Amina Al-Sirafi

❝ 𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫,  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. ❞

[al-sirafi]

       have not mentioned her directly on this blog yet but i think it is important to make note of marjana,    especially her importance to amina,    being her daughter after all.        though amina does not make mention of her lightly        &        marjana does not travel with her on her ship,    like for any mother with much love for her child,    marjana is still ever present in amina's thoughts in her time away from her,        &        perhaps many a time the only reason amina has not given up        &        managed to persist through trials she otherwise would have preferred to open hand of.        there's more that can be said on how she's impacted amina's character but alas,    i'll expand on that later !

[illustratus]

Sea at night by Ivan Aivazovsky

[al-sirafi]

to you all stuck using the beta editor... how are y'all working w spaces / spacing

[sentinaels]

@al-sirafi said : ❛ it’d be kind of you to show yourself, and state your intentions. ❜

damn it. usually, the harbor’s bustling crowd would have helped him blend in seamlessly…but this was not ectabana, whose noise and shifting human tides he knew like the back of his hand. aden was a different beast entirely, smaller but sat on its haunches like a wyrm squatting over its treasure hoard. he should have been more careful, certainly, but it was no use crying over spilled milk. 

with a deep breath, khalid composed his face into a proper apologetic look, gave his head a quick shake so the brim of his hat would cast a convenient shadow over the upper half of his face, and stepped out from the streetside shadow he’d been slinking along the edges off. 

❛ ‘pologies, sayyida, ❜ he chirped, his voice dipping into the thick accent of ectabana’s downtown quarters. while it still sounded not quite right in this foreign city, it was certainly less out of place than the crisp diction his tutors had taught him to speak with. if he'd been caught, he could at least make a valiant effort at not giving himself away within the first five minutes of this conversation. ❛ i just thought i overheard some friend of yours talking ‘bout how you were looking for crew. i was just wondering, is that still true? ❜

GR4DALIS SEASON ONE SENTENCE STARTERS.

[al-sirafi]

       [        Now,     I suppose I should tell you one thing  :       if my many years at sea have attuned my attention towards winds      &       meridians,     another myriad have attuned me to the refuge      &       malice in skittering shadows.       Routes of brigandry are seldom owned      &       suckle you honor      &       trust with each passage through  —       so you learn,     always,     to eye over your shoulder,     to never talk without moving,     to spot the silhouettes that slink in corners like specters gone when you look at them.       While my ten years in retirement have not served to lessen my paranoia I can't put it beyond having dulled some of my senses,     but the same cannot be said of Dalila.       That is to say  :       one of us should have spotted him much sooner.       ]

       The realization would be left to fester.       The hour thinned      &       so would the congregation taken to Aden's streets.       She suspected this boy revealed more than he intended,     maybe more than he knew  —       aye,     no ordinary sailor nor citizen of Aden would have successfully tailed her shadow so long.

             ❛       I am looking for my crew,          ❜        she sharply corrected,     noting the angle of his hat,     his posture,     the accent she failed to locate.       [        You spend forty-one years on God's Earth,     you see people in all walks of life,     who hides      &       who does not.       The mistake is oft they hide the wrong thing  —       I wouldn't recognize this boy had I seen his face,          &       if he ran from creditors      &       debt or hailed from wealth,     I cared less.       ]       There remained an intimated threat  :       could he have been sent at the supplication of an old foe ?       Amina came to the conclusion should that be the case,     he was still better kept at her side than crossed later on.              ❛       You do not strike me as a sailor,     but there's room to grow.       That is if you are able to help me first.            ❜       

[vampeded]

〆 ‒‒‒‒‒ @al-sirafi liked for a starter !

                    ❛ i think we should try & get along with it.  ❜ his smile could be sickening to some , or at least confusing to others. the optimism that masked his feelings was his greatest skill amongst the many others he's reluctant to apply. the ship he had stumbled upon had already taken one too many bites from the creature , yet vash saw its death as unnecessary. ❛ come on , it's probably just hungry. do we really need to kill it ?  ❜ his hands were held out in plea , trying to muster as much authority as he could on a ship he's been on for thirty minutes.

[al-sirafi]

       I HAVE BROUGHT A MADMAN ABOARD MY SHIP,     she thought,     cold dread painfully flourishing in her chest.       a madman or a man intent to kill us all.       For another moment she could not bring herself to do anything except pray,     God willing,     the rest of her crew bore enough sense to not pay heed to the ridiculous suggestion as the marid struck another long limb against the side of the ship and sent the Marawati careening towards the water and a dozen men flying across the deck and colliding against it's rail.       Maple wood      &       ribs cracking alike.       Amina was kept on her feet only by the rope she managed to urgently wrap around her wrist.      

       ❛       Son,     do you not see that it is trying to eat us ?      ❜        But it was absurd to think that they could kill this creature,          &       even more to believe they’d outrun it  —       it was also their only bet.       She called for Tinbu to haul what bit of naft they had left before turning back      &       yelling      (  to both the newcomer      &       her scurrying crew  )        ❛       We wound it      &       we flee  —       take up the oars after Tinbu has fired his first arrow,     any sooner      &       we risk losing them !      ❜       

[cyberstole]

𝐔𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐃  𝐁𝐘  𝐍𝐀𝐎𝐌𝐈  𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐊  /  feel  free  to  change  pronouns  as  you  see  fit  !

