Bamboo and Edelweiss

((heh heh heh (:< ))

"Of course the temple will agree, why wouldn't they?" Edelweiss barely turned around to continue the conversation behind him, only slowing down momentarily for Bamboo to catch up. "There's a bunch of priests and acolytes that hate working with seers. They'll switch with you." Edelweiss left out that part where he was the last oracle at the temple, and almost all of them disliked him for his personality. Maybe you can still catch at least one fly with vinegar he supposed, and the company would be more than pleasing to have someone who wouldn't hang over his shoulder nagging him.

"You won't nag me about... responsibilities will you?" He glanced at Bamboo with a wary expression without much explanation as to the sudden jump in conversation. "You can be as slow a learner as you want as long as the coconut supply continues." He nodded at his own genius plan. Maybe Bamboo had more secrets up his sleeves if he continued to get closer to him. Learning about anything besides temple food was always rich.

Nearing where the waves were lapping the shore, Edelweiss stood at the edge of the sea. A sparkle nearby in the water was bobbing up and down and he couldn't stand his curiosity any more. He had to have it whatever it was. He sat down again and started untying his sandals with determination. He would swim if he had to.

It was amazing that he was even considering the possibility, never mind -suggesting -it. And he had a point - if Edelweiss requested him he doubted that any would really oppose it too much. The seer generally got away with getting what he wanted, and he doubted many of his peers would be terribly sad to see him go. Win-win, if you really thought about it; maybe if he got him better food he might be generally happier and in a better mood anyway.

He blinked at the question, surprised.

"Responsibilities? Well... no, that's nor really my place." he answered, confused. He couldn't even imagine the sort of pressure they put on the seer; he hated being bound by Fate in any fashion, but would not be able to handle seeing glimpses of it. It was a wonder that Edelweiss  was as well balanced as he was.

"Its not like we're  children. We come to Water for our own reasons, and do what we can with our own abilities. I'm not really here to police you or anyone. Just scold me if I get too annoying in general, and I'll try my best not to be." he answered simply. That and he probably shirked a few of his early morning ones in his early escapades. "But I can promise I will always find a way to bring you coconuts." he reassured him.

Edel made his way to the lapping waves and Bamboo  found his feet rooting to the sand in a spike of anxiety as Edel began to take off his sandals, determined to get whatever called to him.

There could be rip currents, jellyfish... any number of things... was he really so determined.

"Edelweiss... are you... going in? Into the Water?" he looked out to try and see what he was looking at, fear coiling in his belly.

Edelweiss looked up at Bamboo before responding.
"Good," He replied curtly, a hint of a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. He didn't need anyone nagging him or dragging him down like some of the older acolytes that claimed they 'knew best.' Plus the promise of sweet, sweet fruit. Ah, yes, that was a real deal within itself.

Putting his sandals side by side on a rock, out of the water's way, Edelweiss turned around to face Bamboo. Being slightly shorter than the priest, they didn't see eye to eye but Edelweiss definitely conveyed a presence. A single eyebrow quirked in skepticism.

"Are you afraid of the water, Bamboo?" He squinted his eyes, drawing out his words. "A strange fear for a follower of Water to posses..." started walking backwards into the surf, the sea foam lapping at his heels, "Or are you more afraid of me getting hurt?"

((He's totally calling Bamboo's bluff haha))

"Yes." The admission spilled out before he could catch himself. The words stung because he recognized the truth in it, the irony. He loved their Mistress and her wondrous wiles, but being in the water itself made his every muscle tense. He swallowed hard, watching the way the waves lapped at the other's ankles, the gentle pull of seafoam. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing would go wrong. Surely Water wouldn't put her Oracle in danger.

"Please, Edelweiss..." he entreated, but as he walked backwards into the water he followed all the same, unwilling to let him put himself in jeopardy. "It's not too deep, right? We're... we're not going too deep...?"

