Open A Swim Unconducive to Propriety

[Arianthe Swansong]

Time: 31st of Winter 512 AV - about 6 o'clock in the morning.
Where: In a cove, slightly out of the city.
Tagged: Open

Many people failed to realise that there was a reckless side to Arianthe, for much of the time, she did very little that went against the expectations of society, though she secretly found some of its rules irksome and irrational. It really was due to the fact that more often than not she simply observed rather than get involved in that which was happening around her. Of course, she had been very different as a child, before she had learnt to know about fear and pain. Before she had known that losing a loved one was not the epitome of distress. She really had had a very good childhood, she remembered, almost bohemian.

It was dreaming of her childhood, that she awoke at about four o'clock in the morning in her university lodgings and she was pushed by a sudden urge to go for a swim in a cove she used to go to as a child with her brothers though, of course, she would have usually gone in every other season but Winter and the beginning of Spring and end of Autumn had been times of year best avoided too. Still running on the adrenaline of her dream, she refused to think about the fact that it was the middle of winter. Within a few minutes of getting out of bed to pour herself half a goblet of wine, she had her decision made and, an hour later, she had a little food, her male clothes to change into just in case, though she imagined they would not be needed, and something to dry herself with in a little bag. She wrapped up warmly in her cloak and left, shutting the door quietly behind her. It was quiet, but it must have been the mildest night of the season, rather like a typical autumn day and, once she got used to the temperature of the Sea and as long as she did not remain in it for too long, it would be absolutely fine. The moon was high in the sky and lit up the city of Zeltiva like a fantasy world, for she crossed nobody at that early hour - the streets were deserted, like a ghost town. It was really rather beautiful for the mist was swirling around her ankles making her look as though she were floating along rather than walking.

When she arrived at the cove, it was about six o'clock. Throwing all caution to the wind, she removed her top layer of clothing, managing very well to ignore the cold for, though she was petite and slight, she had not been brought up on cotton wool. She was neither delicate nor finicky. Indeed, she was very hardy to all sorts of physical pain. Deciding it would be for the best, she removed the rest of her clothing and placed her skirt, cloak, blouse, jacket and bag with her things on a nearby rock. She bent down to the ground, found a sharp stick and twisted her hair into a bun, pushing the stick through. That way, her hair would not get wet.

Arianthe slipped into the water quickly, her modesty not allowing her to be outside it for any length of time in any state of nudity, letting it envelop her like a blanket and, though she knew it was freezing, she quickly got used to it and found the soft pull of the waves relaxing. One of the brilliant things about this cove, apart from its secluded and private nature, was that the water was slightly warmer and clearer here than anywhere else, though she knew not why. Arianthe looked up at the sky and her eyes traced the stars. She remembered that as a little girl, her mother had always said that there was a star for everyone in the universe and, at the time, Arianthe did not believe it since she did not feel there were enough stars for everybody. Now, after studying both astronomy and astrology, she knew there were millions, even billions, of stars out there, all acting as guardians of the sky.

"I wonder which one is mine." she murmured to herself.

Arianthe looked at her hand in the water. It looked blue, silvery blue (like the skin of a strange, mystical creature of the sea) and though she knew that swimming in the sea in winter could be dangerous, she felt no fear. She was not as fragile as everybody seemed to think. Still... in order to keep her blood circulating and avoid the risk of an illness of some sort, she swam around the cove. She enjoyed the swim. It was invigorating.

[Weylin Quickshot]

Damned horse waking me up and these ungodly hours.

Weylin Quickshot yawned. She had been awoken rather rudely by Averti, the Bonded Strider she travelled with, and rather reluctantly forced into action. The stallion had gotten worse since they had arrived in Zeltiva, a playful nature consuming him. One that Weylin dispised when it awoke her before the sun had even yet to consider rising. She tried several times again to try and get back to sleep, yet Averti was persistent in keeping her awake. The Drykas therefore was forced to deal with the animal as it should be dealt with, by riding it. She threw the Yvas bag over the stallion, who knowing the instant of what her plan was, stayed still allowing her to tend to him in the dark of the night. She did not receive the opportunity to go back and grab her cloak, for already the horse forced her up before racing off. She barely managed to get a grip on the mane as he galloped off; his nostrils flared his hooves beating hard against the street. The sound echoed out into the sky, ringing off the cobblestone streets, sweat gleaming off the muscles as Weylin pulled herself up properly. Averti turned sharply round the corners, pushed his way through narrow alleys, letting the excitement of the rider and the strider take hold. Inevitably it woke Weylin up, and rather quickly, if not for the speed then for the cold of being out with her shirt, trousers and boots. The wind raced passed, stinging her ears, beating against her face, more as Averti pushed himself on, living the moment enjoying something he had craved for a long time.