❛ he doesn’t devour them really; it only feels that way. ❜

❛ i am not one of you, and don’t want to be, either. ❜

❛ i wasn’t old enough to be wise. so i loved her more. not less. ❜

❛ are you deranged? ❜

❛ don’t you dare lie to me! i will tear the truth out of your throat. ❜

❛ what an unequaled gift for disaster you have. ❜

❛ i was a glaring blot in the perfection. but i didn’t care: i didn’t feel i owed him beauty. ❜

❛ you’re a witch. ❜

❛ you idiot, what have you done now? ❜

❛ if you don’t want a man dead, don’t bludgeon him over the head repeatedly. ❜

❛ what a strange creature you are: don’t all peasant girls dream of princes and ballgowns?  ❜

❛ i could tell his frustration was that of a lover of beauty and perfection. ❜

❛ i should have known, strange things always happened to you. ❜

❛ i don’t know how to save him. ❜

❛ you impossible, wretched, nonsensical contradiction, what on earth have you done now? ❜

❛ living things don’t always stay where you put them. ❜

❛ magic was singing in me, through me. ❜

❛ there’s no kindness in offering false hope. ❜

❛ a few shadows slipped between your teeth. ❜

❛ kings don’t object to sharing once they’re dead. ❜

❛ he was a thing of alembics to me, library and laboratory. ❜

❛ i was still young and foolish enough at the time to believe myself and my magic likely to elicit admiration instead of alarm. ❜

❛ you tempted my selfishness and my pride at once. ❜

❛ will you cast it with me? ❜

❛ you aren’t a person, you are a lord and a wizard, a strange creature on another plane entirely, as far removed as storms and pestilence. ❜

❛ i wanted him to be human. ❜

❛ fortunately, i haven’t been nearly as stupid as you imagined. ❜

❛ i’m not going to give you a sword to fall on, if that’s what you insist on doing. ❜

❛ try not to borrow more folly than you already possess. ❜

❛ are you still incapable of recognizing a trap? ❜

❛ there’s a considerable distance between seeking perfection and irretrievable haste. ❜

❛ I didn’t feel sorry for him, but i understood him. ❜

❛ since you were a child, you’ve imagined yourself a hero out of legend. ❜

❛ she won’t embrace you. she won’t even know you. ❜

❛ i wanted all of it to burn. ❜

❛ put on your protection spell, as thickly as you can. ❜

❛ do you think i’d rather live like this? ❜

❛ it’s worse than dying… it’s worse. ❜

❛ you can’t heal absence. ❜

❛ stop looking like a frightened rabbit, sit up straight and smile. ❜

❛ what do you want? ❜

❛ success excuses all risks, surely. ❜

❛ what would you ask of your king? ❜

❛ i don’t like the way you go about getting the things you want. ❜

❛ they’re all vultures and he’s the lion. ❜

❛ you’re too young to be as strong as you are, that’s the trouble of it; you haven’t let go of people. ❜

❛ what is there besides people that’s worth holding on to? ❜

❛ you’re behaving like a child instead of a prince. ❜

❛ you already saved me. ❜

❛ we must put aside our mourning and our anger. ❜

❛ there’s always a price. ❜

❛ truth doesn’t mean anything without someone to share it with; you could shout truth into the air forever, and spend your life doing it, if someone doesn’t come to listen. ❜

❛ you learn to feel it less, or you learn to love other things. ❜

❛ stop disappearing before i have to put a bell on you. ❜

❛ i want you by me from now on. ❜

❛ you know we’ve already lost. ❜

❛ i wanted to stay angry at him a while longer, but i wanted the connection more. ❜

❛ i want to touch you, i want the crisp bite of your magic in my hands. ❜

❛ have you got any family left? ❜

❛ do you want me to go? ❜

❛ surely it’s not too much to ask a little patience. ❜

❛ let them cut me limb from limb first! ❜ 

❛ i’ll be sure to keep your tender sensibilities in mind next time. ❜ 

❛ come back to me. ❜ 

❛ will you come into the wood with me? ❜ 

❛ she was golden and stern, almost too beautiful to be living, and there was magic in my hands. ❜ 

❛ we are leaf and twig, nothing more. ❜ 

❛ but wanting cruelty felt like another wrong answer in an endless chain. ❜ 

❛ your sorrow and your fear will poison my roots. ❜ 

❛ you come and go like seasons, the winter that gives no thought to the spring. ❜ 

❛ we’re meant to go, we’re not meant to stay forever. ❜ 

❛ she’d remembered how to kill and how to hate, and she’d forgotten how to grow. ❜ 

❛ do you think the death of a witch turns all her works to dust? ❜ 

❛ come and meet my mother.  ❜ 

[al-sirafi]

For reference, while i work on my dossier: Amina's paternal grandfather was Arab from Oman, her paternal grandmother was Gujarati, her mother's family hailed from Pemba, & her maternal grandfather was Chinese. Saying that she speaks enough of their languages, I'll take the four languages she can fluently read & speak are Arabic, Gujarati, Swahili, & Chinese. She can also understand & speak a good bit of Malayalam, & can get by with Greek.

