#Amble doesn't like water and can't swim

[sandpaperoctopi]

beach pals!

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Snippet Monday

A short scene that doesn't have a story to go with, and is therefore free to incorporate into just about whatever.

Viper

"-look, all I'm saying is we need a break!"

Damas paused to listen to the voices floating up from the elevator shaft. Ah. He'd been beginning to wonder when, exactly, the boys had been planning to turn in their report on the sandstorm evacuation. He stifled a smile and went back to watering the date palms nearest the window as he listened to them arguing.

"A break? Dax, just being here is a break!"

"...you've been out in the sun too long, pal. You seem to have forgotten the life-threatening nonsense these people keep putting us through!"

Jak's laugh grew louder as the elevator rose higher. "So? We have entire days where we don't have to go anywhere or do anything! And we get to go wherever we want! C'mon, Dax, you can't possibly tell me this place isn't like a vacation compared to Haven."

The elevator locked into place and Jak ambled out, looking perfectly at home amid the artificial streams. He lifted a hand in irreverent greeting when he spotted Damas, and made his way across the stepping stones. And if he seemed to be making a game of skipping every other stone, well, Damas wouldn't tell anyone.

"All scouts accounted for!" Jak announced cheerfully as he landed on the last stone, right at the foot of the dais. "Oh hey, the Crawler's making some weird noises though. I think you should have Kleiver do some maintenance on it."

Damas raised a brow. "Hm. A mobile sandstorm shelter won't do us much good if it breaks down. I'll make a note of it."

He set down the pitcher he had been using to water the tree and made his way back to his throne, looking for one of the data recording devices he kept to hand.

"I don't have any other work for you at the moment. If you can find a way to amuse yourselves that doesn't involve violent destruction of private property, the rest of the afternoon is yours to spend as you wish."

Daxter snapped his fingers in a pretense of disappointment. "Darn, well, that rules out all your plans, doesn't it, Jak?"

"Swimming doesn't destroy private property," Jak suggested, bouncing his shoulder.

"Not during a storm," Damas cut in. "I don't want to hear that someone had to take a boat out there and haul you out of a rip current."

Jak was about to argue when he felt Daxter go rigid on his shoulder. Following Damas’s surprised gaze, he found his friend squinting around the room. His ears swiveled and rotated like satellites, as if trying to catch a specific sound.

"Dax? What's wrong?"

"Say, uh, Jak?" Daxter piped up nervously, "Anyone else hear hissing?"

Hissing? Jak frowned and scanned the room, wondering what his friend was hearing. As his eyes swept across the dais, something caught his attention. It wasn’t that noticeable, just the barest hint of motion. But when Jak reached for just a hint of dark eco, suffusing his sclera in darkness, it stood out as clear as lightning.

Instinct took over and Jak had a knife out of his boot before he could even process what he was seeing. In an instant he'd hurled the dagger at the throne, just missing Damas’s calf.

"Jak!" Damas snapped, "Watch it!"

With a pained squeal, something began to thrash beside his foot. Pinned to the leg of the throne by Jak's knife was a massive snake. A Dust Demon viper, slowly losing its camouflage as death throes sent it thrashing in pain.

Damas examined the creature impassively, then slammed down his boot, putting it out of its misery.

"I thought something felt different," he remarked, entirely too calmly. "Next time, aim for the head for a cleaner kill. There's no need to make it suffer."

Daxter’s fur stood on end like static electricity as he clung to Jak’s shoulder in an arch.

"How long was that there?!" he demanded, "Is this a regular problem for you?!"

Damas prodded the still twitching viper with the butt of his staff. "Hardly."

His eyes narrowed in thought, and lowered himself into a crouch to examine the animal. "This little one did not get here on its own power."

Jak was already thinking on the same track.

"Someone brought it here," he realized, and his face twisted into an angry, inhuman snarl.

He jumped up onto the dais to crouch beside Damas and glared at the offending creature.

"So...so what? This was an assassination attempt?"

"Hm. That is very likely," Damas agreed. He didn't seem particularly bothered.

Glancing up, he directed a smile at Jak and Daxter. "Very well done. I commend the both of you. This will not be forgotten."

Daxter perked up, glowing at the praise like he'd had a spotlight shone on him.

Jak missed the praise entirely. He was fully focused on the words assassination attempt. Who would try to kill Damas? And in such an underhanded way? If someone had a problem with the king, there was a perfectly good Arena to settle the dispute in!

Well. To be fair, Jak supposed that would be a fight the dissenter wouldn't walk away from. He wasn't even sure he could beat Damas in a fight. So what did that make this? Cowardice?

Jak hated it. It reminded him of the backstabbing he used to see among the prison guards under Praxis's reign.

