The Fastest Fish in the Sea [Alaia]

[Atoll Northwind]

12th of Summer, 514AV The Svefra stayed by the beach; just off the coast he knew Litty would be near by, still barely back on his fins. It was why Atoll sat in the sun, baking himself, instead of going farther into the city. He wanted to be sure he’d be near if his friend needed him. But Laviku it was hot. The shallow water around him was warm so it dried quickly, and there was no shade close enough to the water for him to feel comfortable. And while he loved the Laviku and his seas he was bored the longer he sat. His fingers drew across the wet sand, which he piled up into a small lump. From there he focused on it entirely, shaping it into a larger lump, then larger still until he had a good-sized mound. The sand on the top of the mound began to dry and it let Atoll make smaller bumps on top of the mound. His hands moved to try and sharpen the corners then curve it down. Next he flattened all but one of the little bumps that he tried to make taller so it would stand straight. The mound had begun to take on the appearance of a very, very crude boat until a wave smoothed it over into nothing but sand. “Oh aye, kill my fun.” He told the water. It seemed to tug at Atoll’s feet in response so he patted it and hooted. “Time for a swim, then?” Atoll stripped off his shirt, pants, undergarments and his boots. They were tossed carelessly on the shores, because no one would want his clothes, worn as they were they would only make good rags. He gave a little stretch, bending to touch his toes then twisting this way and that. Then with a hoot he ran into the oncoming waves until the water tripped him up. “Cheatin’ brat!” He said as he slapped the waves. Atoll shook he his head, spraying water everywhere. With a deep breath he ducked under the waves willingly this time and kicked his feet up. Completely under water but with his eyes closed Atoll began to swim. He moved both arms in sync, cupping the water to move quicker and push it back. While his legs moved rapidly and at there own pace from his arms. He did this for several strokes before his lungs yearned for air. He broke the surface. The Svefra’s feet were unable to took the bottom so he kicked them in wide strokes to keep himself afloat. It worked to a certain degree. But his mouth often dipped below and he was forced to swallow water. The waves didn’t help with the constant face taps. Finding it too much effort to keep afloat he rolled onto his back and relaxed. He body rested on the surface as long as he continued moving his arms and legs slowly. It gave him a chance to look around. And that is when he spotted the Konti. She was swimming above the surface, long, easy-looking strokes that made a flare of jealous burn in his gut. Without realizing it his strokes began to match hers and eventually began to pass hers. He pushed harder to complete the pass but not drifting any closer to the Konti.

[Alaia]

