Zane had admittedly not cooked much lately. He wanted to change that, having been re-interested in his hobby after reading about some cool seafood recipes. Right now he needed to get a rare type of crab, one that only would swim in deeper waters. That being said, he wasn't one that would have the funds to have diving equipment, so he headed out on a boat with a cage to catch his fish. He was alone of course, and his vessel was just some wooden small boat he rented for the day. He figured he could simply return tomorrow to grab the cage and hopefully his crab.

Zane wore a pretty standard "hot day fishing" outfit: he had a hat, a short-sleeved shirt and some shorts. He figured when he came back tomorrow it would be cooler. Little did he know, he wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow to get himself ice cold. While he was inserting the cage into the water, he slipped and fell into the ocean, the cage dragging him down due to his refusal to let go of it. Finally, he had no choice but to cave in and let go, but now he was deep underwater, possibly not able to make it up back in time. Panicking, he looked around the ocean before seeing a girl that was swimming down there, somehow just fine. He didn't have time to admire her figure or anything as usual though, as he started making noises and waving his arms for her to help. Hopefully she would heed his call. His instincts were telling him that the girl down in the water with him would be the one to save his life by chance. Just a gut feeling, which was something a man tended to listen to when stuck this deep underwater.

Seemingly, Zane had been able to float up just enough to make it out with breath left to spare. Gasping for air as he would keep himself afloat, it took him a while to even notice that there was a woman in front of him that was coming up above the tides. Admittedly, he had perhaps thought that it was a hallucination cause by himself, after all he'd imagine that if his mind was going to cope with a possible death it would at least send his soul a beautiful woman to admire before passing over to the next plane of existence. But alas, he would find the woman in front of him was very real, and he would manage to slip out a "Oh thank god." He said, as he would somewhat dangerously hold onto the woman a little bit.

Noticing how close he was, he would attempt to care but his tiredness would keep him from moving back, his interaction with being so close to her rather large bust kept to a blush and mental note. For now, he needed to get to the land, which was probably not but two minutes or so from here. That being said, his body was tired from the severe lack of oxygen he'd suffered for a while there, so still using his air conservatively he spoke. "C-can you..." he said, gasping for air. "Help me reach land?" he asked, finishing his sentence. Perhaps it was a bit pathetic for a guy like him to ask such a favor from a woman as beautiful as her, but hopefully she would understand his situation well enough. Thankfully it seemed that even if he were to get to shore, no water would of gotten into him or anything, so as enticing as the appeal of mouth-to-mouth CPR was to him, he would be getting none of that today.

Sometimes, when you spend that amount of time with no means to breathe, your mind somehow manages to push away almost all of the feelings of that nature, setting them to the backside as your largest priority becomes less of a game of lust or desire to interact, and more so a match of simply staying alive. And honestly, without her, Zane had doubts if his adrenaline alone would give him the energy to make it back to the coast and catch his soul, putting it back firmly into his body once and for all. He made one more remark, saying it softly from his fatigue. "Please."

Zane had expected to simply be grabbed by the arm and swam to shore, but instead he got something of the much more intimate variety. Blushing just a little bit, Zane decided to try and act relatively unfazed in this somewhat embarrassing situation for him. "Yes, thank you." he said, as he desperately tried to keep his cool, even with the woman's chest constantly pressing up against his back as he was practically carried towards the shore. He was starting to lose his composure faster than he thought, so in a desperate attempt to regain it he decided to engage in small talk.

"My name is Christian Zane. I was trying to head out here to catch some crabs, but.." he sighed a little bit to himself, this time sincere. Honestly, he was surprised even by himself that he would fumble on such a simple detail. Had it really been that long since he had to catch crabs and the like? Perhaps he was losing his touch now. After all, the last few years he had moved away not only from hunting and fishing, but also cooking as well. Perhaps he was just losing sight of what he really was, a chef.

"I dunno. It's been a while, but for some reason I slipped. I've done this thing countless times before, so I don't see how not doing it for a little while would've caused me to make such a big mistake. Not to mention I have to pay the fee for that rented boat going missing out in the ocean.." he realized that perhaps he was being to whiny now, and moved his head to try and look back at the woman. "Sorry, I guess I talked too much about me, what about you? I wouldn't mind know the name of my savior." he said with a small chuckle.

