Duck Lake pluja

'ow are you feeling? elodie asks @Lestan, calling over her shoulder to him. she wades in a shallow curve of the lake, submerged up to her hips, preening at herself here and there in the hopes of finally getting rid of the dreeadful swamp-stench which had been permeating around her.
shardik (@Swordfish) was likely nearby, though at this point ellie could not tell whether he was staying or going. he seemed preoccupied, despite his, in her opinion, general hard-to-read demeanor. was it her place to ask if he was okay? decidedly no; she'd done enough of that with lestan, and now she was trying to rid the air between them of the palpable awkwardness. she knew too much. she knew too little.
you know, zey say zat bat'ing can be a stress reliever.