thoughtformed | WE GOT OUR SWIM TRUNKS & OUR FLIPPY-FLOPPIES [ it's an action log okay ]

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WE GOT OUR SWIM TRUNKS & OUR FLIPPY-FLOPPIES [ it's an action log okay ]

[ Finnick's boat isn't much by far, but it is a sight for sore eyes. It's pieced together from his apartment furniture, spare wood and woven vine rafts, with simple sails made from bedsheets. So what if it isn't pretty? With all the weight testing Johanna made him do, he knows it's functional. And that police officer can say all he wants — if there's one family-friendly thing Finnick knows, it's boats. Everything's going to be okay.

Of course, convincing three kids who've never been on a boat and one girl who's probably going to kill them all by the end of this trip is another story entirely.

He's been turning this over in his mind while pulling the boat out of the forest; how to best keep Johanna sane during the voyage. Rope's not an option. Frankly, Finnick's coming up empty. She'll just have to deal until they get— he isn't naive enough to think they'll find home, but somewhere else is good enough.

As he reaches the shoreline, Finnick can make out the shapes of his friends. It's late into the night, but they're all present. He grins and pushes the bow into the lapping water, finally feeling at home in this strange world. In the boat are blankets, food, water, and of course, those silly life vests and floaty wings. Aren't you glad?

He wastes no time and steps into the boat immediately, holding out a hand for whoever's next. ]

Who's ready for an adventure?

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[Gale makes his way onto the aft of the boat and takes a seat in one of the corners, near to where he assumes Finnick will be. With Katniss in the bow, that means that Peeta will be somewhere up near her (he assumes), and that Johanna will take the other aft corner, near Finnick and presumed safety. It's probably a bad sign that he's more comfortable near her than Katniss -- a sign that he really shouldn't be here.

He settles in, quietly, and tries to tune out the impending shrill Johanna reaction he expects.]

[ A shrill reaction? Johanna was more or less staying quiet. As much as she wanted to snap at anyone thinking of sending a pitying or even remotely concerned look in her direction, that wasn't a possibly right now. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor beneath her, hoping to ignore the rocking of the boat, the sloshing water around them. She recognized the grooves in the wood as a part of the dining table, this first part they made- hopefully the sturdiest part of the boat.

With Gale sitting next to her, Johanna knows she can't put her head down and try and forget where she is. Beginning to see what Annie finds so appealing about covering her ears and ignoring the world.

Annnnnnnd great, now she feels even more pathetic than before. That at least gives her the energy to shoot a few glares around the boat. ]

[ Peeta settles near the bow, predictably, and occupies himself by watching Finnick work with the sails.]

Anything we should be doing?

[ Katniss hoists herself easily into the boat, taking care not to splash in Johanna's general direction. Whether she thinks this boat's going to get them anywhere or not, there's no need to seek trouble out, anyway. She positions herself on the bow, staring transfixed into the water. She's never really been on a boat before, but there's something comforting about the ocean, she thinks. Before it'd have reminded her of the Quarter Quell arena, or of Wiress's corpse floating facedown with her blood slowly diluting into nothing, but now she feels quite calm about it. The ocean is bottomless, it feels like, and extends endless out in all directions away from the shore. The color of Prim's eyes, she thinks.

She looks momentarily up at Peeta, then back down toward the sea. Carelessly, she leans ever so slightly out of the boat and reaches out to drag her fingers through the water. ]

We can probably leave it to Finnick, can't we? I'm sure I'd just be in the way.

[ To say Haymitch is underwhelmed by the plan is to suggest he had some sort of expectation to begin with -- and so far all he really expects is to see the lot of them in a couple hours, reminiscent of a bag of drowned kittens.

He'll see them off, though. ]

I won't wait up.

[ Finnick waves from the boat, laughing at Haymitch despite himself. ]

We wouldn't expect you to!

[ He turns his attention back to the ship, the people sober enough to be on it. They seem fine, for the most part — Johanna's scowling, which means she's not gone, which means she's doing okay. He has no idea how he's supposed to sail and be preoccupied with all their well-being at the same time, but that's what captains do. He tries not to think of Four as he glances over his shoulder again at the retreating island. ]

If we're lucky, you guys won't have to do anything. Just try not to rock the boat.

[Gale tosses off an ironic salute. Maybe if he thinks of this as a hunting expedition, it'll be easier to wait it out...]

Got any fishing line?

[ The boat cuts through a rougher patch of waves and Johanna's stomach lurches. There's nothing to hold onto- the edge of the ship is too close to the splash-zone, isn't it? She runs her hands through her hair, breath hitching. It's just water. It's just water, it's just water, it won't kill you, it won't kill you, they won't ever kill you, it's just water.

Johanna hopes when she does throw up it's on Gale. ]

Do we really want it to smell like dead fish so soon? We have enough food for the moment, I think.

[He did spend a good part of the day on the sandwiches, anyway. Besides, he doesn't think that either fish splashing on the bottom of the boat or dead ones will exactly help morale at the moment, much as he can sympathize with Gale's wish for a distraction.]

