Random meeting and blood~Nick~

[Jack Lexington]

It surprises me that she's not in school any more. She asks me about my daily life so I explain. "Usually I fish at night and come in in the morning, bring the fish to the trading post and clean my nets. Then I go home and sleep for a few hours. I get up around noon. In the afternoon I sometimes do some spear fishing or buy things, sometimes go swimming or to meet a friend. Then I sail back out....not very exciting, eh?"
I notice that the constant sound of the raindrops on the roof of the cabin has died down but we continue our conversation.
Nitya describes her ideal guy and I check whether I fit her description. 'I guess confidence is always something I look for but not overly so' Check, I'm confident.
'I also appreciate somebody that can make me laugh and maybe a little bad boy in the mix.' Check for both, especially the latter.
What girl do I go for? I almost want to babble out "Rich and easy to get." But hold my tongue because it's a good question. "Hm, I like a great smile, blue eyes, not too tall, not smarter than me." I laugh at that one because it's so true. "I hate it when some girls...or guys...think they know it all. I've seen a fair bit of our district and there are way too many people who know nothing but think they know it all." In fact that is true for many districts. I started being a wanderer to find out more and was shocked to learn how little people , especially in the lower districts, knew about panem.
"I go for you! but you know, what? Right now I have to go for fish if I want to make an income...Time to sail out to the reef."
For a moment I hate interrupting our conversation but I have to.
"Have you made up your mind?"

[Nitya Demont]

"I don't know. A lot of that sounds like fun to me. It's a little more free to me;I like that. Besides, it's hard to be too exciting here with rules and everything. Sometimes, you just have to make your own." I realize I don't have as exciting a life as he does, but I also realize that I do try to sneak random adventures here and there. Most of them my parents don't know about which kind of adds to the excitement. Although, I usually tend to stay within the rules. However, I have a feeling that being with Nick is never going to be dull.

As I listen, I realize that I don't really fit some of his requirements. A great smile, I might have, but blue eyes definitely not. I'm not too tall, and the smarter thing I'm not sure how to measure. In school I always received good marks, but I have no idea if that would qualify as smarter than him. The know it all thing, is alright. I definitely don't think that I know it all or even most of anything. What he says about people in the district thinking they know everything is pretty true. His next words make me blush for a moment. That was rather unexpected. His question gives me only a few seconds pause before I answer. "I want to come."

There's no telling what's going to happen when I get home, but I want to see what happens with Nick. Besides, I could also learn some things out there. This is going to be absolutely fantastic. Maybe we could talk some more out there. "Are we leaving right now?"

[Jack Lexington]

I take a look at my watch, one of the few things I own that a worth some money and nod. "Yeah, we have about half an hour until the tide is too low to get past the rock of the harbor." I motion towards the open water.
Then I open the door and step outside to check the wind. It's not strong but there.
Turning back to Nitya I ask. "Do you need to let your family know, anything you have to grab? I'd like to stay on their good books." And I mean it. Usually the only reason to stay on peoples good side is to be able to live in their homes for a while but I'd like her parents to feel good about her spending time with me.
"I'll grab the supplies and get the sails ready....you have about twenty minutes. No more, otherwise I'll have to go without you and I really don't want to do that."
With that I step off board and stride over to the small shack where all the fishermen on this dock keep their nets, jugs, buckets, hooks and spears.
For a moment I let my eyes roam around but it's almost too dark to see in here so I grab what I can find without a problem: Two buckets, four large water canteens that I fill to the brim, my spear, nets, rope and a sleeping bag.
It takes three times to carry everything on board. Then I get my sail ready and loosed the first rope.
A look on my watch tells me Nitya has only five minutes to make it back to me, which makes me pretty nervous. What if she is not allowed to come along with a stranger or changed her mind.
Nervously I stare down the dark beach.

[Nitya Demont]

I take a quick second to think about what I'd need and what I'd need to do. "Yes, I'll let my family know, and there are only a few things I could grab. Anything you need that I can grab?" I'm sure he has things, but if there is anything else that I can get him I would like to. "I can definitely make it back in twenty minutes," I tell him. He takes off, and I quickly hurry out and head towards my dwelling as fast as I can run. Hopefully, my family will not ask too many questions, or maybe I will get lucky and my mother will be the only one there and awake.

