Flashback [Deepwater Hole] Sink or Swim

[Fallon]

18th Winter 504AV
Mid afternoon

It was not often that the young Fallon dared to wander far from the path of the city and set herself upon an adventure through the Isle, mainly due to the insistent words of the mentor. But today was different, if anything because she had chosen to go against his words and explore. Or at least explore as best she could, she had quickly discovered a majority of the city was beneath the surface of water and out of the way of visitors. Never the less, the adventure of the day had lead her to the edge of the island and staring down into the depths of a rather steep descending water hole. Leaning over she looked at the sharp drop into the deep water below, before her eyes drifted around the edge of it and down along the rocky descent to the western edge. She inhaled the cool winter air, still looking, her ears twitching in the near silence of it all.

The girl clambered along the edge, gripping onto branches as she continued her exploration. She gave a glance at the water once more, staring into the mirror like surface and then snapped back to safety and the solid rock. Shuffling along with her hands pressed against the surface behind her, the girl went lower still as she went round to the lower western edge before stopping at a lower ledge. The path she had taken was a gradual - though rocky - descent that brought her closer to the water. It was still a big drop down though, or at least it was to Fallon who was somewhat small at this age. Leaning over the edge once more she stared at the wall of stone that towered above before tracing down its gullies and cracks were water drained from it.

For a while she perched there arms wrapped around her to fight off the chill in the air. It was a lot cooler in comparison to home, the people fewer in number. Though even the girl had to admit that in Mura they were a lot more pleasant. She stretched out and turned her eyes to the water, leaning right over to look at the shadows that danced beneath the surface. The dark depths swayed, only on occasion did they receive the glimmer of the winter sun barely breaking through to reveal what existed there. The girl leaned out futher still, the clouds and sky being revealed, crisp and sharp in her sight. Fallon reached up and grasped on to an over hanging branch to support herself from as she looked out futher. She rose on to her toes as she began to hang out, arms and legs stretching and straining above the drop.

It is said that there is a fine line between courage and foolishness. And it was on this occasion that Fallon had perfectly presented the later of the two. The branch released a groan as the girl reached the pinnacle of her leaning, and no sooner had it released that noise did it give. The branch snapped and splintered, a crack filling the air as Fallon felt herself tipping forward. She twisted as she felt her arms flail wildly in the air, the branch shooting past her into to the water below. Her foot kicked out as she tried to find solid ground and return her balance. Fate however had other plans for her. She tumbled backwards a cry of panic marking her descent before finally she met the surface with a mighty crash. She sunk into the water, arms thrashing as the once hidden world was revealed to her. Hands shot up clawing at the surface, legs frantically kicking to push herself up. Not that it seemed to work too well, her efforts only dragged her down deeper.
x

[Eleret]

Eleret had a problem. A small one, to be sure; nothing earth-shaking or tide-stopping, only the mundane sort of difficulty any artist might confront, when the imagery of the final product she desired would not mesh with the reality of the material she worked upon. The Konti dealt with this problem by not directly addressing it -- instead, she had set her tools down and gone for a walk. Clear air, clear mind. As her feet found their own way to no destination in particular, Eleret set all thoughts of art, wood, and carving from her mind. She looked to the trees instead, silver-leaved with the winter, and the birds which darted through their branches. She looked to the shrubbery beyond her feet, much of it bare-limbed over a carpet of loam and fallen leaves. And she looked out towards the lake -- or rather, the great cliffs which plummeted down into it, the water itself not being visible from her current vantage. What she could see was a girl silhouetted against the horison, perched atop the rocks and leaning out for a better view. Eleret slowed to regard the girl with a small, wry smile. At first, she thought nothing of it -- her position was certainly precarious, but any number of Konti went over that ledge (deliberately or otherwise) every season, and came out none the worse for it. Then it sank in that the girl's hair was too dark for any Konti child...in the moment that the branch she clung to broke and the girl went tumbling down. A panicked wail soared up in the girl's wake, bringing the watching Konti to the cliff's edge as a great plume of water exploded from the surface. She looked down to see the girl clawing at the water and clearly not making any headway. Could she not swim? She was leaning out over Deepwater Hole and couldn't swim? But there wasn't time for reproach now. There being no one else around to address this greater problem, Eleret took a running leap from the escarpment, on a different bearing from the girl altogether. She hit the water feet-first, with her legs held together and her arms pressed close to her sides. Beneath the lake's surface, the Konti spent a moment waiting for the disturbed water to clear so she could orient on the flailing girl; once she had her bearing, Eleret swam towards her, momentarily wishing she could easily speak through the water -- and that the girl would comprehend if she tried. Hopefully, she'd go still when the Konti came up to her, even without direction...

