westwhere | closed starters || Part 2

[Anduin gives her a smile that clearly suggests he believes they very much will have to confront something out here, but isn't about to say so for fear of summoning whatever that might be on command.]

It is... A welcome break from the Wards as well.

[He winces.] I -- that came out wrong. I enjoy the work I am doing there. It can just be a bit... Much, at times.

[ Maybe if they don't say it out loud, it'll all be fine.

When he seems to feel bad for his phrasing, Clara shakes her head. ]

I understand, you don't have to explain anything. It would be, and this, for now, a way to catch your breath. I get it.

[ And she does, for the most part. As they walk, her feet crunch under snow, until a thinner layer gives way to mud and she stumbles with a soft gasp, hand shooting out reflexively in search of an anchor. They must be closer to water than she thought, but the change under her feet catches her off guard. ]

[Anduin appreciates her not pressing the point. Anyone with a pendant would have seen him begging for aid several times over by now, and even if she hadn't, the dark circles under his eyes are hard to miss.

As she begins to slip, he reaches out a hand to take her arm, his gloved grip on her arm gentle but firm. The snow has given way to icy mud, which is -- a promising sign?]

Easy -- are you alright?

[He takes a few tentative steps forward once he's certain she isn't about to fall flat on her face.] This flower -- it's supposed to be at the bottom of a river. Isn't that what the townspeople said?

[ Once she's steady, Clara squeezes his arm gratefully before letting go. Then she nods, confirming. ]

Yeah, and I'm gonna hope it's shallow because there's actual ice.

[ Not thick, light enough that it breaks with a gentle tap. Getting close to the water, she's carefully watching her step before pausing and staring into the water. It's impossible to tell how deep it is, but then, faintly, she sees a petal. ]

There! That has to be it, right? How many flowers grow underwater?

Let us hope so.

[Anduin does not want to point out that if it has been cold enough, or if the water flows slowly, then it does not make a difference how shallow the river is. He'd prefer not to let himself think that way...

Anduin moves to carefully crouch by the edge of the water, before kneeling to peer in. His bad leg does not like the cold weather, and he is doing his best to be careful with it with the long walk back.]

I suppose... We might have considered bringing blankets with us on this journey, in hindsight.

[This water looks very cold.]

[ Clara's quiet for a long time, biting at her bottom lip, then the inside of her cheek. Turning to look around them, she finds the longest broken tree branch she can, then pushes it into the water near the flower. When she's holding it by her fingertips, she hasn't even brushed the petals. ]

Well, isn't that an amazing development for us.

[ Discarding the stick, she looks up at Anduin, then back at the watler. ]

Let's talk this out a minute. Because this is like one of those lakes where the water's so clear the bottom looks like it's close. Which means diving down to get it. Probably should've brought a change of clothes, too.

[Anduin lets out a breath as he sits back on his heels.]

Sounds about right. We won't know how deep it goes until one of us gets in.

[He looks aside to Clara. Being a gentleman, and a former prince, now king, obviously Anduin isn't expecting Clara to do the diving. Does she even know how to swim?

He won't insult her by asking as much, but after a brief moment of mental preparation, he starts to remove his gloves.]

I suppose that the best course of action would to see that as few things get wet as possible. That way at least they will be warm when I get out.

[This is why he is beginning to undress in front of you. Because he is most definitely diving in. He has decided.]

[ As much as Clara wouldn't mind not being the one to go into the water, she watches him start to undress for five seconds before her brain finally registers what's happening and alarm bells sound. ]

So what happens if something happens to you and you need help. Am I supposed to be able to drag you out of the water?

[ Anduin, please. ]

Look, it may be nothing, but this place as a whole has tricked us in a lot of different ways. If you don't come up for some reason, what am I supposed to do? I don't really love the idea of diving into this water with no clothes on, but I'll still weigh hardly anything soaking wet.

[ As much as she wants to believe she can do anything she sets her mind to, this is not one of those things. ]

[Anduin pauses as she stops him, frowning. The look on his face is plain that he obviously does not like this, but he sees her point. While it may not have been exactly his decision, he's trained enough that he's, well. Strong. And naturally tall. Quite a bit taller than Clara herself, although he is used to that.

Honestly Clara, you should see the differences of races' heights in Azeroth.]

I... Can get you out of there, if you run into trouble. But I don't have anything to warm you up. My abilities... I commune with the Light. The best I could do is heal you, if the cold became intolerable.

[ Clara takes a deep breath, inhaling the chill into her lungs before letting it out slowly. ]

As long as I seem alright, hold my clothes as close to your body as you can. Keep them warm. I can hold my breath for about a minute but that's pushing it, and in the cold, it might be shorter.

[ She's saying all of these things out loud as she undresses, more to make herself aware of everything that could go wrong. She was in the Arctic on a submarine; granted, she wasn't in the water long, but she did get wet. She can do this.

Unshy, she looks up at Anduin with a lopsided smile. ]

Wish me luck.

[ There's an internal debate for two seconds, wade in, or dive? But she's afraid if she wades in, she won't make it as far before going numb. So, in she dives, the ice non-existent away from the shore. The cold is searing, almost hot as the shock hits her skin. Down she swims, hair floating behind her, eyes fixed on her prize. Just as her lungs start to burn, she reaches the flower and tries to tuck it out of the ground. The stem is in deep, and as she pulls, she stirs the mud around the roots which clouds the water, obstructing her progress from view. ]

[Anduin accepts her bundle of clothes with a nod of acceptance, offering her a smile of his own. He's from a world where modesty is... Something less of a thing than it is here, so while he isn't looking, it doesn't really matter to him whether she's down to her underthings or not.

Again, she should see what some of the adventurers believe counts for armor in Azeroth sometime...]

Good luck.

[He sits back and watches her dive into the water, bundling her things into the front of his coat for extra warmth and watching for any signs of trouble. The water is... Not all that clear, but becomes even less so as she starts tugging up the plant.

Anduin murmurs a prayer to the Light, just in case that will aid their cause.]

[ Clara can only swim up, trying to move as quickly as she can with the little breath she has left. She thinks but can't tell for sure, the sky may be above her, visible in the murkiness.

And then she sees a flash, a woman's face so close to Clara's that it makes her startle and inhale, water going straight down her throat. It burns and everything feels like fire; whoever said drowning was like going to sleep is wrong, so wrong.

Just as the hand with the flower breaks the surface, Clara's vision goes dark. Her last thought just before, is that the Doctor will be angry if she dies here. ]

[Anduin isn't certain when he starts to feel as though something is wrong. Likely when he spots the burst of bubbles in the general vicinity he'd expect for Clara to be.

Rushing to the edge of the water, he scans hastily for any sign of her. The water is so murky, he's about to dive in after her just to...

When there! Her hand bursts from the water, maiden's veil clutched in her fingers. It's all he needs. Calling forth the Light, Anduin uses it to pluck her from the water, floating her safely over to the riverbank near him.]

Clara! [He drops to his knees by her side, making certain the flower is safely away from the river as well as he tears a glove off, readying himself for any sort of healing he might have to do.]

[ Cold air hits her face just enough that with the minuscule amount of space left in her lungs, she inhales and beings coughing, rolling onto her side as water expells from her. Her throat feels like it went over a box grater.

Flopping onto her back, she doesn't feel the cold of the ground, her body too numb. Yet her first words having nothing to do with the cold, or even the flower, choked out in between coughs and chattering teeth. ]

Did you see her? The woman, she was right beside me.

closed starters || Part 2

SORRY FOR THE DELAY the weather gave me migraines ;;

oof, fellow migraine sufferer here, you never have to worry <3

<333

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