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Waves crashed against the Northern shore, splashing up amongst the the cracks of the cliffside that jutted out into the ocean. The water gurgled as it flowed back from the caves below allowing for the cave crabs to scurry along the ceiling searching for new crevices to hide in untill the tide would relent. One crab, determined to take a crack before anyone else could, snapped its claw at a smaller crab before being swallowed up by the next wave.

Atop the cliff sat the last decaying remnants of a lighthouse that had once guided some of Gaia's greatest ships away from the rocky outcropping. A dry beach towel hung over the 4 foot piece of wall that faced the ocean. The sun was setting in the West along the shoreline and if stuck in an indecision between land and sea. The air was getting colder signaling to the owner of the dry towel that it was time to head back.

A tall, slim man with dark hair, looking as if he hadn't shaved it at least three days, stood up in the middle of pulling his black t-shirt down, careful to not touch the large burnscar on his back, wincing with oddly sharp teeth. He cocked his head at the call of a distant voice, "Eddeee!" He pawed at the wall behind him before his hand settled on the towel and he picked it up, throwing it over his shoulder. "Coming!" he called back, not entirely sure his voice would be heard.

Not far from the lighthouse ruins, less than a hundred feet from the surf, sat a small bungalow facing the ocean. It seemed to be in the process of making clouds as white smoke billowed out from the mudbrick chimney. Inside, a woman with long, black, wavy hair was setting a table for three. She licked her thumb and rubbed at a spot on the green sun dress she wore frequently. It was coming time to wash it again.

Her thoughts of clean clothes were interrupted by the sound of someone opening the door and she looked up to see who it was. "Paulie!," she said with a smile on her face. Paulie stood in the doorway with a grin on his scruffy face and a chain of fish in his hand.

"Hey, Em. Eddie coming in?," he asked.

"He should be," she answered pulling a flower from the simple vase on the table to stick in her hair. "I called him about half an hour ago. He's probably out by the lighthouse ruins again, listening to the ocean."

"It's the only thing that clears my head," said a man standing behind Paulie in the open door. Eddie held onto his towel, making sure it wouldn't attempt to fly away, and sniffed the air while shutting the door behind him, "Smells like mackerel, Mister K."

"Come on, Eddie, you know you can call me Paulie," He wrapped his free arm around the younger man who winced a bit from the sideways hug. "You shouldn't be able to smell fish this fresh, Ed. So, you gonna help me clean these suckers?" Paulie held up the chain of fish high, looking them over, "I caught two here. Plenty enough for the three of us."

Em, who had been quiet for the moment of male bonding, chimed in, "Sorry, boys, I'm all out of nori, but the rice in on the table."

Eddie didn't shift his gaze, "That's ok, Emilia, mackerel's better without seaweed wrapped around it." He reached out, implying to Paulie that he wanted to take the fish.

"You sure you got this, Eddie? The knives are pretty sharp," said Paulie.

"Yeah, I got it. You two go sit down." He took the fish and started making his way to the kitchen sink, hand following the wall, "Though I can't promise it'll look nice."