Sofia Serena had a nice ring to it. It sounded oddly a little too smooth, a little too perfect. Zane always wished he had a name like that. His name didn't exactly fit with the other one next to it, but he supposed that it would probably be useless to fret over something so small. What he did fret about though, was this woman's somewhat flirtatious comments towards him. His heart beating a little too fast for a moment, he calmed down as he went deep into his mind, thoughts swirling through it at a rapid pace as he thought to himself.

Okay me, think. Think think think. This woman is clearly a step above you, and she knows that you're not exactly the most masculine person this side of Fiore. What I've gotta do is win her over with my charm, the type that people know is stupid but find lovable anyways. I should start out with the word "well"...

Before he knew it, a flowchart of sorts was brewing in Zane's mind. He had seen the light, the possible paths out of this perilous situation. While it wasn't easy to imagine, it wasn't hard either, and soon the plan came to mind in Zane's mind.


Zane's plan had been completed. Now kicking his legs just a little bit to speed up their advance to shore, he would speak. "Well..." he said, preparing his extremely witty compliment. "I must say, perhaps not fishing for a while did me well. After all, I've managed to hook the most beautiful thing in the ocean the first day I come back out." Despite feeling embarrassed just saying that, Zane had to stick to the chart. It was his guide in these dark, dark times.

Zane seemed to have impressed the woman, though not quite in the way he was hoping. While a swoon or something of the like certainly would of been nice, he got laughter instead. And while it might of bothered him at first, he soon noticed that the laughter was entirely positive in nature, and that made him smile just a bit. Perhaps he managed to get on this woman's side, even if not entirely in the way that he was planning to? The results were probably what matter most after all.

Now that the two were close to the shore, Zane's taller body would soon be too long to stay afloat like this, and thus he stood up, unfortunately having to break free from the woman's pleasant grasp for the time being. "Perhaps. There have been a few occasions.." he said, though in all of these occasions he spoke of it was his heart being broken, always being the victim rather than the culprit. Zane's shirt was completely soaked, leading him to take it off as he got onto the dry land of the beach , throwing it next to him as he panted a little, leaning down with his hands on his knees for a few moments. Stretching his body upwards, half in genuine need of doing so and half in the desire for her to take a glance at him, he put his hand on his chin as if he was thinking deeply to himself, something that he truly wasn't really doing.

"And you, Sofia? A lot of guys probably flock to a girl like you. Am I a cut above the rest?" he asked, smiling softly. He had a bit of confidence now, though not nearly enough for him to consider being cocky. He doubted his ego would ever get THAT high, at least not without some sort of divine miracle happening.

Zane was a bit gullible at times, so as far as right now went he thought that he had her completely hooked. He had a small smile on his face, perhaps indication that he was growing a little too confident of himself in this situation. Zane smiled and nodded as she noted that she was with both women and men, something that he didn't mind much anymore. It seemed kinda normal now, especially when it came to the women he met. Truly, Fiore was the most progressive place in the world - at least from his limited knowledge of the other countries on Earthland. "Of course." he would state after her comment, his only real attempt at being able to pitch into the conversation for now without saying something stupid, which was perhaps the only thing holding him back from being completely confident in himself here.

Zane couldn't help but notice she had been doing a similar stretching tactic as him, making him wonder if perhaps she was also trying to pick him up. This seemed too good to be true, honestly. His history with women was rather bad, something even her was able to admit. And now he was over here falling into the water and meeting a beautiful girl that was really into him? Perhaps Zane had hit his head on a rock, and this was all a dream. Or maybe this was heaven, and he actually drowned in that ocean...

However, Zane's bubble was burst in one moment, as Sofia mentioned the woman she was dating. Zane's heart skipped a beat, then it skipped another one, almost as if it was playing a rythym game. Then his heart sunk, then rose again. After getting his internal high score on "this girl is taken holy shit", he would move onto the situation at hand. His surprised expression went from a blank one to one of shock, bowing his head forwards in sorrow. "I am very sorry, I have full respect to both you and your girlfriend. I did not mean to infringe on your relationship in any shape or form, and I can both appreciate and admire the dedication you have to each other." Most of the words that came out of his mind were improvised, but the general structure of the phrase was actually something he had used before.

But then, something in his mind clicked. If she was taken, why did she hit on him? She would surely shut him down quickly if she really was faithful to her girlfriend, right? Was this cheating? He thought the behaviour she exhibited and the nature of her reveal suggested not. That's when Zane's brain finally put all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together, forming a few words in his mind. And so, he asked. "Unless you mean to say, it's an open relationship?" he inquired after raising his head.

