ψ come away little lass come away to the water | SWIMMING MINGLE OTA

[fishermansweater]

WHO: E V E R Y O N E
WHERE: The waterfall
WHEN: During the hot weather in late May
OPEN TO: Anyone
WARNINGS: PROBABLY NAKED. cw your warnings in individual threads.
STATUS: Open. THIS IS A MINGLE, have at it, tag around, you know what to do. If you want Finnick, let me know in the comment subject!

---

He wouldn't actually say it was really hot yet, but it's definitely getting to the sort of temperatures that make Finnick miss swimming. There's no substitute for the sand of a beach underfoot, the reassuring roar of the surf, the taste of salt in the air, but there is at least water here, tumbling down from the waterfall and flowing through the canyon until it disappears into the rocks to the south. And he knows from constantly checking his fish traps that the water is deliciously cool.

He's tested out a few spots along the river for swimming, and it's good to be in the water again, after being kept out of it for so long by the harshness of the winter.  Not swimming doesn't feel right to him, and it never has. He's never spent this long somewhere with a winter this cold, and he can't remember ever going this long without swimming. So Finnick's been testing the water out since before it was probably what most people would consider to be warm enough to swim. It had helped that he and Annie had some gifts to hunt for in the river, but those have long been found, and now it's just for relaxation.

The calmest, most relaxing place he's found so far for swimming in the river is the pool at the foot of the waterfall, where the water plunges into the canyon crisp and cool from the heights of the cliffs. It's deep around the falls, and it's big enough to swim, and Finnick spends most of the hottest parts of the day there.

So whenever he hears someone talking about the heat while he's dropping food off in the village, he suggests they try the waterfall pool. Word's likely to get around, so he won't be entirely surprised to find other people stopping by the falls.

When they do, they're likely to find him swimming around the deep part near the falls, stripped down to his underwear and, from the grin on his face, having the time of his life. It's clear just from looking at him that he's good at this, moving through the water with a confidence and grace more like to a sea-creature than a man. He's in such a good mood that he even calls out to greet many of the people who approach.

Of course, he's not the guardian of the waterfall: everyone's welcome to stop by whether he's there or not. Once or twice, there's even a moose to be seen standing at the edge of the pool taking a long, relaxing drink.

Comments

OTA

[womanofvalue]

It's hardly like it had been before, so long ago, when it had only been the women. Still, Peggy also doesn't worry about needing to strip down to nothing in front of all these people. When she sees people starting to drift in the direction of the waterfall, it doesn't take astute powers of deduction to know where they're going. She fetches the workout gear that she's been given and changes into that under her scrubs before following the people she's seen heading in that direction, a towel from the house slung over her shoulder. It's bloody hot outside, the sort of weather that she hadn't quite become accustomed to in Los Angeles.

Still, propriety and stubbornness have insisted that Peggy maintain some decorum and wear all her clothes. She can't imagine anything else, at least, not until she gets to the waterfall. She folds her clothes very neatly on a rock, hiding the towel under them, and relishes how refreshing the water looks, even as sweat beads and rolls down her skin.

Somewhat self-conscious (all her scars are showing, from the two bullet wounds in her shoulder to the rebar puncture in her torso), she'd rather do this than wear a full shirt and as she wades into the water, she sinks under until her hair is soaked, rising slowly and absently treading water until she reaches a stone to hold onto. "It's blissful," she tells the set of legs that she's surfaced near, brushing water from her face so it doesn't fall in her eyes.

It's hardly proper of her to be doing this around so many people, but it's too hot to care about such things, not today.

[audaces]

Poe grew up on a tropical planet. Rain forest and jungles covered most of the continents, and as such, Poe had spent a large part of his childhood completely and utterly soaking wet. If he hadn't been caught in the daily thunderstorms — which he did long past the time when he should have known better — he'd wind up 'falling into' a stream or pool or some other body of water, just for the sheer joy splashing around brought him.

His mother used to joke that he learned to swim before he learned to walk, and he learned to fly before he learned to run.

Neither of those statements were true, of course, but they still made him smile when he thought about it.

The moment it was brought to his attention that there was a swimming pool at the base of the waterfall, Poe started going there. Every day, he'd take a short break to swim, cutting through the water like some kind of large, pink fish, sleek and fast like an armored eel.

Eventually, people started joining him on his daily swims; not on purpose, most likely, but simply because the weather was too hot to stand not swimming. (Poe didn't really agree with that; it was hot, yes, but it wasn't humid, and it wasn't anything close to Yavin IV or Jakku. The people here were so delicate.) The pool was big enough that most of the time, he didn't bother whoever showed up to splash around in the shallows, but it had meant that he started at least keeping his underwear on when he swam, just in case he managed to flash someone his goods and drive them insensate with lust. Or, more likely, fluster them so much that they lost their footing and accidentally started drowning.

