[FIN] Sink or Swim...Or Swandive... Thats an option too....

[caffeinecraving]

Kailee had stared at the text contemplating it. She was so tired of walking on egg shells. Ok... maybe she was just tired in general. She hadnt replied right away, finishing what she had to do in the labs but when she was headed back to her room for the night she texted back. The reply she got left her baffled.

Apparently Aulus was thinking to get her all wet... (Caffe: *snickers*)

Kailee sighed and said ok to wearing her swim suit. She was to meet him tomorrow. So she went to bed and had woke up early. But since they were going to be swim she left her hair untreated. Her hair was pin straight and hung around her shoulders. She put on lip gloss but that was it. Everything would be washed off anyway. Grabbing her pokeballs she headed to the meeting place they had agreed on.

She was in a pair of daisy duke shorts and her bikini to was black with a gold ring in the middle, the ties tied behind her back and behind her neck. "Come on out guys." She let her pokemon, including her two fire types out to see the pool. "Looks like we are swimming today."

 

[TawnyAngel]

There were changing rooms off the side of the water training room, small compared to the ones by the pool intended for human use but seldom needed by more than one or two people at a time. The men's side was empty when Aulus entered allowing him to change in peace, a fact he was grateful for. Black trunks were the order of the day; nothing fancy, not something he usually thought about at all. He was thinking about them now though or rather how he looked in them with his weakened frame; this wasn't a fashion parade or anything but he still felt self-conscious.

Sighing to himself Aulus ran his hand through his hair and down the back of his neck, fingers rubbing idly at the top of the twisted discolored burn scar that covered his back wherever skin grafts did not. He was putting off heading out, which was stupid and he knew it was stupid; he wasn't magically going to gain muscle just standing around here.

Having told himself this a few times Aulus turned and headed out into the training room proper where Kailee was waiting with her pokemon. "Hi," he nodded to her and flashed something that was vaguely like a smile.

Since his conversation with Alex the other day he had been thinking; he was by no means obligated to tolerate jokes he didn't like, but on the other hand he didn't have to spend his whole life expecting them. Of course getting away from paranoia was a lot more easily thought than done but he could try, right? He was trying.  

[caffeinecraving]

Kailee smiled as her Fire types backed up and sat happily away from the pool. Solar looked at the water and walked over dipping his vine into the water. It was at least nice. Sissy looked to Kailee and shook her head moving to sit with the fire types.

Kailee frowned. "Sissy... get back here... you can swim..." She frowned. "The only pokemon excused from this practice are Anura and Brimstone..." Crossing her arms she sank into a hip and looked over her shoulder.

He had smiled. Just a free smile? She hadnt had to work for it? She beamed back. "Hey!"

She had tried to tell him that... the words just had come out all wrong. No he didnt have to like her at all... But she just really hoped that he would start trusting her enough to know that even if she made a joke... it wasnt meant to make him uncomfortable. And she would stop if asked.

She glanced over him and then looked to the pool. "So.... Swimming?" She grinned. Well if he was in a good mood... she could be too.

 

[TawnyAngel]

Okay, so, no problem right? Right.

"Yeah." Aulus nodded; his smile faded away but it was replaced by a fairly neutral expression rather than a scowl for once. "I thought it would be good to get any pokemon who aren't confident with the water more used to it and to practice some rescue techniques. Do you know where all of your lot are with swimming capability?" As he spoke Aulus released some of his own pokemon; Tortie - of course - followed by Char, Paul, Discord, Killer, and Thanatos.

Char rumbled and bowed his head in greeting to Kailee and the assembled pokemon while Paul gave a shy wave of a foreleg and Thanatos an equally shy wave of his hand. Tortie ignored everyone except for Killer - whose feeler she instantly nipped - and Aulus who she then padded over to. Killer naturally chased after Tortie to n** her tail with a playful growl. Discord snored theatrically, peeking at Kailee through one yellow eye that he just barely cracked open.

"Oh." Aulus blinked as though he'd just remembered something. "And... you're all well today?"  

[caffeinecraving]

No problem.

She looked over them. "Um... Brim and Anura object and want in a pokeball for anything water related...Sissy Apparently doesnt want to play in it... Solar... Sinks... Boo is a ghost so... goes through it and Munchy" She had switched Fossil for Brimstone. "Muchy knows surf so he should be good."

She smiled to them all, waving to Char, Paul and Thanatos. She smiled though at Discord before turning to look at Aulus. She gave him a guarded look. That was odd for Kailee the open book but she nodded. "They are all very well." She smiled and moved to where Brim and Anura had plopped. "You all are well, too?"

"So whats first Aulus?" She unbuttoned her shorts and shimmied out of them showing of matching bottoms to her bikini top.

