#h. unlikely encounters ; with fins

[hacksawgeddon]

➳ unlikely encounters ; @buriedwithit for fins

He normally doesn’t stray very far from camp but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Hacksaw had seen all sorts of mutants throughout his lifetime but none quite like that. He moves against the terrain expertly, careful not to be seen by anyone else. It’s not everyday that he lets his curiosity override his sense of responsibility. Then again, it’s not everyday he sees a walking shark. Hacksaw had seen the fellow a handful of times before – the first time he had to do a double take, pinch himself and rub his eyes – all in that order! We are truly living in strange times…

[mylilbirbs]

Chapter 2 of bubble buddies! Below the cut is the chapter (if you don’t want to read it on ao3) and some art for this chapter. I hope you like it! 

Chapter Two: Encounter

When Connie ran into the ocean she thought that was the end, but somehow she was safely encased in, something? 

A bubble, Connie was trapped in a pink bubble. 

The eel slammed against the bubble repeatedly. Connie shook, hopefully whatever this was it would be able resist the monster’s strength. 

The eel shrieked and hit the bubble with its tail, the bubble went flying with her trapped inside. 

Connie’s vision lurched as the bubble flew through air. Her glasses fell off her face when the bubble landed deeper in the ocean and slammed against a boulder.Shortly after landing she scrambled to find her glasses, putting them back on she realized that they were cracked. 

Connie ran her finger against the surface of the bubble, unlike her glasses the bubble was virtually undamaged. 

The eel’s glowing yellow eyes appeared suddenly in the dark waters, it’s jaw open wide and shrieking even louder than before. 

Connie screamed and leaned against the back of the bubble in an attempt to push the bubble away from the eel’s gaping maw. But her efforts were in vain as she barely moved in an inch.  

A few feet away from her, the eel suddenly stopped. It looked to the left, like there was something there?

She saw three large figures? No not figures,fish, Connie could clearly see the silhouettes had long tails and fins. But she had never seen fish so large before. 

The fish(?) quickly swam into the distance and the eel chased after them. They swam away into the inky depths, and Connie was alone. 

Alone, trapped in a bubble at the bottom of the ocean. All alone. 

Connie heard a slam on the back on the bubble she turned around to see two hands pressed against the bubble’s surface. Two webbed hands.

For what felt the millionth time that day, Connie screamed. 

What was happening? She wanted to have a magical adventure, but not like this! 

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down, the bubble would probably be strong enough to keep protecting her until this creature gave up. 

Wait what if she couldn’t get out? 

Don’t think about that right now!

She opened her eyes to see that the hands were no longer pressed against the bubble. Instead she could make a figure close to the bubble. 

The top half was shaped like a human, with curly hair and fins sticking out the side of their head. The rest of their body was a long fish tail, with thin fins coming off the side and end of the tail. 

A mermaid! 

The mer tilted its head like to the side like it was asking a question, Connie didn’t move, all she could do was stare. 

The mer slowly moved towards the bubble and Connie could fully see its features. Dark curly hair framed the mer’s face, it had translucent fins coming out of the side of its head like ears, constantly twitching. It’s oblong almost snake-like pupils were focused on her intently. It appeared to be a boy or at least her age.

The mer’s scaly, webbed hands began to move. Wait, was that sign language? 

Connie only knew how to fingerspell, if this was even ASL at all. 

It was worth a shot. 

Connie held up her hands in clear view of the mer and tried to introduce herself.

She pointed to herself and slowly spelled out: 

‘C-O-N-N-I-E’ ,

and then pointed to herself again, hoping the mer would understand. 

The mer’s eyes widened  and it did a small spin in the water. A small smile appeared on its face as it began to spell:

‘S-T-E-V-E-N’ 

And then, copying her, the mer pointed to itself himself

His signing was a lot more practiced and precise than her own Connie noticed. Before she could respond Steven began to spell out something else:

‘H-E-L-P Y-O-U ‘

He signed, once again pointing to himself before signing again: 

‘P-U-S-H’ 

He spelled out, and then pushed the bubble, moving it a few feet towards the shore. Much more progress than what Connie would ever be able to achieve. 

She spelled out ‘O-K’ and gave him a hesitant thumbs up.

