PM to join [Baroque Bay] That went Swimmingly. (Pulren Marsh)

[Firenze]

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50 Fall 514 AV

Firenze walked the docks, turning her head up toward the sun letting it warm her face. Fall had fully descended and it was starting to get cooler out. It had warmed today and she'd had the urge to go down by the water. She loved being in and around water it was so comforting. She'd remembered the smells of the bay wafting through the Seaside Market and she'd had it stuck in her mind since she'd last visited.

The rough wood creaked under foot as her boots scuffed the planks as she walked. hunting the last few days had taken it's toll on her and she wanted a change of scene and she figured with the temperature warming that she would take some time to come down and take in the views of the boats, ships and water.

As she walked she noticed a dragonfly buzzing near the surface of the water, it caught her attention and she watched it skip around, lightly touching the top of the water and then zipping off to another spot to graze another part of the water. Her eyes staying on the small bug as it zoomed around she watched as it popped up over the edge of the dock and zipped this way and that. Walking over slowly, her foot arching and falling lightly, she tried to tip toe over to where the dragonfly was dancing around the edge.

It zipped up again, this time almost at waist level to Firenze. Wondering if she could catch his she kept her pace slowly toward the bug until she was just a few ticks away. She held still waiting for it to come closer to her and then she jumped at it. Her hands shooting out, cupping toward the bug trying to get it in between her palms so that she could inspect it closer. As she reached out quickly she stepped forward trying to get the dragonfly within arms reach, the force from her arms shooting out launching her forward quicker then expected.

As her foot came down it caught some slick seaweed that had been drudged up from a fishermen from earlier in the day. Her arms stretched outward in front of her, her foot slid in front of her kicking up into the air. Her legs spread further and further apart and not being quite nimble Fire's knee bent as the pressure between her legs started to become unbearable, her inner thighs were starting to reach their most flexible point. Banging her knee hard on the dock her forward foot slipped from the edge of the dock and Firenze went head first straight toward the water.

A large splash kicking up water everywhere, the dragonfly zipped off to find a more comfortable and quiet place to buzz about. Firenze hadn't had time to catch her breath before she had become submerged in the water. She liked water, but this was a bit much and quite overwhelming, she hadn't been in anything as deep as the water she was currently in. Spinning in the water, trying to correct herself she could see that it was dark in front of her, down toward the depths below. Above her light shone through, the top of the water fragmenting it and causing the rays of the sun to bounce in all directions and move quickly.

Quickly Fire began to feel the pangs of her lungs begging for air as a burning sensation started to blossom in her chest. She tried turning to correct herself so she could reach the surface of the water to get air into her lungs but her cloak had tangled itself around her legs and prevented her from kicking. She flung her arms in every direction, unsure how to get the water to move so that she could get closer to the surface.

Panic started to settle in and without thinking she'd sucked in water, the salty ocean water flooding her mouth.

OOC InfoWord Count = 660

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Pulren Marsh]

It was the usual time for Pulren to get some fishing in. It calmed him and brought him back to center. It was a lot like that thing that Aoren had spoken of back in Zeltiva. Meditation. Clearing his mind out from the details of the day came easy when Pulren was watching his line, hoping to catch a snack. These days, his skill had been quite important with the local food shortages. No big deal for a Zeltivan, accustomed to going without when the rations ran dry. You didn't fish, you didn't eat. Pretty simple.

Of course, leave it to Sunberth to ruin even the simplest of pleasures. Pulren's peripheral vision started to twitch as a dragonfly darted into view, followed by a young woman. The two of them flitted from one place to the other and it would have been appealing had he not been trying to fish in the meantime. A sigh escaped the man's lips and his line was slowly reeled in, wrapped slowly over his hand until it came from the water. Seriously, she went after it like it was her dinner. Of course, maybe it was. Maybe she was one of the people who had a harder time fending for themselves when the rations ran dry. Too bad.

All of a sudden, a very peculiar thing happened. The chaser of the winged beast lurched out to try to catch the thing when she suddenly slipped on the dock, as one might always and often do should they not be paying attention to a wet and slippery surface. He cringed when her knee hit, however, watching her tumble ungracefully into the water. All he could do was shake his head and chuckle, covering his face with his palm. Humor became attention, however, when there was only frantic splashing once she entered the water. Looking up into the sky, Pulren had only one question.