 

[TawnyAngel]

"Uh, yea, all alright," Aulus replied, noticing the guarded look and wondering if he ought not to have asked. Oh well, it was done now. Some small part of Aulus' brain politely pointed out that a pretty girl was wearing a bikini but the rest of him ignored it: it was unprofessional, she was doubtless too young for him, and he had other things to worry about right now such as what was first. "Your hair is different," he said to buy a little time while he tried to make a decision.

"Right though." Aulus nodded having reached something approaching a decision. "Okay why don't you have Munchy get on in and Solar too, but ask Solar to hold onto Munchy with his vines. Bulbasaur aren't really a great shape for swimming but with some practice he might be able to get the hang of treading water."

As for Sissy... they'd get to that.  

[caffeinecraving]

Kailee was only guarding herself because she was now waiting for him to tell her that he was only going to train her and not try to be her friend. She was also dealing with the fact that her only true friends were currently in Sinnoh.

Kailee had been waiting for a response. She didnt think he was too old for her. And he was a guy... so at least an appreciative glance over would have been nice. Maybe KO was right... Aulus was gay.

She blinked as he mentioned her hair. "Oh... uh... yeah... you are the first person here at Rocket to see it like this... This is actually natural." She shrugged and ran a hand through her hair.

She didnt have to say anything. Munchy cannon balled into the water and was swimming happily. Solar looked to kailee and she nodded. "Ok you heard him Solar." Solar nodded and latched on to the Munchlax. He jumped in. And Sank. Munchy swam a bit dragging the bulbasaur under the water. Kailee frowned. "Oh!"

Dismissing Aulus she dove in with almost near perfect form. She pulled solar to the surface. He gasped, flailing. "Easy" she cooed. She pet him. "Its ok... gently... just kick... Its ok... i wont let go till you are ready." She smiled to aulus. "Ok... So im in the water... Your move~"

 

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus nodded to the hair thing not really knowing what else to do; he had noticed that it was different and as far as he was concerned it looked fine either way, further response or thoughts on the matter were not forthcoming.

When the Solar entered the water he frowned; he had been expecting him to hold himself above the water's surface with those strong vines of his but Kailee had already reacted and solved the problem so there was no call for him to send somebody rushing in.

When Kailee spoke again Aulus shrugged and nodded, heading to the edge of the pool himself. Somehow diving in didn't seem like a great idea and so he eased himself stiffly down to sit on the edge before sliding into the water. "C'mon Killer," he called to the fairy type, "you're up first, and Tha get over here too." Still holding onto the edge of the pool Aulus abruptly realised that he really wasn't feeling very confident in the water himself. He knew he could tread water but swimming was going to be awkward, he'd probably look really stupid and he did not want to look stupid.

"Uh... so have you ever done any of this kind of thing before?" he asked after a brief pause. "I mean like lifesaving training, you know, when they have you swimming in clothes and all that.... Come on Killer!"

Killer, who had been hesitating on the edge of the pool, gave a huff and slipped in; he sank briefly before getting to the surface with an awkward doggy-paddle. Thanatos, who was already in the water, skulled lazily under the surface in case a rescue was needed.  

[caffeinecraving]

You tie a rock to two sticks it was still gonna sink. She smiled still holding solar up as he started treading water looking pleased as punch that he was swimming. Kailee watched the man a moment and then kept swimming.

She started to move her hands off of the pokemon a bit and he panicked and so she caught him again. She heard him calling to his pokemon so she looked back.

Kailee didnt see stupid... She saw a man trying to adjust to the crappy hand that was dealt to him.

She looked back to him and wrinkled her nose. "Yes... When i was about... 12... We call it a tippy test at our camp... If we want to be able to be in a boat without wearing a life vest we have to do a full Canoe recovery." She nodded. "Tip the boat... Bank and flip the boat back... tread water for 10 minutes... Make your pants into a float... and stuff like that." She flushed a bit. "I know... not really girly huh... But other then that... no... ive never done rescues... but grab and drag... cant be too hard right?"

 

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus didn't really feel like smiling but he smiled anyway, just a little; he wanted more people to like him so he had to be likable and... well not change himself but.... Oh hell, he didn't know, but he was trying anyway because.... Yeah. "It sounds like fun," he said. "I used to go canoeing a little bit some summers, just hiring for a half day from a place down by the beach and paddling around just beyond the surf. We had wetsuits, because you're nuts to go in the water in the UK without one. ******** freezing."

Anyway, where had he been?

"Right though, yeah. With other humans what you do is get them on their back and kind of pull them along with a hand under their chin; it sounds awkward but it's the easiest way to make sure their head stays above water. Obviously with pokemon you have to improvise, if you're saving them, and if they're saving somebody what they'd do would vary.... For example Solar might get up on top of Munchy and get his vines under your arms to hold your head up out of the water that way."