The heat. The heat was horrible. Oh god was it horrible and it was just the beginning of summer! She could swear that living in Mura never had such drastic weather. Bare feet padded into the hot sanded beach causing her to skip slightly until the soles of her feet grew accustomed to the abuse of the burning coastline. She needed to swim and escape from the daily chores of what was called a life. The ocean was what she needed right now and had been calling her name all morning in such seductive whispers that she was unable to resist. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her life, she did, she loved healing and helping others but there are just days where you need to escape and lose yourself in something bigger then yourself. Alaia wanted to get lost in the feel of the salty sea against her nude skin. She had retreated to a secluded part of the beach. She wanted the welcoming crush of the waves to be the sound that filled her ears while she took part in what felt like a deliciously scandalous affair from the monotony of everyday life. The konti woman stood at the edge of the tide, her toes just barely kissing the damp sand while she closed her eyes and just breathed. In and out, in and out, in and out she breathed until every muscle in her body was relaxed and the scent of the sea breeze clung to her skin and hair. Weeks of tension just leaked from her body and pressed into the sand beneath her feet. She didn’t want to enter the water burdened by any thoughts or fatigue; she wanted to enter it free of everything so she could give herself over to the ocean and Laviku. It has been to long since she paid homage to the God, a nod of respect towards what he provided that she felt her brief acknowledgement was needed. With a delicate flip of her wrist Alaia pulled a flower that sat nestled by her ear from her long waving locks. She let the velvet petals fall to the ground and she reached down to grab the edge of her white lace dress and in a single fluid motion she pulled it over her head before letting it flutter onto the dry sand behind her. Her body happily soaked up the sun. The scales that ran from her feet and wrapped around her legs, up over her hips, arms, back and finally ended in a subtle faint crown on her forehead seemed to glisten and shift in iridescent colors as her body moved in the sun. Next she shimmied from her simple white undergarments letting them fall upon her dress away from the sand because well, no one wanted sand in their undergarments. Alaia stepped forward, the rush of foaming water that hit her webbed toes made her pause and smile to herself and suddenly her calm and collected nature broke. First her right foot pressed into the damp sand that was being blanketed by the ebb and flow of the ocean tide and then her left foot kicked into gear as she suddenly ran to greet the coming waves. Once she was knee deep in the lovely water she brought her arms over her head, her hands meeting at a point while her body arced up over one wave and she dove into the base of the other taking a deep gulp of air as she did. When her hands broke the surface, with her face following suit only a second later, her lips pulled into an approving smile and the air she had gulped spilled back from her face while gills that framed her neck opened to welcome in the water. Her breathing didn’t miss a beat, if she wanted to she could stay underwater for the rest of her life and in a crazy moment of wild abandon she considered it before quickly pushing the thoughts away knowing her purpose was to heal for Rak’keli. She didn’t know how long she planned to swim but she swam deep and then she resurfaced again propelling her body along the water in playful fights with the waves that tried to claim her as their own. The webs between her fingers caught the water as she reached forward and used them to aid the speed and directions she turned while her feet kicked with power behind her. There was no plan to swim to anything in particular she simply followed the coast figuring she’d stop when she started to get tired and walk back to find her clothes later. Breaching the surface again she slowed down to a speed that was still quick but less about playing with the waves and more about just coasting and enjoying herself to lessen the tightness in her muscles that her energy moments before had earned her. She swam like this for several minutes before she noticed she had company as a man came up along the side of her. She began to offer him a kind smile, welcoming him to join her in her swim, until she noticed that unmistakable drive he was putting into each stroke of his arms and legs to swim faster. What is he doing? Is he … racing me? Her thoughts drifted as she tried to figure out his motives, it wasn’t until he started to pass her with his own long thrusts that she decided that was exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to beat her. Alaia wasn’t a very competitive person; at least she didn’t think she was until a surge of suddenly aggressive need to win swelled within her. Dipping back under water she let her gills take over once more and powered her arms and legs forward remaining low enough not to be seen except as a white and blond shape chasing him beneath the surface. Perhaps it was too much time away from the calmness of Mura but she needed to beat this male, she needed to win if only so when she stepped from the waves and onto the beach he would know he shouldn’t try to race a creature that was born basically half fish. She had no idea he was one of Laviku’s svefras, she just knew she was going to win but she was going to have fun with it as she did. Alaia sped up under the surface of the water until she was swimming below him, far enough below she didn’t get hit by his arms or feet but close enough his natural senses that any creature had would let him know she’s there. She matched her speed to his, even letting him get a head faster than her while her muscles began to burn from the casual swim that had suddenly turned into a not so casual sport.

[Atoll Northwind]