Jak glowered at the dead snake, and jerked his knife out of it. He just missed Damas’s approving nod when he bent to clean the blade on his boot before sheathing it again. The snake lay sprawled in unnatural angles, no longer twitching. With dark eco rumbling in his chest like a warning growl, Jak reached down and picked the viper up by the tail.

"I'm gonna find out who did this," he vowed, looking Damas in the eye, "And they're gonna pay."

He started to stand, but a hand on his arm anchored him in place.

"Leave it," Damas commanded. He stood and jerked his chin towards the foot of the throne. "Let everyone who enters this chamber see it there."

"Why?" Jak furrowed his brow and stood to follow, viper dangling from his hand. "Won't that just show the assassin they should try something else?"

Damas settled into his throne with a scoff. "No no, think, Jak. What did I teach you about choosing battles?"

Jak blinked. Was this a test of some kind? He looked to Daxter, who only shrugged. Damas had that secretive glint in his eye, which meant it probably was a test. Jak closed his eyes and tried to think.

He's not facing this head-on, or at least not the way I would. Which means he's probably taking a more subtle approach. Jak, admittedly, was not very good at "subtle". He wracked his brains for an answer, looking between the snake, the throne, and the doors before realizing that Damas was watching his facial expressions intently.

Oh.

"You're...going to watch everyone's reactions? When people come in, right? If...if the assassin or an accomplice comes in, seeing the snake will send a message. Or...or it might spook them into giving something away?"

The answer lacked his usual brash confidence. Jak hoped the king wouldn't pick up on that, but at the same time he knew it was unlikely that he wouldn't. But he couldn't help a little trepidation! Damas clearly expected him to know the answer and he didn't want to get it wrong!

To his relief, Damas dipped his head and smiled proudly.

"Excellent! That is precisely what I intend to do -- so I can't have you running around the city to threaten people with a dead snake."

He gestured to his right meaningfully.

"And as you have no other tasks for the afternoon, I think this would be a good opportunity for you to hone your observation skills. After how quickly you two picked up on the viper's presence, I can think of no better choice to help me suss out our would-be killer."

This time Daxter wasn't the only one to light up and stand a little straighter in response to the commendation. Jak may not have been familiar with ranks and hierarchies, but he understood the gesture of trust Damas was extending to them. And he understood that being asked to stand by at the right hand of a warrior like Damas was no small thing. Damas was asking them to help him find an assassin in the ranks as though he hadn't the slightest doubt that they would be successful.

Jak squared his shoulders and nodded sharply. "We won't let you down," he said firmly.

Damas returned his nod with an almost fond smile. "I know."

Jak leaned on the pillar right of the throne and considered the viper thoughtfully before tossing it to land closer to Damas’s feet. Then, after perhaps a minute of silence, he asked,

"Can I have the fangs though?"

Damas let out a startled laugh. "The fangs?!"

"Yeah," Jak shrugged, suddenly sheepish. "It's- I have a- there's a thing. I need them."

Daxter translated with narrowed eyes. "He means his horrible, horrible, bone collection that he's been making jewelry out of."

Leaning back, Damas laughed again. "Then by all means." He smiled indulgently, gesturing, "Take the fangs! Just be careful of the venom."

"I will." Jak waved off the warning just a touch too nonchalantly. "How long do you think before people start showing up?"

Damas checked his data device. "Four meetings this afternoon, two more after evening meal. The next one is in approximately twenty minutes."

Daxter hopped down and settled into a more comfortable position on the dais steps. "Welp. Sounds like we're gonna be here a while. Jak, you brought snacks, right?"

"We could eat the snake if you're hungry enough," Jak teased.

Daxter made a disgusted sound and looked to Damas, pointing an accusing finger at Jak.

"Will you please do something about him?!"

"Don't eat the evidence, Jak," Damas snorted. "Go get some roasted crickets out of the kitchens if you're hungry. You have a few minutes."

"CRICKETS?!" Daxter shrieked. He clasped his paws to his head in horror. "You're an enabler! Jak! Don't listen to the man!"

Jak pushed off of the pillar and rolled his eyes at Daxter. "If you'll eat a decapod, you can eat a hexapod. Besides, they're good! Damas, you want me to bring you some?"

"Naturally."

Daxter groaned and pulled his ears down over his eyes. "Great. Lunatic and Lunatic Junior are sharing meal plans now. Goodbye, normal diet!"

Jak looked just a little too smug about being labeled "Lunatic Junior".

[lgcjiuk]

There's just something about the water that Jiuk's always loved. Whenever he steeps himself into pools, or even the sea, there's a sense of tranquility that overtakes him; one that he's become rather addicted to, frankly. He remembers his first-ever swim coach telling him that swimming will be the best thing that's ever happened to him, and at the time, he was a little too young to understand the depth of the statement, but now that he's older, he comprehends it perfectly.

It not only works wonders for the body, but also for the mind and soul. Nothing soothes his central nervous system more than plunging into the deep end, then swimming lap after lap; each stroke mastered, but only because of the years he's spent practicing.

