An Icy Dip

The hands that hauled Ochiba Shigure’s body out of the water weren't Bakar’s–they were too small, nevermind that the much larger Steamforge had been too far away from her when the ice shattered. She'd dropped into the lake like a stone, and as soon as the icy water engulfed her, it had snatched her breath away and scrambled her thoughts before she could employ the use of her own Tidecaller magic. She’d begun to kick her feet on instinct, but it was quickly obvious that her new coat was going to hinder her progress.

Before she could attempt to shrug out of it, she’d felt someone grab the back of her coat and begin hauling her up to the surface much faster than she would have been able to herself. They pushed her up against the lip of a thick sheet of ice with more force than felt necessary as they broke the surface, and Chi scrambled to get a grip on the smooth, frigid surface with one hand as she sputtered. Next to her there was a splash as the individual who’d gotten her to the surface pulled themselves out of the water, and a moment later, the hands returned, dragging her up and out onto a sheet of ice that was still intact. Chi was still sputtering, trying to catch her breath when one of the hands thumped hard against her upper back, and water geysered out of her mouth. “Are you injured?” a masculine voice asked behind her.

“No, no, not injured,” she managed to cough out, trying to scan across the ice for any sign of Bakar. “But my friend–”

Some distance away, there was another splash as someone else broke the water’s surface. “CHI!” Bakar’s familiar voice bellowed, tone frantic. “Ochiba Shigure! Chi!”

“Your friend, I assume?” the voice behind her asked dryly, but Chi could only let out a delirious-sounding laugh of relief.

“BAK–” she tried to yell back, only to be cut off by a series of coughs.

“Over here!” the stranger called back in her place. “Your friend’s over here!” This done, she felt a hand begin patting her back with a little more force than necessary, until it finally felt like she could master her breathing again. In the distance, she watched as seemingly another being in the lake helped speed Bakar to the closest ledge of ice, then helped push him out of the water. He, too, seemed to shudder at the cold in the air, and the voice behind her gave a soft grumble as Bakar tried to scramble over to her.

“Chi! Are you alright?” he asked when he finally reached her, and she nodded quietly in assent. This of course did not stop the other Lopilu from reaching out to pull her towards him, his hands patting down her soaked coat in order to verify this for himself.

“Seriously, Bakar, I’m fine–cold, but fine,” Chi complained, and her rescuer gave a soft chuckle.

“We can get a fire set up for you both on the shore, and I’ll see if anyone nearby happens to have some dry clothing you can borrow. We certainly don’t want to repay any of our otherworldly helpers by allowing them to freeze,” the individual told them, and when Chi finally turned to look at him, she was surprised to find the being seated behind he bore similar colors to herself. She’d seen plenty of other beings in the lake with various manner of fish tails and tentacles, but to discover that her rescuer was also orange and white was a small surprise.

“We’d appreciate that greatly,” Bakar replied, rubbing at one of Chi’s soggy shoulders. The orange and white fish being  pushed himself up off the ice with ease, then offered them a hand, which Chi took carefully

“Just promise me one thing,” he told them as he pulled Chi upright, then offered his hand to Bakar, “if you’re going to take another dip in the lake, please let someone know beforehand, and be careful?”