Uses of a Koala Bear

[mylex]

Veata Chea stared out across the impossible sea green, tracing and chasing the shadows that writhed just beneath the seemingly smooth surface. Unlike the waters of a home she could barely remember and a land she was born in there was no poison to be found extinguishing the natural beauty. Only a peaceful rush that thrummed in her blood and ironically stirred restlessness in the young woman existed here. Serene as it may be she wished to slip into the water and break that unfounded fragility, shatter it into a thousand pieces to find that which lied underneath. Shadows hinted at another more violently impulsive world that offered to her more temptation and curiosity than the nearly non-existent waves. Monotony without chaos, repetition without interest, passiveness without coincidence; to exist without a balance of two was unnatural.

A soft sigh as the Khmer female carelessly stepped deeper into the cold ocean waters, unbothered at the dragging weight of her sarong as the material soaked the saltwater in. Unlike much of the world the nation to which she belonged did not believe in the exposing of skin. To swim fully dressed was considered socially acceptable and expected of the proper woman. Foreigners, as always, served as an exception to the expectation. Did the same rules carry on though when it was she that was the foreigner to another man’s land? How was it that to her the strangeness of her own situation, even after all these years, made her skittish while the white man could take easily to it and strolled with lax posture and manners in homes besides their own?

All these years Veata had travelled to different lands and while many were similar to one another in technicalities there were subtle differences that generated a world of differences. One action performed a moment too soon produced different outcomes depending upon the people and culture. On more than one occasion the Khmer had scraped away from awkward and unusual situations. That which she considered to be normal and proper, expected for that matter, was seen as weak and even demeaning. Times were changing in the Western lands far too quickly for Veata’s taste and more than she considered even safe. Look at how quickly one empire fell when compared to the life of the Chinese. The Chinese who placed their faith in tradition as it was meant to be had long outlasted the cultures of those that moved too rapidly into change and unknowns. Then again, Westerners were strange as they were…

Point in case: men standing upon simple pieces of wood farther out in the waters where currents were more dangerous and allowing those to carry them back to shore before repeating the process. Why did these “Australians” do such a thing? There was an unnecessary risk and unlike soccer there was not nearly the same amount of control or amusement. Soccer in the least involved interaction with both the environment and others yet this “surfing” was a singular sport that was repetitious without change and completely depended upon outside influences in the environment. And one man! Why, he rode with a small fur coat that covered only his shoulder. How strange these Westerners became…

[Australia]

Despite what a lot of his crewmates had come to believe, given the typical stereotypes with Australia, James had never surfed before in his life. He had never had time to learn, what with having to live on the streets to survive and generally getting himself into trouble. Not that he had never wanted to learn how to surf. It always looked like a blast! And as a result once when the Grim had docked in New Zealand and he had seen a sign offering lessons he had jumped at the chance to learn.

He’d been horrible at it at first. But after a few hours of repetition and lessons he’d gotten better. Then it was like he’d been surfing all his life. It came naturally. And ever since any chance he got to surf he took it.

Which was why when they had docked in Australia for a short respite, and an opportunity to restock, the Australian had rushed off (after doing his designated share of work) to the beach with a surf board and Bruce in tow. Laughing he took to the waves, his koala companion clinging to his shoulder despite the fact James had tried to leave him behind. Not that he minded. He always enjoyed his furry friends company.

Heart pounding from the adrenaline that accompanied the sport he balanced on the board, weaving and riding any wave he could catch for hours, laughing with each wipe out. Eventually it came time for a break (and to dry off a disgruntled koala). Sitting on the board he began paddling back only to stop at a very curious sight.

Why in the world was that woman wading into the ocean fully dressed? [/color]

[mylex]

From this distance Veata remained unaware of the Australian’s curious gaze though it would be hard for the young woman to deny the odd looks that she got from those nearby. Oblivious and “savage” as she may play herself off as in front of the barang one would have to be a blind fool to not see in their eyes what they thought of her: a poor and uncivilized woman of barbaric lands without even the common sense to make it in such an advanced world like their own. After all, what could a girl that stepped into the ocean fully clothed possibly do with herself in life? Though appropriate as it may be in her culture to these people it was strange and more likely than not would be seen as a prudish reaction. Strange how in one culture she could be seen proper and in another culture improper for the simplest of things.

Forcibly ignoring the stares drawn her way the Khmer fell down into the shallow waters, settling on the sandy bottom and pulling her knees in with a hug. Just as she always did she played oblivious to those around her though it helped to have something to distract her mind. The best of distractions came from the waters as she stared in fascination at the males balancing atop the water. It was an unusual thing, she still thought of it very much that way, but it was also intriguing all at once. Even she had to admit that to the naked eye it was obvious that this sort of thing required a good deal of balance and concentration. Neither traits that would come to mind when watching how the males joked and threw their heads back in amusement but having spent so much of her life on the sea she recognized how the waters moved beneath their bodies.