Today, the person who joins him is a woman, pretty and brunette, whose name he's fairly certain starts with a P. He's never actually met her, though, so instead of calling out to her, he pretends to ignore her as she carefully slides into the water, only acknowledging her past a brief nod when she speaks to him.

"Isn't it just?" he agrees, grinning brightly and then tipping his head back to dunk his hair as he floats easily on his back. Peggy isn't the only one with scars; most of the marks littering Poe's skin come from skirmishes, but some are from torture, and none of them were healed with bacta gel. The Resistance didn't have the money for that sort of thing any more. He's almost forgotten they were there.

MOANA | OPEN!

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana was happy to hear about the area beneath the water fall. She missed the sun, the water and the bright clearness of the sky. Today was perfect. She was going to wear the dress she'd made but decided to slip on the underwear and bra that came with her things. She hated wearing bras but they were perfect to use for swimming!

When she arrived she stashed her skirt and top away from the waters edge and then ran forward. Her smile was impossibly bright as she looked around the area. She didn't want to just sit in the water, she wanted to enjoy it.

She climbed to the top of the nearest tree, which was at least three stories up and jumped. A happy cry echoed from her lips as she curled herself into a ball and splashed into the water. A few seconds later she emerged from the water, flicking her long hair over her shoulder.

"That was fun! You have to try it!" It probably wasn't safe but Moana didn't care. She'd always been an avid climber and she liked jumping from high places.

[catchallthecats]

When she heard about the area suitable for swimming, Arya made the decision to investigate. Summer would definitely mean more heat, so anything to help mitigate the discomfort would be more than welcome. Not that she was the best swimmer, but she knew enough not to drown so she could at least enjoy the cooler water, and maybe get better with practice. Stripping down to undergarments and the scrub top, she'd wasted no time in getting in, not really paying much mind to other swimmers.

At least until she heard the delighted cry that pre-empted the huge splash had her spluttering in surprise, shaking water from her face as she was treading water to peer in bewildered surprise at Moana. She remembered her, from the dance lesson she'd slipped in on. Friendly in a way that Arya still wasn't sure what to make of just yet.

"Where did you even come from?"

Re: MOANA | OPEN!

[powerunleashed]

Jean hadn't tried to jump from that high up but when Moana landed in the water beside her, it threw up a wall of water that completely soaked her. Luckily, Jean had already been swimming for a while and getting wet was part of the fun; who would be angry about a little splash? Or, as the case may be, a big splash.

"You are insane," Jean said, laughter bubbling up and threatening to overtake her. "I wouldn't have jumped from that high."

WANDA OTA

[scepterschild]

Wanda didn't like the heat. She didn't hate it but she had always preferred cooler weather.

She packed a small bag before she headed to the water fall that included a snack and a first-aid kit. They were going to be swimming around rocks and she had no doubt that someone would find a way to hurt themselves.

Wanda wasn't shy however she didn't flaunt her body either. When she arrived to looked around the area before placing her backpack down and stripping off her outer layers. She pulled off her boots, her tank top and then pushed down her jeans, tossing them next to or on top of her backpack. As she walked towards the waters edge she wondered if this was something that most people did; stripping down to their underwear and swimming. She didn't really know.

Wanda stepped into the water, smiling as the cool liquid surrounded her. It felt amazing and she would be happy to sit in the water forever. If someone needs a first-aid kit or a snack Wanda will offer. Otherwise she's going to relax towards the edge of the water fall, letting the water curl over her in relaxing waves.

[guessihavelostcount]

Claire was cutting through the water just under the surface when she felt a hint of movement nearby. It was still fairly shallow water at the moment but she was petite and it didn't bother her to swim near the bottom. That meant it didn't take very long for her to angle up and pop out of the water, pushing some of her hair back from her face until she decided that tipping her head back and dunking under would be a better idea.

After that, she stood with an easy smile as she looked at the young woman nearby. "It feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

OTA

[warriorborn]

Having spent most of the morning trying to fix the damage the hail storm did to his poor beleaguered plants and checking up on the bees, Benedict finds himself hot and sweaty and covered in mud. Normally, he'd splash himself more or less clean — at least his hands and arms — in the fountain and deem that good enough until the evening when he'd wash properly, but the high temperature and utter stillness of the air has left him wanting so desperately to cool down.

