What Makes A Home [Cala/Saiko]

Cala would smile softly at Saiko, eagerness and timidity creating a tingling well of emotion in their chest, and nod as Saiko gave her go-ahead to spring their surprise. Gently lacing their fingers with her own Cala would nod and, determined to make this a wonderful day for them both, would begin to scamper with Saiko down to the waterfront. To the piers and docks, the gift shops and jet-ski rentals. A hub of activity for those wanting to enjoy the ocean and the unique opportunities it presented.

Cala, however, had something very specific in mind and smiled as they came across a building that seemed to be advertising what they were after. Something they did not doubt Saiko would really enjoy with how she loved nature and experiencing tranquil, beautiful moments. Guided scuba tours, swimming with marine life, dolphins and the like, and exploring coral reefs. That was what Cala's idea was and, turning back to face Saiko, Cala would point to it and smile sheepishly.

"Th-That is what I was.... thinking we could do? Ummm...."

Cala then ran into the obvious line of thinking that in order for them to do such a thing they would need bathing suits and, rather pointedly, Cala looked at Saiko's body and her own rather swim-suit like attire. Pursing their lips as they blushed and quickly raised their eyes to Saiko's squeezing her hands, and biting their lip.

"E-Except.... I can't s-swim..... so... I-I mean I wouldn't wanna go just to bother you a-and I would need help.... umm... p-picking.... a.... a bathing... suit...."

Cala was cherry red by the time they were done speaking, their stomach a sparking, popping mess of warm, horribly potent emotion as they tried their best to be brave with Saiko, to recommend something new for them both to experience.

Seeing more of the city was nice as Cala guided Saiko further toward his surprise plan. Moving through the crowds, enjoying the weather, and eventually breaking through to the pier was a peaceful experience. As they each were hand to hand, Saiko didn't seem to mind much as her eyes occasionally looked at Cala and the surroundings. She was just here to relax, unwind and have a moment to ease the tensions in her mind. So it didn't matter how long it took for them to get there.

Eventually, though, they did run into the spot Cala wished for Saiko to see. He was ready to swim and wasn't sure what to wear when taking a dip in the waters ahead. Of course, with Saiko, there wasn't much thought. She just needed to remove her shoes, gloves, and hood, and she felt good to go in her current outfit. With Cala....it was a bit more complicated to pick something for swimwear.

After nodding as if she understood his plight, Saiko smirked and let go of his hand as she was already aware of his clothing size. So all that she needed to do was pick something nice to wear. So after going through some clothes, she eventually returned with a tank top, red shorts, and flip-flops.
With her tongue sticking out and a wink of her right eye, Saiko then spoke out:

"No sense in dressing up for a little dip in the water. You are fine with this, right, Cala?"

Cala had, truthfully, been about to go with Saiko to look for something. The words on their tongue describing their clothing sizes and what might be comfortable to wear but.... like an aqua whirlwind of excitement and confidence they had hardly approached the clothing store when Saiko whisked herself away to go and buy the clothing as if SHE had been the one leading them to her surprise. A nature that Cala found.... well... charming. They had a vague idea of what Saiko had gone through to be able to "roll with the punches like she did" and even if they could only feel the difference in the lightness of her spirit from when they had first met it made Cala smile a small, bashful smile as Saiko vanished off into the aisles of clothing, calmly awaiting her return.

It was not long at all then that Saiko returned with beautiful, and more surprisingly accurate, sized clothing for them. Saiko had only just winked at them and stuck her tongue out in a playful manner before Cala snorted a soft, giggling laugh before they could help themselves, their free hand covering their mouth as the other held the bag of clothing. Something was very refreshing, and very funny, about Silly Saiko but... well... it was definitely a lighter side to her they could get used to. As such with a big, bashful grin did Cala nod their head and hum a small, approving noise.

"R-Right! Umm..... I think maybe the diving place will have somewhere to change clothes, r-right?"

Cala had only just asked the question then they turned to spy the building prospective divers went into and.... well.... saw people putting their belongings in small, metal lockers. Which made Cala feel silly and mumble a tiny.

"O-Oh......"

