Cooling Down and Heating Up (Mark)

It was her day off. Not that Caoimhe, better known as Kee because people could spell it and it was a literal nickname of her name though no one believed her when it was spelt out and everyone did when it was spoken, ever really took days off. Though, in a way she supposed it wasn’t like she ever really worked. Kee hated answering to anyone other than herself, so she didn’t work in a team and she refused to take any sort of actual designated mission, much to the disdain of those who were above her on the totem pole.

She did as she pleased. And today she pleased to be off work, and it just so happened that her work schedule aligned with that desire. She knew she pissed people off with that attitude but she was too good, in her own opinion, for them to get rid of her! It was the perfect gig and she quite enjoyed it. It entertained her to do what she did and she was good at it so why not? She got to track down people, bring them in, and then get rewarded for running around in the woods all day where she was happy to be anyway.

It was a win freaking win.

Today she pleased to be out in the forest because it was too damn hot to deal with the city. It wasn’t really that hot, considering the fact that summer would be much hotter. But it had been so brisk yesterday that the sudden heat had made it seem all the more hot. She did not approve of this sudden upturn and it was enough to make the temperamental girl pout, when usually she preferred to be annoying and feisty instead, because that was her usual way of being.

But she had left the city behind for the cool shade of the trees, the thick canopy providing her with shade that couldn’t be found in the city, unless it was manufactured inside buildings and she wanted to be outside. Besides she found technology to be a hindrance at the best of times. It took out the fun of the world, it made everything too instant and took out the adventure. So she preferred the cool shade of the natural forest and there she went. And now she was rambling. Lovely. Oh well, she was allowed to ramble it was her day off.

She knew where she was headed. Kee knew these woods pretty well from how often she was in them. The only thing she didn’t know was where the Camp was and she didn’t care enough to go looking for that place. Knowing where it was would take the fun out of her job so she avidly avoided stumbling upon it, and didn’t take any sort of hints she may stumble upon. She didn’t find anyone to trail back and she didn’t follow any trails that may lead there. Another reason she pissed off the higher ups most likely. Oh well.

But she knew where other places were. Like the lake. And she was heading there because she thought that the swim would call her off and take off the edge that the humidity of the day had put on. The sun had just set moments before she had left her apartment—prime time to get a little uncomfortable but not burn—and now it was just a nice twilight, there were even lightning bugs! How cliché. She snorted and shook her head. Her parents loved stuff like this and, despite her attitude, she loved it too.

She actually adored lightning bugs, thanks to her childhood. She smiled as a few flitted past her. That was mostly thanks to her grandmother though, because the wonderful woman had told her stories growing up. She smiled and shook her head, shaking that long red hair out as she did. She was not going to go down memory lane, that would be all clichéd again. She was just going to head to her destination! She laughed out loud and kept walking. She was too damn good at entertaining herself. A smirk tugged at those full red lips of hers.

The lake was before her and the smile stayed put where it was. Sweet relief in the form of a body of water. True to its reputation, Mirror Lake was as calm and clear as any mirror a girl could look into forever, and she couldn’t help glancing at her own reflection. Why not? She always liked what she saw. It also looked cold and clear and there wasn’t anyone around to disturb it. Not til she came here to do just that, that is. Like an asshole. Oh well, she was going to get cool and she didn’t care if she disturbed the perfect calm to get it. That had never bothered her one wit before.

She didn’t even bother to glance around before she pulled her black shirt up and over her head, tossing it against a tree nearby. The girl was far from body shy and more than a little bit vain. Even if someone saw her, she wouldn’t care. Next to follow was the bra, revealing the beautiful set of dragonfly wings on her back that spread from her shoulder blades, detailed to show the life she had lived so far was full of adventure and stained red by her death. Her hair, which soon fell back where it was, covered them but she didn’t notice. She tended to wear backless things and pull her hair up to show off her mark, but right now she was going for a swim not a beauty walk.

She shimmied out of her pants and panties, and then dove into the lake, displacing the clear surface with ripples that branched out after her jump. She gasped at the coolness but she welcomed it, a nice way to chase off the heat. She broke for the surface with a grin. It was a lovely day to go skinny dipping. She flipped and started to float on her back, casually swimming in the moon light.