Steven smiled and returned the gesture. And then he began to push. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connie opened one of her eyes at the feeling of a bump. She saw that bubble was being pushed onto the sand. 

The rolling suddenly came to stop and the bubble disappeared with a loud *pop!*and Connie was sitting in the sand, still very close to the ocean. 

Now out of the bubble she could Steven’s actual colors. Like the bubbl, his fins and scales were all varying shades of pink.His fins were all a light almost clear pink, the scales on his tail all had differing shades which created a stunning pattern. He had patches of scales on other parts of his body like his hands, arms and chest, seemingly randomly spread out.

“Thank you.” Connie smiled at him, adjusting  her now broken glasses and brushed her fingers through her sandy hair. 

Steven gave her a sharp toothed smile before descending back into the ocean. 

“No! Don’t go! I have so many quest-” She sighed, knowing it was already too late, he was already long gone. 

Looking to the beach Connie was relieved to see her stuff right where she left it. 

Picking up her phone, they screen flashed to live to show-

Crap! 

(Dad: 4 missed calls) 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What happened? Covered in sand! Didn’t answer your phone! Your glasses are broken Connie!” Her mother paced back and forth frantically. 

“Mom let me-” 

“No! I thought you were more responsible than this Connie.”

“Dear, maybe we should hear what she has to say.”Connie’s dad placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder. 

 Her mother took a deep breath “Fine. But this better be good Connie.” She spoke cooly, a direct contrast to the searing anger she showed moments before. 

“Well I, I wanted to sit closer to the ocean and I uh I didn’t want to get my stuff wet so I left there and that’s why I didn’t answer dad’s calls.” She lied threw her teeth

“Ok, and the sand? Your glasses?”

“The tide got really high really fast and I got knocked over by a wave.” 

“Ok. Just. Just be more prepared next time Connie.”

“I will.” And she meant it,just not in the way her mother intended. 

She will be more prepared next time, she promised herself as she pulled the sign language book off of the library shelf.

---------------------------------------------------------

[thecardsimagine]

Of shipwrecks and seafoam

Summary: Let me tell you a story about a pirate and a merman, finding a love that goes beyond insecurities and death. Let yourself be taken away onto a journey about doubt and secrets, understanding and a bond that even goes beyond the deep blue of the ocean.

Pairing: Merman!Julian Devorak x Pirate!Reader (Nonbinary) Rating: Mature because of swearing and suggestive content Warning: Blood, Death, Killing Genre: Romance, Drama, Alternate Universe

ADDITIONAL WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Vomit, Self-loathing/Self-Doubt, Angst, Mentioning of Death. Proceed with caution! ______________________________________________________________

a/n: Someone asked for suffering? That’s fine, it’s only just beginning. It’s not that bad yet. Everyone breathe out! Leave me a comment on what you thought about the new chapter! And always remember we only have 4 more Chapters and the Epilogue to go. Technically, I am already done and just procrastinating on the end lol. Please enjoy! ♥

Tagging: @julians-chest-hair / @sireennotsiren ______________________________________________________________

Chapter 8 - A Sister’s Duty

You had kissed him.

You had kissed Julian two times. And you had promised him to not hate him ever. He had returned your affection and then scurried off after hearing a loud shriek that sounded much like the way he had sounded when showing you his name in his language. Just like he asked you to, you hadn't gone into the water that night, instead, curled around the fire and fallen asleep on some point, but the thoughts were still working you when you woke up the next morning.

When you finally had enough of looming over what happened, you sat up, groaning as your head was spinning. Sleeping on the sand sure left its toll on you by now, your neck stiff and hurting. The fire next to you had burned down and the day didn't promise to be a very sunny one either, but again, it was neither cold nor warm. On some point of stretching your neck, you turned your head towards the water. Immediately your sight was greeted by two sparkling grey-blue eyes glancing back at you. Somehow the situation was familiar, but something seemed odd, and with the hints of panic rising in you, you slid further back into the direction of the thicket before you even had a grasp on what was happening.

