Finnick Odair (onemoreknot) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-02-06 16:46:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, finnick odair, hiccup haddock |
Characters: Finnick Odair + Hiccup Haddock.
Location: The dock Finnick works on.
Time: [BACKDATED] ~17 Jan, afternoon.
Warnings: Some talk of injury.
Summary: Chance meeting on the docks.
Status: Closed, complete on posting.
Stretching, Finnick felt the muscles in his back and shoulders start to relax. The majority of this trip had been spent bent over the netting machinery, and now that he was back on the docks, he needed to figure out how to stand up straight again. Every time that rig got tangled up, Finnick was one of the loudest voices to get that thing replaced, but the captain always brushed them off, saying it was a fluke incident, or it was because they were out there acting like idiots. While he had to admit, the deck hands had the tendency to screw around sometimes, they knew better than to damage equipment. It was still midday, and while they were done for today, Finnick had a few more hours to go before he needed to pick up his son from school. Unlike most people, he liked where he worked and he loved the docks, so lingering there for a little while wouldn’t be awful to him. The sound and smell of the ocean was always soothing to him, and it was even better when not listening to the captain shouting obscenities at him while he was working on fixing the tangled nets. As he was walking through the docks, talking to a few of the people he saw around there often, he spotted someone who was basically Finnick’s age, maybe a little younger, who looked like he was working on something. Surrounded by books and everything, Finnick assumed he was a student from one of the universities. Never one to be shy, Finnick sidled up to the guy, taking a seat next to him. “What are you working on?” - It was almost like his real life had been put on hold the moment Toothless and Stormfly had made their appearance in the OC. His thoughts had been ultimately consumed by trying to take care of them, learning how to properly ride, and just thinking about them period. He would consider himself silly, but he knew Astrid was most likely going through the same exact thought process as he was. But when Monday had come around he realized that he needed to get invested in school once again now that the new quarter had started. Which lead to the reason behind why he was currently sitting at a dock and staring at the water. He had his first marine biology related class this quarter and he was more than excited to get started on it. Dragons weren’t something you could major in, but he had always been fascinated by the sea and the creatures that lived in its waters. When the teacher decided they need to get out and study the local marine life and write about what they observed. He had picked a marina that was in the area and decided to set up shop on the dock. His books were scattered around him as he wrote down his observations. His thoughts were so consumed by what he was doing that he didn’t notice the shadow pass over him and he was jarred from his thoughts by the voice. His eyes blinked a couple times as he turned his head to see a man beside him, “Oh! Oh, hi. I’m studying the marine life for class. Am I in your way or anything?” - “You want to do something with marine biology?” Finnick asked, looking at the kid again now they he could see him better. He didn’t look like some of the last students that had come by the docks. That was mostly because he wasn’t carrying some picket sign with the words Murderers! and Save the dolphins! all over them. While he didn’t agree with the kinds of people who caught dolphins in their nets, he didn’t think the people here needed protesters when, as far as Finnick knew, none of the fishing vessels out of this marina ever caught dolphins or anything like that. “Oh, no, hey. You’re fine.” Finnick held his hand out to the other guy. “I’m Finnick. I work here.” Leaning back a little, he looked around at some of the other people who were shuffling around the docks. “I don’t think anyone will have a problem with you being here. Unless you start aggressively picketing. Then they’ll have a problem.” Though it had been difficult, Finnick had liked college. It was hard for him, because he had to balance his son and his job with school, but back then, he still had his parents to help him, and he couldn’t be more thankful for them and the fact that they never let him feel like a disappointment. Finnick had taken a fair share of classes in marine biology, just as an excuse to spend more time at the water. His actual degree was in marketing, but he managed to get a minor in biology with all the classes he took. - “Yeah, I do. Animals fascinate me, but I didn’t want to be a vet. I think going out on the water and exploring a more uncharted kind of territory sounded better,” He explained to the man beside him. He had these feelings about what he wanted to do with his life before the dreams, but the dreams only strengthened his want to explore the unknown. And Finnick didn’t have to worry because Hiccup wasn’t the type to go out and protest with signs and such, “And good, I didn’t really want to get up. I was almost done with my assignment.” When the hand was extended he reached his own out and shook the man’s firmly. Look, a guy with a strange name as well and Hiccup grinned, “Nice to meet you. I’m Hiccup. And don’t worry, I don’t like picketing, seems kind of pointless sometimes. I’ll make