R Tennessee Whiskey

[Lincoln]

One moment he'd been perfectly in control, happy to have found some new company. The next moment he felt as if he'd been summoned by some otherworldly god, a portal opening behind him, latching onto his physical form and dragging him backwards until — oh.

He'd managed to turn around just in time to watch the river fall away beneath him. There hadn't been time or even a point in trying to stop himself — because really, he'd have thrown himself over, voluntarily, eventually — so he merely let it happen, squinting his eyes shut and sucking in his breath. And during those short moments that he was falling through the air, his blood sang like he'd been born to fly and had finally been set free.

Then the lake below rushed up to greet him, its surface like concrete upon impact. Suddenly he was back underwater, the motion of the waterfall pounding in his ears, and it took him a bit longer this time to realize that he belonged up, out in the air where he could breathe and properly stretch his legs. So he fought, striking out with his limbs to break free of the undercurrent.

Strength roll[roll=1d20+2]

[Valentina]

She didn't see him, but then, she was pretty sure she saw his head burst through the water.

She'd give him a moment to adjust, maybe shake the water out of his ears and, provided he wasn't struggling to survive, she'd call, "Maybe next time, pay more attention to swimming to shore than trying to impress a lady." She was mocking him playfully, of course, though there was more than an ounce of truth to it.

[Lincoln]

Only a little bit of panic was able to set in before he'd broken free from his would-be watery grave, and then it was just another swim up to the surface where yet again, he broke through with a gulp of air. But really, it was thrilling. He lived for it, for the rush of fear and the relief afterwards when he made it out of stupid situations alive.

When a voice came to him from above the falls, he craned his head to look up, a laugh bubbling from his chest. "Good advice, I'll give it a try some time!" he called back.

For a moment he treaded water, gazing upwards. Then he decided to swim around a bit, enjoying the lake before exposing himself to the now chilly air. "Will you be joining me or should I climb back up the falls?" he asked playfully, wondering if she minded the cold.

[Valentina]

She didn’t have anything against the man. If anything, she was interested in him and his carefree attitude. Not everyone could take a plunge down a waterfall and be so nonchalant about it. She dared to bark a laugh at him as her tail swept quickly in an amiable wag.

But then, oh, he asked if she would be joining him down there in the water, or if he had to climb back up to see her. From where she stood, she could see the silhouette of the mountains in the distance. Behind her and on her flanks, too, she knew there were more. No one in the belly of this forest would be going too far in a short amount of time. “Neither,” she called. “I am very busy woman.” And by that, she just didn’t want to give him what he wanted by going down to see him or sitting there, looking dumb, while she waited for him to come to her.

Her accent was more pronounced when she was relaxed; mingling with wolves who spoke a different common tongue than her natal tongue had been something of a catalyst to helping her speak more clearly. Though, now, when she slipped up, she was hyper-aware of it.

“See you around,” she called, turning away with a laugh and trotting away from the edge. Once she was out of view, she picked up the pace; though she liked what she’d seen from the man, she wanted to maintain some mystery. Allowing him the chance to catch up, or even see where she’d gone, would spoil the fun.

//attempted exit!

[Mauti]

There was some sort of commotion at the water's edge, though she couldn't quite make out the words being said over the distant roar of the waterfall. When she peered further out from behind her foliage disguise, however, she was met with the horrifying sight of the woman coming directly at her.

Panicked, she immediately blew her cover, trying to act like she'd just been passing by.

Charisma roll[roll=1d20+1]

[Lincoln]

What was it with wolves of this valley constantly running from him?!

Oh well. It was too mentally taxing to let that kind of thing bother him, so he shrugged beneath the water's surface and turned to swim to the bank.

It was freezing, mind you, so he took a minute to thoroughly shake out his coat before looking around. Maybe.. maybe he could head into the mountains, after he'd gotten dry and warm again. Surely there'd be no one up there to begin with, let alone anyone that would run from him.

// exit!