[He nods, dipping slightly under the water in the process, but now that the initial panic has subsided, he can focus on a concrete plan. This can't be easy for Ciri, dragging him along even as he does his best to provide additional momentum--he understands what to do in that department, at least. There's no talking for the entire journey, which lasts too long, the shoreline still so far away until suddenly it isn't.
Viktor feels the ground under his feet and he tries to get purchase on it, and the only reason he doesn't fall over right away is because Ciri is still supporting him. They trudge their way out of the shallows and onto the beach, and as soon as the sand is stable enough beneath him, his knees buckle. She, arguably, had the harder job, but given Viktor's lack of experience in these kinds of situations, he all but collapses as soon as they're on solid ground.
He coughs, spitting up sea water, and then he keeps coughing, a rough, wet sound that shakes his whole frame until the sea water foams pink and then red. It subsides, eventually, leaving him on his hands and knees, blood dripping off his face as the waves wash in underneath him.]
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Viktor feels the ground under his feet and he tries to get purchase on it, and the only reason he doesn't fall over right away is because Ciri is still supporting him. They trudge their way out of the shallows and onto the beach, and as soon as the sand is stable enough beneath him, his knees buckle. She, arguably, had the harder job, but given Viktor's lack of experience in these kinds of situations, he all but collapses as soon as they're on solid ground.
He coughs, spitting up sea water, and then he keeps coughing, a rough, wet sound that shakes his whole frame until the sea water foams pink and then red. It subsides, eventually, leaving him on his hands and knees, blood dripping off his face as the waves wash in underneath him.]