Private I Can't Get Started

[Judah Dashiell]

"You know you love me."

He gave a chuckle before realizing he had dropped the 'l' word. Granted it wasn't in any type of romantic context, but he was unsure how Azula Tindara would feel about it. They were supposed to be going slow and steady, an amusing thought to both of them considering the more physical side of their relationship. Judah thought deliberate was a more apt word.

Cheeks reddened a little at his words and he coughed a bit either way.

"I mean, yes we're staying in a suite with a kitchen, but does it even look like its been used to you? Cause it hasn't to me. I don't feel like descaling, gutting , and filleting a fish today. Maybe the next time you join me....To answer your question, yes they might scatter off for a minute but I'm just catching and releasing. Just out here for fun, so it doesn't matter."

Hand briefly slid against hers , enjoying the feeling of her pressed against his back.

"Feel free to splash around as much as you want. Didn't even know you could swim."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"You know you love me."

For a woman who had hidden in plain sight for years by blending in and having an answer to everything, one word made her brain pause.

It didn't last long. She soon caught up with how he had used the whole phrase. It was barely a flicked across her expression he couldn't see.

I don't feel like descaling, gutting , and filleting a fish today.

Hunting had long been a part of Togruta culture. The idea of catching fish and throwing them back into the water was distinctly alien to her.

It was better than the idea of him hitting a fish at the apartment. She could agree with that.

Azula receded from his grip. She ran a hand down across his shoulder and back. She then slipped into the water without a splash, like a blue ribbon sliding off the deck.

She stretched out, swam ming a few strides from the boat before she turned over onto her back and floated. The water wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't uncomfortably cold.

"This...was an excellent idea."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"This...was an excellent idea."

Broad grin graced his features, taking a sip of the lager he had opened. He would check his lines in a second - one looked a little bowed - but he had to establish the fact it was all his idea. When it was decidedly not, he had just wanted to spend a little more time together than one dinner. Well, time together once they both had gotten over the nerves of dinner.

"Glad I came up with it."

Beer bottle put down, Judah picked up one of the fishing poles that looked possibly ensnared and started to reel it back in to check. Line was quickly winding and he looked over to Azula Tindara once again, curious.

"How'd you learn to swim? Childhood?"

If he read between the lines and from what he had been told, her childhood hadn't been the best. Didn't mean there wasn't a tranquil period where she might have been free to swim and play and be a normal child long ago. He never pried, Azula revealed about her past slowly. As she had mentioned the night before, she was slow to trust. He had broken that trust a few months ago, and he didn't expect it back so quickly.

Line reeled back in, Judah lifted up pole to look and....the bait was gone but he had captured some kelp. He reached out to grab it.

"I should save it for Makai."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"How'd you learn to swim? Childhood?"

Azula was enjoying bobbing on the water. The sun warmed her dark blue skin and the water was pleasantly cool. She drifted towards the side of the boat as she watched Judah. With both feet she gently pushed off to float away.

"What do you mean learn?" She asked.

She was too relaxed to contradict him claiming her boat idea. Azula was wearing an easy, relaxed smile as she looked up at him curiously from the water.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"What do you mean learn?" She asked.

Judah paused, disentangling the kelp from his line, looking at Azula Tindara as if she was crazy. He was unsure how to respond, a few thoughts going through his head at her question.

She spoke excellent galactic basic. Could even speak other languages. Azula was reasonably intelligent and from what he could tell had at least a basic education as a youngster.

"Do you suddenly not understand basic?"

A pause, more confusion.

"Yes learn. As in taught. Togrutas aren't an aquatic species that I'm aware of..."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Wait..."

Azula started treading water, orienting herself upwards. She looked deeply confused.

"I have been around for over thirty years..."

She was not specific on that front.

"...and I have only just found out that humans need to be taught how to swim? Can you swim? What happens to humans if they're not taught? They just...sink? That's so strange!"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah rebaited his line with some small squid, half-watching Azula Tindara as she suddenly stopped floating on her back. She was now certainly less relaxed, almost as if she didn't believe him. Dead bait squid on his hook, Judah leaned back and smoothly recast his line, landing a decent amount away in the more shallow sandbar area.

Placing his rod back into a holder, he looked amused.

"...and I have only just found out that humans need to be taught how to swim? Can you swim? What happens to humans if they're not taught? They just...sink? That's so strange!"

"I have an aquatic ex-wife and half-aquatic son. Do you think I can swim?" His hand moved to a second rod, slowly reeling in the next line as he spoke. "If you're not taught, you will drown and die. Those of us with a bit more bodyfat can float, but not everyone can. I mean...you can still drown."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"If you're not taught, you will drown and die. Those of us with a bit more bodyfat can float, but not everyone can. I mean...you can still drown."

"That is so strange!" Azula called back up. "You can throw a Togruta infant in the water and they just...swim."

Clearly quite the revelation, she made another little noise of bemusement and resumed her comfortable floating.

She watched Judah working at his lines for a minute. Then she rolled over. Her feet kicked into the air and she dove down into the crystal clear waters.

The seabed was too far for her to dice down to, she decided, but she swam far enough to look back up and watch the silvery little darts of fish above. There was nothing she could see large enough to make a meal, but she couldn't see all that far.

Azula broke the surface once more, paddling over to the boat and started to climb back up.

