Lynchpin---Castle and Surrounding Grounds.

[lynchpin_castle]

The servants are unseen and unknown. Residents are welcome to take over the Servant’s rooms or not, but it is not recommended. Likewise, it is unclear where the Master resides. Usually s/he will call a meeting of their champions and meet them within the reception all or Banquet room.

Meals are typically taken together as a group, and if requested--training times for the champions as a group may be arranged. Both of the mundane variety, and also recreations of challenge-zones, such as the Labyrinth and the Mirror Gallery. The castle and its immediate surroundings have been set to mimic Earth with its single moon and 24 hour cycle of time, along with a standard Julian calendar for convenience.

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[light_of_willpower]

After the exciting day, and less than exciting but still stressful night, Trunks hadn't slept well still. About as much as he ever did, when he'd had a night with nightmares--so he was used to it. He'd tried meditating, but his brain refused to focus on 'nothing' or even just anyone thing. At least at first, and then when it did focus on one thing--his eyes had snapped open in surprise, and he was restless for another reason.

Mostly because what did he do now?--he'd never had time or energy to worry about anything like this before.

At some point he'd dozed, at least enough that when he woke up he was up. Sitting up, and blinking sleepily, and debating if he wanted to follow through with swimming. Which...wouldn't help part of why he'd been restless. Shaking his head emphatically and no--nope, he wouldn't let it bother him. Couldn't; he'd never had to before and he was good at focusing on things. So focus on the training aspects, and he could get through this.

Out of bed, and while the closet's selection had been a surprise, he was welcoming it now. Mostly because he..didn't really do swimming. If he'd been dunked in water, it was usually fully clothed and as part of his training or fights. Intellectually, he knew about swim-wear, and for all his life had been hell it had had its moments of comparative normalcy. There were some options he just...rejected outright--and then yelled at himself in his head for actually caring for once.

Finally settling on a long pair made of some kind of fabric that stretched and was clingy, but slightly thicker than the other materials. Close enough to the body suit he'd seen his father wear in pictures, which suited him alright. Those pulled on and slid into, a towel, and then a loose blue shirt over it--he was amused to realize it had the Capsule Corp logo on it.

Then down to the locker-rooms, later than Ahsoka clearly as he set his stuff aside. The worst of his scratches had faded to barely seen, and his bruising was the same. A quick rinse himself, and then he breathed. Drawing inner courage and calm as much as he could, then walked out.

To find her moving through the water as gracefully as any fish or dolphin. Did she do anything ungracefully? Trunks was sure he was bright red and tried to ignore it. Waiting until she was at the other end of her lap, before he stepped over and just dropped in. Dunking himself, then coming back up and one arm resting against the edge as he tried to remember how to properly tread water rather than flail.

[neveraknight]

As she made a few more laps, she thought maybe that was it. She was going to swim alone today. Not that she minded. It wasn't as if she was hoping or expecting him to be there or anything. He was in the Dojo normally. But.... still. She had thought thought in the back of her mind that she hoped he would come. Which wasn't like her, really. Maybe she felt that way before though, about Lux. Any time they met with his family she had hoped he'd be around. Or when he came to that meeting that once and--

Stupid. This was just morning training. It didn't matter.

When her hand tagged the end of the other side of the pool she realized that she felt his presence there at the other side. A smile formed on her lips, and montrals just barely peeked up out of the water as she glanced back to see him slip into the water. She ducked back under and swam silently his way. She wouldn't call it graceful? But she had a lot of practice from underwater battles on Mon Calimari some time ago. Swimming had become easy ever since that.

She came up to the other side, and was so tempted to reach out to tap him, but instead, she drifted a few feet away and popped up, taking a breath and smiling. "Good morning."

[light_of_willpower]

She made that look too easy--eyes narrowed at her in not-real-annoyance. "I think we have found the thing you outclass me at, physically."