sure to keep my head down while I’m here and not worry about getting kicked out.” All Hiccup wanted to do was be able to finish his assignment. He wasn’t the type to get into trouble with other people. Since coming back into the real world he was seeing how easy it was to get in trouble. So now he kept his head down when he did things like this and hoped that maybe he would just blend in and no one would notice him. It worked most of the time, but maybe if he kept coming around they would know his face and welcome his presence. Couldn’t hurt to try, right? - “The water just fascinates me,” Finnick stated with a smile. “I could spend all day out there.” Of course, he worked and lived on boats, so he more or less did. Finnick didn’t think he’d ever get tired of the ocean, of the sounds and the smells and the feel of it moving under the deck. It was powerful and beautiful and humbling to stare out at the ocean, and it always made him feel calmer. That was something rare, now that his Dreams of Panem have started. “Never let her fool you though.” Sometimes Finnick had to laugh at how much he sounded like his father. “Pleasure. And good. We’ve had enough of those around here lately. I can get behind some of their protests, but most times, they’re just out here harassing us.” Some groups were worse than others and some protesters weren’t all that rude, though they were still a nuisance. “The ones that handcuff themselves to the rigging though? They’re a little unnerving.” Thankfully, no one like that had been around here since Finnick started. That was a horror story told to him by the captain back when he first got hired. “If you just do what you’re here for and don’t get in the way, no one should bother you.” Finnick couldn’t remember the last time a student came by the docks more than once. This place always had a lost of people coming through it on a daily basis and not every face came back. It wouldn’t be all that bad to have more people here to learn rather than call the workers monsters for not being vegetarians or whatever their issues were. Finnick could respect other people’s lifestyles as long as they didn’t come around trying to criminalise him for his. That didn’t make any sense to him. “What kind of things are you working on? And stop me any time if I’m being too nosy,” he tacked on with a laugh. - “I won’t let her fool me. I don’t think I could spend all day out here, but definitely a good chunk of time. Being without the creature comforts you have now I’ve started to really enjoy having them. I mean, beds, beds are awesome,” Hiccup knew he sounded like a freak when he spoke like that, but honestly growing up moving around and living in tents made him appreciate what people had now. And he was pretty sure Astrid wouldn’t be pleased if he went out on the water for days on end, so he had to make sure to come back every once and a while. His eyebrows raised when Finnick described the protesters that chained themselves up to the rigging. His face had a small look of horror upon it as he imagined the scene in his mind, “Seriously? That is absolutely unnecessary. What a bunch of crazies. Don’t worry, I’m nothing like them and I will stay out of the way. I’m fairly good at blending in.” And that was quite true. It was a skill he had perfected over time and he didn’t mind it. He let his parents take the attention while he just blended into the background and avoided being bothered by people. “It’s just the beginning of the quarter, so my professor asked us to go observe the local marine life, so that’s why I ended up here. It’s a pretty easy assignment, but I don’t want to make things up especially if she knows what you can find at this specific dock. And don’t worry, you’re not being too nosy,” Hiccup reassured him with a smile as he tilted his notebook slightly so Finnick could see what he was writing down. - “Smart,” Finnick commented. He spent a lot of his time out on the water, and even with all his experience, he could just as easily die out there as anyone else. No matter how much you loved the water, it could turn on you in an instant. “I work and live on the water. Always have. I guess it’s just a part of who I am.” Finnick could understand where Hiccup was coming from with what he said. He himself didn’t live in any sort of fancy way, but he could appreciate what he did have. “I’ll agree with you there.” Finnick closed his eyes and nodded solemnly at Hiccup’s seriously. “It was. Most of us were more concerned with the fact they could have really injured themselves. Some of the equipment we have on these boats could easily…” Stopping himself from being gruesome and saying tear your arm off, he substituted that with, “Really hurt someone.” He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the memory of that day. “Then you’ll be just fine.” Looking down at the notebook when it was turned in his direction, he read through some of the notes. They were impressive and they reminded Finnick of when he was studying similar things not too long ago. “Professors have a way of telling when you don’t put effort in, don’t they?” He laughed a little at that. In the required writing course he had to take, he remembered a professor who claimed to be able to pick out any plagiarism in a paper. He also remembered the kid who tested that theory and ended up failing out of the class for it. - “Oh trust me, I don’t underestimate anything that has the ability to kill you anymore. I’ve learned my lesson,” He was almost tempted to show the fact that he was missing a leg due