It wasn't Julian. This creature had lighter hair than Julian, though it was just as wavy and unruly. The further you crouched away, the closer it got until a sudden body erected from the water, and you let out a surprised, "Oh!" Quickly, you avoided your eyes as you made out the naked woman's body. You were glad that most of herself was covered by wet hair, but you didn't want to be rude and stare for too long either

Unlike with Julian before, you weren't as afraid of her, though you still had respect of the situation, clearing your throat awkwardly. "H-Hi?" you asked, giving her a shy glance. "Oh, hi!" the mermaid chimed back chipperly. She sounded oddly joyful but still as pleasant as you were used to it by Julian's voice. "I brought you food!" she continued, dropping two fish into the sand next to the fireplace, headless and gutted, like you were used to it by now.

"I'm Portia, who are you?" she asked, sinking down into the sand and holding her head up by her hands. “I’m [Name]... Are you…?" Before you could finish your question, she nodded in agreement, humming a confirmation. "That idiot who comes up here every day is my brother," she confirmed your suspicion. Alone from how her tail and fins looked, she was relatively similar to Julian, aside from the light raise in color compared to him. "He asked me to bring you these. He can't come, and I am always up for an adventure!"

Perplex you shook your head, agreeing that you understood what she was saying, but it left questions open to answer. "Why can't he come? Did something happen?" Portia hummed thoughtfully before answering, searching for your eyes with hers before speaking up again. "He's… caught up in something you could say. Don't worry, I am sure he will come by sometime again, he's just like that, always disappearing somewhere."

She began slowly sinking back into the water, though you managed to call out to her before she disappeared. "Wait!" Facing you again, she eyed you questioningly, raising her eyebrow. "I-" you started. In reality, you tried to organize your thoughts, there were so many questions in your head, and you were unsure which one to ask first. Your mind was ringing in confusion, and it made it hard to process everything, so you spurted out the first thing you could.

"Can you stay for a while?"

Portia was different than her brother. Though you would say Julian was curious and always trying to find out more things, Portia sure was more likely to explore the things in a more straightforward way. It wasn't unpleasant, but for the first time, you realized how much effort Julian must have put into behaving like a human. At least, she would share a meal with you, something Julian hadn't dared before.

"You don't mind being close to the fire?" you asked her after a while, watching her slip another piece of fish into her mouth. "No, not really. I know I shouldn't touch it, but I see no harm otherwise," she explained calmly, unbothered by the flames flicking out into her direction. Apparently, she didn't even mind the cooked fish, though much like Julian with the water, she seemed indifferent about the taste.

"So, Julian… Is he alright? You said he got caught up in something?" you asked carefully, having noticed her hesitation before. "Oh, he's… Well, yeah. Don't worry about him, it's just how he is." She seemed thoughtful for a moment, pulling apart the flesh of the fish in her hand. "He's very important for our flock… And he works with our Leader."

"The same that got hurt by fire before?" you asked without thinking, seeing her eyes shine up in surprise. "Oh, did he talk to you about it?" For a moment, you hesitated. This was an excellent chance to gather some information, but at the same time, you felt like backstabbing Julian, who had been reluctant to tell you. "I mean, if he did, I guess there's no harm in telling you," Portia chimed, almost relieved at that.

"Yeah, Leader Lucio had this very nasty encounter with humans who tried to burn him. But it's his fault after all! That maniac wanted to be a human so bad, he would have done anything he could! But now, Julian has to take care of him and his moods, while he's treated like a lowly servant."

Letting out a small gasp, you were glad she didn't seem to notice while you worked through the information you had just received. A mermaid wanting to become a human sounded almost too much like a fairytale to believe it, and yet, you had no reason to doubt her words. "He thinks it's his fault the Leader got hurt when really, it's all that stupid Lucio's fault."

"Why's that?" you asked, curiously. "Well…" with her claws, she shredded the fish skin in small stripes while talking, her face grim. "After all, it was Julian who said he would make sure that Lucio would become human and be accepted into their society. How should he have known the serum he created would wear off when Lucio got in touch with water though? The serum just wasn't completed yet, but the Leader insisted on taking it, and now everyone blames Julian. It's quite ridiculous."

