G: Deep underwater lies a mysterious cave. Rumored to be hidden inside are treasures... But they belonged to a deep sea dragon, with her kobold servants stationed inside to guard them.
One of the kobolds patrolled her assigned area, near the front of them. Normally, she doesn't need to worry much. It'd be foolish for adventurers to go so deep underwater...
L: But, such an adventurer is indeed around: A semi-aquatic chocobo wanders the cave, going deeper and deeper while taking careful note of the way back. With webbed feet and aquatically-adapted eyes, he has no need for any equipment, and while his hybrid nature didn't afford him gills, he can hold his breath long enough it hardly matters.
G: The kobold keeps an eye out, anyway... especially when she heard signs of movement, nearby. She's able to follow the sounds easily, swimming over by kicking her webbed feet and holding onto her spear tight, ready to attack.
L: Clueless as to what's in this cave, the chocobo continues on, feeling only a minor discomfort in his lungs as little bubbles trickle from his beak... Then, he freezes up as he sees the kobold, surprised to find anyone else in this cave, but unsure of her intentions...
G: She holds out her spear towards the Chocobo. "What are you doing here? If you're here for the treasure, I'm not letting you pa- Mmgbl..." She suddenly covers her snout as bubbles escaped. Seems like she can at least speak underwater... but not breathe it.
L: The chocobo quickly holds his wings up in surrender, having no idea how to fight in general much less underwater. "S-sorry, Ibl didn't knblow anything wblas hblere! I'm gonna jublst..." He realizes the kobold seems to need air... "Are you okblay?"
G: She looks up to the chocobo as he bubbled out his response... He doesn't seem hostile, at least. "...Mm... OK. I-I'll lead you out of here so you don't w-waste too much time." She offered, ignoring the burning in her lungs.
L: "I-I cabln find my wably out just fiblne... Oh, but you'd wablnt to be sure Ibl'm leaving... Okay, leblad the way." As much as he finds it odd that someone guarding an underwater cave isn't able to breathe underwater, he doesn't bring that up. At least for now.
G: It's strange... But her master can't, either. But they have their own access to air somewhere, if they're guarding inside. The way out is at least easy to get to, as it's the same way the chocobo went down. But on the way back, the kobold would stop and grab the bird's webbed talon. "Mmgh... S-Stop..." She angrily and rather desperately said, as she grabs some rope. Must be for some kind of trap...
L: Having not seen that rope on the way in, the chocobo nervously waits, knowing it's not going to end well if he tries to just run away while the kobold is busy with whatever this is.
G: She wraps it around his talon before swimming off. was this a trick?
She sneaks off into a hidden tunnel, covered by a fake wall... Behind it is an air pocket, which she greedily surfaces in and takes deep gasps. "GAHH... Hhaah... hah... hah... HUAAAHP!" The kobold soon dives back down and swims for the chocobo again, with her refilled lungs. "OK. Let's keep going." She said as she freed the swimming bird.
L: The chocobo is even more nervous at first, but figures he can just bite through the rop if he has to. He's relieved when the kobold returns, but now has a look of confusion on his face as he follows her. "Why arble you guarding abln underwater plblace if you cabln't breathe water?"
G: The kobold leads the way once again. She stays silent for a while, though. "...L-Listen... I... don't know if I can say why we do, honestly. We did try a place near shore, though. That's all I'll say..."
L: "I guess thble reason must ble a pretty goblod one... I'm not goblnna bother trying tblo convince you tblo explain more than thblat."
G: She nods in response. The chocobo does seem nice... "We don't need air for a while. Don't worry about us."
L: "Yeah, you must albl be pretty good at hblolding your breath. I canbl't imagine the air poblcket we passed was thble only one, toblo." All the talking is making the chocobo feel more of an urge to breathe over time, but he's still calm for now.
G: As she swims, she does wonder... "You've been talking a lot. You doing alright, yourself?" The kobold said. Strange how friendly she is... despite antagonizing the bird, earlier.
L: "Could use abl breath, but I'm fine, Ibl'm good at hblolding it. Mablybe got about... 6 miblnutes, before I really start having issues. 15 ibls my record."
G: "My record... maybe an hour. But 45 minutes and it starts hurting. And it can get really bad."
L: The chocobo looks over in shock. "THAT loblng!? Man, I'd loblve to be able tblo hblold my breath thblat long! Is that jublst hblow you are, or dibld something make you liblke this?" He very much hopes it's not just a natural ability...