There was a shift in the sea. A shift in the friendly swimming. The white hair that had been a beacon in the corner of his eye now dove too deep for him to make out properly. But Atoll needn’t worry, a pulse of water under him told him she was beneath him. Small waves ahead of him told him that was beating him. The Svefra couldn’t decide how it became a race, he didn’t even think on it too long, he just moved his arms faster. Water splashed his eyes, he closed them to block out any other water. His legs moved faster but burned quickly from the strain of pushing through water. Atoll was still on his back so he couldn’t see the Konti but he could hear and feel her swimming near him. Just behind him then suddenly just in front of him. “Not gonna lose that easy!” He called, not caring if she could hear. “Could use a boost, Laviku!” But the God gave no reply Atoll could find, which likely meant he was on his own. He grumbled mentally but pushed on, his mouth opening and closing like a dying fish. Each pull of air was like swallowing ashes. And though he wanted to go faster his body seemed to be going slower. His head sank beneath the waves more and more. Each stroke of his arm became more of a flop while his feet barely moved at all. Damned fish and their advantages. He thought. He was nearing the end of his rope and Atoll knew he needed to stop or he wouldn’t even be able to float to shore. Then he’d end up joining Laviku in a new way. The Svefra began to ended the race abruptly. His body sank, and for a half a chime he could see the Konti had pulled far ahead of him. Anger burned bright as he jerked to the surface, realizing she had been messing with him. Yet, it burned out just as quickly. Gasping in the air Atoll called out in a watery voice. “Ya won that one, lass! Can ya win it back?” He didn’t wait for her to catch up or to see if she heard him. She’d get the gist of it when she seen him swimming as fast as he could towards the shore. Which is precisely what he did. This time on his stomach, Atoll swam. His feet and legs moved slowly, in sync. On stroke, then two, pulling wide to try and catch more water. The waves helped this time, pushing him forwards rather than battering him back. Thank you, Laviku! He struggled to his head from side to side, gulping in what air he could with more water than he wanted. But very shortly his arms refused to cooperate and he stopped with a loud choking guffaw. “Ya win!” He said. Then the Svefra let the pounding of his heart slow. He did just enough moving to try and keep himself afloat. Now that he wasn’t moving his legs hurt, and his arms were heavy as a barrel of water. He tilted his head back to see the shore and found it much farther off than he thought. “Petch a fish.” “Oi! Konti! Ya mind givin’ me a hand?” It was all he managed to get out before a cramp got him and he went under. He swallowed a mouthful of water and shook his head amused. Gonna join ya for a race. He told his God, imagaining the laughter that would come from his pod when they learnt of it.

[Alaia]

Alaia felt so alive swimming beneath the stranger, chasing him and letting the water filter through her gills like it was meant to. The burning of her muscles was tiring her but at the same time it gave her a sense of being a live that people only got from hard exercise. It was a moment before she realized the male wasn’t above her anymore and that realization made her slow down her strokes and float to the top to look around for him. At first panic set in as her head breeched the surface and her body bobbed with the flowing waves. She didn’t see him. “Ya won that one, lass! Can ya win it back?” His words reached her and her eyes narrowed on him, her lips pulling into a playful smile though she didn’t bother responding back because he was already heading for the shore. Alaia took off after him staying above the water so she could keep her eyes on him but also because her own fatigue from the intense swim was settling in and she didn’t want to tire out to fast. He was going to win this second race to the shore with his lead on her, she knew it and she was okay with it because she won the first one. Just as she settled into the acceptance of him winning the second race he seemed to stall in his swimming and call out to her that she won. The konti slowed down even more, wondering why he was already giving up when he was about to win but in that moment he was dragged beneath the surface of the water. Alaia’s heart sped and suddenly she was diving back under the water swimming towards him with a desperate quickness. His descent under water didn’t feel right to her, he was a decent swimmer and she was worried he was more tired than she thought he was. The space between her and him didn’t close fast enough for Alaia’s taste – panic was setting into her gut and she felt like her arms and legs were on fire. Her eyes were wide under the water, searching for him as she quickly swam in his direction. It was a long moment before she spotted the flash of limbs beneath the water and she kicked that final stretch like a torpedo trying to waste no time. Normally this was where hesitation set in on Alaia’s part, she hated touching people and prying into their lives but saving a life was far more important than her personal desires to remain removed from others. Alaia’s arms wrapped around his waist and as her skin pressed against his she was suddenly bombarded by the intentions he had over the next few days. Worship, worship of a god – which god? She didn’t put puzzle pieces together until she felt the motivation he had for helping a dear friend. Not just a friend but an animal that he had a very deep bond with. Alaia forced these things from her brain a chime later as she brought both their bodies to the surface making sure to at the very least keep him surfaced. “Oh Rak’Keli …” she prayed her Goddess’s name as she swamp for the shore, grateful for the feel of sand beneath her feet. Using the sand as leverage Alaia stood and dragged the man to shore trying not to hurt him but figuring a few bruises she could heal if she needed to. Her hair clung to her body in long yellow strands and her bright blue eyes gazed down at him as she laid him on his back. “Come on … You will be okay.” She murmured to him desperately in common since that had been the language he used on her when they were racing. Alaia kneeled in the sand beside him, her eyes taking in his condition with the precision and quickness that came to her as a healer and she took a deep breath checking to see if there were any blockages in his mouth and if there were she’d clear them out. Placing her small hands on his body she moved to roll him on his side hoping whatever water was in his mouth would come out before she placed him back on his back. The steps of CPR came to her as she moved about him making sure everything was perfect so she didn’t hurt him further then what was needed. She brought her hands up to his face and she’d tilt his jaw to open the air ways while she leaned down to listen for breath coming from his nose while her eyes scanned down the length of his body watching the rise and fall of his chest to make sure he was okay. Any other time she may have been embarrassed by his nudity and her own but her mind was somewhere else, listening to her medical training and trusting Rak’Keli to guide her. Leaning up his body she took a deep breath getting ready to deliver the first of her rescue breaths by covering his mouth with hers.

