(open) i wanna sink to the bottom with you

[whatsupcroc]

Date & Time: January 21st and onward
Location: The Hold's indoor swimming pool
Characters: Collette, Gamora, & ( this space left intentionally blank )
Summary: Gamora is getting swimming lessons from the brave denizens of Exsilium, by which I mean the Transports, by which I mean people are swimming with a five year old and a morphed bottlenose dolphin. Or people are in the area and staring and asking what's up. Booyah!
Warnings: No one will probably actually drown in this log. We think.

( Collette sat on the edge of the pool, smiling over at Gamora. They were at the shallow end, one far corner with the steps coming out. )

We'll wait for them right here for now. You can stand on the top three steps, or sit on the top one if you want! I'm going to get changed into my dolphin self.

( She winks before lowering herself into the water with minimal splash, reaching for her stopwatch. )

It'll only take a minute, and I promise no matter how weird this looks, I'm entirely okay the whole time.

( She says before depressing the lever and starting her count down, giving her thirty seconds of time no one but she noticed passing. When time starts rolling for the rest of the world again, Collette's halfway through morph and completely submerged. It's hard to make out what's going on, but less than thirty seconds later, a bulbous head and a long, almost smiling nose breaches the water's surface. )

< Flipper's on the scene! >

Comments

[werycherk]

Really really good! He caught a salmon once with his bare hands!

[Which was luck as much as skill, but little Isaac can't really tell the difference, and also might idolize his big brother a little.

He also laughs and follows her, happy to swim around in circles or do laps or anything else.]

[whatsupcroc]

Sounds like a useful guy to know! What's his name, again?

( Sibling idolization was something she could understand to degrees. Collette looks up to her own older brother with a mixture of emotions stirring in her own breast! )

[werycherk]

My big brother is Dylan! He just broke his leg bad, so he can't swim right now. He was complaining a lot before...

[And whoops, that was a mood killer.]

[whatsupcroc]

Don't worry, you'll get to listen to the rest of his complaining right where you left off as soon as you're back!

( Since surely, that must be what the trailing off must be about. It was for most the people around here, wasn't it? )

[werycherk]

Yeah, I can tell him all about how I was here and didn't even get very scared.

[An attempt at childish bravado, because he's still pretty scared and alone.]

Do you have brothers and sisters?

[whatsupcroc]

One brother, older. His name's Phillip! As for yours, I'm sure he'll be proud of you when he hears.

( Continuing her slower swim to the other side. )

Proud and jealous!

[werycherk]

[He giggles a little, until water gets in his mouth again from his splashing. Then he sputters and spits.]

Yeah! I'll have lots to tell him!

[And he's starting to get bored with keeping pace with her so he slips away, swimming fast all the way to the other end. Lots of splashing, but not bad as far as speed.

After a moment he swims back.]

You swim slow! Do you like it that way?

[whatsupcroc]

Only when I'm not racing, speedy! Why, are you begging for one?

( She grins, not changing pace for now. )

You'd have to match stroke if we do. Think you're up for that challenge?

[werycherk]

Match stroke? But yeah, a race would be fun! And later we can race on the ground too. Even though he's bigger, my brother never wins!

[whatsupcroc]

Only if you're up for racing something on four legs! Oh, or wheels. I've got monopolies on things I can do with both of those!

[werycherk]

[That catches his attention and with a lot of splashing he's suddenly very close to Collette. He takes a big sniff--but only sneezes and sputters.]

Eugh, all I can smell is the pool. I didn't know you were one of us! What are you? Oh! If you're really fast I bet you're a deer!

If we're racing on four legs I get to be too; it's only fair.

[whatsupcroc]

( One of us? Collette blinks in surprise -- then smiles. )

Not exactly, though there were several people like you here not long ago. I can be several things, so it's different! THough if we're racing? I'm thinking... oh, maybe horse. Or coyote! Then we can both be on four legs and see who's really faster!

[werycherk]

Coyote! A horse would be way bigger than me!

[He's assuming, of course, a Were-sized coyote, which would be nearly pony-sized anyway, and only somewhat larger than his puppy-self.]

But how can you be several things? I've never heard of something like that!

[whatsupcroc]

It's a different kind of shape-shifting than what you do. I'm not sure it's all that common outside my world! It's... well, different than you expect.

( If she does try coyote, she'll laugh once she sees the marked size difference. Mongolian horse it'll be, all the way! )

[werycherk]

I want to know! Tell me more! Can you do it all the time? I'm still little so I have to wait for my cycle to change.

[whatsupcroc]

( She shakes her head at first, nodding toward the far side. )

Wait until I've crossed over! Treading like this for too long's going to make me drown sooner than talk, you know!

( She's not serious -- in fact, she's close to laughing again -- but it is something she keeps in mind. If the kid wants to talk, they'll be better served if she can do so while holding on to something with greater buoyancy than she herself has.

So she picks up speed, cutting off conversation for the sake of concentration on the task at hand. )

[werycherk]

[He splashes his way to the side, happy for a moment to rest anyway. It's easier to concentrate on talking when he isn't trying not to get water in his mouth.

He's not still though, nearly wiggling and bouncing in the water. The impression is very much like a little puppy wanting to play.]

Okay! Now tell me!

[whatsupcroc]

( Holding on to the side, she laughs, pulling herself up just enough to rest her arms both comfortably over the lip of the pool. )

Okay, buster, calm down! What was it you were wanting to know again?

[werycherk]

Everything!

[But he's smart enough to realize that's not a good answer so after a moment of deep thought.]

How can you change into so many? And can you change all the time?

Doesn't it get confusing if you're a horse and a coyote? 'cause a coyote is a hunter and a horse isn't.

[whatsupcroc]

It's how my changing works, I can change as long as I've got the energy for it, but only for two hours at a time, and the instincts are different, sure, you learn how to keep control over both kinds!

[werycherk]

Wow! I can't change for less than all night! 'cause it would hurt me bad if I changed too soon.

How do you do it? Control everything all the time? It sounds hard, 'cause they're so different and both together...

[He makes an 'I don't know gesture' and shrugs, trying to understand how she can have conflicting instincts all the time.]

[whatsupcroc]

I've got a lot of willpower. ( She winks. ) Plus a really good sense of myself. All the other stuff's there, but it's like something interesting to listen to, not something big and scary and necessary and taking away my control.