never not thinking about the interaction between moonstruck rikki and zane in 1x18 'bad moon rising' btw. rikki is feeling so utterly alone and isolated, she exiles herself to mako island in the middle of the night so as not to poison anyone else with her perceived dysfunction. yes she is literally setting everything around her on fire and has to escape for safety reasons lol but it's a metaphor for her feeling like she is a volatile force in the lives of her loved ones
then zane wanders by and gives her the last thing she would ever expect from him: kindness. compassion. empathy. arrogant, selfish, obnoxious zane sits with her in the fire and lets her speak about how overwhelmed she feels as a result of her self-imposed loneliness. not only that, but he tells her he understands, that he sees her perspective and feels that very same sense of isolation. maybe he tells her she looks a mess because he's zane lol but he does so in the same breath as gently removing a piece of debris from her hair
that same gesture prompts rikki to lean in and kiss him. of course this ends with them surrounded by a ring of fire and zane passed out cold, signifying that any attempts for rikki to find true, healthy, meaningful connection is impossible. ultimately she sees herself as a destructive force, hurting those she wishes to care for. she later proclaims to emma that she is better off on her own
then, despite all of this, rikki and zane fall in love. they share an unspoken agreement that he won't press her on things she isn't ready to talk about, that night on mako island or her inclination towards mystery. the care and empathy and mutual respect they shared that night reverberates throughout their entire relationship. they have shown one another a type of vulnerability they never display with anyone else, understand one another like two sides of the same coin. rikki herself says it best: zane gets her.
