Jhenero and Jessa's lesson...
Natural Seabreak Pool
Formed when the cliff face to the south collapsed, this rather small, shallow pool is under ten feet deep and the floor is sandy now instead of rocky as it once was in times past. To the south, there are two large doors that can be closed from the inside, that lead into the deeper sea lane that cuts through the stone ridge forming the dolphinhall. To another side is a distinct shortcut to Emerald Cove, just deep for dolphins and their partners.
Swimming about are Nezive and Alexi
Obvious exits:
Emerald Cove Shallows Sea Lane
Jhenero swims without a single splash in from the west.
Jessa is lazily floating on her back, doing the occasional odd stroke to propel herself around. But for the most part the senior appy is just being lazy, enjoying the nice day and the water. Because that's one of the best things about the 'craft, you learn to swim really well and practice lots, and can lounge about all day in the water.
Well, /some/ of us can lounge all day in the water... Jhenero has to steal his time. "Hi, Jessa!" he greets, just a bit louder than absolutely necessary - and perhaps just a bit closer than he'd normally be when he made such a greeting. In fact, about as close as he could get with a reasonable chance of not being noticed. Trying to sneak up on her? It's possible... But what're the odds?
Jessa is the master of loud greetings and such. The senior appy rights herself. Feet are swung down and she treads water. Jess beams, "Oh, hiya Jhen! How's it going?" Ah, the poor water-deprived appy. Sadness.
Jhenero isn't sad this time, though. Nopenope. Why? Who knows, he just isn't. Well, maybe a /little/ disappointed that he couldn't scare her, but that's well-hidden... "Eh, good I guess," he returns, but offers a bright grin to counter the 'I guess'. "How about you? Anything interesting going on?" Quick glance at the surroundings show he doubts the answer will be positive - other than swimming, anyway...
Jessa isn't easy to sneak up on or scare. Nyah. The senior appy shrugs slightly, "Eh, nothing terribly interesting going on. I'm doing good though." Because something interesting doesn't always have to be going on for things to be good.
Jhenero drops his gaze to where his hands are waving idly before him in water-treading mode, then raises it again, mood suddenly changing. "Sooo, ummmm," he begins pensively, then pauses, then offers a winning grin. "So, since Srin changed you-know-who's punishment to allow Sr Apprentices to teach me, and since there's nothing else of interest going on..." He trails off, tone and eyes both gazing at the older girl wheedlingly. "Maybe..." Ya know. Ya know. The teaching thing...
Jessa continues to tread water, and grins at the younger apprentice. "Well, gee, I dunno. I was awfully occupied here, being lazy 'n all, y'know." She winks at him to show that she is just teasing him. "But if you insist I'll be unlazy and give you a lesson. Which one do you need?"
Jhenero chuckles, glancing once again from the girl to the water. "Oh yes, I could see that. Well, I hate to bother you and all, but... Hmmm, how about the backstroke?" It's the next in line on the class list, after all - good place to go, right? "I haven't had that one yet... But it's your choice of course," he adds quickly. "You're the teacher, after all."
Jessa chews a lip, pretending to ponder it. "Aw, do I have to?" she asks, screwing up her face for a moment, before grinning broadly at him. Just teasing. Like she usually does, maybe because Jhen reminds her somewhat of the younger brother she once had that is now far far away. "Sure, hop on in the water, I'll teach you the backstroke."
Jhenero hops in, and as soon as he's in deep enough water, he flips onto his back and starts splashing randomly, as if struggling to keep afloat without standing or turning over. "Oh, I know it already - can't you tell?" he asks in a nice mocking tone, then straightens and turns to flash a mischievous grin. Yup, that's it all right. Uh-huh.
Jessa snickers, and plays along. "Oh that was beautiful Jhen, just beautiful." She shakes her head and grins, chuckling softly. "Alright, so, first I'll tell you about how to move your hands. You remember the crawl, right? One hand in the water, pull it down to your side, and then bring the next hand out of the water and pull it down to your side, and repeat. Right?"
