Sohalia
While Tal was too nervous to be shy, Sohalia's nerves made her, if anything, more so. As Tal shrugged out of his shirt and then out of an armored vest, Sohalia averted her gaze, her cheeks faintly pink. Instead of staring at Tal, she gazed at the vest instead. It was an interesting creation; she had never seen anything quite like it. Armored and flecked in black and white, she tilted her head to one side as she considered its use. Clearly there was more to her friend than met the eye.In any case, if Sohalia had truly understood Tal's fear of the water, she would have been touched by his faith in her. As it were, she waded slowly in to her waist and paused, turning to wait patiently for Tal. She couldn't avoid looking at him forever, though, and so she forced herself to watch as he waded in, pausing briefly when the water met his knees before pressing on. It took a moment for Tal to reach her side, and her cheeks and ears burned all the while. When he finally stood beside her, Sohalia thought she might die of embarrassment. Here she was trying to teach Tal to swim, and all she could think about was that he was half-naked!
"Um," she said, flustered. "Well, I thought I could, um, help you - float?" Did her voice sound higher than normal? She cleared her throat. Get it together! she told herself sternly, and when she spoke again, she sounded somewhat more normal. "Here, let me show you." She lowered herself in the water, biting back a huff of breath at the sudden chill. She leaned back, floating easily at the surface.
After a moment, she righted herself and stood. Her clothes, now soaking wet, clung to her petite frame, and her hair fell messily down her back, dripping as she rose from the water. "That's the end goal, anyway. I'll help support you, but you'll have to trust me. I won't let you drown," she promised, meeting his gaze squarely. In that, at least, she was confident - despite her nerves and her shyness, Tal would be safe with her.
"Let's start by just getting you in the water all the way," she suggested. "And take your time. There's no rush." With that, she lowered herself back into the water, essentially kneeling on the bottom of the river. The water lapped at her throat as she looked up at Tal patiently.
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