to a lapse of judgement on his part. He didn’t regret what he did, but he should have known it could bite him, literally. But bears weren’t running around at the docks, usually, so he knew he was safe from that, but the sea was a wicked thing. One wrong move and your boat could tip over and you would never be found again, “And since you spend so much time on the water you’re a little more knowledgeable and skilled than I am.” “I bet it could. There’s some bad stuff on your boats. Someone could be easily killed if a rope breaks,” He pointed out with a small nod. It was a stupid thing to do - tying yourself up to things, but he could also understand why they were doing it. Sometimes protesting like that wasn’t the wisest way and Hiccup certainly shied away from things like that, “And good, I like to keep the rest of myself intact.” “They totally do! It’s like they have tiny spies everywhere that can tell if you’re doing something shady. I wouldn’t put it past anyone when they assign something like this that they’ve been to all possible locations and gotten all possible information. But I’m probably wrapping up on this soon since I’m starting to see the same fish over and over. It’s almost to the point where I should name them,” Hiccup chuckled at his comment. He was also tempted to take some of the fish to feed the dragons, but he couldn’t imagine trying to catch that many and manage to take them away from the docks. He wasn’t quite sure what the fishing rules were around this place. - “It’s a good lesson to learn,” Finnick replied, but he couldn’t help but feel bad that Hiccup already knew that lesson. Granted, Finnick wasn’t too much older than him, but he felt a lot older. Growing up in and around the water, Finnick always thought it was safe, but one day it wasn’t and his father lost his best friend out at sea. Finnick hadn’t been on the boat when it happened, but he remembered how it changed his father, and subsequently changed him. Life was precarious on the water and that reminded them. All he could hope that was that his knowledge and skills that Hiccup attributed to him would prevent the same thing from happening to him. “That’s true, but it’s still never a guarantee something won’t happen out there.” No man could control the sea, especially not when she turned on you. Nodding, Finnick briefly glanced back at the ship he worked on and even from here, he could see more than a handful of things that could easily injure someone. “A lot of people don’t realise that. These boats aren’t cruise ships or yachts. They’re packed with fishing equipment and it’s all heavy and a lot of it is metal and netting. It wouldn’t take much.” Hearing that phrase, the rest of myself, Finnick couldn’t help but wonder what that alluded to, but he didn’t think it was his place to ask. “I’d like to see everyone stay intact.” Finnick let out a burst of laughter. “I wouldn’t be surprised, honestly. They never missed the even the smallest, stupidest things.” Looking down, Finnick spotted a school of fish darting in and around the supports of the dock. “Well that one’s Jeff and that’s his sister Janine, Richard, Monty and... Little Jimmy,” he commented, trying to sound serious as he pointed to each one. “Trust me.” It was always easy for Finnick to flip from serious to joking around and while some people thought it was almost strange at times, it had always protected him. With some of the things in his past and some of the things he dreamed about, being able to pull himself out of that darkness and compartmentalising it would always benefit him, even if it make him seem fake. “Well, you’re more than welcome to come by again. If the marine life here gets too repetitive, I can give you a pass at the harbour where I live.” - The two of them could compare stories like that. Hiccup’s world had been changed when that bear attacked him after he was doing what he thought was a simple thing by helping the cub. He had never expected it to take that kind of turn and he was a lot more cautious around things now. Being outdoors had been good to him over the years and he had learned to have a lot of respect for nature and wild animals. The sea was exactly just like that and he was already starting out a lot more cautious than most of his fellow classmates most likely. “I’m sure most of those people protesting are rich kids anyway. They don’t know what they’re doing, but so-and-so decided this was a cause to rise up for and let’s just follow the herd,” Hiccup never liked that kind of mentality. There was something so simplistic about just going and helping change things. Get people to sign something, donate your time and money, but don’t go chaining yourself to things for no reason. It was just asking for something bad to happen. But those serious thoughts were pushed away the moment that Finnick started to name the fish. He couldn’t help but laugh as he quickly tried to jot down the names with a grin, “I think I’m going to have to start drawing them or making them waterproof name tags. Oh! I could get those tracker things that biologists always seem to have and then I can keep track of which one is which. I mean, I’m totally going to be able to tell which one is Little Jimmy when his six identical brothers swim by, right?” If someone thought it was strange being able to flip like that then Hiccup would roll his eyes at that person. He liked when people could do that. It wasn’t good for you to just sit and dwell on things that would upset you later. Sometimes you just needed to break the moment and have