• Closed • [Lake Lovalus/River Zynyx] Swimming Lessons

[Aneka Tristal]

Swimming Lessons

Vhalar 2, 718

Aneka felt the heat just get a bit too unbearable today, she's used to the hot cycle's trials of painfully annoying heat, but even she had her limit. She needed to cool down and relax for a day since the heat was still blazing.

She knew of a spot where her father would take her and her brother during the Hot Cycle to swim and get out of the heat. It was right outside the city, about a few minutes walk from the walls following the river.

Aneka just wanted a little relaxing day, a picnic... Sadly Phobos didn't want to join, Ilia was busy with work and Ilu was busy being a Thunder Priestess. So that pretty much left her alone as she walked down the path, listening to the sound of the running river, without people with her it was quite calming, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

So far, she's been happy, content, but now she's striving for something, she's been working hard to protect her family, she was getting stronger, a better sword fighter, a better knight, and generally just better than she was a few years ago, when all she did was just mope and fight with no clear goal in mind.

She brought her bag, and some food along with her, just some bread, and meats and of course, two bottles of wine, a bottle of ale, and a bottle of mead and some cheese.

She brought a lot of food and drink, mostly because she thought she would have her family with her today, but they were busy today and she was busy for the next few days, so she was getting whatever rest she could. This did leave her quite sad and lonely but she was a master of pushing her sad thoughts to the back of her mind.

She eventually reached the part of the river where she spent her Saun trials in her youth, memories flooded back into her as she sat down by the river, remembering how her father taught her how to swim. She sat there for a moment, soaking in the flashes of memories she was having, closing her eyes and listening to the river.

She remembered how she would dunk her brother's head under the water, splash him in the face while he was trying to dry off or push him into the river when he didn't want to. Of course her father eventually put a stop to it before she could seriously hurt Phobos.

She laughed softly to herself and got up from where she was sitting and started taking off her clothes. She tossed them over her bag and stretched a bit.

Her body was full of healed scars, cuts, bruises, and the like, despite her lithe frame, she was fairly buff, showing that she had well defined muscles, from abs, to biceps, and her legs. She undid the ties on her hair and let her long golden hair free, covering a good portion of her back.

She walked over to the water and stepped into it, feeling the cold water send shivers up her body. She sighed and stepped deeper in to the river, and bending down to wash her hair.


"Common", "Rakahi"

[Cail Qy'Jihai]

Cail walked out of the docks while popping her neck. She had not been in the city of Rharne very long, but it seemed there was woods nearby. The girl had never seen trees up close before; only from the edge of the ship as it pulled away from port. It would be several more days before she was contracted to take some trade goods over to Rynmere; so, the girl decided to take advantage of the down time. The biqaj pulled on her boots and smiled excited to get in the water again. Locking the door to her cabin, it was only a matter of seconds before she was down the gang plank and racing up the docks. The sound of her boots hitting the wood created a pleasing sound in her ears.

“Excuse me, can you tell me of a safe place to swim on the lake where I am clear of the ships coming in?” Cail asked a local guard that was patrolling then.

Nodding, the girl looked towards where the man said before thanking him and racing out of the dust quarter. She was glad that it was not necessary to go through the city itself to get there. That cut down a lot of her travel time, the girl slowed as her lungs began to burn needing air. Stopping nearly to the tree line, her legs burned with the sudden push of movement. Sniffing gently the girl turned her head to the sky and watched the blue color stretch out above her. There wasn’t even a cloud in sight for relief from the unbearable heat. Wiping some sweat from her forehead, Cail took up a light jog to make it the rest of the way to the water. The sound of splashing caused the girl to stop and look around.

“Triton, fetch,” Cail stated looking at the animal.

With a growl Triton put his nose to the ground and started sniffing around. Catching a scent, the dog barked and ran after it. The girl was hot on his tail making sure not to lose him. It took a few moments before the pair appeared in the clearing; the sight of a blond person in the water greeted them. Clicking her tongue, Cail called the dog back to her side spotting a basket that had what she guessed was food. Popping her neck, the girl took off her boots and rolled up her pants before dipping her feet in the water. Groaning, she wiped her face clean of water when Triton took a running leap into the water. If they had been quiet before the sudden splashing would surely alert the person to their presence.

"Speech"
credit to Maebella from Free to Use

[Aneka Tristal]

Swimming Lessons

Aneka bathed in the water, washing her hair, letting her mind wander a bit, this area was close enough to the city that large beasts were rare and smaller creatures didn't seem to bother people much, she did leave her guard down, she wanted to just relax for a bit. She rubbed herself down, getting the sweat and grime off with the help of the river.

