Ignius had been overwhelming with its strong rays of sun and punishing heat. But no matter what time of year it was, here at the lake it was always Venti. It had been a few years since his last swim around Jasumin. With his new estate established in the Highlands he had his hands full with maintaining the grounds as the summer crop was coming in. The bard had lived here in the temperate waters for decades until he decided to settle down on Canelux. Of all the places in Parvpora, Jasumin Lake was what he called home. Cool autumnal breezes rustled the golden-yellow leaves characteristic to the flora of the area. Today was quiet, as Lorelei was visiting friends in Vila. Gerard had spent the day resting in the lake, paddling along on his back not far from the shore and the giant lily pads. The gazebo of the sun and moon stood in the distance against the clear sky. The Nyella ocean fed into the waters of the lake, creating a unique mixture of salt and freshwater at the lake's mouth. The further he swam into the continent, the more freshwater wildlife he saw. Various waterfowl were nesting here, taking a well-deserved break from the heat.

Tired of paddling, he simply allowed himself to float along the gentle currents on his back, hands folded on his chest. His clothes were safely set aside on one of lily pads in the center and he was in his swimming costume. Eyes closed, he let the water wash over him and lap at the soles of his feet. The special herbs that the dwarven brewmasters used in their prized ales were in the fields between the golden-leaved trees. The forests here were maintained by loggers, and the timber business prevented it from becoming overrun with old growth. It was a little circle of paradise away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

This is it, Nika thought, approaching the lake.  Back again.  She had spent months searching Parvpora for employment, but had found nothing suitable.  Now, she was returning to her home region.  The cool air of the lakes regionHer robes were a little less than presentable after all that travel, but thinking that for a hile no one would be looking at her, she didn't care.  She bent and removed her slippers, laying them along side her basket on the shore, and tied her skirt up so that her legs were bare.
As she hopped from lilypad to lilypad, she noticed a pile of cloth on one of them.  Upon closer inspection, she saw that they were clothes.  Her cheeks turned pink.  She cast a glance around the lake, noticing for the first time Gerard floating contentedly on the lake.  He wasn't naked ar least and upon careful observation, she noticed that he was breathing.  Nika stood stiff for a few seconds, deciding wheter or not to speak, but eventually curiosity got the better of her.  
"Hello," she shouted to him, waving a little uncertainly.  "Good day!"

The sound of an unfamiliar voice brought him out of his idling. He sunk back down to reemerge with his head above the water, pushing aside his black waterlogged bangs of of his eyes. There was a woman standing on the lily pads, waving to him. A quick look around told him they were the only ones present. "…Good day. I expected this area would be empty this time of year." He swam slowly towards the densely clustered lily pads to get a better look at her. She didn't look like the usual folk he remembered around here. Then again, it had been at least twenty years since he had spent time at Jasumin on a regular basis. Twenty years was a long time, according to the average human lifespan and things changed faster than he would often realize.

Coming closer to a large lily pad's edge, he raised himself out of the water so he was leaning on it with his body from the shoulders up exposed. So far the day had been a quiet one, and it wasn't often he would see a new face. The calls of ducks and other waterfowl punctuated the tranquility of the region. His eyes wandered over to where he had left his clothing. Perhaps leaving them in the center of the lily pad field wasn't such a good idea. 

Nika paused when he spoke. His voice was lovely. "Ignius was always a little too warm for me," she replied. She took a few steps forward, enjoying the sensation of the thick, green pad rippling under her bare feet. She watched the man moving comfortably through the water. She'd honestly never seen anything like it, though she never spent much time around Jasumin growing up. Every few years or so, her mentor took her to the lake in order to collect supplies and once, learn to swim. Carefully, she sat down cross legged on the lily pad to reduce the uncomfortable difference in height.

"What brings you out here Looking for herbs?" Something about him didn't seem quite normal. She scanned through the dusty stockpile of information in her mind, trying to put together who or what this man might be. While she thought, she splashed a few of her fingers in the water. It was always strange to her how silky and viscous water was compared to air.

Gerard nodded in agreement when she said she was trying to escape the season's heat. "Taking a moment of respite from the merciless heat, are you? That'd be one thing we both have in common. Normally having an entire region in the same season for the whole year would be a problem, but stability is something nice once in a while." Underneath the lake's surface his legs floated, with the occasional kick to keep him from sinking. He had almost forgotten how calming this place had been, and it was still peaceful as of today. Some things didn't change, no matter how time passed. Just like him. Before he began to venture westward and down south along the continent's coast, he thought it was natural to stop changing after a while. The water nymphs and occasional merfolk were like him in that aspect. It was only when he had spent more than two years in a remote fishing village along the southern coast that he began to notice how everyone around him changed–or more of his own lack of it over time.