She sighed heavily and deeply. "He's my brother, but sometimes I wish he had gotten some of my thinking. Always putting himself below others, constantly worrying and making me clean up behind him. Like this morning, when he said, "Portia, my dear sister! Please go see the human and bring some food!" without leaving me any choice!" She let out an annoyed huff before looking up, seemingly remembering something. "Oh, it's nothing personal. It's just… No one knew you were up here, so it came as a shock that he again was trying to connect to this… other world."

Nodding slowly, your throat felt so dry when you finally swallowed a piece of fish you had kept inside of your mouth while listening. You were trying hard to follow her story, understand the meaning of it all, and piece together the information she was giving you. But it all seemed so out of place, and it left you with an uncomfortable knot in your stomach. "You know…" she picked up her words again, finally looking up at you.

"At first, I was really upset he'd make me do something as unreasonable as to meet a human, but you're really not half as bad as I expected." She giggled softly, and you smiled meekly in return. "What did you expect to happen then?" It was a question you were soon to regret. "Oh, you know. The usual. Spears, threatening me, trying to eat my flesh. Some really still believe it makes them immortal to eat a mermaid, even though-" she gave her tail a rough slap, giggling some more, "-we're just big fishies!"

With a short break, she took a deep breath before continuing. "After all, it's the other way around." At this, your attention peaked, and you quickly swallowed the piece of fish you had in your mouth again, eyes connecting with hers. "We eat humans to stay alive for so long. But don't worry, I wouldn't do you anything, you are precious to my brother after all, so it's my duty as a sister to keep you safe too!"

The last few sentences you were barely able to pick up, your head starting to spin frantically while the panic began to spread its wings inside of you again. So they did eat humans? But Julian had said they didn't! Had he really be lying to you the whole time? But why? Why would he… Except he had plans that he wasn't going to share with you. "Oh, look at the sun, I really should get going."

Portia heaved her body back into the water without giving you a second look over, flicking the fish shreds onto the surface where they drifted off. Maybe if she had looked back at that moment, she would have noticed how much your body shivered. "My brother might not be able to come by as often anymore. The Leader is impatient and really wants the new serum to finish soon. So he's tail-deep in trouble for disappearing so much the last few days." With a bit of a groan, she finally managed to slide back into the cool wet, leaving you behind speechless. "They need to make sure to use the amount of humans we only recently received properly and not let them go to waste. And they need his assistance more than ever."  

Turning towards you, she gave you a toothy smile, before shouting out, "Call me, if you need something!" waved and disappeared, leaving you behind.

Before your mind could set its foot down, your body convulsed, and you rushed to get up, running towards the thicket. Your wound burned for the first time in days, tears falling freely from your eyes while you toppled over releasing a stream of vomit from your mouth. You had been wrong, with everything. Against the better judgment of your body, you had yourself be pulled in by a quite literal siren's call.

"Fuck!" you groaned, realizing what kind of mouth you had kissed, what words you had trusted. A murderer's words in a sense, though you couldn't even call it cannibalism after all. Those mermaids were killing humans like the tales spoke, luring them into wrecking their ships to eat them, to stay alive. To stay alive for centuries even. And though you barely wanted to believe it, Julian was no better than them, his confession of age being the best prove at that.

"They… They ate…" you stuttered slowly, feeling like your head was going to explode with all the feelings and thoughts. Clasping your hands over your eyes, you slumped down, letting out ugly screams of pain and overwhelming sadness. The thought had been there for a long time, but now it got so much more tragic, more than you could handle by yourself. Julian had saved you, fully knowing that his kind was slaughtering the others that had still be alive when the ship got wrecked. He damned you to live with the guilt of knowing that you had just been lucky to be spared by him.

In the end, he was nothing different from a monster.

He even assisted in salvaging whatever was left in the bodies for them to use! And it didn't matter to you if it was for weird potions or serums, or to simply consume them.

You couldn't help but lean forward once more, the rest of the fish and water leaving your body disgustingly. The imaginary in your head drove you insane, making you wish you had never thought about it. Pulling in your legs, you wept loudly, sure that there was no one to hear you now. You ignored the burning of your body, your wound upset with your position, and just kept on rocking back and forth, for as long as you needed to calm down, ignoring every sound and animal that was around you.