He's heard one or two people talking about the waterfall pool, and how nice the water was, and how much they enjoyed going off there to swim for a brief respite from the climbing heat. It sounds lovely, actually, and he's sorely tempted to go give it a go himself, but there's one glaring problem that he just can't seem to get around:

Benedict cannot swim.

Benedict actually hasn't even been in a body of water larger than a bathtub in his entire life, so the thought of walking into the pool at the base of the waterfall and trusting it to somehow hold his body aloft is more than slightly terrifying. It's stupid, and he knows that, and every time he gets nervous thinking about it he crossly reminds himself of the fact that he took down a Silkweaver with nothing but his gauntlet and a sword, that he was awarded the Order of the Spire for his bravery in the service of the Spirearch, that he'd sailed through the Mists on The Predator and come out the other side to tell the tale. He's fought alongside Cats, he's helped thwart a terrorist attack by a neighboring Spire from destroying Habbles Landing and Morning, he's on first name basis with the ruler of Spire Albion. He's even managed to learn how to tend a proper garden, how to cut down trees, how to take care of animals and run the inn, how to survive through an actual winter. And yet...

Still, the temperatures simply grow too high for him to handle it, and somehow he finds himself at the base of the waterfall, eyeing the churning water with some trepidation as he carefully peels his clothes off.

"I'd never hear the end of it if I drown," he mutters to himself as he steps out of his trousers, leaving himself in the cotton underwear they'd been provided. Gwen would never let him live it down if he allowed something like water take him down.

[ex_assertiveness90]

This is precisely the opposite of the problem they were having in winter, Stella thinks. She herself isn't used to these temperatures in the slightest, to the unrelenting heat that makes her clothes stick to her skin with sweat and makes it next to impossible to sleep properly at night, given the houses here have no interior cooling whatsoever. Yet, until recently, she'd never really thought about swimming near the waterfall as a means of combating the heat.

Stella is an excellent swimmer, as she herself is well aware, but it's been a long time since she last swam anywhere but in a swimming pool. They've nothing in the way of swimwear, so while she quite misses her swimsuit from home, the cotton bra and knickers will have to do. She puts her hair up off her neck as best she can, finds somewhere to put her clothes, and surveys the pool for a few moments, choosing the spot with the least amount of people so as not to accidentally collide with someone before entering the water in a shallow dive — she might be showing off, just a tiny bit. She straightens, resurfaces quickly and lets her breath out, combing loose strands of wet hair off her face with her fingers. The water is blissfully cool by comparison with the air, and she has to allow herself a few moments just to enjoy it.

Only then does she notice she's resurfaced not too far from Benedict, who's giving the water a nervous look that suggests that, perhaps, he might not be entirely comfortable with it. "I don't think it's going to bite you," she says, mildly, raising her brows at him slightly.

[lastofthekellys]

Kate has been stuck here long enough to remember the weather from when she arrived. Never mind that that this means she's been here a year, or close to it, she remembers the heat and the way the others reacted to it. Always being a practical sort, and not wanting to getting into any arguments about stripping naked again, she'd quietly added some cloth to the lingerie she'd received at the strange Christmas. Cloth to cover her torso, a bit more around the legs of the under part to cover more of her legs and backside - just white sheet, nothing fancy. But it turns the items into a purpose-made garment, and those people are less inclined to ask her to take off.

Also, it means the garment will be worn. She hates waste.

So it is that a scantily-clad Kate folds her clothes neatly by the pool and walks over to him just in time to hear his statement.

"... no, no drowning," she says, firmly. "Can you swim?"

There's no judgement in her voice: lots of people can't swim, more than those who can.

[fishermansweater]

Finnick's been spending time by the waterfall for the last few days, and he's been here today for a while, now, swimming in and out of the spray. It's refreshing, and it's fun, the best substitute he can find here for playing in and out of the waves like he's been doing since he was a kid.

The water's still cold, though the weather's gotten hot, so when Finnick surfaces from a dive under the falls, he pulls himself out of the water and perches on a rock near the edge of the pool. He's still close enough that the spray mists onto his face, and he dangles his legs off the rock so that his feet are in the water

He looks around when he sees someone approaching from the corner of his peripheral vision. It's Benedict. He knows the man, of course, because he's been here as long as Finnick has, and he's a fixture at the Inn. Finnick may drop off his fish to Kate, usually, but he's seen Benedict around plenty, and spoken with him occasionally at the communal lunches at the inn.

"If you drown, never hearing the end of it isn't exactly your worst problem."

Finnick runs a hand through his hair to brush some droplets out of it.

"Not a good swimmer?"