G: "It's... a strange combination of the two... I think we can normally last... 15 minutes? But we had to adapt to the depths quickly, and our master helped..." She does wonder if she's saying too much. But it shouldn't backfire. This chocobo's nice, despite her keeping him tied on a rope.
L: "Then I wablnt to meet them! Ibl promise I won't tablke anything, all I wablnt is to get to hblold my breath liblke you!"
G: "I'll... have to see..."
Soon they reach the exit. "I... I'll have to ask her, myself. Wait here for a bit, OK?" She swims up, seemingly over the cave they were just in...
L: Despite the rocky start between the two, the kobold is growing on the chocobo. He nods, and waits where he is, slowly sinking to stand on the bottom. He plans to wait for another 4 minutes before he'll go up to breathe...
G: It does take a while... Almost four minutes later, the kobold does come back. "Sorry for the wait, but I did check with her. It should be fine if you come with me. Though I won't hesitate to spear you if you go back on your word."
L: By the time she'd returned, the chocobo has a wing covering his beak, having trouble holding his breath. But, he moves his wing to talk with a nervous smile. "G-great... B-but Ibl need air first..." He starts swimming up, but with the rope around his talon, the kobold would be able to stop him if she wanted...
G: She did forget to completely untie it...
Admittedly... she does enjoy seeing air breathers squirm... Especially seeing her friends desperate for it.
So she quickly holds onto the rope and drags him back down, smiling.
L: "Mm!" The chocobo briefly covers his beak again as he looks at the kobold. "...J-just... B-bribling me to that aiblr pocket..." He's starting to get a slight purple blush now, and while he wants to escape and bolt for the surface... He stays with the kobold, wondering if this might be some kind of test.
G: She smiles and brings him back down, forcing him to stay. "Mm... I'll think about it. For now, keep those talons on the ground." She teases by nuzzling the bird's chest.
L: As requested, the chocobo walks instead of swimming, keeping his beak covered and conserving his air by not talking. The nuzzle makes him squirm a little, and he lets out a muffled whine.
G: She sinks down, as well, touching her webbed feet to the ground with a smile...
She waits for a little longer... then when the chocobo is about to burst... she goes in for an air kiss.
L: The chocobo eventually stops, shivering all over as his blush turns blue and bubbles leak through the feathers of his wings, his eyes shut tight... Then going wide at the sudden kiss! While he doesn't realize it's an air kiss at first, he quickly has no choice but to inhale, gasping heavily from the kobold's lungs.
G: She shares a good amount to fill his lungs, pulling away and smiling. "Guess I forgot to say we... tend to push each other a bit." The kobold says before continuing into the cave. She simply walks.
L: "...Well, yoblu don't get to abl record of an hoblur without really publshing your limit. Wilblingly or not." Calm again, the chocobo's wings go back to their resting position as he keeps following the kobold.
G: At least they can take it rather slow... But she does eventually start swimming, kicking her webbed claws through, all while keeping an eye on the chocobo.
L: The chocobo seems fine as the two continue on, still just walking for now and happy to go deeper into the cave than he had before he'd first met the kobold.
G: Thankfully, she knows the way to the back, and is able to get through without running into the other guards.
L: Over time, the chocobo is slowly feeling a need to breathe again, but he stays calm, prepared to push himself if that's what it ends up taking for him to meet whoever the kobold's master is.
G: Soon, they would find the master. A dragon that's... only slightly taller than the chocobo, in terms of standing on all of her fours. She looks over to see the two. "So is this the one who asked to meet me?"
L: The chocobo is stunned at first, this likely being his first time meeting a dragon... But, he bows after a moment. "Hbl-hbli, um... I've hbleard you somehblow make these koblolds able to hblold their breath a reblally long tiblme, and I'd really liblke that myself, iblf that's okay..."
G: The dragon nods simply as she swims to grab a crystal. "I can tell I can trust you just by looking. I'll help you... However..."
As the dragon spoke, the kobold would hold the chocobo's wing, as if knowing what will happen.
"...Mm... You'll... need to drown for this..." The dragon said...
L: There's a pause as the chocobo thinks about it. Even though it hasn't been long since he'd met these people, he feels good about them, but he does worry it might be some kind of trick... But, the chance to get so good at holding his breath, to be able to explore underwater so much more on a single breath, is too enticing.
He nods to the dragon. "I'll do iblt."
G: The dragon nods. "OK... Here... Mm..." And she gives the chocobo a crystal. It glows and floats near the bird.
The kobold smiles. "I'm with you. It'll be fine." She swims onto the bird's back and whispers. "Not only will I drown with you... but I think we have someone else willing to drown, too..."
