Swimming Lessons

Lexa was hanging out at the community pool in a small neighborhood in Magnolia when she'd noticed a little boy who was having troubles learning to swim. She watched as her parents tried to teach him, but every time the poor boy was let go he began to sink. Lexa walked over and kneeled down next to the young boy as his parents were about to release him again. "Did you know, that when you were a baby you were able to swim better than an athlete?" she said in a soft, caring voice. The woman holding him stopped the action of releasing, and addressed Lexa. "May I ask exactly who you are?" the woman asked in a harsh voice. "Someone who'l bifurcate you if you talk to me like that again." Lexa said bluntly, using the word 'bifurcate' specifically so the little boy wouldn't understand. "So, in a more respectful tone, you wanna tell me why you're trying to drown your son?" Lexa said with sharp eyes.

The woman apologized for her previously harsh tone, probably because she could tell Lexa would truly lob her in half, and explained her situation. Upon the explanation, Lexa said she'll teach her son how to swim claiming she'd be more effective at it. The woman set the boy on the steps leading into the pool, and sat on the side lines.

Lexa looked at the young boy with a smile "Alright, I know you don't know me so I'm Lexa. You can call me Nee-chan if you want! Either way, I'm calling you Nii-san." Lexa said while resting a hand on the boy's head. The young boy stared back with red cheeks as he agreed. "Now that, that's decided. I want you to grab onto the wall and scoot towards me." Lexa said while moving to a deeper area of the pool, but staying right next to the wall. The boy was hesitant, and shook his head with eyes tightly shut. "It's alright Nii-san, I'll keep you safe. Your sister will always keep you safe!" Lexa said with a big loving smile on her face. The boy was hesitant, but after seeing such a happy face, accompanied by the eyes of someone who seemed to already love him like family, he couldn't help be begin shifting to the wall. The boy grabbed hold of the wall, pulling his body as close as possible and resting his arms on the ledge as he shuffled to Lexa.

As the boy got close to Lexa, where the water was a foot from the boy's feet, Lexa smiled and her eyes shimmered with joy as she said "That's amazing! You're really brave. When I was your age I wouldn't even get in the water at my pool!" Lexa said, boosting the boy's confidence by lying about her childhood. The boy smiled as his face got a bit red, and turned full on red when he felt Lexa's arms resting under him. "I'm gonna keep you held up. I'd like you to start kicking your feet, think of it like running in the water." Lexa said to him in a sweet voice. "I... I." the boy began saying in a shy, unsure voice. "Don't you dare say you can't do it." Lexa said in the kind of voice a big sister uses to give their siblings a pep-talk. "You made it all the way to where you're feet can't touch the floor. You're a strong person, and I believe in you!" Lexa said with honest eyes. The boy's face turned bright red at the thought of someone believing in him, and his eyes became strong and bold as he began to kick the water.

Lexa kept him afloat while he began kicking, and she gently told him "Keep going, but let go of the wall. Trust your big sister not to let you drown, but trust your self to keep kicking." The boy slowed down for a half a second, but then sped up and hesitantly lifted his arms from the ledge. His new found big sister, Lexa, gently pulled him further out and noticed he was getting uneasy. "Don't worry about how far it is. Just keep kicking and you'll stay up." Lexa reassured the boy. Lexa felt him kicking harder, but knew he'd get tired pretty soon. She lowered her arms, and watched as the small boy began moving forwards to the wall, and he kept going till his grabbed the wall. Lexa smiled at him with a loving expression saying "I thought you said you couldn't swim?" with a sweet tone. The boy had a look of amazement about him from the amazing feat he performed.

Lexa walked over and grabbed the boy's hands, pulling him out gently. She was holding him up for now, but gently lowered him into the water a bit further. "Start moving your legs in circles, like an egg beater." Lexa said in a soothing voice. The boy, now having trust in Lexa's skill, began doing as told without doubt. Upon seeing the boy having his feet moving at a decent speed, Lexa lowered him more, and then removed her arms entirely. The boy was going to panic, but he realized that when he was moving his legs, his head stayed above water. "Good, now I want you to start kicking. Go back to the wall." Lexa added, the boy strained to follow the order. It took him a few tried, but he was able to get there after a small bit of time. Lexa smiled as she walked over and rubbed his head gently. "Keep practicing and you'll be a pro-swimmer." she said sweetly. Lexa got out of the pool and was gathering her stuff, which consisted of sunglasses and an iLacrima. The boy quickly came running behind her and gave her a generous hug. Lexa rubbed his head and smiled before disappearing into the sunlight, leaving nothing behind but the water that was on her physical body. Lexa reappeared in her room fully dry as all the water fell off when she activated her dissipation circuits and began the process of getting dressed for her next real job.