Tal eyed the water dubiously, clearly not trusting it - but choosing to trust Soh and her expertise in the art of not drowning swimming instead. "Speak for yourself," he mumbled morosely at her claim that most people didn't sink. True, he'd been wearing armor made of magic stone on the previous occasion...
With a heavy sigh he began to shrug out of his shirt, revealing an armored vest beneath that glinted with crystalline inclusions. The shirt was carefully folded, neat and efficiently, and then he shrugged out of the vest and laid it atop the shirt so it didn't get blown away. His light brown skin was marred by two old, large scars across his ribs on his right side, and his body was lean whipcord and hard muscle, far skinnier without his clothes to bulk him out.
He rubbed his arms, a shiver stealing over him that had nothing to do with the cold - indeed, his wrist cuff remained in place - as he eyed the water and then Sohalia, suddenly too nervous to be shy in front of her. "Um." He shuffled forward, stepping into the chilly river until the water reached his knees before he paused.
His nose wrinkled fiercely in a scowl down at the crystal-clear shallows and he stole a surreptitious glance at where Soh stood waiting. He clearly wanted to stop where he was, but the thought of his frenemy Sah laughing at him was enough to spur him onwards, one painfully slow, shuffled inch at a time until he stood beside his friend, tense as a cat in a violin factory. "Right. Well. I'm, uh. Pretty uncomfortable now," he admitted gruffly, doing his best to keep a brave face on. "Now what?"
With a heavy sigh he began to shrug out of his shirt, revealing an armored vest beneath that glinted with crystalline inclusions. The shirt was carefully folded, neat and efficiently, and then he shrugged out of the vest and laid it atop the shirt so it didn't get blown away. His light brown skin was marred by two old, large scars across his ribs on his right side, and his body was lean whipcord and hard muscle, far skinnier without his clothes to bulk him out.
He rubbed his arms, a shiver stealing over him that had nothing to do with the cold - indeed, his wrist cuff remained in place - as he eyed the water and then Sohalia, suddenly too nervous to be shy in front of her. "Um." He shuffled forward, stepping into the chilly river until the water reached his knees before he paused.
His nose wrinkled fiercely in a scowl down at the crystal-clear shallows and he stole a surreptitious glance at where Soh stood waiting. He clearly wanted to stop where he was, but the thought of his frenemy Sah laughing at him was enough to spur him onwards, one painfully slow, shuffled inch at a time until he stood beside his friend, tense as a cat in a violin factory. "Right. Well. I'm, uh. Pretty uncomfortable now," he admitted gruffly, doing his best to keep a brave face on. "Now what?"