[Fallon]

She could not cry out. She could not ask for help. She could only struggle and pray that someone or something had noticed her. But it was winter, and no one knew where she was. Not even her mentor knew. If only she had listened to him, then this have would never have happened. If only she had never chosen to explore and instead sit around bored in the safety of the city, not drowning and fighting for her very life for air. Something that she never had truly taken for granted right up and till this instant. As thought raced through, those flickering moments of regrets came through her. She should have listened, she should of paid attention. And perhaps also taken up on the idea of having swimming lessons.

Fallon sunk. Her jaw clenched, her movements growing more and more sluggish by the tick. Her lungs grew tight as she shot a hand up to the rippling surface a final desperate grab for anything. She wanted to breathe. She needed the air, but it was nowhere within reach at present. Panic ruled for an instant, but it did not last her mind had turned into a simple state that called out one thing to her. Survive. Even when the Konti came over to her she did not register she was there. Not that there was exactly much in the way of flailing any more. Fingers gave a final grasp for the sky, before the arm went limp.

The girl felt herself inhaling, a reflex action that she had so desperately tried to avoid in this situation. Water rushed in, and she let out a splutter and a cough in an attempt to push it away, to be rid of the thing that would suffocate her. It almost felt as if she was burning, her innards ripping and tearing as she felt the dregs creep down. Breaking point was coming too quickly. She no longer had the strength in her to struggle, and so she surrendered she turned still. There was no use in fighting now, was there? Another few ticks then there would be nothing left to worry about. She choked again, glazed over eyes turning to the Konti before the water turned to a blur.
x

[Eleret]

The girl reached up towards the surface, then went still in a way that seemed wrong -- a way that seemed not deliberate. Her eyes looked at the Konti as Eleret came up beside her, but Eleret wasn't sure the hapless human actually saw the pale figure in the water. There was no evident response, no recognizable reaction to her aid as she grabbed for the girl's torso and pulled her close. There was no resistance either, but Eleret would have preferred that. It would have been a good sign for the girl, however troublesome in and of itself. She shortly found it was much harder to kick while clinging to the girl; not only was she moving more weight for the same amount of effort, but her legs had a tendency to tangle with the girl's if her attention wavered even a little. And her shoes, beneficial as they were on land, only hampered the Konti in the water; that mattered much more now than it had just moments before. Eleret kicked them off and let them sink into the algae-lit depths without a second thought, then surged towards the surface, hauling the girl up with her -- and worrying all the while. How long could a human endure underwater without dying? The girl's spluttering and coughing, once she had air to breathe again, did a good deal to alleviate Eleret's greatest concern. Still, she didn't want to just settle for getting the girl's head back above water. A human who couldn't swim needed dry land beneath her feet -- but to get there, they'd have to go all the way out past the cliffs lining Deepwater Hole. Towing another person. How did she go about doing that, when said other person wasn't a swimmer in their own right? Paramount, of course, was the need to keep the girl's face out of the water. "If you... are flat, on your back," the Konti said as they bobbed at the surface, hoping the girl would hear and understand, "you can... stay on the top of the water. I will help you with that," she assured. Meanwhile, Eleret angled her own body away from the girl, so she wouldn't have to spare so much attention to keep from kicking her. Then she shifted her grip and slid around a little more behind the girl, her other hand pushing at her back to try and encourage her into the float. She thought that if she could put the girl's left shoulder across her chest, the girl could float and breathe while Eleret both supported her and moved them towards the shore. Towards... she spared a moment to consider the lake's edges. That point on the shore, the Konti decided, placing a mental tag on its direction. But she didn't start for it just yet, wanting to be sure the girl was okay to continue first.

[Fallon]

She choked and gasped the water parting as she was dragged up from its depths and into the open air. Water spilled forth from her mouth, first as a gurgle then as a cough and splutter. Oxygen rushed into the deprived body, starved lungs fighting to flush out the liquid and drag in what it desired most. Short of that her mind was thinking of little else than this current godsend. Fallon lapped up the air, eyes widening almost in surprise that she had broken the surface when she had all but failed before. There was a tremble in the limbs, cold skin shivering as the world was opened before her. Thought crept its way in, questions seeking answers, a body stirring back into life.

The girl gave a cough, her sluggish arms swaying in the water, her chest rising and falling as she savoured the air. It was still a blur, a strange world that she could hardly focus upon. Her head rolled when she heard that voice, glazed eyes wavering as they searched for it. The pressing of a hand against her back made Fallon register there was indeed another about along with that distinctive sound of rippling water. Something or - more correctly - someone was supporting her and encouraging her to float. Or at least try to.

