Timestamp Mia 26, 81379 In the raven black recesses of his mind, no sound could pierce through the veil as effectively as the soothing call of a challenge. As a Pendragon of no employment, he was free to do whatever he pleased without any problems, and what he wanted to do was swim. The problem was, he didn't know how. It made him desire, it made him hunger, and it made him dread the event all at once. Yet the water was so inviting. He could not let it stay still, beautifully reflecting the sun in somber peace. He had to touch it. He had to... Like all good Pendragons, he did not want to drown for the thrill of swimming or diving into a body of such fresh looking water, but rather, he was going to take precautions and ensure his survival despite his longing to be wet. That is how he had gotten so far. That morning, as the sun broke the dark skies and the golden lilies bloomed, his eyes turned towards the lake, and he could feel it motioning for him. He could hear the chilling whispers of fate as the clouds shifted, running as far away from the detectable seduction of death to fool, but he did not heed it. He never heeded it. Although used to two legs, he hunkered down on all four and stared at the body of water. Now how is this done? He wondered.
The sun was bright that day, and the sky clear. This was true. It was a great day for swimming, and such days were not a rarity in these parts. Something to be enjoyed was what they were, in their purest of simplicities. A high pitched hum echoed through the air, drawing nearer and nearer, like some great object falling from the sky. In truth, that would not be so far off. On a glance upwards, one would see what would appear to be a Pendragon flying downward at quite fast speeds. And just as this streaking bullet was going to strike the water, it curved it's path, as if creating a horizontal asymptote with the water; steadily drawing nearer but never touching. He flew above the water by mere feet, causing it to fly out in either direction, before his wings bent back and he soared back into the air. With a resounding laugh, this flying beast turned and came down head-first into the water, his wings folded back to make a clean cut straight down. After a moment, he came up, his head on the surface of the water. He was mostly feline in appearance, having no Draconic traits whatsoever. Heck, even his wings were more like that of a bird's than that of a dragon, being two large feathery masses. He looked to the beach, and noticed a person there, who he waved to. That other person might just be the only other person there that day. "Hi there! I'm Straken, what's your name?" Straken, who bobbed up and down in the water, had a soft voice, being relaxed and seeming care free. An aspect of life that many of us strive to achieve, but few truly grasp. If only we could all be so bliss.
Aethel was just starting a charge for his own dive when the large and somewhat goofy creature fell from the sky. Aethel admired the dive for only a second before fixing his face in what he hoped was an annoyed glare. When the fellow Pendragon bobbed back to surface, Aethel lost all composure. He, like Aethel, looked more like a feline than anything, but when Aethel - known for his loose emotions - saw the face of the diver, he melted where he was standing. The creature was beautiful. His eyes were as blue as the lake and seemed to swallow Aethel whole, and his body was so... perfect. It was short and wimpy, like Aethel's, but it wasn't too bulky and ugly either. In fact, he looked like somebody Aethel might... Aethel shook his head, clearing his thoughts before the other dragon could catch wind of them. "I'm Aethel," He responded. He got up on his two legs again and walked as close to the water as he could without touching it. He still wanted to dive, oh yes, but that thought was currently misplaced. "Are you alright?"
Straken streched his wings into the air, letting them strech for a moment, before turning over on his back in the water, folding the wings down behind him. He looked completely relaxed and at ease. "Oh yeah, completely fine. I do this sort of thing all the time!" Straken laughed softly, floating on his back in the water. "Why not dive in? The water's lukewarm today, and the current isn't strong at all." Straken streched out a bit, flicking with his feet to keep his motions constant. The only piece of clothing he currently had on was a simple pair of bluejeans, which had the knees in themselves ripped, and the ends of the legs moderately torn. They seemed well loved and well worn. Yeah, Straken was obviously much older than Aethel, but that didn't mean he was about to treat Aethel like some kid. Hell, Straken was probably more immature than him anyway.