"Does anyone in this petching town know how to swim?"

With no answer coming from up on high, he dove in headfirst without a thought after the drowning girl. It was in his blood as a Wave Guard and a salty Zeltivan to save a drowner. This one would learn how to save herself next time, though. It only took a few looks in either direction and he was upon her. Moving around behind her, Pulren looped his arm beneath her arms and pulled the pair up and out of the water. Kicking along, he dragged himself and her toward the dock where he could get a grip and assess her injuries.

[Firenze]

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As darkness started to creep in the sides of her vision from the loss of air she felt something slip around her. She couldn't tell what had grabbed a hold of her, her mind starting to muddle, she only knew she was grateful for whatever it was once her face broke the surface of the water and she began coughing the disgusting water, inhaling sharp burning breaths into her lungs, unable to get her fill. Her body was limp from trying to fight against the water and her clothing, her energy drained.

Sputtering, she felt herself being pulled through the water, it's smooth surface flowing around her as if nothing had happened. It scared her for a moment that something so calm and peaceful looking could be so dangerous. As they finally approached the dock she'd managed to get her breathing under control, she noticed they were within reach of the edge of the dock.

Fire tried to reach out for the edge, her arm flopping over the side, her wet cloak slapping loudly on the hard surface. Water ran everywhere on the surface of the dock, slipped through the cracks between the planks and splashed loudly to the water that ran underneath it. She pulled against what she had discovered to be the arm of a man that was wrapped around her, trying to get herself to the safety of the dock. Pulling with the reserves of her energy, against the resistance of the water and her soaked clothing she reached her other arm out grabbing for the edge and hoisting her top half to lie on the warm wooden surface.

Her feet still dangling in the water, she huffed and closed her eyes letting the warmed boards seep their heat through her clothes and into her chilled body. Her heavy cloak laid twisted and tangled over the top of her body and splayed partially on the dock. "I don't know... who you are... but, thank you." She breathed out the thanks to the man who had saved her from drowning.

She turned her face toward him and saw bright green eyes staring back at her, they were almost the color of the water they were surrounded by. He had shaggy hair and a scruffy beard that made him seem dark and rugged. She noticed he was very lean and muscular as his slick clothes stuck to his body. "I am truly... glad you were... nearby. I was being... foolish," the cause of why she had fallen in started to come to the surface of her mind and make her ashamed. It was a foolish reason why she had fallen in and she should have known better to be careful on the docks where it could be slick from any number of things. She just wanted to have a relaxing day and even that seemed to turn out disastrous.

She flung her arm up again after feeling that she had rested enough trying to get the soaked cloak off her so that she could finish pulling herself up. As soon as she managed to get it out of the way she grabbed onto the wood in front of her and hoisted herself the rest of the way onto the dock. Sliding her legs under her she sat up, resting on her rear end on her feet, legs tucked under her body. Fire hoped that the sun was strong enough today to be able to dry her clothes of so she wouldn't have to get naked in the middle of town. She figured it should be okay as long as she got her heavy cloak off her, the rest of her clothes thin enough to dry out quickly.

Unclasping the cloak, she pulled it off her shoulders and threw it to the side in a sopping pile of cloth, she'd worry about it in a moment. Running her hands along her face and back over her hair she tried to squeeze the water trapped in her locks. After she got as much water as she could from her hair she did a check on her belt to make sure she still had her dagger. Her hand reached quickly, scared that she might have lost it in the bay, she rested her fingers on the hilt and a sigh of relief escaped her lips, the small leather straps wrapped around the handle from the sheath having kept it from slipping out.

She looked over to the man again after doing her mental check of her body to make sure that she was okay, "What were you doing over here anyway?" She wondered how the man had come to be near where she was when she'd fallen into the water.

OOC InfoWord Count = 788

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Pulren Marsh]

Once he had her out of the water, Pulren was surprised at how large and lanky the girl was. In the water, she hadn't felt especially heavy or hard to handle. Now, however, seeing her splayed out on the dock, he was surprised that he had been able to pull her in without being pulled under himself.At least she had the common courtesy to thank him. That said a lot for anyone who lived in Sunberth. Didn't make her any less foolish, which she was inclined to call on herself.

