[PRP] Life Skills at the Beach (Horace/Kaleb)

[The Semblance of Unity]

"You stop feeling the cold. Now you want to try floating - come out further." Horace beckoned. "Spread your arms like this. Don't worry I'll come hold you up." He believed in Kaleb, even if Kaleb didn't. They were going to have Kaleb at least treading water and stuff by the end.

He stepped out further and further until he was out enough that he could float belly up, but still touch the sand if needed. "Like this."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb nodded, and then began the slow process of wading deeper into the water. Horace was right, the chill he felt keenly as the waterline crept up his body went away as he submerged himself, and once he was in up to his waist he abruptly dunked the rest of himself to quicken the process. It wasn't so bad.

He smiled tentatively, and then followed Horace in deeper. With the reassuring feeling of the sand under his feet, Kaleb thought he might even be able to enjoy the weightless sensation of being in the water.

"So you just... lie back and flatten out?" He asked, watching Horace do what looked like an effortless feat of magic. Taking a deep breath he made an attempt, stretching his arms out, letting his feet leave the sand. That part was a little scary.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yup. Just don't try to swim or move, just feel. Can you feel how different parts of your body feel different in the water?" Horace watched Kaleb with a sharp eye. "Once you feel like you can float okay - feet up, Kaleb - try to come back down from the float."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

In theory it should have been easy. But Kaleb struggled to keep his lower half from sinking, when he tried to lift his feet to the surface his butt sank lower, and when he let out the breath he had been holding the attempt fell apart completely. It wasn't exactly a float, but his awkward limb-wiggling did keep him from having to touch the ground for the duration of the attempt.

He tried twice more after that with limited success before announcing his defeat. "I'm not sure I can do this, I just keep sinking." While only at the earliest stages of discouragement, he still looked up to Horace for advice instead of completely giving up.

The Semblance of Unity