A little faded

[Lovely]

Feb 17, 2010
sunset


He was a good enough medic to fix scratches and set any bones she might have broken without bothering Sol and the others. The marks she had beneath the sunburn intrigued him enough that he chose her from the survivors to tend himself. He'd pulled her from the water barely conscious and bandaged her, letting her rest in his cot for now until Tripp was ready for her. The cruise wasn't one of the huge liners for which he was thankful. The island was large, but could only sustain so many. He hoped she would be one of the ones allowed to stay. Rase sat in the chair, his fingers steepled under his nose as he watched her, waiting for her to wake up.

She knew in a distant sense where she was and what had happened to her, she didn't know the exact location but she was out of the water and laying somewhere that was far more comfortable than the wreckage. She was weak, sore, she was burned from the days in the sun but the stiff shreds of her clothes were no longer scratching against her tender skin. Vara made a quiet sound, a soft moan as she shifted and stretched on the cot, her eyes fluttered and she tried to wake up. Her fingers flexed and she widened her eyes to help keep them from slipping shut again. She took in the room, and the man sitting there looking so serious with his steepled fingers, it made her wonder if she was hurt worse then she realized. Her mouth was dry and she licked at her lips, feeling as if it would hurt to speak her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "Drink... water... please.." Her hand went to her throat and she pouted, she sounded terrible.

"Just water?" The man grinned behind his fingers and he leaned forward to pick up a bottle. Its liquid was clear and he offered it to her, helping her sit up to drink it. "Easy. Your burn is still bad. If you want something stronger, just give the word," he said. "Might not feel like it at the moment, but you should live."

She nodded at first, she just wanted water, her pout melted away at seeing his grin, she wanted to feel better fast. She sort of leaned against him as he helped her sit up to drink, the water felt amazing against her lips and tongue, it was wonderful as it slipped down her throat. "Ohh thank you." She took another sip though she wanted to gulp it all down, she knew that would likely make her feel worse. A few more slow sips and her mouth almost felt normal and she was more comfortable speaking. "I'd love to have something stronger but I don't think I should drink after being in the sun and water so long.. maybe we can go out for drinks when I'm not burned and dehydrated... dressed might be a good idea too."

"Sunburn's a b*tch out here, so I didn't think you'd mind so very much. It's okay, I really am a doctor," he grinned. He moved the water out of the way. "I'm just not a surgeon or a miracle worker. We'll tend the burn when you can move a little more. The bar's open any time you're ready for the drinks, though. So... been dying to ask you when you woke up - can you tell me about those?" He was excited to talk about the art that adorned her shoulders and back. He moved a black sleeve up to his elbow to show the details of his own art. "Something of a specialty of mine."

[Lovely]

"I don't mind.. at all, doctor or not. Someone else might have been too worried that I'd get upset and left me in the stiff clothes which would have made everything hurt more." She took another couple sips from the water and smiled a little. "I think I need alot more of this and less burned skin before I consider the bar.. but that.." Her smile brightened and she reached to run a finger over the artwork on his arm. ".. I can always appreciate. To be fair you should take your shirt off.. since you can see all mine, I should get to see all of yours." He might notice her ink seemed more faded since he pulled her from the water. "I love ink.. maybe I'll have to get an anchor or a merman when I get back home to commemorate this eventful vacation."

He laughed and took a sip from a different colored bottle than hers. He stood and humored her, removing the militaristic sheath of shirt from his slim form, revealing more colorful sleeves underneath, over most of his torso and disappearing beneath his belt. "Known as 'the artist' here. It's not all my own work, though it's my concepts. That's why I'm intrigued, so if you find me staring, it might not be what you think." He took another sip and sat beside her so she could see the detail. "I lied. It is what you think, but I am a professional."

She appreciated the view when he took off his shirt and for more than simply the artwork that covered him, though that made her gasp softly. "Wow." Her gaze flowed over him and followed his movements as he sat down beside her. "Definitely getting a merman." She chuckled and reached to brush her fingers along his lines and patterns. "Who said I wanted you to be professional?" She asked with a slight smile, she probably looked like hell but that wouldn't stop her from flirting. If only she had some of his ink, she'd be good as new in no time but then she'd have to explain how that happened. "I don't mind if you stare, as long as you dont mind me doing the same." Her gaze drifted down toward where the colors disappeared beneath his waistband.

He was glad he set the bottle down. A moment after she began to trace the designs, he clasped his hand over hers, stopping her from moving any further over the lines on his arm. Maybe she hadn't felt it, but there was a definite surge and tickle from her touch that only happened when... His gaze darkened a moment and his thoughts shot out on instinct, wrapping around her memories in the short-term depositories, those from the wreck and shortly before. He shook his head as if trying to make the thoughts rattle. "Sorry. Some are a little new," he lied, explaining the twitch as if she'd hurt him, but it was nothing at all like pain, quite the opposite. He let go of her fingers, testing a theory. "It's alright, go ahead."

