[For once, it isn't a looming threat, living or otherwise. He's not so bothered by being excluded from the discovery of this particular thing, somehow. Now that they've found it, his excitement only stems from that. It's actually there and they aren't lost.
But should they even bother dipping in? At nigh--
Oh.
Somehow, he's able to contain his excitement to a brisk walk, gingerly approaching the lagoon...not...bothering to ask Lance if he's alright in the process of. He looks alright -- seems alright.]
Don't just jump in. [He's close enough to be annoying!! Finally.] Don't forget what happened last time.
I'm not gonna just jump in, [ lance grumbles as he comes up beside keith, the two incidentally crossing the pseudo-threshold to the lagoon together. ] Not.. anymore, anyway.
[ that last bit he mumbles a little quieter, and faster, because holy heck let's all just take a moment to admire the beauty of this place, yeah?
and — to be fair, it really is pretty spectacular. the lagoon itself seems closed off from the rest of the world, surrounded by high rocks like an enclosure, except right overhead is an opening that lends for a pretty breathtaking view of the night sky. the water glitters, just like keith had seen, as if there were some unknown light source at its depths, though the waters themselves are a deep, clear teal blue. the walls all around move from the water's reflections, dancing along even their own skin.
he takes an unconscious step closer, jaw nearly dropping. ]
Wow... The guy was right...
[ the random vendor who told him about this place, that is. ]
[The guy, who Keith figured was someone either made up OR someone who had reason to purposely mislead Lance into walking 1,000mi into no man's land. He hasn't asked Lance about work lately. How many people he's aggravated to date. Things to ask later on...
He's distracted by everything but the actual lagoon, as it provides enough light for some mutual appreciation. Lance steps ahead, and Keith lingers close behind -- just in case. Lance has some rights to wade in first, but if shit hits the fan...he has his knife on him. Somewhere. ;) hon hon hon.]
Yeah, mostly.
[He can, above all else, appreciate how isolated this place is. They're fortunate in no one else being around to appreciate it at the same time, either...unless there's a reason for that?!
Nnn.
A hand comes up to grab Lance by a shoulder; an autoresponse to his thoughts which bare no relevance. Uh--
[ the guy, to be more specific, is the vendor who'd given lance an extra serving of shaved ice because he was looking a little hot from his stint serving as a lifeguard for like two hours. they got to chatting (as lance does), and he let it slip that there's this luxurious, secluded lagoon that locals often like to go to. he didn't have to work too hard to sell it for lance, but he promised "sights to behold" and encouraged him to take someone who would appreciate it with him... or at the very least, the company.
jury's still kind of out on whether or not lance chose right, but. ]
Huh?
[ lance is just giving keith a Look. you don't need to tell him that... ]
This isn't my first rodeo, Keith. [ still, he makes no real... reaction towards the hand on his shoulder, despite the slight tensing of said shoulders. he busies himself with toeing the aforementioned flip flops off, nudging them to the side with the side of his foot. ]
[Excuse me princess..............................................
Better to let him think he's being a tryhard about swimming-know-how than to immediately let known the I'M PARANOID crank has been crunked. The hand falls, dangles at his side; it's fine. He hadn't seen anything particularly questionable at first look. It looked like -- still looks like something out of a fantasy movie.
Not...unlike most things they've encountered as paladins, but it's been a while since they've co-oped a nice thing.]
What's this have to do with a rodeo?
[Murmured, though his voice has lowered since they've gotten close to the lagoon. Something about night time and peaceful scenery makes you wanna auto-hush hush.]
It's just a saying, [ lance explains off-handedly, almost as if he'd been expecting a need to. he's shrugging the towel off to set to the side. ] It just means I know what I'm doing.
[ that said, he's slipping towards the edge of the rocks, trying to get a better look at its jewel-like waters and bottom...
he pauses a moment, then turns towards the other. ]
...You know how to swim, right?
