[Claire]

[plantfood]

Though Mathias doesn't mind caring for Sam at all, has come to love it, in fact, he can't deny that he does enjoy his mornings alone. When Sam wants to stay with Lucy and when the dogs want to stay with Sam, he's able to take his scuba equipment down to the ocean and go diving for as long as it holds his interest. The water is still the most peaceful place he's found on the island, even with all the life below the waves. It's easier to slip under the water than it is to try and push his way through the jungle most days.

The sun has fully risen when he finally comes out again, the tank still strapped to his back, his regulator dangling down by his side. If he could, he would probably stay out all day, but the oxygen won't last forever, even with all the extra tanks the island gives him nearly every year. It's not something he can rely on, he knows that much, and he doesn't want to wake up one day and realize that he's pressed it too far and all the oxygen is gone. It isn't the same to snorkel, though he supposes he could do that in order to preserve the tanks.

It isn't until he's in the shallows, mask pushed up onto his forehead, that he realizes there's someone walking along the beach. There's often people out, especially in the busier areas, which he tends to favor when he dives. He's trained well, but an emergency is still possible and he likes to know there are people in the area.

"Good morning," he says to the girl when she gets closer. With one foot out of the water, he tugs the flipper off, then sets his foot down again. It's a little awkward, trying to balance everything, but he manages without falling back into the water.

Comments

[regenerated]

"I guess," Claire admits with a tilt of her head, already feeling guilty for how she wants to disagree, wants to argue that all of the danger that might be found in the depths is in fact all that much more important to check out. That Rapture is the very proof that they should be pushing themselves to make sure they aren't somehow overlooking a group of people similarly trapped as the rest of them, or even more so. Even murmurs about one of the island citizens, Sirius Black, being found cast far off the coast, leave Claire wondering.

"I mean, I agree, like. Those of us who... would probably do more harm than good in situations like those, because, you know, personally I've got a bit of a damsel in distress syndrome, we should definitely stay out of danger's way. But then again, I look at places like Rapture, and then suddenly I find myself wanting to argue that diving that deep is exactly what we need to do," she muses. "Not that I would, myself. I just think too much."

[plantfood]

Mathias grins at that and shakes his head, because he doesn't disagree with her at all. But, like Claire, he also doesn't want to be the one going on those adventures. Once, he might have happily gone down to Rapture or as deep in the ocean as he possibly could, but with Sam in the picture, he has to think about others as well.

"I agree," he says. "There is much of this place left to explore, I just don't think I'm the right person to do it." He pauses, thinking of what she's said, then continues. "I may also have a bit of a damsel in distress syndrome, though with more facial hair." It isn't entirely true, but he's ended up in danger before this and on the island, when he'd had to be rescued by Steve and Tom. One of the last things he wants is another cast for another six weeks. Or worse.

"I fell down a mine shaft on the other island," he admits. "Broke my leg, had to be pulled out by members of the ITF. It was very... dramatic."

[regenerated]

"Oh... my god, that's terrifying," Claire exclaims, and for all that she knows she's seen dangers more insidious, there's still something about being caught in a place with so little light and air that chills her to the bone. At least when an enemy nears, there's something to fight. A reason to press on, against all odds. But being somewhere only open to one thanks to the caving of the earth under one's feet, that scares Claire more than she'd like to admit. "Wow, I didn't even know that the other island had a mine shaft or anything. Actually, I know... really little about what the island has altogether, which is probably a bad sign. I know that there's some evidence of a settlement having been there, but I never made it over, myself."

Wincing, she turns to Mathias and offers a sheepish smile. "Now I'm almost tempted to go on an expedition there, myself. I mean. Not with the aim of falling down a mine shaft, obviously. I've broken enough ribs in my lifetime to know that's not something I want to experience."

[plantfood]

"I thought it would be an adventure," Mathias admits, his lips pressed into a thin line briefly. There are other reasons -- he wanted to forget about missing Veronica just for an afternoon and he certainly got his wish -- but for the most part, he'd been looking for that sense of adventure that he missed. Now he isn't so sure it's something he needs, even when he is feeling his most restless.

"I think I would have gotten that, if not for the accident," he continues. "If you do go, just make sure you take someone with you or that people know where you are. Which I'm sure you know already and I sound like I'm lecturing now." He laughs quietly and shakes his head. "I just don't want to think about what might have happened had I been alone."

He owes a lot to both Danny and Neil for the parts they played that day. Even with all the hallucinations of the vines, Danny had kept him relatively calm and Neil had been the one to go for help. If he'd gone by himself, he likely would still be down there, though no longer alive.

[regenerated]

"My dad was a pretty strict guy, so believe me, your level of lecturing is totally acceptable," Claire grins, hands carefully tucking strands of her hair behind her ear, keeping busy to prevent herself from dwelling on her father, a process that she was pretty sure she carried through multiple times each day. From some distance away, Sam continued to babble on, drawing a wider smile from Claire. "I had this whole teen phase where I kind of wanted to go against anything that my dad had to say or suggest, but that's more or less ended by now. Well, then again— I guess he isn't exactly here, but."

She presses her lips thin. "But even before I left, we kind of came to a truce about the fact that he was, in the end, just way overprotective. And I guess when it comes to something like that, it could be a lot worse, right?"

[plantfood]

"It could be," Mathias agrees, glancing to Sam briefly. Though it's not necessary just yet, he imagines when she gets older, he's going to be overprotective as well, probably enough to drive her crazy, but it's something that he's made peace with. On the island, where anything can happen, he can't imagine letting Sam go wherever she wants or do whatever she wants.

"My parents were very much the opposite," he says. "It's not that they thought we deserved to do whatever wanted, just that they were often very busy." Distracted is probably a better word. He loves his parents, but they weren't exactly the most present people in his life.

[regenerated]

"That's... actually how my parents started out. Or at least, how I thought they were, until I figured out that half the reason my dad was so distracted in the first place was just because he was, you know. Trying to make my life better, and to protect me, and just make sure that nothing happened to me. Mom, though, she was kind of caught up in the show dog business for a while," Claire smiles, although it's thin and unsure. How many times, after all, had Sandra's mind been wiped over the years, before Claire knew about any of it? Maybe Sandra had been twice as attentive, only to have it drawn back every time.

While she doesn't hold it against her parents anymore, a part of her might always feel uncertain over the matter.

"Anyway," she says, catching his glimpse towards Sam. "I think you're already doing great. From what little I've seen. She seems really comfortable with you."