“What?” the girl barely managed to breathe. Her dulled eyes managed to look upon the pale arm, her features having turned pinched in the cool. Her legs swished slightly in the water. She went with the guidance that was placed upon her and tried to encourage herself to float up completely to the surface so she was flat. She gave a second tremble, her heavy legs gliding up and her back quickly following up after it. Perhaps it was not quite parallel with it, but it was as close as she was going to get.

Her fingers twitched, and her arms bent slightly. Part of her wanted to move, to thrash about and fight against the water. But there was no strength, there was no energy. It had been for the most part sapped out of her by her experience mere chimes before. Her eyelids flickered as once more she looked up upon the sky, her consciousness of what was going on slowly registering other than the fact she was definitely not dead.
x

[Eleret]

The girl gasped, and moved, and breathed, which gratified Eleret immensely. For her part, she continued to tread water as the girl settled into a float, waiting, watching... the girl didn't thrash, didn't flounder, but hung there at the surface, seeming stable. She didn't speak that the Konti could hear, but Eleret wasn't going to complain. The important thing -- the very first thing -- was to get the human safe. Then they could talk, if the girl was amenable. Though she thought it appropriate to say a little more now, before they continued. "Good," Eleret approved of the girl's floating. "Stay this way. It is all you need to do. Is okay?" Though she wasn't going to wait long for assent, as unengaged as the girl seemed to be. "I will take you to shore." The Konti positioned herself as best she could under the girl's shoulder, wrapping her arm across the girl's chest to secure them together. Then she kicked to propel them forward, her free hand also pushing against the water in slow, steady strokes. Slow. Steady. Constant. She didn't need to hurry, as long as the girl was floating -- and provided the girl didn't panic, she could float nigh forever. In other circumstances, Eleret would have continued to offer reassurance throughout their gradual progress towards the shore. That would've also helped distract her from other considerations -- like was she still on-target and how much farther did they have to go, again. The distance was interminable, the passing time impossible to count, when all she could see was the sky above, however clear and beautiful a blue. She wanted to be done. The Konti loved the water, swam often in lake and sea alike -- but towing someone else quickly proved an awful lot more work. She probably wasn't even doing it "right" -- but they were moving, at least... somewhere. Eventually, Eleret couldn't go on not looking. Advising the girl to "Stay one moment," she disentangled herself and lowered her feet so she could turn for a look... only to have her feet hit bottom. Apparently, they had gone quite a ways indeed! And overshot her original mark besides -- but shallows were shallows, not to be begrudged. "It is good," she said, keeping one hand under the girl's shoulder as reassurance more than actual support. "Your feet down, slow, there is ground underneath."

[Fallon]

Blue sky passed over head, the gentle swaying of the water beneath her as she was pulled along. Her chest rose and fell her head lulling slightly at the words of whoever was pulling her. She felt stiff in honesty and her limbs refused to bend and move. The chill still hung in the water, a shiver travelling through her. Gods it was cold, and it was the cold that commanded her along with stunting her potential to truly comprehend what had happened. Her mind struggled to piece together what had happened. She remembered climbing down the side of the hole, and staring out across the mirror surface of the water below.

Her breathing turned steady, less desperate for it than before. The immediate danger had passed for the moment, and all that was left was the strange sense of calm. Or at least until once more the words of the woman came to her. The support was taken from her, the sound of movement filling her ears. She swayed upon the surface for a tick, her sluggish mind feeling herself sing slightly. Her aid had been stripped from her and panic once more began to creep in. She encouraged her arms to come to life, her legs to kick and move to prevent further sinking into the depths.

The common tongue reached her, the reassuring touch returning and guiding her. Tentatively she obeyed, the boot gingerly pressing against the ground, weak toes bending against the surface. There was a slip, as she wobbled and trembled in the shallows. The foot kicked up beneath her, and she dropped slightly. Not too much, but enough to cause her to jerk sharply onto the other foot. The bottom was indeed beneath her, solid firm ground that seemed exceptionally unreal. Then again the scenario so far had turned into a dream in the mind of the young Fallon, a very cold and potentially dangerous dream. Wrapping her arms around her she tried to find her footing.

Eyes turned to the hand and then up the arm to the owner. She hunched inwards, fingers flexing and gripping to the soaked sleeves. This woman, or Konti to be more specific, had put herself into a similar state. Fallon gave a murmur of “thanks,” and gave a slow blink. She had to keep steady, else she would end up back in the depths again.
x

[Eleret]

