{ accuracy is key }

Jazzy smiled up at the man before taking his hand so that he could help her get on her feet. “I was afraid that it might hurt somebody,” she admitted, that was why she wouldn’t let go of the tree even if it was a smaller one. “Thank you… how about a drink or coffee? I’d like I need to make it up to you.” 

“People here know how to defend themselves. Even if it’s against a tree.” He reminded her. He decided in that moment that she was more good hearted than he was. “A drink. Definitely a drink.” He chuckled. “Although, you don’t need to make anything up to me. I helped you out of the kindness of my heart.” He placed a hand over his chest, where he heart would be, and smiled. “Should we go get a drink in Park, or stay in Point?”

You have to stop the wind! Well, what did he think she was trying to do? Jazzy wondered when she heard the guy’s words. She could have snapped at him and told him that was exactly what she was doing, but he was being helpful so she couldn’t do that. And now that he was there maybe he could focus on the tree and she could focus on her power. 

“I’m really trying.” She said and slowly she removed one of her hands from the tree and focused on the wind around them. Slowly the wind slowed down and the tree fell to the ground and so did Jazmine. “Shit.” She mumbled and took in a deep breath. “Thank you, I… that could have been disastrous.” She said looking over at the tree. 

--

“Try-- a bit harder.” Ethan grunted as he held the tree as much as he could. His grip was already slipping and if she didn’t stop the wind soon, he’d lose a handle on it and the tree would fly away. 

He let out a breath as the wind died down and then the tree fell to the ground. He managed to let go before it dragged him down as well. Ethan walked towards the woman and held a hand out towards her. “Maybe next time... just let it go? Your life is more important than a tree doing a little bit of damage.” He suggested, waiting for her to take his hand so that he could help her up.

All Jazzy wanted to do was practice her power, that was all she wanted to do, but it seemed like her power had other plans. What was supposed to be a brief wind gust was turning in to a full blown tornado and Jazzy had no idea how to stop it or at least control it. The wind was picking up more and more, so much so that a small tree was lifted off the ground. “Shit” Jazzy mumbled as she reached for the tree. “Help! Someone please help!” The last thing she wanted was for the tree to fly away and hurt someone. 

--

Ethan had been busy practicing his own power, using his throwing stars that he always carried around with him, when he noticed the wind pick up. He frowned and turned towards the source. Surely the woman knew how to handle it? He thought to himself and then he let out a sigh when he noticed a tree uproot from the ground and lift in the air and her screaming for help.

He quickly ran towards her and shoved himself through the wind to grab ahold of the trunk of the tree. “I got it!” He grunted as he yanked on it, trying to fight with the continuous wind that whipped around them. “You have to stop the wind!” His voice was almost lost in the suction around them. Was holding onto the tree worth it? Probably not, but it’s what the girl wanted so he’d try his best to help.

Victoria began to slowly smile as she realized that he wasn’t upset with her. “That’s a caramel macchiato in your hands.” She nodded at his cup, her grin falling into a close lipped smile, “I haven’t decided yet if I actually like it, I just think ‘macchiato’ is fun to say.” Vic dropped her eyes to the cup in her hands, “I’m game to be adventurous, as long as this isn’t black coffee or decaf.” She glanced back up at who she guessed was ‘Ethan’ based on the moniker on her cup, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Ah, caramel macchiato. I should have guessed.” He chuckled as he stared down at the cup in his hand. “It is. Although, there are other types of macchiato’s as well. Mocha, Vanilla...” He began reciting the other types of coffee that she could have ordered, or that she could order in the future. “It is not black coffee, or decaf.” He pressed his lips together, his eyes flickering from the cup in her hand, up to meet her gaze. “It’s a dulce de leche.” 

Victoria was on the wrong side of town - literally. The scenery of her daily walk around Point had gotten a little stale and she found herself longing for a change of pace. She’d packed a bag that morning, stuffing a swimsuit, water, and sunscreen into it in case she wanted to test the water over at Park, not that she thought it would be any different than Point. 

Victoria had changed into her suit in one of the bathrooms near the water, groaning audibly when she’d realized she’d forgotten a towel of all things. Still, she’d come this far and would be damned if she didn’t at least get her feet wet. Stepping out of the bathroom, she was surprised to see another man on the beach, and even more surprised when he offered his towel, going as far as to toss it to her. “You’re a lifesaver. I can’t believe I forgot one, that’s like beach essentials 101.” She smiled, keeping her lips closed and tight, “Do you need sunscreen? I at least brought that. The sun is unforgiving.”

“It happens.” Ethan said and shrugged his shoulders. He probably should have brought more than one, but he really didn’t mind. He enjoyed feeling the sand against his pack when he lay there under the sun. “Well now you’re the lifesaver.” Ethan chuckled as he glanced towards her. “I didn’t bring that. I honestly didn’t think I’d need it but it seems as though the sun is a little hotter than what I had anticipated.” He smirked as he pushed himself into a standing position. “May I?” He asked, a hand reaching out towards her to grab the sunscreen. 