Aethel gave an unsure grin. On the one hand, were he to dive in, he'd finally be doing what he'd been trying to brave himself to do before Straken made his 'dramatic' entrance. On the other, he still couldn't swim, and he didn't know if Straken was a generally nice person or just insane. Straken could, perhaps, help him were he to go too far. But Straken might also help the drowning process. It was very hard to tell these days. Aethel, who shunned clothing, also felt himself growing a bit shy. His scars, missing finger, and lack of a thick "manly" body were hidden from Straken by distance, but were he to get close the other Dragon might notice these flaws. It was very unnerving to have an imperfect body, especially if you're around rather cruel people, and the closer he got the more likely it was that Straken's telepathy - if he had any - would pick up emotions or thoughts that Aethel wasn't so sure he wanted his new friend to know about. He made up his mind to not join Straken's swim... for now. "I can't swim." Aethel informed him, taking a small step back as he felt a pang of humility run through his body. "So I'd rather just sit here and... think about it. Don't mind me."
Straken righted himself in the water, adjusting his motion so he was upright, using his arms to keep himself from sinking down. He looked toward Aethel, tilting his head on its side. "You can't swim? That sucks man. Hey, I could help ya learn, basic swimming isn't really that hard." Straken wasn't the best of swimmers in the world, he just enjoyed the casual relaxation it provided. Though Aethel didn't know it, Straken wasn't a telepath. Nah, he could barely use his abilities in his current form. He was, however, enjoying swimming there. Straken piped his head up again, letting his voice echo out once more. "Ya just need to remember to keep your head up, and either float on your back or your stomache." Straken found it easier to float on his back than his stoamche, but then everyone was different. Straken was no expcetion to this rule; one of the rare people in this world who seemed constantly happy.
Aethel grinned. He couldn't help it, Straken was just so much like a child in some ways. So innocent, so happy, so blissful.. So psychotic! Aethel silenced the thought before it got too far, and flattened his ears as he waited to see if the fellow dragon sensed it. He wasn't used to paranoid thoughts or any fear whatsoever (it was, in fact, a first-time experience for such things) and couldn't find a reason they should be haunting him now. Except that he found himself mildly attracted to this male pendragon - liking other men was rare but not unseen in Aethel's past; but it always made him nervous considering that he was in a minority and people could be mean. Perhaps, if many of the psychology books he read were right, he was pushing away the object of the unease? He shook his head again, clearing his thoughts away. "Nah. I don't really want to," Aethel lied. He was good at lying. Not quite a master, but good anyway. He had even conned some food from people once or twice before. He was hoping to make it a profession, although it was sort of stealing and stealing wasn't exactly something he enjoyed doing. "I came out here to hunt those... ki... koroshiya things." Drats! He messed up. He hoped Straken didn't catch it. He didn't want to be caught lying. At least not by a person who was friendly enough to talk to random people - word could go about rather quickly that way.
Straken didn't seem to notice the lies, the thoughts, or the uncomfort in Aetheh. Was he unperceptive? Or perhaps he was clever? Or then again, maybe he just didn't know? Whatever the case, his wings had lifted themselves out of the water, flapping a few times in the air. The water fell from them easily, a mixture of his own Elemental Kinesis and physical strength; he was pushing the water off with his mind. It was just about the best he could do. He then took to the air, but only so he could get to the beach, standing on it and streching out. His back cracked a few times in a silent fit of agony to the motion, though it was more relaxing than anything. "Ah, not much of a swimmer eh? I just really needed to cool off. A tad too much flying in one day." Straken lifted a paw up, patting one of his ears a few times, causing water to fly from it. He then walked past Aethel to a set of bushes, rummaging around in them, before literally jumping in. For a moment, nothing happened. Silence gripped the area. Had he left? It seemed likely that he did... Well, until he got up from the bushes with a leather trenchcoat on, and a 'katana' style sword at his side. He still didn't seem like a dangerous person, despite the weapon. "So, Aethel was it? Good to meet ya." Straken smiled, before sitting down on the sand on his rear, streching back a bit. He was just about ready to do some relaxing and let the sun dry his fur.
Aethel raised an eyebrow, once again amused at the new friend. It was odd how this one Pendragon could cause such a variety of emotions in such a short time, yet Straken did just that. Aethel suddenly knew that he was wrong in all of his previous judgments. Straken was just another happy-go-lucky fellow with no hidden agenda. He walked over to beside the taller Pendragon and stood there for a moment, looking over the strange new clothes he had pulled from the bushes. He gave a half-hearted sigh before sitting down beside him, not moving a single grain of sand. Straken's wings had been hidden by water earlier, but now Aethel could see them clearly. He gave them a thorough looking-over before speaking. "So, why were you flying around?" As a second thought: "Were you looking for something?"
