Letting the Water Flow

A Tender Feeling

Nyce made his way to the front of her boots. Like a clockmaker, handling the pieces of his work, he lifted her right foot up with one hand under her ankle, and gently undid the straps, and slid the metallic shoe right off, doing the same for the other.

"Do you want to take off your stockings?" Nyce was met with a puzzled look, "I don't think I should be doing something so, um ..." he felt his own sheepish laughter reveal itself, breaking the cool demeanor he wished to keep up, even though he knows his demeanor failed many times already.

"Oh, I see. Thank you for asking me."

"Yes, of course!"

Aqua leaned forward to place her thumbs in both of her garments, together. She took a deep breath, before she slid both of her stockings off at once, bringing her legs closer together, before finishing with popping off the sleek velvet, revealing her bare feet. She slowly let her feet make contact with the sand, wincing when she felt the coarse beach against her soles. She almost forgot the feeling of letting her bare feet rest and reconnect with the ground below her, rather than playing the game of the Realm of Darkness, touch and go.

In the meanwhile, Nyce simply sat in awe at something he wasn't quite expecting from a tried and true keyblade knight. Her feet were well-taken care of, as if a warrior's toil and travel never made an impact against maintaining their radiant skin. He didn't find any blemishes or injuries, no doubt thanks to their protection in those metal boots. But, it still just seemed strange that Aqua would maintain her feet so well.

She isn't some princess, but a fighter, working on her feet everyday and every minute in the Realm of Darkness. So - No, I shouldn't be too rash.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm surprised you take care of your feet this much, Aqua. I mean, they would seem like the kind of feet that would undergo pampering often, but yours still have this natural aura about them, which makes sense in an isolated place," Her toes scrunched together, once she heard his compliments, "If you don't mind answering, is there a reason why a keyblade master like you would be concerned about her feet?"

"Well ..." Aqua slid her legs towards her, and wrapped her arms around them, as her hands grasped each other in earnest, "Firstly, I know my hands are important, since I use them a lot in training, fighting, and other work, so I care for them as much as possible. But I also realized that the same can be said for my feet, having to take me from place to place, with little rest in the past."

She swiftly swept her hair to the right, as her cheeks continued to warm, "I always keep my feet covered in stockings and protective boots, and don't really think much of them. But after that realization, I believe they deserve much more than to just be walked upon."

Aqua looked back at Nyce to see if he was still paying attention, only to see him gently sitting there, with his arms also around his knees, listening intently to her story

"Go on," He said, when caught her, attempting to sneak a peek to gauge his interest, and threw another bright smile her way. She responds by hastily darting her gaze back to her side, and burying her mouth into her resting arms, her face swelling with a rosy tint.

"Our Feet Do a lot for us everyday. So, every now and then, I give them the chance to breathe, and then I started to pay more attention to them," Her toes shyly buried themselves into the sand, as she continued, "And that escalated to me using natural moisturizers, and soaking them in water."

"Would you say it's like a pastime for you?"

"Yeah, caring for my feet is really therapeutic for me. When I would get the chance, I'd let my feet drift in a lake or pond, getting lost in how the flow of the water brush past my feet. I can feel the cold drink, rising up from my toes all throughout my body, cooling me down just by its touch alone. Water really helps me deal with stress, as I got lost in the ambience of the countless nights I would spend, in the grasp of mother nature ... "