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Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

[ Ens. Via "DixeBee" Wix | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] ] Attn: @P.C. Haring 
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Via walked into the greater pool area after changing into a two-piece swimsuit she had just replicated before she decided to head to the public baths. It was rather full for the evening. People were going about their night swimming, reclining, or using the many amenities the indoor recreation center had to offer to them. This was Via's first time there. It was also her first time attempting to swim on her own without the yelling of drill instructors in her ear. Being born in an industrial city world, the young woman had no experience with water growing up. The first time she had ever seen a large body of water in person was when she first arrived on Earth, and her natural primal urge to be afraid of the liquid substance overwhelmed her for a time. Eventually, after several water survival training and conditionings, she overcame her fears. Now all she needed to do was actually start getting good at swimming. How she managed to get through TacCONN exoplanet survival training with her current level of swimming was mostly attested to luck. They only ever had to test their practical skills on one randomly selected barren planet and Via was told to survive on a desert planet. For the rest of the other biomes, all she needed to know was the various procedures and actions she needed to do if she landed in them which she had already forgotten. No, she was there because a little birdy told her that the Wolves Squadron 'may' do a survival training exercise in the future that involved water once shore leave ended, and if anyone didn't pass they would be grounded until they did.

So Via was there to learn how to swim so she could continue to fly. Nothing more, Nothing less, but at the same time she had no idea what she was doing. The pilot actually thought if she stayed in the water long enough she could just figure out things for herself but after seeing what other people were doing in the water she lost all hope. That didn't mean she wasn't going to try. Via looked around the main pool area for any lanes that were open. All were occupied with various people so she went to the one that had the fewer people. Via found one, near the deep end, occupied by a single Vulcan whom she had never seen or met before. Carefully the pilot went over to the lane. She said down, feet over the edge and in the water. The sudden cold shot up her making her shudder briefly before numbing out.

"Yo! Hey!" Via called out to the Vulcan and waited it see if she would come over. "Thinkin' I can start swimmin' with your ass? The rest of the pool is full as shit." She asked in her typical Via fashion. "Names Via by the way..."

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. Cmdr Hathev | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @ob2lander961‍ 

Hathev pushed off the wall after the turn. By her calculations she had over rotated approximately seven and a half degrees which would put her another second behind her pace. An arc of pain lanced across her stomach as she stretched to streamline position and kicked. Although her injuries had healed, her abdominal muscles still had not fully recovered and the Vulcan suspected she would need to spend additional time to re-condition herself before she was back in full form.

By her count this last turn completed four hundred and fifty meters in the current set and two thousand seven hundred meters total. She would stop at the next wall for a rest interval. There was a meditative quality that Hathev appreciated about her swimming regimen. The rhythm of the stroke pattern combined with that of her breathing felt like a mediation. Not necessarily one that would put her in touch with her inner logic and calm her burgeoning emotions, but rather one that would allow her to concentrate and focus on just one thing, as the rest passed into the recesses of her mind.

She touched the wall and came to a stop, her feet resting on the underwater ledge.

“Yo! Hey! Thinkin' I can start swimmin' with your ass? The rest of the pool is full as shit. Names Via by the way..."

Hathev immediately recognized the name of Ensign Via, Wix.  Callsign “DixieBee”, wix had been a recent addition to the Lone Wolf squadron.  She had yet to meet the pilot directly yet, but as a matter of course, she familiarized herself with the service records of all the new additions to the crew.

The Vulcan dipped under the water and pushed off the wall again, this time stopping before taking a turn so she could better speak with the Ensign. 

“I’m Hathev, and you are more than welcome to share the lane with me.”

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #2 –
[ Ens. Via "DixeBee" Wix | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] ] Attn: @P.C. Haring 
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"Thank ya" Via said before looking at the water ahead of her. A bit of dread overcame her as she remembers the brutal survival training swimming lessons she was taught in flight school. She was raised to fear any and all open standing water, 90% of the time it was toxic. The first time she steeped in the pool was a nightmare and swimming in it was an entire night terror with the instructors yelling at her while she was conducting the training. Like the others in her class, she managed to her through by just pushing through the pain and the mental exhaustion. They were pilots, not swimmers, but regardless the time and experience marked her.

The young pilot slowly dipped her toe into the water. It was relatively cool to the touch. Then she placed her whole body by dropping in, the coldness caused her to jump and shiver as she held onto the ledge.

"Shit balls!! Damn's shit is freezin'!" Via exclaimed. She was half tempted to give up then and there and jump out of the pool but she remembered why she was there in the first place.