L: The chocobo looks up at the crystal, then the kobold. "Whblo's going to be dobling this with ubls? The only othbler person hblere is the dragon... Unbless you mean..." He looks at the dragon.
G: As the kobold bubbles out as she nuzzles the chocobo, the dragon would... clearly shake and tremble.
...a deep blue shines among the light blue scales of the dragon, covering her own snout with a webbed claw of her own. "Mmm..."
L: "...Well, if yoblu really want to, Ibl don't mind." The chocobo nuzzles the kobold back, smiling. "I wonder iblf we're all goblnna start drowning ablt about the same tiblme..."
G: All they can really do is wait... The kobold struggles alongside the dragon, but she stays with the chocobo, nuzzling against his neck.
L: The chocobo walks to the dragon, nuzzling both her and the kobold to try to help them stay calm despite what's going to be coming.
G: The two smile and nuzzle the bird, even though the breathless experience wasn't new to them. Their chests start to heave quite a bit...
L: While he's briefly tempted to partly exhale so he'll be on the same level of breath as the others, the chocobo keeps his air in, knowing they'll both be in this state for a lot longer than he will. He sits down to relax, waiting for his struggles to start as his urge to breathe very slowly increases.
G: The two struggle, looking to see the chocobo somehow still alright. They must've used so much air, already... but then the dragon struggles and takes the first breath!
The kobold shakes her head, avoiding to take another gasp
L: "O-oh, thought you stblill hblad a while loblnger!" The chocobo exhales a cloud of bubbles, completely emptying his lungs. He'd normally never even consider doing that so deep underwater... But he wonders if at least the kobold might be able to help him through his first ever drowning, if he gets to it soon enough.
G: The kobold smiles in a teasing way, watching as the dragon gasps water. She's... surprisingly calm as this happened, the dragon slowly breathing water as if it were air.
Of course, it isn't. She's still an air breather by the end of the day...
The kobold does stay on the chocobo to keep him company, whining as her own lungs cry for air.
L: The chocobo is very much impressed by the dragon's ability to keep her composure despite drowning... He nuzzles the kobold to try to help her stay calm as well, while his own urge to breathe is now much more quickly becoming an issue as he whines a little bit himself.
G: The kobold smiles, whimpering cutely and nuzzling some more as she starts losing her own composure. "Mm... Mmf..."
L: Over time, the chocobo starts squirming in place, flexing his toes as his chest heaves more and more. Without air in his lungs, he's rapidly running out of breath, but he's doing his best to keep holding on...
G: The kobold smiles weakly, whining and crying for breath. "Mm... Mm..." How much longer will he last, she wonders...?
L: Likely not a whole lot longer, as he whimpers before covering his beak with his wings again. A purple blush forms on his face as tiny bubbles trickle away and he starts to shiver a little again.
G: The kobold's face is already blue, shaking her head and whining cutely. "Mm... Mmgblbl..." She starts flapping with one arm cutely, desperately wanting a breath. But she doesn't wanna leave.
L: Soon, the chocobo starts kicking about as his blush turns blue, constantly whining and whimpering as he worries about how drowning is going to feel, his lungs intensely burning in what's clearly the last seconds of his breath hold.
G: But the kobold would gasp in water before the bird, gripping her neck and bubbling out in pain! She does look cute, though... Kicking and struggling, looking up, longing for the surface...
L: The chocobo frantically tries to swim up, uncovering his beak in the process... He quickly bumps his head against the ceiling, reflexively gasping and starting to choke, thrashing in the water and letting out gurgled squawks!
G: The kobold and dragon each grab one of his talons and smiled as they watch the bird drown, even if they're burning through their breathless endurance, too. Their gasps began to slow, and they would sink to the ground, limp.
L: Trying his best to calm down, the chocobo pants at the water as his blue blush spreads over his face. He's still coughing, but not quite as much as he begins to sink back down.
G: The two draconic figures couldn't stay awake much longer, sadly. Eventually they faded to sleep, the kobold cuddling close as best as she could before she succumbed.
L: As he weakens, it slowly occurs to the chocobo just how long the kobold and dragon were able to handle drowning... He wonders whether he'll be able to do that himself, as his breathing slows and he starts having a little bit of trouble staying awake.
G: Only way to find out is to... well, drown again. The two dragonkin are rather adorable when drowned...
L: The chocobo manages to hold on for another 20 or so seconds thanks to his semi-aquatic nature, slowly and weakly breathing water, before his head and eyelids droop and his body has gone mostly numb... Cuddling up to both the kobold and dragon, he lets his eyes close, releasing his hold on his consciousness and finally passing out with the two...
