[center][h1]Low Tide, Bare Backside[/h1] [img]http://i.imgur.com/0M1Q5tj.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/XZCyPaz.png[/img] [h2][color fff79a]Hazel[/color] | [color 33ec06]Marcus[/color][/h2] [color=9e0039][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][hr][color=silver]π•Žπ•–π••: π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸšπŸ›, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 π•€π•€π•π•’π•Ÿπ•• / / β„€π•™π•’π•Ÿπ•˜'𝕀 𝔼𝕀π•₯𝕒π•₯𝕖 / / ~𝟚𝟘𝟘𝟘[/color][hr][/color] [/center] [hider Low Tide, Bare Backside] Freedom. As much freedom as she could have anyways, with the guards standing a distance away, hands on their weapons. There was no maid around this time, perhaps unable to accompany her after telling her about this place due to work or the like. Even the grim faced men did nothing to curb her excitement however; the ocean wasn't something she saw everyday. The feeling of sand on her bare feet, the salty air, and even the constant strong breeze around her. It matters not that it was relatively dark out, illuminated only by the moon and stars; all that matters was this new sensation. It was enough to make her forget about the chasing dream, the stigma that always threathened to overwhelm her. Stepping closer towards the gentle waves, she felt an odd sense of accomplishment as the water ran around her ankles, darkening the hem of her skirt as the water splashed upon it. Feeling a little bit braver, she waded in deeper, before promptly being swept off her feet by a particularly strong wave. Panicking in the shallow water, she discovered another new thing about the sea. Sea water in eyes stings. Wailing pitifully, she started struggling harder to escape this oddly devious trap that lured her in with promises of new experiences. Marcus had managed to find his way down to the beach finally, and while the dim illumination hampered how much of the ocean he could actually see, it was there. It was right in front of him - the smell of the salt, the soft sound of the waves lapping against the sand. He could have stayed here forever if he really let himself go. Just hang out on the beach, lost in memories; memories of happier days and better times. He chuckled to himself, remembering some of those days. The first time Max and him had dared eachother to take surfing lessons. The amount of times Max went head-over-pinfeathers into the ocean when a wave caught her directly. The several times when he did the exact same thing because he was too busy laughing at Max. How pissed those instructors got because it didn't seem like the siblings were actually trying to learn anything. It was a good time. His reminiscing was cut slightly short, however. Somewhere, there was a sound slightly higher than the constant rolling of the waves. Was it an animal? Out here on the beach? Marcus strained his ears, walking cautiously towards the sound as best he could trace it, eventually coming over a small dune and locating the source. A girl? Drowning in the shallow water? Had it been a little lighter, he might have noticed the guards standing nearby, or the ankle braclet that would give him a clue as to this woman's identity. As it were, he simply approached the struggling figure, offering a hesitant question: "[color 33ec06]Miss? Are you okay?[/color]" A voice called out to Hazel, one that was very close to her. Waving her hands around, she grasped his legs, pushing against the sand as she pulled herself to him, to safety. Unfortunately the sheer panicked force she did it with toppled them both over to the sands. Coughing out the sand and sea water from her mouth, she sat up on Marcus, her eyes visible underneath her bangs, locking onto his with a serious gaze. [color=fff79a]"D-do not enter the water. Its poisoned."[/color] There was a flurry of emotions floating through Marcus right now; and only a few of which he wanted to acknowlege. First and foremost was the big question: "[color 33ec06]P-poisoned!?[/color]" Marcus stammered, shifting his body slightly to at least angle himself away from the apparent danger of the approaching waves. How could that even happen? Was this another one of DC's tricks? Poison the [i]entire ocean[/i] and leave the human population surrounded by giant pools of death? "[color 33ec06]What do you mean, 'poisoned'?[/color]" he finally said, looking up to the girl's eyes where they hid underneath her bangs. He shifted uncomfortably underneath her, disregarding her position on top of him for the more important issue of poisoned oceans. Something about this one seemed familiar...he was sure he'd seen her before somewhere. She wasn't on their team, was sh- Oh. [i]Oh no.[/i] [color=fff79a]"It stings."[/color] She spoke, rubbing her eyes for a moment. [color=fff79a]"The water stings in my eyes."[/color] No, that would not be enough to convince anyone. Even she, with her limited knowledge of things would not believe herself with just that. How would the water kill anyone if it just stings the eyes? No, there was another part to the trap, the lure itself. [color=fff79a]"It pulled me. It moves and swept my feet from under me."