Swimming with Nemo

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

((Semi-open rp that takes place Sunday morning.))

The day after taking Nemo for a ride on his broom, Oliver led the child out to the lake. He had a few towels and swim shorts thrown over his shoulder. In his pocket was the gillyweed from Professor Maturin. Oliver wasn't taking any chances with the suddenly human fish. The water was going to be cold, but Oliver figured that it built character. He had owled Lord Wolfram before leaving the castle, and the pair waited on the shore of the lake for the demon. "You ready for this, Nemo?" he asked as he plopped down on the rocks.

Comments

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

Nemo shifted from foot to foot on the shore. "I'm a little nervous."

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"Oh, come on. Think of what you could tell your dad. He'd never believe that you went swimming as a human. Don't you want to find out how the people do it?"

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"I'm afraid I won't know how. And how can a fishie not know how to swim! And ... what if I'm admitting I'm not gonna be a fishie again, if I have to swim as a person?"

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"When Domino comes back I'm sure he'll make you a fish again. You've just got to trust that we'll find a way to help you. And swimming as a fish and as a person are kinda different. Swimming's like walking for a fish, right? Well, for a person, it's like..." he thought for a minute. "What's something that took you a while to learn how to do?"

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

Nemo laughs. "Riding a broom!"

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"well, okay, riding a broom, then. You've got to learn how to do it, and Lord Wolfram and i are gonna help."

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"Okay. I'll be brave like a Gryffindor!"

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

"Why do you need to be brave like a Gryffindor? You have me here to keep you safe." Wolfram is wearing a pair of swimming trunks, which he recently bought in order to fit in with Earthling customs.

He glances at Wood and then throws a towel on the grass. "Are you ready to get started?"

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Oliver took a closer look at Wolfram as he took off his shoes. "Hey, I remember you! You're the guy who looked kinds sick when I asked if you had flown before. Are you feeling better? I'm still giving flying lessons."

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

"I believe that my horse is more than adequate as a means of transportation. Isn't that right, Nemo?" Wolfram isn't scared of being sick on a broom. Oh no. Not at all.

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"Oh yes, she's very nice! She let me pat her ears!"

*feels twinges of guilt as he realizes what's going on, sort of*

"But I really love broom riding too!" he says earnestly, looking up at Oliver. "I fell off, but I got back on and then I did a figure 8, and then Oliver took me on a dive and a loopy-loop!"

((Shall we continue in a new comment?))

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

"You fell off!?" He glares at Oliver, but then gets on his knees to be at Nemo's eye level. "Were you hurt, Nemo? Do you feel well enough for swimming?"

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"He was about two feet off the ground," Oliver says, looking defensive. "'Sides, the kid's made of strong stuff."

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"Of course I do! I didn't get hurt bad! Didn't hurt at all, after a minute! I said I got back on, didn't I? An' then we stickied my hand to the broom so I could do the figure 8, an' then we stickied my hands AND my pants for the REALLY fun stuff!"

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

"Well... I'm glad you weren't hurt, Nemo." He frowns at Oliver again. It is a good thing that he had invited Wolfram, otherwise the boy might have been drowning by now!

"Are you ready to try swimming, Nemo?" He tussles his hair.

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"Yeah ..." Nemo looks worried, picking up on the tension between his two friends.

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"Don't worry, Nemo, it's gonna be all right." He held out the swim shorts. "You should put these on so you don't get your pants wet."

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"No, don't wanna, I need my orange! We can magic me dry."

((OOC: Since Nemo's clothes essentially represent his scales, his mun questions the wisdom of removing them.))

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"Uh, okay. If that's what you want."

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

Oliver hands Nemo the gillyweed, and Nemo chews it. Shortly, he feels the gills begin to form, and he sighs with relief.