He slipped out of his sandals and slid out of his robes, leaving only the thin shorts he wore. No sense in risking having them drag him down into the depths. He cringed as he stepped forward and the surf lapped at his skin.

"If you go to far I won't be able to help you. I can't..." he couldn't swim. The shame burned on his cheeks and he bit down the last, cowardly words. Hadn't he claimed that he made his own fate? Perhaps Edelweiss was the doom in the Water, nothing more terrible than that.

((ahh yes the advantage of being blunt and indelicate hahaha))

Edelweiss' eyebrows shot up in surprise, his lips a thin line. He didn't expect Bamboo to admit it so openly, especially when he said it as a jibe to the priest more than asking for the truth. This was the advantage of being friends with someone so virtuously honest he supposed. Edelweiss put the palm of his hand to his face, and sighed, offering his other hand out to Bamboo. The hitch in his new friend's voice caused a pang of sympathy in Edelweiss' usual impassive heart.

"Here, grab on, I'll make sure you're safe in the sea if Water's not looking." Pulling his free hand away from his face he almost offered that one too but thought better of it when he caught sight of Bamboo in only his shorts. The priest cut a fine figure and it was all the more noticeable with the robes removed. Edelweiss felt shame rise to his cheeks when he thought about how thin and pale he was in comparison. He decided in the moment that he didn't really mind if his clothes got wet if it meant keeping his own figured veiled. He shook his head, now was the time to be focusing on so much skin.

"Look, the waves are bringing it closer to us, we don't have to go very far. If you don't trust me, you can stay on the beach."

(( And Bamboo is super oblivious sometimes, haha))

"I..." Edelweiss held out his hand and Bamboo stepped forward into the waves shakily. "I trust you. I will always trust you." he said simply and clasped his hand like a lifeline, his fingers closing around it just a little too tight. It had felt nice when he'd caught Edel in his arms, but this was different; this was a kindness initiated by the Oracle, an offer generously made.

He thought he caught him taking a quick look and his blush deepened; how ridiculous he probably looked in the simple shorts and an embarrassed face, a grown man terrified of waves. Still, he was less worried about looking ridiculous than he was about being pulled down by their weight.

"Where you go, I'll follow. Just don't let me drown." he said simply and took another step with a quiet prayer to Water. This would be fine, they weren't going far. Edelweiss just wanted to recover some shiny thing, so surely nothing would go wrong. Still, his body tensed up as he took a step closer, his hand clamping the seer's.

((ahh sorry I went missing, I'm glad you caught my tweet! My cold put me into hibernation for a few days @_@))

"Oh, c'mon, what was with all that talk about not letting fate rule your life? Don't be such a baby." Edelweiss winced as Bamboo crushed his fingers out of sheer dread. The water was lapping at his ankles as he slowly dragged them both into the ocean. His feet sunk into the wet sand, dragging him back as much as Bamboo was in the other direction. Edelweiss dug in his heels in the soft foundation, leaning back gently to counter-balance their weight.

"That's right, trust me. If you're going to trust anyone, trust the one that can see your future." Edelweiss frowned, tugging at Bamboo's hand to make him move with him inch by inch. "And I didn't see you drown today so you don't have to worry. You don't have to trust me with your life when I know it's presently fine." He didn't mean to try to spark an argument, Bamboo was clearly just scared and with good reason. Besides, his promises to Edelweiss sounded like they were from the heart, not from an act of desperation. More like he meant them and would say them no matter the situation. Edelweiss let out a small sigh.

"Almost there..." He announced with a grunt as he gave Bamboo a tiny heave, they were almost to their waists in the water and it was hard to drag both of them and Edelweiss didn't have a lot of stamina to call his own. The light sparkled off of the object as it floated into Bamboo's reach. Edelweiss was hoping it wasn't just someone's trash but it was very pretty to be just any bottle, surely.

"Just reach out to the left and it's ours," Edelweiss commanded.

