The water is crystal clear and carries a faint smell of chlorine. The temperature is perfectly balanced, warm enough to be comfortable, but cool enough to be refreshing. Their energetic impact sends out ripples in the water, the sudden waves on the surface causing the glimmers of the sun at the bottom of the pool to shimmer and dance. Said bottom is quite deep, at least at this end of the pool. No surprise given the diving board.
#SunTower – April 12, 2026
Yan Sun pops out of the water not far from Jessica, letting out a "Pfft!" and running a hand over her face to brush back wet strands of black-and-blue hair. She breaks into another giggle and sweeps her arm to splash Jessica before she can get her bearings, and then dives back underwater.
Jessica blinks away the water as she wipes her face. "Bitch!" she hurls Yan Sun's way, immediately retaliating by slapping some water back at her, eyes closing and head tilting away to shield herself from the attack. "You-... gah!" she stammers, treading water as Yan Sun disappears beneath the surface. Maybe her swimming capabilities don't stack up to Yan Sun's quite as well as she assumed. "Why you could not swim like this before?!
Yan Sun , of course, can't reply, underwater as she is. She swims low with a big grin, passing underneath Jessica and giving one of her legs a tug to pull her under before speeding away.
Jessica's arms reach up as she's pulled from below and she flails a foot in Yan Sun's general direction but misses. Grin replaced with a look of determination, she bobs in place for a moment to get a bead on Yan Sun before swooping back under the water, legs kicking as she shoots off in pursuit, staying just beneath the surface.
Yan Sun turns and breaches the surface as she nears the shallower end of the pool, towards the miniature 'forest'. She once again brushes water and hair from her face and then scans behind her for any sign of Jessica while catching her breath.
Jessica remains just beneath the surface, something that becomes obvious as she nears Yan Sun due to the ripples in her wake. Arms outstretched, she wraps them around Yan Sun's midsection and breaches out of the water, lifting Yan Sun partially onto her shoulder as she does. Laughter erupting from her, she swings around and tosses Yan Sun back into the water.
Yan Sun lets out yelp as she's lifted, flailing wildly until she's thrown back into the water. Echoing Jessica's laughter her implants light up, and she stretches out her left arm, palm just under the surface of the water as she fires off a burst pressurized air that sends a spray of water right at Jessica's face, as if the head of a shower had been aimed her way. An evil cackle sounds as she darts off again, swimming into the artificial
river that winds through the green area. It snakes this way and that, full of twists and turns, and there's a current, which carries Yan Sun off at greater speed than she alone can manage, disappearing out of view around a bend.
Jessica scoffs, shielding her face with her hands as water is shot at her. "You fucking cheater!" she shouts between bouts of laughter. "Gah-..." she growls, hurrying after Yan Sun with reckless abandon. The unexpected current that begins to take hold gives her pause, however, causing her to slow her pursuit. She soon seems to give up on her intentions of catching Yan Sun, suddenly finding herself enamored by the artificial habitat as
In contrast to the pool, the "river" is in shadow thanks to the tropical trees that tower above, their canopies largely obscuring much of the sky. Neatly maintained bushes and colorful flowers line the water on both sides, creating a verdant but orderly imitation of a natural environment. A stone footpath runs throughout the area, and ahead even crosses over the artificial river with a small, arcing wooden bridge. There is birdsong coming from
somewhere - either there are birds living on the balcony, or there are speakers set up to play nature ambience. Neither option seems out of the realm of possibility, given everything else. Yan Sun is nowhere to be seen.
Jessica remains close to one of the sides of the artificial river. Despite the fact that this is the very embodiment of so much of what she hates, she's unable to suppress the smile and sense of wonder etched into her features as she's carried along by the current.
Yan Sun is waiting around the next bend, having realized that Jessica was no longer pursuing her. She's sitting on the edge of the water, dipping her feet in it, but as she spots Jessica she drops back in, letting herself be carried along by the current alongside her. "There you are. Did you get lost?" she asks with a grin that turns gentler on noticing the expression on her face.
Jessica's attention shifts from the canopy to the woman perched on the edge. The question asked garners a small roll of her eyes and she shifts a bit closer. "This is-..." she trails off with a shake of her head as her gaze turns upward to the forest surrounding them once more, failing to find the words. "...Verrry fucking cool." she settles on something a little less profound, and it almost sounds like an admission moreso than an
Yan Sun snickers and nods in agreement. "Yeah..." she agrees as they float, her tone not unlike Jessica's. For all of her resentment and self-consciousness regarding her upbringing, she can't pretend there aren't things she missed. "I used to love this place as a kid. Going swimming here always felt like an adventure," she admits with a hint of embarrassment, looking around at familiar surroundings that she hasn't seen in years.
Jessica is quiet for a few moments, merely taking in their surroundings as the water carries them. The idea of growing up with access to something like this is unfathomable to her. "...You have decided what you are going to do...?" she asks cautiously, the question that's been on her mind all day but she's avoided bringing up.
Yan Sun 's expression shifts, discomfort apparent as she goes silent. It's not hard to tell that she does not want to be talking about this right now. "I..." She shakes her head. "No. Not yet."