[Atoll Northwind]

He couldn’t see. He didn’t bother to open his eyes but he could feel the cool flesh and scales slip against his body. Atoll instantly thought of Litty but knew the huge creature could have never made it this close inland. Especially not when so soon after the previous day. It was all the time he had thought for then there was a an empty space. In the space there was nothing. He didn’t think, couldn’t even remember not thinking. There was no color, no feeling and no sound for what would seem like chimes but there was no time to be sure of. All Atoll did know is that red shone behind the lids of his eyes right before he heard a voice. It faded as quickly as it was heard, and he knew nothing for a few more precious ticks. Memory came in like the tide. Quick and full, politely informing him he had drown during a race with a Konti. Awareness came like a soft pair of lips because there was a soft pair of lips. They pressed against his tentatively but firmly. Automatically his arms reached up to thread through hair. They were heavy, and his muscles protested so he rested them on slim, scaled shoulders. The Svefra felt a soft puff of air in his mouth before he could return the kiss thoroughly rather than just a press of open mouths. The air set off his stomach and Atoll threw himself to the side, finally opening his eyes to see the contents of the sea he’d stolen return to the rest with the waves. The coughs that shuddered through him were sudden and violent. They stopped virtually as soon as they started but they left an ache that made his throat raw. Quickly he scooped some clean water into his mouth and drank to ease the sensation. He found that his eyes felt drier than a meat strip which made him turn and blink rapidly at his Konti swimmer. “Sorry ‘bout that.” He wiped a hand down his face, and looked at her again, “And thanks. Could’ve been a stupid way for a Svefra to die.” That said he burst out snickering, Praise ya Laviku, ya always give me a way out. though his thoughts stayed more solemn. For a tick. When his laughter died down he returned his attention to his savior. She was a pretty Konti, small with a delicate face, the usual scales and petite body that was on display. His gaze racked over her blatantly. She was all woman. Atoll had to force his eyes to stare steadfastly at her face. He’d seen bodies before and she was not the first naked woman to swim with him but he didn’t know this woman. It was rude to stare. Even ruder not to look. His lower half informed him unhelpfully. Atoll shifted in the sand. “Ya swim like a fish.” He said finally, “Don’t know if your gills is cheatin’ or not though.” He remembered something else only after, “Shyke, didn’t mean to kiss ya. Not that I wouldn’t kiss ya, just not without….” Atoll damned his lack of Common words. Racking his brain for one that didn’t sound rude and acutely aware of the fact that he hadn’t actually apologized for kissing her, only said that he wouldn’t do it again unless she asked. His gaze flickered down. He hoped she asked. “say so.” He finished then slumped back in the sand in sudden exhaustion. His lungs ached from the effort of speaking too quickly after drowning. And now he could really feel the spikes exploding from his legs and arms then traveling through the rest of his body.

[Alaia]

