Rise of Ruin

Mardian sighed. He really didn't want Iridian along. He needed a break from the philandering jackass as well as the women did. He wondered faintly if he had been there while Iridian was growing if he could have helped shape him into a better man than he was. It was clear he was shameless and that he hadn't learned a thing. He'd just agreed initially so that people would get off of his back, that was evident. "If you're going to swim I suggest dark clothes, Avis." Mardian said. "Something that can't be seen through when wet."

"Aw, let the lady wear what she wants, Mardian." Iridian smirked.

"One more word out of you that is even slightly off color and I'll belt you in the jaw again." Mardian grumped.

Avis returned, outfitted in a fairly dark pair of magenta shorts and a shirt, both of which were fairly loose and open, save for the waistband of the shorts, which were nice and tight. Avis felt a little nervous, as she often did not wear such exposing clothing. She preferred to keep herself covered up. "This is all I really have," she said, which was true. Aside from her usual outfits, this was the only thing she could really swim in, aside from her underwear.

Farei was wearing the same clothes she had been all day, the same ones she had slept in. Today was a lazy day for all she cared and not even Iridian would ruin this for her. She would kill him if he tried. She brought along a towel, waiting to be allowed outside, to see the sunshine, the grass, and to look out over the crystalline waters of Lake Hylia, and maybe even soak her feet a little.

"I suppose its time to go." said Mardian, glancing over at Gayle. "Let's try to just enjoy the lake. The lake, Iridian."

Iridian rolled his eyes. "All right you can stop badgering me." said Mardian's younger brother. "You're worse than Dad, you know that?" he said.

"Good. Obviously his method wasn't getting it through your head." Mardian muttered.

Avis grabbed a towel of her own, grinning at the prospect of a good swim. It felt a little warm and stuffy in the cave to her anyway, and she was eager for a nice, cool dip.

"I've extended the enchantment over my home so that it will cover as much of the lake as I can get it to. You will be safe, so long as you do not stray past it. Do not worry; there's still plenty of room for you to enjoy yourselves," Gayle said, floating on out ahead of them, the passageway open for them to leave.

Mardian waited for everyone to join them and headed down toward the lake. The cool breeze felt wonderful and just being outside seemed to restore a little of his strength. He just hoped they would all be able to enjoy it. Iridian moved past him and jumped into the water at first opportunity. He surfaced, his dark brown hair plastered to his face with a grin. "Come on in, Avis the water's great!" he said.

Avis smiled, setting down her towel before heading towards the water, slowly stepping in. The water was quite cold, and it took her a bit to get used to as she toed her way in.

Iridian laughed jovially. "Oh come on now, that's no way to start a swim! He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in with a splash. "All at once is the only way." he smirked.

Mardian watched him with distrust. Iridian would probably cop a feel the moment he had a chance if he wasn't watched. "Hey Rag doll, you want to try something great, Iridian said, pulling off the blue tunic over his chest. "This is a Zora tunic and you can breathe underwater. My Zora friend hooked me up with it, but if you really want to see the lake, there isn't anything better."

Avis was shocked by the sudden pull, and she felt herself freezing in the water, shivering and chattering her teeth as her body tried to balance itself. "It...it looks a little too big for me..." she said, but thought it did sound really interesting to be able to breathe underwater. In fact, she remembered Link having one just like it.

Farei moved down to the edge of the water and breathed in the clean, crisp air and was thrilled when sand didn't go flying up her nose. She unfolded her towel and positioned it on the grass near the water's edge and sat down on it, daintily dipping her feet in, toes first. It was cold, and she was used to taking hot baths. She eyed Iridian with deep mistrust and felt herself bristle when he was trying to talk her into going underwater.

"Ah, that's fixed easily enough." said Iridian. "We'll just cinch it around your waist. It doesn't have to fit perfectly to work." he said. Iridian for once wasn't trying to get into any trouble with Avis. He couldn't follow her down to the depths without the tunic on himself after all. "Go ahead and give it a try. There's nothing like exploring the lake from a Zora's perspective." he smiled.

Mardian had relaxed just slightly. He was seated on the grass not far from where Farei was seated, but he, like her was watching his brother's every move with Avis. He'd only start to worry if Iridian and Avis were out of his sight at the same time.

Avis gave a soft grin. It still felt a bit loose about her, but she was eager to try the suit out. It was only a moment before the young woman dove, swimming under the water. She was amazed that she could breathe still, and she was curious about exactly how it worked. As she swam she could see the bottom of the lake's depths-the sun was quite bright out, and it amazed her just how much she could see. She could hardly wait to see more.

Iridian smiled faintly as Avis eagerly dove down, swimming in a backstroke and relaxing in the water. He certainly had to admit the girl's enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air compared to his other companions. Mardian acted like he was some sort of felon, and Farei was clearly not fond of him either. He supposed he should be a bit less troublesome for the others. He knew how to be patient, after all, and the little rag doll was probably a sensitive sort. He'd let Avis enjoy his tunic and let the other two enjoy their outing without having to worry what he was up to since Avis was below the surface.

