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Aysu ended up going under the water with Naida, but in the meantime both Dwr and Ta'neer ended up going for the ball: Dwr because he had been calling for it, and Ta'neer because it actually went closer to her.

"I've got it!" Dwr cried gleefully, making a running dive for the ball.

He ended up belly-flopping on the water, as Ta'neer grabbed the ball right out from under him, grinning as she did so. "That's what you think," she grinned at him. She kept the ball in one hand and with her other hand she held Dwr under the water. He could breathe under the water, she knew, or else she wouldn't have done it.

It also meant that she wasn't paying attention to the ball.

Aysu rolled off Naida and back into the water, but she very quickly had her feet under her again and stood up, looking around for the ball. Ta'neer was trying to sit on Dwr, but she heard Aysu splashing up behind her and threw the ball away, high over her sister's head.

"Catch!"

Aranxia tried to catch the ball, but she had never really done anything like this before and she ended up catching the ball with her face.

"Ack!" she squealed, and fell backwards into the water.

"Aranxia!" Aennan cried, running forward to see if she was all right.

Aysu grinned and pounced on the ball. "Ha! Aranxia's it!"

Aranxia was soaked now, but thankfully more surprised than hurt.

"I'm all right," she assured everyone. Despite her protest, though, Aennan insisted on helping her to her feet.

Of course, now that Aranxia's clothes were wet, they clung to her body. She laughed as she stood, dripping wet. "You weren't kidding when you said it would get tighter than it already was," she giggled at Aennan.

Aennan chuckled. "Well, I did warn you. Anyways, you are it now, so if we're going to keep going with this game ..."

He arched one eyebrow at her, grinning, and she laughed. "Yes, yes." She turned to look for the ball. Aysu of course was the one who had it, but she quickly passed it off to Dwr.

Dwr grinned and tossed the ball to Naida. Aranxia tried to jump for the ball, but with the added weight of her wet clothes and the strangeness of trying to move around in the waist-high water, she didn't come anywhere near it. Thankfully, as she began to move around more, she grew used to the temperature of the water, and her shivering stopped; and as she grew warmer, she was more able to get into the game.

"Naida! Here!" Aysu called, holding her arms up for the ball.

"To me!" Ta'neer grinned, also holding her hands out.

Dwr was also holding up his hands and calling for the ball: only Aennan was quiet. He was grinning, though, and ready to play if the ball came to him; he just wasn't really the bustling, shouting type.

Aranxia had barely started towards Naida when Naida threw the ball, and it meant that she was already fairly close to Aennan, who caught it easily.

"Come get it," he taunted Aranxia, grinning at her. He held the ball out to her, and she reached for it; but before she could touch it, he tossed it up with one hand and hit it with the other, like a volleyball serve, passing it neatly over her head to the open space between Dwr and Ta'neer.

Those two dove for the ball, but Aranxia squealed in indignation and tried to jump on Aennan. "You tease!" she exclaimed.

Aennan laughed and caught her, bracing himself so that he wouldn't fall. "Now, now," he grinned, "you're supposed to be chasing down the ball, not me!"

Aennan laughed. "Closer, and meaner," he grinned. And without any further warning, he tossed Aranxia into the water. Her arms flailed and she squealed again, but the water wasn't deep and very quickly she was up and laughing again.

It still wasn't clear what was happening with Dwr and Ta'neer: there was an awful lot of splashing, and then only Ta'neer was visible, the ball safely in her hands; then she squawked as she began to rise out of the water. She'd been sitting on Dwr, but now he was standing up and she was sitting on his shoulders.

"Don't you let me fall!" she told him sharply, tossing the ball back to Naida and grinning. Suddenly she waved at someone on the shore: River and Jess had been out for a walk, and upon spotting the group in the water, were making their way over to them.

"You bet!" River called back, already pulling off her overshirt. She broke into a run and tossed it aside, running into the water without hesitation to join the game.

Jess was more calm than River, and he folded her discarded shirt for her before removing his own shirt and folding it as well and setting both of them on the sand.

"So what's the game?" River grinned, coming to a halt next to Naida. "Keep up? Keep away? Water wars?"

"Oh, let's have water wars!" Aysu exclaimed. "I can partner up with Naida!"

"Water wars?" Aranxia asked, looking up at Aennan for an explanation.

Jess looked just as confused as he joined them.

Aennan smiled. "The game is played in partners," he explained. "One goes on the shoulders of the other, and you try to push your opponents into the water. If you fall, you may get up again, and there is a winner only when there is but one partnership still up. The only real restriction is that you must be careful when trying to unseat someone, and not be too violent about it."

Aranxia was immediately anxious. She hadn't been on anyone's shoulders in her life, that she could remember, and it looked difficult enough, looking at Ta'neer and Dwr, without someone trying to push her off. "I don't know ..."

"Aw, come on, Aranxia!" River urged her friend. "It'll be fun! It's not as scary as it sounds! All you'll have to do is keep your balance, and that's something I know you're good at!"