We could run like wild things [Open!]

[mermaiding]

Who: mermaiding & YOU
When: I mean, you know... (IC: 11/27? Probably??);late at night
Where: the pool
What: Oona's found a pool and tries to overcome her anxiety with swimming. But it's after hours and someone's bound to get the wrong idea.
Rating/Warning: Oona skinny dips and is probably going to be naked through 99% of her interactions with people here. Also descriptions of near-drowning. Also angst?? I swear Oona's brand of ridiculous obnoxiousness will be back after the initial post...

---

[She'd known of the pool's existence for a little while now. It wasn't as though she'd been actively seeking it out--partly because it wasn't the sea and therefore wasn't good enough, and partly because she wasn't sure how to feel about water now.

As a mermaid, water was part of her life in every way. It was part of her, a deep connection she could never sever and yet... Right now, the thought scared her. She was a mermaid; she knew that, boasted about it as proudly as she pleased, but after spending so long in her human form she couldn't help feel a little anxious. What if it didn't feel the same? What if she somehow forgot how to swim, how to make the water part of her?

What if she just didn't feel anything?

It wasn't terribly late at night-- late enough that the pool was supposed to be closed and locked up tight, but it wasn't this night. Maybe it was a glitch, maybe someone had royally fucked up closing it-- who knows and who cares? Oona counted it as a blessing as she looked around to see if anyone was around (totally not suspicious in the slightest!) before entering.

Her heart is pounding in her chest hard enough that she's a little afraid it might burst out. The pool water is undisturbed, clear and tempting as she teeters at the edge of it, debating.

The last time she'd been in a pool, she'd been held captive in it. When turning human her new cell still had a deep tank, but Oona had never entered it in the year she'd been in it except to bust it open and escape. At the time she'd been in too much of a frenzy of blood and revenge and desperate to escape to bother thinking more about it.

Oona takes her time undressing (clothes, after all, have no meaning to her beyond "I need to cover up so the humans don't lose their fool minds"), giving herself a chance to come to terms with this.

And then she jumped.

The water was cold, but Oona had lived in colder. The initial splash was dulled, all her senses muting as she allowed herself to sink to the bottom.

First she had to fight her instinct to start breathing immediately--she had no gills in this form--and to move her legs as one. She forced herself to stay relatively still, except for the movements required to keep her submerged so deep down. If she didn't think about it too hard it was almost--almost--like she could pretend she was home again. Her ears strained for the familiar noises of her family, her skin prickling for the currents of the water that didn't quite exist here.

Then she opened her eyes--still sharp, still able to pick out the details as easily as if she was using goggles.The chemicals stung her eyes some and the illusion of being in the sea was ruined, calm replaced with bitter disappointment. Her scars began to ache a little, her chest aching as she held her breath.

It burned, and her anger burned with it as she fought against her rising desperation to surface for air. No. She didn't want to give in to this awful human desire for air. She wanted to stay down there, to breath in the water and let it consume her entirely, to go back--

But the need for air is stronger and Oona isn't a complete fool. She kicks powerfully and breeches the surface with a ragged gasp, coughing a little. Her next exhale is a scream of rage, however, her fists splashing ineffectively against the water, and she dives again.

Another scream, muffled o course by the water. But she screams until her air runs out and surfaces again with a choked sob; she can pretend for a moment that her angry tears are just the water from the pool and maybe if she tells herself that enough times she's believe it to be true.]

Comments

[deontology]

[He doesn't tend to stay late at the gym, but on occasion, it happens. Lately, he's been realizing more and more that the stagnancy of things is killing him even more than the ridiculous events and danger did--he has never taken wastes of time well, and here, all he is doing is wasting time.

So he stays later at the gym, practices and practices and practices, and Tenka is at work at this hour, so he isn't around to scold Sousei and drag him away from his practice.

And Taiko isn't there to pick him up, tuck him under his arm, and physically carry him off--well, not that he's small enough to be carried off anymore anyway. Regardless, he is walking out of the gym, finally having managed to work up a sweat, when he hears that scream, and immediately he turns on his heel and strides towards the pool, not running, but in confident, quick strides, prepared for anything this place can throw at him--

Well, anything but Oona, and he arrives just in time to hear and see her sob, and he feels as though he's treaded on something very personal, then. But it's too late to back out now. (Still, what must it feel like to be a mermaid away from the ocean? Certainly, worse than a wolf away from its pack).

Slowly, he strides over to the edge of the pool and crouches there, for a moment patient, waiting for her to catch her breath, before he finally speaks.]

Oona.

[mermaiding]

[She knows he's there, his footsteps echo in the empty room and fro the corner of her eye she can tell it's Sousei. While Oona doesn't outwardly acknowledge him, she's grateful that if someone had to catch her in an embarrassingly raw moment that it was him.