The breath that was in Alaia’s lungs pushed into the man’s she was currently performing CPR on trying to breathe life back into him as an otherworldly calm settled in her just like it did in highly tense medical situations. Her hands were on either side of his face, gently holding it between her palms to keep it tilted and keep the airways free, that’s when the flash of his intentions bombarded her. They had been quiet while he was unconscious but he was coming back to himself and suddenly, as she was stunned by the impression of his desire to kiss her, his hands came up to her shoulders. It was as if he was holding her in place and the CPR she was trying to save his life with turned into something else entirely, it turned into a kiss. The kiss was brief and she was to shocked to know what to do except back up the second he pulled away to throw up the water in his lungs and stomach off to the side. Alaia’s eyes were wide with silent fear and a hand instantly came up to press against her lips trying to replace the lingering feel of his mouth on hers with something else. What just happened? The kiss had been so unexpected, even with the second of warning her gift gave her, that she could do nothing but stare at him with those wide blue eyes and her chest rising and falling quickly. Her heart pounded in her chest and her porcelain skin flushed with the hints of a blush though she did start towards him at his sudden coughing fit. A worried hand reached towards him again but stopped halfway and fell back to her thigh when he seemed to come under control of his sudden attack. The man started speaking and she dropped her gaze from him, embarrassed by what had just happened even though it was his fault. Annoyance started to blossom in her gut towards him, it was her first kiss and she hadn’t been expecting it or wanting it especially not when she was trying to save his life. He was a stranger! She didn’t know him and he didn’t know her from all the Konti’s on Mura. His words dragged him from her thoughts though a frown tugged at the corners of her lips as she stared at him. “You are a svefra.” Disbelief laced her carefully slow common speech. “You are a svefra and you almost drowned?” The annoyance she felt started to fall away, she wasn’t built to be mad at people, and her face lit up before she started laughing openly at the idea. It took a moment for her to control herself and then she grinned from ear to ear at him. “I’m sorry … I’m sorry but … you’re a svefra … and you drowned.” She chuckled again and then added with a wave of her hand in another silent apology “…now we are even, you stole my kiss and I laugh at you.” Shaking her head she ran a hand through her hair shaking out the strands so they would dry faster in the hot summer sun before a breath expelled from her lips in another chuckle. “Of course I swim as fish …” she raised a hand to show him her webbed fingers, the scales on her skin glistening in pinks and peaches from the sun and the water that still clung to her body. “…and it’s not cheating. Would it be cheating to ask Laviku for help in race to me? No. We use what we we're gifted with.” She offered lightly with a twitch of her lips into a smile. When he brought up how he didn’t mean to kiss her but still didn’t apologize for taking her first kiss from her, not that he knew that, she looked away from him. With the tilt of her gaze she couldn’t help giving attention to his body laid out naked before her and no longer dying, the peeks of color from his tattoos caught her eyes and she was overcome with a desire to look them over more thoroughly. The modest konti blushed again and forced her gaze to the sand between them so she wasn’t staring … staring at him and his well … he was a man and one she certainly didn’t know from Adam. It was vulgar to stare. She didn’t look at him again until he lay fully back in the sand again, the rough sound of his breath from the water concerning her and she could only imagine how tense his muscles were from the exertion he had expelled in the water. “Let me…” she spoke softly, tenderness in her tone as she moved closer to him once more closing that distance she had placed between them when he kissed her. Her knees only an inch or two from his side she sat her bottom on her heels and her small hands captured his hand between the two of them. “…I can help.” She let out a slow breath and her fingers slowly would start massaging into his hand almost urging him to trust her with their gentle but firm touch. Alaia watched the motion of her own hands on his and she reached out to that part of her that Rak’keli blessed her with. While the massaging would help she also called upon her Goddess to help ease the muscle tension while her hands slid up his forearm massaging in long even strokes against the muscles and letting his hand rest on her own forearm. Rak’keli it is to you I pray as I heal this svefra of his pain, thank you for your part in my life and now his…. Her prayer were short and sweet as warmth began to radiate from her touch, having nothing to do with the heat of the summer, loosening the tension with each pass of her hands. For the first time Alaia lifted her eyes to his locking their gazes, her own bright blues wondering and still a bit shy towards the male “I’m Alaia, I’m thankful that you are okay. Where does it hurt most? I will heal you.” Her words were nothing more than a whisper now feeling no need to speak louder. Quite frankly, she wasn’t entirely sure she could if she wanted to as her throat seemed to thicken and her pulse picked up subtly with her nerves being so close to him. Her eyes would drift from his gaze to his lips before she forced them back to his own blue eyes. She tried to ignore everything else except her hands on his arm even as she slid slightly closer to work on his upper arm now as well. Now that he was breathing and alive she was painfully aware of their current state of undress but she felt that healing his muscles was more important then indulging her fears.