When you came back to your senses, hours must have passed. Either you had laid in the sand while being unresponsive or you really had passed out, your conscience unable to keep up with your thoughts and feelings and shutting itself down. Whatever it was, it didn't really matter. Again you felt the water rise in your eyes, the tears falling down and disappearing in the sand. "No, no, no…" you muttered, releasing the hold you had on your knees still, muscles and bones aching under the movement. Deep inside, you didn't want to believe it. But what really bothered you was a very specific thought.

Were you the next meal? The next experimental body? The reserve human in case something goes wrong, and they needed more?

You couldn't trust anyone anymore. Not Julian, who had lied to you more than once you were sure by now. Not Portia, who didn't seem to understand the heaviness that her words had on you. You couldn't even trust yourself, because you had been dumb enough to believe these creatures even though you very obviously had been fooled into safety, with your body trying to tell you to get away.

More and more overcome with self-loathing, you clasped your hands over your ears, hoping it would shut down the sounds of your own thoughts. Dumb, an idiot, ridden with feelings. You would have rather kissed that creature instead of finding out the truth. Be dependant on it, though you really just needed to get the fuck away from it. How stupid could one be? How unspeakable naive and empathetic? You had really thought your words hurt him? Even though it was he, who would be mercilessly taking what he needed from you?

Your whole body felt dirty when you remembered everything he had touched. And you had so willingly shared your feelings and thoughts on the tour around the island just the day before. Playing into his plan, that's what you had done. Let him patch you up so you would be an even better human to harvest or whatever they did with the humans.

"I have to get out," you mumbled, throat so dry it hurt to speak.

Without blinking, you stared at the water, its waves softly brushing against the shore like every day so far. If you wanted to have any chance of survival, even the smallest, you had to flee. You'd need a boat, and with the compass he brought you, you would sail into a direction, without looking back, just far far away. Too far for him to reach you. It was the only thing you could do. You owed it to the comrades that had passed in the monster's wrath. You owed them your life, so you had to keep living. See their families, tell them what happened.

You couldn't die here, through the claws of these monsters.

Wobbling, but filled with a sudden determination, you got up. Your body hurt, but you dragged it back to the fire, lightening it up with a new stack of wood and putting the water to boil on it. What you needed was a boat, food, water. It would take a while, but if you only put your heart into it, you could excel.

For the first time in days, you approached your lonely spear, which had waited for you in the sand. You should have used it so much earlier. Close to it, you also found the same stone you used to sharpen it with. Armed with those two, you started your journey into the woods. In your head, you already planned out exactly what you needed, finding alternatives for it and beginning to collect whatever you could already, making sure to hide them, just in case Julian would come back and tried to keep you from your plan.

You've come so far, he would not stop you now, or ever.

[myskistore]

Mother of All Blacks (north face of Mt Fort)

​

Bec des Rosses and \"La Noire\" from Mt Fort

Verbier is no stranger to extreme riding. Perhaps best known for its freeride cult and Bec des Rosses, Verbier also has quite an extreme surprise up its sleeve for the people who like to play it safe and want to ride pistes only.

The Mother of All Blacks, also known as "La noire du Mt Fort" or "North Face of Mt Fort". In it's usual, moguled and iced-over state, it bears about as much similarity to your average black does to your average blue.

Unlike what it seems, it's not a beaten-up freeride zone entry, but a \"piste\".

Fifth steepest piste in the Alps at 37 degrees, unlike other entrants, it is never groomed and almost always iced over. If you fall, there is no arresting yourself. You are going down all the way, bouncing off the iced-over moguls while gaining speed until you stop a couple hundred meters below.

The moguls are not your friend even if you stay on your skis. Sharpened by the skiers who attempted to pass there before you, the don't have flat spaces between them and are more akin to fins pointing downslope. There is no snow in the beginning - the little there was turned into ice or was blown away. There is a sharp transition between the end of one bump and start of another. You can't really get an edge there, nor do you want to have your ski facing downslope at that angle here. You can't really rely on the downhill part of the mogul - they are vertical. You can't shave them with your edges to loose speed. As a matter of fact, side-slipping is not an option, because once you go off the top of one, you are dropping a meter or two before landing on the spine of the next one. Planting the poles downslope to help yourself to rotate faster is out of question as well - you just won't reach.