When she finally looks at him, she's the picture of indignant anger, like how dare he be there at this time. But it's only there for a moment, keeping the act up too taxing after her outburst of energy, before her expression becomes something--less. Sullen. A little ashamed, maybe, and she averts her eyes. She blinks rapidly as if to clear the water from them--water, she mentally insists, not tears--and tries to think of something to say.]

S'cold. [Because clearly that justifies screaming her head off.]

[deontology]

[you know, he' knows it's an excuse, and he's entirely willing to accept it anyway. If she wants to talk about it, she will. For now, crouched there and looking at her (completely focused on meeting her eyes, he may not have even realized she's naked yet), his response is entirely sincere.]

Do you require a towel or blanket?

[Because she's cold, clearly.

Until she feels quite up to talking about it, he'll just try to resolve the problems, real or not.]

[mermaiding]

... Towel. [It's said in a quiet voice as she treads the water, resisting the urge to sink under it again.

She says nothing for a few moments, staring s hole into the opposite wall as she collects her thoughts.] Thought-- [A pause. Silence, and then:] Do not know. Thought it would be fine. But, it is different. Want it to feel the same.

[Oona screws up her face, realizing she's probably not making much sense.] Do not feel it like I used to. Is... Cold. I feel cold.

[souredsweet]

[Kaoru is, quite honestly, the sort of person that you wouldn't want to have around in an emergency situation. Equally likely are the possibilities of poking around just for the sake of curiosity, or ignoring the disturbance completely. Too much hassle, usually. Too involved. Too close to people.

But there's something about the rage in that scream that makes Kaoru pause. It's something familiar to the point of being unpleasant, but it's also something that resonates greatly, and the direction that the scream had come from is the one that he starts walking toward. ...Well, there's nowhere to be, anyway - nothing to do this late at night. Kaoru is only out and about at all because (usually) no one else is. It's a breath of fresh air, walking around in the dark where no one can see the unpleasant, unfriendly expressions that are worn most naturally.

The door is opened soon enough; Kaoru moves quietly, but in such a large and empty room, the footfalls echo regardless. Rather than saying anything immediately, he pauses near the line of bleachers stacked against the wall, hands folded, brow furrowed.

Eventually, softly:] Being alone in a place like this at night may be dangerous, Oona-san.

[mermaiding]

[She laughs, a bitter sound, and her smile isn't kind as she spares him a glance.] Worried will drown? A mermaid, drowning... You are funny, Kaoru.

[But the smile disappears and she looks at her hands as she treads the water, watching it move between her fingers.] A bad fake. Pools are not oceans or lakes or rivers. Should not be surprised it is so awful to swim in. No life, no feeling. Stupid... Humans are so stupid.

[It's easier around Kaoru to vent her anger and hatred about humans, Kaoru who understands, who almost never tries platitudes about not all humans; Kaoru who just accepts and agrees and lets her gnash her teeth. Her anger surges again and she splashes at the water, moving with purpose towards the edge of the pool.] Hate them. Hate this. Hate everything!

[souredsweet]

[And as usual, Kaoru doesn't try to placate her. Her anger is something that belongs to her, and she should be able to express it as long or freely as she'd like.

His shoulders rise a little, but no other outward gesture is made to show agreement or disagreement. What's said, on the other hand-]

They dislike things that they don't have fine control over.

[Whether that's a body of water or other living beings. The smell of chlorine in here is sharp and acrid, and the entire environment is grossly artificial from the unnaturally blue-green water to the blinding florescent lights overhead. The buzz is something that Kaoru can hear - not as loud as neon, but still ever-present. A reminder of how far from natural this place can be.]

—But I was more concerned that you might be attacked, or bothered by CERES employees, perhaps. This isn't an area that many people are near at this hour... What would you do if someone were to try harming you?

[mermaiding]

True.

[Her lips curl in an unpleasant smile, her mind turning to just how true it really is. Humans with their need to control and understand, but too haughty to simply ask...

His question gets a snort of amusement and Oona raises her hand, idly swirling the tip of her finger in the water. It begins to move, slowly at first as Oona gets a handle on the magic she hasn't used in years, but eventually the whirlpool begins to form, the water thrashing violently with Oona calmly to the side.

She smooths her hand out over the water and everything calms again; Oona looks rather proud of herself.] Suicide to attack me in my element. What would I do? Kill them, of course. Am naked, not defenseless.

[Her smile turns amused, almost teasing, as she turns it on Kaoru.] Planning something? [She's joking, of course, and it figures that talk of murder and teasing Kaoru about it would cheer her up.]

Has been some time since I could use that magic. Maybe you should lure someone here so can make sure have not gotten out of practice.

