Moleman Takes a Swim (open)

[Rein Hazlemoon]

1st day of Summer, 511 AV Rein paid his dues to the ship master and exited with his backpack in hand. He breathed deep of the salty air with a hearty sigh. Zeltiva... How he missed this wonderful city. The smells of the ocean fish and the sounds of the busy people bustling to and fro. Paradise. Fond memories were like warm socks on a cold winter's evening, they made him feel safe. Rein looked around to get his barring and squinted into the sun. The layout was the same as he remembered it, everything in it's place. He knew this area like the back of his hand and had walked it many many times over the months he spent here. Once he felt confident he knew the layout of the dock he took off his thick copper rimmed glasses and put them in their protective box nestled in cloth sheets to prevent movement. He stuck the box in his pocket and with a smile began to walk down the dock towards the vibrant city. He could not wait to get back to his home and dine on some salted fish and oats. Well, after he purchased some fish that was, and oats. All he had at home was beef and various nuts. The thought of food caused him to salivate. It had been a whole two hours since he last meal and he was feeling weak kneed. Rein strained his ears listening for even the slightest sound to hint at danger or the crush of air against a surface. Without his glasses he had to rely on his hearing and sensitive skin to map out his location. He knew the end of the walkway was approaching and he tossed his bag ahead of him just to make sure. He heard it land with a solid thump. With a confident wiggle in his step he went to step off the plank and onto the flat of the actual dock itself when he was greeted with empty air and a moment later an encasing of cold salty water. He had walked right off the edge of the dock.

[Avari]

A little less than an hour before the ship carrying Rein Hazlemoon reached the docks of Zeltiva, another individual had also leaped into empty air and entered the cold, salty water of Mathews Bay. However, unlike Rein, this person had done so willingly, even eagerly, for this person was of the amphibious Konti race, at home or in water. Her name was Avari, and she was searching the waters and reefs of the Bay for sunken treasure.

At least, that was always what she told herself she was doing, though in truth Avari had come to enjoy these occasional swims for their own sake rather than for their potential to yield anything more valuable than barnacles and moldy wood. As a many-times-removed daughter of Laviku as well as Avalis, Avari had been accustomed to spending nearly as much time underwater as on land in her home city of Mura. Though Zeltiva, with its maritime power and passion for the sea, was perhaps the closest comparison that she would ever find on the mainland, it still lacked the winding waterways flowing toward the Silver Lake and the stairways that descended below the surface of lily-covered pools.

Not that Avari missed Mura in any way, by now… No, no. She did not miss anything about living on Konti Isle, and it surely didn't miss her either. However, she did find comfort in sinking her entire body into the Bay and feeling the water close around her like translucent, rippling curtains that shielded her from the noise and bother of the world above.

Besides, the deep, cold conditions of Mathews Bay were a challenge, unlike the warm, welcoming, almost soporific waters of the Silver Lake. Raked by intense winds and stirred by the constant passage of ships in and out of Zeltiva's harbor, the currents here flowed fast and the waves were choppy. Even a quick dip into the water sent a jolt through her skin and made her blood race with urgency. Though she cautiously kept to the quieter areas near the harbor, Avari knew that a chance current or sudden change of tide could sweep her out to sea, never to be found again, and the knowledge of her danger thrilled her as much as the feel and scent of the water.

Thus, clad only in a long black tunic and her underclothes, Avari dove into the Bay from a secluded part of the harbor and sank underwater. The gills on either side of her neck contracted and swelled, and she breathed easily once more. She blinked her eyes rapidly against the harsh, salty water, looking for glints of light that might indicate discarded or fallen gold or treasures.

After about forty minutes of swimming and fruitless searching, however, Avari decided to head toward the surface. Her progress had taken her toward the nearest dock. Just as she raised her head above the water, sputtering and shaking droplets from her hair, the Konti heard a great splash as something, or someone, suddenly fell into the water.

The great clamor that arose from the ship made it clear that it had most likely been a someone that fell. One of the stevedores ran to the edge of the dock and peered into the water. Her curiosity roused, Avari looked around as well and eventually spotted a plump, thrashing man garbed in brown wool not very far from where she was treading water. He looked to be human and seemed unused to swimming. If no one saw him, he might very well sink himself deeper due to his own surprise and even drown.

Avari coolly considered the situation as she continued to tread water. On one hand, why should she step in and interfere with the man's fate? His life was none of her business, after all. But on the other hand, she might very well save his life, or at least she'd be able to convince him that she had. He looked to be a passenger, traveling on the ship that had just arrived at the dock. If he could afford passage, he might be a man of means, who would owe her a debt of gratitude. Avari's lips curved in a slight smile. She liked people who owed her debts and favors, especially if they were travelers from other lands.

