i am hung with graveyard flowers;

[rhinemaid]

Who: Ilde Decima and Hasi; OPEN
What: The water helps her.
Where: The Gross Tar; initially near her waterfall territory in Raven's Gate, after that various areas.
When: Givdi with Hasi; open after that through Shundi.
Notes: Specify time/place (if not Raven's Gate) if you tag in, please!
Warnings: Descriptions of LM:A-related horrors to follow in the thread with Hasi; discussion of rape & related fall out in thread with Jae.

When she finally goes down to the water, it feels so good that she hates herself for a moment sliding in, her clothes on the bank under an illusion. It soaks into her skin like she belongs there and she's glad that she got there first, that Hasi isn't there yet, because sinking into it hurts a little and it's-- not anybody's business what internal conflicts she's having. She just died. She's allowed to feel...whatever this is that she's feeling, and whatever it is she's going to feel it at the bottom of the river for a while, her tail catching light as it flicks up before she dives.

She'll surface, eventually.

Comments

[fish]

"Mm-hm." Good ol' Auntie Em. ...He won't call her that in front of anyone else, that's only for when he's (ostensibly) alone with the river.

"I'm gonna get out now, so, uh... could you... turn around? Just for a minute?"

The moment is over, and with it goes some of his confidence, although the general air of serenity does remain. Possibly this is because the part of his brain that controls anxiety has actually frozen. ...No it hasn't. His lips have by now turned a certain shade of purple, however; it seems his sluggish metabolism has finally caught up with current events. Yes, he is very cold right now. Yes, it might be a good idea to send some blood to the extremities. Nice work, body.

[rhinemaid]

Ilde hesitates, though not because she has any particular objection to giving Fish his privacy - it's partly that she doesn't like to have her back to most people and partly that it immediately renders her unable to follow if he says anything else.

After a beat, "Touch my shoulder when you're done. I don't hear very well above the water."

[fish]

"Alright. It'll be quick." He hopes. Unless he trips or some other stupid thing.

Fortunately, he does not trip, nor does any other stupid thing occur in lieu of tripping. Once Ilde's back is turned, he's up, and he's taking high steps out of the shallows on tippy-toes, as if hopping is going to make this any more bearable. A little steppy dance may be performed as he shakes his towel free of the cloth bag in which he'd brought it, and as he rubs himself dry where need be.

Either he's had plenty of practice getting dressed in a hurry, or he's feeling especially nimble tonight (hint: it's the former), because Ilde will feel that promised tap before long. When she turns, she shall behold the glorious sight of some little dude in jeans and a hoodie—it's a fitted hoodie, not some lazy baggy business, but still—sitting down to pull on his socks. And then another pair of socks on top of those.

"Thanks... uh, d'you live around here? Have I been, like, getting naked in front of you this whole time?"

[rhinemaid]

"This is the first time," she says, helpfully, settling in the shallows with her tail tucked behind her. "My territory is in Raven's Gate, I live near there."

This isn't the first time she's been here, but there is a particular reason she's been as far afield as she has the past few days; she doesn't feel a particular need to share it.

[fish]

"By the river mouth, right? That's cool... I've only been there once." Socks on, he next goes for his boots—which fasten tight via buckles, not laces, because he believes this is more awesome. "D'you wander out this way a lot?"

She's both seen him naked and shared an observance, however accidentally, so... might as well hang around and talk for a while.