(no subject)

[fathoming]

[1: Video]

[Naija is blurry with darkness. The ice on the lake is beautiful, thick and shining to bursting with light that looks like it'll drip into the water at any moment, droplets sinking bright into the depths. But the light is mostly trapped there. Only when she swims up close to it can you really make out her face. She's a little gaunt looking. She sighs.]

Can anyone help me get out of here? The ice has frozen too thick for me to blast through.

[She's humiliated. She's been trying to get through for days like a true metroidvania protagonist, missing her classes.]

[2: Action]

[When they finally fish (har har) her out of there, she looks cold and hungry. Which is not all that surprising, given that she's still wearing the glorified bathing suit that is her normal clothes. She clings to her good samaritan, trying to pull as much body heat from them as possible.]

Comments

text

[thirdarrow]

[ Oh good god. This explains why she hadn't been out. ]

Naija, are you at the water area where your house is? I can get you out.

[ He's gone sailing before, so he knows roughly where she lives. ]

video

[fathoming]

Yes.

text -> action

[thirdarrow]

Alright. I will be there shortly.

[ He goes down to the lake after a few minutes, pausing only to grab some supplies from the medical centre. Once he is down at the lake, he locates the patch where Naija's house ought to be and settles himself. His stance is stable, and his eyes are closed - it takes him a good half-minute to lock onto the water signature of the ice, and in a few seconds the ice splinters to pieces under the whiplash force his mind commanded them to obey.

The process takes a little more out of him that he expected - the backlash hits him hard, and he nearly doubles over in the process. ]

[fathoming]

[There's strange, resonant singing coming from below, helping him break the ice up. She scrambles up onto the ice sheet, and despite looking tired, catches him with rough, webbed hands.]

You should not have exerted yourself so much. I'd only been down there a few days.

[thirdarrow]

[ He straightens up with effort, discreetly wiping off sweat from his palms. It isn't as bad as he had thought - no bleeding from bodily orifices, like what had happened when the school was attacked. ]

You could have starved, or worse. It was necessary.

[ A pause. ]

Thank you.

[fathoming]

[Grody. Anyway, Naija shakes her head.]

It was only a few days. It's so annoying though...This never happened in my home waters.

[Which has to do with the different freezing points of salt and fresh water.]

I suppose we should both go inside.

[She's not too thrilled about going inside, where it's all dry. But she can always take a bunch of showers. And she should make sure he doesn't faint getting back, at least.]

[thirdarrow]

Yes. There is hot water in the staff kitchen, I can fix up something for you in the meantime.

[ With that, he draws some water from the air and lowers it over Naija's head. The orb is smaller than usual, owing to his shaky concentration, but at least it worked. ]

Shall we?

[fathoming]

You needn't worry about me.

[She gladly sticks her head in though and takes him by the arm, partially to steady him and partially to leach off his body heat.]

[thirdarrow]

[ It's in his nature to worry. He's a doctor.

They make it indoors without much mishap, and the warmth is much needed. ]

I suppose you haven't had anything to eat, had you? What do you usually consume?

[fathoming]

There is very little I won't eat. I like soup, if you have it.

[Her stomach grumbles resonantly, a side effect of her powers.]

Are you alright?

[thirdarrow]

[ There is bound to be some soup in the staff kitchen. If not, he could get out some of the instant canned stuff that he bought the last time he was in town.

He shakes his head a little at her inquiry. ]

Yes. I am. It will wear off in a while.

[fathoming]

If you say so. Please do not faint.

[It seemed the caretaker was himself in need of care. She smiled, grateful for being rescued, and squeezed his shoulder.]

Tell me where the food is and let me make it.

[thirdarrow]

[ As a surgeon, he has the concentration and mental will to keep alert for long periods of time - but psychic backlash from his powers can't be shaken off that easily. He needs to avoid using hydrokinesis for a while, or he might lose control of it.

They arrive at the kitchen without much mishap - he makes a mental note to clean up all the water that Naija has been dripping in the hallways. ]

Only canned things for now, I'm afraid. Unless you're partial to making the soup from scratch?

[fathoming]

[She alas has no idea of the inconvienence she causes.]

I'm quite good at making soup from scratch. Please, rest. It's the least I can do for you getting me out of there.

[She goes through the cabinets with acquisitive glee and if not stopped will soon have the ingredients for a simple, hearty stock laid out.]

[thirdarrow]

[ He cannot argue with her in this case, then. It may also make her feel bad if he insisted on doing everything. ]

Alright. Call me if you need help.