[flaredo]

[ Yang makes a habit of wandering, checking out sources of information during times when most of the people in the city are safely tucked away. It's a habit of hers by now, after getting off from work, although what brings her to the gym is an idle whim. She doesn't expect to see anyone there.

She hears it first, though, a scream so raw that Yang turns instinctively towards it, not even thinking about potential risks as she heads for the sound. And again, there's no thought of hesitation when she spots the source. Instead, she kicks off her boots and jumps into the pool herself, grasping for her friend's bare shoulders.

What, they're both girls, she doesn't care about her lack of clothing. But her eyebrows are drawn together, her eyes narrowed with concern. ]

Oona-- hey!!

[mermaiding]

[All Oona can think is how lucky Yang is that Oona realized she was there and recognized her before she jumped in, because her first instinct is to attack. And it would be suicide to attack a mermaid like Oona in her own element.

But Yang is lucky and Oona is not so inclined to try and drown her--yet. But she does try to jerk away, hissing in anger at the disturbance caused by her jumping in so suddenly]

What!? Think I was in trouble? Am mermaid, do not insult me! Water will not hurt me! Am fine! Was-- There was bug! [Not that Yang said, you know, anything about any of that. Projecting much?]

[flaredo]

I think if there was a bug, it's definitely dead now.

[ And here is Yang, still mostly clothed and drenched and uncaring about the fact that she could have been murdered by a mermaid. Life goes on. ]

And I didn't think the water was an issue, trust me.

[mermaiding]

Not dead enough. [it's a metaphor, you see. the bugs are humans. or something.

But at least Oona isn't splashing around anymore, letting her hands drop to her sides in the water.]

...Hate this place. It smells, and it is empty.

[sunshrouded]

[ . . . . well, he was probably looking for Sousei to see if he stayed late. Or maybe he was there to do some practice himself, Tenka's reasons for being places are always pretty shady. But the sound of a splash into the pool this late at night does earn his attention and curiosity.

So easily diverted as he is, he went to go investigate.

His eyes widen when he notices Oona, screaming and angry as she is.... and he shakes his head faintly when she dives back in. Then it's just stepping out of his shoes and rolling up the cuffs of his pants before he goes to sit at the edge of the pool, letting his legs fall into it, kicking his legs idly while he waits. When she surfaces again, he opens his hands to her and calls out for her attention-]

Hey pretty girl, what're you doing?

[mermaiding]

[She hisses on instinct, turning to face the sudden voice. She hadn't heard him approach or sit down thanks to the water dulling her senses somewhat (another fact that makes her aggravated all over again), but thankfully he recognizes before she does something more drastic than splash at him.

Which is exactly what she does, tossing water at him in vague frustration.]

Flying, obviously! What does it look like? [Her tone is scathing, but immediately she regrets it. It's Tenka, after all, and he's calling her pretty like only he does despite her scoffing.

Oona looks away, watching the ripples of the water as it calms, trying to follow suit] Thought no one would be here...

[sunshrouded]

[Oof. He winces vaguely at her tone and just raises a hand so the water doesn't fly into his face but otherwise doesn't really move. Eh. It's fine, he's going home after this anyway. He can stand being a little wet - especially since he can tell that Oona's upset about something. It doesn't even seem to register to him to worry about anything else.]

Yeah, this place normally gets locked up, doesn't it...?

Do you wanna be alone, Oona-chan? I can go, but I was worried. [Not really because she's in the water by herself - she's a mermaid, after all - but--] You look unhappy.

[mermaiding]

['Do you wanna be alone?'] No.

[She hates it. Mermaids were social creatures by habit, need companionship and close bonds with others; Oona, for all her bluster and pushing people away, wasn't the exception. She liked being by herself at times, but it made her inability to leave others alone more clear.]

You... You worry too much. Stupid aniki. [But the heat is gone from her words and she looks everywhere but at him. The silence stretches for a few seconds before she suddenly speaks up again]

Had goals once. Dreams. Wanted to join mother's family in the north, marry a fisherman. A human. Head full of romance. Had short hair too. [She points to her chin] To here. Wore shells in it, and starfish once. [Oona pauses again before continuing quietly] Am not that person anymore. Thought the water would help, but can only think of what used to be.

[confind]

[ That's the big thing about working at a sex shop: you're always getting out late. Long past when everyone else should be sleeping, and long past prime time to go for a quick swim in the pool.

Which is what makes Oona's presence so striking, and though Sooha initially ignores her and keeps walking, her angered screams have him running right back, through the gates and straight to the edge of the pool himself.

If he didn't already know about her, didn't already know what she was, he would have jumped in in a heartbeat. But she can swim, she isn't drowning, and she would probably get haughty if he did anything to insinuate she couldn't handle this kind of water, so he stops himself from any of that, coming to stand by the edge instead.

