Relief washed over Howl in a much more pleasant way than the lake water had. He would have hated to have stayed in this lake any longer, searching for some girl he barely knew who might not have gotten dumped here at all! She seemed far too cross with the world to think to thank him for the effort he might have had to put out for her. It would have been easier for both of them if she had not come with him at all, but here they were, and there he was, swimming towards her in a most ungraceful way. His clothing was not ideal for taking a dip in, all heavy cloth, long sleeves and tails. He could feel the seething frustration over the ruined outfit beginning to take root and bloom. The one good thing in this torturous prison!

A flash of lightning, and he could see the silhouette of Rita's head bobbing in the water. The cold was unrelenting, and that inspired him to move quickly despite stiffness in his limbs. He felt brittle all over, and ready to shatter. Comparatively, Rita seemed at ease, floating effortlessly, looking elsewhere. Howl might have noticed, if his brain were not slowly beginning to freeze, until he couldn't quite manage to construct any thoughts that contained more than three of four words. Get Rita. Get to shore. Warm up.

"I-I've got you," he stuttered against his chattering teeth. He reached out one hand for her shoulder, waiting to feel the cloth of her shirt to grab onto. Instead, his fingers discovered smooth, bare skin. Flawless, like glass. It was clear he had made a mistake, but he was not entirely sure what it was.