[IC] Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

[EliteCommander]

"Understandable. I just wanted to feel the water." Tarentek commented as he stood up to his feet and walked up alongside Onyx. "I should say that this water is quite a bit different from most bodies of water you'll find because of the salt. Nothing lives here, so there is nothing in the water besides you and me, and from my understanding, it is very easy to float on top of it. I would try to avoid getting any of the water in your eyes. In any other lake or sea, you would be perfectly fine to submerge your head under the water, but here, the salt might cause it to sting your eyes. Of course, you don't have to get anywhere close to putting your head in the water if you don't want to."

Now that they were starting to get into slightly deeper water, Tarentek had the option of trying to float on his back to see how it felt, though for the moment, he remained standing with Onyx. "If you do get to the point where you actually want to learn how to swim, we'll have to go to a different lake or river, but I'm not going to rush you into that. I just want you to get a feel for what water is really like. Personally, I think this place is peaceful. The water is warm and calm. What do you think about it?"

[Vesuvius00]

"Are you sure nothing lives here? I swear I've seen things in the depths a few of the times I've been here before." Onyx looked out at the sea, watching for a moment before answering Tarentek's question. "I suppose it feels sort of calm, although I'm not very comfortable here so it's more of a dead sort of calm than what you probably think."

[EliteCommander]

"I do not believe so. This much salt would kill pretty much anything. Some of our translations of Human writings did speak about creatures so small that they cannot be seen, creatures that are around us, on us, and even within us at all times. Some of them can survive where nothing else can, but even if some of them live in this sea, they would not be able to harm you." Tarentek explained. Pausing for a moment, he placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with a smile. "You're doing really well, Onyx. Even if you're not comfortable, you're doing better. Here, how about I demonstrate what it is like to float in the water."

Tarentek stepped forward slightly deeper into the water, then laid down on his back. He expected it to be easier to float, but he could not have guessed exactly how easy it would be. In the salty water, he could float on the water's surface with no effort whatsoever. In fact, it would probably be harder to get under the water than it was to float. Lifting his head up slightly, he looked at Onyx with a slight grin. "Well, even I didn't expect this. I don't even have to try to stay afloat; my body just stays up on its own. Honestly, I don't think you could sink here if you tried." He said with a chuckle.

[Vesuvius00]

"Well, you seem to be having fun. I still don't want my wings wet though." Onyx gave a small smile as she spoke, and shifted her wings restlessly. "Can we leave soon? While I don't particularly mind being here anymore I think we've already been here long enough." She took a few steps back to the more shallow water and waited for Tarentek to answer.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek stood back up and approached Onyx. "We can leave if you like, though I would like to have a few minutes to dry off. I'd rather not get my robes wet. I think you've had more than enough progress for today. You've seen that the water isn't quite the monster that you thought. What do you think, though, might you want to try this again some time in the future, perhaps when we have more time? I would still like to teach you how to swim properly, probably in a different body of water without so much salt." The expression on Tarentek's face was one of genuine hopefulness, as he believed that teaching her to overcome her fear of water would be good for her in the long run. She had made progress for today, so all he needed now was for her to agree to do it again.

[Vesuvius00]

"I suppose it wouldn't be too bad, to do this again. I'm going to fly around while you dry off then, I feel a little restless right now." Onyx didn't even bother to walk out of the water all the way before taking off, hovering for a moment so she could hear anything Tarentek might say before she left.

[EliteCommander]

"Thank you, Onyx. I look forward to it. I'll wait here. Don't go too far through; I don't think I know my way back on my own." Tarentek answered with a chuckle. He stepped out of the water in a good mood, glad to have done something positive for Onyx. He laid himself down on his back next to his belongings and let out a relaxed sigh as he looked up at the sky. Already, he was going through his memories trying to think of good places to bring Onyx. He did not have a map on him, but as a scout, sources of water were something he particularly had to be familiar with in the area. Often, their patrols were designed to take them between fresh water sources. He was still not too thrilled for the flight back, but he supposed it wouldn't be as bad as the flight to the sea.

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx nodded in answer and then left. She speed up until she could no longer make out anything on the ground below her and then turned to try and see if she could spot Tarentek from so far away. She got a little worried when she couldn't see him at first, but as she doubled back she eventually could see him as a silhouette against the sand. She didn't go any farther away, and started going in a large circle where she could see him still if she looked for him. After a while, when she had gone about halfway through the circle, she went back to Tarentek, landing lightly on the sand nearby. "Are you ready to go now?"

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek took in a deep breath once Onyx returned and asked if he was ready to leave. "Yeah, sure, I should be dry enough now. Let me get dressed." He said as he stood to his feet, then put back on his robe and collected his other belongings. He picked up Onyx's shawl, which she had left near his belongings, and handed it to her.

"Here you go. I'm...I'm ready when you are. Did your flight help you clear your head?" Tarentek asked, trying to start a conversation to keep him occupied while they were in the sky.