Her mind made up, Avari swam toward the man. "Are you all right?" she called as loudly as she could above the rhythm of the waves and the confusion on the docks. "Take my hand! I can help you get back to dry land!"

[Rein Hazlemoon]

1st day of Summer, 511 AV The brackish water of the ocean flooded the mole's nose and traveled down into his lungs. He flailed his limbs uselessly in the water and managed to poke his head above just long enough to suck back a meager amount of air. The fat little man bobbed in the water for a few more moments. He had gotten himself into quite a little mess. Thoughts of his own demise flashed through his head. The very thought of not being able to eat another slice of roast beef made him cry out in anguish inside his head and thrash harder to get to the surface and stay afloat. A faint voice came distorted through the water to the Kelvic's sensitive ears. Pushing past the surface of the water he was able to hear the words clearly now ...take my hand! Doing just that he thrust his arm out and made contact with her arm. He carefully wrapped his human thumb securely around her hand and gripped the edge of her hand with his stiff outer thumb to keep from slipping. Rein fought against the current but his thick wool coat kept pulling him below the surface. OOCSorry such a short post!

[Avari]

Just as Avari was about to turn away, believing the fallen man beyond her help, his arm slowly moved through the water to grope for her outstretched arm. He caught her hand in a strange two-fingered grip, and Avari gasped as the realization that she wasn't wearing her gloves swiftly dissolved in a flood of... Were those smells she was receiving from the man? Normally, when she touched someone skin to skin and her Konti gift led her to behold their innermost desires, Avari was inundated with images and emotions, or sometimes words and concepts, about whatever they loved most. But now, above the salty tang of seawater and the harsh odors of pitch and tar, her nostrils were overwhelmed with the savory, tempting aromas of food: roast beef, hot buttered toast, stewed greens, the heady sweetness of sun-ripened berries, and steamed mussels. It was enough to make her stomach start grumbling, reminding her of how long it had been since she'd last eaten.

With an effort, Avari jerked her hand sharply out of the man's grasp and slipped the long sleeve of her tunic over her knuckles, so that the fabric covered even her fingertips. Only when that was done, did she feel safe to reclaim the man's still-extended hand. This time, no flood of scents assaulted her senses, much to her relief. The roiling water was distraction enough, without scent-memories of food to arouse her hunger.

For a moment, the unusual shape of his hand gave Avari pause. Was...was that a second thumb next to the first one? In bewilderment, she watched silently as the man curled the knuckled inner thumb around her wrist and held the stiff outer thumb tightly against the outer edge of her arm. Clearly, this man was far more than the plump, clumsy merchant or wealthy traveler she had thought at first. But what was he? How could any man have two thumbs instead of one?

Then, the instant of curiosity quickly transformed into a surge of panic when the weight of the man and his sodden clothes dragged her beneath the surface. Laviku's mercy, what had she been thinking when she'd decided she was capable of rescuing this stranger? Her gills were enough to let her paddle along in the cold waters of the Bay or dive briefly into its depths without too much trouble, but she was certainly not strong or skilled enough to continue swimming toward shore while holding onto another person, especially if he couldn't breathe underwater like she could. In the meantime, the current continued to pummel them both relentlessly, impeding their joined efforts to reach the shore.

Avari gritted her teeth. If only she had known how much this man liked his food, she might have left him to thrash and splash his own way to safety!

Current be damned! she thought, with a stab of irritation that managed to pierce through her panic. No mindless mass of water was going to wash her out to sea. Avari was going to swim to shore and bring this man along with her, and he was going to owe her a favor, and that was that.

She gave a powerful kick with her legs and managed to push upward. Both their heads broke water. Recalling the more athletic Konti women she had seen years ago experimenting with different swimming strokes in the Silver Lake, Avari oriented her body so that she lay on one side and swung energetically with her left arm while kicking sideways and outward with her legs. As though realizing what she was trying to do, the sodden man began coordinating his movements with hers. With much splashing and a little grimacing from Avari, they moved slowly toward land.

"Hey! You there!" The shout came from above. Suppressing a sudden urge to swim even faster, Avari craned her head up toward its source.

The stevedore who had been peering into the water earlier was waving his arms at them. He frowned when he saw Avari, but an expression of relief crossed his thick features when he recognized the man beside her. Gesturing for them to grab hold, he bent and threw a line of rope into the water in front of them. Behind him, another dock laborer grasped the rope, clearly prepared to help the stevedore heave the two of them onto the pier.

Avari barely had to think about it. With a swift, decisive motion, she seized the rope. She turned to the plump man beside her and gestured for him to latch onto the rope as well. She may not have rescued him as such, but she liked to think that she had helped the man somewhat. And that, hopefully, would count for something if the man chose to thank her later.