Think Happy Thoughts (Ravyn)

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Since neither of them had landed softly, Ravyn risked,"I think we need to work on our landings," with a quiet laugh. "Maybe we should have worked on that before such a long flight." It was a little late to think about it, but maybe if they practiced again, that was what they would do. Ravyn sort of hoped she could practice with him again - even though he was quiet and serious, she did find herself enjoying his presence, if only because he was so different than what she was used to. She gladly took the water, drinking eagerly. It was amazing how good plain water tasted after a long, hard workout.

"A swim sounds perfect," she agreed. "I am... alright. Tired, of course, and very warm." The sun had gotten hotter as the day wore on, and she found herself quite sweaty after their flight. Without much thought, she stripped off her shirt and shorts, leaving her just in some boy-shorts and a sports bra, but she didn't really care; what really was the difference between bathing suits and underwear? She had never understood that.

She wasn't going to mention, however, her great fear of deep water. She thought she would do okay as long as she stayed in the shallows, but she would only go out as far as she could still see the bottom. The few times she had tried to swim, her wings became immediately soaked and she found herself floundering to stay above the surface; she wasn't about to make Henry come and rescue her over something like that. Yes, she would stay in the shallows.

"Race you there!" she cried, trying to cover her fear, and dashed towards the water's edge, making sure the bottom of the water was visible before hopping in. She had to admit, the cool water felt wonderful. She splashed her face, sighing in relief. "Maybe we could even catch a fish for dinner," she joked as a school of tiny fish darted by.

[Henry Ballo]

Although Henry was inclined to be irritated at the suggestion that he needed to improve, he recognized that this particular advice was definitely good. Their landings hadn’t been very good at all, and it was better if they worked on those. Their endurance was already being tested, and although their maneuverability wasn’t the best….yes, landing was definitely one of the most important things to do.

He could agree with that, and was grateful that she’d agreed to it too. He could agree with the warmth, although he found it to be more of a positive than a negative. Moving from Africa to the Northeast coast of the United States had been a nearly traumatizing climatic experience for him, and he much preferred this heat. It was much better than when it started snowing, definitely.

He seemed surprised when she stripped down to her underwear, but as the Tswana dress wasn’t exactly modest, he wished he could say that he minded. He just remembered to say a quiet, mental apology to Estelle for thinking that way, and then tugged off his own shirt—leaving on his pants—and socks and shoes before he quickly followed her into the water. She definitely won, and he chuckled and dove under before resurfacing farther into the water.

“I am not sure the fish here are edible,” he admitted, glancing around doubtfully. “I have never even eaten fish.”

In landlocked Botswana, that had definitely been a luxury his family couldn’t afford.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Ravyn couldn't help but notice how toned Henry was, but made an effort not to stare. It was hard - her gaze was always automatically attracted to muscles. However, from how he had been acting, she thought it would take it badly if she mentioned anything, so she stayed quiet and focused on not going too deep in the water. "You've never had fish?" she asked, amazed. She ate it quite a bit back in Russia, and every so often here at Hammel. She understood it wasn't for everyone, but she still had a hard time believing he had never had it. "Have you just not wanted to, or haven't had the chance?" she asked.

She yelped as she stepped forward and felt nothing under her foot; apparently she had somehow reached the edge of the shallows. She backpedaled furiously, heart pounding in fear. That was close.... Too close. Knowing Henry would ask for an explanation for her behavior, she smiled sheepishly. "I am... Terrified of deep water," she admitted. She rubbed her arms and backed up until the water just reached her knees, deciding she was cooled off enough. "Do you think we should get back?" she asked. She was too tired to fly, but maybe they could just walk. "I should probably work on homework anyway..." she trailed off, sighing.

[Henry Ballo]

Why did she find that so surprising? It wasn’t that he hadn’t had the opportunity; it was just that he’d never thought of it. Perhaps that was his fault. After all, he’d been so busy wanting things from home that perhaps…although he really wasn’t sure he WANTED fish. A scene from Lord of the Rings had been sufficient to kill any desire for the wriggling, slimy creatures to be put on his plate. They could swim quite happily knowing they were safe from him. “A combination of both, I suspect,” he said after a moment. A faint frown was on his face, but it wasn’t directed at her. At her statement, he blinked and tilted his head to the side.

“Is that so? But you seem to be able to…” He trailed off, then shrugged. “Well. Every person has their fears. I am personally afraid of fire, so.” He offered a faint, sympathetic smile, and dove under once again. It helped that deep water wasn’t so deep for him. There was an advantage to being tall. He surfaced for her question, and nodded.

“I think that would be best. I do not suppose you brought towels with you? If not, perhaps we could fly a little until we are dry.”