G: After a while, though, the dragon and the kobold would wake up, looking over to the chocobo. The crystal he was given wasn't there, anymore...
L: Soon, the chocobo stirs as well, his previously yellow feathers now having a blue tint. There's a brief moment where bubbles pour from his beak, before he quickly comes to full awareness, covering his beak... Then looking over the different color his body had become. "Woah... Does this mean it did it?" He's even able to talk fully clearly, as well.
G: The two dragons smile and nod, the kobold swimming over. "Sorry, but I'm sure you enjoyed that drowning a bit..." She laughs a few bubbles.
L: The chocobo blushes. "...A-a little bit, yeah. Once the choking stopped and I was just breathing... It did feel weirdly good."
G: The dragon smiles at the two. "You're at least like us in the water." She puts a webbed claw near the ceiling, where a big hole is.
...it wasn't there before they drowned, was it? At least, not to the Chocobo.
L: "Wait, that hole there..." He gestures to it. "Was that there before I drowned? I'm pretty sure I would've noticed it if it was."
G: "It... Well, it was. You couldn't see or go through it without that magic crystal, however." The dragon winks. "At least with this, I can head up when I need to for air... if I want to, of course."
L: "Cool! Does seem like the crystal is used up now, unless you put it away while I was out... I don't really feel different, but I'm at least able to talk completely clearly now."
G: The kobold smiles and nuzzles. "It's... kind of like it was absorbed into you?"
"It did, with the power of the crystal and my own. And... maybe a little gasp of water."
L: "Interesting how you need to drown for it to work... But I'm glad it was with you two, I don't think I would've enjoyed that nearly as much on my own."
G: The two smile. "You're always welcome to come by, now." The dragon spoke while the kobold cuddled with the bird.
L: "This definitely won't be my only time coming here!" The chocobo nuzzles the kobold back, letting out some bubbles with a happy chirp.
G: The kobold smiles, exhaling a few bubbles of her own.
L: The chocobo looks over at the dragon. "Thanks so much for this! If there's anything you want me to do in return, just ask!"
G: The dragon smiles. "I'll make sure to remember that. Actually, if I remember correctly, you can quickly transport others, right?"
L: "Yeah, and I like doing that too. Never done it underwater, though. But anyway, are you wanting me to bring someone somewhere?"
G: "There's an underwater city nearby. Usually I send a kobold there with some crystals in exchange for the weapons and other items we need to use. Our air pockets need to be refreshed, soon, and the cave plants can only give so much air before needing to be replanted. Can you two grab some, real quick?"
L: "Sure, I can help! Good thing I've had some practice with running underwater... I bet we can get there and back on just one breath!"
G: The dragon smiles. "Good luck on that, then."
The kobold nuzzles and gets on. "Let's test that lung capacity, then."
L: "Alright, let's go!" The chocobo starts running back out of the cave with the kobold, able to remember the way outside this time.
G: The kobold holds onto him as they head back out of the cave. "Alright. Um... How can I lead the way for you without slowing you down?"
L: "All you've got to do is just point me in the right direction, and I'll handle it. Make sure to correct me if I start going the wrong way after that, as well."
G: "OK." She nods and holds on, pointing in one direction. "It's a long swim, normally. It'll be tough to go on one breath. But I trust you."
L: "We can always swim up if we need to... But like I said, I want to see if I can do this without surfacing. Anyway, off we go!" The chocobo takes off running along the seabed at an impressive speed, kicking up a small cloud of sand with each step.
G: She holds on tight, surprised by how fast the chocobo is going! "W-wblblboah!!!" She exhaled bubbles, before attempting to hold back on losing air!
L: "Oh, and let me know if it's TOO fast, I don't mind slowing down! Just figured we should go quick!"
G: She shook her head, keeping a hold of her. "It's fine! Just a surprise!" It's a bit before they could see some out of place structures in the ocean.
L: "That must be the city up ahead... Man, that crystal's such a huge help, I hardly feel a thing yet!"
G: "And I'm surprised by how quickly I can see the city! Normally we would probably need air, at this point."
L: "Wonder what the city's gonna be like... Never even HEARD of an underwater city before, much less been to one."
G: "It's hard to get here, for many. I guess you don't live around this area to be able to go this far, normally."
L: "Yeah, I don't typically go this far out to sea, I've always been worried about potentially getting lost... But, you know the way back to the cave, so it's fine."
G: "Exactly. I've been down this path a few times, so I can help with that."
L: "Wonder how long it's gonna take whoever's there to get our order ready... Kinda hope it'll be a while, just not TOO long."