While he didn't, and never would, have the pride issues his father had--he still had some. A very few, and usually over stupid stuff. Which meant pushing himself further from the wall, arms out to the side as he tread water clumsily. Managing it, but clumsily. "Good morning, Ahsoka." Much more polite there, ducking his gaze slightly and then off to the side.

This had been such a bad idea...

[neveraknight]

She chuckled at his narrowed eye glare, and gave him an award winning grin. "Then maybe you're just going to have to try harder to be better than me in this." She winked, treading water as well, her lekku floated just a bit, much like relaxed arms might. "There is a planet that is completely underwater. We were there for peace talks, but it turned into a very bloody and dirty battle. When you've had to stay submerged for that long you learn to swim very well."

She waved her feet back and forth to stay above water, grinning at him. "I thought for a minute there you might not show up at all." She teased. "I take it you're not much for water."

[light_of_willpower]

If he didn't like her grin, he'd be more upset about this. "I don't mind water, but usually when I've had to deal with it I'm fully clothed and it's not for recreation." He responded, whatever annoyance that was genuine had faded as she'd talked about her time on the underwater planet.

"I didn't really learn to swim until I was 14. And then it was kind of...I learn, or I sink." Head down a bit, and he thought it over. "I'm fairly sure Gohan really wouldn't have let me drown." But he also knew that it would've been at the last second Gohan would've intervened. And then they'd have tried again.

[neveraknight]

"Well, you aren't sinking right now, so you must have at least learned well enough to manage." She said with a nod, floating there a bit and waving her hands some. "The sink or swim method is terrible though. It does nothing for a lot of people. I'm sorry you had to learn that way, Trunks."

She reached out to grab hold of the ledge, one foot on the side wall to stand on it a bit, to hold herself up with out having to move. "It's a very good full body training though, and it's low impact, so not only is it a good start to a day but it feels nice too." She was still smiling, though more softly and less of a grin. "I can teach you a bit, if you need."

[light_of_willpower]

"At least you aren't using a whirlpool?" Debating with himself for a moment, before he moved back to the ledge too. One arm holding on, foot braced as well so he didn't have to move. "Although that reminds me..."

Quiet again, studying her. Specifically going to sense and read her Ki Satisfied by what he saw though, even if he wasn't sure he was the best judge. "I have no idea how this might work, given our different universes, but you DO have the potential to use ki. At least enough to levitate and fly."

Not that he minded her flying with him at all.

[neveraknight]

"No, I don't think a whirlpool is the best idea." She said, eyes narrowing a bit. WHo the hell tosses a kid into a whirlpool to train them? She got the entire, toss them in to the deep end and hope they make it out, thing. Some masters did that in other ways, like tossing her into leading troops to train her all in one go. But... a whirlpool? That's like asking her to lead the entire army before ever having been in battle.

Still, she raised a brow at the comment. Use Ki? To FLY? Really? The other brow came up too at that. "I...ah..." She blinked again and a wet hand ran over her face, making her chuckle. "I mean, I know how to levitate things with the force, or use it as balance. I could balance on top of water if you asked me to, but... fly? You really think I could learn that?"

[light_of_willpower]

"To give you context, I was already flying before I learned to swim, and Gohan had been pleased with what study I'd been able to make on my own." Turning, using both arms now to hold him steady in the water and just float otherwise. "It was kind of necessary." Very necessary, honestly.

The chuckle had him turning his had to her though, grinning. "You could balance on top of the water via ki too, if you wanted." A determined push away from the wall, and a half-meter out, and then Trunks was rising. Moving to over just over the surface on the water, as at ease as if he was on the ground.

"I do think you could, you just might have to adjust some of your perspectives. We're still not shore how this Force differs from what I'm used to, and if there is a fundamental difference in our universes that might prevent it."

[neveraknight]

"You survived, so that's something I guess." She said to that, shaking her head a bit. And then she watched him push off and started to raise up out of the water. To float. Levitate over it.

