Annie Cresta is one with the waves (lifeisastorm) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-10-31 08:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, annie cresta, finnick odair |
Who: Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair
What: Random run in
When: Mid October
Where: Beach
Warnings: Low
Status: Log | Complete
If there was one thing Annie was thankful for, it was that the dreams had come to an end. Sometimes they repeated but it was nothing like waiting for the shoe to drop or being startled out of sleep from fear or panic or pain. She could compartmentalise (mostly) and when she couldn’t, she at least had techniques from dealing with everything in New York that helped.
Today was an off day. Not so much lost in her mind and questioning reality but just feeling anxious on top of processing the funeral of Gale and everything that had happened recently. And the best way she had to deal with those feelings was swimming. So she had changed into one of her mock turtle neck swimsuits (since the scarring and brands on her back would be covered beyond the ones that crossed onto her shoulders) and went to the beach. Like usual most people were closer to the shore but that was for wave riding and not swimming. There was a reason she was seen as a mermaid at times.
What Annie hadn’t anticipated was being close to a scuba diving group, who apparently were in lessons. Heading back to the shore, the brunette walked to her towel to dry off for the time as there was a good chance she’d be going back into the water soon enough once she had rested some.
Finnick was just finishing up with the class he was teaching that morning when he’d seen the girl swimming nearby. He’d recognized her instantly, but hadn’t had the chance to get her attention since he was in the middle of his class. However, as soon as the class was over and he’d checked all the equipment that had been used, he headed back outside to see if he could find Annie.
Spotting her, he walked down the beach towards her, “Hey. How’s it going?” He knew that Annie had been going through something and he hoped that she was feeling better. “We appear to have a tendency to run into each other on the beach.”
Well. That was unexpected. Beyond a slight jump because Annie hadn’t expected anyone to approach her, she was more relaxed than she would normally be. But it probably had to do with knowing the voice of the person who approached her. And at least the sun wasn’t in a position where it would blind her when trying to look up at Finnick.
“Hey… and it’s….” She shrugged. Because Annie didn’t have a solid answer and she tried to be honest in most things. Obviously the initial meeting had been worded in a way to be vague since dreams, but otherwise… “It seems that way. Though to be fair, I’m at the beach a lot.” Finishing up toweling her hair, Annie let the towel fall to her lap, arms around her knees, absently rubbing at her wrists which for once weren’t covered in bracelets and ribbon since she’d been swimming. “You can sit if you want. I mean that is if you don’t have anywhere else to be.”
Finnick noticed how she hadn’t really answered his question, but he wasn’t going to pry and instead sat down beside her, tucking his legs underneath him, “Nowhere right now. Just finished a class.” As he sat near her, Finnick couldn’t help it as his gaze wandered over Annie’s body when he spoke to her, but he tried not to make it too obvious or linger too long.
There was too much to unpack in the question and so a shrug had seemed to be an easier way to answer. Annie herself wasn’t sure if she could put everything that was going on into words. The emotions and feelings and who wanted to be bogged down with that? Especially on a nice day? “So you have time then.” A small smile and nod as she looked over to him before turning her gaze back to the ocean. She felt some tension leave her shoulders and back, something which was much needed.
Finnick nodded, “I have time.” Ever since they’d met something had been tickling the back of his mind about Annie. There was something familiar about her, but he hadn’t realized what it was until now. Until he saw her in a bathing suit, in the ocean, “Crazy question, did you swim in school?” It was a long shot, but it’s be a crazy coincidence if he was right.
Of all the questions Annie could expect? Swimming in school was definitely not on the list of possible ones. Not here, on the complete opposite side of the country where she’d been in school. Though it was better than other ways to recognise her though, so she’d take it. “More random than anything, but yeah I did… Why?” Looking over at Finnick, Annie just tilted her head to the side some, trying to get a read on what just was happening.
“Did you come to Florida to compete?” He wouldn’t have remembered her name back then, but now that he was able to place her in the water, he was pretty sure she was the same girl, “I competed on my school’s swim team too. In Florida.”
And to follow up the random question? A very specific place. Well okay, so Florida wasn’t a small state, but given that had been one of her first meets? That was almost scary. It also made sense in the very strange only in Orange County type way where paths crossed with those who shared a dream space.
“I did…Nationals. I placed gold in my division. Wait, you were there and recognise me from that?” Because what? That had been what, seven years ago?
“I was there too.” Finnick said, cheerfully, “I was on my school’s swim team back then too. I’m from that area.” He almost couldn’t believe that they had been in the same place years earlier, before they’d literally bumped into each other,
All Annie could do was nod slowly, in shock. Because wow. Of all the coincidences that could happen, it was that their paths had crossed long before Orange County. That it wasn’t just the dreams. Was it some sort of strange string of fate? Anne didn’t know but she just stared at the ocean in shock for a moment before turning her attention back to Finnick.
“Talk about a small world.”
“Right? What’re the odds?” He ran a hand through his hair, unable to believe just how much of a small world it was, “So do you still swim? I mean, like other than for fun?” She obviously still swam since she was at the beach right now and he’d seen her out there swimming during his lesson.
Without going into the whole dream thing, Annie would have to just go with the very strange coincidence of having been at the same meet years ago. That their paths crossed in such a random and unexpected way. “No, not anymore….” That was most likely behind her at this point. She swam but after everything… “I design and sell jewellery now. I’ve recently been hired at a movie studio to do jewellery for movies. Swimming is mostly just for fun or clearing my head these days. What about you? I mean, besides the teaching scuba diving?”
“You make jewelry? That’s pretty cool. Wish I were that creative.” Finnick’s imagination had all gone in to opening his scuba business. “Same here. Only for fun. I wouldn’t even know where to go to compete. Although, I’ll be honest, sometimes when I watch the Olympics, I think about how cool it must be to compete at that level.” Finnick didn’t tell many people that, especially ones he didn’t know well, but there was something about Annie.
“I do, it’s soothing in a different way.” Rarely did Annie open up about the fact that she found swimming, and jewellery making, a way to calm her mind, but it was Finnick. He might not remember or dream but despite the subtle differences, the feeling of safety remained. She did smile some as she looked over at him. “I used to want to be in the Olympics when I was younger. So I can understand that.” Things just changed.
Finnick smiled back, “It’s kind of nice to have someone around who understands.” Other people would say that they thought it’d be cool to go to the Olympics, but in Annie’s case Finnick knew that she was genuine. “Know what I mean?”
If there was one thing that could be said about Annie, it was that she was genuine. If she said something, it was truth. At least for her. It was important to her. “Yeah. I do.”