"So did you need to teach Makai to swim?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah imagined a small little Togruta infant sailing through the air, plopping in the water, and beginning to swim. It was something to cause someone to blink, which seemed a natural reaction. He wasn't sure how such a thing was discovered. Who tossed in a couple month old baby into water to see what they did? Apparently Togrutas.

As Azula Tindara drifted away and explored the ocean, he continued his quiet fishing hobby, engrossed in his own world while she swam. Made him curious how long Togrutas could hold their breath. Yet she mentioned nothing about that, just the swimming portion.

"So did you need to teach Makai to swim?"

"Thessa handled that, I was busy with Salacia a lot...but I only remember her teaching him to surf. He has gills, so I was never worried about him drowning even if he did sink. Apparently his body just naturally takes over and breathes in the water. Must be nice."

Amusement colored his features as she climbed back up onto the deck.

"So, I've got a mental picture of little Azula sailing into the air and being tossed into the water. Sounds like it could be a sport, Togruta baby tossing."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"I just find it so odd that you can't just...swim," Azula said with a shake of her head.

She used her bare hands to wipe some water from her form onto the deck of the ship. It would all evaporate in the sunshine quickly enough, but she suddenly felt the chill of the breeze.

"I never knew my family," Azula admitted. It wasn't the largest revelation she offered. Certainly there was no ceremony around the moment. She figured he might have already guessed from how little she had said.

"No water on Nar Shaddaa either, so I guess I still had to learn to swim like that later in life. Rather than paddling around."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"We have towels you know."

Judah watched amused as she tried to flick water off herself with her bare hands. The sun was hot and blazing, and anything out here would dry quickly, so perhaps that was Azula Tindara 's line of thinking. He didn't keep anything worth staying clean on this side of the boat, not while catching fish and the potential hazards for blood and bait bits to go everywhere.

"No family. No water on Nar Shadda. No ceremonial baby Azula throwing. Sounds like you missed out on a lot."

Judah placed a rod back into the holder built into the side of the yacht. He wiped his hands on his trunks, no longer distracted, facing her now. He was fighting back a look of amusement, thankful for the sunglasses so the Togruta couldn't see is eyes right now. He looked her up and down, as if sizing her up for something.

"Only one thing to do..."

Unexpectedly, he grabbed her, tossing the blue-skinned Togruta over his shoulder and off her feet. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she would get a good look at his backside as he walked to the stern of the yacht. There was no barrier there, designed for easy on-and-off swimming. Purposeful strides as he held her tight with one arm and used another on her thigh to keep her steady.

"...toss adult Azula into the ocean. Ceremony demands it.Tradition demands it."

Only when he reached the back of the yacht, he didn't let go, but flopped into the water with her.

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Only one thing to do..."

"What?"

She narrowed his eyes and held up her hands, but didn't stop him from enacting his plan. She was hoisted up and carried.

"Judah... No no no..."

"...toss adult Azula into the ocean. Ceremony demands it.Tradition demands it."

"Nooooo..."

Her last protest was cut short as she yelped at the sensation of falling. Then she closed her mouth and eyes before the impact of the water.

Azula opened her eyes, wriggling away as they both kicked for the surface.

"You!" she accused, laughing out loud as she splashed him. She hadn't felt so carefree, so light and buoyant for many, many years.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"You!" she accused, laughing out loud as she splashed him.

Quickly grabbing his sunglasses before they drifted away, he laughed at the assault of water headed in his direction. Shaggy head shook and sprayed water everywhere , drifting away from her as he continued to splash. They weren't far away from the yacht and he was looking to get back on board. After all, it was Azula's ceremonial tossing, not his.

"Why are you splashing me? I'm already wet. Come on Zuly."

A smart-assed grin broke out over his face, sunglasses now back on his face. His hand grabbed for the railing on the handle of the ladder, not quite getting out of the water yet. He was getting there, planning his escape before his next comments directed towards her.

"Look at you, swimming like a natural. Guess it is true, you can toss a Togruta in water and they just naturally start to swim."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Oh very funny!" she laughed.

It did not quite make sense that she was sarcastically dismissing his joke whilst still laughing. Her pulse was still racing after the unexpected drop. It didn't make sense.

And she was having fun.

"Yeah you flee," she said, with a brief cough. She swam after him slowly. She had the urge to pull him off that ladder and dunk him under the surface but decided to plot her revenge for another day. An evening date had turned into a night and a day together. She was grateful that it had and wanted to enjoy the rest of it.

This time, she did fetch a towel. Instead of drying herself down properly, she laid it out flat on the deck in the sun.

"Join me?" She asked him, hoping to tempt him away from his hobby for a little while.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Removing his now soaked long-sleeved UV shirt, Judah hung it over a railing before putting on his sunglasses and turning to her. Azula Tindara wanted him to roast out in the sun with her. Eyes cast down to look at his arms and chest, he certainly had a farmers tan situation going on from spending time on Ceto with his ex-wife. About to open his mouth with a pale joke, he stopped. It most likely wasn't about his two-toned look but more about spending time together.

"Let's see...squid guts or beautiful woman in front of me? Incredibly difficult choice. Sounds like you are jealous of said squid guts."

Judah settled down on the decking of the yacht, lounging out of the towel next to her. Sun beat down but considering the ocean was just touch cool it was a welcomed feeling. Yawning a little, head turned towards her, striking up a conversation of new adventures. Plans had been laid for a work-slash-date type trip the night before and it was nice to cement what that looked like. Firm plans to see her again.

Maybe the second time would the charm after all.