Will Graham (purelyempathic) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-06-15 16:32:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, lilo pelekai, will graham |
Who: Will Graham & Lilo Pelekai
What: Will gets a scare ... and a date?
When: 6/14
Where: Will's fishing spot on the coast
Rating: PG
Status: Complete
Will didn’t fish very often anymore - he hadn’t made his own lures in a long time, and he didn’t like going to the lakes near the coast because they seemed to be inundated with people. However, he’d found one spot that so far, was his own - a secluded cove toward the north of the county. He could set up a spot and fish, and it was safe enough for Winston to walk around, sniff things, and generally tire himself out.
Today, he’d been fishing for a few hours when he saw an unwelcome sight - a boat, just far enough out on the water. There was a figure on the deck, but he couldn’t make out much, just a red swimsuit and dark hair. A woman, likely.
The figure was securing ankle weights around her muscular legs, the boat having already been anchored. Soon the figure was seated on the edge of the bow, and it leaned over, breathing hard and fast even as it tied its hair back. It looked for all the world like the woman was hyperventilating before she fell backward into the water.
Will vaulted out of his chair, eyes wide, hoping he hadn’t seen what he’d thought. He waited, figuring he ought to ensure it wasn’t a hallucination. Maybe she’d simply wanted to jump into the water a silly way.
But then she wasn’t coming up. A minute. Two.
He reached for his phone, ready to dial emergency services, but the damned thing showed no bars. Will cursed under his breath, running a bit further down the beach, trying to pick up a signal.
Three minutes. Four.
At five minutes, the figure resurfaced with a loud gasp, floating onto her back for a few minutes and laughing loudly. There was a band on her wrist that tracked how far she’d dived, but she’d check that later on.
Will stopped when he heard laughter. His head whipped around, seeing the figure - a woman, as he’d guessed, in bright, loud red - floating on her back. His head swam, and he stopped running, eyes closed against the relief and the sudden surfeit of adrenaline. Winston had followed him, and was sitting nearby, head cocked.
Moving back to her boat, Lilo aimed it toward shore, smiling when she saw a guy sitting on the sand with his dog.
Will saw the craft start to come in toward shore, not entirely sure what he ought to do about it. Being alarmed had left him sluggish; he stood there dumbly until the craft was in shouting distance, but he didn’t say anything. At least not yet.
She pushed the little canoe onto the sand with a grunt, then hopped off of the boat. “Sorry,” she called out. “I didn’t mean to scare you if I did. Did you see me dive?”
Will shook his head to clear it. “Yes. Um. It took me by surprise.” She was younger than he’d thought - dark hair, thin and pretty. “How did you do it without an air tank of some kind?”
Lilo smiled broadly and tapped her lungs. “First you have to kind of hyperventilate and empty out the lungs entirely. Then you do the same thing and fill ‘em back up. World record for no limits apnea for women is 160 meters down.” She planned on beating it within the year. Which reminded her to check her wrist device; she’d cleared 158 meters on a training run which made her grin.
Will was interested in spite of himself. “For diving in the ocean, or anywhere? I’m not familiar with that sport. You can maybe tell I’m not familiar with many sports.” He blushed, looking down. He’d always been small and slight. Thankfully, he saw Winston chewing on a stick, and it gave him an out. “Winston. Winston, here.”
“Anywhere. No limits is just that - you can descend however you want and ascend however you want.” Lilo smiled as she got her breath back, not sure what the guy’s self-deprecating remark was for. He was kind of hot. “Aww, puppy! May I say hi to him?” She hadn’t made eye contact with the dog yet; her adoptive family had been friends with a groomer, so she knew the ropes.
“Oh, I see. I - oh. Winston?” The dog had come over to sniff, and Will nodded. “He’s in a good state; he should be okay to approach.” And Winston was friendly on his worst days. It would be fine.
Lilo smiled, calling the dog over and offering him her hand. She didn’t talk to him yet, but waited for him to calm down a bit. When he did, she smiled and called him over. “Hey, you. You’re the cutest thing ever, I bet you know it, huh.” She grinned, playfully rolling around in the sand with the dog.
Will smiled a little, though he was surprised when the girl actually rolled around with Winston. The golden retriever seemed to love it, barking and putting his paws on the girl’s arms, though he stepped in when Winston’s mouth went around her hand. “Winston.”
Lilo just laughed until his mouth went around her hand. Then she nipped his ear slightly, which made the dog move backward, nosing her hand that he’d just had a tooth on, as if asking for forgiveness.
Will couldn’t help but be impressed. “Have you spent time around dogs, then?” Well, obviously, but it was the sort of thing you asked.