Amina herself was born in Sur. With the timeline we are given, Amina is likely 41 or 42.

In Amina's own words, her family are not "true Sirafis." her grandfather, an orphan, simply chose the name for himself once becoming a pirate as he found it to sound "romantic."

Amina has stirred trouble everywhere from Sofala to Malabar. She has been to the Maldives, to Calicut. There is a bounty on her head in Hormuz, Basrah, Mombasa, Cambay & more.

The Marawati — her beloved ship — has belonged to the family for three generations. Her grandfather stole it & made a name for himself as a pirate. Eventually it'd be handed to her father, however in his attempt to stray away from piracy & into legitimate work, the family fell into debt. The ship was handed to creditors upon his death to cover for those debts, only for Amina, sixteen at the time, to steal it back. The crew, as it was, would all leave, not wanting to follow a female captain — save for one, her good friend Majed.

She'd go on to spend fifteen years at sea without returning home, however in that time away she would send letters & money back to her family, & notably funded her younger brother's education & early career. She only returned home upon the birth of her daughter, though as we know, Amina's retirement did not last as she intended.

[kirgiakos]

Salvador Dalí - The Head of Medusa (1962)

Watercolor, 50 x 64 cm.

Private collection

[al-sirafi]

       WE TRIED NOT TO DOCK THE MARAWATI IN SUCH CLEAR VIEW OF THE PORT  ;       we had not wanted to draw attention.      But watching the ship’s steady buoying from the shimmering sand of the beach,     the gentle waves crashing along the walnut hull      &       the sunlight nestled behind the golden sails  —       bleeding through the needlework of tapestry in acicular beams of pure gold  —       the marawati’s splendor was incontrovertible.      It was not by any means a large ship,     nor a ship of riches ;      rather,     a great love for the ship had kept it afloat three generations now.

       So naturally the marawati drew the attentions of many a sailor      &       wanderers alike,          &       to the female nakhudha that approached with a short number of her crew.

       The plan was to be quick.      They would speak to who they must      &       leave before whisper got into the city  —       however,     it wouldn’t be a flawless attempt.      The first lesson any newly aspiring sailor should learn :      if something can go wrong,     it will,     especially once out at sea.

       —      now,     she insists I tell you with what great attempt  —       yes,     truly,     with what will she had after a myriad of exhausting days at sea  —       she had tried to turn down the request of the young woman negotiating with her at the shore      (  —       " money,     I tell you it talks,     as veritable a tempter as a bottle of palm wine off the coast of the Maldives "  —       )      only to surrender with a sigh      &       little argument.      She saw Majed approaching on the ship’s dunij and he’d be on the beach in a few minutes,     most.      This would have to be quick.        ❛       I don’t deal with formal papers or contracts.      You’ll have to go off my word.      You can buy passage on my boat or you could work  —       but,     sister,     you do not look like an experienced sailor.      ❜

@thriev liked for a starter . . . ♥ !!

[al-sirafi]

       TO THOSE WISHING TO STEP INTO THE BUSINESS OF GAMBLING,    LET IT BE KNOWN ONE THING  —      IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS A MATTER OF WITS      &      DISHONESTY THAN IT IS A MATTER OF LUCK.

       for if it were honest work their shelters would not be whisked in tenebrous,    leoparding corners of dens,    nor in the walls of jerrybuilt shacks that looked frankensteined to life  :      a primordial cobble wall of a building torn down by an ancient nameless war,    a motley mixture of wooden planks    (    each from a foreign body  —      some that may have been taken from the remains of shipwrecked boats,    others from buildings since demolished    )      &      their roofs sown by various threadbare tarpaulins.      mud crept up the side      &      paint fell away in long white slashes      &      the building could not distance itself from the rent of decay.

       but it is here that amina al-sirafi sat  :      in the corner of one of these many-such dens,    the end of her turban wrapped around the lower half of her face.      it would be inconspicuous,    as few wish to be seen frequenting such a place.      she sat stooped on a small pile of faded cushions in such a manner to conceal the width of her stature.      on the splintered table in front of her were three chalices      &      a walnut chip  :      the universal      &      centuries old gamble,    the same game children      &      their playmates loftily play,      &      behind her displayed three jars brimmed with golds      &      jewels.      this time she'd play the dealer,    not the gambler,    though notice  —      she does not draw attention to her table until the woman is close enough,      &      then in a voice that is not her own begins  :        ❝      you there !      i have three fills here.      three chances to win.      why not take one ?      ❞

@timesense liked for a starter . . . ♥ !!

[al-sirafi]

Hm. Small starter call, will try & keep them to a paragraph or two at most.