The woman sat down on the lily pad and made herself comfortable before asking if he was here to gather herbs. It seemed that the fields were still present, which was always a good thing to hear. He had worried that in the time he was gone, the forests would have dwindled and the fields would be reduced to farmland. "Me? No, just a long-delayed visit that's all. It has been a while since the last time I came back for a swim. I'm glad not much has changed since then. You never know how long natural sanctuaries like these will be around, or when they'll disappear. I should stop making excuses for myself and return more often." In the water, some fish brushed by his legs and something nibbled at his feet. He had been so relaxed that it surprised him enough to kick suddenly, jerking him off of his position on the edge of the lily pad and into the water.

He vanished under the water for a few seconds, then resurfaced dripping wet again. Bobbing up and down Gerard squeezed the excess water from his bangs and wiped his eyes. "Oh, so that's what it was. A trout must've thought my toes were a lure or something. Almost had me panic for a moment thinking it was an eel or a barracuda." He chastised himself for balking like that. This place was a body of freshwater, not saltwater. The mixing of fresh and salt waters were further west, at the mouth connecting it to the Nyella. It was quite an embarrassment for him to forget something so simple. 

She nodded opened her mouth agree with him when he started, spooking her. She kicked out her leg in a clumsy attempt to stand. Embarrassed, she peeked over into the water, blocking the sun with her hand to get a better view of the depths. He still looked to be close enough for her to grab him by the hair and try to pull him out if she had to. Thankfully, a second later he rose to the surface. Once it was apparent that everything was alright, an amused snort, putting a hand to her mouth to save face. "You should 'a caught it," she suggested, feeling a little silly. "Then we could've had a meal. I can't blame you though, fish are kind of gross, even if they aren't dangerous."

She leaned back a bit to rest on her heels. "So you've been other places? Like swimming in the ocean? Isn't it awful cold out there?" Water that had splashed onto her robes had finally soaked through to her skin. The fabric clung to her and became uncomfortably cold almost immediately. She squeezed the excess water out of her skirt with one fist, then turned up the soaked part to rest on a drier part of her skirt. Ultimately, it just made a larger area damp.

Her comment combined with his embarrassment led Gerard to force out a wry smile. He was amazed his face wasn't red like a ripening apple right now. "Perhaps I should have, though a net would be far more effective than catching them with my hands." He teased. She was a good-hearted person, seeing how she must have been startled when he suddenly ducked under the water's surface. That sort of thing often made people panic, as most weren't capable of breathing underwater. To him fish weren't so bad. It was only when they were no longer alive and nature's course of returning to the earth began to set in that they would smell. He had been swimming in the ocean for so long that if anything brushed itself by him he would be on high alert, which was why he had reacted so abruptly earlier. In his time in the ocean currents he had learned many hard lessons; one of them was particularly painful as it involved stinging jellies.

The bard shrugged when she asked if the ocean was cold. "Yes, I've swam in the Nyella on several occasions. The closer you are towards the surface, the warmer it tends to be. It only begins to drop significantly when you're far down, though. I've swam around Itjivut before, so compared to that everywhere else is rather temperate." He then added, "There isn't a single patch of shoreline I haven't seen on this side of Parvpora and Canelux. The only exception would be near Karith, though really that area isn't safe for anything to swim in." The waters below the floating city had been severely tainted by the inhabitants' wanton disregard of properly disposing of the remainders of their alchemical pursuits. Most sea life now avoided the place, and the marine life that had been affected by the fallout suffered deformities and other aberrant defects. The very thought of it made him upset. In his younger days he would have clamored to make his displeasure known by the ones responsible, but it would be unlikely to convince the Karithians to change their ways when it didn't affect them directly. It was unfortunate, but it was reality.

Having had enough paddling in place to stay afloat, he moved over to a nearby lily pad and pulled himself up onto it. There he began wringing out water from his hair as he sat cross-legged in his swimming costume. If he allowed himself to air-dry it would take at least an hour, then he'd be able to change his clothes without having to worry about hanging them to dry. He wasn't planning to do that until the woman left however, out of courtesy.