“Slow down Averti!” she shouted at him “Too fast too soon!”
But the horse did not listen, he was enjoying himself too much. But he would never go too fast for Weylin, he was loyal to her like she was family, and her in return. After all the Drykas and their horses were family, to cause harm to one would cause harm to the other. And for Weylin at least a deep rage would grow from within for an aim on those who even dared slight Averti. After all, he was the only one she could rely on, the others she had left behind what seemed an age ago.
“Averti! Please listen to me!” she grasped on tightly.
Averti gave out a reluctant snort, and slowed down from a gallop to a trot, his hooves clicking against the floor. Weylin exhaled and patted his side, grateful that the strider still had sense in him.
“Look, if you want to ride fast we need open space. So let’s find somewhere else first.”

She exhaled, and sat up straight in the saddle, momentarily taking the moment to brush back her wild hair before tying it up tight. Averti was quiet good at leading himself at the moment, taking her to the far edges of Zeltiva, down the slopes, past the docks, lower and lower until the sound of stone turned to the crunch of sand. Weylin turned her head to take in the view, to watch the still ocean waves lap against the shore, and the stars be reflected off it like a mirror. Weylin took in the fresh sea air, her back straight, the look of a boy with his horse. Her eyes scanned the area, watching as she dismounted and took several steps away. Averti followed closely behind, no need to be lead by a bridal as he was quiet capable of leading himself. She rolled her eyes at the horse as he stamped his hooves, wanting the urge to run free for a while, and so Weylin removed the yvas bags, watching the majestic creature run free, burning off much needed energy. The Drykas lowered the bags to the floor, and sat on them as she watched the world go by, before announcing out,“You have too much energy Averti!” she laughed loudly as she watched the horse free his spirit.

[Arianthe Swansong]

She had been contemplating the sea, looking out to the horizon which led who knows where, to lost lands and forgotten cities, mountains of gold and whole palaces made of diamond. A world of new beings, men who were 12ft tall, women with their skin made of flames, a place where love and romance thrived.

Arianthe smiled. In this place, she gave way to a more fanciful side of her nature. When she was younger, she would make up magic worlds and write stories about the going-ons there. She laughed, remembering, for she had not thought about or even considered them in years. There had once been a palace in the clouds, called the Jade Palace, and it floated around with the wind, in the skies above Mizahar. There, there lived an Emperor and an Empress of a distant land, both dark haired and dark eyed, the emperor with copper skin, the empress with skin as white as snow. Arianthe sighed and let it go. There was no use holding on to fairytales and there was even less point in recalling the past.

It was then, in the midst of her reverie, that she heard the sound of hooves. In the quiet night, everything echoed around for miles so she could not tell how far away the horse, and therefore, in a likelihood, its rider too, were. She looked up and her eyes ran along the trees around the edge of the cove which formed a wall to protect her from prying eyes, the sandy white beach like a clearing in a forest.

Arianthe supposed that she knew that it was past six o'clock so obviously people were waking up now and, though she had never had any troubles in the past (Even in the middle of the day) the later it got, the more likely she was to be seen even if, as previously stated, she had never been caught out before.

[Weylin Quickshot]

Weylin watched the horse trot about, exploring the latest location on the list, touching and feeling everything with his muzzle. He had led his rider into a tree line that overlooked the cove, the still sand reflecting the low light. She kept the yavas bag swung over her shoulder as she dashed after the mighty creature, trying to keep him in some form of sight. Averti dashed off again, having seen something that had grabbed his attention. She broke out briefly from the tree line, her eyes tracing the shadows, looking for a sign of him. She paced the edge, the her breath labouring for a moment.

“Averti? Averti where are you?” she shouted out.
She stilled her ears twitching for sound. Only the sound of the waves answered, and so the Drykas stepped carefully along the top of the sand slope. A snapping branch caught her attention, and so she raced along the bank, feet sinking down as she pushed herself back up. The sand made it difficult to run with no solid ground in which to push off from. She caught a glimpse of a shadow in the tree line, and turned sharply to go back on herself but in the process she slipped backwards down the slope. Her footling lost she rolled down, landing in a heap at the bottom. She let out a groan as she stared up at the stars, the pinprick lights staring down at her. It took her moment to realise what happened, to gather her thoughts and sit up. She glanced up the slope to Averti standing there, a smug expression on his face, and then further down the beach to the direction the yavas had flown during her brief and unexpected flight.

