you say you're okay, you're faking

i bank on the funeral

“She’s okay.” He offers, giving Loren a softer smile. “But she tried to go get a Cloud Manta crystal with a local and ended up getting crushed by it. Apparently she was healed before she got back.” Though there’s something in the way the muscle feathers in his jaw that seems to suggest he’s not entirely sure if he wants to know how bad it had been before that point.

The mention of being overprotective does spark a playful roll of his eyes. “Her too. She nearly bit my head off for the scars you gave me.” He says, turning his side to the Launceleyn and lifting his arm to peer down at the dragon’s claw marks that run down the length of his torso. “I like ‘em well enough though.” He teases Loren before stepping into the water.

And once he’s there, asks how much Loren knows of it, he focuses on Loren and the form of which he swims with. Then, he floats – which is usually the number one thing that he tries to teach people to try and prevent them from drowning at the very least. But he filters away what he’s learned from it, shifting in the water to swim to Loren’s side, entirely as himself as much as he wants to partially shift. His form is well practiced, strokes powerful enough to keep a good pace, and when he reaches Loren’s side he aims to circle the summoner with a calculating eye.

“You seem like you want to be in control of it too much.” He muses, steel gaze lifting to Loren with a small smile and a raise of his brow. “Try to give into it, be more sure of your strokes and see where that gets you.” He offers.

'cause i learned all my lessons that way

SUNJATA

there's a fire starting in my heart

reaching a fever pitch

Loren's eyes narrowed as Sunjata explained what happened to Maea. "I thought you said she was bruised all over." Obviously the healer's tone indicated that he was unimpressed with the treatment she'd received. However, he shrugged. "I'll check it out when she comes in for her next session."

Glancing at the scars, he raised his eyebrows. "I would be sympathetic, but I definitely offered to get rid of those." Despite the slightly tart words, he was grinning a little, and his tone was just as teasing as the bartender's.

Letting out a little huff of laughter, the Launceleyn's eyes crinkled with amusement. "I would think you, of all people, would be wary of telling me to lose control." Voice self-deprecating, he nevertheless did what the other man suggested. Loren let his body slip into the water again. Then, instead of thinking too hard about what he was doing, he just tried to swim around Sunjata.

and it's bringing me out the dark

LOREN

i bank on the funeral

He snorts to Loren’s assessment. “I found out after that she’d already been healed. I think she’d prefer me not to mother hen her.” He shrugs, though he’s found it harder and harder as the days went on. Especially with the mention of the Ursur that Sunjata would have to ask about.

He does, however, chuckle brightly at Loren’s comment about the scars. “I wanted to keep them. I just didn’t have a chance to tell her about them before she’d seen them.” He gives a rogue grin to Loren before following him into the water and giving his assessment.

Sunjata can’t help but to smirk to Loren’s comment, shrugging broad tattooed shoulders in the water as he keeps himself afloat easily, watching with a mentors eye as Loren tries to swim around him. It seems as though Loren’s still too stiff, and it doesn’t help that a rogue wave appears seemingly out of nowhere, toppling over the summoner. Sunjata slips forward, aiming to grab a hold of Loren and set him right again, before trying to take his arm. “Looser here, focus on where you want to go and let it guide you there without fighting it so much.” He says, trying to show step by step how he does it himself quite slowly — pointing his hands, the way it carves into the water.

'cause i learned all my lessons that way

SUNJATA

there's a fire starting in my heart

reaching a fever pitch

Loren let out a huff of laughter. "It's alright, I'll do it." Giving Sunjata an almost sly grin, the healer shrugged. "I have to have regular sessions with her anyway. I'll just insist on taking care of her injuries as well, make some big speech about my 'responsibility as the Grand healer' and 'think about what Zariah would say.'"

Snorting, he nodded in understanding. "Ah yes, I can see why that would be a problem." His tone was softly and tentatively teasing.

As the wave rolled over him, he took a deep breath, knowing he'd plunge under. Thankfully, the bartender helped get the Launceleyn back to the surface, and he smiled thankfully at the other man. Watching carefully as Sunjata demonstrated, Loren nodded. Then he tried to copy how the bartender let his hands lead the way and slice through the water. Once again, the healer tried to swim in a circle around the other man.

and it's bringing me out the dark

LOREN

i bank on the funeral

A brighter laugh leaves him again at the mention of Loren acting out the mother hen’ing duties, and he nods to the summoner with it. “I apologize in advance.” He rumbles with a knowing smirk. But the mention of not having a chance to tell her before she’d seen the scars is something that’s better left to the imagination, and he shifts somewhat in the water once they get there.

He instructs Loren well enough, it seems, watching the summoner mimic the way Sunjata had shown him how to take the strokes with his hands — a way to cut the water. And the summoner improves, it’s evident in the more confident way he swims the circle around Sunjata, but there’s always room for more improvement. Sunjata nears him again, aiming to reach a hand out and press against Loren’s lower back. “You’re too stiff here still, try kicking out with your legs together and letting them and your arms do the work.” He offers, looking to Loren with some hint of happiness pulsing through the bond at how the man’s picked up the strokes so far.

'cause i learned all my lessons that way

SUNJATA

there's a fire starting in my heart

reaching a fever pitch

The happiness and the praise were honestly unexpected, and Loren sent a pulse of pleased surprise back. "Alright. I'll try." Indeed he made sure to relax further, especially his lower back where Sunjata had pressed. In fact, the healer let himself float for a moment. He took deep and calming breaths, letting his limbs hang loose and letting the water carry him weightlessly.