She was a bit too focused on her own cleaning that she didn't notice the person and dog that were watching her. When she heard the splash close by, she turned around, and adopted a fighting stance, her balance was off because she was in the flowing river, but she was quick to react. But before she could do anything she noticed that the source of the splash was a canine, not a wolf, but a dog.

She then turned to see the owner of the energetic dog. A familiar face she had met recently... What was her name again? She went over to Triton and looked him over.

"Wait... Cail right? That's her name, and you must be Triton." She said to the swimming dog. She then waved over to the brunette, completely forgetting she was buck naked at the moment. "Hey Cail right? Come in, the water's fine!"

She called and looked down, seeing her naked form, Rharne was not known for their modesty, she'd seen her fair share, but it was rather embarrassing and she didn't like revealing as much as was needed.

She blushed and covered her body up with her hands, but it was a bit too late now. "H-Hey! What brings you here? Are you stalking me?" She said in a teasing matter, although it was quite flattering if she was stalking her, but alas she didn't swing that way.

"I was just having a bit of a bath before getting some lunch for a picnic, I was hoping to bring family, but it seemed they were quite busy today." She said with a small frown on her face. "Anyway, I hope you're not squeamish about being naked, I know some people are, but most of em are prissy noble types and you seem like a down to Idalos kinda gal!" She smiled and brushed back a few strands of wet hair.

In truth, Aneka was a bit glad she had company to spend the day with, drinking and eating alone seemed depressing honestly, although she
tried convincing herself that it didn't affect her, she was still happy that she had someone to talk to now.


"Common", "Rakahi"

[Cail Qy'Jihai]

Cail looked over when the person finally surfaced. It was the female knight from the day before. Raising an eyebrow, she tried to figure out why the other woman covered her body. So she was naked so what? The young biqaj had seen plenty of people of both genders naked. That was a required part of swimming. The female had only seen someone swim with clothes on once and that did not look like fun. It seemed to be rather difficult to move once the clothing began to cling to the person's skin.

“Why do you cover yourself? It is only natural to swim without clothes on,” Cail stated in a matter of fact kind of way.

The invitation to join both animal and human in the water was well received. Standing up, the girl stripped and backed up some. Taking a deep breath, she ran forward and jumped in loving the feel of the cold water on her skin. It was refreshing to have a place to cool off from the godly heat lately. Surfacing the girl flipped her hair back out of her face and smirked when Triton swam over to her. Smiling at the dog, she loved on him before picking him up and throwing him back into the water.

“I was not stalking. Triton smelled you while we walked away from the city. Do you normally have people following you from the city?” Cail asked.

She moved closer using her toes to lightly push her body forward. Her arms moved in a stroking pattern keeping the momentum going. The girl waited for the other to respond before diving and swimming around under the water. Cail worked on keeping her eyes open so that they would get used to the strange feeling. It would do her no good to try and swim in the ocean if she could not see anything. That was the perfect way to get eaten by a shark which was the last thing on her mind. Triton made sure of it before the girl went to bed each night by jumping on her body and curling up. He insisted on sleeping with her even though there was a bed by the hammock for him to sleep on at night. She surfaced and pushed her hair back out of her face again before wading around the other female.

“You seem upset by something. What is on your mind?” Cail inquired gently turning her head to the side.

The woman knew that she had to make some attempt at friends or at least connections within the city. Her father always being in trouble had been a good example of just that. He would start a fight and her mother would get him out of trouble every time. Cail asked once why she always helped him instead of leaving, but her mother had simply patted her on the head before telling her time would teach her the meaning of loyalty. The young biqaj had never doubted her own loyalty to her father; it just seemed in her mind that letting him sit in jail for a few days would do him some good.

"Speech"
credit to Maebella from Free to Use

[Aneka Tristal]

Swimming Lessons

"Cover myself? I usually don't, but the nobles up in the Glass Quarter are a bunch of prudes." She said and removed her hands and struck a pose. "Oh, how dreadfully uncouth, at least cover yourself up! or I shall call the guards, you brute!" She said in a mocking noble accent, before laughing it off.

The woman jumped into the water, splashing and sending water everywhere, Aneka just slicked her hair back and waited for her to surface. "I'm kidding about the stalking thing, and luckily for me, I don't have to worry about that. My sister though... I had to break a few bones for her when some of the patrons from where she works don't take no for an answer."