[ LOOK he's not trying to be a snot here. he knows keith was heading towards the pool that one time on the castleship, but pool-swimming and swimming-swimming is different okay... ]
[He's stepping out of his own sandals, pretending Lance isn't explaining a TOTALLY OBVIOUS HA HA thing to him. They find a place just behind Lance's own.]
Yeah I know how to swim.
[Pools and lagoons are totally the same thing.................
He's leaving the towel across his shoulders and steps nearer to Lance, nudging him along.]
[ his hands lift in that universal gesture of alright alright calm down, don't kill me and his shoulders lift in a casual enough manner that he hopes fully conveys how little a deal he's willing to make it. he was just curious okay... but he'll also probably take care to make sure the guy doesn't accidentally drown. cuz he's nice like that.
in any case, he only shifts a little when keith nudges him, turning an arched brow his way. ]
Making me the guinea pig?
[ not that he seems to mind, he's already drawing closer. but he's waving keith along too. ]
C'mon, we'll just sink out legs in by the edge. See how the temperature treats us first.
[Implying Lance would let him be the guinea pig when he was the pioneer of this whole operation. . .]
You know that's not what I meant.
[He'll join Lance's side, more or less. The rocks feel weird under his feet -- they're big and smooth enough that they aren't painful to tread, but it's different. His plan doesn't sound to shabby, either. If anything bad were lurking about, at least they won't have been fully submerged...ahem.]
[ lance knows, but what's the fun in always acting like he does?
anyway, the water is nice and cool — just a touch above lukewarm, so it's not chilly but it's also not, like. gross. as soon as he sits down by the edge and sinks his legs in, from the knee-down, he marvels at how the glittering light now plays over his own skin now that they're so much closer. ]
Whoa, look, [ he holds his hands out, leaning just enough that he can nudge keith with an elbow, ] I'm like a unicorn!
[Keith finds a place beside Lance, letting his feet sink in, prepared for something way cooler. It's a nice, welcome change.
Not that the marsh was cold?! He also wouldn't voluntarily swim in it. It's complicated. Either way, his calves go under, automatically swinging in the warmth of the lagoon...]
Huh?
[99.5% of Lance's excited declarations are met with such a response. He's looking, watching, sees the glitter; it's happening on his own skin too.
[ except it's, like. the only thing that matters. but anyway, stop ruining his unicorn-related dreams, you punk. lance is already sulking, pouting like a child, but just as he's about to hide his glitter-unicorn-hands in his armpits (like an adult), he happens to catch sight of keith's own hands and— ]
Pfffbbbftfthtt!! Are those tan lines?
[ he doesn't even warn keith before suddenly grabbing up one of the boy's hands, holding it up between them, turning it over and — yep. ]
[What...else...could possibly make a unicorn? The wings? Their hooves are probably normal. He's frowning a bit, overthinking right up until Lance decides to spotlight his beautiful, dainty, delicate hands.
Which absolutely have tanlines from being a perpetual glove-wearer. There's one of those Keith Gasps and he's quickly drawing his hands away -- though he should've just shoved him into the lagoon?!]
[In he goes, swallowed by the glitter lagoon for all of five seconds. He's surfacing in a hurry, even if it isn't all unpleasant.
Except that his towel's soaked..and floating away.]
Lance!
[I'm sorry, did someone order that scene from the Lion King where Simba pulls Nala into the water? It isn't a perfect replica, because he has to grab Lance by his wrists to hoist him in and lions do not have wrists, or hands, but retribution is happening.]
[ rip towel, we knew you well. and look, it could have been worse. it could have been your swimtrunks.
anyway, lance is mid-laugh of triumph by the time keith returns to exact justice on his behalf, which means when lance gets tugged in he winds up swallowing maybe half the lagoon in the process. his resurfacing is less than graceful, half-parts garbled squawking and half-parts incredulous flailing. you'd think the boy's never been in water before with the way he scrambles towards the rocks, clinging along the edges of it to stay afloat. then again, it could all be due to all that lagoon water he just swallowed. ]
Dude, [ he half-gasps, half-wheezes out, ] not cool!
