"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
i know i'm not the center of the universe -but you keep spinning 'round me just the same
Ivar could show her the bottom of the lake – even the bottom of the ocean, if she wanted. She, too, could feel the indescribable elation he had so far below the surface. But it would be a wasted trip, futile and with a tragic ending. Ivar could show her the end of the water, but that would be the last thing she would ever see.
“You probably can’t,” Says the piebald colt instead of what he had just been thinking of. “But I could teach you to swim, at least.”
He catches only the first breath of her warning, but as the sneezing had over taken him, he realizes what she had been about to say. He grins ruefully through his watering eyes, whuffling appreciatively as Kylin brushes away the pollen from his pale nose. “It’s alright,” he says with a final sniffle. Ivar nudges the underside of Kylin’s jaw as she pulls away, the bridge of his nose bumping against her throat in a friendly manner.
(it’s not so hard. there’s not even any temptation)
“You know I like water,” Ivar replies to her mention of a spring. He grins at her closer inspection of him; he might be sneezing but that makes his adventure in Ischia no less pleasant. “Please show me the spring,” he adds, polite despite the exuberance revealed by his prancing feet. He’s blink away the last of the sneeze-induced tears, and is exceedingly careful as he reaches out and tears off one of the smaller flowers. He chews, swallows, grimaces, and says aloud: “I just had to be sure. There’s really no point to them other than being pretty, is there?”
-------------------i v a r ------------------------------------djinni and stillwater---------------------------------
A sad smile lies on her lips and she nods. Ivar tells her the truth, something she had known deep down but that doesn’t make it less disappointing. He is quick to fix her sad smile, and her eyes shimmer in delight as he offers her to learn her how to swim. ”I’d like that.” She really did.
He has her torn between feeling apologetic and breaking down in laugher. Kylin manages to combine both of them, as she gently brushes of his muzzle. He allows her to and she’s glad for that, relieved that he didn’t hold her little outburst against her. She offers him a smile, reaching out to playfully bump her nose against his cheek. ”Then let us go.”
Before they can go, Ivar’s attention is back on the flowers again. Kylin watches with wide – both shocked and surprised – eyes as he eats one. Ivar eats a flower leave. She blinks her hazel eyes a few times, her dished head then tilting as she watches him curiously. Though she and Kharon were quite adventurous, they had never tried eating a flower. Perhaps it did taste well. But the grimace on his face says enough. ”I think so” she answers with a giggle in her voice. Kylin steps closer and reaches out to playfully ruffle his mane, before bending her neck and signalling which direction they had to go. ”Let’s go, explorer. The spring awaits us” she grins at him.
She leads him through the dense vegetation, her still somewhat short tail swaying. Just like the adult horses did to scare away flies and other insects that irritated skin. Oh, how much Kylin longed to take a dip into the small spring herself too. This was one of her more favourite ones. Beautiful with sweet, fresh water. ”Isn’t it gorgeous?” She does not look back to him, just stares at the little miracle in front of them.
Sunlight fell down on them through the leaves of the trees, but only a few rays, making the water light up and shimmer. The vegetation around it was a little pulled back, creating a small clearing in the jungle of Ischia.
i know i'm not the center of the universe -but you keep spinning 'round me just the same
Ivar has managed to amuse Kylin, and he grins, clearly pleased with himself. As she reaches out o ruffle his mane, the piebald colt submits without complaint, readily following her as she begins to lead him to the spring. The humidity in the air is almost as thick as the greenery they wade through, and Ivar soon has a sheen of sweat on his dark body. It is not uncomfortable, but as he catches the crisp scent of water ahead of them, he does move a bit more quickly. Kylin still leads the way, but he moves to stand abreast of her without hesitation, looking forward at the water.
This does not smell salty like the sea, and Ivar takes a few steps forward. He lowers his pale muzzle to the water and takes a long draught. It is clear, reminding him of the lake in Hyaline, but without the taste of melted snow. Hesitantly, he places a hoof into the water before looking back at the lavender filly now a bit behind him.
“Ladies first?” He asks politely, with a friendly smile that does not belay his own eagerness to swim. Ivar wonders if she’ll walk atop the water the same way she had in the lake, but he finds himself hopeful that she’ll swim with him instead. He is not sure why – surely she’d prefer to make her own choices – but that doesn’t change his own wants. Though he does not know this water, he knows water, and he imagines that Kylin would look rather lovely drenched to the skin.
-------------------i v a r ------------------------------------djinni and stillwater---------------------------------
The little spring is very much different than the sea that surrounds the island. Unlike the sea which’s surface is always moving, the spring’s surface is calm, almost peaceful. Kylin simply loves it, but in all honesty, she loved the sea too. Both were equally beautiful in their own way. She stops away from the shore, her hazel gaze on the exotic vegetation before settling on Ivar. He had moved passed her, lessening his thirst before anything else.