Jhenero pulls himself over near Jessa and nods, allowing a slight grimace to pass across his face. "Gee, I was supposed to /remember/ past lessons?" he murmurs, but keeps it soft, reserving the normal voice level for a "Yes, I remember." Mmm-hmmm.
Jessa giggles. Well, even if he had remembered, she'd demonstrate and help him. Really. The senior appy nods. "It's very similar. Only you float on your back. You bring one arm up, over your head, and then it enters the water and you pull it smoothly back to your side. And as soon as your one arm enters the water, the other arm leaves." She peers over to Jhen, to make sure the apprentice is understanding this and listening, "Clear so far?"
Jhenero gives another nod, the perfect listening-student _expression displayed calmly on his face. "So it's actually sort of backwards from the crawl then, right?" he asks, after a short pause to calculate. Mmm-hmm. Questions. Teachers always like'em...
Jessa nods her head, "Yup, it is. And you'll be floating on your back as you do this." And now on to the other aspects of this stroke. "And with your legs you should do a tight scissor kick." The senior appy watches Jhen for a moment, "Do you want to try, or should I demonstrate for you first?"
Jhenero quirks a grin but demurs. "Nah, you'd better go ahead, I guess. Can't mess up the teaching formula, after all. And we wouldn't want me learning it wrong and having to start all over." As if that's likely, with one attempt. But nevertheless, he's already got his attentive student face on again, watching his instructor expectantly. Can't let him down now, right?
Jessa grins and nods. A time to show off. Or something like that. Hee. The senior appy nods, "Then watch." She then pulls up her legs and floats on her back. She begins a tight scissor kick. As she starts moving through the water she pulls her left arm up towards her head, and puts it into the water and pulls it back to her side. At the same time that her left arm enters the water, the right arm is pulled up, and it repeats the actions of the left arm. After a few such strokes the senior appy stops and swims back towards Jhen, smiling, "Alright, you give it a try."
"Alright, then," Jhenero agrees, nodding decisively. He flips onto his back, gives a kick, raises one arm out of the water - and sinks. Jerking himself upright, he reemerges spluttering. "Ungluk! *cough* Maybe I should keep kicking, huh?" Is that a blush? Well, maybe a /little/ one... Still, he readies himself to try again.
Jessa nods to Jhenero, "Keep kicking, or move with your arms to stabilize yourself, until you're ready to begin the stroke." Apply what you already know to the situation, and keep yourself afloat. "Go ahead and try again." The senior appy gives him an encouraging smile.
Hmmm, yes. Applying what we already know. Funny how that keeps coming up in everything, isn't it? "Okay." Jhenero gives a nod and flips himself back again, this time getting it figured out and making a few passable strokes out, then straightening, turning, and stroking back the same way, adjusting to the unfamiliar motions more all the time. "Hey, this isn't too bad," he admits, then squishes his eyes shut as a somewhat strong kick pushes water up into his eyes. "Ugh, other than that..."
Jessa grins and nods, "Yeah, the backstroke isn't too hard. Just keep your kicks under control." Big splashes are a no-no. And gee, apply what is known, that's an important concept. It comes up a lot. See, once you know the basics, they can be applied to nearly anything. And then things are really pretty easy.
Jhenero straightens, brushing water and hair both out of his eyes before reopening them, then he offers a grin and a nod toward the other. "Yeah, I guess that's important, huh?" Then he tilts and makes one more short, experimental trip out and back before giving his teacher another grin, evidently satisfied with his backstroking skills for the time being. As long as she is, life is good...
Jessa watches the apprentice's strokes, and nods her head and smiles in approval. "Good job, Jhen." Which is a sign, of course, that the lesson is over. "Just remember to practice." Erm, yeah, if it's possible, what with his restrictions and all. The senior appy then swims over to the shallower waters to sit and relax there. Aah, back to being lazy.
All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are © Anne McCaffrey 1967, 2000, all rights
reserved, and used by permission of the author.
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