G: "Shouldn't be too long, once we get there." She's still surprised by how quickly they went from the cave to here.
L: "Yeah, and I think it'll just be a couple more minutes before we're in the city..."
G: "How are you feeling, so far? You traveled quickly in such a short period, so I can't help but worry..."
L: "I'm only a little tired, nothing to worry about. Chocobos can run pretty far before it's really an issue."
G: "It's more worrying underwater. But I trust you." She nods in response, still holding close.
L: "I've done a lot of underwater running before, I'm used to this. Certainly not used to going this far in one breath though, this is way past my record!"
G: "Guess that means your new lung capacity is kicking in, already! mm..." She covers her mouth. "Sorry, I did bubble quite a lot from the sudden speed."
L: "Keep a good hold there, I want to see if you can manage this in one breath too... But if you want to go breathe, I don't mind doing this challenge solo."
G: "I'm fine. Don't need air." She doesn't want to give in so easily, smiling as she held on.
L: The chocobo nods, and looks ahead as he continues running along the seabed, only barely showing any need to breathe.
G: The kobold simply holds on until the reach the city. She's still amazed by how fast they got here, but going quickly through here would be a bad idea. It's surprisingly a little crowded...
L: Slowing down, the chocobo looks around in wonder, ignoring his need to breathe even as his chest gives a first heave. "Woah, this is so cool!"
G: The kobold's chest is heaving at a slow rhythm, shaking her head to ignore it before jumping off the bird to walk alongisde him. "Mm... I think the store should be... that way."
L: "Glad you know where it is, there's no way I'd find it on my own..." The chocobo follows the kobold's lead.
G: She smiles with her puffed-out cheeks, showing a reddish hue on them. She kept on going, though, heading through the city to find the shop needed.
L: With his own cheeks puffed and reddish as well, the chocobo tries to distract himself from his need to breathe by continuing to look around as he follows.
G: She normally isn't this low on breath when she gets here... She at least surfaces before going in.
Throughout the area are a lot of unique aquatic species like mers of all kinds...
As they arrive at the building she looked for, she would bubble in worry as she saw the sign on it.
"WE'VE MOVED"
L: "Ah jeez, this is gonna be a pain... Any idea where they could've gone?"
G: The sign had an address on it, and she reads it. "...mgbl... I think it's... that way?" She points, heading over in a different direction.
L: "Okay... I-I'm gonna keep trying to have this be on just one breath, but this isn't gonna be easy..." He follows the kobold.
G: "Mm... M-Me, too... Not giving up, yet." She smiles as she heads down the path. Though bubbles kept escaping her grasp every so often.
L: At this point, there's occasional grunting from the chocobo as his strain gradually gets more obvious, but it's clear he still has a long time.
G: The kobold smiles, but whimpers more as her lungs empty further. She enters a building, seeing it as the one they're looking for.
L: Following her in, the chocobo tries his best to hide his urge to breathe. "H-hello? We're here for... Th-the usual?" He's not quite sure what to ask for, but trusts that the kobold will.
G: The kobold swims inside, ignoring the heaves in her chest as she looks up. "Yes. H-Here for the o-order of the cave plants..." She brings the crystals to the desk.
"Right. I'll get on that." The clownfish shopkeeper said before he swam back to retrieve the order.
L: "Th-this must not be your f-first time coming here this low on b-breath..."
G: "N-Not really, no... S-Sometimes a t-turtle runs this p-place... Sometimes, he'll be j-just as low on air... and... Mm..."
L: The chocobo rubs a wing on the kobold's chest, trying to help her keep calm. "H-hang in there... W-we're gonna cut it close, b-but I think we can do this..."
G: "Mm... Mm..." She looks up and nods, but is clearly faring worse on her need to breathe. "Mm... Mgbl..." How much longer does she need to wait? And can the chocobo make it back on his breath?
L: While he's not about to admit it, he's not entirely sure he'll make the trip back on this one breath... But, he's still determined to try, despite his heaving chest and a brief little whine.
G: The clownfish comes back with a few bags. "Here you go. You... two look stressed... Um, need some air?"
L: "...Y-yes, but we're gonna be fine, d-don't worry about us. W-we're challenging ourselves."
G: The goldfish smiles. He's used to seeing a sight like this. "Guess you'd better run back quickly."
The kobold holds onto the bag and the chocobo, ready to rush back. "Mm... OK... Gbl..."
L: "A-alright, we gotta get going... Mmnh..." The chocobo heads out of the store with the kobold.
