five.

[sicharia]

Characters: Claudia Hortensia & Urotsuki; Claudia Hortensia & OPEN
Setting: Floor 7
Format: Brackets
Summary: Claudia promised Urotsuki that she would let her teach her how to swim. ...But others are welcome to walk in on her in the locker room or find her by the pool, too.
Warnings: Talk about scars.

[Claudia eats lunch early and arrives on Floor 7 shortly after noon, in order to give herself time to change. It's a good thing, too—she feels awkward and embarrassed stripping out of her clothes only to put on something that leaves so much skin exposed, and she has to take a few minutes to work up the nerve to do so. Frequently, she looks toward the door of the locker room, anxious at the thought of someone walking in on her like this.]

[It's not some sense of modesty that leaves her feeling this way. It's her scars. They're stark and unsightly, branding her body and creeping down her limbs. And if she's going to swim, she can't even keep her eyepatch on, leaving the ones marring her right eye plain for anyone to see. She tries to find a swimsuit that covers as much of her body as possible, and though she succeeds in locating a plain one that covers the majority of her torso well enough, it's not possible to conceal everything...]

[There's also the matter of her right hand. She has kept it wrapped in bandages until now, but she can't keep those on while swimming. Without them, her remaining Command Seals are plainly visible, bright and red on her pale skin. She supposes she'll just have to hope that no one she has been lying to about her involvement in the Grail War sees her like this... Though, really, what are the chances of her meeting one of them now, during this one opening? She makes herself feel a little better, thinking like that.]

[In the end, she winds up curling up where she sits in wait beside the pool, swathed in a large towel as though it were a cloak. Her legs are drawn up to her chest, and the towel is pulled over her head like a hood, but there's only so long she can keep her body hidden like that...]

Comments

[thirtybits]

[Once in a while Judas likes to sit at the edge of the pool and dip his feet in the water, but he doesn't usually see anyone he knows around. He doesn't recognise Claudia at first, what with the towel and all, but when he gets closer he does and offers a wave to her.]

[sicharia]

[Oh... Unthinkingly, she draws her towel closer around herself, not returning the wave. She does reply verbally, at least.]

Good afternoon, Judas. What are you doing here?

[thirtybits]

I wanted to put my feet in the water...and you?

[sicharia]

Oh, I... I'm waiting for someone. She's going to teach me how to swim.

[She feels a little sheepish saying it. But it's not like she was exactly in a position to learn before...]

[thirtybits]

Ah, really? I didn't know you couldn't...heh, you really are a lot like Jesus...

[sicharia]

[Oh no, don't say that! Claudia blushes, because of course any kind of comparison will leave her flustered.]

A-ah, that's... Do you mean...

[...It takes her a second to realize what he means, but when she does, she immediately begins to giggle, leaning her head down on top of her knees. With the way she's wrapped up, she almost disappears entirely in that position.]

[chainsawn]

[ Urotsuki wanted to be on time. Really, she did. But you know how the girl is, she's constantly spacing out, so of course she's not too great at keeping track of the time either. It's why she doesn't arrive until after Claudia has already been sitting there for a little while. She's in a very plain school-like swimsuit herself without any sort of extra towel. She's not very modest.

But it's at least not hard to spot Claudia with how calm it is in here, so the moment Urotsuki spots the woman sitting there - even if she looks like a ghost with that towel.. - she raises her hand to wave a little. She hasn't even really seen the scars yet from this distance. ]

Hi. I'm here. [ The usual blank tone. ]

[sicharia]

[There's a brief moment of hesitance, and then Claudia lifts one of her hands to wave as well, a pale arm emerging from the towel cocoon. She stands.]

Hello. I'm ready to start whenever you are!

[...So she says, anyway, but she'll probably need to brace herself before taking the towel off.]

[chainsawn]

Are you sure..? You can't go into the water like that.

[ With the way she says it, you'd think that she's actually figuring Claudia thinks a towel cocoon is an acceptable swimsuit of some kind.. and honestly, it's probably what Urotsuki does think as she's already inching closer to the water herself. ]

[sicharia]

Ah, I know, I know! It's just... [Her fingertips fidget where they grip the edges of the towel.] I'm sorry, I'm being silly. I just felt a little shy, is all.

[She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, then shrugs so that the hood she has fashioned for herself slides off her head. That doesn't seem too bad, so she shyly lets the towel slip the rest of the way.]

Ah, um... [She clasps her hands together in front of her legs, gripping her own fingers tight to keep herself from fidgeting. This isn't as bad as it could be, since she suspects Urotsuki won't care much with...the way she is, but she still feels awkward and embarrassed about letting her scars be seen.] Is this okay?

[She doesn't know what else to say, so she says that.]

[chainsawn]

[ Urotsuki gives a small nod.

Honestly, Claudia is spot on with her prediction. Even though the woman's scars are in full view, the girl doesn't seem bothered by it at all. In fact, she doesn't display any visible reaction to it, like she assumes it's normal. And since Claudia herself doesn't mention anything about them, Urotsuki probably really does figure it's normal. Sort of like Aoshiru. ]

It's easier to start in the shallow part. [ She points at it. The girl is already halfway through walking over there before she looks over her shoulder at Claudia-- ] ... You don't have to be shy, you know. We're friends.