Chuckling as Winston chuffed a noise that was nothing but doggy laughter, Lilo nodded. “My adoptive parents lived right by a groomer’s, so that was what I did for summer work. I looked up dog psychology and stuff because she would just put to sleep the dogs who acted silly. I figured it was better and easier to get on with them and figure out how to tell them that I came in peace and just wanted to help them get the mats out of their hair.”
Grinning, Lilo offered him a shy little wave. “I’m Lilo, by the way.”
“That’s ... great.” Wow, Will, very smooth. “Really ... you probably saved lives. Um. I’m Will.”
Lilo smiled at him, biting her lip. “Nice to meet you.” She chuckled when Winston sat on her lap, plunking his butt onto her lap. “I guess he claimed me?”
Will blinked, unable to stop the blush. “Winston. That’s rude.” Some wild, insane, improbable impulse led him to try and joke, likely because she understood dogs and might hopefully laugh. “Usually he would sniff your rear end first.”
That made Lilo laugh, a delighted, amused sound. “Good thing I’m sitting!” She ran her fingers over the dog’s shoulders until she found the connective tissue there, massaging gently. All animals liked shoulder rubs. Winston proved to be no exception; soon he hung his head and was making happy whimpers.
She laughed. She hadn’t slapped him. Will tried to take it as a compliment. And he did smile again when Winston made his noise. “You found his off switch, I think. He’s got an achy shoulder joint.”
“I think everyone of a certain age does,” Lilo smiled.
“Maybe so, but it’s especially pronounced in dogs.” Will knelt next to Winston, showing the girl Lilo where to massage to get Winston to thump his paw. “See, if you get right there, it’s almost like it triggers a nerve - ” They were interrupted by dog paw hard on sand, and he smiled.
That made Lilo laugh. “Oh, poor guy. Did you play too hard today?” She felt around for any knots, smoothing them out gently. Winston whined happily for her troubles, and Lilo grinned at Will. “How’d you meet him?”
“He was running down the street near my home, actually. He had a leash, but no collar. I put up fliers, but no one claimed him after a month.” Will shrugged. Such a careless owner would have lost him to begin with.
“Then it was meant to be. I think the animals that find us are the ones we need.” Lilo spoke from fond experience. “He’s lucky to have you, and you him.”
He couldn’t help but smile, genuinely smile. “I’m very fond of him. He’s very well behaved.” Winston whuffed, looking up at Will as if he knew he was the topic of discussion, and Will chuckled a little. “Do you have any at home?”
“I do. Mastiff named Daisy. She’s why I know about backrubs.” Daisy was only six, but already prone to sore knees, and she loved when her mother rubbed them out.
Will was still smiling. “That’s quite a large dog, but they’re very nice. I’m impressed that you can handle that much drool.” He still wasn’t entirely looking at her eyes, but that posed a problem; he didn’t want to look openly at her breasts, either.
“Oh, they’re just pookies. And what’s some drool between friends?” Lilo giggled as Winston answered her question by licking her face.
“That is a high mark of quality.” Will said, eyebrows raised in amusement. “Winston is a discriminating kind of dog.”
Lilo chuckled. “Maybe he just knows that I have some f-o-o-d in my pack.” She hopped up and went to the boat, slipped into some shorts, and pulled out a backpack. “Think he’d like ahi?”
“Tuna? Oh, yes.” Will smiled, trying to avert his eyes when she was wiggling around putting on shorts over her suit. “Meat, fish or poultry for him.”
She dug out her poke supplies, smiling as she set down a wooden cutting board. “I brought one with me from home.” It had been packed in ice in her backpack, and she set to cutting it and skinning it carefully. “I’ll be sure not to give you any with wasabi, furbutt.” She smiled at Will. “Want some?”
“Wasabi?” Will echoed. “I confess I’ve forgotten what that is.” Tuna, obviously, he knew, but wasabi only rang a distant bell. It sounded Asian, and he didn’t get much Asian on the coast of Maine.
“It’s a spicy root, kind of like ginger, but don’t worry, Winston won’t get any of that.” The fish was quickly deboned by Lee’s quick fingers, and she held up a piece for the dog who immediately sat down. She chuckled as she tossed it to him. “I’ll make some not spicy for you, Will. If you like raw fish, that is.”
“No, thank you, I don’t like sushi.” Will colored at how fast he’d spoken; he didn’t want to seem ungrateful. He did smile at how happy Winston seemed, though, as he devoured the treat.
“More for me and Winston then! And it’s not sushi, it’s poke.” Lilo was from Hawaii, born and raised. She set aside some fish for Winston before adding some chopped red onion and wasabi for herself to the remainder.
“What’s the difference?” He wasn’t being rude, he was curious. He wasn’t familiar with ‘poke’. Was it Asian?
