Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aranxia still looked doubtful, and Aennan grinned and put his arms around her. "Don't you worry," he assured her softly. "It will be fine. I won't let you fall. You told me that you did physical training back home, and you have already proven to me that you are quite athletic."

Aranxia blushed and tried to hide a smile, but she nodded. "All right. I'll give it a try."

"Yesss!" River grinned and turned to Jess. "Down!"

Jess shrugged, then crouched down so that River could climb up on his shoulders. Aennan did the same for Aranxia, and Aysu turned to Naida.

"Top or bottom?" she asked with a grin.

"Probably," Aysu grinned. She splashed her way over to Naida. "All right, down you go."

She moved behind Naida so that she could more easily get up on the mer's shoulders.

In the meantime, Jess was getting used to holding River up, and Aranxia was trying to get accustomed to sitting so high up with so little control over her balance. So far, only Dwr and Ta'neer were steady.

"You betcha," Aysu grinned mischievously. She clambered up onto Naida's shoulders, mindful of the mer girl's hair. They had been right: like the elves with which Naida was more familiar, Aysu was much lighter than her height said she ought to be (humanly speaking).

"Are we all set?" Ta'neer asked the others, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"Set!" River beamed.

"I ... think so," Aranxia smiled bravely.

Aysu grinned. "Ready!" she echoed Naida.

"Go!" Ta'neer shouted. Dwr was already moving, and the two of them - who had done this many times before - bore down on Aysu and Naida. With a powerful shove, aided by Dwr throwing his weight forward, Ta'neer pushed her sister as hard as she could.

"Cheaters!" Aysu squealed, arms windmilling as she tried to regain her balance.

River was trying to get Aranxia down, but every time she reached for her cousin, Aranxia blocked her, and Aennan was helping by moving in perfect timing with River's shoves so that she was falling forward with her own momentum. Jess wasn't used to having anyone on his shoulders, and it was he who first lost his balance and fell forward, dunking both him and his fiancee.

Aranxia laughed. "That's one!" she cried gleefully, really getting into the game now that she'd had some success.

Unfortunately, with Naida leaning forward and Aysu leaning back, while overall their balances ought to have balanced out, Aysu's own balance was too far out and she ended up almost laying down on Naida's back. She didn't fall - but she was still stuck - thankfully with her head above water, though barely.

"Naida!" she cried. "Forward!"

If Naida leaned completely forward, she would be able to regain her balance; otherwise Naida was going to have to let her go.

River on the other hand was already climbing back up onto Jess's back for another try, and Dwr and Ta'neer were going for Aranxia and Aennan.

Naida's position gave Aysu the leverage she needed to sit up again, and once she had balanced once more she tapped Naida on the shoulder.

"All good!" she grinned. "Come on, we can get them!"

Aennan and Aranxia were holding their own against Dwr and Ta'neer, and by this time River and Jess were back in the fray.

Unfortunately, though River knew what she was doing, the game was new to Jess, and when Naida and Aysu came at them, it was Jess who fell over first, taking River down with him. She did however manage to get an arm around Aysu, and tugged her down at the same time.

Aysu squealed as she fell from Naida's shoulders and landed with an enormous splash.