[ never mind the fact that he, you know, did it to you first...... ]
[Now see, all of that's Lance's fault. He should've anticipated swift, divine retribution. Lance is lucky Keith doesn't try holding him under/in place like a real sociopath -- since he's not one, but some people are sick...]
You're way overreacting.
[He seems amused, on the other hand. Not Ha Ha amused, but pleased with himself. Lance behaving like a frightened capuchin monkey helps.]
You did it first, anyway.
[As a reminder. He'll slowly swim backwards with that, adapting pretty quickly -- like Bear Grylls, affording him more space if he'd like to jump back in without worry of being assaulted.]
[ lance doesn't bother to dispute any of those points because they are 100% accurate. still, he feels the need to do something back, which explains the faint splash of water he sends keith's way, who is luckily already backing away that most of the droplets don't even reach him.
anyway, lance is still mostly in the water, he's just sort of hanging onto the rocks like he'd suddenly forgotten how to work this dagnabbed water thing. but after a second to let his heart calm, he finally takes the time to appreciate the water, slowly drifting away from the edge to do an idle lap around the area. a few times he dips his head down only to resurface again; he does it a total of three times, each subsequent time spent longer submerged than before. by his third one, he winds up close to where keith is, water dripping down all over his face. ]
I keep trying to find where the light's coming from. [ something's gotta be reflecting all this glitter light, right? ] It's so trippy.
[For a second there, he was prepared to call bullshit on Lance's swimming history. He settles quickly enough, and Keith's happy to watch him otter about the place -- even with the splash attack precursor.]
I thought it was coming from the moon.
[Similarly, Keith looks a bit like a wet mop. His bangs are nearly veiling his eyes -- nearly. He's only slightly swept them to the side like a proper emo. His eyes settle skyward, veil or not, and the moon isn't in immediate view...
[ but honestly what does lance know. this is sounding more and more like a "hunk and pidge" question, and he spares a moment to be sad the two aren't awake to be able to experience this with them. anyway, it's a good thing his curiosity isn't quite as insistent; at the very least, he's able to be content with an answer of "/waves hands around vaguely, magic" and be done with it. deciding he's spent a sufficient enough time trying to pursue this intellectual matter, he'll quickly turn his attention back to simply enjoying the setting itself. wherever the weird light is coming from, it's interesting to watch it play with the water and create fun light reflections along the walls, keith's face. he actually snickers a little, because in this lighting, with keith's hair like that, ]
You look like a drowned highland cow.
[ without even thinking about it he reaches forward, quietly combing keith's fringe back instead of to the side. his hand stalls almost immediately after exposing keith's forehead, the sudden sight of it reminding him of a certain other forehead, where a certain other pair of lips had kissed once.
he blinks, and hastily draws his hand away. ]
It's probably a good thing we got here so late. [ he'll just... dog-paddle away now... treating himself to another lap around, yep. ] I bet it doesn't look as good during the day.
[He shrugs; it was a shoddy explanation to start with.]
It was sunny earlier today.
[More than that, how did the rocks -- jewels? Capture that energy. Rocks can definitely get hot..of course, but storing it is something different entirely, right? Isn't that why solar panels are so expensive? Because they're technical and awful?
Whatevs. He's pulled out of his scientific thoughts when Lance likens him to a cow.]
You look like a ferret.
[It's not as angry of a retort as he'd like for it to have been; his forehead's being exposed and it...never is...the whole thing happens with a jarringly tender gesture (don't call him a cow and then slick his bangs back?!
Whatever. He takes off pretty quickly and Keith sinks down a bit, like an alligator with just it's eyes and nose exposed. It's gotta be much plainer -- ordinary of a setting during daylight.