The girl flailed a bit as she was left to herself in the water, but evidently kept her head, soon following Eleret's directions and letting her feet drop down. She stumbled on the lake floor, Eleret bracing to support her -- but then the girl found her own footing again, remaining able to carry her own weight. The Konti's hand at her shoulder provided reassurance more than anything, the knowledge that she could and would step in if the girl faltered again. The girl wrapped her arms about herself and began to shiver in the air -- no wonder, for she was soaked through. So was Eleret herself, and barefoot to boot; thankfully, it was still only early winter, and not so frigid as the Isle could be. But nonetheless, the cold air bit the Konti in a way the lake's water did not, and her next thought was to get them both to shelter. Not to mention dry. The girl said nothing, only a murmur, blinking at Eleret; that seemed cause for worry. Was she sick, to be incapable of speech? She stood under her own power and continued to breathe, so seemed well, but the Konti didn't like the lack of reaction she gave. "Come," she said, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders and nudging her towards the shore. "We will walk up and go to my mother's house. It is dry and much warmer." And Ne'len should be there, to pronounce the health of the girl... or lack thereof. "My name is Eleret," she continued, as they splashed their way towards the shore, then out onto dry ground and in the direction of the city. "If you wonder."

[Fallon]

There was a shiver, followed by a tremble as the girl was sheparded forward and away from the immediate source of cold and ills. The groggy movements swayed through the water, the splashing turning to a wade as the shore came closer. The words of Eleret also helped in encouraging swifter movement, the firm arm across the shoulders being there to serve as that final push in the right direction. It would have been easy to surrender and give up at this present time, but the ideals of warmth and being dry nudged against her numb mind.

When the shore was reached however, and Fallon finally clawed her way up onto the solid earth did she actually stop. Tired legs buckled beneath her, her palms pressing against the ground as she reached a mark of progress. She gave a swallow, and looked up to Eleret with a tired expression, then back to the water behind them. There was a flicker of surprise. She was out of the water. She was alive and breathing. She was not dead. Drawing in a deep breath after a chime or two, the girl pushed herself back up once more. Her feet tapped against the ground, numb, damp toes being encouraged into life as the girl looked onwards.

“Fallon. Fallon is my name. Just Fallon. Nothing else,” she just about remembered her manners. As and when the pair would move off again, Fallon would follow the best she could. And most importantly she would try to keep up. She gave a glance as she went after the Konti, her steps still slow and sluggish as she awoke properly to the world around her. The city seemed to be the obvious destination, and it was territory she was slightly more familiar with. Though only barely, so she stuck close where she could. She did not fancy the idea of getting lost after all.
x

[Eleret]

The girl huddled gratefully on the not-quite-dry shore, Eleret feeling a moment's concern as she just... clung to the ground for what surely must have been several chimes. She looked up at the Konti, aware, breathing, seeming otherwise okay except for being in a heap on the earth. Eleret gave her an encouraging smile -- and in time, the girl hauled herself back upright. She gave her name, and Eleret nodded in reply. "It is good to meet you, Fallon," she said, although the politeness -- however sincere -- seemed a bit out of place in this circumstance. It certainly wasn't good that Fallon plummeted into Deepwater Hole! But now, it was time for them to leave the Hole behind. Eleret led the way down the lakeshore a little ways, until she found a place where the brush was thinner and they could cut through to the path which mostly paralleled the shore. Bare as her feet were, the stones of the shore were unpleasant to walk on; but it was the fallen sticks in the shrubbery which worried her, being potentially much smaller in cross-section. The Konti minced her way through the brush, holding back branches as she could to make the way clearer for the girl who followed behind. Attaining the path was a decided relief -- rough though it was, defined more by the many feet which frequented the cliffs overlooking Deepwater Hole than by deliberate design and care, it was neither rock nor stick-and-leaf-littered soil. Nonetheless, her bare feet mandated a slow pace even there, Eleret checking back often to ensure the girl was doing well enough as she followed. As they walked, her clothes eventually ceased to drip, though they never dried, remaining a clammy and uncomfortable burden. Fortunately, the city wasn't too far away -- only a little ways around the lake's perimeter. There, the paths were clear and free of all manner of debris -- though Eleret walked even slower still, despite that, her feet greatly protesting the long barefoot walk. She didn't even want to look at them... and besides that, thought that if she stopped, she wouldn't start again. So Eleret didn't stop. She led the way on, to a two-story cottage as white as much of Mura's construction was, with a variety of flowerbeds tucked around its base. Though none bore flowers in this cold season, they were clearly well-tended, and likely beautiful to behold in the spring and summer. Eleret led the way to the front door and opened it without knocking, gesturing Fallon into the main room and towards the kitchen hearth plainly visible on the far side. "Go, be warm," she directed the girl. "I will get towels, and clothes... I think mine will be fit fine to you." In addition to the main room and the not-quite-separate kitchen, the interior had a closed door which might have a bedroom behind it, and stairs leading up in one corner. It was up the stairs that Eleret disappeared, once Fallon seemed to have getting warm well in hand. Shortly afterwards, an attentive Fallon might have heard the rhythm of indistinct voices coming from the second floor, one Eleret's and the other also sounding female.