Land-Locked and Full of Wanderlust [open!]

[learntowalk]

Date & Time: 01/22; late evening to late night.
Location: The apartment building hallways. Mostly around the 500 units but she might scoot herself a little further.
Characters: Dr. Aileen Kimbler and YOU.
Summary: A mermaid fresh out of water tries to figure out standing and probably bugs passerbys with quick-winded questions due to ocean-to-land culture shock.
Warnings: All this poor sap has on her right now is a towel.

[ So walking back to her own apartment is severely hindered by the sudden disruption of her own timeline, and now there is only a very wet, very confused Aileen standing where there was once Dr. Kimbler. She's looking ten years younger when the reality is far more decades than that, with seaweed twisted up in her hair and body pretty well coated in sand underneath her towel.

But here she is. Fallen on the ground now that her legs are dumb, new things to her. She's frightened of this new place for sure but her heart is racing for an entirely different reason, she knows. All that time spent fleeing across a harsh and wide sea, dragging herself up past the shore-- this proves how worth it it was. It might not be where she originally pulled herself up but that can't tarnish her excitement. So long as it's anywhere but home, how could she care less?

If someone happens by the halls this evening they're likely to come across Aileen hanging out here on the floors, finding more wonder in a plain hallway than previously thought possible. ]

Comments

[outright]

[ And he grins down, all sharp teeth and good cheer. This is all turning out rather well, and the fallen towel is an unanticipated bonus. He looses her hands to clasp her upper arms instead, for better balance and closer proximity. ]

Why, but you're doing just fine. [ He ducks his head to land a quick kiss at her cheek. ] Come, gather yourself, you won't learn walking just standing there.

[learntowalk]

[ In her own culture, a kiss on the cheek is usually a sign of gratitude, but she's not fool enough to misinterpret it here. She eyes him uncertainly, still a little irritated but does what he says.

Moving her legs so much and so suddenly hurts give the scars down the inside of both, but she ignores it with some effort. Feeling with her toes helps gets both feet flat underneath her, and, staring down she tries to position them similar to Vanadi's with decent success.

She mumbles out, under her breathe: ] Awful things...

[outright]

[ He watches her with a pleased smile at first, until he drops his eyes down to her steps. She's doing well enough that his patience for the game stays intact, and he's even feeling generous to make his steps backward slow and cautious. ]

There you are, that's not so bad. Quite good for a girl new to toes. [ And with a grin: ] And they're very nice toes, never let anyone tell you otherwise.

[learntowalk]

[ She pays close attention to how far he's moving each foot, copying with a bit of a stumble at first but finding the right balance is a lot easier with his arms keeping her steady.

There's a small smile at the compliments, along with a glance up to his eyes that says she doesn't believe a word of it. ]

You have such kind words for me.

[outright]

[ He glances up to catch that look, and his grin in return says he knows exactly how much his lie reeks. But when has that ever stopped him? ]

Kind words for a beautiful woman, what can I say? It's natural.

[ He takes a few steps more, still moving slowly. For now. ]

[learntowalk]

[ It's starting to dawn on her just how good with words this guy is and she can't decide what to feel about it. It does seem like he knew her, though, and he is doing her a huge favor, so he still has the benefit of the doubt. Bothering him about it would probably be rude, anyway. She never did like prying. ]

Flatterer.

[ More time spent trying to match his steps. Her movements are still pretty shakey but it looks like she's picking up on how wide each step should be. ]

[outright]

[ As she begins to get the hang of it, his hands slip down from her arms to her hips. Much more nicely intimate. The pace picks up a little while he's at it. She can take it, can't she? ]

By the by— I don't suppose you need a shower, do you? You're looking a little... sandy.

[learntowalk]

[ Whoa hey! The change in pace gives her a moment of worry, but she's determined not to fall this time. Her hands go to his shoulders since he's apparently not helping her balance anymore. Still, all that doesn't bother her, not if she's still on her feet, its only when she takes notice of where his hands have relocated themselves that she's staring at him oddly. ]

Shower? I guess there was a lot of sand, but my towel should be fine enough to-- [ A glance back and its actually kind of far away by now. And that's upsetting, because it was a gift, not to mention her only possession up here! ]