"Damned right, you were foolish. If I hadn't been around or you caught that slip a different way, it'd be Dira greeting you now." Looking down, Pulren noticed that he had jumped in with the fishing line still wrapped around his hand, which meant the pole was floating about somewhere. Or worse, it was sinking. This is what annoyed him beyond getting wet and losing any chance at all to catch fish or enjoy the calm of the day. Shaking his head in further irritation, Pulren removed his boots, dumping the water from them and sitting them near the water's edge. Next came his linen shirt, wrung out and then strung out on the wood of the dock to dry. What came next from her mouth really sealed the deal.

Laughing a bit, he looked at her straight. "You want to know what I was doing? Fishing. I say was because the splashing scared the fish off for sure and better yet, my pole is somewhere in the water and I have to go get it. I sincerely hope that satisfies your curiosity." His words dripped with at least as much sarcasm as his clothes did water. Sitting on the edge, he pushed off and slid into the water, being careful considering his line and pole were out there somewhere and he needed the stillness and clarity to find them. Swimming out a few feet and treading water, he looked back at her.

"If you could mind my things at least, I'd appreciate it."

[Firenze]

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"Damned right, you were foolish. If I hadn't been around or you caught that slip a different way, it'd be Dira greeting you now." He growled at Fire, she was a little confused by who Dira might be, oblivious to the harshness of his comment. Curiosity winning out she decided to ask, "Who's Dira? Should I know them? Do they live in the water?" She felt rather stupid and foolish for asking the question, but she'd never heard of the Dira before and she wondered why he would reference them.

Ringing out her cloak, the water splashed into large puddles on the planks and ran through the seams to drip into the ocean. She pulled her boots off, turning them over to dump out the water her feet had been swimming in, setting them upside down on the dock so they could finish draining while she set about trying to dry out the rest of herself. Thinking it might be best to leave her clothes on while she was in such public view, not wanting to embarrass the man, she left her shirt on and instead grabbed it, pulling it away from her body twisting it in between her hands, wringing the water out. She didn't think she'd be able to do the same with her pants, but figured they were dark enough to attract enough of the sun to dry themselves out.

"You want to know what I was doing? Fishing. I say was because the splashing scared the fish off for sure and better yet, my pole is somewhere in the water and I have to go get it. I sincerely hope that satisfies your curiosity." Fire felt ashamed, a blush coming over her cheeks as she realized that she had ruined the man's activities, What if I took dinner from his mouth? If it had been her out hunting and someone had ran off her dinner she would be quite angry as well, so she could understand the man's frustrations. "I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean to take your dinner away from you." Then the thought came that not only had she scared the fish away with her flailing about, but he'd lost his means of being able to catch the fish. This in her mind was atrocious, how could you eat if you didn't have the means to be able to catch your prey?

Just as she was going to offer to buy him a new one she noticed as he sat on the edge of the dock, Is he going to jump in after his pole? This made sense because if it had been her dagger and she knew how to swim she'd jump in after it. She watched as he pushed himself off the dock trying to keep her eyes on him so she could see how he swam about so easily, hoping that she might be able to learn a thing or two. His body moved slowly and she wondered how he was keeping his head above the water and still manage to be so still. He moved out a little ways from the dock and then came to a complete stop. She could see his arms moving back and forth, skimming just below the surface of the water, but not much else. It still baffled her that moving his arms around in such a motion could keep the entirety of his weight held up so still.

"If you could mind my things at least, I'd appreciate it." he called out to her, he appeared to be searching for his pole. Fire hoped that it wasn't sitting in the depths of the water, because when she had been floating about, tangled up in her mass of clothes, it looked almost as though the water had no bottom, but then she had had difficulty trying to figure out which way was down when she'd been under. "Of course! It's the least I could do! I hope that you can find your fishing pole!"

She grabbed her boots and cloak, making her way over to his things and settled herself back down. Wringing her hair out she parted it and began weaving it, trying to get the still wet hair back from her face. While she plaited her hair she glanced around the area, hoping that she herself might be able to see the fishing pole lying about. Wondering if maybe it hadn't gone into the water, that it had just been cast aside in his hurry to get into the water after her.