[evokingfool]

[It's been a while since Minato come to the pool, between keeping up with the information and his own personal schedule. But when he decide on a break from his routine, he decided to swing by for a swim.

After changing into a pair of swimming trunks -- blue, of course -- Minato exited the locker room and walks over towards the pool... Only to see a figure waiting by the pool.

His barefooted steps are light, until he's at the pool's edge and sit down.]

[sicharia]

[Ah. Someone she doesn't know. She isn't sure if that makes the situation more or less embarrassing, but she burrows deeper into her towel regardless, trying to draw the makeshift hood farther over her head.]

...Hello.

[evokingfool]

[He dangle his feet over the edge, until his toes are lightly touching the water. This woman seems rather shy, from what he can tell...]

Are you here for swimming?

[sicharia]

Ah... Mm, something like that. [...] I don't know how to swim, so a friend said she was going to teach me.

[...She looks a little old to be learning, but.]

[evokingfool]

[Maybe there's circumstances behind it. Like living far away from any large body of water to swim in.]

That's good. Learning how to swim is pretty important.

[Like how to avoid drowning horribly.]

And you might find it fun to do.

[god_damned]

[ It is, perhaps, inspiration from seeing Kariya's Servant swim, that draws him back to this floor. He has grown uncharacteristically lax here, in regards to his training. Even if his path as an Executor was set aside for the Grail War, Kirei still trained himself with stubborn ritual. That has faded, partially, since coming here, and some suitable replacement needs to be found.

The water seems to be a practical option, although he has nothing to swim in. Unlike Kariya's most confident Servant, he will not swim nude. This leads him towards the lockers, where he finds her. ]

Claudia?

[sicharia]

[Kirei doesn't catch her until after her swimming lesson, meaning she's covered up and on her way out. Her hair is still damp, curling at the ends, so a closer look will make it clear that she has been in the water.]

Ah! Good afternoon, Kirei.

[She's in a better mood now, but really, it's not as though she would be embarrassed in front of Kirei. Of course he's seen her completely bare, multiple times.]

[god_damned]

Good afternoon.

[ It's natural to return the light formality, with the slightest bow of his head. He looks her over, but his gaze isn't prying or scrutinizing; it's simple curiosity. ]

Were you swimming?

[ Somehow, it strikes him as odd. In their short time together, did he ever see her swim? Sometimes small details are hard for him to recall. It would make sense, in a way, considering her illness. ]

[sicharia]

Oh! [She hadn't thought that her being here might seem odd to Kirei, but now that he has asked that question, it makes sense.] Mm, a friend is helping me learn. [Then, somewhat sheepishly, as though she were admitting something embarrassing, she adds:] It's fun!

[wormless]

Claudia! There you are.

[Kariya rushes toward her, across the floor, breathless, then stops. Oh, she's wearing a swimsuit. He can see that, even though she's covered up in the towel. He blushes, because... well, she looks pretty, and he likes to see her like this.]

I've been looking for you.

[He continues to hesitate, embarrassed. Obviously, he looks different, and there's no reason for him to feel awkward, but he does, nonetheless. She's never seen him like this before. It feels like it's been centuries since he was last like this. He starts toward her again, but more slowly.]

Hello. It's good to see you. It's me.

[Just in case she didn't notice! Although it would honestly be hard for her not to realize, in spite of how changed he is.]

[sicharia]

Ah— Kariya!

[Of course the change is startling. For a moment, she simply stares. A second later, though, she realizes she should probably do something, and so she scrambles up to her feet. The towel remains tightly wrapped around her, concealing her body and obscuring her face, but she starts toward him, her bare feet slapping quietly against the floor. Her footsteps are light and quick.]

What happened?

[For the time being, that's the most she can think to say.]

[wormless]

[He moves to meet her, and his arms go around her. He can touch her, embrace her, without feeling any pain. It's so good. He holds her tight, tighter than he would have been able to before. He doesn't want to let her go.]

I met someone who healed me. An elemental, I think--I don't know. But it doesn't matter. They helped me.

[People can be good, sometimes.]

This is how I used to be.

[sicharia]

[She stops just short of him, and for a moment, she freezes. When he was briefly free of the worms during the glamour failure, she had reached out and taken his hands in hers, but she can't do that now without letting go of the towel, and her aversion to doing that is almost instinctive.]

[—And yet, when he moves to put his arms around her, that concern is suddenly the last thing on her mind. She lets go of the towel entirely, and it slides from her shoulders as she raises her arms. He holds her, and she pulls herself close, arms wrapping around the back of his neck.]

Oh, I—

[Unthinkingly, she leans up to kiss him.]

That's wonderful.

[vermicompost]

Claudia...

[He's hardly aware of the towel slipping away, he's so intent on holding her close. When she kisses him, he's surprised by the intensity of his feeling and the warmth that rushes though him, unimpeded by any unwelcome guests. Without thinking, only acting, he slides his tongue between her lips to kiss her fiercely in return.]