Jessica frowns, leaning back in the water as the current does the work for her. "Mm." she hums, seemingly picking up on Yan Sun's discomfort. It's not really something she wants to discuss either, but it is looming over them. "You can say to him that you will only agree if he gives to me this home." she suggests, the grin tugging at the edge of her mouth seeming to imply that she's not going to push things.
Yan Sun lets out a quiet snort, propping up a small grin of her own as she wills her thoughts not to linger. "Yeah? Sounds like you just want the pool," she says with a snicker, kicking off from the wall and swimming backwards, looking at Jessica as they emerge out from the river and back into the pool proper.
Jessica snickers and offers a shrug, her shoulders just barely above the water. As they're ejected from the river she floats listlessly for a moment, rotating in place to seek out Yan Sun before returning to treading water. "We could have wild parties here, kitty cat." she says with a small wiggle of her brows. "Especially if we can find the sex dungeon!" she adds as she begins her swim towards the other side of the pool.
Yan Sun grins slightly at the suggestion of 'wild parties' in her parents' penthouse, but the addition that follow makes her grimace and splash Jessica. "Shut up!" she laughs, splitting off from Jessica with an accusation of "You're so gross!" as she too crosses the pool.
Jessica cackles while she slowly crosses the pool with Yan Sun, briefly tilting her head away to protect herself from the water. She seems to be in no hurry, simply enjoying the moment. The view of the city and mountains outside. The sounds. And, of course, the company. It's such a departure from their time together on Aite and it's starting to feel dangerously close to a real relationship. It's a thought she does her best not to dwell
on. Especially with everything hanging over their heads right now. Plans for wild penthouse parties, as nice as they might be to entertain, are probably best reserved for another life. One where Jessica isn't a liability. A square peg in this circular hole. And one where Yan Sun doesn't have a burden of responsibility that her father is clearly wielding like a weapon. But she's not the sort to linger on thoughts of what next
Yan Sun comes to a stop at the deep end of the pool, not far from where they first started. Treading water in place she watches Jessica's slow swim with a fond smile on her lips. It's bizarre to have her here. Different realities, different eras of her life that she never imagined co-existing. It's strange, but it's nice too. It makes everything that's happened in the past few months feel real in a brand new way. She's not blind to Jessica's
apprehension, though. But she wills herself not to let those fears creep in now. Just like she refuses to dwell on her mother's death or her father's words. Not now. Instead, she swims closer to Jessica, reaching out for her to pull her in for a soft kiss.
Jessica brings her arms around Yan Sun's waist as she's pulled in, pressing her grin against her partner's lips. A mix of soft, warm flesh and metal can be felt as she flicks her tongue against Yan Sun's. With the miracle of medi-gel, her piercings seem to be healing up nicely despite her own recklessness.
Yan Sun pulls back slightly with a snicker. "You still taste like medigel..." she complains with a theatrical grimace, leg brushing against Jessica's under the water as she swims in place, lingering close.
Jessica brings one arm out to help her tread water, the other hand pressed against Yan Sun's lower back. "Mm." she hums in agreement, her lower lip bulging out slightly as she presses the tip of her tongue against it to fiddle briefly with the backside of her lip piercings. "Maybe a few more days and it will be okay to stop. Until then you just have to shut up and deal with it, slut." she offers matter-of-factly, nose nuzzling gentle
Yan Sun smirks slightly. "I'll try to survive," she agrees, nuzzling Jessica back before starting to plant kisses across her cheek and down her neck, right hand shifting to Jessica's back, tracing the edges of scars underwater. "Do you believe that I can swim now?" she asks with a quiet giggle that vibrates against Jessica's skin.
Jessica tilts her head, pressing her lips lazily against the side of Yan Sun's head as she kisses her way down. The question causes her to let out a puff of air through her nose, telegraphing the accompanying eyeroll even if it goes unseen. "Yes, yes, you can swim." she relents, speaking her muffled words into her partners hair and sounding none too happy to have to admit it. "So you did not almost drown because you cannot swim." she
continues as if that finally puts that argument to rest before reframing it matter-of-factly with a dismissive shrug, "You almost drown because you are a weak bitch."
Yan Sun lets out an offended noise, the kisses coming to a stop. Her hands shift suddenly to Jessica's shoulders and she pushes her down under the surface, hastily swimming out of reach afterwards, heading for the cavern-like opening in the wall under the diving board. Only when she's in the opening, where the water turns shallow, does she roll over to look back, a provoking grin on her lips.
Jessica is completely caught off guard and she quickly bobs back up above the water, eyes wide. "You fucking bitch!" she exclaims, running hands over her face and through her short hair. "You keep fucking with me today and you know what is going to happen, yes?!" she warns as she starts off after Yan Sun, the threats undercut by the smile threatening to slip out.
Yan Sun puts on her best innocent act (which is... not very good) as she furrows her brow and calls out "What?", lingering for a moment in the opening as Jessica tries to catch up.
Jessica furrows her brow. "I am going to kick your ass!" she threatens, arm outstretched as she swoops forward towards Yan Sun.
Yan Sun giggles loudly and shoots off again, swimming through the opening. "Have to catch me first!" she replies, her voice echoing from inside the space within. Just as Jessica reaches the opening, a curtain of water descends from above, a sudden, thunderous waterfall cutting off her view of what's within and making the water around her roil and ripple.