[Atoll Northwind]

Atoll was angry for a second when she laughed. His hands gripped the sand until he too was laughing again. Not because he had almost drown like a fool fish but because it was her first kiss. It wasn’t even something he would have thought of as a real kiss. “I’m a Svefra, lass, we steal.” He gave her a wink from where he still lie in the sand. Little chuckles escaped along with coughs when he spoke to her. “Fair enough. Can’t say I didn’t ask Laviku for a…help! But I ain’t the best swimmer, I’m a sinker.” He was going to continue but her voice had softened, and he cracked an open he didn’t know he closed. He caught the sway of her breasts then hands caught his. There were no words for a tick. It took a god-like effort to pull the woman down but from the feeling of relaxation radiating from his hand at her touch he knew she was not looking for a roll in the sand. It didn’t stop other parts of him from doing the opposite of relaxing. The Svefra gave a little groan of part relief, part frustration. When he could take no more Atoll pulled his hand away gently while she introduced herself. Zulphyia would have his head if she knew he was letting all these woman introduce themselves first. Speaking of, half the woman of Riverfall had to have Svefra blood in them with the way they always seemed to meet him naked. “I’m petchin’ thankful ya are a healer, Alaia but I don’t need healin’. But ya gotta be something' of swimmer, Konti or no to be swimmin’ that good!” He wasn’t sure he could take much more of her healing without needing to get back in the cool water. “Little rest is all. And ya can call me Atoll.” As he had spoken Atoll had realized how close they were. He had unconsciously leaned up and copied her whispering. Why they were whispering on a beach with no one by he couldn’t guess. Atoll could feel the warm from her skin; even feel the smooth brush of her scales when he shifted his legs. His eyes caught her gaze as it drifted down and he smirked as his eyes copied the motion. A large part of him swayed forward but he held himself in check, remembering her earlier words. It stopped him before he stole another kiss at her unintentional, silent asking for it. Her skin seemed flushed and Atoll was almost positive some of it was from embarrassment. It made him want to tease her. So he brought himself forward a few more measly centimeters, until he could feel the brush of more than just her thigh. Could feel her breath on his face but not the skin of her lips. He grinned up at her, his eyes bright with laughter, “Needin’ somethin', Alaia?” As he said it, he very purposefully broke eye contact, letting his eyes drift to her lips but no lower. He meant to drag them back up but found himself moving forward instead. Before he got himself slapped Atoll pulled back, a sheepish grin forming where it had once been cocky and assured. He coughed and finally flopped back into the sand. After a few ticks he spoke again, his voice rougher than before and still not pitched much above a whisper. “Think we’ll be needin’ our clothes, do ya remember where yours are?” He looked to the left then spotted some garments on his right. There were two sets, a little off from each other, one was obviously his and the other Alaia’s.

[Alaia]

