soul_logs | [Open] Pool Party!

He pushed off at the same time, also diving in before going into his own stroke. But he was definitely a powerful and fast swimmer. How would Sheena fare against him?

Sheena probably wouldn't fare too well, since she really didn't swim too much, but she had strength and endurance in both her arms and legs and was willing to try.

Ignoring Kid, she focused more on a steady pace than speed--just like her grandfather taught her for training--and discovered that she was enjoying the swim, the sight of the wall a little depressing because that meant the race was almost over.

Kid was also focused on the swim, keeping his eyes on the wall and just moving forward. Once he reached it, he turned around and was off to head back to their starting point, which would end the race.

He did manage to glance at Sheena to see how close she was and it looked like she was a powerful swimmer. But there was not much to really analyze. The wall was looming closer.

Kid was right. Sheena wasn't a good swimmer--several combined intakes of water and air proved that--but she was able to stroke and kick powerfully because of her training. Even being out of commission for a few days hadn't really harmed her.

She merely kept up her steady movements, barely losing speed when she turned and headed back, her attention focused more on the wall ahead that was growing closer than on anyone else around her.

Kid was definitely in the lead, and a few more strokes and he had hit the wall, his hand gripping the ledge as he used it to help steady himself as he caught his breath. Only then did he look back to see how far behind Sheena was.

And he'd see Sheena wasn't easily visible. She had to dive under the water when someone--unaware there was a race, or even a swimmer nearby--had crossed her path unexpectedly. Thanks the gods of Mizuho for those strong legs of hers to send her under fast enough while the person continued on their merry way.

Only she went a little too far, and it took a minute or so for her to reach the wall and pop up next to Kid. Her smile was genuine as she regarded him. "You won!"

At first Kid had been confused. Where did she...?

But then not too long after she appeared next to him, surprising him a bit.

"You swam well yourself," he answered with a bit of a grin before it turned back to his earlier confusion. "But what happened?"

"Th-Thanks," she stammered, wiping the water from her eyes and face. She turned to hide her light blush from the compliment and pointed in the direction they had come.

"Someone didn't realize we were racing or something and they were swimming across my path. I had to dive under to avoid crashing into them." As she spoke, the person in question was doing exactly what they had done, turned at the wall and was now headed back they way they came.

Kid watched for a few moments. "I see. They must also be practicing."

He then turned back to her. "But I'm glad you're all right."

It probably would have been painful crashing into each other at that speed.

She tread water for a moment. "Do people sometimes have to swim on missions?" That's the only reason she could think of for swim practice in a desert.

"Thanks." She chuckled. "Good thing I was watching, or things might not have worked out so well." She wasn't referring to the speed, but how hard she might have hit the person with her hand.

"Not too often," Kid answered. "But there are occasions where a mission involves some kind of body of water. It's also a good skill to know regardless as you never know what kind of situation or environment you may end up in."

"The eggs can be in water, too? Like fish?" She was learning more every day. And little by little, she was getting her drive back to learn more about herself and actually go on one.

She tried to stifle a chuckle, but couldn't. "Like when you're knocked into a pool...?"

"It's possible," he said. "Once a human has fallen to the path of kishin, they begin to devolve and become less human. Thus they could very well use the water as their hunting ground, such as beaches or lakes." Insert many folklore and mythologies based off such creatures.

But at her statement about being knocked into a pool, he gave her a rueful grin. "Yes, like being knocked into a pool."

Sheena hadn't read any of the myths of this world yet, but she could imagine, considering some of the legends of her own world.

"Sorry," she replied to his comment, the small smile she wore belying that apology just a little bit. "Getting knocked into a pool that many times in one day can't be fun."

"Not particularly, no," he sighed before leaning his head back against the edge of the pool. "But I suppose a good end came out of this particular incident."

Sheena crossed her arms on the edge and rested her head on them as she looked at him. "Yeah. You didn't drown," she joked before giving him and understanding smile. "I wouldn't blame you if you stayed away from pools, though."

He just gave her a wry glance. "It's tempting, I admit," he joked. "But I'd be a poor excuse of a shinigami if I let some kids pushing me into a pool keep me from further using or enjoying it."

His wry look was met by one of innocence as she struggled to hold in her laughter. "I swear, Kid, mine was purely accidental." A very substantial pause. "Each time."

She looked around a moment, taking in the sight of everyone enjoying themselves before speaking again. "Do you come here a lot? This is really my first time here, and I'm enjoying it."