It doesn't take me that long to get to my house, but I'm immediately met by Hammil. Immediately, all hope of a five minute get away is gone. My mother is home as well, but Hammil quickly bombards me with questions and asks why I'm in a hurry. I answer some to keep him at bay, but I quickly get to my mother and let her know what my plans are. At first, I sense some hesitation, but she does agree. I think that part of her is thankful that I've found somebody I'm interested in, and she knows that I'm pretty strong for my size. I change into my swimming suit and shorts. Quickly I gather everything that I need not only for spending the night but for fishing as well. There are specialty spears just in case as well as nets, rope, healing kit, and other things. Then, I try to dash out, but Hammil catches me and talks to me for a few minutes as an older brother.

When I run back out, I realize that I only have five minutes thanks to my big brother. At least he cares though. Thankfully, I soon see the boat coming into view. I pour on more speed and hurtle up onto the boat. All the stuff is strapped to me, and I look a little windblown; however, I did manage to make it on time. "Sorry to be so long. Brother talk and such. Are we ready, and can I help with anything?" I shoot him a smile. I can hardly wait for this.

[Jack Lexington]

Just when I think I have to go alone she shows up out of the darkness and jumps on board a minute later. I pull her into a quick hug and let her know. "For a moment I thought you're not going to show up. Broke out in sweat!" With a grin I grab her bag from her and place it near the cabin.
"Did your brother try to talk you out of it?"
I turn to untie the rope from the dock and get my paddles ready.
"Pull the rope in, please."
I grab both wooden pedals tight and start pulling. We need to make it out fast now, otherwise we'll be stuck here until the next high tide washes in.
With powerful strokes I manouver the boat past the rocks that mark the harbour and out onto the open water where a nice cool after-rain breeze greets us.
I motion for Nitya to sit on the right side of the boat. "Grab that line for a second." I ask her and the hoist up the big sail, well the only sail of my small boat. The wind immediately blows it up and pushes my boat forward and out onto the dark sea. With the rudder in my right hand I look up at the sky.
"Good thing the stars are out again. I'd have a hard time finding the reef without them."
The further we get away from the coast the clearer the stars are visible.

[Nitya Demont]

His hug makes me smile, and I quickly return the hug. "nothing was going to stop me from coming." My eyes follow where he puts my bag so I can find it later. "yes, he tried. He is protective, but luckily it was just one. I got way alright thanks to my mother." Ok, it was a little harder to get away then I'm letting on, but he doesn't need to know that. At least I didn't have to sneak out. However, I am capable of doing that. "I'm just fortunate that I have your company to enjoy this evening," I tell him honestly. I can't remember when I've been this excited about going somewhere with someone. It is strange that this has happened so quickly.

I follow his instructions as he gives them to me. Between his first and second instructions, I watch him as he goes about his business. His moves are sure, strong, and confident,all of which attract me even more to him. As I watch I'm continually enjoying the spray from the water as well as the breeze. My hair floats around my face, and I toss my head slightly to clear my eyes. Nick's outline as he moves about the boat captures my attention. Quickly, I try to freeze it in my mind. I want to make a sketch later. Hopefully I can even make colors this time though that is hard to come by.

Once we have gotten underway, I notice what a wonderful night it has turned into. The rain has made things feel fresh and cool. Nick comments on the stars, and my eyes turn to the heavens. They really are lovely. "yes, they are helpful. Wish I got to see them more." the next thing I whisper so only I am aware of my words. "Sometimes I feel like I'm caged." I turn to him with a smile. "so what are you going to do with me now?" I ask with a wink. " any other burning questions for me?"

[Jack Lexington]

For a moment I think about it and some unimportant things come to my mind. So instead of asking another question I simply state. "No, I know what I need to know. The really important stuff I'd like to figure out formyself." I leave her to try and understand what I meant by that.

A gust of wind hits the sail and tips the boat to its side. "Hold on tight, the wind is getting stronger." Holding the rudder tight to keep the boat on the right course I add. "That's good. We'll get there sooner. Once we're past the group of islands we'll get bigger waves, so maybe go and grab the life jackets from the cabin.

I love how the wind is blowing in my face and making her hair blow around hers. It's looks wild and free and I love how adventurous she is. How many other girls would sail out to the reef with a stranger at night.
"You're pretty brave I must say...coming with me, all alone at night. That's pretty cool and no answer you'd give would tell me that much about you."