Shrugging their shoulders shyly Cala would gingerly take Saiko's hand again, not really thinking twice about the motion, and now confronted with the prospect of swimming for the first time they were once again more than a little apprehensive. Their now rather clammy hand squeezing Saiko's as they swallowed heavily. Asking Saiko with a soft, uncertain tremble to their voice.

"Umm.... do you maybe know h-how we get ready?"

Saiko's eye was observant. So even while Cala stuck to her hand, the woman saw a changing station nearby and nodded when Cala asked where they could get ready.

"There is a boy's and girl's changing station nearby. I don't think it'll take me long so that you can change up, and I'll be here for ya when you do."

After patting Cala's head, Saiko made her way to the woman's changing station after putting her shoes, gloves, and hood away in a locker and promptly walked back out. The only change was that she had some flip-flops she'd ditch once in the water.

As for the diving stuff? She figured they would just be hurled toward the sea and go at their own pace. Given the mastery of her powers, she wasn't worried about drowning or anything, though she would probably have to support Cala

" By the way, don't worry about drowning or anything. I'll keep you afloat with my powers, and I think I might teach you how to swim myself. How does that sound, Cala?"

As Saiko mentioned the changing stations Cala nodded slowly and would take a moment to remove the tags from their new clothing. They would then begin to walk to the women's changing station as Saiko had only for the lady at the desk there to hold up a hand and scowl at them a bit. Reprimanding Cala with a stern voice.

"Sorry sweetie, no following your little girlfriend in there, the men's changing room is right next door."

With a point of her finger Cala would murmur an apology, duck their head, and scamper off toward the indicated men's changing room only for the man at the desk to hold up a hand to them. His voice stern but significantly more amused.

"Heh. Sorry little lady but no sneakin' peaks. Changing room for girls is just over there."

Cala would blink, wide-eyed, and would stutter like a fish out of water, trying to search for the words to explain their situation to the man but they really didn't know what to say. Never mind that they had only begun to form something resembling a coherent sentence when a guy entering the changing room pulled his shirt off a bit prematurely and Cala tensed up at the thought of being naked around other people. Deciding to quickly nod and scamper away Cala bit their lip as they thought about what to do. Shuffling anxiously from foot to foot for a moment Cala then noticed a small spot behind the changing room building, out of the way and lightly shadowed by the building itself, and they nodded quickly.

Nestling back into the shadowy, unseen area Cala would form a shell of Fade around themselves with a small hole at the top to allow light in and sheepishly begin to peel off their normal clothes, change into the swimming clothes Saiko had bought them, and then drop the shell of Fade before shuffling over to a locker and, using a small spindle of Fade they would mold the ashen substance to fit the key hole, unlock the locker, and store their clothes away only after gently bending the internal mechanism to prevent someone else putting a key in and taking their clothes. That would be embarrassing!

With their changing done, tank-top hugging their petite frame, and shorts snugly cradling their deceptively full hips Cala would return to Saiko with a little uncertainty in their step. Even Caal noted the good deal of attention, in both stares and smiles, the two of them received, and once again taking Saiko's hand they would blink down at her before blushing and nodding quietly. Murmuring out softly as they ventured a tiny smile.

"Th-.... That sounds wonderful...."

Cala would scoot just a bit closer as their face heated up, a cold, coiling feeling in the pit of their stomach as they noted people watching Saiko rather intently in a way that... they did not like. Though Cala was also more than a little taken aback by how other people seemed to stare at them. Did they look that out of place? Did they know that they were an Arrancar? Maybe but.... their looks didn't seem hostile.

Meh, whatever.

Stares weren't something Saiko was concerned about. Of course, the woman was aware, but compared to the hell of demon world? Yeah, this is absolutely nothing. She was a good-looking woman, so it came with the territory. It's best to have confidence and walk through the discomfort.

So, with her aqua eye darting back to Cala, she would jump in the waters, having a tiny wisp of her power gently guide him. It didn't go super fast, as she didn't want to surprise him, but they needed to get a move on, and she was already just relaxing in the waters and floating around as she waved to Cala.

"If you are that red already, you definitely need to cool off. Tell me: how do you feel now? You shouldn't drown and should just focus on floating around with me."