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"At least we didn't have the Quidditch balls out," Oliver says, talking more to himself than Wolfram. "Before we got Potter, our poor Seeker had the hardest time lookin' out for the Bludgers. She was way up in the air when she got knocked clean off her broom. Luckily Angelina was there to catch her. Nasty fracture, though. Her arm never did bend right after that."

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"What do I do first?"

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

Wolfram winces and glances at Nemo to see that he wasn't affected by such talk. "Don't worry, we won't be doing anything that dangerous today." Wolfram wanders in so that the water was about to his knees, and held out his arms for Nemo to follow.

"When you're ready, Nemo."

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

Nemo jumps.

*SPLASH!*

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

Nemo shouldn't be in too deep at the moment, but Wolfram gives him a gentle touch on the arms anyways. "Normally we wait until deeper water to jump in like that. How does it feel?"

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"Water water water!"

Nemo sighs happily and ducks underwater. Perhaps understandably enough, he doesn't swim like a normal human; he keeps his arms close to his sides, waving his hands and forearms back and forth. He keeps his legs together and waves them as a unit, side to side, flutter-kicking with just his feet. Oddly enough, this inefficient technique seems to work quite as well as any crawl or butterfly stroke.

He surfaces a few minutes later, quite far out. His hair is sticking to his face, his clothes are soaking, but his eyes are alight.

"I'm swimming! I still remember how!" He splashes a little. "It's almost like I'm home!"

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

Wolfram quickly ducks underwater to keep an eye on Nemo. He starts to panic when the boy doesn't emerge, but reminds himself about the gillyweed. Still, he keeps in time with Nemo, following him while using firm, strong strokes.

When Nemo is underwater and safely out of earshot, Wolfram mutters, "There was going to be an order. There was going to be a system! First I was going to teach him how to make a starfish, and then the backstroke, and then-" Wolfram wouldn't go on these tangents too long before he ducked back underwater, keeping a careful eye on Nemo.

He smiles after the former-fish finally speaks. "I'm glad you like it! You're an very good swimmer, which fits." The boy's enthusiasm was catching.

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"Yep! I know! 'Course I am! I'm a fish!" Nemo leaps out of the water and splashes back in. He flips his tail in a joyous underwater somersault.

"See my somersault? Can you do a somersault? I could teach you how to do one maybe if you don't know how."

((Amused by Wolfram's plan to teach a fish how to swim.))

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

((Wolfram would probably try to teach birds how to fly. "No, you are doing it wrongly! I will show you how to do it faster and more efficiently! *Jumps off a roof*))

"Yes, I saw you do the somersault. It was very well done." Wolfram takes a face of mock-insult. "Can I do a somersault? Why, Nemo, I have been doing somersaults since before you were born!" He takes a breath and ducks down, managing to do about a half somersault. He isn't aware of this, though, as he pops back up. "Ta. Da."

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

((*pays good money to watch*))

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

"Yay! Good for you!" Nemo decides not to mention that his somersault was better; after all, poor Wolfram can't help it, not being a fish.

[wolfram-jyari.livejournal.com]

He smiles and keeps swimming, mostly there to keep an eye on Nemo. After awhile the water begins to relax his nerves and he starts to truly enjoy himself. He stares at the sky as he floats on the lake, flat on his back.

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"That's a good somersault, Nemo," Oliver says as he wades in. Coldcoldcoldcoldcoldcold is what's going through his mind.

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

Nemo swims underwater toward Oliver.

((Your call what happens next!))

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

Oliver decides to meet Nemo halfway there. He swims out a bit, then treads water, waiting for Nemo to come back to the surface.

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

Nemo surfaces, then splashes Oliver with a spray of water that hits him in the right temple - carefully aimed to avoid getting lake water in Oliver's eyes.

[big-broomstick.livejournal.com]

"Hey!" Oliver said, raising his arms up in defense and sinking under the water for a second. He came back up and slapped the water, trying to shower Nemo with the splash.

[nemofound.livejournal.com]

Nemo dipped underwater just in time.