Alaia’s eyes shown with nothing but amusement towards the male when he claimed he was a sinking Svefra. “You are a sinking ship.” She teased lightly and continued the massage of his arm and hand trying very politely to ignore the shifts and tension rising in his body. The groan that sounded from his throat made her pause in her touch as she was unsure if he was in pain or not but it wasn’t long before he removed his limb from her all together. Her hands fell to the tops of her bare thighs unsure what to do with them now, in truth she was thankful for the lack of skin to skin contact – she did not need to help him along the way of his … tension. “You will cramp.” She protested when he claimed to not need a healer but her protest was ended with a smile “I just swim … I am not a good swimmer. I just swim.” She assured him, it helped that she could breathe underwater, she had no idea what she would do without her gills. He spoke his name and she whispered it back to him, memorizing it on her tongue before all sound suddenly fell from her lips as the awareness of their bodies prickled between them. Alaia swallowed trying to clear her throat but her breath was caught in her lungs and her pulse pounded in her veins as he swayed closer to her. She didn’t know what to do, the man had stolen her first kiss and now here he was just a breath away from her so intimately close that she could feel her body pulsing. She breathed in, taking in the scent of the sea on him and her heart skipped in her chest as she suddenly, un-characteristically, wondered if he tasted like the sea as well. She just needed to lean that fraction into him and she could find out. A soft sound escaped her throat like she was warring with herself to intentionally kiss him this time but then he spoke and she blushed even deeper. “N-no …no …I don’t know….” She cleared her throat but that didn’t stop the husky tone in her words and that certainly didn’t stop the pounding in her ears. No, this was not something she should be doing. She wanted to; on a whim she wanted to feel his lips on hers again this time without the pressure of CPR but the laughter in his eyes embarrassed her. She wanted to know what a real kiss felt like and that revelation shocked her. Did she truly see him lean towards her again? She wasn’t sure, he pulled back from her just as quickly and she found her own hand had somehow reached out to touch him again but before it did she dropped it back into her lap and she looked away from him. The rough tone in his own voice made her back away from him, the sound of that whisper was tempting but his words dragged her back into herself and she scanned for her clothes. “You’re right … clothes are good….” She murmured under her breath before she pushed herself to her feet. She couldn't move to her clothes fast enough, it was as if in those few moments she had been stripped bare in front of him and she wanted the protective armor of clothes to try to push away that feeling. While she walked towards her clothes she started muttering under her breath in Kontinese, clearly chastising herself for the awareness that was eating at her. “Way to go, go trying to kiss up on a guy you don’t even know! Some smooth flirting you have going on, give a man CPR … he steals a kiss and you’re both naked. Great, real great.” She grumbled at herself and picked up her undergarments shaking them slightly so that if there was any errant sand in them there wouldn’t be when she was done. She kept her back to him, she didn’t know if he had followed for his own clothes she just knew that she couldn’t look at him yet. “He probably thinks your some sort of easy girl now.” She scoffed under her breath and the brushed off what sand she could reach on her body before slipping into the lace dress she had been wearing. “You could have done it you know .. kissed him..” It was a war and she was speaking quickly and quietly under her breath. Alaia turned back towards him at last, not that she was dressed she was hoping that things would go a bit smoother then they had since she pulled him from the water. “Atoll …” She stepped towards him and splayed an apologetic hand out as she kept her distance from him not yet trusting herself. “…I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.” Alaia’s mind screamed inside of her head Why are you apologizing?! He’s the one who stole a kiss … she ignored the words though and she took a step closer to him, shyness radiating from her features now as she tried to take the approach of the healer she was. “How are you feeling now? Are you sure you don’t need me to help with anything?”

[Atoll Northwind]

Little pain might be good, right ‘bout now. Atoll thought warily as he sat up when Alaia’s warning began to come true. Little spams where her hands hadn’t touched sent little shocks across his body and they weren’t the good kind. “Ya can give me teachings, I won’t be sinkin’ like a ship.” Just saying it made him laugh. He was so used to Litty supporting him when he swam it was strange to swim without aide. Regardless if the Konti agreed to his joking request he did need practice. If not the first storm he hit would actually drown him. The Svefra purposefully scooted away from Alaia and shook his head. He was plenty of things but he didn’t bed people on the sand unless they knew how to bed. He had no doubt Alaia wouldn’t even be able to name some of what his mind supplied. So he stayed quiet as she went to dress but made no move to go get his own. Rather, he watched her dress, enjoying the view he shouldn’t and amused by her foreign mumblings. Atoll wondered if she was cursing him or her and his smile grew, sure that it was probably him. Only when she was almost finished dressing did he finally get up with a curse. “Laviku’s shyke.” He braced his hands against his knees. It reminded him of Zulphyia’s cutlass lessons only worse. “Ya weren’t lyin’, lass.” Just below the surface of his skin he couldn’t actually see the knot of muscles throbbing. With a little shake he straightened and hobbled to his clothes. It did not take him as long as Alaia to dress. Sand always found a way to worm itself into clothes. And he was already sandy so it couldn’t get much worse. He found that slipping on the scratchy pants was easy though uncomfortable. It was the shirt that hurt. When he stretched his arms up he made a noise that sounded like something dying. Atoll felt like a ship had hit him the longer he struggled with the shirt. Irate he pulled it down violently then jumped out of his skin at the sound of Alaia’s voice. He’d almost forgotten her in his effort to get the clothes on. Least I ain’t feelin’ nothin’ else anymore. Focusing on her properly he stared at her hand and cocked his head in confusion. At first he couldn’t understand why she was apologizing. When he did figure it was her look of uncomfortable shyness that stopped him but he couldn’t resist reaching forward to pull her close rather than shake. “Don’t apologize, Alaia ‘cause I ain’t sorry.” With a sly grin he would lean forward, “An’ ya can’t help me with all my…stuff.” He pointedly looked her up and down then would release her but not step away. Atoll wasn’t trying to bait her but he couldn’t help it so he tried to change the subject before they ended up the way they had been a few chimes before. “What ‘bout ya? Ya don’t feel nothin’?” The Svefra couldn’t help but snort at the suggestive comment and then struggled to try again, “I meanin’ do ya not have cramps? Mine is somethin’ strong.” As he talked his gaze flickered around, to her lips, her eyes, the sand, the sea. Finally he reached for her again, this time he would try to pull her to sit again because he wasn’t sure his legs would be cooperative if they tried to walk.