“Poke’s closer to a ceviche than sushi.” She used chopsticks to toss all the ingredients, adding lime juice and lemon juice. “The acid cooks everything, so to speak. Sushi, that doesn’t happen. Here.” She offered him a bite from her chopsticks.
He tried it obediently; the texture didn’t agree with him, but the taste was nice. “It’s still technically raw, though?” Interesting.
“Not really, the acid ‘cooked’ it.” Lilo smiled and tossed an unseasoned hunk to Winston. “I grew up eating this. I came out here for school, then I ended up dropping out when I went pro.” Lilo offered Will some beef jerky instead.
“Where is it from? And what did you go to school for?” Will realized belatedly that might have been rude. “I don’t mean to sound pushy.”
“Hawaii, same as me.” She smiled and shook her head. He didn’t sound pushy, he sounded curious. And she had to admit, that she liked his interest in her. “I went to school for marine biology, but I went pro and kind of left it behind. I still try to help with fundraising, though?” Lilo looked a little sheepish as she munched some more poke.
“Oh, that’s why.” She looked Asian, but ... not. Will had wondered if she was biracial, but being Hawaiian made more sense. He fixed his glasses, moving them awkwardly down his nose. “I grew up near the ocean, but the only thing I got used to doing on it was fishing, in Maine. I taught myself how to make my own lures. My mother stayed inside often, but I was out a lot.”
“Oh, fishing’s awesome! I wish I could do more of it here.” Lilo figured that it was a bit of a giveaway that she liked to fish when she’d cleaned her own. “That’s why what?” Lilo smiled at him shyly. “You notice a lot, huh. Is that why you’re used to being alone?”
“I’m not alone, I have Winston. And a few others.” Maybe a silly answer, but it was real - the dogs had personalities, just like any human might. “Fishing is my relaxation hobby, incidentally.” He’d needed it lately.
“Where do you fish? Were you fishing now?” She smiled when he said that he had dogs; she understood that feeling. “Maybe Daisy could meet some of your pack?” She blushed and ducked her head, wet hair hanging in her eyes.
Will blinked, surprised, but pleased. “Some, I think, yes. Titan and Monster aren’t really ready for other dogs. They’re a schnauzer and a Newfoundland, incidentally.”
Lilo cooed. “I love Newfies, they’re such big love machines. What’re their histories like?” She shivered a little, not having packed a shirt. She hadn’t really planned on hanging out after her dive.
Will blushed; he could feel it. When she shivered, she looked down, and he naturally followed her eyes. To her breasts. Immediately he tore his eyes upward. “Um.” Embarrassing. “Titan was a stray I found wandering on the beach. Monster was in a shelter, but he was lashing out and biting. He has scars, so I assume an abusive owner. I’ve been training him.”
“Poor thing.” Lilo bit her lower lip, already worried about this dog she’d never met. “Did you name him? All I can think of is Animal from the Muppets. You just have to give him focus, you know?”
“I did, but more tongue in cheek.” Will managed a smile. “He means very well. And I do train dogs for a living. So it’s been successful so far.”
“I thought I had a dream job, no wonder Winston’s such a pookie!” Lilo grinned, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I really ... this is nice, thanks for hanging out with me.” She sounded almost sheepish.
He risked a dry joke. “It’s the least I can do, after I almost called emergency services because of you.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I promise, next time I go diving, I’ll put a sign on my boat. ‘BRB, coming back soon’ or something.”
“Thank you, for all us fishermen on shore.” Will managed another smile. Winston barked, as if to remind Lilo of his presence. “And their dogs.”
Lilo smiled, leaning over to give Winston a kiss on the nose. “Do you um, want my number? So we can figure out when to get the pups together?”
“That would be good. Thank you.” Yes. For the dogs. “It might do Monster some good to meet a dog as big or bigger than him.”
“And Daisy’s naturally a little bit of a follower, so she’ll mellow him out some.” Lilo rifled around through her bag, found a pencil and some paper, and jotted down her number. She handed it over and grinned. “If I don’t answer, I’m probably in the water, just leave me a message.” She really wanted to hang out with him again.
Will took it, smiling again, maybe even a little bashfully. “Thank you. I’ll do that. Monster thanks you, too.”
“I’m really looking forward to it already.” She wanted to touch his hand, but she didn’t know what he’d do with that. So she just smiled at him, hoping he saw that she was totally hoping he’d call her back ASAP.
He saw her smile, and smiled back, not entirely certain what to do from there. Should he tell her goodbye, or just leave, or ... ? This was the stuff he was very bad at.
Lilo slung her backpack over her shoulders and picked up the canoe easily, walking over toward her car. “Bye, Will! See you soon! Bye, Winston! Be good for your daddy!”
Will smiled again, feeling a little silly, before he started to walk back to his chair. Winston trotted along beside him, and Will could almost feel the dog smiling along with him.