Chapter Eleven: Water is our Friend

Samari found herself spending much more time in the archives. She wished that there were longer days so she could stay up late without losing any sleep and read more. It was amazing how quickly time slipped by in there-- or, perhaps, she just read too slowly for her own liking.

Easily, she was able to make a system for herself. Since she had plenty that she could do outside of the archive, she did not allow herself to go in there until after dinner, that way she still got other things done in her day.

In the meantime, she could be found either in a class or practicing for one. Unlike how spell casting had gone, her other two classes were fun, although perhaps because she was already working on them before joining the guild. The combat and firearms teachers had been happy to give her exercise to practice and study over the week to help her give structure to what she already knew.

 Today, it was oddly hot outside. While normally the kitchen was the hottest place in the temple, it seemed cool in there compared to outside. Many outdoor chores had been postponed until after nightfall so that people would not faint from working in the heat. Even the mules that normally roamed happily around the grounds were hiding in the main hall's shade.

Samari rolled up her shirt sleeves and sat on the porch of the main building, fanning herself in an attempt to cool off. She was supposed to be meditating today, but who could concentrate with this heat?

Plus, she was still afraid after what had happened last time. Zoran was not here to help her if she pushed in too deep again.

"...is all set up. Everyone is getting ready and on their way now," a familiar voice said as he came out of the building.

Much to her delight, it was Cyrus and Brad. When they saw her sitting there lazily, they stopped walking. Both had this strange blank expression their face. Cy was the first one to move, turning to knock his companion upside his head.

"You numbskull. You forgot 'bout the newbie!" he stated.

Brad rubbed the back of his head, returning the blow with his other hand.

"Hey, you forgot too, ocean head!"

"Well, we might as well invite her now."

Samari squinted up at them, their figures were hard to see with the blinding sun behind them. "Invite me to what?"

Turning back to her, they seemed to have somewhat forgotten that she was right there. After some awkward silence, Cy cleared his throat after a motivational nudge from his friend.

"Well, since it's so hot out, we were getting together some people to come swimming in the water hole, you know, to cool off," he began. "We have some snacks, and drinks, and towels for afterward, ooh, and a ball too!" So, uh, do you wanna join us? We are about to head down now."

She thought about it for a minute, considering the ups and downs. While she was over-the-moon to be invited to, well, anything really, she was supposed to be meditating--actually, some fun might do her some good in that area. Plus, she did not want to miss out on potential bonding time!

The little time that she had spent with them had made a great impact on her attitude. Just hanging around them made her feel better.

Oh, but you're forgetting the most important detail. You cannot swim.

That was right. Kijam River had been the first large body of water that she had ever seen. The small town she grew up in used wells for all their drinking water and since they grew beans and potatoes, the crops survived by rain alone.

One time, she had dared to explore all the way to the Ridley farm to see what it was like. They were a large farm that had their own irrigation channels running down from the river, with water through every row. After a firm punishment for running that far, she never went there again.

Since she never had the chance to go swimming before, she had never been able to learn how to swim. The most she had ever done was take a bath, and that freezing water had been an unpleasant experience of her past.

Still, despite not being able to join in, she still wanted to go with them, even if it meant just watching their games from afar.

"Um, would it be...alright if I just sat...near the edge and ma-aybe dipped my feet...in?" she asked, hoping that it did not make her sound creepy.

"Yeah, that would be cool if you just wanted to do that!" Brad encouraged.

Her insides jumped around in glee, spreading in a wide smile on her face. She stood to her feet to face them properly, partly because the sun was starting to hurt her eyes.

"You, um, you may want to change your clothes though, even if you are no getting in," Cy perked up.

When she realized what he meant, her face turned the same shade as waterboy's. Balloons, why did she not know that! White and water do not mix.

"Well, that's, uh...I mean that is, uh, rather...thoughtful--I mean!" she sighed. Regaining order in her mind, she started again, "Thank you, I suppose. You just helped, um...just diverted a possible...embarrassment for me."

The words came out clearer when she thought of what she was trying to say first. You did not have to say anything! she scorned herself.

Before it turned into awkward silence, she added, "I will go, uh, go change now. Should...I meet you by the...lake?"

Cyrus gave her a quick nod in confirmation. Thankfully, they turned and strode off with a quick, "See you soon!"