Swimming means so much to him that, even though his schedule is overloaded with college classes and training, he still makes time to reacquaint himself with the water. Ideally, he visits once a day, but his schedule sometimes pulls him elsewhere; forcing him to shift his priorities, much to his chagrin. However, today, there's a perfect pocket of time where he's able to squeeze in some laps right before bed, and he races toward the opportunity with no hesitation; eager.

After a quick rinse off in the shower, he makes his way toward the pool and is quick to notice a familiar mop of hear buoying at the surface of the water. A fond smile tugs at one corner of his mouth, and in that same moment, memories from over the past few weeks infiltrate his thoughts. He doesn't think he's ever formally introduced himself to the guy that's slowly becoming a constant during his swim-time, but he's definitely admired him from afar.

What can he say? When he notices a cute dude, he can't help but gaze a little bit. It's human nature.

However, what he wasn't expecting was to be greeted by him tonight, and when the other enters his space, Jiuk looks down at him. It's not in a manner of superiority either, it's honestly the circumstance; their height difference apparent. Though, he won't lie, he's grateful for the aerial view, as it allows him to notice every single expression this person makes, and it also allows him the opportunity to drink in the sight of him from a closer distance.

He's honestly really cute, Jiuk won't lie to himself, but he tries not to let that distract him from listening to all he says, even if the manner in which his new friend is speaking seems rather flirtatious in nature. If the way that his teeth sink into his bottom lip means anything, that is. Jiuk doesn't want to be too presumptuous, but he's typically aware when people express interest in him.

"Min Hanbin..." He replies, low and warm, "...that rhymes." Allowing himself to laugh, he turns toward his junior; grinning. "You're right about that, though. I feel like I see you every time I come here lately." Somehow, Hanbin steps even closer to him, but Jiuk's not exactly complaining about that. Instead, he leans into it; wanting to see if he can fluster him further. "I'm Lee Jiuk, fourth year. It's weird that we're only getting the chance to talk now, but I'm glad we are."

Licking over his lips, he gestures toward the pool. "I, uh... take it you're like me and love to swim?" He asks, then ambles toward the edge of it; staring into the crystal clear aqua for a spell, feeling as though he's in a trance. "One sec," he interjects, then dives in—not wanting to waste anymore time. After a little while, he bobs back up to the surface, keeping himself afloat. "Sorry, I couldn't wait any longer. You should hop in, too. We can continue our conversation in here."

𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 —

written for 𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐣𝐢𝐮𝐤 ( @lgcjiuk ) ♡

Hanbin has been noticing Jiuk for quite some time now. He's tall and had this mysterious aura around him that always seemed to loom over Hanbin whenever they crossed paths. Their schedules for the indoor pool aligned for the last few weeks, too, and now, Hanbin has this growing expectation to meet Jiuk there. They usually ran into each other past in the late hours, when the pool was empty except for a few other individuals trickling in and out. The only sound that could be heard is the soft echo of their footsteps and splashes as they walked in and out of the pool.

How could he not be drawn to Jiuk in these quiet moments?

And Hanbin genuinely loves swimming. He keeps his body toned by stroking a few laps every other day, and it lifts his general mood and style outside of the pool. A learned routine/exercise brought from his days on his high school swimming team. Sometimes, he's used to diving to the deepest part of the pool, and let himself sink to the bottom like a pebble. There he’d sit, looking up from the bottom, at peace. Today, he’d swim back up and find Jiuk walking in.

Hanbin turns away, with his eyes barely visible above the surface, and floats there for a minute or three, trying to decide if he should strike up a conversation. Hanbin will admit, he did start to like the passing gazes, the smirks sent his way, though he tries to tell himself otherwise. He was coming there strictly to swim... Though, as he climbs out of the pool, he ends up acting coy, trying to get attention by body language alone. He ruffles his damp hair with a quick shake, running his fingers through it to push it back. He stretches his body, his broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist, all while his skin glistens with water droplets. A slight turn to the side to show those little dimples on his lower back.

He lets out a content sigh.

He attempts to sneak a quick glance to the side, unable to resist the urge, he notices that Jiuk is standing just a few steps away from him. "Oh!" A wave of surprise sweeps through him. His cheeks flush with a pink hue, and he quickly bows his head shyly, trying to mask his emotions. Only a hint of his 'boy-next-door' smile crept onto his lips, betraying him. "I didn't see you... We keep running into each other, I suppose I should introduce myself." He wasn't shy from staring at the man’s lean, muscular form and up close, he was-... he bit down on his bottom lip to keep a few words to himself. He could already see the man being a beautiful problem to enter in his life, yet he strokes the fires. Dares to step closer as his doe eyes gazed up at him, blushing pink. "I'm Min Hanbin, second year."