"I thought you've done all this a hundred times before?" Arrika asked. "Well, that's what Seth thinks, anyway... Do me a favor and don't fumble at me too much... I haven't done it in a while, I almost feel like a complete virgin..." She chuckled nervously. "That's not fair..." She realized she was almost completely naked while Sovelis just had his shirt off. "Are you shy?" She teased him.

"Yes... I am..." Sovelis said, looking down at the ground so that he wouldn't make Arrika feel any more uncomfortable. Reluctantly, he unbuckled the belt that kept his pants from falling off of his waist, and pulled it out of the loops along the pant's waistline. He tossed it aside, and let his pants fall. "Good thing I wear shorts under my pants..." Sovelis mumbled as he kicked his legs free from his pants, and stood there looking at the ground once more. "Your very pretty though, Arrika... If you want to... we can g-go ahead and jump in the lake."

"I'm definitely not going to jump," she said, her fears resurfacing. Hesitantly she stood and walked towards the water, dipping in one foot to test the temperature. Dropping the rest of her underwear on the shore, she waded in deeper until it rose to her shoulders, still looking around nervously as if some sea monster would come out and drown her. Although, as Seth had pointed out the last time she had tried to go swimming, it had just been a Zora with seaweed on its head. "Are you coming?" She called.

Sovelis had looked up and watched Arrika strip off the last of her clothes, and had to look back down from the embarrassment. "Yea... I'm coming in..." He had walked over to the water's edge, and dropped his shorts on the ground. Then, he stepped back, and took a running jump into the water. "NAKED CANNONBALL!!!" The words flew out of his mouth quickly and loudly as he aimed himself right next to Arrika, trying to splash her good.

Arrika shrieked with real fear and clung to him for life. She slipped on a moss-covered rock and plunged deeper into the water until she managed to drag herself back to shallower waters but flailing her arms in an attempt at swimming. "Don't- don't do that-" Arrika said, eyes still wide with fear and edging farther away from the center of the lake. She flipped her drenched locks of hair away from her face, looking very much like "something the cat dragged in".

Sovelis bobbed back to the surface, his feet touching the sandy lake bottom. "Sorry about that... I was trying to break the tension." he said, putting his real arm around the shiekah's waist. "I'm not gonna let you drown while I'm around. I told you that I'd protect you no matter what." he whispered, pulling Arrika right up against him. " And I kinda like having you right here with me... in the lake on a nice warm day... Just the two of us..." Sovelis leaned his head closer and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"We're bound to get separated sometimes... I couldn't find you after Rauru... I was scared for you..."
The Sheikah wrapped her arms around her neck, calming instantly and realizing she would always be safe with him. Her hardened nipples brushed against his skin and she pulled herself up to reach his lips, kissing him gently, then more passionately.

OoC: Whoo-hoo! PG-13!!!

IC:

Sovelis was about to say something back, but was cut off when Arrika latched onto him and started to kiss him. He closed his eyes, and put both of his hands around her, his hands resting on her back and her hip. The water wasn't too cold, but it was still a little early for anyone to be swimming in the waters of Lake Hylia. He pulled his lips free for a minute, and mumbled under his breath. "I'm sorry... If I had known that you needed me, I'd have found you after the battle and we could have left together." he smiled at the Sheikah girl in his arms, and bent his head towards her neck, nibbling and kissing right below her left ear.

"It's... it's okay, it was completely chaotic anyway... there was no chance we'd stay together..." Arrika moaned, grinding her hips against his. She arched her neck and clung tighter to him, wishing the day would never end.

She was worried, still worried... what if the next battle, she'd be hurt again, lying half-dead on the ground... The Sheikah remembered the cold, yet excited look on Seth's face when he knew she would die, leaving him to live forever. It was as if she didn't know Seth anymore. A chill went up her spine, death seeming closer than ever and her fingers dug into his neck, most likely painfully.

"Ow!" Sovelis pulled back a little bit, and looked at Arrika. Her fingernails had dug deep enough that some of his blood began to trickle down his neck, his back, and into the clear water around them. "I don't want you to worry about what might happen next time, Arrika. Even if you do die... by the time the next battle comes along, you'll be just like me." Sovelis kissed her lips gently, and smiled at the girl. "When we get home, I'll make you into a Tempest."

He leaned closer and put his forehead on Arrika's, his lips just barely touching hers. "I'll do anything to make sure that we both survive this war... even if I have to kill everything and everyone in my way... And if your hurt, I'll find you, and protect you until your safe again..."

A Tempest... that seemed so unreal to her. The possibility that should could ever become powerful did not make sense, as she was so used to being the bottom of the bottom all of her life.

"I'm sorry..." She said, shaking her head. "But Seth... would you make him a Tempest too?"

Seth was weaker than her, she being older and a much more experienced rogue, but if he were granted the same demonic powers he might decide finish her off permanently...

"No... I won't do that yet... Not after he tried to kill you in Rauru. I haven't even seen him since then, so he must know that I'm still upset with him..." Sovelis mumbled, his eyes closed now. The scratches on the back of his neck started to heal, making a hissing noise like a hot iron stuck to someones skin. "But It might take a lot of training before you'd be any stronger than you already are. Just because you become a Tempest doesn't make you an omnipotent, all-powerful being."

"Do you know how angry he'll be if he finds out?" Arrika said. She was afraid of Seth's reaction. What if he was so angry that he decided to kill her again? She drifted away from Sovelis, feeling sick. Her luck was beginning to run out, and the thought chilled her.

"Courage, Wisdom, and Power, right?" Kobas said, pointing to each part of a Triforce he had drawn on the ground. Arrika and Seth nodded. "Now tell me the name of the triangle in the middle."

"It's just empty space!" Arrika said adamantly, making a face as she observed the upside-down triangle in the middle of the Triforce where the main triangles joined.

"Ah, you would think so, wouldn't you? But no, my dears, it most definitely not empty space!" Kobas said triumphantly, as if he were some sort of professor at a university. "To thieves like us, the center is the most important attribute of the golden force. It is luck!"

The two younger thieves were silent. "Luck?" Arrika said, still not willing to believe that the blank spot meant anything at all. "I've never heard of that before."

"Well now you have," Kobas said simply. "Speed, cunning, agility, guts, and luck are what make up a thief. Din had no use for us, and that's why we're not as strong, as say, a Myrmidon. But Nayru granted us our wits and Farore, most importantly, our drive to take what's not ours without remorse. Now, you see how Luck is upside down?"

Seth remained silent and Arrika nodded.

"Luck doesn't always go our way. It's not straightforward and forever, like Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Think of it like a glass. If the glass is tipped one way or another, the wine spills. The same with Luck- watch it, don't rely on it too much, and only use it as a last resort."

"Seth has no power over time. He just sees it... But that doesn't make me any less worried."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Arrika. Seth may be able to see things... but with me he can't see. He could only see that one dream, and I'm not going to let it be true." Sovelis pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. "Now lets turn that frown upside down. I'm not the luckiest guy in the world... but you make me feel that way. I'm not the strongest, bu you give me a reason to be strong. I'm not the wisest or the most courageous, but you make me want to be that way... Who needs a Triforce when they have you?"