The islands come in sight and I have to concentrate in order to avoid the rocks around it. Because of the limited visibility I make the cirlce bigger, which means cutting across twice.
"Watch out...the sail"s going to swing around, duck underneath it and the grab the rope again as quickly as you can and hold it tight because the wind will catch it."

[Nitya Demont]

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what he means. There are things that I want to get to know about him through experience, but I'm not sure if they are the same things that he wants to know. I decide not to rack my brain about it. Things are going so well naturally that it would be a shame to mess things up now with over thinking. "experience is always more fun anyway," I say with a wink.

The wind doesn't bother me that much. It knocks into me once in a while, but I've worked long enough to know how to handle it. Quickly I go to the cabin to look for the life jackets. I'm glad he has them. Some people take the risk of not having them even in high risk situations just because they can cost a bit. I find them with little trouble and head back out. I hand one out to him, and the other I slip on. I don't anticipate needing it, but I decide not to tempt fate by going without.

"Hey, if you don't take risks sometimes, where is the fun? I like living life and taking chances. That and having brothers kind of made me a little more brave. We had contests to see who was the bravest when I was younger." I stop there as I'm not sure if I am babbling or not, and I need to rewrap my bandage. It appears to have come loose. I fix it and look to the horizon stars are out, but clouds still linger in the sky. "you know, you are one of the first people to have spoken to me and not been afraid," I say with a smile.

When he gives out his next instructions, I do exactly as he says. This is something I'm quite familiar with. I duck and grab; immediately I feel the wind do its work. The rope that I'm holding digs into my hands, but I hold steady. I know I can do this. "you know, you sound like a real captain."

[Jack Lexington]

"I sure hope so." A laugh escapes me. "Sound like one is the least I want to acchieve." If only she knew how long I've been a captain of this vessel.
"I've only owned this boat for about four months. So you're actually quite right if you're assuming I only sound like one...but don't worry. I've worked on two men boats for a long time. I know what I'm doing."

The wind pushes our boat past the first island quite quickly and soon the second one comes into side. I keep a good distance because I don't fancy getting ship wrecked. My knuckles are white because I'm holding the rudder so tight.
"I'm the first one who is not SCARED of you?" I ask confused. "What do you mean? Why should I be scared? Are you some secret man eating beast?" The thought actually makes me chuckle. This cute little girl is supposed to be scary? I've definetly run into much scarier men and even women.

[Nitya Demont]

The islands pass by, and I remember all too well the storm. It was around here somewhere, and I feel my muscles tense slightly. I know Nick won't let anything happen, and he is experienced. Still, the place makes me slightly nervous when I go by after it has stormed. The islands are nice places though; I just wish that some memories would just get out of my head. Fortunately, as my mind starts a playback of things, it is interrupted by Nick commenting on people being scared of me.

I have to smile at his confusion. People that get to know me when I'm not behind my mask always have this reaction. It's rather hard to believe until you see it. "Well you just don't believe it because you first met me when my guard was down," I say. I adjust my weight slightly as the boat moves; the last thing I want is to fall over because I wasn't paying attention. "A lot of times, I just give off that 'don't mess with me' vibe. My expressions are what does it, I think. Most people are afraid to come up to me. I also used to dress pretty dark, and I guess that image stuck as well." His comment about the beast makes me chuckle. "I've had people say that about me in school before and worse. What about you? Any nicknames or anything of that sort in your past?" I'm curious about him.

People did used to call me names, but that eased off once some got to know me. Then the nicknames got a little more nice. My eyes go out to the sea, and I notice a few clouds rolling back in. "Think we'll make it before another storm?" It's crazy how these storms are popping out of nowhere now; we hadn't been getting rain for such a long time, and now I felt sure that certain areas would flood.

[Jack Lexington]

I'm very comforatble with her out here. usually I don't take anybody on my boat unless they pay because I enjoy the solitude but with Nitya it's different.
It's weird to think that anybody would call her names but if I let me imagination go wild I can imagine her being mouthy or snappy or cold to the wrong sort of person. She's confident and confident girls know how to get rid of unwanted guys. Lucky me.