Sansa - OTA

[turned_to_steel]

While Sansa knew that a lot of people would be heading to the waterfall once word got around, she wasn't at all prepared for how many would show up and how little they would be wearing. She knew that it wouldn't be very comfortable to go swimming in one's clothes but it still took her awhile to strip down enough to actually climb into the shallow end of the water.

While a lot of people seemed to be swimming in their underwear, Sansa chose to wear a shirt over her panties and bra. Especially since hers were red and kind of lacy at the moment but only because they had been the ones she was wearing when she left Raleigh's house. Thankfully, his shirt was blue and long enough to cover her as she waded through the water.

Eventually, she sank down further until the water was just below her shoulders. After that, it was a struggle to keep her eyes up and over most everyone's head so she didn't see anything that would be too shocking for her.

[catchallthecats]

Sansa wasn't the only one dressed such, even if the shirt Arya was wearing over her underthings was her own. Not that her sister seemed to spot her when she'd gotten into the water.

It was mischief that held her back from calling attention to herself just yet a small smile creeping over her lips as she crept around the edge of the water, until she found an ideal spot- deep enough that she could jump in, enough space that she wouldn't accidentally kick poor unsuspecting Sansa as she did.

"Sansa!" Even as she called her sister's name, Arya took a running leap into the water, breaking the surface with a rather impressive splash.

OTA, on the shore, with cookies!

[bewaretheniceboy]

Finnick's suggestion of coming and grabbing a dip isn't something that Peeta objects to, not really - he's very aware of how refreshing water can be, and with the heat building the way it is being able to cool off a little would be nice. He's used to heat, working around a bakery with hot ovens and a certain level of humidity, and he's noticed that this heat isn't as wet as it could get at home, so he's not worried about getting overheated and passing out. Not yet, at least; that could always come up later, if the temperature keeps climbing the way it has been.

But his leg's still broken - healing nicely, according to the medical staff, but still broken - and he can't swim anyway. It's not like there's really a place to learn inside District 12, not like Finnick and Annie and even Johanna have. Katniss had managed to get him paddling a little in the Quell arena but the leg renders even that moot. But that doesn't mean he can't go and sit in the spray and enjoy everybody else having fun, so and that's what he does. Peeta's made his slow way to the waterfalls on his crutches, a little pot with him that he's covered with a hand towel, and he takes a seat on one of the rocks near the falls and just lets himself relax. The roar of the falls is nice, the occasional spray he gets is refreshing, and any time someone comes up to talk to him he offers them a cookie that he'd spent the morning working on. A bit of a change to one of the recipes he knows from the bakery, thanks to the lack of butter, but overall he's considering them a success and keeping them on the list to make again. (Part of this trip is "market research" to see how other people like them.)

COOKIES

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana had slipped out of her dress and was running around in the provided white cotton underwear. She hated the metal wire in bras but it was useful and she wanted to keep her dress dry.

She wasn't experiencing the heat as keenly as some of the others. This was more like her island and for the first time since arriving in the village, she's felt at home.

Her shout filled the air, followed by a massive wave of water that crashed over Peeta and his rock. She giggled when she finally broke the surface of the water, looking more like she was twelve than eighteen. Her dark almond eyes spotted the very wet Peeta on the rock and she cringed. "Hey!" She called over with a wave of her hand. "Did I splash you?"

She swam over and then scrambled up the rock to sit next to him, her long dark hair spilling thick droplets of water around her.

Margaery Tyrell | OTA

[thekittenqueen]

The heat had become near oppressive. Margaery had spent her life in the warmth and sun, but there was only so much anyone could take, especially after grueling work. Finnick had pointed her towards the waterfall, and after packing a few things for herself in her basket, she went to join the rest of the villagers that were looking to escape the heat. There was a larger crowd than she expected, but the sight was pleasant to see.

Laying out a towel for herself, Margaery pulled off her dress, leaving only her underclothes. She was quick to pull on a shirt, wanting to not offend anyone's modesty. Dressed for swimming, she sat on the side of the water, dipping her legs in first. The cool feeling was instantaneous, leaving her relieved and delighted. It wasn't the sea, but it was better than simply sweating in her bungalow. There was an eerie beauty to this place and it was in moments like this that she could forget the danger of this world.

Finally, she pushed herself off the shore, diving beneath the surface. She would swim towards the waterfall before returning to the shore to laze under the hot sun.

[chosenbytheocean]

"Margaery!" Moana shouted from a bolder, already soaked from head to toe. Like Margaery, she was wearing the cotton set of underwear that had been provided, only she wasn't wearing a shirt over top of it. The only other thing she was wearing was a blue shield necklace, that she hadn't taken off since receiving it.