[ while keith alligators around, lance will fully otter by slipping onto his back, letting the non-existent currant of the lagoon lazily spin him around. he's near spread-eagle, the only parts of him not submerged in the water his feet and his face from the ears forward, eyes directed up towards the little opening where stars dot up the sky. spread out at his sides, his fingers twitch, recalling the faint heat coming off of keith's skin when he brushed his hair back. ]
Still, [ he finally speaks up, after way too long a pause between their words that it really makes no sense that he should be continuing the line of conversation like he is. ] I think I'd like to try coming back some other time...
[Keith can only alligator-idle in one place for so long. He eventually shifts forward -- err, toward Lance. He's thinking of different ways to hassle him, though as he nears, he kind of doesn't want to anymore?
Could be because of the ambiance, or maybe because he's found his towel floating along the way.]
Yeah, [After pulling his head up, of course, busily squashing his soaked towel onto a pizza ball and tossing it to an edge of the lagoon.] if we can get here without walking all day.
[After walking all day, however, this is a great place to end up. It's warm and naturally calming. He doesn't even want to wedgie Lance anymore; splash him, dunk him. He just wants to kinda...watch him, mutually appreciate a calm place for a change.
Or, on the other hand...]
We don't...have to go back.
[Remember that mermaid episode? Keith's kind of like the mermaid episode right now.]
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But should they even bother dipping in? At nigh--
Oh.
Somehow, he's able to contain his excitement to a brisk walk, gingerly approaching the lagoon...not...bothering to ask Lance if he's alright in the process of. He looks alright -- seems alright.]
Don't just jump in. [He's close enough to be annoying!! Finally.] Don't forget what happened last time.
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[ that last bit he mumbles a little quieter, and faster, because holy heck let's all just take a moment to admire the beauty of this place, yeah?
and — to be fair, it really is pretty spectacular. the lagoon itself seems closed off from the rest of the world, surrounded by high rocks like an enclosure, except right overhead is an opening that lends for a pretty breathtaking view of the night sky. the water glitters, just like keith had seen, as if there were some unknown light source at its depths, though the waters themselves are a deep, clear teal blue. the walls all around move from the water's reflections, dancing along even their own skin.
he takes an unconscious step closer, jaw nearly dropping. ]
Wow... The guy was right...
[ the random vendor who told him about this place, that is. ]
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He's distracted by everything but the actual lagoon, as it provides enough light for some mutual appreciation. Lance steps ahead, and Keith lingers close behind -- just in case. Lance has some rights to wade in first, but if shit hits the fan...he has his knife on him. Somewhere. ;) hon hon hon.]
Yeah, mostly.
[He can, above all else, appreciate how isolated this place is. They're fortunate in no one else being around to appreciate it at the same time, either...unless there's a reason for that?!
Nnn.
A hand comes up to grab Lance by a shoulder; an autoresponse to his thoughts which bare no relevance. Uh--
Go go gadget cover up:]
Don't walk in with your sandals on.
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jury's still kind of out on whether or not lance chose right, but. ]
Huh?
[ lance is just giving keith a Look. you don't need to tell him that... ]
This isn't my first rodeo, Keith. [ still, he makes no real... reaction towards the hand on his shoulder, despite the slight tensing of said shoulders. he busies himself with toeing the aforementioned flip flops off, nudging them to the side with the side of his foot. ]
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Better to let him think he's being a tryhard about swimming-know-how than to immediately let known the I'M PARANOID crank has been crunked. The hand falls, dangles at his side; it's fine. He hadn't seen anything particularly questionable at first look. It looked like -- still looks like something out of a fantasy movie.
Not...unlike most things they've encountered as paladins, but it's been a while since they've co-oped a nice thing.]
What's this have to do with a rodeo?
[Murmured, though his voice has lowered since they've gotten close to the lagoon. Something about night time and peaceful scenery makes you wanna auto-hush hush.]
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[ that said, he's slipping towards the edge of the rocks, trying to get a better look at its jewel-like waters and bottom...
he pauses a moment, then turns towards the other. ]
...You know how to swim, right?