[ Katniss watches for a few minutes as the boat pulls farther and farther away from Haymitch, unsure whether she figures his nonchalant reaction to their leaving is really due to his conviction that they won't get anywhere or just that he doesn't mind that much if they're gone. Finally, she turns her gaze back out over the water; it's easier than looking at everyone looking uncomfortable at each other. ]

Let's wait until we get somewhere we can cook them, at least.

[ It isn't that she doesn't understand Gale's feelings; she'd probably be reacting in the same way if she hadn't gotten so good at staring at nothing for extended periods, really. Finally, she pulls her fingers out of the water, focuses instead on the creaking of the wood beneath them. It's making her uneasy; she's unsure how Johanna can even stand it.

She thinks about turning around and asking Finnick if those noises are normal, but he seems too busy for much conversation and there's no real reason to stir Johanna up unnecessarily. So instead she sits in silence, facing away from everyone.

Oh, yeah. In no way is this plan awkward. ]

[ Without taking his attention from the sails and the cheap, probably inaccurate compass in the palm of his hand— ]

Gale, it's underneath the gray blanket portside— on the left.

[ In the silence that follows, Finnick racks his mind to figure out if he's ever been on a more awkward boating trip. There was the one where Annie had a fit when her father started gutting fish and kicked him in the teeth, but that was more sad and bloody than awkward. Actually, it's probably best to not think of these things.

It's not that he tunes them out for the rest of the trip — you always have to stay sensitive to the needs of your passengers — but Finnick gets in the zone. How long has it been since he sailed? Easily before the Quarter Quell. The rocking and creaking of the boat, the rushing of the waves, it all lulls him into a peaceful place that Finnick isn't used to achieving without wearing his fingers raw tying and untying knots. They've picked up a decent speed from the wind, the seas are relatively calm (though there's no use trying to convince Johanna of that) and they're fine. Everything's going to be fine.

He's just about to look over his shoulder to gauge their distance from New Moore when the boat comes to a disturbingly familiar crashing halt. Literally, the bow seems to hit an invisible wall and smashes itself apart. Finnick barely has time to yell for Katniss before he's thrown from his position at the mast and into the water.

Well, shit. ]

[ Johanna hits the water like it's a brick wall, like the touch of it breaks every single bone in her body, completely paralyzed, sinking like a stone. Survival kicks in withthe off hand knowledge that she can swim, hasn't she been saying so all this time? Engulfed in water she can forget that's what it is, and the pressure to get to air, to breath, to not die is strong enough to let her shattered legs kick.

It's when Johanna breaks the surface that she remembers what's around her and what they did. The cold clamps digging through her skin, the hands at the back of her neck and the questions she doesn't even have the answers to and no amount of hysterical, begging gibberish will get them to stop.

Screaming bloody murder and swallowing several mouthfuls of saltwater only makes the panic worse. The survival instinct that pushed her to the surface is now ringing in her ears that she's drowning in addition to being shocked. Struggling against invisible tormentors isn't necessarily conducive to swimming, so even if Johanna comes up screaming, she quickly sinks back under the waves with all her fighting. ]

[Gale doesn't realize what's happened at first -- not when the boat crashes, not when he goes under, not until he surfaces, paddling and flailing frantically, and has a moment to take in the scene and think, rather than reacting instinctively.

His first priority -- his only priority -- is to find Katniss. is she okay? Is she on the surface or still under? Clumsily, he kicks away from the waterlogged wreckage, trying to push himself up above the water far enough to look for her.]

[It happened so quickly Peeta doesn't register the need to swim until he's already well under the water. He's frozen for a moment before choking on the water and kicking towards what he hopes is the surface, trying to focus on his recent swimming practice instead of the conflicting memories trying to push at the back of his mind.

Partly because of the practice, and partly because of luck, he does break the surface, his head striking one of the broken pieces of the boat. He grabs onto it desperately, coughing hard and trying to lift himself up enough to see where the others are.]

[ In a way, Katniss is lucky - unlike Peeta's experience with forcefields in the Quarter Quell, the wood of the boat takes the brunt of the hit, and only her shoulder makes contact. It's still enough to send her flying backwards into the water, propelled by the shrapnel of the boat showering her face. she takes a particularly large chunk in the solar plexus, and for a moment she feels her heart stop, remembers that in this place there's nowhere for Finnick to make it start again.

She can't find up from down, and takes her a long time to surface. When her head finally breaks above the waves she's coughing and spitting, trying her hardest to expel whatever water has entered her lungs. Once she can breathe again she treads water, takes long, calm strokes and tries to get her bearings, ignores the way the salt water makes her eyes burn. She's fairly separate from the rest of the group, but she can see them, sees Johanna. ]

Finnick! Someone get her, she's going to sink.

[ She grabs a sturdy-looking piece of wood for flotation - Peeta's got the right idea - and starts taking large strokes over toward the rest of the group. There's a weird ringing in her ears, and her temple stings - she's pretty sure she's bleeding. She supposes she's getting off light, for having hit the --

She stops so utterly that she almost sinks. ]

The forcefield! Where is it!!

