The Beaches are Closed (Rita/Sharaku)

She would shrug and laugh a little, “I think that’s the best plan. Just walk in there like you own the place and tell them straight out what you’re doing. They can’t get to you as long as you’re okay with it yourself.” That kind of logic made perfect sense. At least, it did to her. Maybe she was just crazy. She was almost shocked when Sharaku said he would race, “Okay, that just means I have to be faster than both of you.” She said and got into position, ready to take off. As soon as Rita said the word go, Naomi would vanish under the water again. She could swim, but she was a much faster swimmer when she was completely submerged. Or maybe she just felt faster. Point was, she could swim forward for a while before having to come back up for air. She could even see her way to the other end so long as she kept her eyes open. It may have caused them to burn a little, but it was what she was used to. At least it was clear water so she could see the other end. It wasn’t as if she was doing a traditional stroke. Mostly, it just looked as if she was crawling through the water with her hands and kicking with her legs to go faster.

Naomi would breach the water at the other end of the pool and take a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she had attempted to do that entire thing in one breath. She was pretty sure she almost drowned from the lack of oxygen. She didn’t even notice if anyone else was there once she came up. She was too busy trying to get air into her lungs. It was official: Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. As soon as she was back to normal, she would look around the finish line they had chosen to see who else was there. She noticed that Rita was already standing there, “That doesn’t surprise me. You’re an actual swimmer. I just learned by living on the islands for so long.” She was still pouting though. She was kind of hoping she would at least put up a formidable fight. Now she just felt like a weakling. Oh well. She was still a pretty good swimmer. She could be proud of that. Plus, no one could hold their breath like she could. Although, she would probably refrain from trying that stunt anymore. It actually made her chest hurt to hold her breath so long. Now she just had to look for the other one. When she noticed him, Sharaku was…

She would waved at Sharaku’s comment and sigh happily, “Well what did you expect. Unlike us, she’s an actual swimmer. Also, swimming is probably the best sport. It’s the only one where you don’t sweat after putting in a good workout.” That, or you just couldn’t tell you were sweating, “By the sounds and feel of it, we both need to work out a little more.” That idea made her groan. She was a lazy kind of person, in the end, so working out did not seem like a lot of fun to her. In fact, she was more into the idea of curling up on her bed and dozing off after all of this. After she took a nice long shower, of course. She would shake her head, politely turning down the offer to help her out of the water. She lifted herself using the edge of the pool to bring herself out of the water. She would stretch as she stood up straight. That’s when she would notice it, “Why the heck are you taller than me!?” She wouldn’t even try to hide her surprise, “You’re supposed to be the little sister. That means I should be taller.” She suddenly felt short, which she wasn’t. She was pretty average, but this made her feel out of place. Her cheeks would puff out as she tried to calm herself down. Was she really even the big sister out of these two?

She laughed and shrugged, “It’s the only sport I take part in, so it’s the best to me. Mostly because it doesn’t feel like a sport.” Best way to make her work was to make her think she wasn’t doing work. She would shake her head when Rita said Sharaku probably needed more rest, “I really don’t think that’s the problem.” She had to admit that he smelled of smoke. She knew that smell since it lingered in her old house for a while. He’s probably been smoking for so long that his lungs were permanently damaged. They at least weren’t expanding correctly. If he was lucky, that’s all that would be happening. She would look off to the side, “Actually, if I’m older it means I’ll stop growing sooner than you will. I’ll be pretty much the same height for the rest of my life. Until old age makes me shrink, that is.” She crossed her arms and sighed, “I still wish I was taller. It feels weird being the older sister when you’re shorter, “Fine. I guess it just means I can’t be the big sister…” Even though that’s what she was supposed to be. When Rita mentioned Naomi being more developed, she would blush and frantically wave her hands in the air to dismiss that thought, “That doesn’t mean anything. They’re honestly a bit of a pain, mostly in my lower back.” She often got back pain because of her… endowments. She was a little envious of Rita in that regard. That, and because she was taller, “Whatever. The point is we need to find Sharaku something to wear. Time to hit the stores before they all close. Oh, and I’ll give Rita my number while we’re changing. That way, you can reach your big sister.” She would almost sprint off toward the changing rooms so that they could get going. This was going to be fun.

{EXIT}