You've been scoffing at "Warning experts only" signs you've encountered on other blacks and "randonnées balisées" for years. You freerode some steep and gnarly things. Forest runs in steep terrain are fun to you. Mogul runs aren't hard - the question is only at which speed you go through them and how much air time you are trying to get out of them. Last week you did a full send on other "steepest in Alps" slope in Switzerland - Chuenisbärgli - without a second thought or even realizing it was it while you were on it.

But the Mother of all Blacks is a whole different story.

You don't send it. You don't cruise it either. Instead, you are slowly and carefully rolling from one mogul on the others, looking at the pieces of ice from under your skis roll all the way down the mogul run and watching the ones people uphill are sending your way. Your quads scream for mercy and yet you are maybe 20% down the spicy part. You wonder who the f#$k though that could qualify as a piste and why there were no warnings at the entry.

Finally, about a hundred meters lower and a couple of minutes later, the ice shavings that rolled from above give you enough depth to sink the at least 20 cm of your edges and gain control again. You transit into a field of fist-sized ice blocks that rolled from above. You are finally able to sink your edges their full length and regain more and more control. Those chunks feel like powder compared to what you just rode above. About a hundred meters lower, you are finally on a groomed piste and are able to full send it, so that you don't have to push up a 10 m re-up about a kilometer further. What seemed to be almost a flat reveals to still be a solid 50m of drop and you end up well above 110 km/h, your lips flapping around in the wind. You hit an ice block that rolled all the way down here with one your skis and it starts oscillating. You have to ride one-legged for a second and switch to the edges to regain control. You are now pulling super-G turns while going over 100 km/h on your 15m turn-radius skis.

You finally get to the end of it and pull over just before starting the drop down the Col des Gentianes. Your quads are on fire. Your legs are shaking a bit. You turn around to have one last look at what you just rode. It looks impressive from down here, but riding it is a whole different story.

You may pride yourself a seasoned rider.

The Mother of All Blacks will command your respect regardless.

https://preview.redd.it/fygutqkyh3k61.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ed4a954023d004ec0568cc57a9a3ca8316a077f

submitted by /u/andreichiffa [link] [comments]

from /r/skiing - Always in season. https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/ltzew8/mother_of_all_blacks_north_face_of_mt_fort/

[hacksawgeddon]

He’s immediately delighted that his efforts are appreciated! If not for the sack over his head, Fins would’ve had a full view of a once-in-a-blue-moon smile. At his offer, he shakes his head immediately... Though, after some thinking he had gotten a little lost following Fins around in the city. Everything looks the same around here. It’s confusing! Hacksaw takes a moment to ponder before he squats down the floor, using his finger to draw in the sand what his camp looks like from the city - bunch of trees, a lake and a cabin. It's a childish drawing at best, but he hopes it would at least look somewhat familiar.

fins is a little surprised by the speed at which hacksaw walks off. so much so that he wonders, just briefly, if he had done something wrong. he can't think of anything, but that means very little. thankfully, fins isn't left to stew in what ifs for very long. the stranger returns quickly, now armed with two gallons of water. he almost feels a little bad. first, for doubting him, and second... it's like he's taking advantage! "thank you," he says, laughing softly. "i wish i could do something for you, too... is there anything?" he doesn't exactly know how they'll be able to communicate it, but he can't just resign himself to do nothing.

[hacksawgeddon]

Hacksaw had been called many things before but it’s the first time he’s ever heard “kind.” It catches him by surprise, so much so that he takes a moment to compose himself again before he’s able to give Fins a curt nod of his head as a reply. He sets off again without a sound, now fueled with a sense of purpose—he has to help! He’s helpful, he’s kind! Hacksaw returns shortly hauling two full gallons of water this time. It’s an easy feat considering he’s hauled multiple bodies heavier than this before. He sets them at the foot of his newfound friend, waiting expectantly.

fins hands over the container, hoping he understands what's going on. it's an unfortunate fact of life that he doesn't usually, but... as far as he can tell, there aren't too many ways that he can mess this up. "um... yeah, if you want to get more, i would like that." at long last, he feels like he's broached the issue. clearly, since they had brought him one canister, it would make sense for them to ask if he wanted another. "you're very kind," he adds, wanting to make sure they know that they're appreciated.