She sighed “This is all your fault,” she pointed back at the stallion. Weylin stood, shaking the sand off her clothes as she took several large strides towards her target. She heard Averti’s hooves crunching against the sand as he came down the slope after her, almost nervously pawing the foreign substance beneath him, but then he came after Weylin, following her closely behind until the last moment in which he snatched the yvas from her fingers and dragged it away. She hung her head, a frown growing on her face as Averti gave a loud snort.
“So this is how it is going to be then? Fun and games until the sun has risen and set again. ”

[Arianthe Swansong]

At first, Arianthe had come to the conclusion that the sound must be a product of her imagination with every smallest sound multiplied by the shape of the clearing and the quietness of the night, but she had to admit that this second disturbance was well and truly there. Deciding not to risk going back to where she had left her clothing, she swam through the water to hide behind a rock from which point she could see if anyone emerged and if they were simply an early morning stroller or if they wished her harm. The rock was cold against her bare flesh and she caught herself shivering violently - she shouldn't stay in one place too long, but then again, she could not move without the danger that she would be seen.

Arianthe sighed and leaned, her back against the rock, her head looking up to sky. Was she being paranoid? People had told her she was before and although they had not been very nice people, she wondered if there was any truth in what they said.

The sky was really very beautiful when the night was fading so rapidly.

[Weylin Quickshot]

Weylin made chase across the sand, the stallion deciding it was time to involve his rider in his little game. He darted towards the ocean, splashing about in the shallows giving a challenging snort. For a moment she paused at the water edge, staring out across it, a look of worry passing through her features.
If the horse did indeed want to challenge her in the water, there was one small issue that had escaped his mind. Weylin could not swim.

She swallowed, and sheepishly looked at the water. It would be fine as long as she did not go too deep, as long as she only waded through it and as long as Averti did not drag her to deeper water. She took off her boots, and stepped in. For a moment she hesitated, mainly because of the cold, but then she remembered Averti was holding onto the Yvas, and it was something that she would rather not get too wet with sea water. She waded after him, her legs sloshing loudly, the unpleasant winter chill creeping in.
"Averti! Stop going deeper!" she shouted as she waded in to above the knee.
The stallion however had other ideas. He lured her in, bringing her up to her waist before ducking his head under her. It was at this moment that Weylin knew his attention, and the little trap he had got her in. She was thrown up onto his bare back, with no time to grip on. He raced into deeper water, with Weylin letting out a panicked cry.

He leapt about, having the time of his life, his coat becoming soaked by the sea spray. Weylin on the other hand was paralysed with fear; fear that she would simply fall into the deeper water and never emerge. Not in reality that it was that deep, it would of only come up to her shoulders. But, it was deep enough to make it appear bottomless and deep enough for her panicked mind to struggle and forget to find the floor. He still continued to leap about, even as Weylin barely managed to grab hold of his mane. He was in control, and not listening to her words to stop and slow down. He raced past and outcrop of rocks before sharply stopping. Weylin was thrown forward, a moment of suspension in mid air before being thrown into the icy water. And so Weylin begun to struggle, her arms thrashing and her mind blank on ideas on what to do.

[Arianthe Swansong]

Arianthe saw the horse then suddenly she saw it's rider - a slightly androgynous, short-haired pixie of a girl, a woman. Arianthe stood still, unsure of what to do. The girl was soaking wet now. Surely she would go home, then Arianthe could resume her swim or simply find her clothes and get out of there. Then something struck her... could the girl swim? A large majority of the people of Mizahar could not. Arianthe knew only the basics, how to paddle and get around in the mildly shallow end, enough to stay afloat in a still pool of cool water, though not to fight a tide and certainly not to help a drowning woman without risking drowning herself. Arianthe had an arm on the rock, delicate and marble against the sharp jagged grey, under the blue of the moon and the softly gilded light of the sun rising at one of the poles. Should she risk it? No. She was a coward to try such a lost cause, but not enough of one to not call for help for the sake of her own modest vanity. "Help! Help! There's a girl drowning here!" Her voice rang around the clearing, but what hope was there of anyone being anywhere near, at this time of day? "Help. Help." Arianthe was seized by panic and viciously shook away the thought that if one was to die over something so small and stupid, there was no nicer place for anyone to do so. This was a negative thought and he fervently wished to forget it. Of course, the girl would not die. "Help!"