Sohalia
Luckily, Tal seemed to recover well from his unexpected dip in the river. Sohalia relaxed as he patted her shoulder, distracted enough by her distress that she didn't have time to be uncomfortable. She peered up at him with poorly disguised worry as he sneezed and coughed and found his breath. "Oh," she said, her anguish clear on her pretty face, her hands fluttering as though unsure whether to continue to support him or let him go. "I'm sorry, I thought - you had it!"But, perhaps predictably, Tal didn't seem to want to linger on the mistakes they'd made, and Soh lowered her arms to wring her hands, wishing she had her skirts to hide behind. "About a minute or so," she informed him, smiling in a way that didn't quite dispel her guilt. She took a deep breath. "You were doing so well. Do you... want to try again? Now that you know what to expect?"
Or perhaps it would be better to try something else. "Or, if you don't want to, we can try something different," she said. She wished she felt more confident about everything she was trying to teach him, that there weren't so many moving parts to be mindful of. She would need to show him how to use his arms, how to kick his legs, and how to hold his breath properly once he did go under. What would be most helpful to start with?
"Actually," she mused aloud. "It might be helpful for you to learn how to hold your breath when you do go under."
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
