Dice Our Shenanigans

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Beach~"​

Moss was red he was very red and stiffened. He did not know what to do with his hands, so he hugged Isa. "I-I'm glad you feel safe with me, uh. So do you want to start? We can start with floating in place. When you're ready come to the deep with me."

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Swimming lessons~”​

Isa took a deep breath. And another. . . And another. After the seventh time, he nodded. “O-o-okay! R-ready!”

The redhead watched with wide fearful eyes as Moss pulled him deeper in the water, watching the blue color becoming deeper. When the merman stopped, Isa looked up and gulped. “O-okay. What do I have to do?” As he followed Moss’ instructions, Isa couldn’t relax. Always bending his waist and sinking before he quietly panicked and held onto Moss’ shoulders. His legs curled close to the merman’s waist too.

He tried several times and each time, Isa hugged and curled into Moss’ arms. Not that he minded. Moss is warm compared to the water!! “H-heheh. I guess I’m not very good at this.”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Beach~"​

That's all right, Isa." said Moss, trying to be normal. All the limbs. All the closeness. "It takes time." Then he got him started on kicking, pulling him by the hands and letting go to encourage Isa to paddle towards him. He taught him how to rest too, sinking down and exhaling bubbles deeply, then slowly bouncing back to the suface for air, and then sink again to breathe out.

An hour later, he had a little test prepared for Isa. All by himself, he was to paddle towards Moss who stood on a coral some ways away.

"Ready Isa?!" he shouted.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Must keep swimming- oh . . . Sinking?”​

Isa swallowed down his terrified scream when Moss let him go, encouraging him to try and paddle towards the merman. Which he did after sinking a few times. He looked desperate whenever he did bounce back up to breathe air before closing his eyes shut as he rested. It was hard to let out his breathe underwater. His heart was beating hard in his fear, he was starting to feel like the waters are pulling him under—- but Moss . . .

Moss honestly believes he can do this. So Isa didn’t quit, determined to make Moss proud somehow.

He gotten a little better with the floating, but the resting. Not so much. It’s still terrifying to the redhead. After an hour of shaking and gulping sea water, the redhead somewhat floated in the deeper waters. Watching Moss with wide eyes as he asked him a question by the corals. O gosh, his arms and legs ached!

”No!” He immediately replied. Then he took a deep breath and muttered. “Okay. Okay. It’s just p-paddling.” Isa started to swim, paddling his hands and kicking his legs like in practice. Midway, the redhead started to sink and he panicked. Forgetting to breathe out underwater as he waved his arms.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Beach~"​

Isa would see Moss dive, quickly swimming for him underwater. Upon reaching him, he wrapped an arm around his chest from behind, then pulled him up to the surface. "Relax, Isa, don't struggle." he said calmly. His own kicking kept the two of them afloat.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Ocean, beach”

Isa gasped, coughing out the salty water before going limp in Moss’ arms. Peeking over his shaking shoulder with a pout. His heart is racing-! “It kind of hard to relax when I’m drowning.” He sighed. “I get nervous whenever I go under.”​

That’s an understatement. The merman would be able to tell that Isa is scared of going underwater, from the way he doesn’t do the rest practice as much as paddling or floating. “How are ya not nervous, Moss?”

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Beach~"​

"All right . It's okay to be nervous, just remain limp like what you're doing right now . This is good, Isa. He listened to him. "I was born under water." Moss said simply. "This is my home like how land is yours." He waited for him to calm down.

"Do you want to continue or do you want us to stop for now ?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Ocean, Beach”​

“R-right.” Isa nervously chuckled. “Merman love water.” He gulped. Then he stared at Moss with furrowed brows. Disappointed in himself.

“I-I’m sorry, but can we stop for today? My legs and arms hurt.” He muttered.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Beach~"​

"That's okay, there's nothing to apologize for, Isa. You did good facing your fear." He squeezed him a little. "Let's paddle back slowly."