[/color] Hazel spoke confidently. "[color 33ec06]What.[/color]" It was not so much a question, as a statement. The water stung her eyes. The ocean swept her feet out from under her. The [i]salt water[/i] ocean stung in her eyes, and the [i]quickly moving[/i] waves knocked her off balance. Had Marcus not known what this girl was capable of, he might have been angry at the expense of air he was about to use explaining. "[color 33ec06]Miss. It's saltwater. It's not meant to go in your eyes, and it's perfectly normal for it to burn when it does. Also, the thing that swept you off your feet is called a 'wave'. It's when the water moves quickly and splashes onto the beach - it can definitely throw you off balance if you're not expecting it, but it is also perfectly natural.[/color]" Giving another uncomfortable, and this time slightly worried squirm, Marcus added: "[color 33ec06]Also, could you please get off of me?[/color]" Nodding, Hazel stood up, gathering up her skirt as she stepped off him. Oblivious to what she was displaying, she started squeezing the water off her skirt, a slight contemplative look on her face as she did so. [color=fff79a]"I see. So it was not a devious trap to lure me in, grab my feet and poison my eyes."[/color] Flapping her skirt for good measure, she turned to the boy again. [color=fff79a]"Are you here for the water too?"[/color] Marcus brought his hand to his eyes as the skirt came up, starting to remember some of the traits this girl displayed, namely a utter lack of concern with explosing herself. Plus, if this was the same girl from the flag-game, she really wasn't worried about exposing [i]other[/i] people either. A point that he made very prevolent in his mind. "[color 33ec06]N-no. It was none of those things. It was nature, taking you by surprise apparently.[/color]" Marcus said in a tone almost like disbelief, as he slowly stood up and became [i]very[/i] interested in trying the wipe the sand off himself, rather than look at the flasher. The sound of a question being directed towards him forced him to look up and acknowlege the girl. There was a pause as he contemplated even answering, rather that running as fast as he could, before he went with the more civil of the options. "[color 33ec06]Yeah...it's...relaxing. At least to me it is; the methodic crash of the waves, smell of the salty breeze. When the sun is up, the sand gets warm beneath your feet, but when it's down the ocean brings a slight chill with it, just to remind you it's still there.[/color]" He nearly sighed wistfully, almost losing himself in memories again, completely unaware to the fact that the poetics would probably be lost on her. The sands... the sands were still warm beneath her bare feet, and the ocean had been there since at least yesterday. What an odd thing to worry about. Hazel stood there on the beach, far enough that the water only rushed around her toes. Still feeling that rush, that feeling of excitement, she stretched out a hand towards Marcus. [color=fff79a]"Its still there. The ocean. Feel it for yourself."[/color] There was a long moment of pause as Marcus eyed the hand. He looked from the hand, to the bangs that now hid the girl's eyes, and back to the hand. Like a stray dog trying to decide if the person offering it food was legit or not. After that moment had passed though...he gave in. He shouldn't have, but he did. He knew what this girl did, the things she was capable of and indeed apparently ready to do at a moment's notice. Right now, she seemed like an avereage girl. Somewhat literal and a little lacking in world-view, but 'average' was a term that piqued his interest enough these days to look past it. His hand grasped hers, the waves crashing around his feet, not quite reaching the bottom of his rolled-up pantlegs. "[color 33ec06]I know it's...[/color]" Marcus started in defense, before cutting himself off. Waste of speech that was. "[color 33ec06]Yeah. It's still out there.[/color]" She puffed up slightly with pride over that, wriggling her toes as the next wave came in. Now that Hazel wasn't running around in the water excitedly, she could see what Marcus was talking about. The sound, the wind, the mere sight of the sea and its smell. Not that she liked the fact it hurt her eyes, but if its not poison then she could definitely find a way around that. The sounds of the waves was certainly hypnotic, in a good way she feels. It reminded her of... of... . What did it remind her of? Marcus reliquished his grasp of the girl's hand after what seemed like an appropriate, yet slightly awkward amount of time. Still, it was humourous to watch her slowly fall into sync with everything he had just been talking about. The look of someone who was also lost in their thoughts. He smirked a little, looking at what little moon he could see. "[color 33ec06]Really takes you away, doesn't it...?