Idly following Saiko to the water's edge Cala would hug their arms across their chest and stare down at the water doubtfully. Their toes wiggling in the cool, wet sand Cala would shiver softly as the cold ocean water washed up a bit higher over their feet. The pale skin glistening gently before sand and sediment were back-washed over their toes and they stumbled a bit as the very sand beneath their feet was pulled away in an oddly ticklish feeling across their soles.

Making a face Cala would blink and raise their head when Saiko called out to them, her familiar energy nudging them forward encouragingly in a way that made Cala take another stuttering step into the waves. Now up to their knees Cala would exhale heavily and softly feel their way forward on one foot, then the other, and so on until they stood up to their chest in the water. Not so far from Saiko now Cala was entirely unsure how to float as she did or do anything resembling getting along with the water they were currently almost submerged in. In answer to Saiko's question they shrugged their thin shoulders, thinking, and stared down into the water for a moment.

"U-Ummm..... I feel.... cold and wet.... kind of salty smelling.... but also the water is really pretty. It reminds me of your eyes, ya know?"

Smiling softly Cala would spread out their arms and tilt their head, hopping in place briefly, before floating back down to touch the ground beneath them and would frown gently.

"I-I still don't understand.... how you do that...."

"Duh~ My eyes are as blue as the ocean itself."

Snorting playfully, Saiko had each of her eyes flicker that aqua gaze as her energy briefly spiked up before dipping back down as her sight narrowed on Cala. He asked a question on how to float, which caused the woman to tilt her head to the right before she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Take a deep breath and relax. Then, I want you to tilt your head back and line your body straight. Your body will naturally go with the wave if you don't fight it."

As those words spoke, the woman moved on her back and let herself float among the water as she looked over at Cala to do the same.

"Give it a try."

Cala would giggle softly as Saiko snorted, finding the noise adorable, and would gently blush as she flickered her eye in a winking fashion at them. She had very successfully eased Cala's nervousness and as she raised an eyebrow Cala would look down, bashfulness evident in the Arrancar's features, before Saiko began to speak and Cala looked up at her through their bangs. Giving small nods as Saiko explained how to float Cala would watch her float onto her back and watch her for a long moment, studying her body, how it moved, relaxed, and on some small level how beautiful she was. A fact Cala would never be able to really ignore.

After a moment Cala would tear their eyes away from Saiko and nod, turning away from her sheepishly, and take a deep breathe before relaxing their body, straightening their posture, and gently leaned their head back. No small amount of nervousness in their form as they let their feet leave the sandy ocean floor. Their teeth digging furtively into their bottom lip Cala would exhale gently and slowly, gentle, begin to float. Body rising softly on a dying wave Cala would almost tense up, left leg twitching for a moment, before they felt their right arm brush against Saiko's left and their heads gently touch. Raven hair mixing together Cala would blink and squint their eyes at the warm sky, giving a small smile, and nod slowly.

"This.... is nice. Being away from everything a-and.... seeing everything be so alive. It's... r-really different from Hueco Mundo. I-I mean that's obvious but...."

Cala would sigh gently.

"....just not having to worry about fighting, or killing, or devouring other Hollows."

Cala would gently close their eyes and smile a small smile.

"It's very peaceful."

Tilting their head a bit to nudge Saiko's own Cala would point at a cloud with the hand closer to Saiko, gently dripping water onto them both in the process.

"That one looks like a bunny."

Saiko didn't seem bothered by their heads and arms brushing against one another. The sensation of touch to Saiko was something natural that happened, and she seemed more focused on meditating and relaxing. So, her eyes briefly closed as the woman's hands clasped together at her stomach, and she breathed out calmly while listening to what Cala had to say before responding.

"Hueco Mundo is a wasteland to me. I can't blame you for wanting to get away from that shithole. Not having to think about death is a blessing. Even I sometimes struggle to just be in the present and enjoy the peace while it's here. As nobody really knows when the next storm will throw us away into chaos."

Now opening her eyes with a gentle smile, the woman looked up at the clouds, not being bothered much by the dripping water as she just took pleasure in the view.

"Sorry, I can't see it."

Saiko snorted and disagreed before another thought came to her mind.

"But aren't you comfortable now? A minute ago, you were scared of the water, and now you are at ease. Your body reacts and it's something to remember in a lot of areas of life I think."