G: "G-Go back... now..." The kobold begs, holding tight as she leads the way out of the city. "Mmgbl..."
L: Once there's enough room he won't have to worry about hitting anything, the chocobo takes off running like earlier, a nervous and strained look on his face as his lungs just begin to burn.
G: Her own lungs cry out for air, bubbles escaping her grasp! But she holds on tight, cuddling onto the bird.
L: Slowly, a purple blush is forming on his face as little bubbles trickle away. He briefly considers giving up the challenge, but decides to keep going longer.
G: The kobold refuses to give up. She's been pushed before, so she can handle the harsh heaves against her chest! "Mgbl... Mmf..."
L: The chocobo eventually presses a wing to his beak to hold it shut, whining as his constantly heaving chest feels worse and worse.
G: The kobold cries out again, difficult to stay focused and calmed. "Mmgbl... Blbl..." And it's still a long ways to the cave.
L: Eventually, the chocobo's other wing goes to his now trembling beak as well, his whole body beginning to subtly shiver from how badly he needs to breathe.
G: At this point, the kobold almost abandoned the bird, clamping her snout shut and painfully gurgling. "Mm... MMGBL!!!!"
L: "H-hang in there... G-grblrblp... W-we can make it!" As much as he's unsure of that, he's willing to push himself even farther than this...
G: Her cheeks turn a deep blue. With her accidentally wasted air earlier, she's closer to gasping water.
L: The chocobo's face is turning a little more blue than what's now normal for him as well, and the bubble stream from him is getting a bit thicker as he keeps running.
G: She looks ahead to see how close they are to the cave... though they'll need to go deeper underwater to head back to the cave! Her lungs are close to empty, the bubbles from her lungs slowing to a halt!
L: Since he's bigger, the chocobo is still bubbling, running toward the cave entrance... He's fighting his urge to breathe with pretty much everything he has at this point.
G: Hopefully he remembers the way through... Though now he can use the air pockets that were hidden via magic.
L: Despite his state, he doesn't seem satisfied with just reaching the cave, running through and trying to ignore the air he can now see... But, he's clearly at his limit now.
G: She holds onto him, then... but she would give in and take a deep gasp of water, causing kicks and struggles for breath! "Mgblbl!!!"
L: The chocobo pauses for a moment as his bubbles stop, before he gasps as well, thrashing about as he drowns! But, seconds into it, he focuses and resumes running, even his choking not stopping him from trying to finish the challenge he'd started.
G: Her eyes widened as she sees the chocobo somehow willing his way through the cave! Desperately, she holds on, trying to stay awake. "Hh... Hh... H-How... m-much... further..."
L: "Sh...Sh-should be... S-soon..." Panting water, he keeps running, having a pained but determined expression.
G: She wants air, but she also doesn't want to leave the chocobo! But she'd growing weaker by the second, and everything eventually goes black for her!
L: Even as the chocobo weakens, he keeps going, eventually just awkwardly walking as he struggles to stay awake... But, his does manage to get back to the dragon's room, blearily looking at her. "Dih...D-did it...glurgl..."
G: The dragon exhales a few bubbles as she sees the barely conscious bird and the unconscious kobold, smiling and laughing as she takes the bag. "You did quite well... Did you even take a breath since you left?"
L: The chocobo slowly shakes his head. "N-not of air... J-just... W...water..." He hiccups a little, his flooded body still trying to force out the water in him.
G: The dragon bubbles and laughs a bit. "Just barely made it... Maybe you need a rest after that long sprint."
L: "Y-yeah... I...I..." He's not able to finish, collapsing onto the floor as his breaths of water slow down, just seconds away from passing out.
G: The dragon lightly pets him and the kobold, pulling them in and curling around the two.
L: With the last of his strength, the drowned chocobo gives the dragon a weak smile, before his eyes close as he finally falls unconscious.
G: The dragon smiles and simply cuddles them, waiting for them to wake...
The kobold would be the first to, shaking a little before looking up to see the dragon in surprise.
L: About half a minute later, the chocobo wakes as well, getting his bearings for a moment before smiling. "Kind of can't believe I actually made it..."
G: The kobold smiles and nuzzles the chocobo. "Wish I did... Unfortunately I couldn't..."
L: He nuzzles her back. "My mind was kind blurry at the end there, but I'm pretty sure you got really close. Think we were about halfway through the cave when I noticed you'd stopped moving."
G: "I... I definitely thought we were close... We at least made it to the caves." She looks to the dragon, who appears to be asleep. "If only I can last as long as she can."
L: "I wonder if she even got a single breath while we were out... I bet with enough practice we'll be able to reach her level, or at least close to it."