"I'll believe you," he said, though his tone was still light enough to have that "Uh huh, sure" undertone. Jokingly of course. "But no, I don't come here that often, really. I have a pool back at the mansion so I can just use that for my own leisure."

Sheena continued looking innocent because well, it was true. She was a klutz; the only time she was less clumsy was in battle--or sleeping. Although, there was probably going to be a day she fell out of bed in traditional Sheena fashion--noisily.

"The mansion?" Her tone was one of surprise. "You're a noble?" Sorry, Kid, but to Sheena, anyone who lived in that type of home was a noble, and she was shocked that you were treating her like an equal. Nobles usually looked down their noses at her.

It was Kid's turn to look at her in surprise, though more for classifying him as a "noble" than anything else.

"I suppose you could say that," he said after a moment. He was a rich guy—he would never deny that. Nor did he really give off that "common folk" vibe, though that's mostly due to his proper (self) upbringing. But it was only natural, right? Being the son of the head hancho shinigami and all that. "Though I never really thought of myself as a noble. Just a shinigami."

Though on that point—

"Are you really that surprised?"

Sheena had actually moved back a little; her experience with the nobles on her own planet making her suddenly unsure of herself around Kid--despite his friendly nature.

She found herself nodding in response for a moment before finding her voice as she looked down. "Yeah. Nobles on my world wouldn't act the way you do with me. They're usually rude towards me, so I always leave before I do something I'll regret." She looked up at him.

"But, you're not like that. You're nice."

He looked at her for a moment before glancing upward a bit. Kid knew some of the aristocrats were like that. His own weapons—well, more like Liz—had often commented how he was such the "spoiled, rich kid" and at first he thought nothing of it. Or rather, he just ignored and continued on his way. Despite his own naivete at times that came from his more "royal" upbringing, he was still polite, dignified—proper.

"That may be more of my upbringing and sense of what I believe would be proper decorum than status. However, I will admit that I do use to it my advantage sometimes."

Like cutting through long lines in the amusement parks—kidding. But when it came to looking up special information only available to people like his father? Oh yeah, definitely.

"Still, I'd rather be seen as your equal," he said as he looked back at her. "In fact I still have a lot of catching up to do with my friends and peers. I only joined Shibusen's classes a couple of years ago. Although I know the material and my father thought it unnecessary, it's still not the same as going through the process."

Luckily for Kid, Sheena judged people on their actions more than anything, so while nobles tended to be condescending to her, she always gave them a chance not to be. Unfortunately for her, she found very few who acted the way he did. In fact, she could think of only one who didn't look down his nose at her, and that was because he was usually looking at other parts of her body. Proper? Certainly not. But definitely better behavior than the others showed her.

She shook her head slightly. "I'm pretty sure they were taught to be polite to others, too. They just chose not to be so with me." Unfortunately, she could never be sure if it was because of where she was like they said, or because she didn't fawn over Zelos the way they did. Probably both, since either way, she wasn't one of them.

"Sometimes? But not all the time? Like you expect it to happen?" That's what was different about him. "You don't have..that aura about you. Like you expect people to know right away you're a noble and to grovel before you." Obviously, that was something Sheena didn't approve of. There were only two people she would bow before, and that was the King and his daughter.

She looked away for a moment as she collected her thoughts. Turning back, she gave him a smile. "I think I can do that, Kid. You've been nothing but nice, and you only want my friendship. Not to mention, you don't seem the kind to shy away from work."

"I'm sorry that had to happen to you—you definitely don't seem like a person who deserves to be treated so poorly." Seriously, how can you earn respect by being disrespectful to everyone else? He never understood it.

"Once someone knew who I was, I would expect them to treat me with the proper respect, but not grovel." He looked at her with slight incredulity at that notion. "I want to help people, not own them. But yes, only sometimes. I can't call myself a proper shinigami if everything is always handed down to me—that's something I learned and discovered on my own."

He had already taken a step toward that when he decided to find and train his own Death Scythes rather than just having one chosen for him, but seeing Maka, Soul, Black☆Star, and Tsubaki fighting against Stein on their own cemented the deal. It was there that he realized he was different and that it just wouldn't work if he stayed the way he was.

And at her last statement he looked at her curiously before giving her a wry grin.

"Yes, I am known as a workaholic. But I prefer it, really."

[Open] Pool Party!

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It's like the Olympics!

Better than the Olympics... There's a grill here! :P

Awww yeah B)

:D

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