"Show off." She muttered, rubbing a hand over her mouth at that. She watched him walk around like it was nothing. She was pretty sure he was just flying or hovering. But this seemed like a challenge to her. One she knew she wasn't going to do with as much ease as he could, but. She turned to the wall and pulled herself out, slender orange body and maroon suit slowly coming out of water with an easy grace, pulling up to her feet and turning back. She placed her hands on her hips and lifted her head.

"And what if I can't actually learn your Ki techniques?" She asked, but then let out a break, hands to her side, and moved to step out on the water. She took a moment to brace herself, but then moved so both feet were out there, two rippling rings of water about two feet wide coming from each foot bellowed out on a soft roll, like the living force was being pushed there over the water.

She let out a breath, hands back to her hips, and stood there on the water. There, see? Balanced. Ta dah!

[light_of_willpower]

"I heard that." Trunks responded, arms crossed over his chest at the challenge but he's grinning at her. Part of why the 'battle' had been fun, and training was fun in general with her.

Then it took him a moment for his brain to actually form coherant thoughts. Beyond basics--like that maroon was absolutely her color against her skin, or how she still moved with a hint of slink, even coming out of the water. Or that the water helped the patterns along her lekku and montrals catch the light...

Oh great, what had she asked, he could feel a blush coming again as he turned his head slightly. "Then we've lost nothing by trying. I doubt I can use your Force. 'm not sure I want to, either, considering I don't think I can learn the control over your emotions you have."

[neveraknight]

It's not like she did any of it on purpose. You know, the swimsuit or the way her body moved as she got out of the water. She wasn't good with ugly or not either, but she thought the darker colored bruising at her ribs and side looked gross. She didn't mention any of it though. They were both fighters and bruises are normal, or so she though.

As for the light catching the patterns on her skin? She'd never actually considered that. What her brain was considering is how well built he was and how those swim pants fit him damn well. Her mind thought it, but it hadn't sank in just yet on why she actually thought it at all.

She stood there, focusing. Because this was not a technique she was used to. It took a bit to control the force under her and to keep it looking effortless. "I wouldn't mind knowing how to fly, or levitate properly like you, but as far as I know, for my side of things? It's a lot of energy expelled, and a lot of... of concentration." She said, with a small waver in her stance. She grinned and stood there proudly though. "I suppose this isn't at all the same way you are doing it though. This is... a push, and a controlled balance."

[light_of_willpower]

"That's more similar than you think, honestly." Trunks commented with an easy smile, and floating--not necessarily walking--closer to her. "It's still energy expelled, and concentration--I've just been doing it since I was tiny."

"But Ki comes from inside you. If I understood you correctly, the Force is outside of you, but you can let yourself sort of flow with it? Let it control you, as it were."

[neveraknight]

Still not taking a step away, even as he came closer. WALKING on water is different, and might use different forms of the Force. Balancing is what she's good at. "Well, the Force is in all living things. So it's from within as well, but it's not a personal within? It flows through everything, connecting everything together. So for me, I can feel and connect with the water, the ground, that bench over there, the plants, and to you through it. It's mine to borrow from around me and pull more into me, commanding it down my legs to help keep me afloat here."

She said all that, wobbling a bit, hands going out to her side a moment. She grinned, glancing down. "But as you can see, I don't use this technique that often..."

[light_of_willpower]

"I'm still impressed." Trunks murmured with a slightly smaller smile, but still genuine. "You use it when you've got your sabers out too. I don't think I'd be able to balance or be as acrobatic as you are as easily."

The wobble though, had his stance shifting and arms going out, before she corrected. Automatically ready to go steady her, and then he's backing off again. "The tricky part then, might be for you to figure out just what your own reserves are, rather than tapping into the Force as a whole."

[neveraknight]

"Using it with my lightsabers is... different. I mean, I'm not focusing on staying a float when I do that. This is stationary. If this were a fight, I would be moving. I don't think I could maintain running a cross water, but I could get several steps out across a lake if I needed before sinking."

