Going from hot air to cold water all at once was a shock, one he really needed to steer him out of his funk. He was still down, that didn't go away, but he was able to suppress it and work on lighten things up for the moment. He broke the surface and paddled about for a second before stopping to look back at the beach and Luke. He perked a brow, spotting something anxious in the way the other boy stayed behind. Was he scared of the water? Seriously?
An evil little smirk found its way to Mao's face, and he half swam half crawled (the water was quite shallow) closer to Luke. "What's a matter? Aren't you hot?" He teased in a knowing way, happy to find something that Luke wouldn't be able to surpass him in. He splashed a bit of water at the other boy's legs, not much, but it was a warning of what could come. "Weren't you on the swim team? Hmmm?" He wheedled from the safety of the water, he had a feeling Luke wasn't going to come in to get him, and as he was already wet, being splashed wouldn't be that big of a deal.