[ LOOK he's not trying to be a snot here. he knows keith was heading towards the pool that one time on the castleship, but pool-swimming and swimming-swimming is different okay... ]
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Yeah I know how to swim.
[Pools and lagoons are totally the same thing.................
He's leaving the towel across his shoulders and steps nearer to Lance, nudging him along.]
I was letting you go first on purpose.
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in any case, he only shifts a little when keith nudges him, turning an arched brow his way. ]
Making me the guinea pig?
[ not that he seems to mind, he's already drawing closer. but he's waving keith along too. ]
C'mon, we'll just sink out legs in by the edge. See how the temperature treats us first.
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You know that's not what I meant.
[He'll join Lance's side, more or less. The rocks feel weird under his feet -- they're big and smooth enough that they aren't painful to tread, but it's different. His plan doesn't sound to shabby, either. If anything bad were lurking about, at least they won't have been fully submerged...ahem.]
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anyway, the water is nice and cool — just a touch above lukewarm, so it's not chilly but it's also not, like. gross. as soon as he sits down by the edge and sinks his legs in, from the knee-down, he marvels at how the glittering light now plays over his own skin now that they're so much closer. ]
Whoa, look, [ he holds his hands out, leaning just enough that he can nudge keith with an elbow, ] I'm like a unicorn!
[ because they glitter right... ]
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Not that the marsh was cold?! He also wouldn't voluntarily swim in it. It's complicated. Either way, his calves go under, automatically swinging in the warmth of the lagoon...]
Huh?
[99.5% of Lance's excited declarations are met with such a response. He's looking, watching, sees the glitter; it's happening on his own skin too.
Rodeos, unicorns.....]
Where's the horn-?
[HOW FORWARD.]
i told you i'd do it...
[ except it's, like. the only thing that matters. but anyway, stop ruining his unicorn-related dreams, you punk. lance is already sulking, pouting like a child, but just as he's about to hide his glitter-unicorn-hands in his armpits (like an adult), he happens to catch sight of keith's own hands and— ]
Pfffbbbftfthtt!! Are those tan lines?
[ he doesn't even warn keith before suddenly grabbing up one of the boy's hands, holding it up between them, turning it over and — yep. ]
i'll kill you in your sleep (1/2)
Which absolutely have tanlines from being a perpetual glove-wearer. There's one of those Keith Gasps and he's quickly drawing his hands away -- though he should've just shoved him into the lagoon?!]
Big deal! I wear gloves-!
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Shut up, I was distracted!
[ ... ]
By the siren's call of hygiene!
[ anyway he hates you keith, guess you're going into the lagoon first— ]
1/2
[Nevermind. That's true, he was.]
Whatever, you'd have them too if you wore g--
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Except that his towel's soaked..and floating away.]
Lance!
[I'm sorry, did someone order that scene from the Lion King where Simba pulls Nala into the water? It isn't a perfect replica, because he has to grab Lance by his wrists to hoist him in and lions do not have wrists, or hands, but retribution is happening.]
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anyway, lance is mid-laugh of triumph by the time keith returns to exact justice on his behalf, which means when lance gets tugged in he winds up swallowing maybe half the lagoon in the process. his resurfacing is less than graceful, half-parts garbled squawking and half-parts incredulous flailing. you'd think the boy's never been in water before with the way he scrambles towards the rocks, clinging along the edges of it to stay afloat. then again, it could all be due to all that lagoon water he just swallowed. ]
Dude, [ he half-gasps, half-wheezes out, ] not cool!
[ never mind the fact that he, you know, did it to you first...... ]
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You're way overreacting.
[He seems amused, on the other hand. Not Ha Ha amused, but pleased with himself. Lance behaving like a frightened capuchin monkey helps.]
You did it first, anyway.
[As a reminder. He'll slowly swim backwards with that, adapting pretty quickly -- like Bear Grylls, affording him more space if he'd like to jump back in without worry of being assaulted.]