She had expected him to dive in, to wash away the leftover pollen. But perhaps it wasn’t too strange to drink first either, Kylin clearly remembered when she had tried to eat a flower. The sweet water must be a relief to his taste buds. ”Like a real gentleman” she replies with a quirk of the lips, secretly liking the small gesture. Maybe, just maybe, Father was right after all, even though she wouldn’t admit that to anyone – let alone herself.
Without further hesitance Kylin walks towards Ivar, her nose gently bumping his shoulder as she passes him by. She does not stop once she reaches the water, instead she continues into it. The coldness makes her shiver slightly, but soon she finds herself enjoying it. By the time the water tickles her belly and sides Kylin turns to look at Ivar, smile on her lips. ”You’re coming?”
OOC: Quick words writting during my lunchbreak ^^. Sorry for the wait <3
i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
The pull of the water is undeniable, but it is not irresistible. Ivar has felt it as long as he had existed. His first memory is being cradled between his parents with the water only a few tempting feet away. So while he aches to beneath the water, he is willing to wait.
(patience. always patience)
She slips past him toward the water, calling him a gentleman. Ivar’s dark eyes crinkle in amusement, and as she reaches out to bump his shoulder with her muzzle, he shifts his weight to that side. She will likely brush against him more with that positioning, but Ivar does it without thinking. He doesn’t nip at her hip as she sinks into the water (he manages to catch and put a stop to that physical reaction). Kylin is a friend, not a bluegill to toy with.
(she would flee differently. a new type of chase. a challenge)
Ivar follows Kylin into the water, less hesitant about the temperature than she had been. He is eager to feel it around him, and he moves farther into the pool, far enough that he can dunk his head to the sandy soil at where his pale hooves touch the bottom of the spring. He brings his head back up quickly, the movement creating a momentary arch of falling water behind him. He shivers as they splatter along his dark back, and turns back to meet Kylin’s gaze with a grin.
“I like this spring.” He tells her. “But…” Now he feigns a frown, his head tilting in judgment despite the laughter that remains in his dark eyes. “That’s more of a wading than a swimming. You can’t be touching the bottom if it’s really swimming.”
The tobiano colt takes a few more steps out into the water, waiting until his hooves can barely scrape the sandy bottom. Though the crystal clarity of the water is deceptive, only his head and neck remain above the water. “C’mon Kylin,” he says, the frown disappearing entirely as he bobs his pale head beneath the water to toss a bit of water in her direction with a laugh. “Let’s swim.”
html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura
He tells her "ooh love".
Her eyes follow his form as Ivar walks towards the water too, then in it and eventually sliding past her. He goes deeper than she went and soon he’s completely soaked. Head till toe. It shouldn’t really surprise her, he had gotten a full dose of pollen into his face. A smile lies on Kylin’s lips, not to make fun of him but simply because watching him gives her joy. It’s such a natural sight. He was one with the water.
His words pull her back from her thoughts and after a shake of her head her gaze finds his. An apologetic smile this time. She wants to tell him that she agrees, but that little ‘but’ is enough to keep her silent. Kylin curiously looks at him, her dished head slightly tilted to the side ad she waits for Ivar to continue. ”But..?” She’s never been the patient one.
This time she laughs out loud and with a grin that lingers on her lips she steps forward again, following after him. ”This spring, it is not only one of the prettiest ones, but also the biggest one” she tells him softly as she moves closer to him. There’s still a little distance between them, as she’s not confident enough yet to follow his example. The water now pools over her back, making her shiver and groan softly. Was this how it felt like? Was this the sensation of swimming?
”But Ivar.. How do I swim?” she asks him. Swimming was something she had never done before. Never had to too. Usually she and Kharon, and occasionally Father, ran across the water’s surface.
i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
He’s not used to water without fish. It feels oddly empty, but as he looks back over his shoulder at Kylin wading in, he knows it won’t remain that way for long. She tells him that it’s the biggest one and he grins - “The best one for swimming then.”
(don’t leave her alone.)
The lavender and white filly has stopped, so Ivar moves closer. His taller height means the water doesn’t quite cover his back at the depth, but he watches it pool over her back with a look that is almost hungry. Her groaning at the sensation eliminates the almost of it.
(now.)(No.)
For a moment he doesn’t reply to her question. He is staring at nothing, but with a shake of his dark mane he seems to reorient himself. Offering her a charmingly apologetic smile, the colt turns himself so that they are side by side. The water in front of them is clear, and the white sand at the bottom of the pool is smooth and slopes down gently. There are no unseen drops, no dangerous currents, this might be the best place to learn to swim, he thinks.
“Just keep walking until you can’t feel the bottom,” He tells her. “You’ll float, I promise.”
He takes a step forward to demonstrate. He bends his legs more than necessary to make up for the difference in their heights, knowing that doing so will make him lose footing at the same time she does. “Don’t be afraid.” Says the pied colt, “I won’t let you sink.”
html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura
He tells her "ooh love".