 "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck...." Via' teeth chattered as her eyes locked on Hathev.

 "Hey...um I know your busy swimmin' and shit but um...you think your ass can help me? I got some survival trainin' in a few days but I ain't tryin' to fail the test. Forgot all that shit when they told me there ain't water in space...fuckin' dumbasses." She said annoyed. "I ain't even designed to swim...I ain't no fish...tellin' me humans are meanin' to swim?...ugh...hell I dinnit know fish was a real thin' until the Academy. Only seen them in holodecks and cargo shipments. " Her rambling took her mind off of the cold but still she was feeling its effects. "Hathev right? Am I supposed to so somethin' with my hair? Feelin' my ass is wearing somthin' wrong or somethin'...this is why I need help..."

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #3 –
[ Lt. Cmdr Hathev | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @ob2lander961‍ 

Hathev stepped to the side allowing her new lane partner sufficient space and took in a breath as she absorbed the tirade of half formed profanity laced sentences coming from Ensign Wix.

“The temperature of the water is cooler by design so as to help cool the body as it exerts energy. Like all exercise swimming causes the body to sweat and it’s temperature to rise, though said perspiration is washed off immediately by the water.”

She took a quick glance at Via’s hair. “When swimming laps in the pool, it is indeed typical for one to tie one’s hair back and or to wear an applicable swim cap.”

The comment reminded Hathev to check her own situation. It felt like it might have shifted under the cap but she could not be certain. When asked if she could help the pilot with her swimming, the Vulcan found herself momentarily uncertain. It had been her intent to swim her usual exercise regimen alone to say nothing of sharing a lane and assisting in the training of another. Still, she saw no logical reason to withhold her assistance.  But if he was to help, there would be one condition.

“I am willing to assist, though I would prefer you attempt to curtail your use of vulgarity while we work together.  If that will be acceptable to you, where would you like to begin and how may I assist?”

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #4 –
[ Ens. Via "DixeBee" Wix | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] ] Attn: @P.C. Haring 
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"Vulgar- wha?" Via said with a confused expression on her face. Being from where she was on her homeworld and being raised by essentially thugs and criminals, most of Via's speech, speech patterns, and word choice were all learned from the people around her. The concept of swearing or unfavorable words was somewhat of a foreign concept for her. It wasn't until she joined Starfleet more specifically the Academy, that her mannerisms and speech were looked down upon and deemed unprofessional. However, when Via genuinely expressed confusion as to why people had a problem with what she considered just to be everyday words, people gave her some slack in a sense. Still, even after being counseled about her language several times at this point, the young pilot continued to not put much or any thought into it continuing the way she spoke. Eventually, classmates, professors, instructors, and others around her got used to Via's speech and stopped trying to force her to change or realize what she was saying.

"I ain't know what you are talkin' about." She said as her body started to adapt to the temperature of the water. "Ain't pre-cip-tation just rain? Tellin' me it is rainin' in the pool? Thats how it keeps havin' water! Wicked! OH! My ass don't have a swim cap. Shit, wait I can tie my hair back!" Via spoke with her typical child-like enthusiasm and began tieing her hair. "Like this? Oh, uh..." the bundle of tied hair fell apart a bit but the young woman remade it the best she could. "There! How does my ass look? I am thinkin' you can teach me to like...float and uh...move I think. I dunno, I am just tryin' to get good at swimmin'. Could you like show me what your ass does or somethin'?" she said politely somewhat.

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #5 –
[Lt. Cmdr Hathev | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @ob2lander961‍ 

“Perspiration, Ensign,” Hathev corrected.  She knew she shouldn’t have said it, but the correction was out of her mouth before she could stop herself and therein lay another example of why others perceived Vulcans as smug, superior, and arrogant.  “As in sweat.”

The Vulcan sighed as she considered Via’s needs while the pilot attempted to fix her hair.  Before she could answer Via’s question about how she looked, the pilot threw another answer out there positing what her needs from Hathev might be.

“Your ‘ass’, looks fine Ensign." she said, making a show of looking at Via's butt.   It might have been inappropriate but given that she had been asked directly, Hathev saw it prudent to check.  "Your hair, while not ideal, should be sufficient for the work ahead, though in the future, I would recommend you replicate one for use.  In the meantime,” Hathev paused to strip the cap off her head.  She had double layered it and as she was not going to be doing much more exercise, it seemed only logical to share the cap she’d layered on the outside.  “You may borrow mine should you wish.”
 
She slipped her goggles off her forehead and set them on the deck as she handed Via the offered cap.