"Nah." Straken streched his wings outward, letting them come to their full length. The wingspan was wider than he was tall, so they looked quite majestic when they were spread out in such a way. He gave them a slight shake, letting any remnants of water fly off of them, before folding them back in upon his back. "I just enjoy flying. Gets me from place to place quickly, and it's fun!" He smiled, looking toward Aethel and rising a brow of his own. "So, you must be a student still. What's your trades, if I may ask?" The way Straken spoke, and the fact that he didn't use the word 'kid', showed that he respoected Aethel enough to treat him as though he were an adult, rather than how some of his age would treat Aethel. So, Straken was a wanderer. A journeyman perhaps? Though, he didn't seem to look like he had any real specific trade. Maybe he was just a loner in his own right, wandering from place to place. It was hard to tell exactly what he was, but it was obvious that he was happy.
Aethel smiled, noticing that Straken treated him with respect in spite of all of Aethel's previous thoughts - which he was beginning to doubt if Straken could even hear them at all. He looked up at the clear blue sky, imagining this extraordinary Pendragon flying with the graceful motions that such wings must have, but pretending to think. Oh, how he wished he could fly. Then he could sore across the valleys as fast as Straken did. But his wings... his scars... it just wasn't meant to be. When Aethel looked back, his emerald eyes showed both sadness and awe; a strange mix that made them both beautiful and heart-wrenching. "I do a little bit of everything," He answered. Lying. He only had two trades, as everyone else did. But he had to be better than Straken at something, didn't he? "Mostly I'm an Alchemist. I'm not so good now, I keep blowing things up, but I think I'll get better in time." Straken didn't need to know that he was also a Con Artist. He silenced these thoughts with a quick little smirk that he wasn't sure if Straken caught or not. "Other than swimming and flying, what are you good at?"
"Alchemy? Sweet. I always wanted to dabble in that, but I was strictly set to Fighting and Elemental Kinesis. Heck, my 'journey' years sucked. Ah well, once ya master things, life gets a hell of a lot funner." He yawned a bit, not wanting to go into too much detail on his past. It wasn't something the general public needed to know. He could, however, asily dance around the idea without much effort. "Hm. Other than swishing a sword, I'm only really good at eating and sleeping, ya know?" He laughed and laid back on the sand, looking up at the sky. Unlike most people who longed to fly like a bird, Straken was more content in watching clouds from the ground; they wern't quite the same up there. "Oh, and wandering around. I'm pretty good at that. I've circled this world a couple times. Well, sorta anyway. I've been lots of places. It's a big world, afterall. I'm gonna draw a map." Ah, he could babble sometimes when he wanted to. But for a guy who didn't get to do his Journeying years, he sure seemed to be making up for it.
Aethel sneezed a quick little laugh; half admiring and half pitying Straken's little tale. In spite of that, though, he knew he was getting depressed just sitting by. He was staring at a wonderful creature who didn't even seem to notice him. This creature who got to do everything Aethel couldn't and took that for granted. Straken could fly, he had beautiful wings, but the sparkle in his eyes showed that he probably more enjoyed being on ground. Straken could swim, had learned it, probably, when he was younger than Aethel. Yet instead, he laid on the dry ground. Straken was beautiful, not a single physical imperfection, and yet he seemed to not even notice. If only Aethel had what Straken had... if only. He then stood up and walked over to the water, unable to stand it much longer. He then sat down again, only this time he looked into his reflection, watching the waves distort his face. He forgot all about the scars on his back and the fact that Straken had lush wings in the same place or anything else that made Aethel inferior. He focused on the water and his earlier dreams of diving in. "It must be great getting fly around like that." He said, poking a finger into the water. "I bet the world is beautiful. Do you keep a journal about or draw pictures of the places you've been?" It was a half-hearted question, something just not to be rude, but he fixed his voice to sound as though he was filled with curiosity.