G: She shakes her head. "Might take a while. She can go days without one."
L: "D-days? O-okay, yeah, that's probably not gonna happen for us... Maybe, I guess, but I doubt it."
G: The kobold smiles. "We're trying, but dragons live a long time, so who knows?"
L: "Yeah, she's probably got decades of practice, if not more... I'd at least like to get to the point I can sleep underwater."
G: "We need to try that, some time... At least practice a lot."
L: "It'll definitely take a long time to manage that... Anyway, I should probably get air in me before I end up drowning for a third time on this dive." The chocobo starts swimming up to the air pocket in the roof.
G: The kobold knew that they could stay for a little longer. So she teases him once more and grabs onto his talon.
L: The chocobo stops and smiles down at her, playfully struggling a little in her grip.
G: She smiles and swims out of the dragon's grasp, bringing the chocobo with her.
L: Letting her do so, the chocobo chirps out a few bubbles as he wonders what the kobold has planned.
G: She didn't really have anything specific planned... She just wanted him to not breathe. Not yet...
L: Regardless, the chocobo doesn't fight back. "Guess I can stay longer, especially since drowning doesn't seem to be able to really hurt me any more."
G: She smiles and nods. "I think it'll be fine if you stay here longer. You don't have to, of course, but it's nice to have you as company."
L: "I will, yeah! You and the dragon are pretty cool, and I bet the other guards are too!"
G: "They might warm up to you. it'll be cute to have a contest all together."
L: "Oh, yeah, it'd be cool for all of us to have one together sometime!"
G: "It would be. And nobody would get to breathe, of course." She winks, still playfully teasing the chocobo.
L: "That's gonna be a lot of fun, all of us holding on as long as we can before we eventually drown..." He smiles and winks back.
G: She smiles. "It might be difficult to pull together. Maybe we'll eventually do it."
L: "The dragon could probably help plan it, we should ask her when she wakes up."
G: "We'll see. She might just be tired, though. Might have to wait a little longer."
L: "Yeah, she did drown today... We'll give her some time to relax again first."
G: She smiles and swims away from her, holding the chocobo's wing.
L: He follows after the kobold, smiling and blowing a few bubbles.
G: She wonders what else they could do together, at least while they wait... She looks to the chocobo curiously.
L: The chocobo is looking at the other guards they pass as they wander through the cave together, and trying to familiarize himself with the cave's layout as well.
G: The kobolds smile and wave at the chocobo, having heard about their new friend from the female kobold the chocobo's already friends with. Some did seem hesitant to trust him, though...
L: While he notes that some kobolds don't seem too keen about him yet, the chocobo hopes he'll be able to win them over fairly soon.
G: It should be, especially since the kobold leading him around is friendly around him. Though she's also making sure he doesn't go find an air pocket...
L: Getting the feeling she's leading him to something, but unsure what that is or whether it's even the case, the chocobo keeps following his kobold friend around the cave.
G: She isn't leading him to anywhere. Well, not anything specific.
Currently it's a calm time, so it's safe to leave the caves unoccupied for a bit... She swims outside and smiles.
L: The chocobo follows her out. "Hopefully I'll be able to remember the way back to the cave on my own when I leave..."
G: "I hope so, too... It was nice to be with you, if you do decide to leave." she bubbles and sits down.
L: "Oh, it wouldn't be forever, don't worry! I've got the whole ocean to explore now that I don't have to worry about drowning, but I'll definitely visit here every now and then!" He sits next to her, smiling at her.
G: She smiles and cuddles with him. "Maybe I can come with you, every so often. Well, if the ocean wasn't so dangerous, and all, and we didn't have to worry about our master..."
L: "You're worried about her? What could possibly be any kind of issue for a dragon?"
G: "She's not a fighter. Her water magic isn't for attacking, and she's a sitting duck. Plus, rumors of dragons and the riches they usually hide..."
L: "Right, that makes sense, that'll be why she has you kobolds... Hope no one bad happens across the cave, then."
G: "Don't worry. We'll make sure she is safe."
L: "Yeah, I bet you all will. Can't imagine it's easy to fight underwater, but I doubt that'd be much of an issue."
G: "We practice a little. Gotta make sure our lungs are filled enough for when people start fighting. And if not, fight through the need as much as possible. Mm..." She feels a light burn in her chest, already.
L: "You've probably had to practice while being in the middle of drowning, too... Can't say I'd really be a fan of that."
G: "It's extremely difficult..." She smiles. "But I'm good at keeping myself together when needing air."
