The town was full of excitement as Zephyr returned from a day-long expedition on the boats, bringing a newcomer with him. The girl was younger, like Felicity, and with raddy, short, dark brown hair and eyes to match. She seemed reluctant to board his boat and then even more reluctant to step off of it, scowling and glaring at everyone in her path. Immediately, she reminded Felicity of Tatiana. Zephyr stepped from the boat and onto the dock, and then hugged Felicity whom had been waiting for him to return. Felicity's emotions had begun to settle down, Zephyr's words, though honestly meaning well, had resonated with him the way an insult would, and he instead decided to hide his feelings and participate in socialising with the group every night, using his time as a fisher for Zephyr's percieved 'alone time'. He still yearned to travel and be back on the water, finding himself longing the sailor's life, and slowly beginning to grow resentment against Zephyr and the lifestyle that Felicity knew he could never have.
The girl brought back home was 15 years old and a definite trouble maker. She seemed to have the anger that Tatiana had, except, it was only aimed at perceived authority. She wasn't an angry individual, Felicity could tell, but she was rather annoyed at being told what to do. Already, the strange new girl was a sparking character and Felicity wanted to know more about her. His anxiety held him back, however, and he instead only watched rather creepily from a distance as authority figures gently attempted to usher the girl onto the familiar elevator platform. He watched from the dock as she finally reluctantly agreed to go with them, and then, as the two militia men stepped onto the platform expectantly, she immediately turned around, raced to the shore, and did the unthinkable: jumped like a dolphin into the rushing, ice cold water of the canyon. Felicity stood in stunned horror, watching as her head bobbed above the swift surface to catch an unsteady breath. He raced to the edge of the dock, unthinking still, laying on his stomach and reaching out his hands, somehow managing to grab a hold of her shirt as the water tried to sweep her away. It was clear the escapee was regretting her decision, gasping and desperately paddling with her arms towards the dock so close to her. But, instead of managing to pull her up to safety, Felicity was actually tugged by her and the water, too far out from the dock to secure himself, and slipped into the ice cold water himself. The water was painfully cold, like sharp glacier shards piercing his skin a thousand time over; it shocked his body, knocking the wind from him as his head was thrust beneath the howling surface. His hands kept a hard grasp on the girl's shirt, clenched and frozen, and the two tumbled beneath the rough water as the stream swept them away. Zephyr cried out after them, jumping in the boat and beginning the chase.
Truthfully, it was less than a minute before Zephyr managed to catch them both and pull them from the water into the safety of the boat, then slowly rumble it back to the dock and park. Felicity sat on the leather seats, soaked and heavy, shivering relentlessly. The girl leaned against him for warmth, coughing lightly and shaking just as violently.
Zephyr glared at them, "Are you out of your minds?"
"I thought I could get her," Felicity said, voice sputtering and trembling as he shook.
"You weigh nothing, Felicity. You had nobody holding you on the dock. It was stupid, and you should have waited! Especially knowing the circumstances. They can't help you if you get hypothermia, you know. Did you even think at all?" The scolding hit Felicity too hard, and he wilted, pulling his knees to his chest. Water streamed from his clothes like a soaked sponge and onto the floor, the surface squelching beneath him. Zephyr sighed, leaning down to be eye-to-eye with him, "I'm sorry, Felicity. I just... Really worry about you now."
"I want to help," he mumbled. "I can't change my life so that there is zero risk. Everybody else has been fine. I will be fine."
"The difference, Felicity, is that everyone else has self-awareness of their issues."
"Sorry?"
"You would gladly sacrifice yourself for a stranger. Nobody else in the crew would."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"Yes, Felicity, that is a bad thing!"
Felicity narrowed his eyes at Zephyr, "And you wouldn't do the same?"
"Not likely."
"Sure, Zephyr. Like you didn't risk anything when picking me up, stranded in the ocean. Useless and just another mouth to feed."
"That was different. Don't talk like that."
"Strangers are still people with value. You just don't know their value yet. Zephyr, who are you now? The Zephyr I always knew would be right here with me. What changed?"
"What changed? Felicity, I love you. That's the difference."
"I know. I love you too. But that doesn't mean you change who you are for my protection. I won't change who I am, either."
"Felicity! Will you hate yourself a little quieter, please!"
"Don't play that card with me. Zephyr. It's not like I throw myself into danger just for the fun of it."
"I know that, but you have to be aware-"
"Zephyr, I don't have to do anything, quite frankly. I wanted to be better for you and the group. I wanted to disappear. Maybe I will. But I'm sick of taking every single thing you say. You're human and can have different opinions than I do. I love you, Zephyr, and honestly you've saved my life more times than I can count in more ways than one. I look up to you, your honesty and selflessness are models for me. I want your affection and your validation. But I need to find myself, too. I've been living in the shadows of others my entire life. I need to figure out how to stop."
"You need to stay here and survive."
"No, Zephyr. I need to leave. I know you've all reached your destination and feel content here. I know it's risky. But this is not my destination."
"Then where is? We are your family." Felicity's confidence shrivelled, and he leaned back and sunk in the seat a bit. The boat was parked, and the black-haired girl had been taken up in the elevator. Zephyr and Felicity still sat in the boat.
"Zephyr, I just... I want things to go back to the way they were when all of us were on the water. I feel terrible all of the time now. Maybe if I get back out on the water, it will be okay."
"No, Felicity. It won't make you better." He sighed, and despite the wet and cold, sat down beside Felicity and leaned against him. "We need you here, please. Your family. You can find who you are here, try new professions. Go on expeditions with me... I know its less safe but, I considered what you said, and believe you're right on both accounts. I would risk myself for someone else. I'm sorry for being upset, I just get scared for you."
"I know. It's okay. It's nice to know that you haven't changed... Only grown up a little."
He chuckled, "Yeah, that's one way of looking at it."
"You guys are healing here."
"Yes, we are. You can, too. But you have to allow yourself to be happy. You're having panic attacks in a paradise. Felicity, what do you need? What did you experience on the boat that we don't anymore?"
Felicity eyed the boy, lost in thought, lost in his dark eyes, "Proof."
"Proof?"
"Proof of caring. You saved my life and I'd save all of yours. Here, I feel like we've drifted away, you know? It feels far away. You feel far away, and no proof to help me believe I'm wanted here." He let out a subtle, aching sob, "I'm just so scared. I feel so alone all of the time now."
"I knew you, Felicity. You want adventure, but wouldn't leave for that. You'd leave because you feel out of place here. How can I help?"
"I don't know..." Zephyr thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up as an idea sprung to mind.
"I have just the thing." He stepped from the boat, pulling Felicity up by his hand, pulling a towel from the front seat of the boat to wrap around him. Felicity pulled the cloth around himself, shivering, and followed Felicity up the elevator platform. Zephyr spoke with heart, "My expeditions are for supplies, people, and mapping.. Get in, get out. But recently, Davis notified me of their rebuilding of a submarine they have. It will be ready to use within a week. He told the sailors first as we have the most knowledge of the water, but Felicity, I thought you'd like to go on expeditions in it with me. It will be mostly for exploration, and we will trade and gather supplies and can be gone for weeks or longer at a time." Felicity found himself gently trembling, partly from cold, and partly from excitement. He grinned with glee, turning up to look at Zephyr as they stepped from the raised platform to the cave entrance.
"That sounds perfect," Felicity said with a smile that felt hopeful for the first time.