In regards to my nick names I simply smile and shake my head. "No nice ones, none that I would want to tell you." I've been called so many things by upset girls and angry fathers.
"Why don't you give me one. That might actually be a nice one. You just need to get to know me better and something will come to your mind."

I follow her gaze up to the fast travelling clouds. There are a few but they are quite high up and not too dark from what I can see. "Probably but hopefull not tonight."

We make it past the islands just fine, have to switch direction again and then head out to the reef. The waves are getting a little higher and I wonder whether Nitya might have been right.
"I hope you were wrong about another storm but if there is going to be one we'll have to quickly head back to the last island.
Sure enough droplets of rain start falling again and give me goose bumps.
"Damn." I mutter. "Are yous till okay to stay at the reef? We should be there in a few minutes."
From now on I keep a good eye out for shapes and outlines under the surface of the water. It takes a while and the ripples make it even harder but after a few minutes I see a few corals not too far away from our boat under the surface, so I pull down the sail and announce "We're here."
I check the weather again and decide to cast my net in the deeper water near the reef which is usually a great area for fishing.

[Nitya Demont]

"I would really like that. I have a feeling it will be hard for me to choose." Nicknames are something that I always find fun to give, and with Nick I'm sure that it'll be even more interesting since it means I will need to get to know him better which I have a feeling will be a lot of fun. "Although, I can't understand why you don't have nice ones." Maybe I just am not seeing something. I can't imagine him being terrible enough to earn bad nicknames. If I think about it, I can see him getting into trouble or at least putting people in their place, but not in a bad way or anything. Maybe people don't get to see this side of him.

He seems to think that the storm will hold off which is reassuring. Sometimes I'm a little over cautious about them, but I'm just always worried about the people I care about doing work out in them. Nick makes me feel safe though, and I trust in him. Again it strikes me how odd it is to feel these sorts of things about him having only known him a little while. It looks as though I am definitely falling or maybe even have fallen for him this hard.

As the waves start to lap a little higher on the boat, I look back out towards the sky. It doesn't look favorable. Then I turn my eyes back in the direction we came from. We have come a long way, and I know that there would be no chance to make it back to the shore of home if a storm brewed up. As I think this, drops start to hit me, but it is nothing too large. He is correct about the island, but I hope it doesn't come to that. I'm not afraid of the islands or anything of that nature, but I am concerned over his boat. Storms here can be violent and even boats that should have been safe get destroyed. I don't want that to happen to him. However, I keep my mouth shut. There is enough to think about.

"Yes, that's fine with me," I call to him. The reef will definitely be interesting. My eyes scan around to make sure that there is no debris or anything else that we may hit or may hit us. Sooner than I expected, we are at the reef. If my thoughts are correct, he made it in record time for the wave size. I hop out of the boat and bring along a few spears. I toss him one. "We might as well try and get as many things as possible to make it worth your time and in case the storm rolls in," I say. As I work my way carefully around the reef, I find that the water is getting a little rougher. Just then, an unexpected wave knocks me off balance, and I realize that my foot is now caught in a crevice of the reef. I immediately go under to try and get my foot out. In doing so, I let go of the spear, but thankfully this time I attached a flotation device to it. I'm calm, but there is something I wonder. "Why now?" I have to ask myself inwardly

((Hope you don't mind, I thought this would maybe help things move along.))

[Jack Lexington]

Nitya is in the water before I can warn her abouyt the sharp edges but I guess she's been here before. I quickly pull on my fins in order not to loose them in the waves at night and pull off my shirt. Clothing only weighs me down and the temperature of the ocean isn't much less at night than during the day. The waves however whirl the colder water from deeper regions up. If I was by myself I might even take my pants of because I'm more mobile under water without them but I don't want to offend the girl.

Big rain drops are falling onto my bare shoulder as I lower myself into the cold waves with my spear in my hand. When I look over to Nitya I can bearly see her expression but she's busy fiddling around under water so I swim towards her feeling the tongues of the cold waters licking at ever inch of my body. The waves actually make it harder than usually to reach her.
"Everything okay?"
I wipe the water from my face. Now up close I can tell something's wrong because her confident expression has changed to worry.