She smiled when the dog was swimming as well, he seemed to be pretty good. Heck better than her anyway. She could swim but not very fast or gracefully. Kind of embarrassing for someone that loves swimming, has a half-biqaj sister, she should at least be better than the dog. It didn't much phase her though, just a mild annoyance that her skills weren't up to par.

She gave Triton a small splash and turned to Cail. She swam over to her, rather clumsily. "Dang, It's been so long I've actually forgotten how to swim properly..." She muttered under her breath and she dove under the water, she instinctively had her eyes closed as she dove, it not that she didn't want to open her eyes, she just didn't think about it and let her instincts take over, and they said to keep her eyes shut.

She eventually resurfaced and rubbed the water off her face. "Huh? Am I really that easy to read?" She said with a small smile. "I wanted to have a picnic with family, but they were busy today so... That sorta puts a hole in my plan for having a family day out huh?" She said and swam a little further from the shore.

"So what made you come all the way out here? I love the ocean as much as the next gal, but wouldn't you get tired of the water after being on sea for who knows how long?" She said and tried to do that trick her dad showed her, lying down on her back in the water, only for her to fall in head first and getting some water stuck in her nose.

She surfaced and blew out the water from her nose with a somewhat annoyed look. "Should probably practice that some other time when I'm not with people to embarrass myself in front of."


"Common", "Rakahi"

[Cail Qy'Jihai]

The girl’s head turned to the side as her companion for the afternoon spoke of the glass quarter. It made her want to go find the place and get them really acquainted with the female form. Though the thought of guards arresting her was not a fun thing to think of. That was certainly the last thing she wanted her father to hear of for sure. He would never let the girl forget bringing such “dishonor” upon their family name in such a way. With a sigh, she wished that her life wasn’t run by tradition and honor all the time.

“It sounds like the people there need to spend a week on the open water. See how long they stay dressed up,” Cail stated with a snort.

The biqaj was curious about the warrior’s family the more she talked about them. Turning her head to the side again brown hair peeled away from her face some while other parts were stuck fast. The girl watched as the young knight dove under the water and closed her eyes. One eyebrow arched up in confusion while watching contently. Cail smiled when Triton barked and tried to bite at the water when Aneka splashed at him.

“Having fun?” Cail asked with a smirk the question from the blond made the girl look forward, “what made me come here? I came to prove myself to my family. My father is the captain of a merchant fleet that hauls large cargos over the sea. It was where I grew up, where I learned to swim though not well, where I learned to walk, and where I learned how to sail. It is all I have ever known. The sea is my home, but I feel different about it now. I am unsure of if it is for me. I want to prove that all his time teaching me was not wasted. But no one here knows me or trusts me which could be my fault I’m sure.”

"Speech"
credit to Maebella from Free to Use

[Aneka Tristal]

Swimming Lessons

"Hah, spend a second in a Dust Quarter bar and they'll be forced to lighten the fek up. Never understood why they're so uptight all the dang time." She said and wiped off the water from her face and gave Cail a big smile. She loved Rharne because it was her city, and despite the nobles being a bunch of stuck up pack of pricks, at least they know how to make good booze, so they're at least better in her eyes than other nobles of the different cities.

She swam over to Trion and gave him a little head pat as they played in the water. "Yeah I'm having fun, thanks for coming along, it was pretty boring just being alone swimming. I really wish I could have brought my family here though, they'd love to meet you! Heck, I'd even tolerate my brother, he's just a huge stick in the mud and that stick is shoved up his ass! It's just 'work work work' for that dumbass, never time for any of us... But he's still my brother so I gotta not punch him as punch."

She went over to Cail and gave her a little hollow smile. "So do you have any siblings? Seems like your dad's really strict, at least being strict shows how much he cares for you. My dad was... not really all that strict, he was a big softie now that I think about it, I was a bit of a spoiled brat now that I think about it." She gave a hearty laugh at the memory of her younger self.

She listened to Cail's concern about the trading business. "Well, the thing about Rharne is that they're pretty hard to people they don't know or trust, but show to them you're a pal and trustworthy and they'll be good business partners in the future and very loyal!" She said with full confidence.


"Common", "Rakahi"

[Cail Qy'Jihai]

Cail listened and chuckled when the girl talked about the dust quarter loosen the snobs butt cheeks. The young Biqaj had met a few of her own people that tended to act the same way. As if they are better than the rest just because of who their family was. One of her best friends from childhood embarked on her own journey to make a name. It almost seems like a right of passage for the young within the Biqaj race. Go out and make their own connections without their parent's help was the challenge given to each youth that the girl had met.