Zane calmed down a bit at her plea not to worry. Perhaps she wasn't trying to trick or play him here. Believing that she did this without any malicious intent, he decided he could probably trust her. After all, she looked just as flustered and worried there as he did, at least from what he saw. Listening to her talk, it seemed like she did not have much of an idea as to what was going on in her relationship either. Zane put his hand on his chin, listening as he thought about the name she spoke of, Alisa. He had met a woman of that name a long time ago, 2 years or so if he was thinking right. It was in Baska, no? She had been coming into the bar late at night, and Zane helped her get a towel for the rain and talked to her for a while. After he listened to what Sofia had to say, perhaps he would ask: should it turn out that it was the same Alisa, that would be quite the coincidence. He hadn't really heard the name much in Fiore, which lead him to believe that perhaps the name was uncommon.

Honestly, despite Sofia's obvious talent when it came to flirting, it seemed she was brand new when it came to having a relationship with somebody. This kinda made Zane feel as though she was more relate-able now. Zane didn't have much experience with relationships either, and it was interesting that despite how confident she was, she was not perfect either: something Zane could admire, actually.

"That's alright, relationships can be complicated. You should talk to her about it though, usually having clear communication is key in these types of things. By the way, the Alisa you mentioned... does she have black hair, a large chest, and is on the tall side? I think I know her, though only a little bit.: he took his hand off of his chin, as he would move to a nearby cliff on the beach they landed. He was drying up now, and soon he would be able to put on his shirt, which was drying in the sun too. Luckily, the cliff created some small shade where he sat, and he would be more than happy if she wanted to sit next to him too. "I guess it makes sense that you're with her. Not that I'm hitting on your lady or anything, but I'd imagine only the best could be able to be with her." he said, a compliment that wasn't entirely flirty this time. Perhaps it was a little, but the way that she spoke made him think to perhaps put some reassurance in his voice. She seemed a little confused and in thought, at least from his eyes. Perhaps he'd help her out in any way he could.

Zane couldn't help but end up blushing much more than he had previously at her last comments. He really wasn't expecting that to come up all of sudden, having been encouraged to go after both of them. This time, he was legitimately a little bit flustered, especially since he vaguely knew Alisa too. What a coincidental connection. "I suppose I'll have to see!" he said, giving what was perhaps his only truly nervous answer so far. Luckily, the subject calmed down when Sofia had asked about how he knew Alisa, at least that's how Zane interpreted it anyways. He went back in his mind, and could imagine the scene even now. So many things had happened in not only Baska but the Boar Hat Pub as well, yet for some reason that memory stuck out the second most of any, the most being one involving a vampire. But, that was a story for another day.

"It was a dark and stormy night, as cliche as that is. I was in the Boar Hat Pub, by myself, when a girl who I'd soon know as Alisa bust in, soaked to the brim from the rain outside. She seemed cold and insanely wet, so I got her a towel and we talked for a while. We exchanged names, perhaps gave a few compliments and thanks, and then she had to go soon after. That day was 2 years or so ago, I think." he said, as he would cross his legs, sitting upright now. "I guess the story is short, but it stuck out to me. You don't usually see girls that tall. Or, well, with some of her other features." he noted, as he was sure that Sofia would know exactly what he may be talking about. He wondered if perhaps this meant he could meet Alisa again, though this time through less of a chance run in. "Is Alisa in Astera right now? I have to admit, I wouldn't mind seeing her. And not just for your proposition, either." he said, with a light blush just thinking of the idea.

"I just think it would be nice to see someone that I never got the chance to run into again, y'know? Crazy how fate works like that."

Zane couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of jealousy as Sofia so lovingly described Alisa, but he tried his best not to show it. Even in his mind he knew that being jealous was a silly concept, as he prompted his inner self to stop thinking like that and just go with the flow. Still though, the way Sofia talked of Alisa seemed really sweet. Zane wished that he could talk about someone that way, but he couldn't really say he'd met a woman he really, truly loved from the bottom of his heart just yet. Still, optimism was one of his strengths, so he decided not to pursue that chain of thought any longer. For now, he walked down the beach with Sofia, eagerly listening to what she had to say, waiting for the chance to comment without interrupting or anything of the sort.