A bigger wave rolls over and while I float on top of it Nitya's head goes under and then pops back up, which can only mean one thing...she's somehow stuck.
Instantly I take a deep breath, slide my goggles over my eyes and dive down. The moon only provides enough light to see about a meter but when I'm close enough I can see that her foot is sltuck in between the sharp teeth of the hardened corals.
I try to pull on it but it doesn't move far, so I slide my hand in as well to support her foot from underneath. No luck.

As I come up for air I state the obvious. "You got you foot stuck! Wait here..."
As quickly as I can I swim to the boat, pull myself up and rummage around for some sheet of wood or plasticv that I can slide into the gap in between her foot and the rock so the edges won't tear her skin open when she pulls out.
I find an old paddle, that's coming apart and forcefully rip the top layer off. With that thin piece of wood I make my way back to her. "I'll slide that in between your foot and the reef, then you have to pull it out, even if it hurts!"
Another wave smacks her in the face so I hurry to do my thing.
It's hard to slide the wood in, almost impossible because the gap is so narrow but I manage to and then tug on her leg.

[Nitya Demont]

Rain drops are hitting me as I come up from another dive to try and ease my foot out, but it's no use. It is definitely stuck. I know the reef, but the wave had come out of nowhere, and now once again I looked like an idiot. I'd been hoping that Nick wouldn't notice, but I should've known better. He's next to me, and I know that I'm betraying in my look that something is wrong. "Actually, no." I subtly clench my teeth slightly as a wave hits and jerks me slightly. Pain is not something that I show. However, being caught at this angle is making it a little more difficult. "I seem to be a little stuck," I say in a calm voice as I look at him.

He goes under to take a look. His hands are around my food trying to get it out, and I can feel myself blush in embarrassment, but that quickly disappears as he resurfaces. I don't want him to know that I'm mortified at the current situation. Why does this seem to happen when I'm around him? I suppose the storm had an aid in that, but I let out a small sigh of frustration. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," I say with a slight smile despite the feeling I have on the inside. As he goes off, I duck my head under the water again to take another stab at getting my foot out.

I feel my way around it a little more, and I realize it is at a bad angle. If I get hit just right, I may have a broken or sprained ankle. This is not good. While I'm worried, I still refuse to panic. It's not something I do easily. Again I try to lead it out, but it is pretty jammed. Once again I go up for air, and am immediately hit by rain and waves. Quickly, I grab my spear that is floating just close enough for me to reach. I dig it into a small hole and hold onto it. Hopefully this will help me not float so much. Plus, it's a little reassurance to me until Nick gets back. Though I don't show it, I'm a little afraid.

I shake my head as I call back. "Don't worry; pain doesn't bother me. Besides, I don't want you getting hurt trying to save me." A wave hits me, and I sputter slightly as I just got salt water in my face, but I try to keep calm. This is going to turn out alright. It's a minor setback, but it's going to be fine. I breathe slowly and concentrate on what he's doing. When he tugs on my leg, I tug with him. It moves, but it's not coming easily. I take a breath and dive under again. I grab hold of my leg and pull as hard as I can. It hurts, but I ignore that and keep pulling until it's out. That's when my head starts to go a little fuzzy. At least it's out.

[Jack Lexington]

I'm definetly used to the ocean, the weather and the tricks it can play and usually not much can phase me but now, that I have Nitya with me, I get a little nervous when her foot doesn't slide out of the hole as it should.

The fact that she can handle pain is great but I still worry. "Don't worry about me, I'm a pretty good swimmer." I shout over the sound of the waves and take another deep breath to dive down.
Nitya is really having a hard time pulling her foot free but eventually manages to so I come back to the surface where the wind has picked up and see her pale face and the expression tells me that even if she doesn't mind pain, she definetly feels it.
"Are you okay?" I gently grab her arm to tug her back to the boat.
"Let's get you back on the boat, okay?" I'd rather have her out of the water in case she's bleeding and attracting reef sharks. Not that they are dangerous but I don't want to chance my luck.
So I swim towards the boat and keep looking back to make sure she's following.
With one powerful pull I'm back on baord with water dripping off me like a waterfall. Then I offer Nitya my hand and pull her up.
She seems limp and I can see why. her foot is bleeding heavily.
"Hang on, I'll get my kitt."

I'm actually nervous and anxious about her hurting herself again. That's not good for a first 'date'.

With my medi kitt I return a fumble out a bandage to wrap it.. "Does this seem familiar somehow?"