fandomhigh | Camping 101; Friday, 3rd Period [06/21].

This class was intended to be the light, fun version of camping, not one of Gladio's more intense wilderness survival classes, so when he heard that the heat was going to be pretty extreme today, he didn't want to put anyone through camping with that, so they were back in the danger shop this week, where they could enjoy a nice warm day instead of the sweltering heat outside, and everyone had definitely been informed ahead of time to bring swimwear.

Which, of course, meant Gladio was already in his.

And since it wasn't quite the same hiking through the DS as it was the preserve, they were starting out in the woods surrounding a pretty nice pond set up as a swimming hole, essentially.

"If you're out camping and it's hot and there's a good body of water around, you really can't go wrong with enjoying a little swimming. Now, you gotta be careful sometimes, because some ponds or lakes are going to be full of stuff you don't want to deal with when you're out in the wilderness, and so we're going to go over not only general swimming safety tips, but also ways to tell if a lake is safe to swim in, and other important things to keep in mind.

"Now, if you don't know how to swim," he continued, "obviously, I don't want you jumping in, but if you're open to it, I'd love to teach you a few fundamentals. Same goes if you're not confident in your swimming ability. And those of you who can swim, then, I trust you all to be responsible and keep an eye on each other while we do those lessons. And if everyone already knows how to swim," little tiny babies notwithstanding!, "then we'll just have fun with it. Any questions before we get into the safety lecture?"

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Ready to get wet!

Because swimming safety is important!

Even if you're the danger shop, so it really doesn't matter that much, but, hey, you won't always be in the danger shop, so pay attention and please don't drown.

Already a solid swimmer? Hop on in, splash around, engage your fellow swimmers in some Marco Polo maybe, and have a good time.

Not a swimmer or in need of some help? Gladio's got you in the shallows with some basic swim lessons.

Basically, just enjoy a nice day of cool water and good times and be gladio he's not trying to force you into a hot plastic tent outside in the preserve for some reason today!

Maybe if this were a slightly different class, he would have put something in the water to fight or something, but he thankfully got some of his fighting needs met pretty well yesterday!

Never getting over that moment of discovery that Walden Pond was just basically a swimming hole when I visited...

Nell Ingram

Nell was not in a swimsuit, but she was in a lighter set of skirty pants and tunic top that would not become see through when wet. That was the best she was going to do in a public situation.

Nell was wading and wishing she and Gladio had gone ahead with those swimming lessons they'd talked about. And she didn't think that in front of all these people was a good place to start.

"We should have done those swimming lessons," Nell said with a smile. She was nicely cooled off in the water, but a bit envious of those who just swam as if they were born to it.

"That whole thing did sort of fall through the cracks, huh?" Gladio realized, the smile on his face gone a little apologetic. "You wanna maybe come back here and try again, after yoga class maybe? I guess we could also use the pool at the gym, but this feels more our style."

"I'd like that," Nell said. She looked around at the trees and pond. "Definitely more our style than the pool at the gym - though I'm sure that will have its advantages at some point. In the winter or when we don't have access to a place like this."

She grinned up at him. "Easier just to sit in the water if I can't figure it out, too."

When Gladio looked back down at Nell, it was with that wry look of skeptical amusement he gave her when she was clearly saying something patently ridiculous. "Like you're not going to take to it like a fish," he huffed. "Can't imagine there's much you couldn't figure out, so long as you were putting your mind to it."

"You never know!" she said, wide-eyed and innocent. "Water could turn out to be my downfall! My gifts are earth based, so is entirely possible that water will work against me."

Did she believe this? She absolutely did not. But for the sake of argument...

"Yeah, but plants need water to grow well, right?" Gladio countered, that wide-eyed look pulling a bark of a laugh out of him. "Most of 'em, anyway. Besides, by that logic, I'm tough like a boulder, so I should be sinking like a rock, but that's not happening. And even if you're not a natural....there's no way I can't see you trying until you finally manage to get it."

She always loved it when she made him laugh.

"Well, you are my rock, so I trust you not to let anything too dreadful happen to me."

And he was right. Nell would master swimming one way or another!

"Never," Gladio promised, grinning down at Nell as he gave her a nudge and winked. "Maybe something a little dreadful every once in a while, but you signed up for that when you agreed to let me move in in the first place."

"Oh, I don't know how I'd manage without anything dreadful happening once in a while,
she said, giving him a nudge of her own. "And having you move in is something I'll never regret."

Camping 101; Friday, 3rd Period [06/21].

Sign In - Camping, 06/21.

Listen to the Lecture - Camping, 06/21.

Class Activity: Swim! - Camping, 06/21.

Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

OOC -Camping, 06/21.

Re: Sign In - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Listen to the Lecture - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Class Activity: Swim! - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.

Re: Talk to the Teacher - Camping, 06/21.