Straken stood up after a moment, walking over to the water and sitting down beside the edge of the river, seated by Aethel. "Oh no. I can't draw to save my life! Hah, my stick figures end up looking like circles." He chuckled, then put his arms up behind his head, looking at the sky again. "... Though, I do love flying. I live off of it, really." He turned his head to look at Aethel, blinking a few times. "... You sure ya don't wanna swim? Yer lookin' at that water like it's the cure for the plague." Ah, it seemed Straken was a tad more perceptive than he showed. Then again, Aethel had been wanting to swim for a while...
Aethel pulled his finger out, watching his reflection one last time before wiping the water off on his legs. The fur matted where his finger had been, but he didn't bother to straighten it. "I don't know," He answered, crossing his legs and arms at the same time. He tilted his head, looking at the crisp blue that he really did want to jump into, but was unsure still. Why? He asked himself. After a moment, he couldn't draw out a clear answer. "Will you teach me?" He finally asked, looking at Straken. His tail swished behind him, the flame growing bright with anticipation. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it again anyway.
Straken stood up and streched out his legs, which cracked a few times. Mostly two loud pops from his knees. "Sure, it's not that hard once ya get used to it." Straken then walked into the water, and laid down on his back. "Try doin' this. Ya just lay on yer back and use yer feet to kick yerself along." Straken did just this, kicking out his feet and moving in circles on the water. "Once ya get the kick of this, I'll show ya how to float on yer gutt. Most of the fun swimming happens on that side." Ah, easier said than done. Straken did, however, make it look quite easy. And the water was fairly shallow at this point. Only up to Aethel's chest, at most. Even still, that could be threatening to a person who had never swimmed before. "'Sides, swimmin' should come naturally once ya get in the water. Just a few good kicks to get over any regret, and bam, you'll be lovin' the water in no time."
Aethel watched Straken splash around in the silly looking - well, to him, anyways - swim before stepping in himself. The water was much colder than lukewarm, as Straken had reported earlier, and Aethel found goosebumps rising up under his fur almost immediately. However, it was everything he had been dreaming of. He enjoyed simply the touch of the water and the rush of excitement that ran through his body before he let his feet touch the dirt ground. The feel of the ground beneath him reassured him that he wouldn't drown, and then he flipped onto his back, his face dipping under water for a moment before he floated back to the top. He blew water off his face and out of his nose before eyeing Straken in suspicion. "Now just kick, right?" He asked, letting himself float. He liked floating. No threat of death when he floated. He kicked for a bit, then stood up, touching the ground with his foot again. It was kind of a strange new experience, but he couldn't stand the ridiculous looking swim. Despite his strong desire to learn to swim, he still had his pride. He looked out towards the deeper water with a longing glance - he wanted bigger and better, now that the small step was over with - but looked back at Straken. He knew that skipping ahead could be dangerous. Daredevils learned that fast. "Can I try the other swim now?"
"Sure." Straken turned over onto his stomache, then floated back so he was upright once more, bringing his arms out and around to keep himself up, and kicking with the legs as well. "Now, ya just need to keep your legs movin', and yer arms as well. You should float like this. It's a very good method to use when yer swimmin'." Straken then leaned back, so that he actually moved away, though as before he was going in circles in the water, so he would come back every time. "It just takes a bit of practice."
Aethel watched Straken move, smiling as he didn't really pay attention to the motions. Straken was both clumsy and graceful at the same time - a sign of experience but a natural clumsiness that most big Pendragons suffered from. He tried the swim himself as Straken came back and found that he enjoyed that swim much better. He continued it for a while, not paying attention to time or anything else: he was finally, actually swimming! "This is fun," He said, swimming back to Straken. "But much easier than I thought. Heck, I could have learned it without you!" He shook his head, letting water fly off each lock of fur, before he tried to stand up again. The water seemed higher up, just a bit, but Aethel wasn't even as far from the shore as he was before. He puzzled over this for a bit. He never was good at science or geography either. [OOC: I was thinking, we need something a little more exciting than a casual swim... how about those lizards things attack or something?]
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class=ooc><tr><td>Sure, sounds like a good idea.</td></tr></table> "Yeah, it's a lot easier than people give it credit." Straken swam around a bit more, letting the water soak into his furr as it had earlier. The sun was still out, and it settled a lot of light on the ocean. "Just don't go out too far. The tide gets really strong, and can easily sweep you away."