[hacksawgeddon]

Close enough. Hacksaw nods enthusiastically, outstretching both of his hands to take the container again. Now, how was he going to ask if he needed more? He paused to stare at the empty jug before deciding to hold it upside down, pointing at it. Maybe like this? He looks back at his companion questioningly. He’s unsure if he should even mention having stolen it for him in the first place. Maybe he’ll omit that… but it’s not like it was easy to communicate when you can’t talk. Why wasn't he being supplied with water, anyway? He's a shark!

unfortunately, fins isn't very good at figuring out how to communicate without words. sheltered and illiterate, he has no experience with thinking in any way but his own. he can tell that this stranger is happier now that he's taken ( and used ) the gift, which is nice, but... now comes the hard part. he doesn't know what that gesture means. the vague one, that is. the pointing, he—oh, maybe he's trying to show him where he had gotten it. but, um... where is that? "um..." no, maybe... not quite. "...do you want it back?" that doesn't seem right either. "...to refill it?"

[hacksawgeddon]

Hacksaw watches in complete awe as the latter, for the lack of a better word, rehydrates himself. He’s rather pleased with himself, his demeanor immediately brightening once Fins thanks him for the water. At the sudden question though he hesitates, looking back at a particular restaurant where he snuck into a kitchen to "borrow" one. Maybe he should get another. Hacksaw gestures vaguely around that area. He’s unsure how to communicate with him exactly, so he points to the empty container and tilts his head questioningly. More? Do you need more? He can get more.

a long moment of silence stretches between them, neither certain of how to deal with the other. fins wonders if, now that he's stood up, that he's startled or frightened him in some way. but then... well, clearly this stranger is unusual, too. not just because of his large size. fins tries to think of something else to say. maybe his name, or an apology, or. something. he's so focused on that—and can't see very well, anyway—that he misses their attempt at communication. before he can work up the nerve make, hacksaw lifts up the water and holds it out for him. "oh," he says, accepting the gift... and immediately proceeding to dump it over his head and then into his mouth, letting is pass through his gills. "thank you," he says, breaking into a toothy grin. "i really needed that. where did you get the water?" he's hoping that he can have more...

[hacksawgeddon]

The poor man could do nothing but freeze, as if that could help in this situation. He’s more surprised that the latter can actually talk – and truthfully, he’s a little envious – and didn’t seem at all fazed by his unusual appearance. A long silence clung into the air as he panics. What should he do? He had never run away from someone before. Would it be impolite? He’s not sure why he’s pondering the politeness of this odd situation at all. After some time, he decides to nod slowly. Gift, he signs, though he remembers shortly after that sign language isn't universally known. Hacksaw decides the last minute to grab the gallon of water into his arms, lift it with ease and then hold it out to him like a present instead. Yes, perhaps this is a bit more clear.

fins' hearing is not particularly acute, so he doesn't hear that anyone is sneaking up behind him... or even that he's been under observation this entire time. it's only dumb luck that he decides ( if a little miserably ) that he should end his break and get back to work, standing and turning only to see that not only is there a gallon of water sat behind him, but also a person nearly as tall as he is. surprised, he stares dumbly for a long moment before he finally gets out, a little wheezily, "is that... for me?"

[hacksawgeddon]

Out of all the times he’d seen the shark, this has to be the worse shape he’d ever witness him in. Isn’t he supposed to be in the water? Concern eats away at him. They’ve never actually met before of course, and he hadn’t seen Hacksaw before but he’s definitely watched him from afar—much like how he’s watching him right now. Did he need water? He’s going to get water. Hacksaw stalks around unfamiliar territory for some time, only to come back with a stolen gallon of water in hand. He hesitates for only a second before he decides to approach from behind. Maybe if he’s quick about it, he won’t notice.

this time of year is always difficult for him. as their part of the world gets hotter and drier, the pressure of being a semi-aquatic creature only mounts. he's capital-d dry from his eyes all the way deep into the back of his gills. no surprise, each breath comes with a bit of a wheeze. physical activity is also more difficult this time of year... and it's unfortunate that it's all he's ever been good for. setting down the big hunks of trash, fins is forced to sit and break.