Pool Party! (OTA)

[devon]

Hot. It was so hot. It was too hot for sane people. Jasen lounged against a tree, basking in shade trying to escape the sun's ferocious attack. His sword lay by his side, always nearby, but unless Tarmon Gaidon itself erupted in front of him, there was no way Jasen was going to pick up that burning piece of metal. It was too hot to train. It was too hot to sleep. It was almost too hot to lift the water skin in his lap to his lips. In his many seasons manning the walls of Tar Valon, Jasen had never seen a summer quite like this. Usually the city stayed reasonably temperate, with a healthy breeze always blowing across the river that surrounded the island. But this year it was if the Aiel Waste had picked up and moved West. The grass was brown and wilted all round him, and even the animals which usually were everywhere this time of year were in hiding.

 

The clack-clack of wooden practice swords interrupted Jasen's heat induced daze. While off duty Tower Guards like himself were afforded the luxury of sitting under trees avoiding the heat, trainees were not so lucky. A group of unfortunate souls were in the middle of the practice yard, dying under the watchful gaze of their instructor. Watching them, Jasen could tell they wanted nothing more than to leave and curl up somewhere cool. But their instructor's sharp tongue and even sharper switch kept the trainees working the forms. Each one of the trainees looked an absolute mess, red faced, with their clothes so drenched in sweat that they looked like they had jumped into a pond. A pond! Sitting under a tree was nice, but swimming in the cooling waters of a pond would be a much better way to beat the heat. Moving sluggishly to his feet (for it was far too hot for effort), Jasen reluctantly picked up his sword, wincing as the dark materials hit his palm. Throwing his water skin over his shoulder, Jasen marched out of the protective shade, in search of aquatic relief.

 

He arrived at one of the small, man made ponds that dotted the Tower grounds. While not nearly as nice as the pools meant for the Aes Sedai to enjoy, it was merely a big hole in the ground filled with clear water, it was perfect for Jasen's purposes. He took off his shirt and boots, leaving his pants on as to not offend any wandering Aes Sedai, and jumped in. Light, but it was cool! All the heat and sweat and exhaustion flowed out of him as the water passed over his skin. He surfaced, grabbing a large breath before diving to the bottom of the pond. It was not deep, only half again as tall as he was, and the bottom was sandy and firm. Looking up, Jasen could see the light dancing on the surface of the water. And something else. Several shadows hovered over the bank of the pond, and in a flurry of bubbles Jasen surfaced to see who was waiting on the edge. When Jasen recognized who had joined him, he smiled. "Care for a swim?"