[al-sirafi]

Amina & her four marriages … she only has one husband she parted on good terms with

[al-sirafi]

@vairuler said: ❝  do you know how the gossip mongers refer to you? they are out there at this moment, whispering amongst themselves…  ❞

     ❝    you are mistaken.     they do not speak of me.     ❞        it was tempting for amina to sharpen a glare her way ,   as if to say :   do not press further.    but that would not be the actions of a poor innocent woman,   the role she'd stooped herself into beneath a faded burgundy shawl     &     sitting in the shade of an empty market stall.     four dinky wooden poles stocking up a striped tarpaulin between a cue of others lining the sandy road,    each with shelves of ripe fruits or small trinkets such as enameled animals sloughing sunlight off their backs.

       of course,    these stories would come —     except now sown by the mouths of women instead of the dry,   whaleskinned mouths of men —     and she couldn't help but wonder what the difference would be.

       [     in truth :     i was tired,     &     that exhaustion had sunk in every line of my face with such weight i was certain my years had caught up to me     &     with interest of every debt i'd stalled off paying,    with interest of the roof i had not yet bought,    of the labor of every rush i hammered in place to mend the rain streaming into the house i had made of an ancient hut.     an eye,    these women had,    if they had seen me for anything more than the tired old woman i pretended to be,    for truly that is how i felt,    so far a call from the saber-toothed she-devil dismembering hearts for the belly of some insatiable sea-beast.    ]

       ❝     would you be so kind,    i do not have a knife on me—     ❞     a lie,    for she had one hidden on her thigh,    but if rumors were so soon spun of her she did best to not brandish it—     ❝     &     i am quite hungry.     ❞     she motioned to the melon on the table in front of them,    which she had bought if only as a means to not seem suspicious nosing about the marketplace.     ❝     i'd be happy to share it.    i certainly don't plan on carrying it around with me after—     &     maybe you can tell me what all this gossip is about ?     ❞

[al-sirafi]

She’s so…

[edenmemes]

