Whose Name is Victory (Who'd Die to Win)

Inhibition

The sky is clear and bright. The ocean is calm and tranquil. Nika sits on the outcropping of rocks and stares at the horizon. Nothing but sea in all directions. Isolated. No marines or pirates. No humans. East Blue is safe. She tells herself that she's safe.

Nika buries her face in her too long sleeves and sobs. She doesn't feel safe. Why doesn't she feel safe? Her tears mix with the saltwater on her cheeks. She cries and cries and she doesn't understand why she's crying in the first place.

Not stopping until someone shouts, "Hey!"

Her head shoots up just in time to glimpse a hand literally stretching towards her. Instinctively, she bats it back the way it came. It goes flying, flying, flying. As if Nika is watching in slow motion, she watches the mans face go completely slack in surprise right before his own hand collides with it and sends him reeling back. He flails, his one arm spinning in pinwheels while the other is still snapping back into place and one leg hovers with uncertainty. Then he goes tumbling over the side of his little boat.

She blinks once. Twice.

Nika gasps and stands up on her rock, looking around to see where he might resurface. After a moment she realizes that the stranger isn't coming back up.

She dives without another thought. The currents are much wilder than they appear from above, yet it's almost nothing to Nika. She spots the sailor and races to his side. His body is limp and ragdoll like in her arms. She knows that humans can't really stand quick pressure changes, but this is an emergency. She rushes back to the air and throws his body onto the boat, quickly clambering in after him.

He's not breathing.

"Oh my god, oh my god, what- CPR. Right. I can remember- holy shit," She starts mumbling in a panic. And as if struck by lightning, Nika recognizes who this is. She laughs half hysterically. Because it's really just too goddamn ironic. That in trying to actively avoid the main plot, she's killed the main character.

There's no time to dwell on the thought. She starts compressing. One. Two. Three-

Nika recoils too late from the fountain of water that comes spurting from the mans mouth and it hits her directly in the face. She sits frozen while he sputters and coughs himself to life.

"Gross," She flicks her arms out away from herself in disgust. The not-stranger turns his attention to her at the comment. She flinches from his eyes on her bare face, she had forgotten to put her hood back on.

"That was a really strong hit! You should join my crew!" He smiles wide and with all of his teeth.

It's Nika's turn to sputter, "Excuse me, what! Are you crazy? You don't even know my name! And- I don't even know yours! You almost died! You should be focusing on that!"

"Well," He tilts his head, "You saved me, right?"

She attempts to stare him down with the flattest look she can muster, "It was mermaids."

"You're a mermaid?!" He positively lights up with excitement, bouncing where he sits cross-legged, "That's even cooler! You have to join my crew now!"

Nika is stunned silent. How is she supposed to react to that? Surely, he's not this oblivious. She remembers that he's supposed to be clever. At least, a bit more clever than this?

"Do I look like a mermaid?" She gestures emphatically at her uncovered features, flaring her fins and baring her razor sharp teeth for added affect against her dark gray skin. He looks like he's considering it, humming to himself as he scrutinizes her. Nika knows that she started it, but she squirms awkwardly under the observation. Her red eyes shift to glare at the middle distance.