witchesreign | 005 // QUISTIS [action, open]

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005 // QUISTIS [action, open]

[Deciding to switch up her morning workout routine a bit, Quistis chose to start the day off with a swim in the pool. Adhering to the school dress code for female bathing attire, Quistis enters the pool area donned in a simple one-piece suit, her blond hair braided into a french plait with a towel slung over her shoulder. Her blue eyes scan the waters, and though she notices a figure gliding beneath the water, she pays no attention otherwise.

Tossing her towel aside on an empty bench, Quistis slowly eases herself into the shallow end of the pool, a small shiver running through her spine upon the contact with the cool liquid. Once her feet touch the bottom of the pool, she blond takes a deep breath before submerging herself, arms slowly moving into the familiar strokes of the free-style.]

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[Squall had been there for almost twenty minutes now, moving through the motions of the butterfly stroke and simple underwater swimming. Backstroke and breaststroke. He'd gone through a few already. And as soon as he heard the sounds of someone entering the water, he hit the surface and pushed his hair out of his face. But whoever was there was already under the water. At least from what he could tell as he saw no one there and could only make out the figure beneath the the water just feet away from where he was.

Treading water for just a moment, Squall then took a in a breath and went under, moving towards the deep end.]

[After she completes a moderately paced four-hundred meter free-style, Quistis breaks the surface with a loud gasp, her lungs burning for air. A hand moves to wipe the beads of water from her face to clear her vision, and as her feet touch the ground her eyes skim the area again.

Just as she's about to assume that the other inhabitant of the pool has left, she notices a figure at the deep end, one that is vaguely familiar though she can't quite put her finger on whom it belongs to. As she probes her mind for several minutes, she finally realizes who it is-- the Commander, of all people. He looks quite different with his hair wet and slicked back from his face.

There's a moment of hesitation as she contemplates what exactly to do-- she isn't sure if he has spotted her, and she can't decide whether to pretend to have not noticed him and continue to do laps. After mulling her decisions in her mind, though, she lets out a small sigh-- might as well confront the boss, and hope it doesn't get awkward. Slowly she glides over to the deep end with slow strokes of her arms and languid kicks of her legs, until she reaches the edge on the lane next to the one Squall is occupying.]

Here for a morning work out?

Edited 2010-06-27 20:52 (UTC)

[With one hand gripping the wall, Squall looks over to see Quistis there in the other lane. Well this is a little ... awkward. He never remembered ever bumping into her in the swimming area of all places, and here they were.]

You could call it that.

[And he looks away, looking around the pool area at the others who are there enjoying an early morning swim and laps.]

[With her legs gently kicking back and fourth and arms slowly moving through the cool water to allow her head to stay above the surface, Quistis lets her gaze follow Squall's as he glances around the pool area. As usual, the silence between them is rather strange and uncomfortable, but then an idea pops into her mind.]

Would you care for a friendly race?

... [Squall looks back at her, his brows raised slightly in both surprise and question.]

I don't know. You're pretty competitive about certain things...

Edited 2010-06-28 10:05 (UTC)

[There's a brief flicker of surprise in her own eyes as she's a bit shocked that Squall has noticed that trait of hers. But then again, it had been well known around Garden back in their time that Quistis could be rather competitive, whether it be at academics or athletics. She didn't become the youngest SeeD and Instructor at Garden without some sort of competitive nature.

So she gives him a small smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders.]

I'll go easy on you.

[He looks towards the other end of the pool, brows knitting faintly as he gauges the distance and then glances at the large clock on the wall.]

It can't hurt to humor you. [Sends her a look.] But only this once.

[There's triumph in her expression when he accepts the challenge, even if it is to simply 'humor' her.]

Do you have a preferred stroke?

I'm not picky. [Squall shrugged a shoulder. He really was indifferent about what stroke they did. And he could care less if she won too.]

One hundred meter free-style, then?

[She grasps the edge of the pool, feet already pressed against the wall.]

[Another shrug and Squall sets himself up into position, feet against the wall and grasping the edge from behind, body leaning forward.]

Ready?

[Her hands grip the edge of the pool, her knees tucked in as her feet are pressed against the wall.]

Ready. I'll count down--

Three... two... one...

[At the last number, Quistis immediately propels herself forward by kicking her feet off from the wall, arms held together to plunge into the water. After her body glides beneath the surface as far as her legs pushed her from the take off, she twists around to upright herself, and she begins to go through the motions of the stroke, moving as fast as she can.]

[He was a second off after she propelled herself away from the wall. But he came in fast at her left. Squall knew she would make this into a competition even if it was in good fun and it was his own doing, humoring her with the race itself.

Within seconds he gained a stroke a head of her, pushing himself to keep going.]

[Quistis focuses on her own strokes as she swims furiously through the water, her mind concentrating on moving as fast as she can. Though, as she lifts her head to take a breath above the surface, she chances a look to the other lane-- and she's surprised to see that Squall seems to be a couple of inches ahead. A new sense of determination overcomes her, and she tries to move her legs and arms faster int he water; she isn't about to lose, not even to the Commander.]

[You might want to rethink that, Quistis -- Squall moves up ahead of her by another stroke. The battle to be one ahead of the other has begun. But the Commander has both longer legs and arms to pull himself closer and closer to the wall.

He's almost there. Almost.

He won't be disappointed if she beats him to it. It'll have been a good workout regardless.]

[It's times like these that Quistis curses her height-- the extra inches that Squall has over her puts him at a slight advantage, and it shows in the way he's just a stroke ahead of her. This only encourages her to swim harder-- she ignores the burning in her lungs as she decreases the number of times she lifts her head above the surface to gasp for air, determined to win this race. She's so close-- and finally, her fingertips brush against the tiled wall.

Immediately, her head snaps out over the surface and she takes a large gasp as her eyes dart over to the lane beside her.]

[Squall's already pulling himself out of the water, which could have only meant one thing. He'd beaten her. He pulls himself up onto the edge of the pool and out entirely, pushing his hair back as he turns to look down at her.]

Not bad.

[Quistis tries not to look too agitated by the fact that Squall had actually beaten her-- especially considering how he didn't really care for the race in the beginning. She remains in the water as Squall pulls himself up, and with a quick glance upwards she gives a small nod, though she's not really smiling and her shoulders are slightly tense.]

Good race.

[He towel-dries his hair, turning towards her once he pulls it away to rest on his shoulders.]

Good race.

[ Leanne woke up early to go to the pool, somewhat hoping there wouldn't be many people there. She'd signed up for the swimming course because...well swimming, that was something just about impossible in Basel. But she hadn't gotten the guts to actually go into the water the whole week. Even now she's just in the swimsuit and standing at the edge of the pool. ]

[Larsa's in the water and has been already for the past five minutes. He spies the girl at the edge and notices how she's just standing there. He makes his way towards her and smiles faintly, looking a little curiously up at her.]

Is everything alright...?

Huh?

[ Someone popping out of the water, that is not something she's used to. Just a little bit she's in awe at how people can do that. She's not sure she can. ]

Yeah...yeah, I'm fine.

Are you sure..? You appear near hesitant to enter.

Oh...well.

[ She shifts her weight a bit nervously. ]

I've never gone swimming before. Or even seen this much water

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005 // QUISTIS [action, open]

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