breath of the wild sentence starters

❝  it took all i had just to stay alive against that monster, but you beat it like it was a straw training dummy.  ❞ ❝  well, i just wanted an excuse to get close to you, you know?   ❞ ❝  i feel like someone should tell you that you have a kind of sulky look about you.  ❞ ❝  you can’t assume to know anything until you experience it for yourself.  ❞ ❝  it’s rare to see your kind around here.  ❞ ❝  try to be a little more sensitive to people you don’t know.  ❞ ❝  unspeakable sorrow surrounds this landscape.  ❞ ❝  please take some time to really admire the flowers. i worked so hard to plant them…  ❞ ❝  you’ll likely face many hardships in your life…but never give up! promise me that.  ❞ ❝  i get a feeling that heading home isn’t an option for you, so take care of yourself out there.  ❞ ❝  courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten.  ❞ ❝  for the first time…my heart knows what it means to love.  ❞ ❝  there’s a fine line between courage and recklessness.  ❞ ❝  if you’re free to grab something to eat sometime, keep me in mind.  ❞ ❝  shh! looks like there are still monsters about.  ❞ ❝  it seems you and i may just get along after all.  ❞ ❝  how did you pull that off?! actually, don’t answer that. i ought to be thanking you, not interrogating you.  ❞ ❝  i’ve learned to overcome my grief. you can’t change the past, only the future.  ❞ ❝  are you…following me?  ❞ ❝  this spot is our little secret, ok? just between you and me.  ❞ ❝  i can’t believe i’m actually saying this…but you must avenge me.  ❞ ❝  by the look on your face…i dunno, it just seems like you been through somethin’.  ❞ ❝  do you know how the gossip mongers refer to you? they are out there at this moment, whispering amongst themselves…  ❞ ❝  opening up to others might make you vulnerable, but it’s the only way to give your life any value.  ❞ ❝  it looks like i got hit pretty good back there…  ❞ ❝  what’s wrong? too scared to talk?  ❞ ❝  i’ve got to tell you…when you first showed up,     i thought someone was pulling a prank on me.  ❞ ❝  let’s make one thing clear: i’m not going anywhere.  ❞ ❝  we each have something to hide, i suppose.  ❞ ❝  i don’t know you, and i’m actually pretty busy here. you should probably go.  ❞ ❝  maybe we should just settle this one on one?  ❞ ❝  don’t preen yourself just for doing your job.  ❞ ❝  please. now is not a good time.  ❞ ❝  if you need something, do me a favor. ask someone else.  ❞ ❝  i actually wanted to talk about something a little personal…  ❞ ❝  my apologies…i fear i have said far too much.  ❞ ❝  i used to be a big deal back in my day, but the world moves on fast.  ❞ ❝  you must have seen a battle or two.  ❞ ❝  that memory will haunt me until my dying day…  ❞ ❝  let me ask you once more…when will you stop treating this as some sort of childish game?  ❞ ❝  no! i am not a child anymore.  ❞ ❝  i do suppose you’ve proven your value as a warrior.  ❞ ❝  i advise you to change the subject.  ❞ ❝  welcome to the middle of nowhere. population: us.  ❞ ❝  this area is nice and quiet…  ❞ ❝  dark magic preys upon the land when darkness falls…  ❞ ❝  everything - everything i’ve done up until now…it was all for nothing.  ❞ ❝  i had no idea traveling was so dangerous.  ❞ ❝  you’re quivering like a hatchling…what is the matter?  ❞ ❝  you have proven to possess the resolve of a true hero.  ❞ ❝  if i may be so bold… what is it that you are planning to do next?  ❞ ❝  i hope you get to meet your true love soon.  ❞ ❝  you are the heir to a throne of nothing… nothing but failure.  ❞ ❝  it’s okay, i know. your silence speaks volumes.  ❞ ❝  the only thing that really helps me feel better is walking among the fireflies.  ❞ ❝  just looking at those ruins now…it really gives you an idea of the destruction that went on there.  ❞ ❝  you have a smile like the sun. i would do much to feel its warmth upon me once again.  ❞ ❝  i’ll stay here and chat with you for a bit, if you’d like.  ❞ ❝  you should follow through on what you say you’re going to do.  ❞ ❝  there i go, needing someone to bail me out again.  ❞ ❝  i don’t know why, but my heart won’t stop beating a mile a minute…  ❞ ❝  yeah, you know what really is ‘me’? drinking.  ❞ ❝  i see…black. so much blackness. a deep, dark abyss, drawing you in…  ❞ ❝  save yourself. go! don’t worry about me - run!  ❞ ❝  you sure do know how to keep a woman waiting.  ❞ ❝  overconfidence can be a deadly foe.  ❞ ❝  don’t ask too many questions, and i won’t either.  ❞ ❝  aren’t you tired? aren’t you chilly? have you eaten yet?  ❞ ❝  i want to be clear — whatever treasure is to be had here belongs to me.  ❞ ❝  close calls like this get my stomach all tied up in knots.  ❞ ❝  much as it galls me to thank you for saving us…that is what happened.  ❞ ❝  i don’t see any monsters, but…i can feel their eyes on me.  ❞ ❝  what’s the matter? are you unwell?  ❞ ❝  now that i have gotten a good look at you, it is all too clear who you are.  ❞ ❝  you’re amazing. when you fired your bow, it was like time stopped.  ❞ ❝  you’ve done all you could. feeling sorry for yourself won’t be of any help.  ❞ ❝  oh, no…i can see by the look in your eye…you won’t listen to me.  ❞ ❝  you look like a nice person who likes to help people in need.  ❞ ❝  you look like your everyday traveler, but how can i be sure?  ❞ ❝  what’s your problem? how dare you try to eavesdrop? mind your business!  ❞ ❝  what are you doing skulking around in the dead of night?  ❞ ❝  you seem at home in battle.  ❞ ❝  i was out running an errand when i saw it. it was incredible…and terrifying. it was incredibly terrifying.  ❞ ❝  the afterlife lays claim to all. we never know when it will beckon.  ❞ ❝  that got hairier than i expected. you did pretty good.  ❞ ❝  i’m just pulling your leg. you looked so serious, i couldn’t help but goad you a bit.  ❞ ❝  i don’t get to leave this place too often…  ❞ ❝  i know when someone is lying. my father isn’t good at lying either.  ❞ ❝  i didn’t notice you…i was a bit lost in thought there.  ❞ ❝  i can’t get angry…i won’t get angry…  ❞ ❝  you know, your skin looks super shiny, and you look like you haven’t got a worry in the world…  ❞ ❝  i’ve been watching, and i feel safe saying there’s no one suspicious around here.  ❞ ❝  you are going to be the death of me.  ❞ ❝  is something wrong? do not tell me the steel has slipped from your spine.  ❞ ❝  one would think years upon years of such treatment would have made me mend my ways…one would think wrongly.  ❞ ❝  your path seems to mirror your father’s.  ❞ ❝  i am filled with a strange and terrible certainty that something awful is about to happen.  ❞ ❝  um…were you talking to that statue?  ❞ ❝  you cannot turn back now. follow your heart and seize your destiny!  ❞ ❝  you had me worried there. don’t mess with people like that.  ❞ ❝  forget we ever spoke.  ❞ ❝  you hardly speak anymore, and smile even more rarely. you are still the kind soul i know, but something has changed.  ❞ ❝  a warm fire can do wonders for a weary soul.  ❞ ❝  i hated you with all my heart…but it would seem my anger was misplaced.  ❞ ❝  has anyone ever told you…? you have the most beautiful features.  ❞ ❝  wait a minute! please, think about what you’re doing.  ❞ ❝  i used to really love the night. at night the world sparkles and shines in an almost magical way. it’s beautiful.  ❞ ❝  oh! you’re paying me a visit? that’s sweet of you.  ❞ ❝  what were you praying for? long life? wealth, like so many?  ❞ ❝  teehee…i knew you’d come back.  ❞ ❝  you’ll never guess what i found! wanna see?  ❞ ❝  have you grown so comfortable here that you can’t imagine leaving?  ❞ ❝  you’re needed elsewhere. you must eventually leave. you know this.  ❞ ❝  i may have dismissed you too hastily before. you have many promising qualities.  ❞ ❝  if you need anything, i am ever at your disposal.  ❞ ❝  are you trying to cheer me up?  ❞ ❝  well, if you’ll excuse me, i need to go save the world.  ❞ ❝  do you like this dress? i made it myself.  ❞ ❝  you really shouldn’t mess with things you don’t understand.  ❞ ❝  i don’t want you to come here, anyway!  ❞ ❝  the more i think about it, the more it gives me the creeps.  ❞ ❝  what special brand of loony does it take to go traveling without a map?  ❞ ❝  my heart is drawn to yours. i am doomed.  ❞ ❝  no one who has gone there has ever come back! so you’d best forget about going there.  ❞ ❝  why are you looking at me like that?  ❞ ❝  i was warned about men who throw words like ‘dream girl’ around.  ❞ ❝  you have to come at me harder than that to impress me.  ❞ ❝  on second thought, now is not the time.  ❞ ❝  i can’t explain why…but i trust you for some reason.  ❞ ❝  we meet again! we must have been married in our past lives.  ❞ ❝  you aren’t just a normal lad, are you?  ❞ ❝  i need to stop relying on others to help me and help myself instead.  ❞ ❝  caring for others is an emotional liability.  ❞ ❝  i’ve picked up a few tricks after many, many years in the wild.  ❞ ❝  i firmly believe you and i can withstand any kind of hardship, as long as we are together.  ❞ ❝  there aren’t many heroes in the world like you anymore.  ❞ ❝  why do people equate the unnessecary pursuit of power with some childish dream of adventure?  ❞ ❝  legend has it that if you swear your love before this freshly plucked blossom, you and your partner will live a charmed life.  ❞ ❝  i’m sorry that you came all the way to see me for nothing.  ❞ ❝  you could…always stay here with me forever.  ❞ ❝  should i check my map, or should i go by intuition like the original trailblazers?  ❞ ❝  you must be busy, you know, saving the world and all.  ❞ ❝  at first i thought it was just a bad dream.  ❞ ❝  if you find yourself in some trouble, please promise to run. fast.  ❞ ❝  it’s not like a sword alone makes a hero.  ❞ ❝  the scent of the soil is the smell of life itself.  ❞ ❝  there’s no reward without risk, right?  ❞ ❝  i may not be much use on the battlefield, but there must… there must be something i can do to help.  ❞ ❝  i’m waiting for someone. and it’s not you. can you go away?  ❞ ❝  that sword there is proof enough…you are the hero i’ve been waiting for.  ❞ ❝  you’re wasting your time here; i have nothing worth stealing.  ❞ ❝  looking mighty free there, eh?  ❞ ❝  you have not changed a bit. once a hero, always a hero.  ❞ ❝  you are looking at me as though i am a stranger to you. those eyes…they lack the light of familiarity.  ❞ ❝  things to do, places to seem right? better get on it. time waits for no one.  ❞ ❝  there are some legends about that island, so the village fishermen tend to avoid it whenever possible.  ❞ ❝  okay, that was enough mortal peril for one day.  ❞ ❝  …oh, my. look at that face! you are totally my type. hi.  ❞ ❝  oh, have i mentioned how incredible you are? and how thankful i am?  ❞ ❝  nothing makes me want to not do something more than being asked to do it.  ❞ ❝  i’ll admit it. i’m mighty jealous.  ❞ ❝  there are few who know of such legends anymore.  ❞ ❝  innocent curiosity can cause tragedies that can never be taken back.  ❞ ❝  what’s the matter? are ya worried about me?  ❞ ❝  hm? a voice beckoned you here?  ❞ ❝  you came to the middle of nowhere in this weather just to see me?  ❞ ❝  i want you to know that the path you are walking down is one we should all follow.  ❞ ❝  i thought you had harder bark on you than that.  ❞ ❝  it would be a mistake to judge people on appearances alone.  ❞ ❝  it is woven into your destiny that you prove them wrong. do you understand? ❞ ❝  …oops, someone heard me singing…badly.  ❞ ❝  you look like you’re pretty good with a bow and sword, so you must be pretty strong.  ❞ ❝  i don’t know what it is about men. constantly worrying…  ❞ ❝  yeah, yeah. i’m still alive. it’s fine—don’t worry.  ❞ ❝  what are you doing up so late? monsters roam about at night. it’s way too dangerous to wander around.  ❞ ❝  thinking back on it, it’s a wonder either of us survived the trip…  ❞ ❝  i’ll take any monster in a fair fight. it’s another story when they cheat and catch you by surprise.  ❞ ❝  i wish this rain would take a hint and lay off for a while.  ❞ ❝  if you haven’t slept yet, you really should…staying up late can’t be great for your health.  ❞ ❝  you want to get out of my personal space or what?  ❞ ❝  money and life are all as one to me.  ❞ ❝  what do you think of my lipstick? i think it’ll bring me good luck!  ❞ ❝  i do hope my bluntness has not offended you.  ❞ ❝  i have no right to ask this of you…but i am powerless here.  ❞ ❝  truth is, i just got lucky.  ❞ ❝  i hope that ours will be a long and profitable relationship.  ❞ ❝  i may be somewhat used to seeing bad omens by now, but that…well, let’s just say it’s badder than most.  ❞ ❝  why the long face? i bet i could guess.  ❞ ❝  i’m not about to give this information away for free. i’m no fool.  ❞ ❝  seeing you brings me great joy. i bet you have that effect on everyone.  ❞ ❝  it is a shame us two never had the chance to see what might have been…  ❞ ❝  what does it matter? that’s all in the past.  ❞ ❝  you know what that means, don’t you? the end is here.  ❞ ❝  oh no, there i go again, just talking with no purpose. i get carried away and just don’t know when to quit.  ❞ ❝  i somehow managed to escape into the nearby woods.  ❞ ❝  let’s wish each other good luck, eh? we’ll need it.  ❞ ❝  i was so sure that was the end for me. i was prepared for the worst.  ❞ ❝  take it easy? and let a rumor like this go to waste? nah, i gotta go big…  ❞ ❝  what are you doing, sneaking up on me like that? you scared me!  ❞ ❝  when you get to my age, you start reminiscing about all the memories from your childhood.  ❞ ❝  now that i’ve met you, some of the excitement’s gone.  ❞ ❝  i get the feeling you’re going to end up doing even better in this world. that’s the feeling i get when i look at your face.  ❞ ❝  you seem harmless enough. forgive me, i’ve just been on edge with all these monsters running around.  ❞ ❝  well, that’s life for you, with all its twists and turns. i hope you’ll stick with me through them.  ❞ ❝  nice baby sword, pal. i bet it can’t even keep a flame going.  ❞ ❝  with how peaceful it is around here, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the world almost ended years ago.  ❞ ❝  that doesn’t reflect well on your upbringing at all…  ❞ ❝  even the areas near civilization are full of monsters these days.  ❞ ❝  may the gods smile upon you.  ❞ ❝  i’m sorry, but i seem to have twisted my ankle…  ❞ ❝  that would mean you are…no, it’s not possible. can it be?  ❞ ❝  you’d better remember my name, for it’s not the last you’ll hear of it!  ❞ ❝  i’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. uh…that’s all…  ❞ ❝  i can tell you’ve trained your body well.  ❞ ❝  who are you?! be on your way, you…suspicious person!  ❞ ❝  i’m so shocked i don’t know if i’ll ever be able to fully recover from this.  ❞ ❝  no matter. i’m just happy you’re still in one piece.  ❞ ❝  ha ha…did you think i’d deceived you?  ❞ ❝  don’t lie. i know just what’s going on. liars like you deserve to be punished!  ❞ ❝  it is finally time for me to tell you everything.  ❞ ❝  s.  ❞ ❝  a dealer in life and power…that was me, once.  ❞ ❝  i’m sorry. that wasn’t very nice of me at all…  ❞ ❝  love…it’s such a sublime, precious thing, you know?  ❞ ❝  ahhhh…so there are some who still pay me homage.  ❞ ❝  it was a real honor to meet you.  ❞ ❝  i know it’s not my business, but i’m rather concerned.  ❞ ❝  be warned. if you go, i cannot guarantee you will survive.  ❞ ❝  isn’t that, like…an incredible thing that only incredible people can have?  ❞ ❝  i’m sorry you had to see me like that.  ❞ ❝  not to be rude, but you don’t look so well.  ❞ ❝  as for me…well…i just do not believe you are guilty of anything.  ❞ ❝  i…i cannot forgive you. not ever.  ❞ ❝  …so? did it move you?  ❞ ❝  the sight of this is going to haunt my dreams for weeks.  ❞ ❝  i apologize. perhaps it was not my place to say as much.  ❞ ❝  i can’t shake the feeling that we were destined to meet.  ❞ ❝  i can see it in your eyes. you’re asking yourself, “why me?”  ❞ ❝  you…did you just try to push me? no, i assume?  ❞ ❝  to be honest, i’ve been watching you.  ❞ ❝  you can’t solve all of people’s problems with power alone.  ❞ ❝  when all this is done…perhaps we can spend some time together.  ❞ ❝  i believe in allowing the mistakes of the past to wash away.  ❞ ❝  it seems you’re a great deal more important than you appear.  ❞ ❝  the only pleasure that gives me comfort is cooking.  ❞ ❝  ah, the smell of the sea.  ❞ ❝  that is NOT an appropriate question to ask a lady you’ve just met.  ❞ ❝  i can assure you that i do not now, nor have i ever, needed help from the likes of you.  ❞ ❝  oh? well, i suppose i changed my mind.  ❞ ❝  now that i think of it…shouldn’t you be dead? sorry. that may be too personal a question.  ❞ ❝  do you not understand the gravity of what you have done?  ❞ ❝  i thought i made it clear that i am not in need of an escort.  ❞ ❝  your face sickens me! i am sickened! get out of my sight!  ❞ ❝  how dare you show your face here after what you did.  ❞ ❝  are you the hero? could it be?  ❞ ❝  words often fall meaningless when we try to describe tragic events of a certain magnitude.  ❞ ❝  you certainly are cute when you’re blushing.  ❞ ❝  there were times when i’d stay out so late, i didn’t realize morning had come.  ❞ ❝  i like watching the river flow by. is that such a crime?  ❞ ❝  as you are now, i cannot say whether you are worthy or not.  ❞ ❝  i heard a terrible rumor that you had fallen in combat.  ❞ ❝  i bet you think this is just a myth, right?  ❞ ❝  oooh, i don’t have time to be drinking right now…  ❞ ❝  please feel free to show your excitement. anyway…  ❞ ❝  a bit early to flirt, isn’t it?  ❞ ❝  it’s been a while since we’ve seen the sun here.  ❞ ❝  nothing’s wrong. just leave me alone.  ❞ ❝  we hardly know each other, and you’ve been so nice.  ❞ ❝  it’s so soothing to stare at, don’t you think?  ❞ ❝  in a world as dangerous as ours, are you seriously asking me to travel alone?  ❞ ❝  well, even someone like you/me has their limits.  ❞ ❝  i wish i could be a kid again and think only of myself.  ❞ ❝  what you did for me is more than i could have ever expected of you.  ❞ ❝  you have grown much recently. you know you will be a worthy heir when the time comes.  ❞ ❝  mark my words, i’ll protect this land of ours to the death.  ❞ ❝  we’ve both been through a lot, i’m sure.  ❞ ❝  such is the way of youth…driven! even reckless, some might say.  ❞ ❝  i can’t stop trembling. i thought i was ready for this.  ❞ ❝  if you don’t mind, i’d love to catch up sometime soon.  ❞ ❝  it seems i’m the only one with a mind of my own.  ❞ ❝  i would be overjoyed if you could find it in your heart to forgive me. if not now, then perhaps one day.  ❞ ❝  speaking of which, can you believe this view?  ❞ ❝  you aren’t trying to tell me you want a reward, are you?  ❞ ❝  you came all the way here, but it was in vain. i have no desire to speak with you.  ❞ ❝  i hope you know…that i will always protect you.  ❞ ❝  i’ve recovered to the point where i can stand.  ❞ ❝  we meet again. it seems that sharing space is our destiny.  ❞ ❝  so how about it? care to hear stories of my glory days while we walk?  ❞ ❝  open your eyes…wake up.  ❞ ❝  if you keep doing everything everyone asks of you without question, you’re gonna get conned eventually.  ❞ ❝  it seems that…i was wrong about you.  ❞ ❝  i simply must admit the truth. you’ve accomplished something that even i could not.  ❞ ❝  what? you look like you’ve got something else to say.  ❞ ❝  go on. there’s nothing to hide.  ❞ ❝  you’re making my cheeks warm looking at me like that.  ❞ ❝  i’ve never been one to question fate.  ❞ ❝  i can tell, just from looking at you…you have a place in my dreams.  ❞ ❝  you…i really owe you for what you did.  ❞ ❝  it saddens me to know i truly am all alone in this world.  ❞ ❝  you cannot fool me with such a fanciful lie.  ❞ ❝  i would never have thought you could have taken down something that big. no offense.  ❞ ❝  know that the only reason you’re not already sliced into pieces is because i am otherwise occupied.  ❞ ❝  that is a special gift from your ancestors…you must never let it go.  ❞ ❝  you were just pitying me, weren’t you?  ❞ ❝  listen, if you wanna get anywhere in this life, you gotta have cash and cachet.  ❞ ❝  this place is so filthy and women free, it might as well be called a manfill.  ❞ ❝  you’ve traveled the world helping folks, but there’s more that need helping. you don’t have the luxury of tarrying here.  ❞ ❝  you were gone for so long, i started to fear the worst.  ❞ ❝  won’t you come see me again? i’ll be waiting.  ❞ ❝  what’s wrong? you’re just staring.  ❞ ❝  as brave as you are, that does not make you immortal.  ❞ ❝  we’ll need to make preparations as soon as possible.  ❞ ❝  …youth. it’s just goam on a wave. gone before you know it.  ❞ ❝  everything’s going hazy…this might be the end…  ❞ ❝  don’t do anything reckless under any circumstances.  ❞ ❝  you think i’m just going to let this stand? do you?  ❞ ❝  i was thinking…this reminds me of the time we first met.  ❞ ❝  crazy times we live in, eh?  ❞ ❝  i hate to think what would’ve happened had you not shown up.  ❞ ❝  you commoners with your notions and assumptions…  ❞ ❝  not to pry, but…i have to ask. who are you supposed to be?  ❞ ❝  i encourage you to slow down for a moment, my courageous friend.  ❞ ❝  once this whole thing is over…maybe things can go back to how they used to be when we were young.  ❞ ❝  villages everywhere were burned. many lives were lost…  ❞

[al-sirafi]

Anywys…. pirates . Amina is a ‘’retired’’ pirate, or attempting to be, anyways , raising her daughter in the quiet mountainside — but it doesnt quite work out that way which is why this story begins. She already has quite a name for herself, exaggerated stories of her large stature & claiming her teeth are filed to points capped in gold, that she offers human hearts to some seabeast husband, that she is a sorceress (how else could a woman sail a ship so deftly?) & so on, so forth. I will elaborate on such tales later on, but it goes to be said Amina Al-Sirafi is a name that has travelled well across the Indian Ocean.

[al-sirafi]

it's mandinha (@valsyr & @autridi ) !!! i am slowly setting this blog up <33