When it came to the lake, Ethan actually preferred going to Grimstone Park to enjoy it rather than Point. He was never one for liking a fancy, more comforted lifestyle. It just wasn’t his thing. Unfortunately, Point was where he had to spend most of his time, and it was where he had to stay. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t sneak off to Park every now and again.

“I only brought one towel.” Ethan said as he noticed someone walking up towards him. “But I don’t need it.” He sat up from laying on the beach and tossed the towel towards them. “I don’t mind being wet, or the sand.” 

7. Have you every had your heart broken? Have you ever broken someone else’s heart?

I have never had my heart broken. I’ve never actually given my heart to anyone. But for the second question... In my head, I’ve broken my mother’s heart. It wasn’t intentional, but me being brought here seemed to have changed her. She is no longer the always positive, hardworking woman anymore. I could also blame it on my dad, being a drunk all the time, but he broke her heart long before I did. 

12. If you lost everything important to you tomorrow, whose arms would you run to in order to make everything okay again?

I already lost everything important to me when I was brought to Grimstone Point. I don’t really have much else to lose. I also don’t have anyone to comfort me if and when that happens again. 

14. If you could send a message to the entire world, what would you say to everybody?

Get ready world, Ethan Parkinson will make it to the Olympics one day and he will beat every last one of you. 

23. What was the last thing you did that was really worth remembering?

I honestly couldn’t even tell you. 

37. Do you consider yourself to be the hero or the villain of you story?

That depends on the day. I was a hero when I was with my mom and dad, but now? Not so much. 

“I was under the impression that everyone had their own motives for doing things, Ethan. I’m pretty sure you do, too.” Fiona knew he didn’t trust her, she wasn’t stupid. She didn’t trust him either, like she would never fully trust any of the residents. The closest one was Blake, but even then she was a little sceptical unless there were alcohol involved. The guard had good reason though, yet it was a reason she certainly wasn’t ready to share with Ethan. 

“Fine, if you want the gin I’ll drink the stuff. Hopefully the vodka outweighs the taste.” Though for now, she was content with her wine. “I wouldn’t have thought you could forget something like that so easily.” Fiona was past trying to defend herself and the other guards to Ethan, it was pointless and honestly? She knew that she wasn’t great with the residents so not much defending could actually be done. The second the tequila was put down in front of them, Fiona wasted no time in knocking one of the shots back; it was usual for things to be difficult with Ethan, but tonight was certainly pushing it. She washed the patron down with the last of her wine, and glanced at the resident. “Get those drinks and those shots down you so we can go dance.” 

“Touche, Drake.” Ethan smirked as he glanced towards the other. Fiona was smart and called him out on his bullshit. Maybe that was why he enjoyed her company at times? Although, it did annoy him sometimes, especially if he hadn’t had anything to drink. To deal with any of the government agents, and the guards, he needed to be at least a little tipsy. 

“I don’t tend to remember things that aren’t important.” Ethan muttered and then bit his tongue. He was not in the mood for her to deck him in the face. Even if he knew that he could take her. He wasn’t afraid of the guards, especially not one without a power. He did as she did, downing the drinks and shots that he had ordered without much of a reaction. He didn’t classify himself as an alcoholic -- no, he had seen one before and that was not him -- but alcohol didn’t phase him much unless he had a lot. He always joked to himself that he had inherited that from his father. That wasn’t something he’d say out loud to anyone. “Come on.” Ethan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he grabbed Fiona’s arm and began tugging her towards the dance floor.

“Oh people say no plenty of times, doesn’t stop me from trying though.” She replied, the smile still staying on her features despite his slight negativity. “You’ll have fun if you let yourself.” Abigail spoke softly as she shrugged her shoulders at the next question. “I have a lot of hobbies, but this is probably the one that sticks with me most. But I wouldn’t blame you for not realising; you don’t seem the type to actively get to know the little things about people. Now, come on. You can have some fun by beating everyone at the balloon dart game.” At least then she could mess with him a little bit.

“Damn. Low blow, Nelson.” Ethan chuckled as he shook his head back and forth. “That’s right. I can have fun by doing that.” He grinned wildly as he motioned towards the game. “Fine. I’ll come to the festival with you, only if I can play some of the games where you will surely get your ass beat.” 

“Gots to keep you on your toes,” she smirked, grabbing a hair tie off the sideboard as she walked into the kitchen and swiftly pulling back her hair. “You’re not getting sick of me already, are you? You were well of what you were signing up for.” Lori made quick work of washing her hands and getting the frying pan from the cupboard. There was a mutual understanding that Ethan kept out of Lori’s kitchen, and outside of the house, Lori kept out of Ethan’s head. “Blueberry or chocolate chip?” 

