Nightshift 49: Lake- Surrounding Area

[tartaros-avatar.livejournal.com]

[From here, with much AUGH]

Of all the things Recluse was expecting when he walked through the door, immediately falling into a lake was not one of them. He began to sink immediately from the weight of his weapons, swimming back up to the surface, spitting out a mouthful of water that he'd nearly swallowed in surprise.

Hopefully, Agatha knew how to swim. Recluse wasn't quite sure he was in the mood by this point to do something so charitable as save her if she couldn't.

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[slipperymagic.livejournal.com]

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.

[bodhiandspirit.livejournal.com]

Rita was whipping her head around, desperately trying to figure out where this was, where they came from, and how they were going to get out. They were clearly outdoors, and the water was salty, so... did they get dumped in the ocean somehow?

No; as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized she could see trees and rocky cliffs all around. That was some small relief, as it meant they weren't floating miles away from land. In this freezing water, they weren't going to have a lot of time to swim for shore before hypothermia set in. They needed to regroup and get out, fast.

A person's head rose out of the water nearby, and Rita turned to see. For a moment she thought it had to be Howl, but a good look at the stranger proved that assumption wrong. It was a woman, floating calmly, almost as though she didn't notice the cold. And... was she not wearing a shirt?

"Hey... are you okay?" Treading water awkwardly, Rita drew a little closer to the woman. Normally she wasn't one to worry much about strangers, but swimming around in ice water was a good way to die, and this person didn't even look worried! It was possible she'd already been out long enough for her senses to grow numb, so maybe she didn't even realize the danger she was in.

Rita could hear Howl's voice, closer this time, and so she turned to look for him. The man said he 'got' her, so she thought he'd be nearby, but she didn't see him right away. When she turned back, however, she finally spotted him - grabbing that woman by the shoulder. The mistake might have been understandable in the dark and the cold, but Rita still wouldn't let it slide without saying something. "And just who do you think you've 'got' there, genius?" she barked at the man, though her voice came out a bit strained.

[damned-monsters.livejournal.com]

The female seemed curious, perhaps a little concerned, and the mermaid blinked again and tilted her head slightly. That was interesting, but before she could consider the situation any further the male swam over and took hold of her shoulder.

Had there been any hostile intention apparent in the gesture the mermaid have reacted rather poorly to being touched like that, but since it was rather obvious that he had none as yet... well. Instead she glanced over at the man and giggled softly, reaching out to slide her arm under his, snaking her hand about his torso to provide him support in the water. Was that what he needed?

[slipperymagic.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'm not imagining her, am I?" Howl snapped at the real Rita. The venom in his voice was weak and half-hearted, and even it seemed to be shivering. A touch around his body pulled his attention back to the face before him. It had only been a moment or two in which he had not noticed the girl, but now that he spared her some of his focus, he was astounded it had taken him so long.

She was beautiful. The unforgiving night, the storm, the cold, all of it only seemed to make her more lovely by comparison. Her shoulders were bare, he realized, but she was smiling. He heard her laugh, soft and quiet under the sound of the water. Unsure of what else one was supposed to do when faced with a beautiful, naked woman in the middle of a freezing lake who seemed to be a significantly better swimmer than himself, Howl smiled. If he had been warm and dry, it would have been a smile to light up the room. One that he hoped girls remembered, long after he had left. This situation had stripped him of all that, though, and he smiled the grateful smile of the uncomfortable young man he had been before Ingary.

"We all need to get to shore," Howl said unnecessarily. The undressed young lady holding onto him had apparently made his mind even duller. "If you're more eager to get out of the water than be cross with me, I'd like your hand," he called to Rita as he reached out to her.

[bodhiandspirit.livejournal.com]

When the unclothed woman started reaching her arms around Howl, Rita fought the urge to groan. Did this really seem like a good time for flirting? Really? If Howl knew what was good for him, he'd watch where he put his hands. If this woman was too out-of-it to punish him for doing anything inappropriate, Rita would gladly do the honors.

"I can swim just fine by myself," Rita retorted, turning her nose up at Howl's offered arm. "Besides, you look like you've got your hands full already."

Not only was Howl wearing a heavy suit, but he had a strange, possibly delirious woman hanging on him. If he was going to worry about someone, he needed to worry about himself.

Besides, now that her shock had begun to wear off, Rita's ego couldn't possibly allow her to accept Howl's help.

Fortunately, Rita was a decent swimmer - at least, considering she'd only ever swam once in her life - so she was able to back up her words with a few kicks that pushed her farther from the center of the lake. With the darkness and the pounding rain making it difficult to judge the distance to shore, the girl decided she'd just pick a direction and go for it. Her fingers already felt stiff from the cold, and she needed to move before that feeling took hold of her arms and legs.

She stopped a moment to give Howl and the stranger another glance, then continued paddling toward the edge of the lake, keeping her head above the surface as she did.

[damned-monsters.livejournal.com]

Get to the shore? Something as simple as that? The mermaid glanced to the female, but she seemed uninterested in any help. Very well, then, and all the better for her.

All of the mermaid's attention then focused on the young man she'd discovered, and she reached out to capture his hand in her own and draw him closer. With a small smile curving her lips (which parted ever so slightly, giving just a hint of bright white teeth behind them) she shifted her hold to wrap both arms around him, her cheek resting lightly against his shoulder as with a stroke of her tail she sent both of them gliding through the water. It took but a moment to catch up with the other, who insisted on swimming by herself, but even then the mermaid didn't deign to acknowledge her presence.