Fish Tales (Kaidan)

[Kaidan Arianos]

As the second kiss came, Kaidan was ready to enjoy it for as long as it lasted, and he certainly was enjoying it, until suddenly Zip pulled back, shouted out something, and then kicked a rat about two meters away. Kaidan, startled as he was took a step back, but then saw that Zip continued to back up even after kicking the rat. Holy crap is right, was the first thought that went through Kaidan's mind as Zip tumbled over the side of the dock. I sure hope he can swim of some sort, but then he saw the rope being pulled over the side with him, quickly running forward, hoping that he could catch the rope perhaps before Zip managed to hit the water, but then he heard the splash, and all hopes of that happening were lost. He'd probably have broken Zip's leg even if he had managed to grab the rope before he hit the water. But there was potentially one good thing that would come out of this, as he grabbed the rope, and looked over the side of the dock down to where Zip happened to have fallen over it into the dark waters below. "Hang on Zip!" called out Kaidan as he looked down towards where Zip happened to be in the water at. "Grab hold of the rope if you can, i'm going to try and pull you up!" he said. And if Zip managed to grab hold of the rope as tightly as he could, Kaidan would begin to hoist the man out of the water with all of his strength, in order to try and get him to where his hands were touching the wood of the dock, so that he could grab hold, and assist in Kaidan's effort of getting him out of the water, and back onto the dock. If everything managed to go well, and Kaidan rescued Zip from the deep dark waters, he would help him up out of the water, and would say, "Are you okay?!" His concern was definitely warranted, knowing that Zip potentially may have forgotten how to swim in a time of great stress (such as falling off a dock and into the waters below), so he definitely wanted to make sure the other young man happened to be fine after he got up and out of the cold water...

[Zarius Shine]

Petch! was about all Zip had time to think, before he hit the very-far-from-warm water some five meters below the pier. It had been an ungainly fall, too – no graceful dive that might have made his entry a little smoother, and a little less painful. As it was, his back hit first, with a resounding smack, and he felt the sting of that slap at the same time as the shock of cold rushed over him. In a panic, his arms flailed and his legs too until he realized that the rope which he had tripped over had come with him, tangled about his ankle and shin. Immediately, he quit moving, knowing this had gone from bad to potentially lethal. If he kept struggling and got completely caught up in the rope, he could easily drown. Forcing himself to relax, he felt his body right itself, his head swinging up. Despite the dark of night, and the inky blackness of the water, there was enough of a differential at this shallow depth that he knew the surface was now above his upturned face. Still holding the breath he had managed to capture as he hit the water, he moved his arms in a strong downwards push, letting his legs, and the rope, remain still. Like a sea serpent, its coils must be all around him, he thought, as his fingertips brushed against some of its hairy roughness. But, pushing panic aside, he gave one more stroke and felt himself rising, less quickly then he would have liked but still… One last stroke and his head broke the surface. He gasped, drawing in a sweet, fresh breath of air, and then another. He had yet to form a plan of how to extricate himself from the water. The swim back to where the dock began would not be excessive, but he would first have to do something about the rope. And then he’d still have to figure out a way to get back up to the level of the wharf, for of course their was no beach or shoreline until you got way past the harbor - way, way past. It was then that he heard Kaidan calling to him from above, and now that he could tread water and not be totally panicked about drowning, he felt a huge stab of regret, that such a ridiculous thing should have put an end to that amazing kiss. He heard the concern in Kaidan’s voice and he had to admit, it made him feel good, to know Kaidan was a bit worried about him. Not that he would not have gladly turned back time about one bell in order to prevent all this craziness. “Hey!” he called out, his voice seeming to bounce off the water’s surface. “I’m OK. Good thing I’m part fish.” Kaidan was telling him to grab the blasted rope, and Zip saw the utility of that. His enemy could become his ally here. His hand fished about and with his eyes having adjusted to the lesser lighting here on the water, in the shadow of the dock, he saw the taut stretch of it where it ran down from above. Apparently, it was tied off somewhere up there, and so hadn’t fully tumbled down into the water, to sink to the bottom eventually. That seemed lucky. “I don’t think you can pull me up all by yourself,” Zip called back. “I’m too heavy. But I think I can use the rope to climb up, if you help, OK? Hang on.” There were a series of pilings that supported the pier at regular intervals, and with the rope in hand, Zip paddled over to the closest one, about three meters away. “Grab the rope and keep it taut, and then pull!” he called and when Kaidan signaled that he had it, Zip got a firm grip on its not slightly slick surface and put his feet against the piling, a meter or so under the lapping surface of the current. In a really tortuous exercise, he pulled himself upwards, hand over hand, using the piling as a brace for his feet, scrabbling with them to “walk” himself upwards. Kaidan, up top, was probably feeling quite a strain in his arms and back, trying to keep it all rigid and not let the rope slip too far away from the top of the piling, and then hauling it in as Zip ascended. Zip was far from the most athletic type, and it was exhausting and painful – to his hands, his back, the back of his thighs. And it wasn’t really a very great distance, but it was a struggle. Finally, feeling like his hands were made of overcooked noodles, he felt Kaidan’s hands reaching for him. He grabbed for the edge of the pier, and Kaidan pretty much hauled his sorry ass up and over that last hurdle. Belly down on the wood, Zip lay, completely worn out, his cheek pressed to the chilly wood. He was soaked, of course, and now covered with grime from the rope and the piling. But oh gods, he wasn’t going to complain! At least he was back up where he belonged. “Gods, thank you, Kaidan,” was all he could manage to say at first, his blue eyes searching for that now very familiar and very much appreciated dark gaze.