Samari briskly went to her room to change. She decided to wear a dark brown tunic and shorts with sandals. They were all rather ragged and a bit too loose, but she decided that they were fine because they covered her.

As she approached the lake, she saw that quite a few groups were enjoying its cooling comfort. There was plenty of room for them all to have fun without crowding each other's space.

The water looked to be about chest high with lower spots around some edges. It seemed to be a hole in the ground with a ring of rocks around the edge to hold the dirt in place. It was an interesting design, rather effective for a man-made pool.

Seeing what everyone else had shown up in, she no longer felt bad about her rugged appearance. It seemed like they all had the same idea as she did.

"--Sam! Hey, Samari! Over here!" she heard through the busy crowd.

Turning to see who was calling, she saw Zoran waving her over to him. Waving back, she trotted over to where he was.

"There is a spot under the trees that we saved for later. You can leave your shoes and anything else over there," he informed her, pointing to a pile of stuff nearby.

Thanking him, she went over to take off her shoes. The spot was hard to find because others had put their stuff down in the area, but she knew which one was theirs when she spotted Cyrus's shirt--although she momentarily questioned herself for recognizing his shirt.

The grass under the shade was cool and refreshing on her bare feet. She strode to the lake near where the group was swimming and sat on the stone wall. Carefully, she dipped her feet into the water.

It was cold, but not bitterly so. The contact sent a chill through her body, giving her relief from the heat. It felt so nice, she wanted it everywhere.

She leaned over and splashed her face with the chilled liquid, making sure to get her arms and chest as well. Unbinding her hair, she dipped it into the water directly, splashing some to the top so her whole head was soaked.  Whipping it back, the cool water ran down her back in a chilling stream.

Satisfied with her temperature, she looked around for her companions. Her gaze caught Cyrus wadding over to her.

"We are about to start a game of chase. Are you sure that you don't want to join?" he inquired.

"I'm okay...here, thanks," she smiled. "I think that...I'll just watch...for now, at least."

He shrugged, "Suit yourself, but if you change your mind and want to join in, don't be shy."

Winking, he returned to the group. She left her gaze drift as they discussed who would go first.

There were many familiar faces in the water, ones that she had seen here and there, but she could not remember their names. She could barely remember the name of the kitchen staff, much less people that she saw once a day and didn't talk to!

While she was observing the lake abstractly, a guy came and sat on the rock wall nearby. He was drenched and panting, his face red from either overheating or too much sunlight.

Their eyes met for a moment, prompting Samari to quickly look away.

"You don't want to swim with your friends?" he asked after a bit.

Without looking at him, she shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him wipe water off of his face.

"I'm Tim, by the way," he introduced himself. "I don't think that we have met before."

She brightened, letting her anxiety wash away. "No, we have...not. I'm Samari."

He whirled abruptly to look at her, prompting her to look back. There was wonder in his eyes.

"Ah, so you're the new girl that I have heard so much about! Nice to finally meet you."

He was a burly man, most likely in his early twenties, with tan skin and brown hair that was almost red. On his bicep was a tattoo of a yellow dragon, a rather interesting one. His most notable feature was his eyes, for one was red and the other was brown.

"Are people really, uh... really talking about...me?" she cooed nervously.

Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled. "There have been some mentions of a new member, but I have heard a lot about you from my teammate," he explained.

His teammate?... Ah, he's a mage! Is that tattoo his mage mark? she thought.

"Oh, really? And who might...this teammate be? It's not...Zoran, is it?" she asked hopefully.

He broke out laughing at the notion. "No, that bugger does not have a team yet. I was talking about nerd-face over there!"

To her surprise, he pointed to Dillan, who has joined in the game of chase with a few others. Even while playing with friends, he looked just as peppy and nervous as he was working when in the archives.

"Looks like our friends are playing together. I think I want to join in as well. You should too," Tim remarked as he hopped down from the edge.

She watched him swim to her and shook her head. "I'm okay just watching. You go on...though," she replied.

"You know, you won't ever learn how to swim if you never get in the water." Her eyes went wide at his comment. "Oh, looks like my guess was right! But seriously, this water is friendly and there are plenty of people who can pull you up if you happen to go under. Unless the tentacles grab you first!"

She flinched when he pretended to lunge at her. He laughed again, patting her arm before swimming to the party.

A heavy sigh left her chest. She couldn't tell if he had been joking or serious about a monster in the water, but either way, he was right.

It was time she tried something new.