“In order for me to best help you do what my ‘ass’ does, would you tell me if you are comfortable with placing your face and head under water?”

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #6 –
[ Ens. Via "DixeBee" Wix | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] ] Attn: @P.C. Haring 
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"Uh yeah, it is...but ain't no one ever tell me that in person." Via chuckled as she watched Hathev look and talk about her butt out of the blue. "Uh yeah duh I can put my face in the water, and um naw you can keep it. I ain't tryin' to get that tellurian lice that's goin' around."

Via had a somewhat limited experience with Vulcans before she joined Starfleet. Naturally, due to her poor upbringing, she absorbed many of the preconceived notions about them and it didn't help at the time she couldn't tell the difference between them and Romulans who have a large presence in the criminal underworld and syndicates. But when she did join the academy her experience with them had been rather cordial surprisingly. Never to the point where she made any Vulcan friends, Vulcans still naturally avoided her since she was the complete opposite of 'logical' but she understood early on that Vulcans weren't being assholes..at least not intentionally. Via just found them funny in a curious child like way. She wanted to learn more about them maybe this was her chance.

Having been in the water long enough to stop shivering and adapt to the temperature Via submerged herself for about 5 seconds and came back up. "See, I did it! I can hold my breath for 30 whole seconds too! Wanna see? Wait-" The young woman stopped and looked back at the greater pool with the multitude of people in it. Then she looked back at Hathev confused. "Wait...ain't you say somethin' about people sweatin'? And like people be sweatin' in here? Did I just cover my ass in sweat or water?" she said with and increasingly panicked look. "Don't tell me our asses are swimmin' in people's nasty ass sweat...right?"

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #7 –
[Lt. Cmdr Hathev | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @ob2lander961‍ 

Hathev observed Via as she demonstrated her ability to dip under water and her subsequent boast about her thirty second breath capacity, followed by her confusion over sweat and water.  The Vulcan decided that discretion is the better part of valor. 

“No, Ensign.  We are swimming in water, not sweat.”

She chose to omit the fact that the water went through a filtration system and was treated with various chemicals to ensure it stayed clean.

Once she had calmed the excitable pilot enough to begin working with her she started to consider just how to help the eccentric one grow stronger in the water.  She was no swim instructor, nor was she an athletic coach.  Still she suspected she might have a few things to offer her.  The Vulcan knew of more than few exercises she could prescribe for the pilot, but had no basis to determine which would be the best one with which to start.  Which led to the logical decision.

“If you are ready to begin Ensign, I would like to establish a baseline.  Would you be willing to swim a lap for me?  Swim to the far wall and back so I may evaluate the best way in which to begin?”

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #8 –
b][[/b] Ens. Via "DixeBee" Wix | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] ] Attn: @P.C. Haring 
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Via blew a silent sigh of relief as Hathev confirmed that they weren't swimming in people's 'nasty ass' sweat. She smiled.

"Good, cause I ain't tryin' to be about that. Shit's nasty! Do you some species be drinkin' that too? Like fuckin' water? Crazy..." Via drifted off in thought as she still hung to the ledge of the pool. She suddenly realized that she wasn't as cold anymore. As she was about to comment Hathev requested her to swim a lap just to see what was her baseline for swimming. Of course Via quite confidently accepted the request and nodded in affirmation.

"Shit...pfft my ass can do that. That ain't hard. Be there and back in a mili sec."

With that Via took her hand off of the ledge and started treading water. Her hands and leg movements were frantic at best and from any onlookers it would look like she was just barely staying afloat but she was staying afloat.

The young woman then started treading water towards the other end at the pool. She was moving quite slowly and her movement mirrored the movement of a swimming dog. Slowly but surely she was heading to the other end of pool, expending a ton of energy to keep herself afloat and moving. After about 45 seconds she reached the other end, took a breath and started doggy paddling back towards Hathev which would take about 40 seconds. She placed her hand back on the ledge and held herself against the wall panting a bit but not much.

"See I ain't even tired! How did my ass do?" she said joyfully. "My ass ain't that fast but at least my ass can do it! I wanna be zoomin' though the water. Like them Doof Fins or whateverthemfucks asses are called. Like a fuckin' proton torpedo...but like...underwater...yeah..." She said as her imagination ran wild in her head. "It ain't even that cold anymore".

"Oh...shit my ass back in trainin' had a classmates who could touch the bottom with no hands. It was so cool! I wanna learn that!" she said with a child like enthusiasm.