[Vesuvius00]

"Yea, I got worried that I had gone too far when I couldn't see you for a little bit, but then I stayed where I could see you after that. Flying always helps me clear my mind, at least it does when I'm alone anyway." Onyx took her shawl from Tarentek and tied it back around herself, also making sure her Med-pack was secure before she walked over to pick him up. "I got an idea while I was flying. Think about exactly what you're afraid of in the same way you convinced me to think about the water. It might help."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek took in another deep breath before Onyx grabbed a hold of him and took off into the air. His heart wasn't beating quite as fast as before, but he still had an accelerated heart rate, and was still noticeably nervous. Since conversation seemed to help before, he was glad to distract himself by answering Onyx's question. "Well...I guess I'm afraid of falling from a great height to my death. I can't fly on my own, so I'm relying completely on you. I trust you, of course. You've shown time and again that you are great in the skies. It's just...I don't like not having a backup plan. I wish there was something that could keep me safe if I fell." Tarentek explained, keeping his gaze firmly on the horizon instead of the ground.

[Vesuvius00]

"Well, I don't think there is any way to have a backup plan, but you can be sure that I won't drop you. I remember you telling me that the Humans had found ways to make themselves able to fly, do you know how? If you could do the same as they did then that could work as a backup plan." Onyx tightened her grip and flew higher, speeding up so that they'd be back to the mountains quicker.

[EliteCommander]

"Oh, the way they did it was to create these massive machines called airplanes, and helicopters. They could fly higher and faster than any bird, and some were designed to carry weapons. In order to get to the moon, they used these things called rockets, though I don't know as much about those. Obviously, all of those things are far more complicated than anything I could hope to build. I doubt even the Empire we are facing could hope to get those machines working again, so there is really no way that..." Tarentek began, but he stopped himself as another thought came to mind.

"Actually, wait, there is another thing I remember. They called them...parachutes. I remember them from a translation of a text on a war the humans fought amongst themselves. They were made of cloth and caught the air, much like your wings, to slow their fall. They used them so their soldiers could jump out of the airplanes safely. But...I would have no idea how to make one, at least not one I could carry safely. The humans carried them in backpacks, and I have no idea how to make it so that it will release from the pack only when you are falling." He explained.

[Vesuvius00]

"I don't know any more about it than you do, but if it's simply something to catch the air as you fall you could probably mimic something I saw a strange race of mammals doing in the region we lived in before crossing the isthmus. They had extra skin along their sides that they could grab with a hook-like claw and pull tight so they could glide over long distances." Onyx laughed as she remembered them. "They were pretty funny to watch actually, they looked so strange to us."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek chuckled as he tried to imagine what Onyx was describing. "That does sound funny, actually. Making something like that might be a possibility but...well I don't know. I'm creative, right? You think I could design something like that? I've worked a lot with guns and machines, but never cloth. Certainly, I wouldn't want to be the one to test it." He commented. Against his better judgment, he allowed his gaze to shift down to the ground beneath them. As expected, the sight caused his anxiety to spike, but it was a sight he had to get used to. He just tried to focus on the grip that Onyx had on him, and the fact that she had flown the entire distance between the sea and her home with him in her grasp twice.

[Vesuvius00]

"I could help you with the cloth, I may not seem like it but I'm pretty good at arts and crafts kind of stuff. If you can get the design right, I'll make it for you if you want." Onyx spoke sincerely as she noticed Tarentek tense up more. "Hey, loosen up, I won't drop you. I think you'd have to be the one to test it though, because it would be yours, but you can trust in that I'll catch you if it doesn't work."

[EliteCommander]

"Well, getting the design right is probably the hard part. I really don't know how to make the cloth release from the pack, and the texts we translated never described it. But as far as testing it goes, I know it would be mine but...wouldn't it make more sense to give it to someone with wings, someone who can fly on their own if needed? I can do it, but...I don't know, we would just have to make sure to start from a pretty good height." Tarentek answered.

Tarentek took a few deep breaths as he stared at the ground far beneath him. "So...how long do you think it will take to get back?" He asked. The thoughts of how to make a parachute currently occupied his mind, but he was still eager to get back on solid ground.

[Vesuvius00]

"Well, the higher I go, the less time it takes, and I'm not going as fast as I could either. Would you rather be back there sooner, or try not to be scared any more?" Onyx spoke lightly as she did speed up a little. "As for the cloth idea, I was thinking you could design something to help you glide if you fell, rather than simply something to slow you down. It might be a better idea because you could still control where you went if you were gliding."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek gave a small laugh. "Honestly, it doesn't matter to me if I glide or fall, as long as it's slow enough that I don't die on impact." He commented before taking his gaze off of the ground and putting it on the horizon. Logically, he knew that he was high enough that, if he fell, it would kill him. IF she took him higher, nothing would change except how quickly they could reach the village, so from a purely reasonable perspective, the choice was clear.

"Go ahead and fly higher. Falling from down here and falling from up there would produce the same result, anyway." He answered.

[Vesuvius00]

"Now, that's no way to think about it. You won't fall, so don't consider it an option." Onyx chided him softly but did fly higher, gradually going faster as they got closer to the nest. They were there after only a few more minutes, very high up but not enough that Onyx would have to dive to land. Onyx simply drifted down and they landed in front of her den, Onyx putting Tarentek down carefully before landing herself. "Are you ok? How do you feel?"