[/color] Marcus said, growing confused as he tried to put a name to a face. "[color 33ec06]...actually. I don't think we've met?[/color]" [color=fff79a]"We did."[/color] She answered promptly. Hazel could remember a lot of times theyve met, first at that meeting in that room with long tables, there was that exercise, and she was very sure he was also in that very fancy tower room they were in before it collapsed. Without hesitation, she listed off all the locations they have ever been grouped together. Those she could remember anyways. [color=fff79a]"I am still here. The water did not take me away."[/color] Marcus sighed, giving himself a moment to run his hand across his forehead. A mental flag somewhere in his head changed 'somewhat literal' into 'very literal'. "[color 33ec06]I don't think I know your name. And I also don't think I've ever told you mine. Hi, I'm Marcus.[/color]" he said, in the tone of someone who was very bluntly putting their cards on the table. "[color 33ec06]And that's n-[/color]" he started, sighing again. "[color 33ec06]That's good to hear. Wouldn't want you getting swept out to sea or something.[/color]" "[color fff79a]You did not, and I do not recall giving you my name.[/color]" Bowing slightly at the introduction, she gave an automatic reply. "[color fff79a]Nice to meet you, Marcus.[/color]" Seeing as Marcus had let go of her hand, she waded in deeper, gathering up her skirt lest it got wet from the water rushing about her knees. Not that it would do any good; that horse had long bolted from its stall after all, considering how wet she was from that last tumble. Unable to really enjoy herself while holding up her skirt, she instead stripped off her skirt, throwing it back onto the dry sand. There again was that feeling, the same one that made her feel as if she could dance around in the water. It wasn't a bad feeling at all, though she was wary of jumping around when the water could sweep her off her feet. "[color fff79a]Hazel. I am Hazel Baker.[/color]" Hazel's sudden lack of clothing caused Marcus to bring his hands up to his eyes again, and illicited an embarassed "[color 33ec06]GEH![/color]" from him as he did so. Right. The excercise. She had been the one who stripped there, too. He'd seen it on the television screen. "[color 33ec06]Careful out there![/color]" Marcus warned, keeping his hand covering his eyes as he felt his face cool down slightly. "[color 33ec06]The waves are stronger the further out you go, and you don't want to get knocked over again![/color]" [color=fff79a]"I see."[/color] She remembered. Hazel did not want to be knocked down again. But if there was a risk that she might fall over again, she might as well keep her clothes dry. Or relatively dry. Taking off her blouse, she bundled it up and threw it neatly beside her skirt. Now she was free to face the water head on, with the only way it could harm her being her eyes. Having conquered the water, she turned to Marcus, still staying where he was. Was he afraid of the water? Wary of its grabbiness? Fear borne of experience, perhaps? [color=fff79a]"Are you not going in the water?"[/color] There was a tinge of confidence as she continued, as if to allay his fears. [color=fff79a]"I have beaten the water."[/color] There was another soft 'flump' as something landed on Hazel's skirt, and a quick glance at the matching blouse told Marcus basically everything he needed to know about what was happening right now. There was a naked woman dancing around in the ocean right now, without a care in the world, and she was inviting him in with her. What would Emma have to say about this? "[color 33ec06]N-no. I'm good! I just wanted to come enjoy the beach, not necessarily the ocean.[/color]" Marcus said, still shielding his eyes from the nude form of Hazel. He certainly wasn't planning on parading into the middle of the water even before she'd gone out there - all he'd wanted was a peaceful walk along the sand. [color=fff79a]"I see."[/color] Hazel turned back towards the ocean, stretching out a hand towards the light of the moon. [color=fff79a]"You hate me, fear me like everyone does."[/color] It wasn't something she was unused to, nor was it remotely anything new in her life. Fear and hate was something even she could recognize quickly. After all, he wasn't brave enough to even look at her, cowering behind his hands. But why then was he able to approach her before? If he truly was afraid of her or hated her, wouldn't he be not even dare to hold her hands? Contemplating on the issue more, moving her hand slowly to grasp the moon's image, she decided perhaps it was only outright fear and hate she could recognize. [color=fff79a]"Or perhaps... do you hate my appearance?"[/color] "[color 33ec06]What?