(( Now I want scented dice though, lol! And no worries... I had the plague knock me out three weeks, ugh. I hope that you're feeling a bit better? Healing thoughts.. <3 <3 You'll have to figure out what it is they're reaching for ))

"Somehow its easier to believe that while my f-feet are firmly on land." he admitted. Still, Edelweiss reassurances helped; if he HAD seen he would drown he doubted he would have been in such a good mood. Or helped him get into the water. He was pretty sure the seer tolerated him more than some of the other acolytes, and wouldn't think to put him in harm's way for a laugh.

His hand carefully pulled him further out into the water, and he took leaden steps but followed all the same. He hissed as the cold water reached his shorts and the cold dampness moved up over his skin, hating the sensation. Before he could focus on it Edelweiss had yanked him forward with determination and he gasped at the sensation of the water getting higher. It would be fine, just fine. Edel was saying something...

Suddenly he spotted whatever had caught his friend's eye, and wanted nothing more than to capture it. It wasn't just that it would get them out of the water sooner, but it was something that Edel desired enough to drag them both out here, so surely it was special.

"O-okay." he reached out, long limbs stretching as he reached and closed his hand around it so he could pull it back and give it to Edelweiss.

((much better! I'm just a human vessel for only mucus now atm, though xD))

"Give it here." Edelweiss demanded, taking the treasure from Bamboo. It was a sparkling glass bottle that could almost be mistaken for trash but whatever was inside the vial looked like it was placed in there with purpose. He wanted Bamboo to take a look at it, he was probably picking up things like this on the beach all the time. He did refer to himself as a magpie earlier, he probably had some sort of rubbish in his room with a similar backstory attached to it.

He looked to Bamboo to say something but the acolyte was white with terror, and Edelweiss' fingers were starting to tingle from Bamboo's iron grip. He started wading back to shore before getting his answers. He rolled his eyes and  grabbed Bamboo gently by the arm to guide him back to the beach.

"Alright, alright, almost done, and then you can tell me what it is we found." Edelweiss announced, his words sounding more impatient than he initially intended. Old habits die hard.

(( ugh that is the worst... do you do salt rinses at all? It feels so awful, but then you can breathe overnight at all... haha sorry TMI... I'm allergic to most cold medications so I get to improvise a lot. Hopefully that means you're on the mend and can rest lots this weekend? *L* Also, I figure the acolytes probably get smallish rooms, but yes, he has a collection of super random things ahaha))

Bamboo handed it back to Edelweiss without argument, registering only the feeling of the bottle with something stowed inside. His usually curiosity seemed to have short circuited a bit thanks to his deep-seated terror of the ocean, so he simply gave it over and made sure Edelweiss had a good grasp on it before he released it. Maybe it was a good thing, if he thought about it long enough... Edelweiss had never really shown great curiosity or much interest in anything around him anymore.

He saw him start to speak and then think better of it; after a moment's pause he began to drag him back, and Bamboo noticed his feet moved much more cooperatively when it meant they were getting out of the water faster. Edelweiss held his arm and he felt a momentary shiver of delight that barely registered past the panic; the next moment they were moving firmly back towards land with the waves steadfastly giving them regular shoves. Clearly they were just as eager to get him out of their ocean, which was just fine by him.

"Yup. That's... just fine. Almost there, so close..."

He took a deep breath as the water finally became only about ankle deep, fingers unclenching from around Edel's hand. He was almost sorry to have no excuse to hold it anymore.

"Thank you for your kindness. Sorry I ...ah..." was a horrible coward? That didn't made him sound that great. " I think I need to sit, if that's okay. I can look at it then..."

He released him finally and stumbled onto his rumpled robes where he had laid them out. He could kiss the sand just then, but he shouldn't; that would probably cross the line, even for him. Instead he let his weight fall on to them and smoothed them, shivering at the air on his skin even as he squeezed excess water out of his braid. He straightened them fully in case Edel wanted to sit too, and stretched out a hand.

"So much better here. Can I have a look?"