She did move however, like she was trying to take up a fighting stance, as if she was holding her lightsabers in her hands, only... as she moved, her feet started to sink a bit, and she frowned. "Ah, yeah... that is the tricky par--" And she tried to push the force back to her feet right, but with and ungraceful flail, she started to drop. If the drop wasn't interrupted, she was going to drop, much like a rock, under water and right to the bottom.

[light_of_willpower]

That flail had Trunks reaching out, moving to grab her forearm. Normally his focus was also better, especially when it came to anything resembling combat reflexes. Normally being that key word though.

As it was, he pulled, and overbalanced them both. Pulling her into him, tumbling them, and throwing his head back so he didn't get hit or hit her montrals. Then they both crashed into the water, and it was a tangle of limbs and sputtering for a bit.

[neveraknight]

She was expecting to just drop and crash into water, but then she felt herself being pulled up into him, her eyes wide a moment, looking at him, only to realize they were both going down. A moment later she felt the water hit them both and wash over.

Her hand grasped onto his arm as they were under water, and as she tried to pull them both up, breaching the surface, she let out a cheerful laugh, amused by this. Still holding onto him with out thinking. "Sorry! I didn't mean to take you down with me." She said in an amused kind of way.

[light_of_willpower]

He's still grasped on to her arm, and kicking for the surface himself. Maybe a bit less clumsily than she is, but strong enough anyways to survive. Shaking his head out, bangs in his eyes and he's grinning. "No no, my fault. I overbalanced."

Please don't ask why he did--please-please-please.

[neveraknight]

"Overbalanced?" She chuckled, running a hand over her face to clear it of water, grinning though. SHE liked water, and playing in it, so this didn't bother her at all (and she wasn't going to think about, at all, how soft the fabric of his swim pants were when her legs ran into them, as they both moved in the water to float, so close to each other).

"I've seen you fly through the air. You've carried me. How'd you over balance?" She asked in a teasing kind of way, grinning at him.

[light_of_willpower]

He is blushing, all the way to his collarbone and turning his head, trying to ignore it. "...I didn't sleep well." Right. Sure. That was a good excuse.

Let's go with that.

Let's not think about how cute her grin was, or the tease in blue eyes, or how nice her skin had felt against his as they collided. Let's not think about how her lekku were softer than he expected--he'd kind of wondered if they and her montrals were more like horns but nope.

[neveraknight]

His excuse made her chuckle, and though she really shouldn't chuckle at it, as she did know he didn't sleep well, it was also clearly a bad excuse. She gave his arm a squeeze as she pulled herself closer, leaning in to give a small quick peck to his cheek. "My hero." And then she let go, pushing back and drifting a bit. "But I think you just fell with me so I didn't feel so bad for being a complete klutz when it came to balancing on water." She said back, moving so she floated a bit in water, more on her back than anything.

"Still, you've given me some things to think about, on technique and what not." And yes, her lekku and montrals were soft, as flesh as all her skin was, though the tips of the montrals might feel a bit firmer, they were still soft.

[light_of_willpower]

Those are some wide-blue-eyes, especially at the peck. That wasn't helping his blush or shyness. Shutting up entirely, and just kind of going to start to sink. Until he remembered to tread-water, and couldn't meet her eyes.

Envying her ease, but well--best way to get his brain back on track would be to train right? "Are we still on for meditation-practice after this?" He wanted to confirm that, and then he'd probably try to do some laps.

[neveraknight]

She didn't see his reaction, mostly just teasing and swimming off to float. When he mentioned meditation training though, she lifted her head, then let her body sink again to float up right. "Yeah. We can still work on that, if you like. We could get to that right after, or later this evening, depending on when you want to try?"

[light_of_willpower]

"Maybe before dinner?" Trunks responded, letting himself sink after that until his nose and eyes were above water. Hoping that would help cool off his blush.