“If you say so.” Ethan said as he followed her to the kitchen. He leaned against the far wall, his arms crossing over his chest as he watched her. “Not sick of you. Annoyed, sure. But you don’t make me sick.” In fact, he liked living with the guard sometimes. Mostly it was just so he could wake up and see a beautiful women automatically. And then fuck with her. “Whichever you’d like to provide me with this morning.” He said with a smile as he moved towards the island bar top. He leaned against the counter top with his elbows. “Anything you’d like me to help with?” He knew she’d probably say no, but he figured that asking couldn’t hurt.

“Your skin is not of interest to my research directly, and I am reasonably certain your power does not involve gills,” Theodore clarified, though as he spoke he was aware that Ethan may not mean what he’d said literally. “Well, I suppose in a sense I am waiting to see if you need your power for anything in your every day life. I’d assume not, unless you do a lot of hunting or something like that.”

“So you know everyone’s power then?” Ethan asked as he lowered himself into the water. “I don’t hunt with my power.” He muttered, slightly annoyed at Theodore for saying so. “I could, but I don’t.” He moved underneath the water, wetting his hair before coming back to the surface. He shook his head back and forth to get rid of the droplets in his hair and then ran a hand through his wet locks. “I can use it for more than that. Sports, for example. I can use it to be more accurate and more precise than others.”

“And you think I wanna owe a resident anything?” Fiona asked, brow raised as she looked over the male. Though, if he was going to buy the drinks all night then she wasn’t going to turn her nose up too much at it. After all, if Ethan had insisted then Fiona didn’t owe him shit for it. She shook her head, but let him order, her hands wrapping around the wine glass the second it was placed down in front of them. It was always the same, at first. They were uptight about each other, questioning why they’d even joined each others company, and then the alcohol got in their system and suddenly that wasn’t so important anymore. It was still in the back of their minds, but not as important. 

“I hope that horrible cranberry stuff is for you.” She scoffed, laughing softly as she sipped at her wine, leaning against the bar as she looked over their surroundings. To her, Lake Grimstone wasn’t about helping the residents, it was about keeping non-powered people safe. If that meant she had to drag her ass and actually help those with powers from time to time then she would, but her concern wasn’t for them. “So, wanna tell me what crawled up your ass and died in the past half hour, or is this just gonna be how you are until you have more alcohol in your system? Because if that’s the case, then the shots are already needed.” 

“Not sure. Guards have their own motives for doing things, don’t they?” Ethan didn’t know her all that well. Except for how she was when she was drunk. But he didn’t trust her. Nor did he trust any of the guards in town. Not even his roommate, Lorelai. 

“It was for you, actually.” Ethan said with a smirk as he reached towards the counter and grabbed the beer. “I’m sure you’ll drink it if you get desperate enough for another drink.” The corner of his lip quivered slightly and then he took a long gulp of the beer. “Nothing. I just seemed to have forgotten how annoying you guards can be.” He licked his lips as his eyes flickered towards Fiona. “And don’t try to defend yourself. You can’t prove me otherwise.” Another swig of his beer and then he nodded. “Shots are needed.” He agreed and waved down the bartender again. “Six shots of patron.” 

“See, you tease, but what you don’t know is he has a superpower of his own. He’s basically Krypto.” Fiona realised she was being a little full on today, more of an asshole than usual, so she was trying to lighten the mood. Really, an apology would likely do it but she wasn’t one to apologise– especially not to residents, even if it was Ethan. “I’ll chill out once I’ve had a drink.” Was all she said, trying to give the other a small smile. 

Fiona shrugged at his comment, looking over the other, “I mean, I think it’s moved to a semi-daily basis. Guess I gotta take the improvements where I can get them.” She made her way back to the barracks pretty quickly, getting changed out of her uniform and into a white strappy top with a black denim skirt. Once she’d shoved her uniform in the wash, and made sure Sammy had enough water and food down for the evening, she headed back out to meet Ethan. She quickly found him in the bar, smiling softly at him, “So I think it’s me that owes you the drink, what d’you reckon?” Definitely as close to an apology as Ethan was going to get.

“Ah. Right.” Ethan snorted and shook his head back and forth. He would only indulge her for so long. And then things got annoying, reminding him exactly why he hated guards so much. Some thought they were better than the residents, other’s were so frightened of them that stayed away until they had to punish someone, and some just completely and utterly despised their existence. Of course, there were some guards that actually enjoyed helping residents, but Fiona never seemed like one of those people. Ethan could be wrong; he knew that. But it made him not trust her even more, not knowing what game she was playing. 

“No.” Ethan said sternly. “No guard is going to make me owe them shit. I buy the drinks and you don’t complain and pout about it.” He didn’t need her charity. He didn’t even need her company at this point. And yet, there he was, sitting with a government official in a bar. He let out a sigh, running his hands over his face as he did so. He turned to the bartender. “Can we get... cranberry vodka, gin and tonic, a beer, and a glass of wine.” He wasn’t sure what Fiona would want to drink this time and in all honesty, he couldn’t even remember what she drank last time they were at a bar together.