Soon enough it was her turn to be sent out in the world to make her name. The girl shook her head and looked back to the blond that was with her. It was becoming harder and harder to focus for long periods of time without drifting off. Watching the way the Aneka was trying to swim, Cail began to wonder if she would need some help learning more. Wading over, she went under and kept her eyes open. Swimming over, the brown haired woman brushed up against the other's legs before pulling her under.

With a sly smile, she waved and moved away while looking at the blonde. Putting her feet firmly on the mud beneath her, the brown haired woman pushed herself up. Breaching the water, the girl shook out her hair and laughed having fun. Once the other had returned to the surface as well, Cail looked at her closely thinking for a moment.

“Do you know how to swim? You said your half sister was Biqaj. How is that possible?” Cail inquired curiously.

Triton made it to shore and shook out his fur watching the two females that were still floating in the water. Laying down, the dog panted and walked over to a tree before laying down to rest some. The owner looked over and smiled at the animal happy to have him around. She wouldn't know what to do with herself without him. He was a constant source of happiness for her.

"Speech"
credit to Maebella from Free to Use

[Aneka Tristal]

Swimming Lessons

Aneka didn't notice Cail swim up to her and grab her leg before pulling her down under the water. She wasn't used to the water and thrashed a bit before calming down and feeling the mud under her feet and pushing her body up and out of the water.

She glared at Cail intently before bursting out in a loud laugh as well. This was nice, she had someone to spend some time with and enjoy it with someone. Before Aneka can retaliate with a splashing water in Cail's face, she started looking at Aneka rather closely. "What's wrong?" She asked

Cail said something about her not know how to swim and she blushed a bit in embarrassment. "I do know how to swim! Just... Not very well. And well... The reason is... I'm never really had the time to learn how to swim when I was younger. My step mother died shortly after giving birth to my sister, and so me and my other sister had to work a lot to keep her healthy and alive... She was... Well... Not really born healthy in the first place."

She said solemnly before smiling. "She's fine now though, she's getting better. She's quite tough for a little kid too! So I'm not worried about her one bit, she can make it!" She paused for a second and looked at Cail. "She doesn't know how to swim. My half-sister that is, at least she never tried before, she loves taking baths but never really gotten out of the city before, I was hoping to bring her out her one day and try and teach her a bit of swimming I know but honestly, I think I'd be a terrible teacher for swimming."

She looks over to Triton and saw the dog go back up to dry land and shake off the water on his fur, Aneka smiled, she wished she had a dog. "Oh. I know! You can teach me how to swim! Like swim properly so I can teach my sister! I mean I'd ask my older pure Bijaq sister but she's always busy with work and never has time for things like this."

Aneka's eyes sparkled and almost pleaded for Cail to teach her, this wasn't for her benefit but for her sister. "Pleaseeeee~!"


"Common", "Rakahi"

[Cail Qy'Jihai]

Cail was shocked to hear the woman start begging her to teach her to swim better. The Biqaj was always up for a challenge, but that was a rather strange request. The people she learned from had been good enough to swim against the waves in the ocean. From what the girl had seen, she doubted that Aneka would last trying to swim in a rough current from the river. A soft smile graced her face when she heard the child was okay.

“It is good to hear that the child is good. I would like to meet her one day,” Cail stated.

A serious look appeared on her face when her mind drifted to business. There were many things that could go wrong when learning to swim. Then getting too cocky in the water could be just as dangerous. One wrong move, pulling a muscle, getting a cramp, or just tiring out could get someone killed.

“There is more to swimming than most people realize. One wrong move and you become another body at the ocean bottom. The first thing to learn is how to float,” Cail stated her eyes had went from being playful to being more cold.

It was clear the woman was in business mode. There was three versions of Cail that most can identify, the first her playful easy going happy side; her second side is the business part of her mind where everything is serious and straightforward; her last side is the angry side it is a part of her the woman tries to keep locked up. But there is the occasion where she has snapped and lost control.

“It should be very simple and easy to do. Once you have that down, we learn to start moving your arms. Start out flat on your back,” Cail stated and crossed her arms some.

She moved around Aneka while talking so that the mud was under her feet good. It would give her a stable area to move from should something go wrong. The woman would have to remind the blond to never panic in the water. If she cramped, then dragged down the person trying to help her; both would wind up dead.

“Remember one thing, if you cramp or tire out. Do. Not. Panic. It wears your body out faster and you can hurt or kill someone trying to help you,” Cail explained.

"Speech"
credit to Maebella from Free to Use