"Really?" She was skeptical as she had quite a bit of experience with getting tats and none of his looked that new, least not the ones she'd touched. "I'm sorry.. I'd offer to kiss it better but you know then I'd be touching the sensitive spot again." She shook her head a little to the offer to keep going, gently pulling her hand away. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Not usually one to complain about an offer like that," he admitted, chuckling again, but was he talking about tats? "You're not making me uncomfortable. You're making me think. Merman, hm? I might be able to do that for you tonight. Could touch up some of your color, too. Terrible artist. Who made yours so pale?"

[Lovely]

"I'm sure that's a very bad idea with this sunburn. Otherwise I'd love to have you work on me." She took another larger sip of the water and sighed, bringing her hand up to brush her arm lightly. "Maybe a rain check..?" She had to remember to concentrate so the ink wouldn't keep fading, though as it did her sunburn also faded as did her other injuries. It was slow and would continue to be that way until she had some fresh ink to help speed up the process. "Must have been the sun.." She shrugged in reply to the question about the artist and the faded tats she had.

"You'll be good as new in a few hours. Sun's going down and Sol's about done with the others who fell off that boat. I only helped. He's got just the thing to make that burn go away before your eyes," he said, not sure how much she would believe such a thing. Given the sharp and admirable tingle he'd felt, he was fairly sure she lived with that kind of miracle cure as much as he did. "Wouldn't count on rain very much, though, unless Kaz is in a mood. Let me get you something to walk in. The others around here aren't so kind to keep their eyes in their heads when they should. It's about time to go pay a visit to proprietor of this fine establishment and see what else we can do for you while you're here."

This time she wasn't shy about putting her hand on his arm, her gaze searching his face with her questions about what he'd said. "Why don't you tell me a little more before we go see anyone." There was something in what he said and how he'd said it that had her wondering and a little worried. "Like where is here.. and does this Sol say abra-cadabra before this magic cure?"

He didn't slap her hand this time, but watched her fingers and marked silently the sparks and tingle that traveled under the drawings. She had to know, or feel something strange too, didn't she? "Tell you more? About this place? It's this piece of land, surrounded by water... called an island," he teased. He winked and nodded, taking a deep breath as he determined a place to start in explanations. "Well," he said, scratching his ear a little as the tingle worked its way up his arm. "This place is really its own country, totally off the map. It used to be an installation until the government forgot about it... with a little help. Leave a land of opportunity open and find an opportunist to inhabit it, you then have what we call home. No one comes in or leaves without passing by the eyes and ears of said opportunist... king, el hefe, czar, whatever you want to call him. We call him Tripp and he's the one in charge and what he says goes. Oh, and as far as that vacation memento, your vacation ended when we rescued you."

And just like that the fun ended, the playful expression melted off her face, her hand dropped away from his arm and she pulled the sheet up to cover herself better. Her fingers flexed to shake off the tingle she felt and she stopped searching his face, her gaze on the floor as she absorbed all of what he said. So now she was a prisoner or a slave or going to die.. these weren't friendly military guys who rescued the survivors and were going to help them home. She'd never felt like such a complete idiot for letting her playful side come out and flirting with a good looking man. He probably thought it was hilarious that she had, good thing she hadn't really told him anything about herself. "About those clothes.."

"You asked," he said, reminding her it was her idea to ask questions. He winked again. "It's not as bad as it sounds, but yeah, you can plan on staying a while. You like this room?" He looked around the corner of tent he called home. It was small, but he'd made it comfortable. He did get up to open a trunk and pull out clean boxers and a tee. "Try these."

[Lovely]

"I know I asked." She spoke quietly and still didn't look at him, she hadn't expected anything like the answer he gave. It put a very different prespective on everything, including his 'teasing' about the way he might look at her and her missing clothes. She was a very free person, one who was never comfortable with strict rules and not being able to do what she wanted, she worked hard and been through alot to gain what independance she did have. She shrugged and glanced around, realizing now that she paid attention that this was a tent, not actually a room in any sort of building. "I don't not like it.." She just didn't really have an opinion about it. She picked up the tee first and pulled it on to cover her, wincing as it was tugged over her sunburned skin. Screw it, she thought to herself, what did it matter now? Vara tugged the boxers on, sort of keeping herself under the sheet and somewhat hidden. She stopped trying to control her body's natural function and let it absorb the ink from the tattoos that were a week old, the ink marks disappeared as did the sunburn beneath the shirt. She curled her legs up, looping her arms around the front of them and resting her chin on her knees. "Thanks." She said absently about the clothes he'd given her, it felt weird to thank him for anything, seeing as she was now some kind of prisoner.