As she wandered around the dock, her hands still in her hand working the tangled strands together, her feet bare, she tried to walk gingerly lest she get a splinter in her foot from the old boards. Her eyes scanned this way and that, looking around the large ropes used to tie boats off, the notches that stuck up to tie the ropes to, the buckets and a few nets... and there, in the tangled mess of nets on the edge of the dock, lay his fishing pole. Securing her hair she tried to call out to him, "Hey! Over here! I found it!"

Glancing back toward their things quickly to confirm that nothing had moved and that no one was near by to take anything, she turned her attention back to the pole wondering how it had even managed to tangle itself so badly within the net. She was worried if she tugged on it to try to get it out that it might snap the nimble wood. Kneeling down she leaned over the pile and moved some of the small ropes that were tied together. She thought she might be able to unweave it from the mess, but it might take a while. The rough ropes of the net rubbed against her fingers as she pulled at it lightly. Grabbing the handle of the pole she tried to loop one of the pieces of rope over it, one obstacle down, two more to go.

Inspecting it for a moment, she thought she might be able to get the top of it un-looped if she could get the line untangled, she looked for the glint of the hook so that she wouldn't prick her finger when she went to grab the line. Moving her head back and forth she spotted it, the line wrapped around two of the small ropes that formed one of the holes for the netting, the hook intertwined within the line. Gingerly, she used her thumb and forefinger to grab the base of the hook, wiggling it this way and that, trying to snake it back out from the tangle. Once it released it's hold she set to unwinding the line. A few ticks went by and she had the little line wrapped gently around her hand, trying to keep it from re-tangling.

The last bit quite simple, she slipped the pole from the rest of the small interweaved ropes, freeing it from the nets grasp. The pole in hand she jumped up, careful not to run along the dock lest she fall back in again. "Hey! I got it! You don't have to look anymore!" She held it out so that he could see that she did indeed have it within her grasp. A sigh of relief escaped her, happy that she could give this man back something that he'd lost, considering he lost it to save her life.


OOC InfoWord Count = 1244

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Pulren Marsh]

Looking down through the brackish, green water really didn't help much. Pulren wished that he had his goggles for this kind of thing, as it would be a real pain in the arse to feel around for the pole. If it became too much of a hassle, he would just go buy another one, though he had become attached to it. Though many poles looked and felt similar, after a while, a regular fisherman could tell how the pole pulled and what kinds of weight it could carry or if it was flexible or brittle.

It was odd enough because he was sure that if anything, his pole would be floating atop the water's surface, but it could have been snagged on any number of things. A turn of the body and a dive down was in order, so it came, his feet being th last thing to disappear from view, should anyone be watching. Once beneath the surface, he swam over to the columns that supported the dock, feeling vaguely for his pole, though it became evident quickly that in the green darkness, a piece of driftwood might feel like the pole. So the whole search was really irrelevant. Pushing away from the wood so that he didn't accidentally injure himself, Pulren kicked his legs to return to the surface in a stream of bubbles.

Once his lungs were again filled with air, he continued to tread water, finding himself a little farther out than he liked. He could see the girl waving something around and it looked vaguely like his pole. This brought about a feeling of joy and a little bit of guilt for being so harsh with her about it in the first place. Swimming back with strong strokes of arm and leg, he soon found himself back at the edge, holding on and treading water with his legs. Smiling, he squeezed the water from his eyes and face with one hand. "Hey, thanks for finding that. Sorry I was so harsh about it." Grabbing the wood, he pushed himself up and out of the water, turning to sit on the edge and then standing.

As he dripped profusely, he took the pole back, nodding in thanks. "Palaren Marshall. A pleasure."

[Firenze]

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As Firenze waved the pole to the man swimming in the water she watched him bobbing in the water until he noticed her. After a few chimes of him scanning the water he finally noticed her and made his way over, water swirling around him on either side. Backing up a little from the edge, he grabbed on to it, "Hey, thanks for finding that. Sorry I was so harsh about it." Fire felt that he did have the right to get mad about losing his fishing pole, considering it was kind of her fault it was lost to begin with and it was his means of catching food. "Oh, it's okay, I would've been mad as well if it were me. That's your means of catching food and I sort of was the reason it was lost," the corner of her mouth tilted up in a half smile at him, reassuring him that she indeed was not offended by his brashness.