[Alaia]

Concern flooded the features of the Konti when she heard him cry out as he began to stand and get his clothes on as well, she had been oblivious to him watching her dress she just assumed it was the cramps settling in that made him take a while getting up. With her hand splayed in front of her she meant it as a gesture of apology rather than looking for a hand shake but his hand dwarfed hers as he pulled her forward. Alaia was unsteady on her feet and she stumbled that step closer while her free hand came up instinctively to brace herself against his chest so she didn’t continue to fall into him. Where her hand pressed into his chest she could feel the pulse of his heart, the heat of his skin and his breath passing through his lungs which was only accented by the warmth of it as he spoke so close to her.

“An’ ya can’t help me with all my…stuff.”

Her senses were on over-drive. Clearly this is what torture felt like. Her nerves were like a thousand knives stabbing into her brain while the heat she felt in her stomach was definitely not from the sun beating down on them. The look on her face as he leaned closer was nothing short of a deer in bright lights. What seemed to be too long and yet to short of time he released her hand and she removed her other from his chest rubbing her hands together between them trying to shake the feeling of his touch from her skin. She didn’t step back even as he looked her up and down causing her to blush deeply she couldn’t force her legs to back up like she knew she should.

“I feel things.” She spoke not missing the suggestiveness, for once, of his question or her response that slipped over her lips before she could stop it. Clearing her throat she wrapped her arms around her waist looking down between them to their feet in the sand. For a chime she took a mental inventory on how she was feeling, she was so caught up in him and how he seemed to set off flames within her that she didn’t feel the tightness of her muscles until now. Her arms were starting a slow steady ache and her legs were as well – it was still too soon after the swim to truly feel the effects but she knew it would only take a short time of sitting for her to be stiff and unwilling to move. “I am sore, yes. I did not almost drown though – it is the drowning that hurts the most.” Flicking her gaze back up to his she offered him a slow smile “You should have let me finish healing you Atoll – you would feel better.”

When he reached out for her again Alaia watched him carefully trying to figure out what he wanted from her but as fell to the sand bringing her with him she attempted to shift so she didn’t fall on him. Instead she landed beside him using her hands to catch herself and settle into the hot sand since he apparently wanted to sit. She fell in beside him and her mind worked quickly for something to say so she could excuse her staring and hide the quickened breath in her lungs. By now her hair was dry in long wavy tendrils from the salt water and when she spoke again she smiled. “I can teach you to swim better. You asked me that. I can do it…” It was an excuse to get to see him again and while she might have still offered even if she didn’t feel this unexpected attraction she wouldn’t have offered with excitement making her heart beat faster. “…You should take it slow swimming for a day or two so you don’t cramp worse.” With deep breath she watched him for a moment “Will you wish to meet me then?”

With her last question she pivoted her hips and curled her legs so that she could sit without hindrance while looking at him. Alaia brushed sand from her hands and let her gaze roam his face slowly, learning it, before she reached out focused on his cheek bone. If he didn’t pull away from her she’d cup his face in her hand and then swipe her thumb slowly across his cheek, the touch was hesitant but she couldn’t help herself wanting to feel his skin beneath her fingers.“Sea salt.” Alaia murmured an explanation quietly knowing that brushing sea salt off a svefra was probably as useless as trying to keep a bird from flying. It was admittedly just an excuse to get close to him and a poor one at that. She chewed her lip again and took her hand back before turning to look at the ocean. Stretching her legs out before her she sat close enough to him that her entire right side from shoulder down to her calf brushed like a feather against his. Propping her arms behind her she watched the waves crashing and tried to pretend like she wasn’t hyper aware of him beside her. “How long are you in Riverfall for Atoll?”