Never having swam before, she cannot agree or disagree with his conclusion, but she does wonder if it isn’t better to learn how to swim a smaller and more shallow one. ”If you think so” she murmurs back, a slight hesitance in her voice, but also trust and a small smile. If he said it was a good place to swim, then Kylin would trust on his insight.
Her gaze doesn’t leave him as he moves closer, a soft relieved sigh escaping past her lips. If she would do this, she preferred having him near, but he had stood too far into the water for her to reach. Kylin likes that he is so considering of her, that he is at her side to support her. She is grateful for it too.
She leans in a little, putting confidence out of the brushing sides, before she closely watches him move forward. And then suddenly he’s smaller, meeting her eye from the same level. Softly Kylin laughs, finding joy in the little gesture.
Their gazes meet and she nods, then Kylin eyes the sand on the bottom of the spring. ”As long as you’re close, I won’t be afraid” she promises him softly and at the same time pleas him to not leave her side. With a deep breath she takes a hesitant step forward, and another, and another.
And then, instead of feeling ground underneath her hoof, there is nothing. ”Aah!” For a moment her head dips a little under the water, just her jaw and neck, before she resurfaces again. Her lavender ears are pushed back, eyes wide and nostrils flaring, but the droplets of water that tease her ears have her twist them around soon. Kylin wants to stand up and shake her head, want to shake it off her, but she can’t.
Instead she floats. Her legs keep up the walking motion, gently peddling her forward and further into the water. She isn’t completely relaxed and still hesitant, as the new sensation floods over her. The water is everywhere, sometimes spatting up into her eyes and nose, making her snort and blink. Kylin turns her head a little, finding out that she can still bend her neck like always, to look at Ivar. She doesn’t dare to speak, afraid to swallow the water and suffocate in it, but the small smile on her lips hopefully told him that she was starting to enjoy it more and more. It was just still.. very strange to her.
i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Ivar has always lived an ‘all or nothing’ existence; he’d have suggested she learn to swim in the ocean if they’d been there first. The pied colt enjoys the tug of the currents, but as he watches Kylin taking hesitant steps forward earlier, he realizes that perhaps she’d not have faired so well in the unpredictable sea.
(weak. nevermind.)
He remains beside her as she ventures deeper, feeling the occasional bump of her shoulder against his as they descend. The water slides around him, warm and familiar. Kylin loses her footing, and the quickening of her heart echoes through the water. It is not as appealing as it might have been a moment ago, and though Ivar does swim closer the previous hunger is entirely gone form his soft brown eyes.
“You’re doing great,” he tells her, encouraged by the smile on her pale mouth. The lavender and white filly is swimming out farther and farther into the pool, and while Ivar is pleased at her progress, he doesn’t let her get too far in before he acts. He dives beneath the water easily, forelegs bent and hindlegs extended as he scrapes the sandy bottom directly below her. He twists and rises on her opposite side, using the flat of his head to push her barrel a little up and over, guiding her back to the shallower water.
(no no no. down.)
The water saps strength more quickly than most expect; Ivar’s instincts have always known this. This is Kylin’s first time swimming, and the boy does not want her legs to give out on her. She might not want to swim again, and Ivar wants her too. Having done his best to direct her back to where she can stand: he surfaces. The water streams off his pale face and corded mane, and he blinks smiling brown eyes at Kylin.
“What’d’ya think?” He asks excitedly. “Do you love it?”
html code by Toli, design idea based on "Dovev" by Laura
He tells her "ooh love".
Perhaps weak, perhaps not. Kylin’s one experience with swimming in the sea hadn’t really been a good one. She had been playing on the water with Kharon when her brother had suddenly lost his footing, water soaking his wings and threatening to pull him down under. And Kylin with him. Father had saved them, but that didn’t make the experience any less traumatizing.
Her little swim with Ivar in the spring did so. By encouraging her he even makes it better, making her think that maybe she could do this. And how fun would it be if she could show her family her new ability?
For a moment panic rises as Ivar disappears beneath the surface of the water. What was happening? Where did he go? Was he sinking? But no, in that split second Kylin realizes that he is able to hold is breath very long, he wouldn’t drown. And then he’s back up again, relief washing over her. Allowing him to stir her towards shallow water she keeps swimming, or at least, this was what Kylin thought swimming was.
He had been right to do so too, when she is able to stand again she suddenly realizes how much she’s panting, careful to not swallow any water. Her muscles tremble a little, not too bad though, and are a price she gladly pays for the experience. ”It’s amazing! I felt so light like.. like I was floating. And the water so fresh and nice once you’re used to it” she manages to reply as she is almost breathless, almost smiling from ear to ear as their gazes meet.
Just to be sure she moves a bit more towards the shore, but never too far so the water keeps pooling over her back. It was nice like this and Kylin wanted to experience it just a little longer. ”Thank you” she murmurs then, extending and curving her neck to brush her muzzle across his cheek. ”Can we.. go swimming more often?” She can only hope he’ll say yes. She wants him too say yes, but unfortunately that’s not up to her. Water is dripping down her neck, back into the water, leaving small circles with each and every drop.