Backing up a little further, he hoisted himself from the water, making it look easy. "Actually, if you don't mind my asking, how do you swim so neatly? As you can tell, I'm not a swimmer by any means," laughing softly at her bad joke, she continued, "but, I was going to ask... Would you be interested in trying to teach me? I mean it doesn't have to be today of course, but some other time maybe, unless you have free time today?" She scanned his face as he stuck his hand out toward her and took the pole from her grasp, "Palaren Marshall. A pleasure."

"Oh, sorry! I'm Firenze," her smile widening she offered her hand to him, "you can just call me Fire though." She took a step forward a few steps toward him, but still kept her distance, she didn't want to make him feel that she was invading his space. Afterward she sat down on the dock, crossing her legs, letting the warm boards bring heat back into her chilled skin. She pulled her cloak over toward her, spreading it out along the boards trying to lay it as flat as possible so that it could dry out quicker.

She made work of smoothing the cloak, the water dripping slowed to a tick.. tick.. ticking. Some of her hair had already dried from the sun beating down on them, the wind grabbing it and blowing it across her face, tickling her nose. Grabbing it she tucked it behind her ear and glanced up to Palaren, "Do you fish for a living?" She wondered what it would be like to have a change of diet and instead of deer, rabbit or squirrel... sometimes the occasional rat or mouse, to have a nice big slice of fish instead. The thought of it made her mouth water since the last time that she actually had fish was at the orphanage. Fire made a mental note to either try her hand at fishing or go down to the tavern and see if she might be able to get some.

OOC InfoWord Count = 511

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Pulren Marsh]

Dripping profusely, he nodded to her as she explained her logic about the fishing pole. He was glad that she wasn't angry about it but it was all pretty irrelevant at that point, so he took to winding up his line and putting the pole with his belongings, placing it off the ground on the tops of his boots so that it would dry faster. Before long the lady was mentioning swimming lessons and a name. Firenze. Looking back at the water and himself, Pulren mulled it over, deciding to take her up on the offer.

"Firenze. An interesting name. If you want to learn to swim, we can start right now. Might as well, as it will be less uncomfortable in the water. No wind wicking away at our warmth." Smiling, he turned and dove back into the water, kicking his legs and rising back to the surface. He turned himself around while treading and looked at her up on the dock."Fire, right? Okay, Fire. Scoot yourself up to the edge here and dip your feet." As he waited for her to do so, he continued on with the conversation, as he hoped that it would keep her calm and interested until they could begin swimming. Pulren was beginning to think that giving swimming lessons could be as profitable as any other job he had. So many coastals were mysteriously landbound.

"I am indeed a fisherman, though I am not local. I hail from Zeltiva. Ever heard of it?" He no longer assumed anyone was from Sunberth or anywhere else. In fact, the longer that Pulren resided with the Scars and lived under assumed names, actual assumptions became few and fleeting. Every person had a different story and there was no real way of knowing it until they fessed up on their own. " When you get comfortable, I want you to ease into the water, but hold on to the edge of the pier. Your arms look plenty long enough for that. I'll be here in case you slip."

[Firenze]

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"Firenze. An interesting name. If you want to learn to swim, we can start right now. Might as well, as it will be less uncomfortable in the water. No wind wicking away at our warmth." Pulren turned and jumped into the water, droplets spraying back and landing on Fire's skin and the old wood of the dock. He turned around and faced her as she asked her question about fishing for a living.

Excitement ran through her veins at the thought of learning to swim, she didn't mind that the water was cold, she enjoyed being in the water. This was a little different then she was used to of course, usually just sticking to shallow streams to lie in or the banks of a small pond. She followed as he instructed and sat on the edge of the dock, her long legs easily slipping into the water. She placed her hands on either side of her, gripping the edges, leaning over to watch her feet sway back and forth just under the surface, the murky water giving a yellow green tint to her skin.