fun. That was always more memorable than being depressed, “And thanks, Finnick. That means a lot. I really appreciate it.” - It was strange how people could forget just how dangerous nature really was, and how unforgiving. One simple mistake could be the difference between life or death. Sometimes, you didn’t even have to do anything wrong and the waves or the animals out there could pull you down and under and you realise there was nothing you could do. A lot of the men and women that Finnick worked with, and Finnick himself, lived with a healthy fear and respect for the water they worked on because it was more powerful than any of them could ever hope to be. A lot of the students that ended up around the dock didn’t approach it the same way as they did, but Hiccup seemed different than all of them. “They tend to be. At least that’s the idea I’ve gotten when their parents buy them out of jail time later.” Finnick shrugged. It wasn’t his job to teach these kids (because when they acted like kids, it didn’t matter how close to his own age they were), and if their parents just wanted to bail them out, it was only going to hurt them in the future. “Some of them are just students with a really sheltered idea of the world. I can’t decide which is worse.” The hive-mentality point that Hiccup made, Finnick couldn’t help but agree with. A lot of the protesters seemed to be here because someone said something to them and it felt like the majority of them didn’t even know what they were protesting for. “That’s not a way to live life, but I’m not their father, so the best I can do is make sure they don’t hurt themselves while they’re here.” Finnick laughed too, watching the fish weave around each other. He tried to keep an eye on the one that he named Little Jimmy but the fish vanished behind something and he lost sight of it. “It would be interesting to see their patterns,” Finnick commented. “And they’re pretty close to the dock. Makes you wonder.” Sometimes Finnick missed studying things like this, but school was too expensive for him right now, especially when most of his money went to providing for his son, part of which includes saving for his son’s college education. “Don’t mention it. I remember being in school and having people not try to help. Here, let me give you my number,” he said, holding out his hand for either Hiccup’s phone or the notebook and pencil. “That way if you need to swing by, you can just send me a message.” - Hiccup handed over his notebook and pencil so that Finnick could write down his phone number. While that was happening Hiccup had to marvel over how much a guy he really was. It wasn’t often that Hiccup ran into people so willing to talk to strangers and offer to help them out if needed, but Finnick seemed like the type to have a kind heart. It was one of those stories you would tell just to prove that the world had some humanity left in it. He and Finnick definitely had the same kind of mindset about a lot of things and it was nice to be able to talk to someone who understood where you were coming from. “Thank you again. I’ll definitely get a hold of you when I get another assignment,” Hiccup took back the paper and pencil and then glanced at his watch, “Ah crap, I better get moving. I’ve got a group meeting in a half hour and I’ve drive all the way back to campus.” He quickly started to put all his things back into his bag and he was surprised how quickly time had passed while he had been at the docks. Once it was all secured away he threw one of the straps over his shoulders and stood up. “It was really great to meet you and talk to you,” Hiccup held his hand out with a grin. His father had instilled quite a few manners in him and he didn’t usually leave anyone the first time without another handshake. It was only polite. - Finnick quickly jotted down his phone number, but he also listed his name and the name of the marina he lived out of. It wasn’t too far from here, so he figured Hiccup wouldn’t have too much trouble finding it if he looked up the address for the main office and followed the directions. He would have written those down too if he had any idea where Hiccup was coming from. Finnick didn’t bother to ask because not everyone was as forward as he was and he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by asking for that kind of information. In his life, especially with his unique circumstances, Finnick had come across people of all kinds and knew what it felt like to want or need help and just not have someone even try. For the good people out there, Finnick didn’t have a problem lending a helping hand, especially because he wanted to set a good example for his son in the future. Handing back the notebook, Finnick added, “If you want to come by, just give me a little notice. Even if I’m working here, I can call it to the manager so she’ll just let you in. But I’m more than willing to help you out.” He stepped back a little to give Hiccup some space to get his things together. Looking up, Finnick caught the eye of one of the other deck hands and raised his hand to signal to him. They all had some weird code they developed and Finnick had picked up on it pretty quickly. “It’s was good to meet you too. Definitely good to see some new faces around here that aren’t hooking themselves up to the rigging,” he replied with a laugh, taking Hiccup’s extended hand. “Drive safe,” he added with a smile. “See you around.” Now it was time to start working on sorting the day’s catch and he headed back towards the boat to finish up the day. |