A bright color out of the corner of her eyes caught Veata’s attention and drew her away from the surfers, head snapping almost on an instinct to take in the newest intrusion to her environment. Just like the men farther past in the waters this one sat himself on top of a board and just like them he was too far to distinguish any features. A shock of brunette hair dampened against sun-kissed skin his body was muscular and well-defined like that of one used to physical labors. Not one she would called toned or slim he had broad shoulders and a thick figure. None of this was significantly noted as she was much more distracted by a flop of gray firmly attached to his body that was not attached to the body of others.

Veata startled a bit as she swore that the dark ball of gray began to shift around the male’s neck and arms. Wa-was that flop actually a living and breathing creature? And if it was what could it possibly be even under those circumstances?! Several years on the ocean and not once, not once, had Veata even seen anything similar to whatever had attached itself to the back of the surfer out in the waters. Indigenous to only Australia? Possible but she’d never heard of anything like it before…

[Australia]

He couldn’t help but stare at the odd woman, now sitting, fully clothed in the shallow waters. Just what was she doing? Didn’t she have a swim suit, or something? Cocking his head to the side, before the squirming koala cahgt his attention. Rolling his eyes he forced Bruce to unwrap it’s arms from James’s neck, setting his soaked furry friend on the surf board. ”Don’t pout mate, we’ll dry you off soon.”

He was pretty sure that earned him a glare. James ignored it though, paddling the board to the shoreline. When he was close enough he swung his legs over, dropping underneath the waves for a second before emerging. Slicking his hair back and out of his eyes he kept a firm hand on his board, wading in the water. At one point Bruce decided to crawl on top of his head, causing him to laugh.

He could feel eyes on him, turning his head to meet the odd woman’s eyes. Again he cocked his head to the side, and when the waves reached his knees picked the board up. Tucking it under one arm he waded closer to her. It didn’t take long until he was in front of her. ”Not to be rude or anythin’, but y’know your getting your clothes soaked right?”

It was the most obvious thing to say, and yet James still felt the need to state it. Hopefully she wouldn’t take offense [/color]

[mylex]

It was impossible to deny how drawn she was to this strange, gray creature so firmly attached to the, what she presumed to be, Australian male. One moment she could easily mistake it as a pile of wet cloth and the next the presumed pile wriggled. The more and more she stared though the more and more she was certain that she’d seen something like it before. One of her many previous captains had a penance for the exotic and often his fancies had been taken from, oddly enough, children’s books and portraits. Only one in particular stood out among the many in Veata’s mind. Could this possibly be what they called a Joey? It was small enough but the coloration was not what she had expected or recalled it to be.

So focused as she was on trying to distinguish the origins of the little creature the Khmer didn’t even notice how close his lead had come until he was just feet away with the most ridiculous question. Under the best of circumstances she could ignore confusion and amusement over her foreign behavior with obliviousness and ignorance. To be confronted though were circumstances she neither appreciated nor knew how to deal with. Most were content to ignore that weird woman in the background and the few who did confront her were normally young children that did not know better than to leave the stranger alone. In those cases she was normally good-natured, won over by sweet smiles and doe-like eyes.

Veata had never known she would feel so ashamed if one her own age came at her like this. She could feel the heat creeping up to the tip of her ears and the temptation to sink down further into the water was all too strong. Her gaze immediately fell away and down into the clear waters, staring as her toes dug themselves into the sand. Grateful for the bangs that hung over her forehead and h id her eyes she quickly nodded with a twist in her gut. It was obvious that she knew her clothes were becoming soaked in these waters. Most certainly she didn’t need somebody to point that out to her! Yet…having it pointed out she felt foolish and would enjoy nothing more than to withdraw into a shell like a shy turtle.

“I know,” she murmured softly, just loud enough that he could hear her struggle to keep a neutral tone. Why should she let a stranger feel embarrassed over what she’d been taught in life? “I prefer to go into the water this way though…” Out loud the words sounded even worse than they did in her head and without thinking she glanced up to note his reaction when she caught herself staring into round eyes even darker than her own. Just like that a word popped into her head: koala. The fluffy, wet mop was a koala bear…

[Australia]

From her reaction James had a distinct feeling his question had caused her embarrassment. When she continued speaking, the Australian having to strain his ears to hear her, he nodded a bit to himself. She preferred to go into the water that way? That was a bit strange but-

Oh! It clicked in his mind, even though it should have been obvious. Grinning from ear to ear he stayed firmly planted in front of her, shifting his feet in the sand every so often when a wave threatened to unbalance him. ”’m guessing then you aren’t from here? Cause I never saw anyone go in fully dressed… Well, unless they were drunk.” He cocked his head to one side, briefly thinking about the times he’d watched his drunken crew mates splash about in the water. Then realizing that again his comment could’ve been offense, or embarrassed her further, he raised his free hand waving it frantically. ”Not that it’s weird or anythin’! Just never seen that. It’s cool! Just hope you brought a towel or somethin’.”

Laughing in hopes to dispel the rather awkwardness he felt James shifted the surf board beneath his arm. It was then he couldn’t help but notice how the strange young lady was staring at Bruce. It made him chuckle again, again using his free hand to point at the damp koala. ”His names Bruce. And I’m James. ‘s nice to meet you… Uh?” [/color]