[ He settles himself on one of the benches after pouring out some tea. If something liquid spills, he would catch it with his mind and return it to its proper container, but otherwise he does not interfere. ]

This is my explanation for how she can cook ingredients she stores in her pack in game underwater

[fathoming]

[She picked the garlic up, then remembered how messy things could get on land and put it in a metal salad bowl instead. The rest of the ingredients she put in there too, then picked the bowl up and leaned in to it. There was a haunting note, clear and resonant. The stock ingredients were effectively chopped by her vibration, dissolving into little crumbs. The bowl continued to ring for a few seconds after, gradually dying away. That was all transferred to a sieve, which was placed in a pot set to boil. She then hunted for ingredients, placing them in the same metal bowl, to be chopped in the same way.]

I've always liked cooking. If you're inventive enough you can have a different meal almost every day no matter how boring the ingredients are.

it's a very cool explanation!

[thirdarrow]

[ He watches Naija work her skill, intrigued. Using vibrations to shred items is something also used in medical fields, but applying it to cooking is something he has not yet considered. Not to mention that her singing is beautiful, too. ]

Yes. And food is what keeps us healthy, too. It's important to know how to tailor your diet, and it lets us experiment a little.

[ He himself is a vegetarian with a few allergies, so he's learned that early on. ]

[video]

[wherethelightwontfindyou]

...Where exactly are you, miss? I... think I can break you out.

[fathoming]

The lake. My house is down here.

[video --> action]

[wherethelightwontfindyou]

I'll be just a minute.

[He's not sure where exactly in the lake this house is, but... he's got a pretty nifty skyhook for smashing a nice hole through the surface.

Assuming Naija doesn't mind all the chunks of ice getting shoved around in the process.]

[fathoming]

[There is the sound of singing and ka-thunks from the lake, vibrating the crystals of the ice and helping him break it apart. It's hard work because it's very thick but eventually enough of a hole opens up and she bobs up to the surface, looking cold and hungry but not nearly as worse for wear as someone who spent days under frozen water normally would]

[wherethelightwontfindyou]

[Well, he saw her face before, but seeing her in person is an... experience. Still, she's not the strangest thing he's ever seen. He shakes the thought off pretty quickly and holds out his free hand to help her up.

His clothes aren't particularly designed for warm weather, but he figured he'd only be outside for a short while. At the very least he can offer the winter coat he is supposed to be wearing himself.]

You alright, miss?

[fathoming]

[She takes his hand and scrambles onto the ice.]

Thank you, but I'm fine. I was just getting bored down there. And hungry.

[She smiles, despite looking tired and hungry.]

How did you do that?

[wherethelightwontfindyou]

[He shows her his arm, still equipped with his skyhook, and turns it away from her to spin the hooks until all remaining chunks of ice have left its gears.]

It ain't really designed for this sort of work, but it worked out just the same... though I'll probably need to check it for damage afterward. This here's a skyhook. It's, uhh... old technology. The sort from about a hundred years ago.

[Which is simpler than explaining it's from an alternate dimension that he thinks exists but actually doesn't.]

[fathoming]

[Naija, who grew up among Atlantean relics, accepts that without hesitation.]

Oh! How interesting! How does it work?

[She leans in to look at it with intense curiosity. She's momentarily forgotten that she's cold and hungry, though she shivers a bit anyway.]

[wherethelightwontfindyou]

[Well, far be it from him to refrain from nerding about weapons to a pretty lady.

He shows her the grip his hand is placed in, not unlike a gun trigger but with rings for each finger to relieve pressure. The whole thing is basically designed to prevent the user's arm from being ripped off when it hooks onto something.]

It's designed for hanging onto skyrails, but it works about as well for combat. See, it's motorized here... and with a little pressure on the trigger - [The hooks spin to life, fast and heavy enough to easily smash through a skull if need be.] - I wouldn't touch it while it's running, it comes in handy for breaking necks. [He releases the trigger and lets it slow to a halt, before the hooks curl back up and retract into the arm.]

[fathoming]

[An arm good for killin'? You have Naija's full attention. She leans in disconcertingly close to the hooks. She's forgotten she's cold and hasn't eaten in days.]

Oh, wonderful! I almost wish I had one myself, though I'm sure it would rust.

[wherethelightwontfindyou]

[He'll just... casually move the hooks away from her so she doesn't hurt herself. Smashing her head into a pulp isn't really part of his plan for today.]

Might be able to replicate it with stainless steel... [He scratches his stubble as he thinks it over.] Maybe you can ask McCoy about that. Assuming you've got a good use for it.

[Not that he has much of a use for it aside from the occasional attacks on the school, these days.]

[fathoming]

[Her curiosity sometimes overwhelms her common sense]

It's alright. As long as I can examine it, I'll be happy.