She waved to get the girls attention, her grin bright and happy. "Do you want to try jumping from the tree? It's fun!"

Moana was used to this sort of heat and was loving every second of it. It was difficult to believe that she was eighteen with the way that she ran around giggling. There wasn't a thing in the world that could tarnish Moana's happy mood.

OTA

[pretendtoneedme]

Clint actually didn't hear the word spreading about it being good to swim, finally. He's been working since early in the day on the mill, expecting a breakthrough - that doesn't come. But he's fairly sure the next day will be The Day and maybe, just maybe they can get it working again. But for now with the temperature climbing, a swim sounds good. It's something he'd done at home sometimes, with the pond they had out in the fields that used to hold crops, just stripped down and dived in when he'd been working hard on a hot day. Laura had never really minded. So he makes his way up to the waterfall pool after his "quitting time," only to be surprised to discover others already there.

Well, it's not that much of a surprise, there's usually been at least one person on, in, or around the river since it started getting warmer, but it looks like a pretty decent party is shaping up. So, why not? With a shrug, he takes one of his knives and cuts a bunch of long, flexible reeds from the bank, then sets about weaving them into rings that will float - improvised water toys and frisbees. Once that's done, he shucks his clothing down to his skivvies, leaves that, the tool kit, and his knives in an out-of-the-way nook, and dives straight into the water in a way that shows he's had a lot of practice at this. Modesty is something that's not a good idea for a field agent to have and so he can discard it when he wants to, but Clint is still fairly careful to keep himself covered up, more for camouflage than anything. Civilians don't have the kind of scars he does, though most of them are obviously long healed: bullet wounds, long slashes, and if someone gets close enough, they might recognize the very, very faint traces of long-ago burns (and skin grafts) on his legs, though those are almost gone after two decades.

time for more hawkeye...

[hawkeyesniper]

Riza is a little more modest, despite the fact she had gone practically skinny dipping in the spring a few times here. Now she's in mixed company and she isn't exactly the type to expose her skin anyway. You get used to that when you carry a secret like she does on her back. Still, she improvises, wearing one of her tanks and her underwear as a make-shift bathing suit. True, it doesn't completely hide the tattoo, as the very edges of it peak out along the back of her neck, but at least her own burn scar is hidden.

She sits on the edge of the water, her feet dipped in the water and her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She really should consider just hacking it off with a knife -- but even with the heat she hesitates to do something like that.

She's playing with a lock of hair in contemplation when she hears the splash and looks up as Clint resurfaces. While she keeps to herself mostly, she knew him well enough and had seen him earlier that morning heading across to the mill. "Taking a break," she asks.

OTA

[thenewways]

It's pretty damn warm out to begin with today, and by the time Nerys gets back from checking her traplines, several fuzzy creatures dangling from her walking stick, she's feeling pretty much filthy. Besides, some of the rodents had been sort of unpleasantly bashing into her arm as she walked, periodically swaying back and forth, as it was too hot to throw them over her shoulder like usual.

Hearing the buzz around the Inn about swimming, it doesn't take too much time for her to decide that it's a far better idea than trying to clean herself up with a rag and sink of cold water. The waterfall it is.

Now, Nerys does not, in all honesty, give a tenth of a fuck about nudity, but she knows that some of her compatriots have other feelings. To keep from upsetting too many people, she ducks behind a boulder to strip down to the ragged bra and underwear she has on, then carries her clothes in her arms to the water to wash the sweat out. Then, after beating and wringing them out, she splays the wet scrubs on the rocks before surface-diving into the pond herself.

Shaking her hair out and sputtering a little at the temperature water--it's still kinda chilly yet--Nerys surfaces a moment later, surveying the group of people scattered around the waterside and in the pool. There's the hermit young man, Finnick, looking to the manner born and putting on a show, but several others are coming and going. Times like this, she can almost believe things are okay.

[scepterschild]

Wanda had spent a fair amount of time just sitting in the water, allowing the cool liquid to lick across her pale skin. She was wearing the cotton bra and underwear set that had been given to her in her arrival pack. It was comfortable and equated to a bathing suit. Like Nerys, she didn't care about nudity, but she wanted to respect the others who were swimming.

Now she was sitting close to the water fall, a small bag of jerky in her hand as she snacked. Wanda had thought ahead packing a lunch as well as water. She hadn't thought to bring her clothes to wash though that would have been a good idea.

When her eyes met Nerys she held up the bag of salted meat, as if to offer some to the other woman.