[ An old adage from Four flashes through his head briefly: Never show the ocean your fear, and you won't get hurt. Too late for that, but Finnick knows he has to act as captain even when— especially when— the ship goes down. He's whipping his head around, taking stock of everyone — Johanna.

Finnick dives under — it's nearly impossible to see, all the kicking and waves from hitting the forcefield have stirred the waters, but she isn't far off. He grabs Johanna around the waist and pulls her up, forcibly keeping her head above water. Nothing about this situation is good — if anything in this mess is going to kill him, it'll be her. Still, he hangs onto her with one arm, using the other to bat away pieces of broken boat.

Everything is disoriented, but the lights of New Moore are still slightly visible in the distance. Finnick kicks toward them, away from the wreckage, away from where he hopes the forcefield is. He can't let himself remember the Quarter Quell right now. Peeta. The lightning tree. The dome exploding. He can't fathom that happening again, there's no time. Instead, Finnick continues kicking away as best he can with Johanna tearing at him, and yells for the rest. ]

Grab onto a piece of wood and get away from the boat!

[ While no longer drowning is nice and all, being grabbed during the throes of a delusion doesn't calm Johanna's already frail mental state. Coughing up water between yells, she can feel the cuffs being snapped around her wrists and their weight pushing her into the tank- ]

No-- no, let- NO!

[ Like trying to keep a hold of a drowning cat, Johanna shrieks and struggles in Finnick's hold, trying to push him away or climb over him to get out of the water. Her nails dig into his arms and shoulders (don't you wish you'd kept your shirt on now!) as she scrambles for an escape, to knock herself free from her captors. Under his arm, her body shakes wildly, either from her terror or her mind's reliving the electric shocks.

All that flailing around leaves her helpless to the thrum of the waves, so Johanna cries are occasionally punctuated by gagging and fighting the sting of seawater in her throat and eyes. It's pretty clear she's not aware they hit a forcefield, or that their prized boat is sinking around them, or that any of the others are even there at all. ]

[Gale manages to grab hold of a longer wooden spar and clings there for a moment. He still hasn't actually caught sight of Katniss in all the chaos, but he's heard her voice, and that's enough for now.

As he starts pushing his support away from the boat, legs kicking clumsily, still weighed down by his shoes, he catches sight of his fishing line, hook snagged on a drowning curtain of sail. Rather than get clear of the sail, he closes with it, snagging the line around his arm and pulling the hook free.

He almost goes under, coughing and spluttering as folds of the sail catch at him and try to fold him up and pull him down, but at last he has it. Still clinging to the spar with one arm, he pulls the line short and spins it above the surface as though preparing to cast, then feeds out the line as much as he can, watching its arc until --]

There! The forcefield is right there!

[Peeta forces himself to kick in the opposite direction, trying to ignore the burning in his throat and eyes, heading slowly away from where Gale indicated the forcefield was. When he thinks he's far enough -- though it'll never be far enough, not really -- he stops, and shakily removes one hand from the piece of wood long enough to fish the plastic bag containing his phone out of his pocket.

Following Shepherd's instructions, he carefully replaces the battery while making sure it stays dry, which turns out to be more difficult than he'd expected due to his hands trembling. The madness is pushing harder at his mind now, he can feel it, but he tries to fight it off long enough to make sure there's a signal. That means the phone can be tracked, doesn't it? Isn't that what he was told? Maybe he should call, just to make sure--

But he only just manages to finish dialing before the force of his memories gets to be too much. Is this real? It feels real, real like the arena was, where the last barrier made him just stop. And just like that, his mind retreats, and his hands can't keep hold of the wood any longer. He slips quietly back into the ocean.]

[ Katniss follows Gale and Peeta's example, pushing herself as far away from the forcefield as she can get without losing sight of everyone. She's a decent swimmer, and her bow and arrows seem to offer something of a buoying effect, but she's unused to the rocking of the waves and Johanna's flailing isn't helping steady them. She shoots a cursory glance over at the two older champions, surprisingly cool for someone who is essentially witnessing a mauling. But then, she supposes Finnick getting ripped apart isn't anything she hasn't seen before.

Her attention turns over toward Gale and Peeta just as Peeta's head is sinking once more below the waves, and without a second thought she goes under after him, hauls his face back out of the water in an almost businesslike fashion. First order of business is of course keeping everyone alive. When Finnick goes under from blood loss she'll take care of him, too.

It's only belatedly that she realizes who exactly she's manhandling, and she sputters over at Gale, ]

If you're treading water all right give me a hand over here, I don't want to --

[ Make it worse. She doesn't quite manage to say it. She opts instead to choke frantically as salt water goes up her nose.

Maybe they'll get lucky and there'll be sharks to finish them all off quickly. ]

[Gale flails around for a moment, before he can grab onto a piece of wood long enough for all three of them to cling to -- hopefully without dragging it under -- and awkwardly pushed away from the wreckage again, kicking his way towards Katniss as quickly as he can.]

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WE GOT OUR SWIM TRUNKS & OUR FLIPPY-FLOPPIES [ it's an action log okay ]

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