He asked her if she'd ever heard of Zeltiva before and she tried to think for a moment, it sounded vaguely familiar like she had heard the name somewhere before but she didn't really know anything about it. "Zeltiva.. huh. I think I've heard the name. What's it like there? Is it like Sunberth? Do you miss it? Why'd you leave?" She pelted him with questions, wanting to learn of this new place that he'd told her about.

She wasn't completely dense so she knew that Sunberth wasn't the only place in the world, but other places seemed so far away, almost as if it were another world. Only knowing the cultures of Sunberth she wondered what other people were like. Is everyone as cut throat and cautious as we? Is that why he jumped in for me, risking his livelihood, where someone else might as well have let me drown? She made a mental note to visit Zeltiva.

Wind wiped at her braided hair, trendles clawed at the breeze and danced across her face. Tucking the unruly strands behind he ear she let out a sigh and began slipping her feet into the dark water. Only a few chimes prior she'd feared drowning and here she was attempting to conquer the fear and learn how to protect herself. Most would react in a different fashion, trying to avoid what had just tried to kill them, but she didn't want to be that way. Wanting to better herself, test her boundaries... not be the prey. Be the predator.

Cold water slipped around her legs like silken stockings as she lowered herself, it's icy fingers creeping up the rest of her body as she continued the path downward causing her breathing to pick up. Her fingers tight on the old boards she stopped thinking about splinters in her fingers and more of trying to keep herself calm and not sinking to the bottom of the murky waters.

Her gut reaction was to start moving her legs, so she began kicking back and forth in no rhythm, her legs moving this way and that under the water. As her legs peddled, the water came up over her breasts and it felt as though someone had sat on her. Closing her eyes for a moment she tried to focus on her breathing. She realized that if she didn't get her panic under control that the situation could get a lot worse.

Breathe Firenze. Just Breathe.

You've got this.

Slowly she sucked the cool air in through her nose and pushed it out of her mouth, and as she did so her nerves began to slowly calm. The anxiousness never fully going away, just sitting off to the side waiting to reclaim it's place and make her panic again. She could feel it waiting. Though she'd managed to get it to a point that she thought that she could move forward with Palaren teaching her to better control herself in water.

Opening her eyes, little droplets clinging to her lashes, Fire looked around to see where he was. A few ticks away she noticed that he hovered effortlessly in the water. Smiling weakly, she bobbed up and down with the current, "Alright, what do I need to do to keep from sinking like a rock?" She laughed a little to try to help ease the stress.

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Pulren Marsh]

His legs moving in slow scissors, his arms stabilizing him and hands cupped, pushing and pulling the water to remain vertical, Pulren nodded as he was glad Fire seemed to be game for things. The conversation was a good way to keep her mind off of any difficulties she could be imagining. He was happy to share about Zeltiva, it was something he cared for and missed actively. Being in the brackish water near a pier was so reminiscent, after all.

"Zeltiva is not like Sunberth, other than being on the water. We have what must be the world's greatest University and we clearly have the greatest harbor. Ships are everywhere and there's none of this damned piracy and bloodletting, The Wave Guard doesn't allow it." Easy, tiger., Pulren thought to himself. You're just a fisherman here, not a Guardsman. He knew that truly, however, he would always be a Guardsman at heart. "I do miss the city and will probably return soon. I wanted to get out and see some of the places that I studied about in the University. Sunberth told me to go home." He laughed and moved toward her as she slipped into the water, her body communcating the anxiety she was feeling. It was natural to a new swimmer, the waters being an entity ready to suck you up and keep you.

"You're kicking. Good!" He smiled and reached out for her arm, seeing the fear in her eyes and trying to calm her with an even tone and soft eyes of his own. Taking hold of her forearms, he looked right into her own eyes. "Look into my eyes, don't worry about the water. I've got you." He used one leg and then the other to try to stabilize the two of them as their bodies searched for equilibrium. " Keep kicking, but do it slowly. Move them in a slow and forceful way. Can you see my legs at all? Don't burn up your energy."He looked down to see her own strong legs kicking hard and he tried to massage her arms to help calm her. "Just relax. I promise you won't drown on my watch." He smiled.