"You're welcome," he nodded, being kind still, though she retreated further inward and likely didn't find him sincere. He hadn't completely let go of her recent memory and saw the shuffle of new information as she thought about then forgot the week-old tattoos. He was confused now and let go before loosing his own thoughts in strange spirals. She curled up against the sunburn which concerned him now. "That can't be comfortable," he pointed out. "I should have Sol take a look at that burn if you're going to be tying yourself in knots like that." He looked at her arm and noted that the marks were not only faded now, but almost gone. "That's something you don't see... or not see... every day. Part of your gifts, then? That explains the tingle."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She played dumb about the marks and the sunburn all of which were gone, she almost turned to look at him but had only moved slightly before bringing her gaze to the front again. "I don't have a burn.. so you don't need to bother Sol." She rubbed her hands over her arms, she didn't expect she'd get anymore tats and that made her very sad, she loved getting them and not only because of the benefit to her mutation. She was just lucky enough to have her gifts work well with something she already liked.

He grinned and picked up his bottle again for another sip. "Interesting side effect, then. What is it, illusion? A form of shifting? Molecular something? Your burn was bad enough to blister and make you ill for days. It wasn't going away in four hours without some help. Play stupid if you want, but you're not and I'm usually not."

She finally looked at him again, giving him a glare that wasn't at all frightening, in truth it probably looked more playful than threatening. Vara sighed and rested her arms over the top of her knees, looking down as she picked at her thumbnail. "It's not a side effect, it's just how I'm made. It's what I am.. I don't know what to call it.."

"Well if it's made as well as the rest of you, it's got to be powerful and impressive," he said, moving now to a spot behind her on the other side of the cot. "So how about cashing in on that raincheck - burn's gone right? Want one of these?" He offered a bottle like his own, dark with its contents unknown but resembling beer.

[Lovely]

"It's really not impressive at all." She shrugged and twisted herself to look at him, she shook her head a bit. "I'm still... not replenished.." She looked at the water bottle she had, that helped but wouldn't restore her the way other things did. "You.. don't have a pen you don't need.. do you?"

"Why? Suddenly want to write down your memoirs? I could help you with that, by the way," he said, curious what the pen was for. He handed her the bottle anyway for later and started to look for a pen. "If you want my number, I don't have one," he teased, finished the last of his bottle off and opening a new one while he dug around. "Ink I have, but I'm not sure about a pen. I don't usually sketch out first."

"I don't want to write with it, that's why I asked for one you didn't need.." She watched him rummage around and bit at her lower lip, not sure what to tell him, whether she could trust him, and what he would think was crazy. He mentioned he had ink and her breath caught like he'd mentioned decadent chocolates. "Ink is probably pretty scarce or hard to get here.. huh?" Her fingers curled into the sheet and she tried not to show that she was nearly starving for some. Surviving the wreck and days in the ocean had taken alot out of her, normally she could go a long time without regular food or water, just a little ink here and there.

"Sometimes, sure, but there's shipments now and then, so I can get more. So it's just ink you want?" He held up a bottle of red tat ink and looked at her strangely. He had another theory and quickly hid the bottle in his palm. "If you want that merman, I better find some blue."

She got excited when he held up the bottle of red, she sat up, perking up like a puppy being offered a treat. She thought for a moment he might actually give it to her, but of course not. She sighed out her disappointment with a very faint whimper, having to turn her gaze away to get herself composed again. "Blue is my favorite.." She said sort of distantly as she curled up again with her chin on her knees. "Don't.. just forget the merman.." She shook her head, not wanting him to waste his time giving her a tat that would be gone within minutes.

"Forgetting things myself is not something I do well. You wanted that tat and I have one in mind. Blue, huh? How about this?" He held up a bottle of a deep blue in the other hand now, showing her both and wondering what she would do with either of them.

"It's a gorgeous blue." She looked at him and her eyes showed how much she appreciated the thought and his kindness even if he'd answered honestly to a question she wished she hadn't asked. "I don't want you to waste your time." She told him sincerely, though she would love the tattoo from him, she'd need to absorb it too quickly for it to be worth his effort. He showed her the ink but she wasn't sure if he was offering them or if he'd hide them away like he'd done after showing her the red the first time. She was hesitant to ask and didn't want to take what he likely didn't have much of if he had to look for it like he had. Her fingers rubbed together in her desire for the ink and finally she gave in, quietly asking for it. "Can.. can I have a little of the red?" He should save the blue for something better.

"Catch," he said, tossing her the bottle of the red ink. "Do you need something to try to write with?" He didn't have much except a few blades and his tattooing equipment he didn't let anyone else touch. She seemed timid and anxious about the ink by itself. There had to be something about it, how her body absorbed the marks she had and how the burn disappeared.