"Can I have one of the chocolate bars to calm my nerves?" Viola asked, staring at the vast pool, the largest and deepest and most terrifying pool she had ever stood in front of in her life. Her throat had gone completely dry.

Sebastian handed her one bar and then produced the swimsuit he had brought for her. "Wear this so your clothes and underwear don’t get soaked."

She took the bathing suit, a pink short and its matching top. Tucking the chocolate between her lips, she slowly began to remove her clothes and asked, "Is it safe to use the ability here? What if someone comes in?"

Sebastian was also pulling off his clothes to swim in his shorts. "No one comes to this part of the building. The pool has been forgotten for years." He stepped forward. "Let me get that for you." He reached around and unclipped her bra from behind so she could change into the one that came with the suit.

His eyes moved briefly to her bare nipples, which she made no attempt to hide, and Sebastian realized she had grown comfortable enough with him that she didn’t think twice about taking off her clothes. He felt warmth stir in his blood and settle in his loins, but he reined it in firmly. It wasn’t the right moment for pleasure.

He tied the strings of the bikini top behind her back and heard her say, "I am not very confident the creature will listen to me even if I try to summon it. I don’t actually know how to call it out." Her anxiety sat plainly on her face as she stepped out of her panties, and he helped her pull on the pink shorts after fastening the strings of the bikini top.

"When did you last see it?" he asked, standing now in just his boxer shorts and doing his best to keep his attention where it belonged and not on how sexy she looked in the pink bikini, with her hair tied in a ponytail, staring up at him and making him pleased that he was the only one seeing her like this.

"The last time was right before I was thrown into the electric pool. I haven’t seen it since then, but I think it tends to appear whenever I am near water or about to touch it." She put her clothes aside and positioned herself as far from the pool’s edge as she reasonably could, the dread of what was coming gnawing steadily at her stomach.

"Then we will find out whether it shows itself when I am present." Saying that, Sebastian dove cleanly into the pool, the water slapping outward on impact, and she instinctively stepped back as he cut through it. His head broke the surface a moment later, silver hair plastered flat over his face, and he swept it back from his eyes with one hand before beckoning to her.

"Come forward, sunshine." He swam to the edge and waited, and Viola began taking tiny, reluctant steps toward him. It was time she faced this. With Sebastian here, she told herself, he wouldn’t let her drown.

When she reached the edge and looked down at him in the water, her heart was hammering so hard it felt like it might come through her ribs, and the sight of the water rippling below her made her dizzy, until Sebastian’s voice cut through it.

"Look at me, love. Not the water. I will hold onto you no matter what. Give me your hands." He reached up toward her and she hesitated for just a moment before reaching back.

He closed his fingers around hers and gently coaxed her downward. Slowly and patiently he guided her until her legs were submerged, giving her time to adjust to that much before he reached to the side and dragged something forward, and Viola noticed it was a pair of bright orange inflatable armbands.

"These will keep you afloat." Sebastian said softly, slipping one over her upper arm and then the other, tightening each one carefully to make sure they sat snugly. His fingers lingered as he checked them, then he looked up into her eyes. "You are not going to drown with these on, and even without them, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I will be right here the entire time."

Viola looked down at the floaties hugging her arms and then back at him, some of the fear in her eyes loosening beneath the steadiness in his voice.

"Now come down to me." He didn’t pull her, he let her take that step herself.

Viola took a slow breath and scooted forward off the edge. She lowered herself into the water with a sharp gasp and immediately latched onto him as her feet found nothing solid beneath them.

"I think I am going to drown. Put me back up." She said, gripping his neck in a death grip that made Sebastian fairly certain she would drown him first if her panic didn’t ease.

"Relax," he murmured, brushing damp strands of hair from her face. "You have the armbands on and I am right here. You are not going to drown."

It took considerable coaxing before her breathing steadied enough for her fingers to loosen from his neck. Reluctantly, she allowed herself to lean back slightly, and discovered that the floaties did exactly what he said they would.

"See?" Sebastian said quietly. "The water is holding you."

"No," Viola corrected immediately. "The floaties are."

"They are helping. The rest is you." He told her, watching the fear still swimming behind her eyes.

She looked at him with open disbelief, feeling her body moving on its own without her permission.

"I don’t believe that."

"You don’t have to believe it yet. Your body will." He said, and slowly shifted until only one arm remained loosely at her waist, careful not to let her notice too quickly.

"Now move your legs."

"I don’t know how." Viola exclaimed in alarm.

"Neither did anyone before they learned. Try it."

Feeling slightly ridiculous, she gave a tiny, uncertain kick beneath the water.

"The other one." He said.

She obeyed, sending a small splash in his direction.

"Again."

She kicked a little harder.

"There you go." He encouraged.

"I look foolish." She murmured, embarrassment creeping in alongside the fear, particularly given that she reportedly had mermaid blood and couldn’t manage a basic kick in a pool.

"You do." He agreed.

She glared at him before deliberately splashing water directly into his face.

It hit him squarely and he didn’t even blink.

"So that’s your revenge?"

"You deserved it." She grumbled, still glaring.

"For encouraging you?"

"For agreeing that I look foolish."

"You said it yourself."

A reluctant laugh broke out of her and she swatted at his chest. "Because I feel foolish."

"There it is," he murmured with quiet satisfaction. "You can laugh in the water."

"I am still scared shitless." She admitted.

"I know." He said quietly.

"But... I don’t think I am quite as scared as before."

"Good." He loosened the arm at her waist a little more until his hand barely grazed her back.

Viola didn’t notice right away. She kept kicking her legs the way he had shown her, her focus fixed entirely on staying afloat.

It was only when she glanced down that she noticed and went completely still.

"...Sebastian." She cried out.

"Yes?"

"You let go."

"I am still touching you."

"No... you are barely touching me."

"Exactly."

Her eyes widened slowly as the realization settled over her, she was not sinking.

"I’m floating!" She exclaimed.

"You are."

"I am actually floating."

"You have been for almost a minute." He lifted his hand away entirely to show her.

She looked back at him, the astonishment on her face giving way slowly and beautifully to delight.

"I didn’t drown."

"I was fairly certain you wouldn’t."

Sebastian smiled warmly, relief moving through him that she had relaxed enough to move on to the next stage. Trying to coax her abilities out while she was in a panic would only make things worse. Right now he was putting himself in the water alongside whatever might surface from it and what her ability could do to him, but he didn’t mind. Not for her.

Unable to contain herself, Viola threw her arms around his neck and very nearly tipped them both under.

Sebastian caught them both with one arm, laughing softly against her wet hair.

"Easy, my darling. Celebrate after we have both survived the lesson. We still have a little way to go." He steadied her, then looked into her face. "Now, since you are floating, try to summon your water friend."