He already knows he's walked into a pretty emotional moment, and it isn't his head voice that tells him so, it's the tone in hers and the broken sobs of her voice. ]

Oona.

[mermaiding]

[It's hard to hide your presence in an empty pool room, even from someone as distracted as Oona is. It doesn't stop her from baring her teeth in an automatic defense, but she gives up on that quickly when she actually looks at him and recognizes him.

Maybe she should be more embarrassed, but if asked she'd most likely babble about how he was the one who walked in, shouldn't hebe the embarrassed one? Right now she just doesn't have it in her to bother with any of it. Embarrassment, anger, bitterness--She just feels cold.The water is lifeless, which she knows she should have expected already, but...]

Doing strange things again. [He is, she means. She looks away to stare across the water, moving to the shallow side so she can stand] Stupid...

[confind]

[ He doesn't think she's got anything to be embarrassed about. Yeah, he's just caught her uh--essentially just skinny dipping in a pool in the dead of night? But there's something more important going on here than just him catching her naked. That's something he can worry about later, once he works out if she's alright. ]

I could say the same thing about you.

[ Skinny dipping, screaming in the middle of the night, etc. ]

I only saw you by coincidence, I'm not following you.

[ Just in case she gets any weird ideas.

Though he's lying, in a way, because he is following her; as she moves to the shallow end of the pool so does he, matching each of her strokes across the water with his feet on the pavement. ]

[allthreefourths]

[ it's a walk home from a night time visit to the food stands with toothless, for the dragon's particularly strong craving of salmon was always conveniently timed for the moments they didn't have any. as hard as hiccup tried to keep the stock full, sometimes that just wasn't possible with toothless's impossible to predict stomach.

so, here they are. walking--because walking could be a thing sometimes, instead of flying--with a bag full of fish in hand, until the scream comes and he has to turn to look at toothless to make sure that he actually heard that. when the dragon gives him a low hum and a droop of the ear-fins in response, they're both running towards the sound.

one dragon and a one-legged viking run into the pool area, the latter's metal leg near slipping on the wet tiles. but, still--can't ignore disgruntled cries, and toothless is immediately moving towards the edge of the pool, hiccup following.

there's a.... girl. hiccup hasn't quite noticed her state of dress... or rather, undress, just yet. all he notices is she's crying, and she was screaming, and he can't really ignore that even if he doesn't know her. ]

Sorry. We didn't mean to... suddenly run in, like this. We heard you screaming. [ ... ] Are you okay?

[mermaiding]

[She ducks into the water immediately, startled into action by the sudden appearance of human and... dragon??

Alright, that warranted her curiosity bringing her back to the surface again. Her expression is still angry and distrustful, but toothless's presence goes a long way in helping her actually acknowledge Hiccup. Otherwise, she might have just yelled at him to go or tried to drown him. You know, as sane people do.]

Fine. [A biting response and she moves to the edge to look at Toothless closer.] Hate this place. It smells. Stings my eyes. [Which is totally why it looked like she was crying. No lies here!!]

[allthreefourths]

[ thanks for not drowning him, oona... his swimming's not so good. incredibly not good. still, her distrust isn't-- well, he's not taking offence to that, and he can kind of understand. the cold brush off, that's also fine. he just won't push her further if that totally convincing answer is what she wants to go with, though of course that's easier said than done.

he crouches down at his position at the edge of the pool then, taking care not to come any closer. toothless, on the other hand, bring his head a little lower to the pool at oona's approach. ]

I get that. They... put some pretty weird stuff in the water. [ a look over to toothless. ] He didn't like it all that much either. Really gets your eyes all watery.

[ totally why she looked like she's crying. also why toothless is just skirting a little above the water's edge, because he really doesn't want to touch that stuff. ]

[smokingspirit]

[ Hokuto had been at the pool earlier that day, just before noon, to exercise, and he had managed to forget his rings, and had only just now come back to get them. Luckily they were still there.

He noticed something in the water and when he noticed Oona come through the surface, he heads over. She goes back down under before he has reached her, though, and he sits down in a crouch by the edge to watch her, as he fiddles with an unlit cigarette. ]

The chlorine feeling good?

[ Chlorine both smells and stings. Can't feel very nice for her. ]

[mermaiding]

[She glares instantly, raw and hurt, but at lest she'snot automatically lashing out with violence. This time.]

Of course not! Do not ask stupid things! [She splashes a hand into the water and looks away, pressing her other hand against the scars on her chest. They ache, but she's not sure if she mins it or not.] Hurts. Everything hurts...

[smokingspirit]

[ He raises his hands in an disarming gesture. Then he drops them against his knees. ]

Ever heard of sarcasm, Oona-san? [ It's sort of one way he shows concern. By being a sarcastic ass. He's not sure if she wants him to do anything about her hurting, or if it's only her body that is hurting. ] Memories?