Sam | OTA

[thegreatexperiment]

Once a wallflower, always a wallflower, it seemed. Sam couldn't remember the last time she'd gone to a beach or a pool or a waterpark or...anything that didn't involve monsters and guns and screaming and dying. But here she was, falling right back into old patterns again. She'd never been really good at mingling or socializing. Not around people she knew and certainly not around total strangers. In a few days, she'd managed to go from Predator warrior back to the shy girl no one wanted to dance with at the Bar Mitzvah.

Didn't help that she was still getting used to being human again. There were a lot of drawbacks to that, but she had to admit, the sunlight felt entirely worth it. It beat down on the top of her wig as she stood near the edge of the water, dragging her toes through the sludge. Every once in awhile, she would turn her face toward the sky, like a sunflower. Sam couldn't really remember the last time she'd felt warm. She hadn't felt cold, as a vampire. But she hadn't really felt anything...

She only let herself indulge for a few minutes, though. This was a business trip. And vampire or not, her training from Karen and Avery wasn't just going to go away. It was time for her to start scouting out the social terrain. She needed to figure out how this place worked.

More importantly, she needed to find her place in the social construct. And, really, she had no fucking clue how she was going to do that.

Bodhi | OTA

[onlyeverdoubted]

It's hot. It's so unreasonably hot, and also the planet is clearly doing something bizarre that will kill all of them. The idea of throwing himself into a body of water to feel better about it is completely foreign to a desert-bred spacer, but that seems to be the direction everyone's taking. He's already talked up all the wonders of agriculture unlimited by water sources, so maybe it's time to try out recreation on the same principle? Fortunately he has the relatively recent memory of his arrival to suggest to him that he should be careful.

He wears his scrubs, which he wears more or less all the time they aren't being washed--they're not that far from a flight suit, just lighter, and sometimes the familiarity helps. It's not that he doesn't eventually notice that this isn't exactly in accordance with the general dress code. He just doesn't care. This works for him. He approaches the river a little uncertainly and settles on the bank to dangle his feet in the water. That's... a little better? Heat or drowning, hard question.

[seekingcrocodile]

It's strange to him, someone who has spent so much of his life on and near the water, that someone should be so nervous around it. Sure, it can kill you, but so can plenty of things on land. You just need to know what to do about it when it threatens.

Hook, like so many of the others here today, is wearing only his underwear. (Be glad of that, Bodhi. It could have been worse.) He doesn't even get out of the water before addressing Bodhi. "Are you afraid you're going to fall in?"

Erik | ota

[frankensteinian]

He's not unused to heat. He remembers it from various points in his past. But he's spent the last ten years living in Poland, where it rarely gets this warm, and he'd spent ten years before that in a place where there was no weather at all. In fact, being underground, it hadn't often been warm at all. So it doesn't take much to get him to decide to go for a swim in the river.

He's been chopping wood all morning (it might not be necessary for heat right now, but they still need to do some cooking), so the water is nice and relaxing. Plus it's an excuse to get out of those ridiculous magenta scrubs for an hour or two. (They are folded neatly next to the water though, piled next to his boots.) He has nothing appropriate to wear for swimming other than his underwear, so that's what he's wearing. At least he's not the only one doing so.

Mostly he just soaks in the water, letting it cool him off. When he raises his arms to wring the water from his hair, his tattoo flashes visibly in the sun.

After a couple of hours in the water, he stretches out in the sun to dry off.

[guessihavelostcount]

"You know, if I wanted to be mean I would hide your scrubs right now." Claire's shadow falls across him as she comes to a stop just a couple feet away from where he is stretched out and drying off. She smiles as she enjoys the view. "Of course, you might be happy if I did that."

She runs her fingers through her hair, gathering it together and twisting it a little to squeeze some water out of it. Currently, she is in her panties and her bra, not really caring that she is soaking wet since she just got out of the water. She isn't very shy, after all. She can't really afford to be.

Killian | ota

[seekingcrocodile]

Water is, quite literally, his life. It's how he's made his living -- both legitimately and mostly not -- for his entire adult life, and before that too. So of course as soon as he finds out that it's such a good day for swimming that seemingly everyone's doing it, he's heading down to the river to do it himself. It's not like he has to go far; he spends a good portion of every day here at the river already, usually fishing. Plus swimming is also an excuse get out of black clothes that do nothing but soak up heat.

There was a time when he would have jumped in wearing nothing at all, but he's a married man now, so he'll limit himself to only stripping down to his underwear. His hook comes off too, added to the pile of his clothes. There would be no use in accidentally impaling someone with that. That would make this much less enjoyable, and he is quite enjoying himself. He takes to water almost as easily as a fish does.

Without sleeves in the way, the tattoo on his right forearm is now visible. The only thing that could make this better right now would be if this were connected to the open ocean, and there were a ship waiting for him nearby.