Then he slid down again. For the third time, he attempted to swim around the bartender. This time, the Launceleyn tried to let his hands lead him and cut through the water, kept his body relaxed, and kicked with his legs together instead of apart.

and it's bringing me out the dark

LOREN

i bank on the funeral

The form looks good from what Sunjata can tell, but the wind picks up surprisingly quick and the waves begin to grow a small amount choppy within the pool. And while Loren would have likely done a very wonderful swim around the pool… Well, the waves grow more intense making it difficult for an inexperienced swimmer to handle.

Sunjata partially shifts his lower half to his orca form, cutting through the water to get to Loren once more as the waves begin to battle the summoner, a pulse of confidence slipping to the other man when Sunjata tries to reach for him again. “The waves got a bit more intense there, but it was looking really good.” He says, moving to circle Loren within the water. “Try it again.” He says once the wind dies down.

'cause i learned all my lessons that way

SUNJATA

there's a fire starting in my heart

reaching a fever pitch

As the waves rolled over Loren once more, batting him aside, he took a deep breath before plunging under. Surfacing, he tread water and nodded at Sunjata's words. A flash of annoyance crossed the healer's expression, one mirror by the feeling he sent through the bond. Reaching out, he gripped the water all around him and kept it still, hoping to prevent further waves from interfering.

Then he took a deep breath. Relaxing as best he could while focusing on his magic, he swam forward again. His hands sliced through the water, his back was as loose as he could manage, and he kicked with both legs, trying to circle the bartender without screwing something up.

and it's bringing me out the dark

LOREN

i bank on the funeral

The annoyance is felt but all Sunjata can do is just have Loren keep trying. He’s making progress, the Korofi can see that. But the waves and apparent storm that’s swept in are proving to give the man a struggle. As Loren begins another circle, focusing on his water magic, it seems something else has a mind of its own.

Sunjata remains in place as Loren begins to swim in circles. But there’s a brush or something against his fin, and a pulse of surprise got sent toward Loren as Sunjata dives beneath the waves. He spots the blush hues dolphins right as they go for Loren, to nudge and bump him in the water as if he’s a beach ball.

What the fuck. He rumbles, reaching out toward the two dolphins that are ruining the lesson, trying to compel them away from the summoner and to find something else more interesting.

'cause i learned all my lessons that way

SUNJATA

there's a fire starting in my heart

reaching a fever pitch

Maintaining the magic and his form proved a bit trickier than Loren had anticipated. The surprise from Sunjata was enough to get the healer to lose his grip on his magic. Then the bartender dived, but before the Launceleyn could react, things starting pushing and prodding and battering him.

He found himself tossed around by a pair of pink bodies. Having the presence of mind to take a deep breath before they managed to submerge him, he kicked and swam frantically, trying to reach the surface. He also sent a pulse of magic outwards, trying to dispel the creatures that had come to play with? attack? interfere with his efforts with a current of water.

and it's bringing me out the dark

LOREN

i bank on the funeral

Of course, the creatures reach Loren before Sunjata’s compelling have a chance to work. And with it, he focuses on trying to get them to slip away, to remain watchful around the outside to distract themselves with colorful stones by the shore. And yet, Sunjata watches Loren try to pull himself to the surface. But it’s chaotic and the dolphins have created just enough of a havoc that the waves return and slosh against him.

Sunjata surfaces, pushing himself toward the summoner to try and latch onto him and bring him back to the surface, his own tail (so much like the dolphins) brushing against Loren’s legs as he tries to pull them upward. When he surfaces, he takes a deep breath of air, looking back over to the dolphins to compel them to take a stone and leave. And they do, bobbing a red hued stone between their snouts in a playful game as they depart back to the deeper oceans.

'cause i learned all my lessons that way

SUNJATA

there's a fire starting in my heart

reaching a fever pitch

It was chaotic, and for a moment Loren didn't know which way was up and which was down. Panic flared in him (and through the bond) and he found himself thrashing, both at the creatures and at the water, trying to escape. A tail brushed his legs and he kicked at it instinctively before he felt the arms encircling him.

Forcing himself to relax, he let Sunjata bring them to the surface. The healer gasped for air when they finally broke through. Panting a bit, clinging almost desperately to the bartender, the Launceleyn glared at the pink fish that had attacked him before looking at the other man. "What the actual fuck?" Loren made no move to release Sunjata.

and it's bringing me out the dark

LOREN

i bank on the funeral

A wince crosses Sunjata’s face as Loren kicks out against his tail, but eventually the summoner calms and relaxes enough that the Senzaok can bring him to the surface. Once there, Loren gasps for breath, makes no move to step out of Sunjata’s reach — and honestly, Sunjata’s too focused on ensuring the creatures leave than to try and let Loren float on his own. He keeps his arms around the summoner, turning his steel gaze back to the man when his voice pipes up.

“Encantados… I think. I heard about them.” He explains, the word falling awkwardly off his tongue, his accent making it feel more like a mouthful than it really was. His tail brushes up against the summoners legs again and Sunjata focuses his gaze to the man. “That fin is mine. Please don’t kick me again.” He says with a small pulse of amusement through the bond.

'cause i learned all my lessons that way

SUNJATA

there's a fire starting in my heart

reaching a fever pitch

Still breathing heavily, Loren stared at Sunjata a bit incredulously. "Well I haven't." Scowling a bit, he glanced he glanced back at the path the pink fishes had taken. "What are Encantados, and why did they attack me?" The healer's voice was low and annoyed.

Looking back at the bartender, the Launceleyn rolled his eyes. "You want me to kiss it and make it feel better?" The words came out tartly. Immediately, he forced himself to take a deep breath and let go of the other man.

Then Loren started swimming towards the edge of the pool. Sorry. I can heal you if you need it. The thought was genuinely apologetic, even if he was slightly disgusted at himself with his whole performance.

and it's bringing me out the dark

LOREN