The girl offered a wonky smile, unable to help but a feel little embarassed. She was well in her way to having her own kingdom, and yet she couldnt swim and was scared - terrified - of water. Some ruler she'd turn out to be. Still, she figured they didnt know. Sage had it in his head that she was above him, and that was all, and Lizzie - well, it didnt matter, she just seemed please that there was someone else about. Right now though, she had people infront of har actually willing to help her learn a little, so she would just have to swallow her pride and accept it. "If you guys dont mind, that would be great." She murmured, giving a stiff, but grateful nod to the each of them.

Sage shrugged. "Hey, you probably saved my life," he admitted. "I think I can help you learn how to swim." He gave her a small smile. "Besides, being afraid of something isn't something to be afraid about. I'm claustrophobic, which seems really dumb considering I'm not even afraid of death at this point." He held his hand out to her. "Let's go waist deep and just stand there for now, alright. That's all. If you want to stop, tell me." He knew being afraid of things was not easy, and facing those fears was even worse. But he also knew that facing those fears made them better in the long run. Once she learned how to swim and gained confidence in the water, he was almost positive she wouldn't be very afraid of it anymore, if at all.

Anya took a short breath, giving the boy a nod. She took his hand before they started wading through the dark waters. The girl really hated eveything about it. The way she couldnt see what was benith her feet, how cold it was, and how she couldnt really see past her knees, or that the water seemed to make everything move ten times slower. That scared her the most. If she needed to get out fast, she simply wouldn't be able to. They soon came to a halt, standing a little over weist deep in the cool water. She let out a slightly shaky breath, one that she hadnt realised she was holding. It seemed silly. Her feet hadn't even left the ground yet, and she was already forgetting to breathe. She tried to relax herself a little, loosening her grip on Sage's hand, which had gotten progressively tighter as they walked. "You know," she murmured glancing up, her voice a little faint, "you said that you're hard to get on with," she reminded herselr to take another breath, "But I dont think that's true." She grumbled, forcing a small smile onto her worried face.

Sage chuckled. "You haven't seen me when I'm angry. When you met me I was too tired to give a damn about anything and we're having a pretty alright time tonight." He shrugged. "Liz is right, I do like you, you're somwone I can be comfortable with." He walked over so he was behind her. "Do you want to try floating? If not, that's ok, you've done more than enough. But I'll be right here holding you up if you choose to do it." He hoped she would ... The more she did the easier it would get. He noticed her uncomfortablloty with the slowness of everything, and knew that if she panicked he could scoop her up and hold her out of the water...it wasn't deep enough to stop him from doing that.

Anya gave him a questioning look. "Ah, so if you weren't exausted last night you would have chucked me out? I see how it is." She noted with a teasing chuckle. She really was grateful he opened the door to het the night before, or she would be wandering around brainlessly for another night, and we would be in the tavern working his ass off yet again. They were all having a good time aswell, or at least Anya thought they were. She hoped the hadn't spoilt their fun too much either. The company really was nice she didn't want to chase Sage, or his sister off. Anya looked a little concerned when he asked if she wanted to try floating, fearful she would just drop like a sack of bricks. Still, if he thought she could, then she would. He promised to be right there with her, and she trusted him enouth to do that. "Okay then. Just... please look after me." She pleaded, offering him a dim smile.

He smiled back at her hand hooked his arms under hers so he was holding her up but she could float whenever she was ready. "I'm still exhausted and we're having fun so that doesn't count," he chuckled. "But don't worry, I'm staying right by your side." Once she was up, he moved his arms so that one was supporting her back and the other was supporting her head, neck, and shoulders. He held them there for a minute before lowering them slowly until they were still under Anya but she was floating by herself. "See? You can do it," he chirped happily at her, giving her a big grin. "Humans are light and sqishy....we float easily." He was glad that Anya had decided to trust him enough for this. He really enjoyed being with her, and Lizzie being there with them was even more enjoyable.

The girl wabbled on her back, her breaths going short again. Frigid water surrounded her, sending chills down her back and making her go tense. It took a while, but once she acclimatised she finally started to relax, her breathing slowed, and she found it easier to brethe, all of which made things a little easier for her. She stared up at the sky watching the stars flicker softly to take her mind off the fact she really was terrified. The lake seemed to be a perfect reflection of the sky, making it look as though every movement she made sent ripples through hundreds of stars. It was like she was actually up there in the sky, flying. Her moments of peace were over all too soon though. She turned her head to say something, setting her whole body off balance. She flapped about for a second before finding her feet again of the lake floor. Her blue eyes perfectly bright, looking rather shellshocked. The girl was frozen for a short moment before looking at Sage crookedly, "I think thats enough for me today," Anya grumbled him. She offered a chuckle,grateful for his help. With time she was sure she would become more confidant, but deep water had always troubled her, so it could be a long time until that happened.

Sage chuckled and nodded, taking her hand and tugging her back in the direction of the bank. "I think so too. But hey, you did good out there." He scooped Lizzie up in his arms when they got back to the shallow water and she grinned widely and clapped at Anya. "Did you two have fun," she asked with a smile. Sage gave her a look and then shrugged. Lizzie wiggles around and he let go of her and she went to go search for cool rocks. Sage watched her for a minute before going back to the beach and sitting down to keep an eye on her. He suddenly found himself staring at the ground, wondering what had just happened. They had interacted together, which wasn't unusual per day, but they had treated each other like...almost equals. That seemed odd to him....their ranks were so different he should have still acted like he remembered that. He should have been more careful about what he said and did. They had gotten caught up in the moment, but what if she realized what had just happened after like he did? Lizzie talking was one thing....she was only eight. But he was old enough to not make that slip up.

Anya rang her hair out once they got back to the beach, quickly putting it into a loose plat. She settled against the bark of a tree, watching Lizzie run around happily. "I think she likes me," She noted with a chuckle, "A little at least." Anya could admit that Sage was right to think they were similar. She was sure that if they had met when Anya was little, they could have gotten on well. Anya took a glance over to the boy, only to see his eyes glued to the beach below them. The girl tilted her head curiously, wondering what he was thinking about. She had enjoyed herself. It seemed like Sage had too, but was she wrong? She supposed he had more to worry about than she did. She thought for a few moments before looking down. Nothing. "Has something happened?" The girl couldn't think of a thing. She was aware that he would be in trouble if something went wrong - and so was he. Did he think something happened?

He shook his head. "No. I just know my place," he muttered. "Lizzie and you definitely get along well. She likes you, a lot. She'll probably beg to come with me every day now," he chuckled slightly. He watched her run and play, wishing that he had that kind of mental freedom. He had never been able to play like that as a kid...it was always work and do everything right or get hit. He was glad she had that, and he hoped she could keep it. So far their dad liked her, but he had been getting worse and drinking more and more. He pushed those thoughts away because they were giving him a head ache. Lizzie ran over again and plopped her pile of rocks by his feet. "Sage, I know we don't have much money, but I'm really hungry," she whimpered. Sage looked up at her and sighed before tossing her a coin. "Go ahead and buy something," he told her with a smile. "We have enough " his smile dropped as he watched run off, wishing he could do more for her. He already gave her most of what they had, only taking enough for himself to keep him alive and healthy enough to push through work. But now that Anya was there, they would have more. The problem was, he didn't know how long this would last.