IC contact for wethelost

[devoutish]

Solomons & Melborn
1108 Sweet Cream Street

[Feel free to use this space for letter/package deliveries as well as visits/knocks on the front door!]

Comments

[bywolves]

Well. It's a good thing I'm not against breaking the rules.

[devoutish]

Well.

[He kicks off his own boots, tucking his socks into them.]

I'm gonna do it.

[bywolves]

[ Royce looks amused, putting his boots and things off to the side. He pulls his shirt off as well - he's looking better than he did before. Still skinny, but less ribs. Alfie's been feeding him right. ]

You're going to sink to the bottom like a rock. [ Royce teases. ]

[devoutish]

I'm gonna swim like a fish.

[Alfie's much the same, weight-wise - he's maybe even starting to look a little paunchy in the stomach again. Once his clothes are off, he wades into the water up to about the knees. He turns to give Royce a quick glance over his shoulder, raises an eyebrow, and then dives forward into the water.]

[bywolves]

[ There's no way in hell Royce is taking off his pants. Sorry, he's just - there's no way, he's not nearly comfortable enough out in the open to do so. But he does sort of snort when Alfie just goes ahead and jumps in, and pulls himself to his feet to wade in after Alfie, not seeming to mind that his clothes are getting wet.

He's just gonna make sure Alfie doesn't like... drown. Otherwise, he doesn't exactly get in, just up to his knees. ]

[devoutish]

[He pops up about five seconds later, treading water.]

I did think about sinking to the bottom, but then you would have had to come rescue me, and it would have put you in a mood.

[bywolves]

[ Royce grins at him, folding his arms over his chest. ]

Who says I would've come to rescue you? Presumptuous of you.

[devoutish]

You'd let me pollute the lake? What would the trees say?

[bywolves]

[ Don't tease him about the trees!! Royce huffs. ]

Things die in lakes all the time. Natural process. They'd probably use you for food.

[devoutish]

[It's nice teasing, Royce!!!]

That's very comforting, mate. Yeah.

[bywolves]

It should be. You're useful even after you die. [ That's - not comforting, Royce. ] You know how to swim pretty well.

[devoutish]

It's not hard to pick up. I learned as a kid.

[bywolves]

I was never around water, as a kid. [ He knows how to swim now, but. ]

[devoutish]

I wasn't often - the canal doesn't count; even fish don't swim in the canal.

[London is so, so polluted, Royce.]

But we went to the country from time to time. My dad taught me.

[bywolves]

[ There's a little pang of longing that he feels whenever someone talks about their parents like this, but Royce ignores it as usual. ]

Merrick taught me. [ He runs his fingers along the surface of the water. ] We visited a few different cities on the coast. A tour, basically.

[devoutish]

Yeah? Was it fun; did you enjoy it?

[bywolves]

Yeah. [ He smiles a little. ] We drank. A lot. In places we weren't supposed to be.

[devoutish]

[He floats a little closer to shore.]

Such as?

[bywolves]

The roof of a Church of Nyphron. [ Royce isn't really a swimmer, so he just sort of stands in the water, enjoying it. ]

In a back-alley gambling den in Wesbaden. We were almost thrown in prison, for that one.

[devoutish]

A gambling den. Maybe you'd like London after all, eh?

[He gestures for the wine bottle. Just float it over to him, Royce.]

[bywolves]

I was much younger and much more willing to do whatever Merrick wanted. [ Royce points out. A beat, and then: ] You're not actually going to swim and drink.

[devoutish]

I'm not gonna swim and get drunk. I'll be fine.

[bywolves]

[ Royce wrinkles his nose, but - okay. He makes his way out of the water enough to grab the bottle, and then reaches out to hand it to Alfie. ]

[devoutish]

Thanks, mate. You're not gonna come float?

[bywolves]

No. [ Royce says, settling down close to the shore. He's in the water, sitting in it. ] I told you I'm not really a swimmer.

[ He can be convinced, though. ]