Lost City, Lost Kingdom, Lost Soul - Orm (Aquaman)

XIV. A Storm is Coming

Humans were strange indeed. Very strange. And being so close to them as  he had been as of late, he was constantly baring witness to the fact of how strange they really were.

He had always thought of that strangeness a bad thing, but not here with Tatiana.  Here, with her, it was just different. And maybe not all a bad different as he had always believed and strongly upheld said belief.

Now, so up close - and personal, let's be honest, sharing a house with one of the humans - he found himself judging less and observing more. 

Meanwhile, Tatiana was on the phone with her sister.

"Max asked me out on another date."

Phoebe gasped through the phone much too loudly. Oh Phoebs, always so dramatic. "What are you doing for your date?"

"He's taking me sailing around the bay."

"Oooooo romantic!"

Tatiana rolled her eyes.

 "Wait, does he have a boat? Is he rich?!"

Again, Tatiana rolled her eyes. "No and no. He's head of the salvaging company helping me with my research, so he knows the people at the marina and he rented the boat. He knows how to sail."

"Well I should hope so, if he's taking you sailing. Have fun! Send me lots of pictures!"

"So what are you doing tonight that's taking you so long to get ready for?" Orm asked that evening while he watched Tatiana bustle around the house. It reminded him of royal events back home which took much preparation.  He seemed genuinely confused.

"I'm going on a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah, you don't do that in Atlantis?"

"I don't think so... I've never heard of it."

"Well, you should be hearing this from someone who's more of an expert than me, but it's where two people, a man and a woman, or a man and a man, or a woman and a woman, or whoever really, go out and spend time together, to get to know each other, and sometimes it will lead to something romantic."

Now Orm looked even more confused. Oops, looked like she had just managed to confuse him further.

"What do you mean I should 'hear it from and expert?'" he asked her. "You sound like you know what you're talking about."

"Oh, it was a joke, it was meant to be funny, cause of my lack of experience in the dating field."

Orm still looked perplexed, though now for a different reason.  "Why would that be funny?"

"It's not really. Sometimes people make a big deal about how many dates you've been on, and how many people you've slept with, and how long you've been together, and blah, blah, blah. But, while I'm interested, I'm not totally focused on it all the time. I believe it will happen when it happens."

"So you're going out with someone? A man? A woman?"

"A guy, yeah. Max, you know, the guy you met."

"Oh yes..." Yes, he remembered. He wondered what Tatiana saw in him, in this Max, but didn't ponder this aloud. It was up to her, her choice.

"Do you love him?"

"Oh-" His question shocked her.

She almost felt bad to admit it, but there was a lack of spark she felt with Max. But they had only gone out once so far. And he was a really nice guy and had helped her so much with her work - she would give it more of a chance. But, while he was helping her with work, she didn't owe him anything. But this didn't feel like that kind of situation - it seemed like he genuinely wanted to go out with her. 

"You said these dates could lead to something romantic," he added.

"Yes, that's true. I, um, I-"  

She must have looked as uncertain as she felt, for he said, "My apologies, I overstepped. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, no, that's okay, you were just asking a question."

"I was  trying to understand this whole 'date' thing."

"Yeah, for sure, no worries. And trust me, I don't even understand it all. I'm not sure anyone does." She looked at her watch.  "Well, I'd better go.  There's leftover souvlaki in the fridge, and I might be late so don't wait up for me."

"Should I be concerned for your safety?"

"Oh, no, I don't think so, but thanks though. That's really sweet and considerate."

"Okay, well I hope your date goes well."

"Thanks, me too. Bye Orm! I'll be back later."

"Goodbye."

With that, she was gone, leaving him alone in the house. 

-----------------------------------

She should have trusted her gut - oh why hadn't she?

They hadn't been expecting storms in the next week according to the weather forecast, but  the elements themselves seemed to have other plans.

"Are you sure this is okay? That's its safe?" she asked Max, peering out at the darkening sky from where they stood at the docks. 

The sky was darkening above them and the steady wind was picking up - this wasn't looking promising.

A storm was surely brewing.

"Oh yeah, nothing to worry about. We won't go too far out," he assured her. 

However, it soon became clear that her idea of 'too far out' and his idea of 'too far out' were very different. 

"Don't you think that's far enough?" she cautioned. The docks were shrinking from view.

"Well we won't get much sailing done if we stay too close to the docks."

Oh why of all nights did this random storm have to happen tonight?

"Don't worry! I've got this!" he called over the howling wind as it rocked the boat, and certainly not gently. Great, now he was trying to show off his sailing skills.

Use those sailing skills you boasted to me about! She wanted to yell at him, especially as things quickly worsened.

The sky had darkened completely over them now and the wind was whipping around them - Tatiana hugged her arms around herself, suddenly chilled. She hadn't dressed for a storm.

It felt as though it could start pouring rain at any moment, which would only make things worse.

"I want to go back!" she cried, though unsure if he could hear her or not. He was busy trying desperately to steady the boat. 

Suddenly, the boat gave a sharp lurch as they drew to a sudden halt, as though having hit something.

Oh no - Tatiana's first thought was 'had they hit some rocks?' But weren't they too far out to have hit any rocks at this point?

But then, the boat lurched again - not so forcefully this time, but forcefully  enough to still knock them off balance - and the boat began moving back towards the docks as though something were pushing it.

This was how they made it safely back to the docks. When they did, something hopped up out of the water and onto the deck of their boat.

No, not something - someone.

(Again, I know it's been forever, and I'm sorry, but I'm still working on finishing up some stories and I am determined to finish this story!

So thank you for being so patient and sticking with me! Thank you for reading and, as always, I hope you enjoyed this long-overdue chapter! :))