[Text]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Someone is totally oblivious to the event going on. People missing? Experiments? He's been hermitting and playing HALO, and doesn't know about it, yet. Are there flickers at the corner of his vision? Just more of his brain playing tricks on him - totally business as usual.

He's got another problem, though, which is reaching critical importance.]

ii can't beliieve thii2.
ii need two complaiin two the fuckiing management or 2omethiing.
who the fuck giive2 a job that iinvolve2 2wiimmiing two a troll who'2 never been iin water deeper than hii2 ablutiion trap?
and they 2aiid ii can't change iit and ii have two go!

how hard ii2 iit two learn how two 2wiim?
doe2 anyone who DOE2N'T have giill2 have any iidea how two do thii2?

Comments

[ocariness]

the pool is fairly large
you'd have a hard time staying on the bottom without a weight, right?
you can just take them off when you don't need them
i've been in a similar situation before, so i don't mind letting you use my things

[thekidsare0kay]

oh, ii get iit.
2o iit won't be 2wiimmiing 2o much a2 walkiing on the bottom.

[ocariness]

precisely
but i can still teach you
if you'd like?

[thekidsare0kay]

yeah!
ii'd liike that, iif only becau2e iit'2 probably a u2eful 2kiill.
and anyway ii'll have two 2wiim two get 2ome part2.
ii've got my power2, but iit'2 hard two u2e them two fly under water.

[ocariness]

i see
i am in the library at present, then--we could meet, then at the pool and i could teach you
would that be acceptable?

[thekidsare0kay]

yeah, 2ound2 good.
ii'll meet you there iin a few miinute2, then.

[Action]

[thekidsare0kay]

[And he's waiting by the pool, wearing white swimming trunks and sitting a bit back from the edge.]

[ocariness]

[ Link arrives with her iron boots and her blue tunic in arm. She's always armed, of course, but one has to wonder how you could wear a sword, shield, and such heavy equipment on TOP of carrying an extra set of clothing and a pair of heavy as heck boots.

... Then again, she has gloves that can lift just about anything, so who knows. The Hylian gives Sollux a smile. ]

Hello.

[thekidsare0kay]

[Oh. She's a lot prettier than he expected. And she's the first human he's met with pointed ears. He scrambles up and smiles at her.]

Hi! Um, you're Link? I'm Thollukth.

[ocariness]

Yes, I am.

[ Also extremely androgynous. But from a troll perspective, yeah, the whole green forest tunic thing and tights... welp. Yeah. Kinda girly, despite all that low-tech equipment on her back, which she sets down. ]

We can start with the basics. Though... this pool is really deep, I don't want any accidents in the water... are you okay with these?

[ She offers Sollux the Zora tunic she had with her and sets her Iron boots nearby. Probably also magic, considering they're only heavy when worn. Luckily, she isn't very big, so they'll all probably fit him fine. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Thankfully, since he's a twink. He takes the items and pulls on the shirt curiously.]

If we thtick to the shallow areath to thart, hopefully that'll help. I think there are platheth that aren't ath deep. Should I put the bootth on now or leave them until I get a bit of practithe?

[ocariness]

[ Thoughtful pausing... ]

I would wait a bit. Either way, as long as you wear that, the magic in it should keep you from drowning.

[ She knows, she's been through a whole flooded Temple in it, man. It's saved her life on countless occasions. ]

We'll worry about one thing at a time, otherwise.

[thekidsare0kay]

Yeah, okay. [So he leaves the boots where they are and walks to the water's edge, then stands there nervously, shifting from foot to foot.

He glances at her, realizes he's being a wriggler in front of a pretty girl, and takes a deep breath.]

O-okay... I'm getting in the water, now...

[And he starts to wade into the water]

[ocariness]

[ Link smiles in good nature, in no way the type to ever make fun of anyone. After all, she'd been through that herself, so she merely watches Sollux with a cautious, but warm gaze.

They are in the shallow end, so she knows there's less risk involved. Stepping in herself after leaving her equipment enarby, she cups her hands, making a slow motion of floating there. ]

The most basic thing to keep in mind is that your body will always float in water. It can be tedious, but buoyancy is very important in swimming, and so is keeping your hands closed.

[ Here, Sollux. See her gentle movement and how she just bobs up and down a bit, only doing enough to float there, stationary? ]

Try to copy my movements.

[thekidsare0kay]

[You mean if you don't do anything, you will still float? He stares at her, then cautiously tries to copy her.

He doesn't have much body fat - in fact, one can count every rib on his skinny body - so floating isn't quite as easy as it looks. But he tries gamely, even as his eyes spark with red and blue electricity, his nervous energy escaping his control.]

Keeping my handth clothed?

[ocariness]

[ Aw, Sollux. Don't be TOO nervous, she is certain it'll just take a bit of practice. Skinny or not, he's not sinking, so it's a good start!

She makes a cupped motion in the water with her own hand, keeping her fingers tightly together, to demonstrate. ]

Like this, yes. If they're open, then you're not going to move through the water very well. It's always wiser to take things slowly at first, and to remain calm.

[ Don't worry, Sollux--she'll continue to give you simple step by step instructions because spoilers: the mun cannot swim at all. They're really quite easy to follow. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Okay, as he fails to either sink to the bottom or get eaten by sea monsters, the sparking stops and he relaxes a bit. Soon, with her patient instruction, he is paddling around the shallow end awkwardly, trying to keep his face above the water and scowling as a bit gets into his mouth]

Thith ithn't tho hard...

[ocariness]

No, just a bit wet.

[ She smiles. ]

Diving isn't very difficult, either. Here, let me show you...

[ And she patiently begins explaining to Sollux the best ways to dive, and how important it is never to panic underwater.

Although, as she'd previously said, as long as he has her tunic, he should be alright. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[He listens intently, quite cognizant of the fact that this could save his life someday. Putting his face under the water is something she has to coax him to do, but he finally does start diving down to touch the bottom, once he realizes that where he is, he can just stand up if he feels like he's running out of air. The shirt is working, too, but it's hard for him to trust that a SHIRT will keep him from drowning.

Gradually, he finds himself tiring - swimming is hard work! - and he grabs onto the side, panting hard.]

Wow, thankth Link. I think I need to retht for a bit. Uh, but thith ith really great.

[ocariness]

[ She nods, after all this. She's in good shape, but of course, she isn't going to push him. What was important, in the end, was that Sollux learned something from this, not that he had worked to learn it. ]

It's fine. I was glad to help. It won't do you any good to push yourself too hard, either, after all.

[ Does she get a piece of heart or a bottle--I mean what ]