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anyway, lance is still mostly in the water, he's just sort of hanging onto the rocks like he'd suddenly forgotten how to work this dagnabbed water thing. but after a second to let his heart calm, he finally takes the time to appreciate the water, slowly drifting away from the edge to do an idle lap around the area. a few times he dips his head down only to resurface again; he does it a total of three times, each subsequent time spent longer submerged than before. by his third one, he winds up close to where keith is, water dripping down all over his face. ]
I keep trying to find where the light's coming from. [ something's gotta be reflecting all this glitter light, right? ] It's so trippy.
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I thought it was coming from the moon.
[Similarly, Keith looks a bit like a wet mop. His bangs are nearly veiling his eyes -- nearly. He's only slightly swept them to the side like a proper emo. His eyes settle skyward, veil or not, and the moon isn't in immediate view...
So maybe it's the stars?]
Or...solar power?
that icon is deceptively cute...
[ but honestly what does lance know. this is sounding more and more like a "hunk and pidge" question, and he spares a moment to be sad the two aren't awake to be able to experience this with them. anyway, it's a good thing his curiosity isn't quite as insistent; at the very least, he's able to be content with an answer of "/waves hands around vaguely, magic" and be done with it. deciding he's spent a sufficient enough time trying to pursue this intellectual matter, he'll quickly turn his attention back to simply enjoying the setting itself. wherever the weird light is coming from, it's interesting to watch it play with the water and create fun light reflections along the walls, keith's face. he actually snickers a little, because in this lighting, with keith's hair like that, ]
You look like a drowned highland cow.
[ without even thinking about it he reaches forward, quietly combing keith's fringe back instead of to the side. his hand stalls almost immediately after exposing keith's forehead, the sudden sight of it reminding him of a certain other forehead, where a certain other pair of lips had kissed once.
he blinks, and hastily draws his hand away. ]
It's probably a good thing we got here so late. [ he'll just... dog-paddle away now... treating himself to another lap around, yep. ] I bet it doesn't look as good during the day.
"deceptively"
It was sunny earlier today.
[More than that, how did the rocks -- jewels? Capture that energy. Rocks can definitely get hot..of course, but storing it is something different entirely, right? Isn't that why solar panels are so expensive? Because they're technical and awful?
Whatevs. He's pulled out of his scientific thoughts when Lance likens him to a cow.]
You look like a ferret.
[It's not as angry of a retort as he'd like for it to have been; his forehead's being exposed and it...never is...the whole thing happens with a jarringly tender gesture (don't call him a cow and then slick his bangs back?!
Whatever. He takes off pretty quickly and Keith sinks down a bit, like an alligator with just it's eyes and nose exposed. It's gotta be much plainer -- ordinary of a setting during daylight.
Maybe nightswimming isn't so bad after all.]
i said what i said
Still, [ he finally speaks up, after way too long a pause between their words that it really makes no sense that he should be continuing the line of conversation like he is. ] I think I'd like to try coming back some other time...
[ idly, he flexes his hand. ]
I like it here.
hmm...
Could be because of the ambiance, or maybe because he's found his towel floating along the way.]
Yeah, [After pulling his head up, of course, busily squashing his soaked towel onto a
pizzaball and tossing it to an edge of the lagoon.] if we can get here without walking all day.[After walking all day, however, this is a great place to end up. It's warm and naturally calming. He doesn't even want to wedgie Lance anymore; splash him, dunk him. He just wants to kinda...watch him, mutually appreciate a calm place for a change.
Or, on the other hand...]
We don't...have to go back.
[Remember that mermaid episode? Keith's kind of like the mermaid episode right now.]
🤔
ðŸ¤
is that texan keith
how could you tell
it's in the eyes
theyre not purple....
bc nO ONE EVER HAS PURPLE EYES
yesh tehy do x3
blocked
thank you. the trash took itself out. now i can live peacefully.
>:[
godbye for life
>:'[
:^P
=D
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