Avis saw the sights and the beauty of the lake, Lake Hylia as pristine as could be. Certainly, she saw the temple and knew of the two business above it, but the lake was well-kept. Its waters were clear and clean, and the young woman enjoyed her swim through it. She didn't stray too deeply-there was a limit, and she could see the wall of Gayle's magic beneath the water. She got far enough, however, and she swam back up, surfacing before Iridian, her blonde curls plastered to her face, neck, and chest.

"Well now, how did you enjoy the view?" Iridian smiled as Avis surfaced in front of him. She hardly even seemed to surprise him, as if young women surfaced out of water in his general vicinity as a common thing.

Mardian was laying back in the grass and breathing in the fresh air and watching the clouds above him. It had been a while since he had taken time to do this.

Avis gave an ecstatic grin. "Oh, it was amazing! I've never swam so deep before! I saw all the fish, and the temple, and I even saw some of the Zora!" she said, her smile as big as could be.

Farei looked back at Mardian for a moment and noticed he was looking up at the sky. She craned her neck a bit and looked up as well. The sky and clouds were beautiful. "It's strange." she said quietly in his direction. "The sky is much more beautiful here than it is in the desert, even though it's the same. It's not quite so bright." she didn't think he'd talk to her. Other than what seemed near obligatory she doubted he wanted anything to do with her.

Miri had remained inside while the humans went out. Mardian's last scolding rang in her head. She knew she didn't need to be so hard on Farei. She saw the state of Farei's clothes and set about mending them better.

"Not so strange when you think of it." said Mardian. "The way a sky looks over a lake is a lot different than what you'd expect in a desert. There's a lot more moisture in the air and the clouds are probably a lot thicker than you're used to seeing." said Mardian. "If these clouds were darker I'd be starting to wonder if we were going to be looking forward to rain. I used to like looking up at the clouds, looking for shapes in them with my parents. Funny how you take things like clouds for granted when you get older. Instead of looking for shapes, you only look at them to determine whether it's going to rain or snow, or to decide how fast the wind is blowing." he said. "It feels nice to just...slow down for a while."

Iridian smiled faintly. "I'm glad you liked what you saw." he said. "You don't have to stop if you don't want to."

Farei wasn't surprised by his over-analytical response, taking every bit of whimsy out of her wonder. She grimaced inwardly. "I've never really looked at them to see shapes. I've never seen the sky over a lake, either." she murmured quietly. Looking for shapes seemed like something fun to do, or at least something to do to pass the time. She leaned back, resting in the soft, cool grass and gazed up at the sky. Clouds rarely rolled over the desert, and when they did it was usually at night or they brought the occasional rain to her region during the day.

Mardian had a feeling that he had been a little too analytical in his response. He supposed he more often than not forgot the wonder in things. He hadn't really had much chance to just be a child, having to grow up very quickly to survive after his parents had disappeared. "This was always one of my favorite spots." said Mardian after a moment. The grass is soft and after the sun has set behind the mountains to where you can only see the oranges and pinks left behind...it's a beautiful sight." he said. "I take camp here whenever I can. the sound of the waves washing on the shore are very relaxing at night, and I find it easier to think." he said. "There's one..." he said, pointing up to a cloud passing overhead. "It looks like a colt."

"Thank you," said Avis, but she shook her head. "I wanna swim like normal, though. It's a lot more fun seeing what I can handle," she smiled, pulling the tunic over her head, arching as she did so, which accentuated her bust against her own top, the fabric clinging to her skin, the chilled water having a certain noticeable effect.

Farei, for the moment, was ignoring the two in the water. Not out of spite or meanness, she was looking up at the sky. She tried to see the cloud he was looking at, looking for the shape of a horse. After some searching, she saw something that looked a bit like a horse.

"So it does. ...I wonder if Marlow is all right." she said quietly.

Iridian smirked faintly at the nice view he was receiving from Avis' removal of his tunic. Every once in a while a man was rewarded for being a good boy, it seemed. He took the tunic back from her. "Well then, I think I'll take a dive down and see if I can't find my friend I met at the lake a few days ago. Enjoy your swim." he smiled.

Mardian turned his head toward her. "Who is Marlow?" he asked, a bit puzzled at her sudden wandering. "I didn't think you had any visitors back at the Arbiter's grounds."

"Human visitors, not usually. But Marlow is probably the only other friend I have. Other than Akamu. He's a horse. He has a harem, of sorts, and he travels around with them. I imagine there are greener pastures farther in the desert. He comes to see me pretty often though. He's an odd horse. Very smart." Farei realized she must be rambling herself now. "I didn't get to say goodbye."

Avis gave a soft smile, thanking him once more for allowing him to use his tunic. It had been quite an experience, one she certainly would not mind trying again-but at a later time. For now, she merely wanted to swim, and swim she did, almost gliding through the water. She felt relaxed, especially since she was among those that she considered to be very good friends.

Akamu was at the edge of the water, dipping in one of his shinies. In his other hand he held a section of cloth that he was using as a miniature towel, washing off the dirt that had built up on his newest treasures. He preferred that his shinies sparkle, and he hated to see too much dust on them that it blocked out a good reflection or a clear view.