Lyanna Stark | OTA

[iron_beneath_beauty]

It had become too oppressive in the bungalow to remain sequestered inside for very long. The heat was far worse than Dorne, the humidity being the great determent. Unable to stay in bed, Lyanna peered out the window, hoping at least for a breeze. There seemed to be a mass exodus into the woods, and never being one to stay inside more than she needed to, Lyanna followed after them. She had wanted to see more of the surrounding woods and discover what sort of land this was. Better judgement was never one of her better traits, and while this could be a trap, if it meant finding somewhere cooler, she would be glad to take it.

She heard the waterfall before she saw it. The clear pool was a welcome surprise, earning a gasp of relief from her. Others had disrobed and were swimming in the water. Her body was still in no condition to be seen and she had no desire to be in such a state of undress as the strangers around her. Instead, she simply dove in fully dressed. She let out a cry of delight at the cold water, instantly cooled as a breeze blew over her wet face.

Pulling herself from the water, she spied the nearby hill side were the water poured over into the pool. She could likely climb to the top of it and dive from the waterfall's edge into the lagoon below. With an impish grin, she began to scale the rocks, slowly making her way to the top. There was a small tug at her shirt, either a branch caught hold or someone was holding her back. She craned her head to get a better look. "Ow! Let go!"

[fishermansweater]

Now here's someone Finnick hasn't seen around before. He's careful to watch the crowds at lunch, and to keep an eye on the village to see if any of the abandoned houses are showing signs of occupation. She can't have been here long, he thinks, as he watches her get out of the water -- still fully clothed -- and start climbing.

She can't see what's happened behind her, but Finnick can. He's not sure if it's one of those interventions of the Gamemakers, where things shift subtly to block off attempts to climb the cliffs, but a scrawny shrub clinging onto the rock face has caught onto her shirt.

"Hold up," Finnick says, and pulls himself up with one hand to rest his foot on a ledge. "You're caught on a branch, I'll get you free."

Isabelle | OTA | cw: nudity

[fightsinheels]

As far as summers in New York go, they tend to be relatively mild. Sure, the temperatures climb high enough to make Isabelle grateful that she spends most of her time out during the night time, where it's several degrees cooler and the sun isn't beating down. Normally, she doesn't have much of an excuse to go swimming, nor does she really have the time.

But here, in the village, all she has is excuses and time. Too much of the latter, as it is, but she's been finding ways to keep herself busy, trying to make herself useful. Today, though, seems like a good enough day as any to take a break and relax. She loves the hot springs, but the weather hasn't been too willing to make them enjoyable. But when she finds out that several people are making a day out of it down by the waterfall, she decides that's definitely a better idea.

'Modesty' isn't a word Isabelle likes keeping in her vocabulary, so when she gets to the waters, she's quick to strip down to a plain cotton bra and underwear set. She misses the cute lacy things she used to wear, but this happens to be far more suited for swimming in. Silver linings, she supposes. Either way, it's a nice way to show off her body like she loves doing, tattoo-like runes decorating inches of exposed skin.

She's quick to jump in and cool off, having a good time swimming and chatting and splashing around. After awhile, though, she'll pull herself out and lay on her stomach on the flattest rock she can find, shimming out of her makeshift bathing suit to get herself a nice, even tan.

[3ofswords]

Kira's experience of swimming growing up was a semester in his second to last year of school--one too many idiots falling off the ferry or their daddy's boat, now everyone has to prove they can swim before they graduate.

Not that Kira graduated, but he's decent enough to kick around the spring by his house, and hopefully he's decent enough to splash around with the dog. She isn't quite bounding ahead in the heat, her dark fur doing her no favors in this weather, but she trots along happily enough on their way north to the falls.

Before he breaks the trees at the shore, something catches her attention, and she picks up her pace. Kira can't imagine what could move him any faster short of something chasing him, his shirt sticking to him under his overalls, and he breaks the treeline later, to find her getting down on her paws and coughing a bark at Isabelle, at the bottom of a rock the girl is perched on.

"I thought the point was to get out of the sun for awhile," he says, coming up close enough to rough his hands over the fur on Aurora's ribs, make her feel like someone's finally as excited as she is. "Go on," he says, voice light and higher for her ears, "go play." Skipping a flat river stone across the bank draws her toward the splash, and she heads into the water on legs still clumsy with growth.

Kira comes up to the rock from below and sets his arms on the edge, his chin on his arms, tilting his head to match Isabelle's gaze. "How've you been?"