L: "I'll probably get good at staying fairly calm when out of breath too eventually... It's definitely gonna take a while though, I can tell. Gonna have to get used to remembering that drowning won't really hurt me..."
G: "If you're nearby, I'll remind you quite often." She swims in front of him, bubbling cutely. "It'll be fun to just drown together."
L: "It does feel kinda nice once the choking stops... And I do want some practice with staying awake longer once I'm flooded, so I think it'd be good to do that with you if you'd be up for it sometime."
G: "Sure. I'd be willing to help a fellow diver practice. Even if that means holding you down."
L: "I wouldn't mind being held down... I'm already feeling a need to breathe, with how much talking we've been doing."
G: "Oh, same for you, too, huh?" She smiles, a small pink blush forming.
L: "Yeah, getting there, but it's still gonna be a while... Want me to exhale some and speed this up?" The chocobo's blushing a little from strain as well.
G: The kobold smiles, lightly swimming a few circles around the bird.. "That does sound fun... Go ahead." She said as she exhaled some bubbles of her own.
L: With a nod, the chocobo opens his beak and starts exhaling. A column of bubbles rises from him as he waits for either the kobold to tell him to stop or his lungs to entirely empty.
G: Eventually she stops the chocobo, her own chest heaving a lot as her cheeks turn purple. "Mmfh... Th-That should be good..."
L: The chocobo holds in what air he has left, now straining quite a bit himself. "Sh-shouldn't be long from here... D-don't think I'm ever gonna get used to drowning on purpose..."
G: She smiles and holds his wing, lightly kicking and bubbling as her chest keeps heaving. "Mm... Mm..."
L: Despite his strain, the chocobo smiles back, bubbles trickling from his beak. He normally would've been covering his beak by this point, but he's trying not to this time.
G: She tries to avoid swimming back for air, or holding her mouth closed. But she's so ready to gasp water with him once more. Eventually... she gives in and takes in a long, deep gasp.
L: Not long after, the chocobo briefly sucks in as well before starting to choke, doing everything he can to keep himself from swimming up as he continually gasps down water.
G: She helps out by holding his talon, watching the bird squirm as she keeps gasping in water.
L: He tries to smile at her as he tightly grips her hand, but can't focus past his attempted breaths of water as his face turns a deep blue once again.
G: She manages to hold onto his wing lightly, but her focus is slowly fading as they kept breathing. Her own face has a deep blue, too, her breaths slowling down.
L: Slowly, the chocobo becomes able to focus again, still coughing some as he breathes water. He actually manages the smile now, feeling a pleasant dizziness in his head.
G: She cuddles up before closing her eyes, panting deeply in the water.
L: He slowly pets her with his wings, one last cough forcing out his last bubble before he's just quickly breathing the water.
G: The kobold sleeps cutely as she continues slowly breathing water.
L: With a few little hiccups, the chocobo follows suit, not having the determination to force himself to stay awake like last time as he goes limp and unconscious.
G: After a while, they once again woke up, still outside the cave like last time. The kobold smiles as she looks over to the chocobo.
L: Slowly coming to from his third drowning in a row, the chocobo instinctively holds his breath this time, groggily smiling at the kobold. "I'm gonna end up growing gills at this rate, heh..."
G: She laughs a little. "I drowned a few times, and I tried, trust me." The kobold jokes as she nuzzles the bird.
L: "Maybe someday..." The chocobo nuzzles her back with a bubbly chirp, then he stands up again and stretches.
G: She gave a cute little squeak. "I suppose you'll be heading out, now?"
L: "Yeah, I do kinda have to go back to shore. But I'll definitely be back sometime, don't worry!"
G: She looks a bit sad, but nods. "I'll be happy to see you, again! Better be prepared to stay for a looooong while, though!"
L: "Yep, I doubt I'm gonna be surfacing from my next dive here before I've drowned at least once!"
G: She smiles and hugs him some more. "That's a promise! I can't wait, then!" She lets out a few bubbles excitingly.
L: The chocobo hugs her back and happily blows some bubbles as well. "Bet we're both gonna be able to hold our breath way longer by then!"
G: "I'll practice just for you!" The female kobold smiles. "I should head back to my post, for now. I'll see you next time!" She waves bye before grabbing her spear and swimming back inside.
L: He waves back, then swims to the surface and finally gasps air for the first time in what had likely been almost 2 hours. Smiling, he swims back toward the distant shore.
![[RP LOG] A rescue and a rivalry](https://va.ib.metapix.net/images80/overlays/writing.png "[RP LOG] A rescue and a rivalry"){kind=small}