[/color]" Marcus said in surprise, peeking indignantly from behind his hand, immediately growing flustered and hiding back behind it. "[color 33ec06]N-no. No. It's none of those![/color]" he added, taking an extreme interest in the moon overhead. "[color 33ec06]It's just that...most people don't just fling their clothes off and go skinny-dipping with other folk nearby. I'm...not quite sure how to react when someone just parades around me as naked as the day they were born...[/color]" he explained, eyes daring to drop to her eye level for a moment at least. Was it rude to [i]not[/i] at least wade out a little further? Especially when he was now being actively challenged on it, and everything was becoming a huge misunderstanding? Surely if she could just hang out in the nude without caring, he shouldn't care about it either, right? Was that how this worked? Regardless, he hiked his jeans up a little further, wading into where the water came up to calf-level, the waves gently lapping around his legs. He still tried to avert his gaze though, daring not to look Hazel directly in the...nakedness. "[color 33ec06]And I might be a little intimidated by you. I'll admit that much.[/color]" he added quietly. "[color 33ec06]But that's just me knowing literally nothing about you besides your name and your actions.[/color]" The moon reflected in the water again, shimmering slightly. Hazel had reached for it, as if trying to pluck it from the sky and save it. "[color 33ec06]What's it remind you of?[/color]" he asked, trying ever-so-subtly to change the subject. [color=fff79a]"I understand. Everyone fears me, hates me for what I can do. It does not matter to me."[/color] She turned to look at him. "[color fff79a]I'm just a weapon, made to destroy and be destroyed."[/color] There was a moment of silence as she contemplated his words, with only the rhymic sounds of the waves crashing upon the beach accompanying them. Finally, she answered, though there was a tinge of uncertainty in her voice. [color=fff79a]"I do not know."[/color] Hazel blinked. [color=fff79a]"Her laugh. I said the moon was cheese..."[/color] Almost instantly, she clapped her hands over her ears, crouching down in the water, enough so the water rushed around her body. Voices, memories and images started to press in on her, rushing through her mind as she started reciting random strings of words and numbers to herself in a low voice to allay them. Judging from the intensity, it would not be long before she needed an outlet. "[color 33ec06]Nono. You're not-[/color]" Marcus started, sighing angrily. It seemed like he was having this discussion a lot recently, about how they weren't just toys to be thrown at a problem until either it or they were dead. They were human beings, goddammit. Why was he the only one who was still willing to accept that? That they deserved to live and die as more than tools? "[color 33ec06]You're not just made to be destroyed. We're all here to live our lives, no matter what we are.[/color]" he said, a slightly pleading tone hiding underneath his exasperated one. His frustration ebbed a bit when Hazel mentioned laughter. That was something that he could use a little more of nowa- She dropped. Well, Hazel didn't actually [i]drop[/i], but witht the scene presented before Marcus, she might as well have. Something was hurting her, or at least it seemed that way, there wasn't anything that Marcus could see as he splashed hurridly over to her assistance. "[color 33ec06]Hazel! Hazel, are you alright?[/color]" he asked nervously, kneeling next to her. She was muttering something to herself, some sort of gibberish that Marcus couldn't understand, in what seemed to him to be distress. "[color 33ec06]I'm right here, Hazel. Are you alright?[/color]" he repeated, trying to get some sort of answer out of the girl. She stood up abruptly, seemingly back to normal, though oblivious to the tears streaming down her cheeks. [color=fff79a]"I need to go."[/color] Slowly, she waded back towards the shore, gathering her clothes. Her movements seemed oddly tense and jerky as she flapped off the sand of her clothings, her breathing rough and ragged, as if she was holding back something. As if Hazel just thought of it, she turned towards Marcus and nodded. [color=fff79a]"Thank you. For your concern."[/color] "[color 33ec06]Are you sure you're alright?[/color]" Marcus asked, still standing where Hazel had been curled up, confusion in his face as he stared at her. Nodding, she grabbed her clothes and ran away. "[color 33ec06]Wait! I'm sorry.....that I was afraid of you.[/color]" Marcus shouted, trailing off as he watched her form disappear into the night. She didn't seem at all like she had during the Flag game, and it was hard to believe that a frolicking naked girl could warrent enough damage to authorize a 'shoot immediately' warning. They were an odd bunch, and it seemed like he was learning new things about them every day. There was probably some life-lesson here, but as Marcus waded out of the water, looking up at the moon, he was damned if he could think of anything inspiring. [/hider]