he really missed his family. At the question about Hammel, Kuni looked up, uncertain how to respond. Apparently she wasn't aware of the true reason for the meta-school. "Yeah... You could say that," he replied, tilting his head. He figured he should let the topic drop at that, in case she was meta-phobic and the real reason came up. He took the bill and rang up her change before passing that and the order across the counter.

"You two are beautiful," he told them genuinely as he waved his hand slightly in departure. "I hope to see you again sometime." Kuni flashed another smile before he needed to draw his attention to the next customer. He was always curious about people's backgrounds, though, and couldn't help but wonder what the woman's life was like. He did that often with interesting customers....