Sofia mentioned the demon incident, and Zane supposed she meant the incursion. It had been a while since his run in. It caused him some wounds, but even more strangely a meeting with a mysterious demon who vanished as quickly as he appeared. "Yeah, I guess you could say I was involved with one in Orchidia a while back." he noted, putting his hand on his chin. "I managed to help bring down a few of the bigger demons, but the scope of what I did feels small. I wish I coulda been here in time to help out with the one here, but I couldn't quite make it. The city seems to be doing well with rebuilding though, which is a welcome sight. And in these times, I think it's best to appreciate the good things a little more than the bad." he noted. Perhaps he was taking this too seriously, or maybe he wasn't taking it seriously enough. Zane himself had a thing against demons, not being a fan of them, well, killing tons of people for no reason. At the same time though, his thing against demons wasn't nearly as big as the one he had against Vampires, but that was a story for another day.

"I wouldn't mind seeing her again, actually. Though I guess my appearance has changed a lot throughout these 2 years..." It only made sense that should he meet Alisa, she would have some questions. Especially about the lack of his elf ears, a relic of a race he had mysteriously lost. He couldn't help if his sudden curse was something related to the demons, or if it was from another source entirely.

"Though I have no doubt she probably looks about the same. Besides, I'm more interested in what she's been up to and all. Just not sure if she would recognize me is all."

The incursion effected everyone in different ways, but nobody truly enjoyed it. In Zane's mind, he believed even those who lived for fighting didn't like the destruction or bloodshed that came with the events. Listening to Sofia's story, Zane decided not to comment on it too much, knowing that perhaps no words were better than talking in this scenario.

The way Sofia spoke, Zane could tell she was worried about her girlfriend. Even someone like him, who wasn't all that smart, could see that there was a hint of worry in her voice. Zane wanted to see Alisa again, but he had no right to barge in on what should be a private, emotional moment. Zane put his hand on Sofia's shoulder and spoke to her reassuringly.

"I'm not gonna pretend I'm an expert of emotions and the mind, but even I can tell that it would be better if it was just you and Alisa right now." he gave a smile, taking his hand off her shoulder for the time being and putting it in his pocket, looking out to the ocean waves. "A lot of people have died recently. At this point, it's hard to know what will happen. Now, I'm sure Alisa is a strong girl, but I think you should really spend as much time with her as possible. After all, how are you gonna tell her your true, honest feelings if she's not there to hear it?"

"I don't think we should live in fear, but we shouldn't save everything for another day. This whole time we've talked, you seem unsure about the relationship you and her have, right? I think maybe you guys should talk that over now, not only just because the situation could change any minute, but perhaps because it would make things better in general."

Looking over to Sofia once more, he decided to be a bit daring and give her a soft hug. "Truth be told, you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. I mean, he obviously wasn't as pretty or nice, but I could always tell that, despite his nice, humorous demeanor, he wasn't telling the people he cared about everything. Now, I don't even know where that guy is. He was like a father to me, and I don't think I'll see him for a while, if ever. I wish I told that guy some things too, but for now they have to stay bottled up in me. Don't let the same thing happen with you, alright?"

He stopped hugging her, giving her a somewhat embarrassed but at the same time caring smile. "I can at least walk you back to town, if you want. It's the least I can do after you dragged me outta the ocean."

Sofia's reaction to Zane's speech wasn't exactly what he was expecting. He'd say his heart shattered, but it was moreso a little cracked. Instead, his self composure and self esteem essentially got wiped off the face of the earth, him unable to even say anything in response, an embarrassed and shocked look on his face practically the whole way through. His mind went though infinite possibilities of how he could of done it better as Sofia walked away. Zane, to embarrassed to go with her right now, would simply yell out as she walked on. "Uh, maybe another time! Catch you later!"

Would he catch her later, though? Probably not. Zane felt a little to humialited to go with her now, especially to meet her girlfriend of all things. Besides, Fiore was a big place, he would run into Sofia and Alisa again. Hopefully when he did, Sofia would've completely forgotten about the stupid speech he made. Sighing, Zane fell down onto the beach's sand, spreading his arms open as he looked up to the sky, contemplating the choices he made. And it was going so well, too! Sitting up, Zane sighed one last time as he would rise to his feet, walking away from the beach and hopefully forgetting about his big moment with a drink or two. "I knew I shouldn't of been so dramatic..."

EXIT