Moss led him to the nearest coral he could stand on, and then from there they bounced their way to shallow waters and walked up to shore . The rain still poured, washing away the saltiness of the sea and curtaining the distant trees in a haze of misty grey. Stopping outside of their tent, Moss told Isa that he was going to swim a little longer .

"I'll be back in an hour. I'm going to go exploring maybe hunt something for sushi later. Feel free to use my bag to dry your clothes, Isa."

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Beach’s shore”​

Isa weakly smiled. “Doesn’t feel like I did face my fear, but I’ll take your word for it.”

He followed Moss’ lead, bouncing on the corals, and walked up to shore. Holding onto the merman‘s hand all the way to the tent. Listening to the merman, Isa nodded, squeezing his hand. “Alright, I’mma try to warm up the tea kettle then.” He leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Have fun, Moss.”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Moss Adamaris -
"Beach~"​

All right, take any of my teas that you like, Isa. He closed his eyes pleasantly when he kissed his cheek. "I will." He squeezed his hand , looking up and down his body one last time before smiling and winking.

He grabbed his spear, component pouch and the leather holsters that held his daggers and spell book from the tent, and with one last, last look at Isa's body, kissed him on the cheek, then ran back to the sea waving. And off Moss swam, until with a kick of his feet, he dove down and didn't resurface anymore.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Inside the tent and by the warm fire to dry”
​

“Thank you, Moss- Ah! Mind if I used your tent as well? I promise I won’t make holes in it.” Isa bashfully smiled back at Moss when he winked. Flustered as he went in the tent to gather his items. When he came back out, the redhead closed his eyes pleasantly as he felt Moss’ lips on his red cheek. Then he waved back, chuckling. “See ya later, hot stuff~”

He is never saying that again, needing a better nickname.

Then Isa went to work, searching for larger branches from the forest nearby. After half an hour, he came back, carrying two large branches and two shorter ones. Dropping them in front of the tent’s entrance. Then he had dug four deep holes, putting the branches in, and refilling it with wet sands. Shaking it to make sure it’s steady. He placed the tent over the four posts, tying it down to the branches for a better weight than the tacks, but leaving the sides uncovered. At last, he gathered for dry wood and leaves to burst into flames. Placing the kettle over the fire as he can be dry again.

Peeling his wet pants and boxers to dry in Moss’ bag as he changed into more comfortable clothing. Folding the pants and put away. Peach and mango wafted over the tent as the kettle warmed up. Isa sat by the entrance, smiling as he watched the warm fire during the light drizzle outside. Medical book on his lap and open as he learned what to do with the trauma kits.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Beach -
"The Highlands"​

Moss' run had turned into a skip. Isa thinks he's hot, he blushed, pleased. "You too!" he had called back, red and grinning, before disappearing into the waves.

Half an hour later, Isa would hear a surprisingly familiar sound growing louder east of the beach.

Vroooom

Kicking up sand and water, was a . . . a motorcyclist driving up from the beach on a contraption very similar to Smoky. Rain pelted the rider who seemed to be in a hurry to get out of the cold. He had white hair and for a moment, it looked like Moss in the distance, but no, as he came nearer, he was burlier, had paler skin, and wore black leathers and had one steel pauldron on his shoulder. Slung over his back was a steel shield and what looked like a shotgun. The rider noticed Isa and waved. He turned, driving straight for him, then braked to a halt.

"Hey, guy! Mind if I kipped under that tent with ya for a while?! I swear I look intimidating, but I'm harmless!"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Tent, beach shore”​

Isa perked up at the familiar sound, suddenly weary as the stranger came closer with his bike. He raised a neutral brow. Then he shuffled over, giving the man space to sit at the front too.

“Sure, just sit by the fire.” He replied, closing the medical book, and pulled the tent’s flap. So the stranger wouldn’t see inside. “Not a fan of the rain, huh?“

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Beach -
"The Highlands"​

"Who is?" He kicked the motorcycle stand out, lugged his stuff over his shoulders then quickly ducked under the tent, shivering, but grateful.