Killer kept paddling determinedly towards the other side of the pool, his head vanishing below the water occasionally but always popping back up and he was still shadowed attentively by Thanatos.  

[caffeinecraving]

She saw the forced smile and she mentally kicked herself. She didnt want him to feel like he had to force it. She had totally screwed this friendship already... he thought she wanted him to be more likeable... when she liked him just fine the way he was... minus the yelling when she joked. She was trying to hold back thoughtless comments...

She nodded. "It was... its actually one of my favorite memories..." At least of the camp. She loved swimming and she loved being outside boating or hiking. She just... didnt anymore. "We could go some time... Canoeing.... That is"

She hesitated a moment. They would find a way to make it work with his one hand. Maybe like... a rudder or something...

So that was off topic. She nodded. "Oh yeah.. head above water... right... that probably helps." She smiled joking on herself since she hadnt thought of there having to be a way to keep their face up.

She nodded. "Would you like to try it Solar?" He nodded and she waved munchy back and set solar up on him. Solar instantly wrapped his vines around kailee and lifted her out of the water and set her on the edge of the pool. "That works too.. Way to go Solar!"

Solar looked to munchy. Munchy nodded. Solar pulled his vines back and reachd out to grab Killer and attempt to move him back to the wall he had just come from. Helping of course.

 

[TawnyAngel]

"Uh." Aulus avoided looking to his right. "That would be... a little difficult." A large number of things were, a lot more than he liked to admit. He'd get used to it though he guessed and it wasn't forever, at least it wasn't if everything went to plan.

Pushing away the well trodden path of worry Aulus pushed away from the side, treading water as he watched the pair of pokemon perform the rescue first on Kailee and then on Killer, who started squirming and hissing.

the dripping Sylveon protested as he was carried back towards dry land.

Thanatos popped up out of the water, blinking in bemusement.

Aulus' raised his eyebrows. "Well, we know that works then, good, well done," he said after a few moments with a nod to Solar and Munchy. "It's fine Killer, you can start back from where you were," he added, guessing the reason for the usually calm fairy's consternation.  

[caffeinecraving]

Kailee offered a soft look. "We can figure it out, im sure... It wont do for you to stop doing things you enjoy." She was counting... waiting for him to jump down her throat or tell her she overstepped.

Solar almost dropped the Fairy type as he struggled. He hesitated and then moved to put the sylveon back where he had found him. Solar Shrugged to the water pokemon.

Kailee kicked her feet in the water looking to Aulus.

Solar set Killer back down.

Kailee grinned and stood up moving back. She ran and dove back in coming up a little away from Aulus. She smiled and then ducked back under to fix her hair back. Then she dipped down enough to blow bubbles. "Oh no... im drowning..." She blew more bubbles and smiled as she tread more water. This is what they were doing yes?

 

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus couldn't see a way to make it work without two arms, the whole motion of paddling kind of depended on it. He shrugged, awkwardly flailing his way back to the side to hang on again. "I haven't been in ages anyway, it's hardly pressing. There are alternatives though." He shrugged again and turned to watch the pokemon.

Killer sighed, shook his head and resumed swimming; Thanatos offered Solar an apologetic smile. With that he ducked back under the surface, off after his charge once more.

Aulus, leaning his elbow on the side of the pool, watched Kailee with his eyebrows up again. "Okay... uh, how about you two pull her across the width of the pool this time and set her on the other side, where Killer is headed?" They already seemed pretty comfortable with the technique but practicing towing a little way would do no harm.  

[caffeinecraving]

Kailee could. She could paddle... and he could steer... they wouldnt go super fast... but it could work. They could duct tape his arm to the end of a paddle... Sure... That could work. She frowned. "Well... It could be fun to spend a day down on the beach... But i guess... " She stopped. He didnt want to... she didnt have to make him...

Solar shrugged. He looked back to Kailee when Thanatos went away. Munchy yawned and moved to swim to the edge thinking he was done. Solar heard Aulus and rached out to grab Kailee and drag her with them until he could safely set her on the other side. Challenge complete. He hopped off munchy and shook himself.

Kailee grinned. "Good job guys... " She waved to Aulus... "Ok your turn... Why dont you guys save Aulus now... looks like he is drowning too... " Solar grinned and bounded around the pool to shoot his vines out to try and get a hold of the Agent. Work wasnt work if you were having fun. Munchy yawned again and settled where he was and stretched getting ready to take a nap. He didnt really consider this practice.

She laughed softly and moved to jump back in. It was wonderful to be swimming.