[Her stomach growls, loud and resonant, a side effect of her power.]

Having seen the video, he acted

[tiamaris]

He had been in the library, trying to do homework, still unused to computers, to homework, to research... He had accidentally stumbled onto the video... and accidentally paused it. He found a (npc) adult. "Do you know where this is?" he asked. Since the adult knew where it was but missed the context, he was told. Tiamaris then left the library. left the building. Once he was clear of everyone, he pulled off his shirt and pants. He hadn't bothered with shoes in a while. He hid the shirt and pants somewhere safe. He was running out of clothing.

Undressed, unaware of the cold, he changed into his full dragon form, exploding into his larger size. The place the adult said wasn't far from where he was. He walked; his footsteps thundering through the ground, shaking it. When he came to the ice he stared down.

"Get down!" he called through the ice. She would listen or she wouldn't.

Then he BREATHED on the ice, taking the pond from frozen to warm before he closed his mouth and cut off the fire. The large dragon then peered down into the depths, to see who or what was alive down there.

[fathoming]

Naija could hear him coming a long time before he actually arrived, sensitive to vibrations as she was. Still, she couldn't hear what he said through that thick layer of ice. All she noticed was the noises, then a great, serpentine neck crashing through the ice.

Where she was from, this meant trouble. She kicked back and bared her teeth. Her palms began to vibrate and if he didn't speak, she'd end up letting off a vibrational blast at him instinctually. She was still mostly wild, after all, prone to reacting first, thinking later.

[tiamaris]

He saw her bear her teeth at him, kicking back. His eyes shaded towards red. All she saw was the monster. Maybe the professor was wrong, maybe he was deluding himself to think that he could ever help anyone, ever be worth anything.

He turned his head and spread his wings, then decided against flying. Enough people had seen the monster for one day. He turned and walked off, his eyes a dull red.

[fathoming]

Considering she hadn't been expecting him and thinking he was probably some kind of boss monster large predator, it was a natural reaction.

When fight-or-flight subsided, curiosity and bewilderment took over. She scrambled up onto the ice.

"What the hell was that?" She said to herself.

[tiamaris]

He hadn't gotten too far away by the time she surfaced, and his hearing was excellent. His head looked up and back at her, eyes dull and red.

[fathoming]

Now that she was no longer startled, Naija walked right up to him, a little wobbly on the surface but defiant and prickly for someone who was a sixth his size.

"Oh, so you can hear me. What are you and why did you just stick your head into my territory?"

Nevermind that she'd been trying to get out of there. This was something she wanted to know.

[tiamaris]

"What, not who," he muttered darkly. Of course, when you are a rather large dragon, quiet is not a vocal range you can achieve. He was a what, a monster. Not a who, not a person. A what. "Next time, save yourself," he snapped, eyes now a livid pulsing red. He felt his temper growing, building. He had to get out of there before he attacked her, before he set the world on fire, before he proved them all right and acted the monster he had become.

[fathoming]

"What are you so mad about, then?"

She padded up to him and looked up directly into the firey maw. She wasn't about to let him go without answering her curiosity and what little manners she had was the first casualty of it.

[tiamaris]

He stared at her, just stared at her for a long moment. She was surprised that he was upset at being treated as a monster, as a thing? A what? Did she think he should just be used to it by now? He spread his wings warningly, she better run, little girl, stupid insulting little girl. It was a good thing that dragons didn't cry, if his breath burned the world, he didn't want to know what tears would do.

He shouldn't have bothered, shouldn't have tried to help. There was a reason that in stories princesses were saved from dragons, not by them.

action

[loveswaffles]

[Raven doesn't normally like this much contact, but considering the situation, she'll make an exception for Naija. Fortunately, she was wearing one of her hooded capes, so she lets her underneath the fabric to try and warm her up some more.]

You sure you're gonna be alright?

aw

[fathoming]

Yes. I was just cold. And hungry. It's fine.

[Just almost starved/froze to death, NBD. Well, when you grow up feral, it really isn't. She happily snuggles under the cape though. It's nice and warm. She should get one of these.]

Thank you for getting me out of there.

[loveswaffles]

I wasn't just going to leave you.

[What kind of person would that make her? Raven would've thought that anyone else would've done the same. Or at least alert the others.]

But how did you stuck underneath the water like that?

[fathoming]

That's my home. I just woke up and it was frozen over too thick to get out of.

[Yes, she lives in a barnacle under the sea underwater.]

[loveswaffles]

Your home is a lake and we're in the middle of winter in New York. [Let's take a moment to really comprehend what Raven just said.

...

Okay. Got it?]

Really not a good idea.