"Thanks for letting me stay for a bit, name's Max and . . . you're not surprised to see that thing?" He looked back and nodded at his motorcycle. "You're the first one not to stare at it." He put his stuff down and sat close the fire, hands out to warm.

"Usually when I meet people they stare at that, but sorry, I'm rambling." He chuckled good naturedly, removing his wet jacket. "You heading to bird village too?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“Tent, beach shore”​

“Folks who like water.” Isa replied, grinning a bit. He listened to Max’s rambles and shook his head. “My name’s Isa. Nah, I’m not surprised to see a motorcycle since I own one myself. It’s just hidden from the rain.”

He shook his head again. “Nope, I just left. Decided to stay here for a day longer since the beach is lovely. Careful with the Templars that are around Bird Village though. They might still catch ya if they saw your bike.“

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Beach -
"The Highlands"​

"Oh, they've been trying to get mine for months, but they can't catch me!" he laughed. "Wait, hold up, you got a motorcycle too? Where?" Max looked like he didn't believe him. The thought of another motorcycle when he hadn't seen one that works for years was ridiculous. Preposterous!

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“The Highlands”​

“Alright.” Isa snorted. “It’s hidden by the leaves over there. Ya can take a look if ya like.” He pointed at the bush of coconut leaves.

”Found it in a ruin long time ago and fixed it. How did ya get your bike, Max?”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Beach -
"The Highlands"​

Max told him where he found his and the whole adventure, and then went over to the lump of leaves that was Smoky, and slowly, disbelievingly opened it. "Whoa," he whistled, "I've never seen another one before which ruin specifically did you find yours? She's a beauty!"

He ran his hands across the engine.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“The highlands”​

“Thanks! Mier, somewhere in the middle of the Badlands.” Isa replied, a little interested after hearing Max’s tale. “Decided to take it with me and fixed it.”

It’s kind of refreshing to talk with someone who knows about motorcycles and not gawk about it. Nothing wrong with the reactions either, but it’s nice to talk about similar interests. “Your bike is gorgeous too.”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Beach -
"The Highlands"​

"Aww, thanks buddy." said Max, genuinely happy with the compliment. "So, this may be too forward of me, Isa, but do you think I could maybe take her out for a little drive just around the beach where you can see? You can drive mine too if you like."

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“The Highlands”​

“As awesome of an idea that is, Nah man. I’m a little weary with the Templars being two days away from here. Too much noise from engines.” Isa grinned apologetically. “Plus ain’t ya cold from the rain? Stay warm for the time being.”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Beach -
"The Highlands"​

Max sighed wistfully at Isa's motorbike. "Alright, alright." he covered Smoky under the coconut leaves, and sat back down around the campfire, warming himself up again. Silence blanketed the two as Max just watched the curtain of rain. His shivering lessened, as some of his clothes gradually dried. To pass the time, he took out his shotgun and started to clean it, disassembling the parts and draining the waterlogged barrel and ammunition cases. He looked at Isa. "I notice you don't got a weapon on ya, you a spell slinging mechromancer?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -
“The Highlands”​

As the time passed quietly, Isa returned to the medical book, reading. He sometimes peeked over at Max’s shotgun, watching him clean it for a few seconds before going back to his book. It is interesting to see a gun being disassembled and draining the water out. It makes good notes to have guns fall apart in enemy hands as a good prank.

”Hm?” Isa looked back at Max, grinning impishly. “I’m a divinator, but I’m not against Mechromancy. Seems very interesting to use spells with alchemicals and carry a spell book around. It’s much easier than remembering every spell in the head.” He chuckled.

”Are ya a mechromancer? Or nah?”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Beach -
"The Highlands"​

"I thought the bike gave it away." He grinned. "I'm a mechromancer through and through. Glad to see you're friendly and open to old Arcana magic." He looked at his bike again. "Most folks wouldn't be touching any of this. I take it you weren't born a templar, huh?"

Katsuya