Natasha Romanoff | MCU | OTA

[unmakeme]

The moose is weird. Not bad, but weird. The first time Natasha heads to the waterfall, it’s there, just hanging out near the edge, looking mostly harmless. Of course, a moose is far from harmless, even if it doesn’t mean you harm, so she gives it a wide berth, keeping to the other side of the pool.

She strips down to her underwear and tank top, and starts off just sitting in the relatively shallow area, her knees pulled up to her chest, the water lapping gently around her neck. She’s mostly here to cool off, and the smell of a house that’s just gone through several days of ash preserving only gets worse in the heat.

After a little while, though, the sitting still begins to grate, and the moose hasn’t moved or shown the slightest bit of interest in her. So she dunks herself under the water properly and cuts through the pool until she’s directly underneath the falls. When she comes up, with her eyes closed, she could almost believe that it’s her shower-head at home. It’s not, of course, and it takes the space of a moment for that illusion to be shattered, but it’s a nice moment all the same.

[ex_assertiveness90]

Natasha isn't the only one to allow herself to envision something from home here, no matter how briefly. Stella doesn't typically reminisce; it just reminds her that she's here and not where she ought to be, back in Belfast trying to put a serial killer in prison, and then she feels guilty, like she's abandoned her duty.

Still, sometimes she does it without thinking about it. There are few enough people here right now that she can move to float on her back, with the ease of decades of practice; and if she doesn't focus too much on the noise of the falls, even muffled as it is with the water lapping at her ears, she can almost imagine she's doing the same in the pool at the gym where she'd gone for her daily swim in Belfast — or, better yet, the one she frequents back home in London.

The illusion breaks far too quickly; for one thing, the air here is simply too hot. There's a flash of disappointment, and Stella lets it go, ducks under the surface briefly and comes back up treading water effortlessly. She catches a flicker of wet red hair from the corner of her eye, and turns to see the woman resurfacing under the falls. Stella recognizes her after a moment: they've not met formally, but she remembers her standing round the edges of the crowd at the feast, before everything had happened with Credence. She's beautiful, and Stella allows herself to appreciate that for a moment, in a way she's not really allowed herself with another woman since she's been here. Right now, however, it's just appreciation, and she chooses not to be obvious about it.

"Enjoying yourself?" she says, mildly, the slightest of smiles an indication of her good humor. Stella knows very few people would call her friendly, typically — but she's in a good mood, and the air of even-tempered politeness has a touch more warmth under it.

OTA - cw: nudity, moose attack

[9601]

Logan hasn't heard about the waterfall, but as the days grow hotter and the sun shies farther from the horizon, the river's started to look mighty enticing. On impulse, after he's finished hammering another line of shingles into place, sweating balls in overalls and a makeshift kitchen towel-keffiyeh under his cap, he's about had it with the fucking heat. Packing up his things, stopping only for water and a clean towel, he hikes it up the river to find where it tumbles into the canyon. Perfect.

Privacy came at a premium on the Blackbird, so he has no real reservations about stripping down to skin to take a dip, stashing his things up high on a rock. No one else seems to be there for the moment, as late in the day as it. That isn't to say he's not alone, though, as wouldn't you know, standing there at the water's edge, that's when a fucking bull moose rolls up behind him like a silent, hulking wraith and licks - licks! - the salt from his bare shoulder.

Maybe it isn't dignified or manly or particularly Wolverine-like, but Logan startles a little like a cat, the feeling of hot breath on his neck and that rough tongue shooting a warning right into his hindbrain. Without even a shred of the animal empathy he once possessed, knowing better than to tackle a goddamn moose (because IT IS A GODDAMN MOOSE), flight sends him backward into the shimmering pool of blue. The moose thankfully doesn't follow, just turns an inquisitive eye to the flustered Canadian who's up to his chin in the cool river.

"Yeah, hi to you too, bub," Logan grumbles with a scowl, treading water. Well. He made it. Now he just has to hope New Animal Friend fucks off when he's ready to leave.

Re: OTA - cw: nudity, moose attack

[powerunleashed]

Jean was still hot even after an entire day of bathing in the pools at the waterfall so after coming back to the house to see if Logan was around (he hadn't shown up for swimming, that was for sure), she headed back down to the river in hopes that she could cool off for a little while. She still had on her bikini from earlier and this time, she didn't even bother wearing a shirt; what was the point, she was going to take it off anyway.

She showed up just in time to see the moose lick Logan's shoulder and giggled a little. He didn't bother to wear anything to swim in and she colored a little, cheeks heating, when she realized she could see everything. Well. "I see you met Bub. He likes to be a pest."

It didn't help matters much that she fed him but the moose had followed Logan around before and she wanted to keep him around for nostalgia's sake.