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #9 –
[ Lt. Cmdr Hathev | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @ob2lander961

Hathev watched as Via ‘swam’ her lap.  If it was possible for a Vulcan to be mortified by what they saw, she would have been so.  But, given her condition as an emotional being, she registered a sensation that could be only described as “what is she trying to do?”.  At once she found herself surprised to know that Via had once passed the swim test in order to achieve her officer ranking, and, at the same time curious as to figure out just how she had managed to pass said test.

There existed no logical pathway to turn Via into a competitive swimmer any time soon, and her desire to swim like a dolphin would not come without consistent practice and training.

“In time, and with much training, I suspect you will be able to zoom through the water.  For now, however, let us focus on getting your fundamentals sorted out.  I will be right back.”

She did not wait for Via’s vulgarity laced response before pushed herself up and out of the water and rose to her full height on the deck as she moved purposefully to the cage where the training equipment sat.  She availed herself of a kick board, and bull buoy before returning to the lane.  She set the equipment down at the edge of the deck and slid gracefully back into the pool.

“Okay, Ensign.  Are you familiar with the ‘dead man’s float’?  I want to be clear that is a name and not an indication that one must be dead.  Basically you lean forward to float on your stomach with your face down in the water.  When you need to breathe simply lift your head and then put it back in the water.”

Hathev demonstrated the float, putting herself face down in the water.  Although she could have held her breath for much longer, she chose to breath at fifteen second intervals, so as to demonstrate the motion she was attempting to elicit.

“I would like you to try this exercise.”

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #10 –
b][[/b] Ens. Via "DixeBee" Wix | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] ] Attn: @P.C. Haring 
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"Uh-what?" Via said rather surprised and confused as Hathev stepped out of the water. She thought she did pretty well with her fundamentals not even being an issue in her mind. Pouting and confused the young woman just sat there hanging on the ledge of the pool until the Vulcan came back. When she did and with a kickboard and a ball-looking thing her eyes widened with anticipation, but apparently they were for later as the Vulcan placed the items on the deck and asked the pilot a question.

She rose her hand with a child-like curiosity when Hathev asked her if she knew what a dead man's float was but her question was answered as soon as the Vulcan added on it didn't mean she had to be dead so she placed her hand back into the water. The instructions seemed simple enough and when Hathev demonstrated Via thought it looked easy.

"Shit...my ass seen people doin' that all the time back home in the waste system. Be there for days lookin' nasty and shit. They be floatin' all over the place" The young woman was talking about dead bodies in sewer systems.

With a cocky look on her face, Via went ahead and slammed her face into the water very much going under. Then she spread out her arms and legs and acted "dead" floating for a bit motionless. After a good minute bubbles started forming near her face and the sounds of gurgling increased. Suddenly she popped her head back up and looked back at the Vulcan with a smile on her face.

"Told ya, my ass is good at this shit. I coulda stayed there for two minutes if I wanna." Instinctively she started kicking her legs and moving her arms to keep her head above water but she seemed like she was struggling. "Ugh-er, shit" she moved towards the ledge of the pool and grabbed on panting. She looked at the kickboard and ball Hathev brought and then looked at the Vulcan.

"Uh...whats that...?" she said curiously.
 

Re: Day 14 [2032 hrs.] Just keep swiming...Just keep swiming...

Reply #11 –
[ Lt. Cmdr Hathev | Public Baths | Deck 6 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @ob2lander961‍ 

Although the Vulcan did everything she could to betray no emotional response towards Via’s ability (or lack thereof) in the water, she could not help but feel a sense of concern and trepidation.  That the pilot had enough ability to squeak through the fitness tests, Hathev had no doubt. But in the event of an actual scenario in which she would find herself in the water, Hathev was highly skeptical of her subordinate’s ability.    All the more reason to get to work. 

“This,” she said indicating the bouys, “is a ‘pull buoy’.  A swimmer is supposed to place it between the thighs.  The act of holding it there prevents a swimmer from kicking and therefore strengthens the upper body as the arms take on the full task of propelling a swimmer through the water.  Allow me to demonstrate.”

Hathev walked about half way down the lane and pressed the bouy under the water and between her thighs.  With practiced ease she pushed off the bottom, the bouyancy from the training equipment bringing her into a prone position a bit faster and easier than usual.  Using what little momentum she had been provided, she slipped into a freesytle stroke, chosing to swim slowly to give Via ample time to observe her before she touched the wall.

As she touched, she opened her legs just wide enough to allow the buoy to slip free so she could stand up with ease and turn back to Via.

“Any other questions before we begin training?”
 
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